The Secrets of Shadows Read online

  The beast wouldn’t allow it.

  Davien placed Cosette on his lap in the carriage. She didn’t fight him. He could feel her sadness as acutely as if it were his own. She stared out the window, watching the first drops of rain hit the glass. He imagined they were her tears. He wanted to kiss them all away.

  Finally, she turned to him. “Charlotte’s missing.”

  He regarded her steadily. He knew what she was asking. “I swear that I did not harm her.”

  “I’m . . .” Cosette paused, as if emotion was clogging her throat, halting her words. “I worry that something may have happened.”

  “I shall investigate the matter if that is what you wish.”

  “You would do that?” she asked hopefully. A drop of moisture glinted on her lashes, her brown eyes poignant and expectant, and Davien knew that he would have granted her anything at that moment—except her freedom.

  “I will.”

  Cosette visibly swallowed before giving a slight nod of her head. “Thank you, Your Grace.”

  He reached out and lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. “My name is Davien. I want to hear you say it.”

  Her lips trembled, her eyes deep pools of amber as she repeated softly, “Davien.”

  He closed his eyes. The seductive sound of his name crossing her lips was like a potent elixir that had the beast roaring with the urge to claim her. His fangs dared to protrude at the idea of marking her. But he fought it all and forced his gaze back to hers.

  She must have noticed the savage battle for control, for she remained silent the rest of the way back to Shadowlawn.

  Once they had returned to the manor, he assisted her from the carriage. As Quinn directed the carriage and four out of sight, he opened the front door for her.

  “Where are all of your servants?” she asked.

  He replied noncommittally. “I have little needs beyond my coachman.”

  “But who prepares the meals and cleans the manor?”

  “What does it matter as long as it is done?” He brushed past her, and then melted back into the shadows from whence he appeared.

  ~ ~ ~

  Cosette was grateful that she had been given a reprieve from the duke’s overwhelming presence. Now that she had resigned herself to being the temporary mistress of this manor, she knew she would have to learn to accept his rather eccentric ways. But just not all at once.

  She couldn’t help but wonder how long it would be before the duke summoned her to ‘service’ him, but she decided that it didn’t matter, so long as he found out what had happened to Charlotte. For some unfathomable reason, she believed him when he claimed that he hadn’t hurt her, and that he would find out if something had happened.

  Cosette returned to her chamber to find a tray of tantalizing food had been left in her room by a seemingly, invisible hand. The scent of ham, eggs, and freshly baked bread drifted to her, and made her stomach growl. As she walked over to where it sat on the bed, she noticed a folded note beside the elegant, silver teapot.

  You will find everything you need in the wardrobe. I will collect you at dinnertime.

  — D

  Cosette looked toward the massive wardrobe in her room, as if something might jump out of it at any moment. But since curiosity won out over trepidation, she walked over and pulled open the heavy, oak doors. She couldn’t help but gasp at the array of dresses inside, or how they had all appeared so quickly. There were a variety of colors and fashions, ranging from simple, close-fitting gowns to sack-backs, a two-piece Brunswick, and even a brightly colored ball gown regal enough for a court setting. She touched a light blue taffeta, sure that she had never even felt anything quite so lovely before, even in Madame Louvre’s shop. It was certainly a far cry from the patched dress that she normally wore.

  And that wasn’t all. Cosette pulled open drawers to find layers of undergarments and enough accessories to make her head spin. From stays, to chemises, and silk stockings, and even panniers and hoop skirts, it was more than she had ever hoped to obtain in her lifetime. Slippers, elegant buckled shoes, and gleaming riding boots, butter-soft kid gloves and fashionably trimmed bonnets, she was overwhelmed by the splendor of it all. If nothing else could be said, the duke had indeed been true to his word to see that she wanted for nothing.

  But that didn’t change the fact that she’d sold her virtue—and possibly her soul—to the devil for a nice dress. She was nothing more than a highly paid courtesan. And it turned her stomach.

  She closed the doors of the wardrobe. Her enthusiasm effectively diminished.

  Cosette turned her attention to the fare before her. After consuming every bite, she felt too anxious to sit still, so she decided it was time to do a bit of investigating. If this was, indeed, going to be her new home, it would be nice to learn more about it.

  Since she had already been to the library, an area that she intended to explore further, Cosette decided to brave the other areas of the manor first. Her bare feet barely made any sound on the plush carpet as she opened doors and peered inside. She came across a music room, a ballroom, and a portrait gallery. But the more she wandered through the cavernous halls, she couldn’t help but wonder how everything managed to stay so well preserved when there wasn’t a servant in sight. Even the guest rooms were perfectly neat and tidy with not a speck of dust to speak of, their fireplaces gleaming and free of ash. She wasn’t sure she would ever get used to living in such grandeur, or such odd conditions, day in and day out, although the duke seemed impervious to his surroundings.

  Everything, that was, except her.

  She was just closing the door on yet another guest chamber when she felt a presence at the end of the hall. She turned to see the duke standing with his arms crossed, staring at her. “I was hoping to see you wearing one of your new gowns.”

  She lifted a shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “I felt like inspecting my new home.”

  Cosette thought she could see a flicker of light in those haunting eyes, even though his face was still in shadow. “I hope that you will come to think of it as such.”

  She nodded, but didn’t reply. What could she possibly say in regards to their arrangement? She was only here on borrowed time. Once the duke slaked his lust on her, he would soon tire of her presence and look for a new paramour. She’d seen it happen a countless number of times. Why should she be any different? It’s not as if the duke might fall madly in love and marry someone like her.

  “Would you care for a proper tour?” he inquired politely.

  “I shouldn’t want to bother you,” she returned evenly. “No doubt you have a lot of duties to attend to.” She turned to go, but paused when she felt a gentle hand on her wrist. It startled her because she hadn’t even heard him move.

  “You’re frightened of me.” He stated it as an observation, but the way his warm breath fell across her nape, the sensation was almost seductive in nature.

  “Can you fault me for it?” she countered on a whisper. “In case you’ve forgotten, you’re holding me here against my will.”

  He gently turned her around, and brushed a heated glance down her body. “You have nothing to fear. My only purpose is to give you more pleasure than you’ve ever known. I want your complete, and passionate surrender, until all other thoughts are removed, where all you can think of is me.” Cosette was still trying to recover from that dark, meaningful sweep of his eyes, when he murmured, “I don’t think you are as scared of me, as you are of yourself. Of what you might feel toward me.” With that simmering stare in place, he asked, “Shall I prove it?”

  His words made her breathless. “You sound rather confident of your abilities, Your Grace.”

  A brief frown crossed his features; a shadow passing before his eyes, “I thought I asked that you call me by my Christian name.”

 
She froze, afraid that she had upset him, and concerned about the consequences of doing so. “I’m . . . sorry. Davien.”

  A growl rose up from deep in his throat, one that set the fine hairs of her neck on end, but when his mouth descended on hers, he was unmistakably gentle. His lips were warm as they fed off of hers. Cosette felt her eyes slide closed and her heart pick up speed. God help her, but he was right.

  She wanted him.

  In spite of everything, some primal instinct warred within her, threatening to break free. And it terrified her. Her rational side rebelled, but still, she returned his kiss eagerly. Wantonly. He coaxed her lips open, and snaked his tongue inside to mate with hers. It was a carnal dance as old as time, and one that caused a pool of wetness to gather between her legs. Squeezing her thighs together to ease the ache inside, she felt his hand on the curve of her hip, before he cupped her bottom and brought her flush against him. She gasped against the hard evidence of his arousal, and moaned because of it.

  She felt a cool breeze against the back of her calves, and tensed—just before Davien reached the heart of her womanhood. He gently probed the area where her need flared highest. He continued to ply her mouth with kisses, mimicking what he was doing to her throbbing core. With deft fingers, he teased and tormented her almost ruthlessly, until her breath was coming in short pants, her senses clashing from above and below. She moved restlessly against his hand, searching for something, but unsure of what it was she wanted.

  It wasn’t until Davien slid a finger inside of her slick passage that she came undone. Cosette clutched his shoulders, the sensation of falling over a precipice pulsing through her body. She shuddered as wave after wave of intense pleasure washed over her.

  When the orgasm had finally subsided, she slowly opened her eyes to find Davien watching her with a heated glance. She hadn’t even realized that he’d pulled away from her slightly, or that he’d ended their kiss. He reached forward and drew a finger lightly down her cheek. “When the time is right,” he said softly, sensuously, “I will bring you to full ecstasy. Until then, I hope that this will remove any doubts you might harbor about me.”

  With that, he bowed as politely as if they were acquaintances passing each other on the street, and quietly took his leave, leaving Cosette to stare after him in a wordless daze.

  ~ ~ ~

  Pure, unadulterated lust—strong and insistent—prowled through Davien’s veins until he thought his stiff cock might burst from it. It had been torture to leave Cosette, but he refused to allow his animalistic urges to take over, to rut with her like a boar with no sort of control. When the time for their mating came, it would be slow and time consuming, where nothing outside of this world existed. Their relationship was too new, too delicate to fully unleash. He wouldn’t subject the beast to her. Not yet.

  With a howl of frustration, Davien shifted into the shape of the black wolf. His large paws tore up the ground beneath him. He could feel the pulsing need for release urging him onward, across fields and valleys. He could still see the image of Cosette in his mind, as she was liberated. His entire being still carried her scent.

  He knew exactly where to go.

  There, in the clearing of the glen, he saw his prey. With narrowed eyes and a greed-filled ambition, he sprang toward the deer.

  And attacked.

  Chapter 6

  Cosette was waiting in the dining room that evening, dressed in a rose silk gown and picking at the food in front of her, when Davien finally returned. She immediately straightened, but for the first time since her arrival, he didn’t instantly react to her presence. In truth, he seemed rather distracted as he took his seat.

  She could certainly sympathize with that.

  After he’d left her that afternoon, she’d gone back to her room where a copper bath had been waiting for her, steam still rising from warm water inside. She didn’t know how Davien managed to know what she needed, when she needed it, but somehow he did. Even the food had been warm and tempting the moment she’d appeared downstairs for dinner. Unfortunately, her mind had been entirely too distracted to enjoy such a sumptuous fare.

  Now, as she contemplated Davien’s inattentiveness, she had to wonder if he was already regretting his decision to take her on as his mistress.

  She set aside her fork and prepared to stand.

  “Where are you going?” His sharp tone cut through the room like a whip.

  Cosette calmly resumed her seat. “I thought to retire.”

  He sat back in his chair and regarded her with that unnerving stare. “Do you find my company to be lacking?”

  She frowned. This mocking side of him was not complimentary. “No, but it seems to me that your mood is.”

  He chuckled darkly. “Shall I wax poetic about your beauty then?”

  “I would expect no such thing,” she snapped in return. She stood. “I’ll speak to you tomorrow when you are in more amicable spirits.”

  “I have not dismissed you!” he snarled.

  She lifted her eyes to his. “You may be my jailer, but you are not my master to command me at will. Goodnight, Your Grace,” she hissed, putting special emphasis on his title.

  Cosette made it as far as the door before Davien was standing in front of her. “I would not test my patience right now,” he said calmly, deadly.

  She backed up a step. She couldn’t help it. The fact that he was blocking her path when he was seated at the table only moments ago was unfathomable, and completely unexplainable. “What . . . are you?” she whispered. She heard the slight touch of horror in her voice, but was unable to contain it. She’d known Blackburn was unlike any other man she’d ever known, but just how different was he?

  He tensed, but didn’t respond to her query. That’s when she glanced down at his sleeve and noticed the blood staining the cuff of his jacket.

  She reached out a hand. “Are you injured?”

  He removed the appendage from her sight. And that’s when she knew.

  It wasn’t his blood he was trying to hide.

  She gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. “What have you done?”

  His smile was pure cunning. “I was out hunting.”

  “You murdered someone?” This time she didn’t even try to hide her distress.

  “Only a deer,” he returned smoothly.

  Cosette felt sick to her stomach. She thought she might actually retch it was roiling so violently. It was a struggle to speak. “I . . . need some air.”

  She didn’t wait for him to approve, but stumbled blindly toward the terrace doors leading from the dining room. She fumbled with the latch, but managed to push it open. Outside, she gulped down several cold blasts of winter air, but it wasn’t enough. She gave up the fight and flung herself to the edge of the railing and emptied the contents of her stomach. When she was finished, she stared out across the vast expanse of the lawn and the distant lights from the city beyond.

  She didn’t have to look behind her to know that Davien was there. Waiting. Watching. “Are you going to kill me?” she forced herself to ask.

  “You can ask that of me after what happened this afternoon?” He gave a dry snort. “Don’t be so dramatic, Cosette.”

  She spun around. “Then tell me what you want of me!”

  “I already told you.” He shrugged. “Everything.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense!”

  His eyes glowed with that unholy light, making them shine in the darkness, before he said quietly, “Have you done any reading today, Cosette?”

  She shook her head, puzzled at the abrupt change in conversation. “No . . . I . . . was too distracted.”

  “Indeed.” His mouth twitched. “In that case I think you’ll find a certain area of the study to be to your particular interest.”

  “What are you tal
king about—?”

  But her words fell on deaf ears, carried away by the wind, for he was gone.

  Cosette wasn’t sure if she was relieved, or frustrated that he’d left. But at least he had left a clue for her to follow.

  She headed for the library.

  The book she had admired by Calmet was lying innocuously on a table in the middle of the room.

  Instantly, a sense of foreboding covered the area. With each step that brought her closer to the book, her breathing became more shallow. As she reached out a hand, an unseen breeze opened the book and flipped through the pages until it abruptly stopped. She cautiously leaned forward and read several paragraphs dealing with evil spirits. She felt as if the floor dropped out beneath her feet.

  Was this what Blackburn wanted her to see?

  She swallowed but picked up the volume and began to read.

  ~ ~ ~

  Late into the night, she felt his commanding presence surrounding her once more. She glanced up and saw Davien sitting in a chair a few feet away from her, his hands steepled before him. For several moments, all she could do was stare. She tried to imagine that the horrific things she’d read about could be connected to someone so handsome and intriguing, but then she realized that it could very well be true.

  She calmly folded her hands in her lap. “So what are you trying to tell me? That you’re a werewolf? A vampire?”

  “If only I possessed the gift of immortality,” he said dryly. “Unfortunately that isn’t the case. I am what the good people of the Philippines refer to as an aswang, but I have many qualities. Although a good slice through my jugular and I fear I’m done for.”

  She tilted her head to the side. “Why are you telling me this? Aren’t you afraid that I may act upon it?”

  “Shall you creep into my chamber and kill me in my sleep, dear Cosette, now that you know that you live with a monster?” That dark aura around him seemed to grow and shift. When he spoke again it was hollow, almost unnatural. “Perhaps I might wish for an end to this hell on earth.”