When Shadows Call

the city pulsed with life and possibility. But Azriel seemed to see through my pretense. Somehow, he knew the secret things that I dare not speak out loud. “I love the freedom,” I said, averting my gaze.

“Freedom from him?”

Yes.

I hated to admit it, even to myself. Since waking to this new existence, I had been happy—even thankful—to be free from my husband. I’d been so miserable for so long. I’d resorted to acts of suicide, thinking it was the only way to be truly free. I wasn’t just free of an abusive husband, though. I was free of pious old biddies with nothing better to do than gossip. I was free from convention and propriety. Azriel had taken me away from a world where the societal standard dictated my every move. “It is so much more than that,” I said, just above a whisper.

Azriel placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me to face him. His gaze burned with an intensity I didn’t understand. He didn’t say a word to me, nor did he ask my permission. No, Azriel took what he wanted without consent or apologies. Right there, standing beneath the Public Market sign, in front of anyone who cared to watch. And when he kissed me, it wasn’t a simple meeting of lips. His mouth claimed mine with a ferocity and passion that left me breathless.

I melted against him. In fact, I couldn’t get close enough. I’d never been kissed like this, and I reveled in the excitement of the moment, the taste of his mouth, the firm press of his lips that were still so soft. His tongue traced my lips before darting in my mouth and I gasped at his boldness, but my surprise only prompted him to hold me tighter. My body ached with a need I was desperate to satiate, an emptiness that begged to be filled. I wanted more. Craved it. Azriel wound his fist into my hair and gently pulled my head back. A moan worked its way up my throat as he left a trail of kisses down my throat.

“I want . . .” I started to whisper before I stopped myself.

“What?” Azriel asked as he worked his way back up toward my ear. “Tell me, Darian. What is it that you want?”

“I don’t know.” I gave a nervous laugh. Honestly, I had no idea what I wanted. I didn’t know the first thing about making love aside from the basic mechanics. I wanted to answer my body’s urgings, but how could I tell Azriel that I’d never been with a man before?

Azriel laughed against my throat and the seductive sound caused my stomach to clench. He pulled away from me and took my hand in his, leading me down the boardwalk as if we hadn’t just engaged in indecent behavior on a public street. “You are without shame,” I teased. I couldn’t help but look around me as I wondered who had stopped to witness our impassioned moment.

“True,” Azriel laughed. “Would you rather I respected decorum and social graces?”

“No,” I answered immediately. “I envy your unabashed nature.”

“Give me time,” Azriel said in a conspiratorial tone, “and I will make a sinful woman out of you.”

Delicious chills raced up my arms and over my scalp. If this is what sin felt like, then I couldn’t wait to fling myself headlong into the fires of hell.

We wiled away the daylight hours shopping and sightseeing. Azriel spent lewd amounts of money on new dresses and scandalous undergarments. He seemed to delight in shocking the shopkeepers as he held a corset up against my body as if imagining how it would look on me. I couldn’t help the blush that leapt to my cheeks, but as the day wore on Azriel’s antics only served to endear him to me more. With him I could almost remember the woman I used to be: sharp-tongued, spirited, and adventurous. Before Henry had beaten me into submission and squashed my zest for life, I’d been a free-thinking sort of girl. Azriel showed me that I could be that girl again.

As the afternoon drifted closer to evening, I felt a strange exhilaration. Soon, the sun would set and I would be free of my corporeal form. The shadows called to me, entreating that I join with them once again.

“You look anxious,” Azriel said. His amused expression brought a smile to my face. I had no doubt he could tell what I was thinking. “Tell me why.”

“I am anxious,” I said, “for the sun to set.”

“Really?” He mused with such innocence. “Why is that, my darling?”

“You know why.”

His eyes drank me in and I felt the world melt away until there was only the two of us. “I want to hear you say it.”

My God, he could entice a nun to sin with nothing more than his voice. I squared my shoulders and took a deep breath. I could be as bold as he wanted me to be. “I crave the shadows.”

Azriel’s answering smile was blinding in its brilliance. My knees went weak at the sight of him. “What shall we do in the shadows?”

I answered him with a wicked smile. “We shall do whatever we please.”

He kissed me once. “That’s my girl.”

* * *

As the sun sank over the western horizon, I could almost hear the contented sigh of my soul. Crimson red blazed a path across the sky, reflecting off the waters of Puget Sound and bathing Azriel’s skin in the warm glow of waning light. The waterfront wasn’t the safest place for two wealthy-looking tourists to be—especially after sunset—but Azriel said we had nothing to fear.

Twilight came to swallow the last of the waning day, but my body refused to leave its solid form. I looked to Azriel and he threaded his fingers through my hair. “Not yet. After the gray hour, Darian. You must wait for darkness to descend, and not a moment sooner.”

My body tensed with anticipation and pulsed with heat. I needed the release that only welcoming darkness could give me, and it could not come soon enough. I fought the urge to pace, to burn off the excess energy that pooled beneath my skin. Curious eyes watched from the pier, but I paid them no mind. I had spoken the truth to Azriel: I craved the shadows. Needed them. Now.

“Move a muscle and I’ll cut you ear to ear.”

I spun, the rustle of my skirt echoing in my ears like waves breaking on the shore. I tried to ignore the fascination with my new, preternatural hearing, but it still took a moment for my brain to process what I was seeing. A man, not much taller than Azriel but twice as wide, had one arm wrapped around Azriel’s shoulders. He held an old, rusty-looking knife against Azriel’s throat, the handle tucked below his ear. I took a tentative step back. And then another. The man smiled, revealing a mouthful of rotting teeth. The feral gleam in his eyes sent my heart beating a frantic rhythm, and I became light-headed as I realized that in my fear, I’d forgotten to take a breath.

“If you don’t wanna see yer man bleed to death right here on the docks, you’ll hand over yer valuables.” He hitched the knife higher and a trickle of blood ran down Azriel’s throat.

I swallowed down the fear that rose in my throat like bile. If this animal could take Azriel so easily, I wouldn’t stand a chance against him. Bigger, stronger, I would be nothing more than a helpless victim. “I-I have no valuables,” I stammered. It was the truth. Besides the new dresses that Azriel had bought for me, I had nothing. “Please, just let us go.”

My statement earned a round of raucous laughter. “Yer nothin’ but a daft bitch if you think I believe that,” he snorted. “You come walkin’ down in these parts dressed like you are and you’re just askin’ for trouble. So don’t lie to me again, or I’ll make him watch while I take my knife to you.” Azriel stood still as a statue, his chest rising and falling in a calm, rhythmic way. How could he be so at ease when our lives were in danger?

“Listen to the lady, my friend,” Azriel said, his voice constricted by his captor’s chokehold. “We have nothing to give you.”

“Bullshit.” The tip of his knife dug deeper into Azriel’s flesh and his dark eyes grew wide. “Empty yer pockets.” Azriel moved and the man gave him a rough shake, stalling any further movement. “Wait up. Don’t think I trust you.” He jerked his head toward me. “Have her do it.”

Azriel tensed as if nervous, but his eyes told a different story. He urged me toward him, nodding his head almost indiscernibly. Perhaps all he needed was a distraction. Just a moment to draw the thief’s attention so Azriel could gain the upper hand. Knees wobbling, I took a step toward him. My pulse skittered and my palms became slick and clammy. Terror gripped me with every inch that I drew closer to Azriel. Never taking my eyes from his, I reached into his pocket. From the corner of my eye I noticed the knife slacken against Azriel’s skin as our assailant came up on his tiptoes to look over Azriel’s shoulder and see what prize I’d fish from his pocket.

The moment of imbalance was all Azriel required. He twisted free from his captor and swung his fist,