Page 1 of Radiant Shadows

Chapter 1

Tobias

Anxiety had its claws deep within me as I perched on the edge of my bed, my heel tapping so furiously it seemed to make my whole body shake.

I wasn’t used to having to regulate so many emotions at once—or any at all, for that matter—but Arya’s entrance into my life had thrown a wrench into the normally meticulous machine of my psyche. I’d been forced to discover new sides of myself that I never thought could exist, and that I’d tried actively to quash.

My current situation shouldn’t even be a super stressful one, and I tried to analyze it from an outside perspective.

Yes, I hadn’t heard from the witch since I’d met her—through deceptive means—four days ago, and though there was hope attached to that encounter, the lack of communication was less than encouraging. Patience was not one of my virtues, especially with the stakes involved.

If the witch couldn’t break the curse—and soon—Arya and I were doomed to fail, and at least one of us would be miserable forever. I couldn’t stand thewhat ifsof it all. What if Shea broke the curse too late? What if one of us fell in love before that? What if I did something like I usually did, and Arya hated me forever?

There was a chance of that tonight. My parents were going to be at the New Year’s Eve Ball. I had planned to make this night special for Arya, but now I’d have to mostly avoid her to appease my father, who had strictly forbidden me from being anywhere near her. How was I going to get out of this mess withoutangering either or both of them?

The water in my shower turned off, and my pulse began to increase with the unconscious anticipation of seeing her. Even though she was still technically close to me, and she’d only been in my bathroom for ten minutes or so, the imprint forced me into a state of irrational anxiety when she wasn’t in my clear line of sight.

I was fucking pathetic.

I growled in frustration at myself, but the moment she emerged from my bathroom with a cloud of steam wafting out behind her, my heart fluttered, and all negativity fled from me—at least for a brief moment.

I rose from the bed and crossed the space toward her without conscious thought, pulled by the invisible tether that bound me to her.

“Even wrapped in a towel with your hair soaked, you’re the most beautiful girl in the world.” I leaned forward to trace a line of kisses down her neck and shoulder, savoring the fresh scent of her clean skin.

She giggled and lightly shoved me away. “Tobias, I just took a shower. I’d rather not have to take another one in fifteen minutes.”

“Try an hour,” I growled against her ear as my desire for her flared to life.

“Tobias,” she protested with much less power, arching her neck and leaning in as I began to suck on her creamy flesh.

When a little whimper escaped her, I knew I’d broken her restraint, and my need for her was too strong to ignore. I reached for the top of her towel, trailing my fingertips along ituntil I found the tucked in spot that kept it tight around her. I gave the fluffy material a firm tug, ripping it away from her body and dropping it to the floor.

I pulled away from her just enough to admire the carnal perfection of her naked body. Her tiny pink nipples were hard and pointed with the proof of her desire for me, and I was helpless not to drop to a kneel before her to taste them.

With my hands against the center of her back, I pressed her against me, holding her in place while I spread my lips over one flawless breast. I ran the pad of my tongue over the plump flesh, kneading it with my lips as I began to circle my tongue around her pebbled nipple. And when I sucked it between my teeth, the gasp she released made my dick throb against my slacks.

Her hands went to my head, tangling into my hair as I moved to worship her other breast. Her fingers combing over my scalp felt so good, so soothing, and yet so teasing; I felt like I was going to explode if I didn’t take her right now.

Unable to hold back any longer, I rose to my full height and spun her around, guiding her gruffly and clumsily against the nearest wall. I hastily freed my cock from my slacks, fisting it almost angrily as I guided it beneath her pert ass cheeks and into her warm center.

She was so wet, and the ease with which I was able to slide all the way into her made me shudder with possessive delight. Her pussy was exactly the right size for my cock, and so perfectly tight, squeezing around me as I filled her completely.

Fuck, could any sweeter bliss exist in this world! Pleasure coursed through me as I began to thrust in and out of her wet heaven. I clutched her against me as I fucked her, massaging her breasts even as I pushed her flat against the wall. Her softpanting and moans of pleasure were a symphony that enchanted me toward my demise, and I knew I needed to slow down, to pace myself.

I slid one hand down her belly, flattening my palm over her silky skin as I moved my hand between her legs. With my index and ring finger, I spread her pussy lips to either side, and when I slipped my middle finger over her clit, she let out the sweetest cry of pleasure, her body trembling against me.

I wanted to make her come. No, Ineededto make her come. I rolled my fingertip over the little bud of flesh, kneading it exactly the way I knew she liked it and applying pressure when I knew she needed it. I matched the timing of my thrusts to the rhythm of my skilled fingering, feeling her pussy tighten more and more as the tension built within her.

“Come, baby,” I purred against her earlobe. “Come for me.”

She let out a deep moan, and like a good little girl, she did as I asked. Her pussy fluctuated around my dick, squeezing and releasing over and over again, and I increased the pressure of my thrusts to draw out as much pleasure as I could wring from her body.

But it wasn’t enough. With this girl, it would never be enough. I wanted to bury myself in her paradise forever, make her come again and again, and feel her juices bathe my cock and drip down my thighs. I wanted to live inside her, floating on the pinnacle of ecstasy for the rest of time.

When I began playing her clit slower, determined to bring her to oblivion again, she panted, “Tobias…no time…”

I glanced at the clock beneath heavy eyelids. She was right. The ball was due to begin in an hour. While I’d be perfectly happy to fuck her senseless until the very last minute, girls needed timefor the pointless things like hair and makeup and whatever else they did in the name of beauty.

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