Slayer's Kiss: Shadow Slayer, Book 1 (5 page)

The dark blond hair falling across his forehead, sticking out at odd angles from rubbing against her thighs, was the most adorable thing she’d ever seen.

No, he hadn’t hurt her, but the angelic beauty of his features and the kindness in his eyes picked at the scab over her hardened heart, allowing some of the pain and pressure to seep out around the edges. “Of course not. I’m f-fine.” She dabbed away the tear with a stiff finger.

“You’re not fine. You’re crying. What can I do?”

He crawled over Kara and nestled into bed beside her, spooning his body around hers and wrapping her in his burly arms. His erection hadn’t budged, even though he’d come hard enough to saturate the front of his pants. There was no mistaking the wet material clinging to Kara’s backside as his hard length pressed between the globes of her naked ass. She’d feel bad for him if he wasn’t so damn stubborn, denying them both what they needed.

“Kara…” he said gently.

“I’m
not
crying,” she argued, but she couldn’t resist turning in the circle of his arms to rest her temple in the hollow of his throat. It felt so right it scared her, as if she’d finally come home. “I think I got something in my eye.”

Gavin didn’t say another word. He kissed her hair and cradled her head against him as the tears spilled from her eyes. The light dusting of hair on his hard chest was like golden flecks over silk-encased marble. His skin was soft and warm, but his muscles wouldn’t yield against her cheek. Everything about him was hard except for the gentleness in his eyes.

After a long time, when he was breathing deeply and evenly beside her, Kara looked at her new tenant and whispered, “Welcome to the neighborhood, Gavin.”

He murmured something unintelligible and pulled her tighter against him, so she finally stopped fighting it and fell to sleep in the warmth and safety of the stranger’s arms.

If there was ever a time for sweet dreams, it should have been now—ten minutes ’til midnight. Kara nestled against her neighbor, her body replete from the most mind-blowing orgasm she’d ever had. But as she roused from sleep at Abbey’s “secret” knock at the front door—one loud rap followed by three softer thuds—the first thing that came to mind was her nightmare.

The dark angel had hovered outside her bedroom balcony, his black wings extended to block out the glow of the moon, his lips peeled back in a vicious snarl as he surveyed the pair tangled up in Kara’s bed. In this dream, she watched from somewhere above her body as he pulled a dagger from a jeweled sheath. She could feel his thoughts as easily as her own, and tonight, they rested on one thing—Gavin Cross had touched
his
woman and now the bastard was going to die.

Kara carefully lifted Gavin’s arm from around her waist and slipped from the bed. She pulled her skirt down and grabbed a clean but equally crappy pair of underwear from her dresser drawer. When Gavin stirred, Kara froze. She couldn’t handle seeing him. Not after she’d made such a fool of herself begging, cussing, exploding and then crying like a flippin’ baby. God, she wanted to die.

She found his key on the carpet, grabbed her boots and went into the hall, closing the door quietly behind her as Abbey knocked again. When Kara heard the sound of her friend fishing through her purse for her set of keys, she dropped the boots and bolted for the door.

No way was that witch stepping foot in this house after what she’d done. No way was she getting anywhere near Gavin. When it came to men and sexual prowess, Abbey was the queen. She could probably get his pants off and his cock inside her before the introductions ended. The pretty bitch. If Kara didn’t love her so much, she might hate her.

Kara flipped the deadbolt and twisted the door knob just right, so she wouldn’t make too much noise. That was all it took. Her red-haired friend bounded in, looking around the small apartment from her vantage point near the kitchen.

“Well, where is he?” Her loud voice sounded like it could shatter glass in the silence.

“Shhh!” Kara ground out, pretty loud herself. “He’s in my room, and before you ask, no. We didn’t have sex.” She glared at her friend, letting that little tidbit sink in. “You failed, Abbs. Sorry. Maybe that spell book of yours is as screwed up as you are.”

Abbey stepped back. “Ouch. That would hurt even more if I knew what you were talking about.”

“
The lust charm
.” Kara cocked her brows and pursed her lips. “Ring a bell?”

Abbey walked to the kitchen cupboard, grabbed a package of crackers and popped one into her mouth before replying, “Nope.”

Kara’s hands flew to her hips. “Don’t lie. It’s not funny. I’ve been riding my hand like a jockey at the races for three days now. My dreams have been so vivid, I thought I might be hallucinating!”

Abbey smiled. “Still don’t know what you’re talking about, but it sounds promising. Tell me more about the riding part.”

Kara’s heart dropped to her stomach. She and Abbey had been friends a long time. She knew when Abbey was telling the truth. “You didn’t stick a black feather under my bed?”

Abbey shook her head. “No. And lust charms need to be made of wood, Kara. You’d know that if you put any effort into your craft. What you are is plain, old-fashioned horny, my friend. You’re not taking care of your body, so it’s decided to take care of you.”

Kara didn’t understand. She had been so sure…her strange reaction to Gavin, her dark, nasty dreams, her compulsion to masturbate. What the hell?

“So…” Abbey drawled, taking out another cracker before sealing the pack and closing the cupboard. “Hunting can wait. You have a real, live man in your bed and we never know when this miracle is going to happen again. See ya.” She wriggled her fingers in Kara’s direction.

Kara almost leapt over the barstool and the cream counter tiles to grab Abbey’s arm, but she restrained herself with a jerk. “Don’t you dare leave without me! He’s sleeping anyway. Let me write him a note and then we can go.”

Abbey grinned, not even caring that Kara had been about to plow her down. “He passed out? Really? What did you do to him, Kare-bear?”

“To him? Nothing.” And that was the very dismal truth. “He didn’t even let me past first base.” On the other hand, the time he’d spent between her legs had pretty much hit the ball out of the park.

“Uh-huh. Sure. If you don’t want to tell me…”

Kara walked past Abbey into the kitchen, scowling all the way. She grabbed a piece of paper and a strip of tape from the drawer, then leaned over the counter and scribbled out a message.

Thanks. Let me know if you have any more problems with the apartment. –Kara Reed

She taped the key to the note and placed it on the table where Gavin would be sure to see it when he left.

Abbey glanced at the remaining object in Kara’s hand and her brows shot up. “Are you gonna carry those around tonight as bait? If so, I’d choose the black lacy ones.”

Kara looked down and it was all she could do not to slap her palm against her forehead. She was still holding her underwear. “Thanks.”

Abbey snickered. “If that’s the kind of
nothing
you’ve been doing these past few years, I shouldn’t have felt so sorry for you.”

Kara rolled her eyes and yanked the panties up her thighs, settling them under her skirt as a fleeting image of Gavin’s mouth came to mind. Was it wrong to be turned on by the fact that his saliva still coated her skin? Her nipples tightened at the thought of it. “Let’s go.”

“You’re leaving him here
alone
?” Abbey looked incredulous. “What if he steals something? How well do you know this guy?”

Kara slipped on her boots—no socks, damn it—grabbed her purse and headed for the door. True, she was giving Gavin the last key to his apartment, but it was a short jump from her balcony to his. “If he steals something, I’ll steal it back.”

Gavin lay in bed, relishing the satiny feel of Kara’s sheets and the smell of her body on his skin.
If he steals something?
That could be arranged.

When the bickering finally ended and he heard the
snick
of the deadbolt locking into place, he rose from the bed and went to Kara’s dresser, rifling through her drawers until he found what he was looking for. He held it up to the moonlight coming in through the bedroom window and smiled. Then he reached into his pocket and drew out the feather.

“Where are you, my friend?” he asked, staring out the window, daring the night to come and get him.

“What about that group of sailors?” Abbey jerked her chin in the direction of the loudest table. “That one’s a mean-ass drunk and he’s been staring at the blond for the past hour, even after she told him to screw off when he grabbed her ass.”

“I’m not sure.” Kara shrugged and leaned forward in the faux-leather barstool to rest her elbow on the counter. “It doesn’t feel right.”

“Kara, get on the ball. Most of the bars will be closing in the next hour or so, and you haven’t found a target yet.”

“Yeah…” Kara glanced down into her water with lime. “Okay.”

Abbey narrowed her olive-green eyes at Kara. “I know what’s the matter. That new neighbor sucked the fight right out of you. Who knew it’s actually a good thing Kara Reed never gets laid. You’d be a zombie.”

Okay, now she’d had enough. That was the last time she’d share her exploits with her best friend. “Don’t give me your damn cat-eyed glare. If there’s no target, there’s no target.” She tried to keep her voice low in the steady murmur of the bar. “You want me to magically castrate somebody because he grabbed a lady’s ass? You know that’s not how this works. Maybe you get more of a thrill out of it than I do.”

Abbey put her drink down and shifted in her chair to face Kara. “Rein it in, cowgirl. Don’t make me mention why we started this in the first place. Neither of us want to go there tonight.”

Kara dropped her head into her hands and let out a low groan. “You’re right. I’m sorry for being such a bitch. You’d think I’d be in a good mood after what happened with my new neighbor, but I feel like shit.” She reached out and squeezed her friend’s hand. “I really don’t sense anything tonight. Let’s go crash at your place and get an earlier start tomorrow.”

Abbey’s brows drew down. “My place? Why would you want to sleep at my leaky little house? If it rains, I was actually going to ask if I could stay with you.” Then she smiled. “Oh, I know. In case the mystery man is still sleeping in your bed. Too scared to face him, huh?”

“I begged him to screw me, Abbs. Like, pleaded for my life, and he refused. Then I cried—real tears—and let him hold me even though I knew he just felt sorry for me. If I never see him again, it’ll be too soon.”

Abbey rolled her eyes. “Give yourself a break. You haven’t cried in years. It’s probably PMS.” When Kara shrugged, looking miserable, Abbey narrowed her eyes. “Okay, you win. You’re a frickin’ nut job. Does it make you feel better to have someone agree with you?”

“A little.” Kara refused to crack a smile.

Abbey stood and grabbed her purse. “Let’s go, crybaby. I think I know what’ll cheer you up. I have a couple of numbers on speed dial of men who can go all night. We could share one if you want—not at the same time, of course. I know that would creep you out. But I know this one guy who has a totally clean bill of health and he would rock your world. And then maybe rock mine when you’re through with him.” She winked.

Kara barely stifled a groan. “No thanks. But you can call him. I’ll sleep on the couch downstairs. Wouldn’t want to keep you from getting your
world rocked
.”

She wasn’t really joking, but she was still surprised when Abbey smiled in relief and took out her phone. “You’re the best friend a girl could have, Kare-bear. That’s why I love you.”

“Love you, too, Abbs.” Now if she could only find a set of professional-grade earplugs on the way to Abbey’s house in Golden Hill, she might actually get some sleep tonight. Those old houses didn’t have enough insulation in the walls to muffle Abbey’s lead vocals.

The bar was starting to clear out, and as the two women stepped out the back door, Kara tensed and grabbed Abbey’s hand, squeezing tight as a tremor shook her. She had to fight to keep her eyes from rolling back in her head as a tentacle of fury and lust grabbed at her through the night air.

“Shit.”
Her skin crawled with unbound energy. “Don’t call your friend just yet. We’ve got a customer.”

Chapter Four

Abbey braced an arm under Kara’s elbow. “You okay? This one’s hitting you hard.”

Kara wiped the perspiration from her brow with the back of her hand and swallowed down the nausea that always came with being in the vicinity of evil. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She stood straighter and pulled her elbow from Abbey’s tight grip. “Let’s go get this son of a bitch.”

Abbey followed a step behind Kara, giving her the room she needed to guide them to their target. Kara led them down the alley and they came out on 4th Street, still in the center of the Gaslamp Quarter. The streets were beginning to clear of even the most gung-ho partygoers as the thick early-morning fog rolled in from the bay.

When they rounded another corner, Kara opened her purse, retrieved the syringe and the knife and tucked them into the waistband of her leather skirt. She took another step and stumbled, going down on one knee with a yelp.

“Ow.” Either the ground was spinning or the buildings were tilting sideways.

Abbey pulled Kara to standing, glancing at Kara’s bloody knee with a frown. “What’s going on? I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

Kara didn’t either. Something felt off, more ominous than usual. And with the scum they dealt with, that was saying something. The dark oppression steeped in her blood. It wouldn’t lighten up until she had the bastard under her and had avenged his helpless victim.

Her skin crawled, the energy of violence licking at her like flickering orange flames. “I tripped. Damn boot heel caught in a crack.”

Abbey stared at her, then shrugged. “If you say so.”

Kara closed her eyes for a moment and reached out with her consciousness. When she opened herself like this, the wickedness flooded in. Finding the source was similar to following the pings of a metal detector. The stronger the awful feelings were, the closer she was getting. “This way.”