Shadows of Fire (The Shadow Realms, Book 1) by Brenda Davies (chrome ebook reader .txt) 📗

risk ofbeing discovered emerging from one of the tunnels. You have enoughfood and water to last you for a bit, if you don’t waste it.”

“The dark fae must feed in other ways,” hereminded her as his gaze perused her.

“Then you’ll have to leave here soon becauseI’m not helping you with that.”

She didn’t wait to hear any more of what hehad to say before she turned and walked away. She was glad to beaway from him and glad she didn’t have to return for a few days,but as she made her way into the darkness, with only a smallflashlight to guide her, she couldn’t help pondering his words.

He was right; the rebels had lost the war,but the battle still raged, and she had no idea which side shestood on.

No, that wasn’t true. Her father was loyal tothe Lord because he believed that was right, but there was no wayhe could have foreseen the devastation the Lord would unleash onthe mortal realm.

He never would have fought on the Lord’s sideif he’d suspected the amount of misery and death the mortals wouldendure. And she couldn’t be loyal to a man who killed withoutremorse and slaughtered billions to get his way.

However, she couldn’t see herself as a rebeleither. She wasn’t a fighter, but she couldn’t stand by and donothing while others suffered. She had no idea what to do or thinkanymore, other than wanting him off her land.

Lexi tried to figure it all out as she madeher way through the tunnels, but by the time she reached the end,she felt as confused as when she started.

She cautiously poked her head out of theopening. Sure she was alone, she slipped out of the tunnel and intothe barn. The sounds of the horses munching on their hay andshifting in their stalls greeted her. Inhaling deeply, she allowedthe much-loved scent to calm her, but she doubted her calm wouldlast.

• • •

Sitting at the table, Cole studied the club as twowomen danced around his brother. Brokk ran his hand over a dancer’sass before pulling her onto his lap. The woman squealed as shedraped her arms around Brokk’s shoulders.

When another woman approached him, Cole shookhis head at her and tensed. Normally, he enjoyed coming here, buttonight, he wanted out of this place.

Unfortunately, Brokk wasn’t interested inleaving.

The woman took a couple more steps towardhim, but when Cole’s eyes narrowed on her, she turned to someoneelse. It had been a few days since he fed, and the dark fae stirredinside him as the scent of sex filled the air, but the idea oftouching one of these women repulsed him.

From the corners of the room and the hallwaysdeeper within the building came sounds of ecstasy. This clubspecialized in making sure men and women got exactly what theydesired when they came here.

The workers were trained in the art of sex,and many of them were shadow kissed. Corrupted by the touch of thedark fae, those shadow kissed worked here to satisfy their hungerfor more sex. But they would never appease that need.

Over the centuries, he’d left plenty ofshadow kissed souls behind him. Some of them probably worked here,but he had no interest in seeing any of them. He stopped having anyuse for them years ago.

Sitting in the other booths, deep within theshadows of the club, was an assortment of other immortals. Thesingle candle inside the red glass jars on the tables did little todispel the shadows and helped keep most of the patrons hidden.

And all of those patrons were enjoying theentertainment the men and women working Becca’s club provided.Those immortals had come here for entertainment and sex, while mostof the dark fae were here to feed.

They were all happy to be here, but his skincrawled when a dark fae woman walked past him and trailed herfingers across his neck. He ducked away from her touch and growledat her. The woman scampered away.

“Now, now, play nice,” a woman purred frombehind him.

The chair beside him pulled back, and Colemet Becca’s gaze as she settled onto it. As she crossed her legs,the slit in her black dress caused it to fall open to her waist. Itwas obvious she wore no underwear, and just as obvious she wantedhim to know it.

The striking beauty of her face was on parwith the perfection of her body. The crisscrossing straps making upthe top half of her dress only covered the nipples of the lushbreasts they pushed up.

“What’s the matter, lover?” she inquired.

“We’re not lovers,” he reminded her. Heshifted his attention to Brokk as the woman on his lap laughed.“It’s time to go.”

The woman whimpered her protest and pressedcloser to Brokk. Becca leaned toward Cole as Brokk lifted hisdrink.

“Back off,” Cole warned her, but she didn’tmove away.

“What’s the rush?” Brokk asked.

“We came in search of Orin, and he isn’there,” Cole said.

His words didn’t matter as his brother wasdistracted by another woman who came up behind him. She’d tippedhis head back and had her breasts in his face as she leaned over tokiss him.

Becca tapped her fingers on the table andsmiled smugly. “But he was.”

Cole stiffened at her words, and Becca leanedcloser to run her fingers over the back of his hand. An involuntarysnarl issued from him as he pulled his hand away. He didn’t havetime to think about where that snarl came from, but it didn’t fazeBecca.

She sat back and ran her fingers across thetop of her breasts before tweaking her nipple until it hardenedbeneath her dress. Her ciphers encircled the backs of her hands andwrists; he knew from experience they were the only ones shepossessed or at least the only ones she revealed.

“When was Orin here?” Cole demanded.

Becca lifted a finger and waved it at him asher almond-shaped, black eyes twinkled in amusement. Her blackhair, cut into a sleek bob at her chin, shone in thecandlelight.

“Not so fast,” she admonished. “You do me,and I’ll do you.”

CHAPTER 26

She repulsed him, but Cole leaned closer and crookedhis index finger. When he beckoned to her with it, she leaned soclose he could feel her breath against his lips.

“I had enough of doing you months ago,” hetold