Page 68 of Corrupt Shadows

I gasp when he rolls his erection against my hip. Lorcan’s eyes dart to my lips once more. Then, as if the temptation is too great to ignore, his lips press against mine. My pulse quickens as Lorcan braces my head between his palms, then rests his forearms against the tree, caging me in. He kisses me with a surprising gentleness I would never expect, and yet he’s dominating my mouth. His tongue skates across the seam of my lips, coaxing my mouth to open for him. I’m consumed by this man, and an unwelcome warmth blossoms in my chest.

I greet his tongue, sliding mine against his, then flick it against the roof of his mouth rhythmically. Lorcan growls into my mouth, and it is easily one of my new favorite sensations. My thoughts fade to nothing but the sensations he wrings from my body. I don’t need fantasies when I am with him. Lorcan is every fantasy I’ve ever dreamed, in real flesh and bone.

Lorcan is too seductive for his own good. How can I deny him when he’s showing a rare glimpse of his true self? I want to hate him. No, I do hate him, but I crave any intimacy he will give me. I live for the moments of vulnerability he loathes to share.

He rests his mask-covered forehead against mine. Our breaths mingle as we breathe in the precious oxygen our kisses stole from us. Lorcan covers my mouth with his palm. My nostrils flare as I narrow my eyes on his lips, covered in my blood from the lacerations he inflicted. My clit pulses sharply. Turns out I like the sight of my blood on him too. But then he holds a finger to his lips.

“Shh, little witch. We are not alone.”

He whips his head to the right, a shadow diving into the thicket far too close to us, then dragging out a huge demon whose head appears to be decomposing. Lorcan keeps his body pressed against mine, his tattooed hands sliding down my sides to settle on my hips. Meanwhile, his shadow dangles the rotting creature far above the ground a few yards away.

“Did my brother send you?”

The demon squeals like a pig in response.

“Answer me, demon, or my shadows ripping you to shreds will be the least of your problems.” Lorcan’s eyes close, and he breathes in and out deeply before opening them again. “Did my brother order you to come after us?” Lorcan raises a shadow fashioned like a spear and hovers it between the demon’s wide, terrified eyes.

“Y-yes! Yes, my king! He crashed a party on the rooftop of the building I live in. Then he started making demands and ripped Amy to shreds right in front of me.” The demon hiccups, and a trail of snot drips from his nose.

“Interesting. Ezra was never one to waste time,” Lorcan says to himself. Then he turns his face toward mine before nuzzling my nose gently with his.

I blink my eyes rapidly. Did that just happen?

His attention returns to the captive demon. “You will send a message to my brother.”

“Okay. I m-mean, yes, sire.”

The shadow spear dissolves, and the demon sighs deeply. The calm only lasts a moment before the demon shrieks in agony. My eyes widen as the carnage ensues. A second shadow grips the creature’s arm and yanks, severing it from his body before dropping it to the ground carelessly.

“The only reason you are still breathing is to convey my message. Tell my brother he’s a pathetic asshole and that if he insists on using my demons against me, he will learn what a century of solitude truly feels like.” Lorcan grins, but it is anything but friendly. “Maybe if you’re lucky, Ezra will kill you before ripping you apart for failing him,” Lorcan states plainly. Then he tosses the demon so far into the forest with his shadow that I don’t hear him land.

“You just ripped an arm off that demon and then threw him into the woods.”

“Yes. Is there a problem you’d like to address, little killer?”

“Well, I… I guess not. I’m just trying to process how this is my life now.”

Lorcan chuckles and leans forward, his nose grazing the sensitive skin below my ear. He inhales deeply. His cock throbs against me. How is he still hard?

“Mmm, I wish I could soothe that ache for you, little one, but we cannot linger. As you just witnessed, you are still being hunted.”

Lorcan steps back from the tree and slides me down his body before releasing me. He adjusts his obscenely large dick, tucking it into the waistband of his slacks. His rain-soaked clothes mold his cut body.

My nipples pebble beneath my shirt, the hardened peaks poking the fabric. Lorcan’s eyes sweep down my body leisurely before returning to my face. He smirks, turning to walk ahead of me. I swallow audibly, trying to keep my eyes off his ass. He’s terrifying, yet I want him. I shouldn’t, but I do.

TWENTY-EIGHT

Lorcan

The black train idles next to the platform. I push back my sleeve to check the time. The train is due to depart soon. Thank fuck. It’s about time this day ended already.

I lean my chest against her back, the contact sending a wave of arousal through me. “Watch,” I whisper into her mind, then point a tattooed finger over her shoulder at the mirrored wall of the awning to her left. I travel through our bond and meld my mind with hers for a front-row seat. It’s fascinating to watch her brain try to make sense of what she’s seeing.

Evie watches the Human Realm version of the station through the mirror, the black train idling at the station. It looks mostly the same, except for the fresh coat of paint and the humans milling around it. Two people walk under the awning and sit on the wooden bench. I watch as their fingers link together, both leaning in closer to chat quietly.

Evie’s brows pull together. She glances over her shoulder, her eyes widening as she stares at the station in the Shadow Realm, her gaze gliding over the empty bench. She whips her head to look back through the mirror, then slowly, she reaches her fingers toward it and presses her palm to the solid glass.

This is so fucking creepy, she thinks to herself.

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