Page 54 of When Shadows Dream: Shadow Hounds

Tana smiled sweetly, and gave each of the five men a middle fingered salute.

“I can take you all there a lot faster if you’d like?” offered Rian.

“Not on your life, Ri-Ri.” The bitterness in Tana’s voice was hard not to hear.

Either these boys, or life in general had served this girl a hell of a shit hand. Jezzie feared it was not one or the other as she hurried to keep pace with the quickly retreating Tana.

The princes moved to follow them, looking like puppies trailing after a really juicy bone, but Tana wasn’t having it as she spun to face them.

“I am not in the mood to deal with you dipshits anymore today. Best you turn around, and walk away.”

“Come on, Tana . . .”

“I bet you idiots didn’t even check them for weapons, huh?”

“Balthazar sent them, Tana. They checked out, and yes, we did, actually. We just happened to give them back, is all.”

“We’ll see, I’m sure you’ll understand if I don’t take you at your word. Let’s go. I may have eternity, but I don’t want to spend it standing here bickering with them.”

“You wound us, love. Your words hurt more than you know.”

“Good.”

With that they started walking.

The trip was rough, but not as long as Jezzie had assumed. Apparently Tana lived closer to the princes than they knew. Something about always making them take the long way round.

“So who’s Doc? And why’d they guys react like that?” Jezzie queried.

“Um, nobody.” If Jezzie could have seen her face at that moment she’d swear it’d be bright pink. “Just a brand of pleasure products, not that they guys know that. It’s just nice to rile them up sometimes.”

“Brace yourselves.” Was all the warning they got as Tana placed her hand on a nearby boulder, blood trickling down the rough surface, and the ground fell away beneath their feet.

The pain of a heavy landing never came. Instead, they found themselves walking along a wide corridor, white walls streaked with veins of gold.

“So, who are you? And why do you smell like family?”

Tana’s question took Jezzie by surprise. Sure, they looked a little alike, but so did a lot of people. What did surprise her was the fact she couldn’t pick up a single emotion from Tana, even when she focussed. Nor could she get a read on the condition of the other woman’s soul.

Her thoughts skidded to a halt as a man filled the opening ahead of them. She couldn’t think, her brain frozen in fear, recognition, and excitement.

“Because she is, Tana. Say hello to your cousin, if I’m not mistaken? I’d recognize the fire in your eyes anywhere, young lady. Does he know you’re here?”

“A better question would be, does he even know I exist? Either way, the answer to both would be no.”

“Hmm, this should be an interesting story. Come, give your old uncle a hug.”

Chapter 27

SHADOW HOUND FORTRESS

ONE WEEK LATER . . .

Heavy, that’s what his body felt like. As if weighed down by an elephant. He struggled even to open his eyes. Athon’s thoughts shifted through a foggy haze, bouncing here and there on invisible clouds.

Against his front he felt the cool hard surface of a wall, pressed to his back was the hard warmth of a masculine body, and between his legs pulsed the unmistakable feeling of a raging boner as it moved mindlessly against said wall. What the actual fuck? Was he really sleep fucking a wall? How low could a guy get?

“Hmm, maybe we should put that cock to better use, Ath? What do you think?” Roth asked as he undulated his hips against Athon’s ass. His deliciously hard cock pressed hard into the valley between Athon’s cheeks and up onto his lower back.