Shadow Of Death

“Or it,” Devon injected into the conversation and extended his hand, “Welcome back to the world of the living.”

Chad shook his hand, “Yeah, I’d just like to be able to live that life with a sense of freedom.” He sighed when he noted Trevor and Devon giving each other the cold shoulder.

Envy frowned, “But why can’t you live at Night Light? It’s the perfect place. No one is getting through those doors without a couple dozen wolves pouncing on them.”

“I wouldn’t feel comfortable there,” Chad answered truthfully. “If I have to, I’ll set up a sleeping space in one of the more private jail cells at the station.”

“Do you mean in the Hole,” Trevor demanded making a face.

Chad shrugged, “At least I’ll be safe and under constant surveillance… which seems to be what all of you want.”

“It’s not like that Chad,” Envy said sadly. “We’re your family… your friends. We just want to make sure nothing comes after you again.”

Trevor ran a hand through his blonde hair as Envy’s sadness hit him like a brick wall, “Okay, I’ve had it with this crap. Chad, you can move into my place… I got more than enough room and I’m rarely there. You’ll basically be on your own with the exception of me popping in every now and then. The alarm system is one of the best available and it’s a lot nicer than the Hole.”

Chad looked over at him with a startled frown on his face. He never even thought of that and the fact that Trevor had offered wasn’t to be taken lightly since they all knew how much Trevor liked his privacy.

“All right,” Chad said softly, actually liking the idea. “We’ll go get my stuff and I’ll move in with you later today. But,” he continued, “I keep my apartment. That way when I want some time to myself I actually have a place to go.”

“Too late,” Envy said guiltlessly. “I cancelled the contract on the apartment yesterday and all of our stuff is now stored.” She shrugged at the look Chad gave her and tilted her chin defiantly, “What? My name was on that lease too.”

“Whatever,” Chad gave up deciding to drop the subject.

Trevor nodded and clapped a hand on Chad’s shoulder, “Well, look at it this way… that’s better than her burning the place down and you having to arrest her for it. I’d take what I can get if I were you.” He glanced at Envy just in time to see the relieved light in her eyes and knew he’d just made her a very happy girl.

“Come on,” Envy said excitedly, “you gotta see what we’ve done to the club so far. It’s a lot bigger than what it was.”

Chad gave Envy a patient smile and let her drag him from one end of the club to the other. Trevor followed a few feet behind them taking in the new decorations and grinning at the numerous glow-in-the-dark Jack-O-Lanterns that were being set against the walls on the floor.

Warren was on the scaffolding, hanging upside down next to the mirror ball putting something on the faceted surfaces of it.

“Run it,” Warren called out after he’d pulled himself upright.

The lights went out and the mirror ball came to life. Trevor raised an eyebrow as the ball reflected light back across the floor and walls. Hundreds of witches, skeletons, and black cats with their backs arched high in the air were giving the appearance of running from shadow to shadow.

“Looks awesome bro,” Devon called up.

“Did you remember to order the fog fluid from The Witch’s Brew?” Warren asked him.

Devon gave him a thumb up, “It’ll be in tomorrow morning. Nick offered to pick it up for us.”

“He’s Alive!”

Chad yelped when he was suddenly grabbed from behind and spun around. When his feet found the floor again, he had to grab onto the railing to steady himself. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Nick standing there.

“Nick,” Envy admonished. “Don’t do that.”

“Why not?” Nick asked with a smirk. “Tis’ the season to get the crap scared out of you. Besides, it’s not every day I get to see someone who cheated death. I gotta get my hug too.”

Chad had regained enough of himself to bat his eyelashes at Nick. “Why Mr. Wilder,” he said in a sticky sweet voice, “I didn’t know you cared.”

Nick paused and slowly looked back over at Chad who was grinning stupidly.

“Damn,” Nick said when he realized Chad was joking with him. “As long as you don’t EVER do that again… we’ll be fine.”

“Hi Trevor,” Alicia said coming up behind Nick. She hadn't seen Micah in the last couple days due to her and Damon breaking in their new home at Love Bites. Michael and Syn were supposed to be living there too but so far they hadn't moved in. “Is Micah behaving himself at work?”

Trevor smirked, “If you don’t count the paper airplane battles, using the window as a garbage can to hit unsuspecting pedestrians walking by, and having to restrain him from spraying silly string all over Tasuki’s car… yeah, he’s doing good.”

Alicia grinned, “Yeah, he told me about the new guy joining him and Titus, and from what Micah says, Tasuki seems pretty cool.”

Damon growled from behind her and she promptly turned around to smack him on the arm. “You stop that right now,” Alicia announced then turned to Nick, “Speaking of crazy vampires, I’ve got something for you.” She waved him away from the others not wanting anyone to see the gift she had for him.

Nick frowned when Alicia slipped something into his hand. “What’s this?” he asked curiously as he stared down at the necklace curled in his palm.

“That is a charm I made to protect myself from falling under a vampire’s thrall,” Alicia whispered then smirked wickedly over her shoulder at Damon. “I switched the gold chain I was wearing with black leather so it would look good on you. Don’t tell anyone you have it. If you wear it the day of the party, then Michael won’t be able to trick you into dressing up like a girl.”

Nick had a smile plastered to his face, “Awesome! And who says I’m waiting until Halloween to wear it?” He quickly put the necklace on feeling safer for it. He ignored Damon who had started growling again and tucked the necklace inside his shirt to hide it. “I really owe you one for this.”

Damon drug Alicia back toward Envy before Nick decided to give her a hug too. He didn’t think she’d like it very much if he strangled the jaguar with her gift. He knew Nick didn’t remember but the image of Nick all over Alicia in Michael’s living room was still too fresh in his mind.

Alicia frowned when several overhead light bulbs brightened then shattered. She looked up at the back of Damon’s head when Warren yelled from the rafters something about there being a short somewhere in the wires. She hid her soft smile as she wrapped her arms around Damon in an attempt to save a lot of extra work on the club.

“What are you dressing up as?” Chad asked Nick when they rejoined the group.

“I’m going to be the twenty-first century version of Billy the Kid,” Nick answered with a straight face.

“In Layman’s terms,” Alicia droned, “He’s going as himself.”

Everyone chuckled when Nick shrugged and went to help Quinn and Kat behind the bar. Alicia suddenly gasped and rushed off toward the back of the club with a predatory looking Damon following close behind her.

“What do you suppose that’s about?” Chad asked with an arched eyebrow.

“What do you think?” Devon smirked.

Trevor glanced over at Envy and frowned when he noticed she suddenly looked a bit pale.

“You okay Envy?” he asked softly.

Envy raised her chin with a bright smile and lied, “Sure, I’m great…”

Trevor moved to catch her the second her eyes closed.

“Envy,” Chad also reached for her and kept hold while Trevor lowered her to the floor. “What the hell just happened?”

Devon had moved at the same time Trevor did but Trevor had been closer when Envy fell. He kneeled down beside Chad and cupped Envy’s cheek.

“Envy,” Devon whispered while stroking his thumb across her skin. “Come on baby, open your eyes.”

“Has she been getting enough sleep?” Chad asked accusingly.

Envy squeezed her eyes shut as sound drifted back towards her and moaned before slowly blinking them open. She frowned when all three men sighed collectively in relief.

“Why are all of you looking at me like that?” Envy asked and looked around in confusion. “Did I fall?”

“You fainted,” Chad explained suddenly getting a little payback from all the worry she’d been doing over him. “Are you okay?”

Envy gripped his hand and slowly stood up, “Yeah, it must be all the excitement going on. I’ve been having so much fun that I might have forgotten to eat or something.”

Trevor shook his head hearing the lie in her voice, “I’m not buying that.” He took out his cell phone and quickly dialed a number. The phone rang a few times before the familiar and welcoming voice answered it.

“Hello,”

Trevor smiled, “Hi Mrs. Tully, it’s Trevor.”

“Trevor dear, how are you?” Mrs. Tully asked.

“I’m doing all right but I need a really huge favor.” He watched as Chad and Devon helped Envy sit down on one of the softer seats around the low tables.

Mrs. Tully smiled, “If I can, I’ll be more than happy to help.”

“I’m over at Moon Dance and Envy just passed out. She seems fine now but something doesn’t feel right. Can you spare a few minutes to come and take a look at her?” Trevor asked.

“Of course I can,” Mrs. Tully said. “Give me about twenty minutes to get my bag and drive there.”

Trevor smiled, “Okay, we’ll see you soon.”

“Good call,” Devon said shocking everyone else.

*****

Jason lay on the thick mattress in that place between sleep and awake just down the hall from where Tiara and Zachary were making love… again. Even in his semiconscious state he could hear them… feel her ecstasy like a caress on his own heated skin. He pressed the back of his head into the pillow when that ecstasy heightened… unaware that the ring on his hand had started glowing.

Jason’s expression darkened and he suddenly found himself standing at the foot of Tiara and Zachary’s bed watching what he had only felt moments ago. He almost sighed in relief when he realized he was dreaming. When they didn’t notice him standing there, Jason moved around the bed so he could see Tiara’s face. His eyes widened at the way she looked and tried to turn his head but couldn’t.

His gaze landed on Zachary, watching his body move above Tiara’s and he took a step back. For just a brief moment Zachary had transformed into him before reverting back… teasing him with what he could have.

Jason suddenly felt something in his hand and looked down at the dagger fisted in his fingers. The handle was cool against his heated skin and the edge seemed to glimmer at him… tempting him to use it.

Tiara’s voice rang out calling Zachary’s name and Jason watched, detached and horrified as he raised his arm and plunged the knife directly into Zachary’s spine. Tiara’s screams of pleasure turned to terror… it was a soothing sound to Jason’s ears. He looked down at the bed with blood pouring from the wound in Zachary’s back and soaking the mattress.

Jason suddenly regained control of his body and tore himself from the dream with such force he sat straight up in bed. It was only by force of will that he refrained from crying out at such a horrific scene. Tiara’s ecstasy once again filled him and he fisted his hands in his hair, fighting the tears that burned his eyes. Unable to withstand the emotional turmoil, he climbed out of bed and rushed out the front door feeling like a traitor.

It didn’t matter to him if it was a dream or not… dreams were an extension of the heart’s desires and Jason’s wanted Tiara.

*****

Nighthawk stood beside the same distant tree he’d haunted off and on since Tiara’s first night at the cabin. He knew there was an empty room set aside for him next to Tiara’s but the closer he got to her while she and Zachary were alone, the more emotions he would feel. Not just any emotion… it was mostly the hunger coming at him in waves.

At first he’d been surprised he had felt anything and enjoyed the fleeting caress. But instead of Tiara’s hunger being satisfied… it seemed to be the only thing she and Zachary did when they were alone. They were lucky if they were getting an hour of sleep at a time. The only occasion Nighthawk could not feel her sensual call was when they visited the graveyards for her lessons with Craven.

Nighthawk pushed Tiara’s cries of passion from his mind when he noticed Craven had joined him under the tree.

Craven’s silver eyebrow rose when he felt the blood bond he had established with Tiara intensify due to his arrival. He’d spent all week collecting souls, trying to build his army and it had triggered his own hunger several times to the point of feeling the same thing Tiara did… but being a full blooded demon allowed him the option of never feeding it. The need did not expose him to the souls as it did Tiara. That was her mother’s weak bloodline… not his.

Being so close to Tiara’s passion now was not easy but Craven didn’t like easy… it bored him. However, the desire to touch someone was slowly starting to creep up on him. It didn’t matter if he had more control or not, the desire would appear from time to time and he knew it would have to be satisfied soon or he would not be able to lend control to Tiara while they practiced.

He waited patiently for the Night Walker to reveal himself. The last time he’d been with Tiara, she’d shared her concern over not seeing Nighthawk in days. Immediately after saying that, she’d quickly looked around her and murmured, “Never mind… he’s here.”

Craven felt his own amusement when Nighthawk finally appeared beside him. It was uncanny to see such paleness on the Indian’s golden tan skin and it enlightened him to the truth behind Nighthawk’s refusal to mingle. He was sure if he were in Nighthawk’s place, the constant coupling of the new mates would probably affect him as well.

“When she is ready, bring her to the cemetery where we first met,” Craven said softly. “The small one… and make sure her teammates do not follow.”

Nighthawk said nothing as Craven vanished but felt a slight weight that had been on his shoulders lift. Perhaps since Craven wanted to return to their first meeting place, that would mean he was going to teach Tiara something new. It was time to accelerate her instruction but Nighthawk had been unable to tear her away from her mate long enough to do so.

The thought of kidnapping her for private lessons had entered his mind several times and Nighthawk was satisfied that he no longer had a reason to hold back from doing so. He narrowed his eyes when the front door of the cabin slowly opened and saw Jason stumble out into the cool night. The human’s hand was pressed to his forehead and he was covered in sweat.

He wondered if Jason was experiencing the same kind of problem due to Tiara’s emotions coming through the ring. It wouldn’t have surprised him if that was indeed the case.

Jason inhaled deeply letting the cool night air drift across his face. He had heard and felt enough over the last week since moving in with Tiara. As if listening to the two newlyweds go at it wasn’t bad enough, now he had to feel what she was experiencing. He also kept having to delete the fact that it was Zachary who was making Tiara feel that way… it was enough to give him the wiggly-boos.

Being outside the cabin helped some, but only his ears felt the effect of the separation. He glared down at the ring wishing he could take it off for a few minutes. Before, he’d had to concentrate in order to sense Tiara’s emotions… now it seemed he couldn’t get away from them. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.

He watched his hand shake for a moment before self-consciously sliding the tips of his fingers into his pocket. He didn’t want anyone knowing he was having trouble with the ring in fear of them taking it off and booting him out of the clubhouse.

Problem was… he had moments when he felt feverish and dark urges had started popping into his head over the last couple of days. Urges that were dark and the polar opposite of his personality. So far he was controlling them, but if that changed then he knew he’d have to speak up.

The small fine hairs on his arms rose and Jason had the sensation that he was being watched. He turned his head and narrowed his gaze toward a large tree in the distance. For a moment, he wondered if the apparition of the form he’d just seen was a figment of his imagination or maybe even a ghost.

Jason’s train of thought was disrupted when he suddenly heard something clicking behind him. He spun around thinking a Skitter had somehow survived the cemetery clean up and followed them here.

“Gotcha,” Guy said with a laugh. “You should’ve seen the look on your face. I’m surprised your pants are still dry.”

Jason gave Guy a small smile but didn’t rise to the bait.

Guy stopped laughing, noticing that Jason didn’t look that great. “Are you going to be okay tonight? You’d think a ring that makes you invincible would keep you from being sick.”

“I’m not sick… I just haven’t been sleeping well,” Jason grouched, shoving the hand with the ring deeper into the pocket of his jeans. Maybe it was time to tell someone and Guy wasn’t such a bad choice since he practiced in magic. “It used to be that I had to concentrate to know what Tiara was feeling… now that the ring is back in service I’m getting more than I ever bargained for. Strange thing is… the ring is starting to feel kind of haunted.”

“What do you mean?” Guy asked seriously.

Jason shook his head having no way to explain it, “Nothing, it’s probably just jet-lag… going from human to superman in the equivalent of zero seconds is actually very tiring.”

“I wonder what’s taking Zachary and Tiara so long,” Guy said sitting down on the steps while Jason leaned against one of the posts surrounding the front porch.

“Yeah, I wonder,” Jason wanted to roll his eyes at the question but he silently thanked Guy for getting away from the subject of the ring. He nodded toward the tree, “I think I saw Nighthawk a few minutes ago… out there watching the cabin.”

Guy frowned in the direction Jason indicated. He’d wondered what the Indian was up to. Carley had caught him a few times looking for a spell that would make Nighthawk seeable and told him to leave it alone. She seemed serious, so he’d dropped the idea. He was glad they had moved all their spell books and scrolls to the cabin. It was a great way to kill time and also drowned out the… noise.

“He’s not exactly friendly is he?” Jason asked.

Guy shrugged, “He doesn’t have to be, his loyalty is to Tiara.”

Nighthawk moved past them and into the cabin. His trek on the spirit road took him to Tiara’s bedroom… a place he’d been several times but never stayed long. He was suddenly there in the room, silently watching Tiara and Zachary as they finished getting dressed.

Zachary walked up behind Tiara as she pulled on a pair of panties and slid his arm around her. “The worst part of the whole day is when you decide to get dressed,” he teased kissing her bare shoulder.

Tiara giggled and reached for the skirt before Zachary talked her into laying out of work tonight.

‘We will see Craven alone tonight,’ Nighthawk told her.

Tiara jumped and placed a hand over her heart. “Don’t scare me like that.”

“Like what?” Zachary asked in confusion.

“Not you… Nighthawk,” Tiara said with a soft smile but quickly started wrapping the skirt around her. It was bad enough she hadn't even started on the top half.

“Who, that illusive, invisible Indian who has no sociability skills or personality and likes to walk into people’s bedrooms while they’re having a private moment?” Zachary demanded as the temperature in the room rose by several degrees.

Tiara repressed the urge to giggle again as she lied, “He’s not like that and you know it.”

“I don’t know it,” Zachary growled. “For all I know, he’s watching us right now and listening to every word I’m saying about him. All this watching you from some invisible vantage point is more than a little creepy.”

Nighthawk suddenly appeared not an inch away from Zachary making the blonde man jump back in surprise. Tiara didn’t bother to hide it this time and started laughing softly as she tied on her top.

“You had that one coming,” Tiara managed after calming down a little bit.

Zachary grabbed his jacket and slid it over his shoulders. “Yeah, yeah… so where are we going tonight Tonto?”

“We are not going,” Nighthawk said in an emotionless voice. “Tiara and I are going to meet Craven alone.”

“Why alone?” Tiara asked as she slid on her shoes.

“He wishes to teach you something new,” Nighthawk answered and grasped Tiara’s arm.

Tiara’s eyes widened and all that was left of her was the echoing sound of a gasp as she disappeared.

As soon as they vanished, Zachary stormed out of the bedroom and headed toward the front door … not so calmly slamming it behind him.

“Let’s go,” Zachary thundered seeing Guy and Jason waiting.

“What about Tiara?” Guy asked looking back toward the cabin.

“She’s gone,” Jason answered and followed Zachary to the car.

Zachary glared at him, “That damn invisible, stalking, voyeur Indian took her for some special training with Craven and didn’t tell me where they were going. So I need you to turn that damn ring on and find out where the hell she is.”

Jason looked over at Guy, “I’m sitting in the back with you.”

Chapter 4

Mrs. Tully walked through the front door of Moon Dance and immediately approached Envy, who was sitting in a booth near the bar. She frowned noting Trevor and Devon standing at different ends of that same bar.

“Now,” she said getting straight down to business, “how about telling me what happened?”

“I’m fine,” Envy insisted waving her hand dismissively, “I think I just got too excited or something.”

“I see,” Mrs. Tully raised an eyebrow. “I take it you faint a lot then?”

Envy frowned at her deciding not to even answer. The truth was… she’d never fainted before.

Mrs. Tully pointed to the side door, “Upstairs now.”

Trevor rushed forward to open the door for them. He even kept it open, letting Devon go in before him then growled when Devon tried to close it behind him. Jerking the door out of Devon’s grip he passed him on the stairs with a smirk and again opened the door for Envy when she reached her room.

He looked around the bedroom then back at Devon, “You wanted to grow up to be a teenager… didn’t you.”

Devon’s lips hinted at a smile as they faced off. He and Envy had made love only a couple hours ago right here in this room and their scent was still strong… strong enough for Trevor to get the message.

Chad rolled his eyes at the two knuckleheads and focused his attention on Envy.

“Tell me how you were feeling just before you fainted dear,” Mrs. Tully asked once she had Envy sitting on her bed.

Envy sighed, “I just felt a little lightheaded… it was a fuzzy feeling but nothing too serious.”

Mrs. Tully frowned, “I’ll be the judge of that.” She immediately turned to the men clustered just inside the door. “Out… out, out, out.”

“Can Chad stay?” Envy asked quietly.

Mrs. Tully looked at the young man in question before nodding her head, “The brother can stay… the rest of you leave.”

Devon and Trevor silently grumbled to themselves as Mrs. Tully ushered them out and soundly closed the door behind them.

“What in the hell have you been doing to her?” Trevor demanded in a low hiss. “She’s never passed out like that since I’ve known her.”

Devon glared at him, “If I knew why she passed out, I wouldn’t have agreed with your decision to call Mrs. Tully.”

“You need to start taking better care of her,” Trevor growled. “She’s human and I bet you’ve been treating her like a shifter.”

Devon did indeed feel a bit guilty for Envy not getting enough sleep recently but he’d thought he’d fixed that over the last week.