Wilder, J. C. - Shadow Dweller 5 Read online

  Sins of the Flesh

  Book V in the Shadow Dweller Series

  by

  J. C. Wilder

  ISBN 1-55316-073-8

  Published by LTDBooks

  www.ltdbooks.com

  * * *

  Copyright © 2001 J. C. Wilder

  Cover Art by Emily Black

  Cover Art copyright © 2001

  Published in Canada by LTDBooks, 200 North Service Road West, Unit 1, Suite 301, Oakville, ON L6M 2Y1 [www.ltdbooks.com]

  All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the publisher is an infringement of the copyright law.

  National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data

  Wilder, J. C., 1965-

  Sins of the flesh [computer file]

  ISBN 1-55316-073-8 (electronic) ISBN 1-55316-927-1 (REB 1100 1200)

  I. Title.

  PS3623.I45S55 813'.6 C2001-902068-6

  * * *

  Dedication

  To my fellow "Serious Writers" - Beth, Carol, Donna and Rosemary.

  Thanks for kicking me in the backside when I needed it.

  Acknowledgments

  Writers may work alone but we don't work in a vacuum. Many thanks go out to the following people without whom this book would have never been completed:

  Miss Binta, friend extraordinaire!

  Stuart, who still thinks every hero is modeled after him and he just might be right...

  a little anyway...

  Debbie, thanks for the cover photo and the laughs.

  Emily, for managing to take my vision and turn it into a gorgeous cover every time!

  * * *

  Chapter 1

  Not her, please let it be anyone but her.

  Alexandre Saint-Juste, vampire and head of the Council of Elders, looked up from the photo of a burned corpse he was studying to see a figure hesitating in the doorway. She was little more than a shadow in the dim lighting but he knew it was her. The soft, citrus scent of her perfume gave her away.

  Sunni.

  He closed his tired eyes. He was slipping. As an Elder, it was near impossible for another vampire to sneak up unawares. He'd trained himself to be aware of his surroundings at all times and the talent had saved his life on numerous occasions. But he'd been pushing himself too hard lately and, if he didn't take more care, the next time might be his last.

  He rubbed his forehead. Maybe she'd be gone when he opened his eyes? That would be his wish. Could he be that lucky? He dropped his hand and opened his eyes.

  Damn, she was still hovering in the doorway.

  Inwardly he groaned. Right now he had his hands full and the last thing he needed was this flighty, empty-headed little vampire.

  As she stepped into the room, he dropped the photo onto the others scattered across the top of his desk. Knowing Sunni, he'd not get any work done until he could get the little busybody out of his house. He made a mental note to fire his housekeeper, Nelson, who'd obviously let her in the front door. He was a sucker for a pretty face.

  "What can I do for you, Sunni?"

  "A lot actually. The question is, will you?" She grinned as she advanced, her sandal- shod feet making no sound on the thick carpet. "But today I'm going to do you a favor."

  His mouth went dry as she strolled closer. Sunni was tiny-barely over five feet-and she resembled a young Mia Farrow with her cap of short, silky blonde hair, doe-brown eyes and delicate features. Dressed in a sheer, yellow, cropped shirt over a matching bikini-style top, she was bare from the bottom of her insubstantial shirt to the waistband of her skirt.

  Slung low on her slim hips, the cotton skirt looked as if it had been left wadded in the back of a drawer for weeks. The rainbow-colored material swirled about her slim legs, briefly outlining each delectable inch as she walked. Tiny she may be, but she was exquisitely formed from her pale hair to the tips of her petal-pink toenails. Damn, she was beautiful.

  Alexandre swallowed hard against the unfamiliar rush of lust, his toes curling in his Bacco Bucci shoes. Startled, he stepped back and sat hard in his desk chair.

  He must be more tired than he thought.

  Slick with pale gloss, a bewitching smile played about Sunni's mouth as if she could read the lascivious thoughts dancing through his mind. His gaze shifted from her mouth to skim her pert breasts and dropped to her hips, which swayed provocatively with her easy gait. The air in the room seemed suddenly in short supply.

  What the devil was wrong with him?

  He'd never had a reaction to a woman like this, and certainly not with a woman like Sunni. She was luscious...No, no-annoying-that was the word. Annoying and exasperating. That summed up the little vampire. He reached up to loosen his tie. His reaction to her was simply a combination of his need to feed and lack of rest. Yes, that was it. A few hours of sleep and a quick prowl would set his world to rights once more.

  Fighting for a cool demeanor, he fixed a bored expression on his face as he forced his gaze to meet hers once more.

  "What kind of favor would this be?" he asked.

  "Jennifer sent these over to you." From behind her voluminous skirt, she withdrew a medium-sized manila envelope. "Knowing I was headed this way she asked if I'd drop it off."

  Alexandre silently cursed his old friend as he reached for the offering. Jennifer knew Sunni annoyed the hell out of him on a good day, which this definitely was not. Her eyes gleamed with secret amusement as she reached the edge of the desk and leaned forward, offering him a glimpse of her cleavage as she handed the envelope to him.

  "Thank you." He took it, forcing his gaze away from her shadowy cleft.

  He'd been waiting for this information since he'd received word of its arrival. He tried to ignore the delectable creature before him as he opened the envelope and withdrew a folded sheet of paper and several photos. A quick glance told him the photos weren't of the greatest quality. Fuzzy and indistinct, he nevertheless recognized the features of Cassiopeia, the woman who'd betrayed the Council of Elders by siding with the vampire Mikhail in an attempt to overthrow Alexandre's rule.

  The ever-present pain in the back of his neck made itself known once more as he stared at the blurry face of his one-time co-council and lover. With the distinctive features of middle- eastern descent, Cass was intelligent and charismatic, an excellent conversationalist and breathtakingly beautiful.

  Her thick dark hair was piled on her head with a few tendrils allowed to escape and curl against her slender throat. With deep brown eyes framed by sooty lashes and a curvaceous figure usually covered in the finest of silks, she was an exquisite woman to behold and an elder vampire to be feared.

  She was also cunning and devious as only a woman could be.

  Curse her black soul.

  He flicked the photo to the back of the pack and scanned the others. All were of either Cass or the immortal revenant Miles. As one of Mikhail's creations, he'd been rumored to be traveling with Cass for the past month or so, acting as her personal servant. He was intelligent and ruthless, an adversary to be wary of. He was also the keeper of Elsabeth's diary, a tome sought by everyone in the preternatural world.

  He flipped through the photos once more, noting that all of them had been taken in Vienna. Nothing new. She'd been in residence for the past few weeks while Miles had been seen in various parts of Austria and the Carpathian Mountains.

  He dropped the photos in his lap and flicked open the note to scan its contents. Val and Shai were currently in Vienna on Cass' trail. According to the hastily scrawled memo, they'd lost both Cass and Miles severa
l days ago. He frowned. Those two could be anywhere in the world within twenty-four hours.

  "Damn," he muttered.

  "Problems?" A sweet voice sounded in his ear.

  Alexandre's head jerked upward, and he was startled to find Sunni standing beside him. Her perfume teased his nose, sending a rush of heat shafting through his body. The warmth of her skin radiated against his arm as she leaned close.

  She'd fed recently, giving her skin the blush and warmth characteristic of a live human. She licked her lips, and he felt the sensual draw of her presence like never before. His breath caught in his throat as she moved in, her breath soft on his cheek.

  She was going to kiss him!

  He shifted away then froze as she reached out, the silver rings on her fingers gleaming as she aimed for his lap.

  Oh, no.

  The last thing he wanted her to see was the evidence of his arousal. If she ever found out how much her presence affected him physically, he'd never get rid of her.

  Then he realized she was merely reaching for the pictures in his lap.

  Half relieved, half-disappointed, he caught her wrist. Pushing her away, he gently maneuvered her against the desk, away from the photos and his lap.

  "No problem that I can't handle." His words came out more abruptly than he'd planned.

  She placed her hands on the edge of the desk and, to his surprise, boosted herself onto the polished top.

  "Your reaction certainly indicated there was a problem." Her soft green gaze was fixed on his face as if committing it to memory.

  "You're mistaken."

  Disturbed by her nearness, he gathered the photos and prepared to rise. She crossed her legs and he heard the soft tinkle of bells. He looked down and caught a glimpse of her slender ankles, barely visible under the skirt hem. A finely wrought gold anklet with a row of tiny bells encircled one of them.

  A rush of desire hit, rendering him so dizzy he had to look away. He didn't dare move, especially since his increasing erection would tell her exactly what effect she had on him. Trapped by his wayward impulses, he dropped the photos in his lap, hoping they sufficiently covered his body's betrayal.

  "Hmm." She began to swing her leg, the sound of the bells causing him to grit his teeth. "I assume since it's from Val that the news is about Cass?"

  Alexandre frowned, irritated with her and himself. He shifted, trying to ease the ache in his groin. "What would you know of the situation?"

  She shrugged. "Probably as much as any spectator. Mikhail invoked the Law of Seven and challenged you for the rule of the Council. To aid him in his cause, he enlisted your right-hand people, the vampires Edward and Cass, thus vacating two spots on the Council. Mikhail's bid for your position was thwarted when he ran into Mac...a very talented Druid from what I understand."

  She leaned forward, and her voice dropped. "It's rumored that Mikhail was blinded in the ensuing battle. Since they lost, Edward, Cass and Mikhail have been on the run for the past fifteen months. The majority of the preternatural world is looking for them but you're determined to find them first."

  "For a spectator you seem to be remarkably well informed."

  Sunni straightened and flashed him a bright smile. "What can I say?" She shrugged. "I'm observant and I pay attention."

  "So it would seem. However, the one thing you forgot to mention is that Edward is dead, killed last fall."

  Her expression turned thoughtful. "I hadn't heard. So now you're looking for the remaining two?"

  Cass, Mikhail, Miles, the diary, and a few hundred of their supporters, but that was none of her business.

  He nodded. "Something like that."

  "I might be able to give you a hand with this."

  "Indeed?" He swallowed a laugh, fighting to keep his tone level. He couldn't imagine any way she could be of help to him. "How is that?"

  "Well, in case you haven't noticed, I am a woman." She leaned forward and he caught another whiff of her perfume. "I might be able to give you some valuable insight into what Cass will do and where she'll go next."

  Alexandre couldn't contain his snort of laughter and he covered it with a cough as her eyes narrowed dangerously. He cleared his throat. "Thank you for the kind offer, Sunni. I'll certainly keep you in mind should something come up which would require your, er...particular talents."

  A hurt look came into her eyes and she leaned back, dropping her gaze.

  Damn, why do I feel as if I've just kicked a puppy?

  "Sunni-"

  "I saw him." She pointed to the top photograph in his lap.

  He looked down and saw she was pointing at a clear photo of Miles. "Where did you see him?"

  "Here in New Orleans."

  He stifled the urge to groan. This was just great. She was so intent upon helping him that she was seeing things. There was no way Miles or Cass would enter his city. As prey, it was too dangerous for them. They knew he was on their trail.

  He looked up. "Sunni-"

  "It was a few days ago, I guess." She frowned. "I don't remember for sure. Maybe three days? I went out to pick up some henna and cloth and he was standing by the fountain in Jackson Square."

  His looked at the picture once more. Could Sunni be right? Was Miles here in New Orleans? He picked it up and beneath it was a fuzzy photo of Cass and there, beside her in the shadows of the Palazzo Grassi, was the hulking figure of Miles. He flipped it over to look at the date. Nine days prior, they were together in Venice. He shuffled through the rest of the photos. None of the others showed them together, just that one. Were they still together?

  He looked at Sunni and held up the clearest one of Miles. "Are you sure it was him?"

  She nodded, her expression earnest. "Yes. I couldn't miss him to save my life-he's huge."

  "Was anyone with him?"

  "Not that I saw. It was late and not terribly crowded. He was standing by the fountain, looking around as if he were waiting for someone. I only noticed because he's a revenant." She grinned. "I'm getting better at picking them out."

  Chances were, if Sunni was right and Miles was here, then Cass was with him. But why would they come to New Orleans? They both knew he and several other Elders lived in and around the city. They certainly knew they were being hunted. The Council had levied a death sentence on Cass for treason. For now, Miles had no charges against him, but his transgressions were mounting with each passing day. What could they hope to accomplish by entering his city?

  "Who is he?" Sunni plucked the photo of Miles from his fingertips.

  "An old acquaintance." He retrieved the picture before she could get a good look at it.

  She snagged the next one, a close-up shot of Cass taken several days before the photo with Miles. "How old?"

  Alexandre reclaimed the second photo and opened the center desk drawer. "Not too old." He scooped everything-all of the photos, the letter and the documentation he'd been reviewing before she arrived-into the drawer then closed it, safe from her inquisitive eyes.

  "Was there anything else you needed?" He rose from the chair.

  "Is he mixed up with Mikhail and Cass?"

  She slipped off the desk, her skirt brushing his pant legs. Standing so close to him, he was once more assailed with the warmth of her skin and the scent of her delicate perfume.

  He ground his teeth in frustration. She was maddening. There'd been many times he'd had to restrain himself from throttling her. He'd noticed her as a man would a beautiful woman on several occasions, then she would spoil the illusion by opening her mouth and irritating the hell out of him. The logical side of his brain knew Sunni could never keep him satisfied as a mate and a relationship with her would be a disaster for both of them.

  His job as an Elder and the head of the Council was to look out for the health and welfare of all preternatural beings. Regardless of how he felt, he didn't want Sunni anywhere near him when the carnage began. He would do anything in his power to avoid the coming battle, but it was inevitable. Cass and her ilk would see to
it.

  He ruthlessly tamped down his wayward desires. His position required it.

  "No, he is not mixed up with them." He moved around her.

  "Then why is he in a picture with her?" She stepped in his way. Her gaze was direct as she placed her hands on his chest to prevent his escape. "You're lying to me."

  He encircled her wrists with his hands. A shock radiated through his palms at the feel of her skin against his. "This may come as a surprise to you, Sunni, but it's none of your business." He gently removed her hands and pushed her back before releasing her to step away.

  "It is my business if it concerns the Council." She moved to intercept him, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm a vampire and the Council is supposed to represent all of the Shadow Dwellers. If this man is wanted by the Council then I, as a citizen, have a right to know."

  He fought the urge to roll his eyes. She was, without a doubt, the most exasperating female he'd ever met. "First off, he isn't a wanted person and we have little interest in him, only Cass. Second, there isn't much of a Council in power at this point. Only Fayne and myself are left."

  "It's said that Val will be stepping in for Cass and you've asked Quinn to assume the position vacated by Bliss' death."

  Damn, whom is she talking to?

  "That is a possibility, but as of yet, nothing has been decided."

  "Alexandre-"

  He held up his hand to stem the tide of words. His patience had reached the end and it was time to take off the kid gloves with the annoying little blonde. "Look, I appreciate your interest, but right now I have my hands full with this and other matters. Everything is under control and there's nothing to concern you."

  "Nothing to concern my little head about you mean?" Her eyes narrowed as she placed her hands on her hips. "I just want to help, so why won't you let me? I might be able to find this man. Really, I'm very stealthy and..."

  She moved backward and her foot caught in the hem of her skirt, causing her to stumble. Pinwheeling her arms, she gave a squawk and reached for the desk to stop her fall. Before he could give it a thought, Alexandre's hand shot out and he caught her arm, pulling her upright. The warmth of her skin singed his palm as a jolt of awareness shot up his arm. Stung, he released her and stepped back.