"Do we have to do this now?" he asked.

"Well, why not?" I asked. "I mean this is the only time I can get a sentence out of you that doesn't involve toilet paper."

"Don't trust him." Kara's voice cracked as she spoke. "You don't know the type of man he is."

"You're one to talk," Shadow said. "You helped Calisto murder Bria, someone you both called a friend."

"I did no such thing."

"I know your handiwork," Shadow said. "When I saw Bria transformed into Calisto, it had your style all over it."

"You're a f.u.c.king man," Kara said. "What would you know about makeup?"

"You'd be surprised by what details I pay attention to," Shadow said, "Especially when it comes to my family."

Lincoln returned from the stage with three pink skipping ropes in his hands. "Sorry, this is all I could find," he said as he held them out to Shadow, who gave his friend a perplexed look. "I know, I know, it's not as intimidating as rusty chains, but it'll still do the job."

"Can you tie up Kara already?" Shadow asked with a hint of resignation in his voice.

Lincoln nodded and used the skipping ropes to bind Kara's wrists to the armrests and her feet together. It proved to be a difficult task, considering she was flailing and screaming like a wild animal. He managed somehow.

"I'm begging you, just let me go," Kara pleaded. "I'll forget this happened. I'll disappear forever. You'll never see me again."

Shadow pressed down on the plunger and flicked the tip of the needle, a droplet of liquid dispersing into the air.

"It's poison," he stated. "After I inject you with this, your muscles will relax. You'll lose control of your bowels and will most likely s.h.i.t yourself. Finally, your heart will stop beating."

My stomach twisted into knots as I watched Kara howl. There was something inhuman about a person begging for their life. I struggled not to burst into tears.

"Are you ready to die, Kara?" Shadow asked.

She continued to cry, the acoustics of the theatre capturing her sobs and bouncing them off of every wall, penetrating my ear drums like daggers.

"Don't do this," I found myself whispering. "Don't do this Shadow. You're better than this."

He ignored me, which wasn't anything new.

I shuddered as I watched the tip of the needle push through the flesh of Kara's neck. Shadow emptied the contents of the syringe right into her, while she looked at me with wide-eyed horror.

Help me, Aria, her eyes practically screamed.

When Shadow was done, he dropped the needle to the floor and folded his arms. "You have five minutes before the poison takes effect," he said as he dug into his coat pocket. He pulled out another syringe filled with a white milky liquid. "This is the antidote. I will give you your life in exchange for some answers."

"Please," Kara continued begging. "I just want to live."

"Then tell me where Calisto is."

"I don't know!" she practically screamed. "I don't f.u.c.king know. She said that she was going to disappear and the text you read promised to be the last she was going to send to me for a while. I swear to G.o.d, I have no clue where she is."

Shadow studied Kara for a good five seconds before finally nodding. "I believe you," he said.

I saw a glimmer of hope come across her face. "You're going to let me live then?" she asked.

"Not yet," Shadow replied. "You have three minutes to give me some useful information that can help me find her."

"I don't know anything else," Kara choked. Shadow shrugged and began to walk away. Desperation spread across her face as she struggled to rise to her feet. However, Lincoln's skipping rope bindings proved too strong for her. She finally collapsed back into her seat and started sobbing again.

"This shouldn't be a difficult choice," Shadow said. "Say nothing and your heart will wither and die. Or you can tell me something useful and you can continue breathing."

"Hong Kong," Kara blurted out.

Shadow nodded. "That's a start."

"While I was working on Bria's aesthetics, making her look like Calisto, I overheard Calisto speaking to someone on the phone. I remember overhearing the last name Zhao."

"Uh-oh," Lincoln furrowed his brow.

"There was mention of an alliance and some council meeting in Hong Kong somewhere. That's all I know, I swear to G.o.d."

Shadow shrugged, flicked upon the syringe with the white antidote and injected into the other side of her neck.

"Good enough," he said. "Lincoln, lock her up somewhere. We'll figure out what to do with her later."

Lincoln sighed. "I'm starting to feel more and more like your b.i.t.c.h these days."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Please," he said sarcastically.

"That's better."

Kara continued sobbing, even after Lincoln untied her and dragged her away from the auditorium.

Shadow and I were alone.

He continued ignoring me, stripping off his wet hooded jacket and tossing it onto an empty seat. He was wearing a black tank top underneath, clinging tightly against his ma.s.sive frame. I ached to touch his bare muscles with my fingers, to have those same muscles wrap around my body so I could feel safe again.

"Can we talk now?" I asked. He strolled past me towards the kitchen. I guess that was a 'no.'

It only served to anger me even more.

I jumped in front of him, blocking his path.

"Can you stop being such a d.i.c.k and talk to me for five minutes?" I shouted.

"What is there to talk about?"

"For starters, how about the fact you almost killed Kara, who despite aiding Calisto in her scheme, didn't deserve a death sentence."

"She didn't die."

"She could have. You injected poison into her."

"Kool Aid," Shadow said calmly, "And milk afterwards. Unless she's diabetic or has an extreme case of lactose intolerance, she should be fine."

He pushed past me and entered into the kitchen, where a spread of cold sandwiches and bottles of water rested on the round kitchen table. Shadow reached for a bottle of water, opened the top and drained it in a single gulp.

"So now what?" I asked.

"I go to Hong Kong."

"What about me?"

"I need you to go to New Orleans with Lincoln," Shadow said. "There's someone there that has access to a hidden source of funds. Without cash on hand, we won't be able to resurrect the Midnight Society. As well, we'll all need new pa.s.sports and ident.i.ties, seeing as how we're now linked to four counts of murder. The source we have in New Orleans should be able to take care of all doc.u.ments."

I had promised myself I wouldn't cry when I confronted Shadow.

Promise broken. When it came to matters of the heart, it was beyond my control.

As the waterworks started flowing freely, I looked Shadow in the eye, hoping to see some type of remorse for all the pain he caused me.

There was something there, hidden deep within that armored sh.e.l.l of his, but what that was I had no d.a.m.ned clue.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I can't force you to love me anymore," I said. I must have sounded pathetic to him.

"Aria, it's not about you," Shadow replied.

What kind of f.u.c.king answer was that?

"I guess it'll never be about me again, right?" I cried. "All that bulls.h.i.t about wanting to leave the Midnight Society, taking me away and travelling, making love in exotic locations, was all a string of words meant to keep me around so I could be your f.u.c.k-buddy, am I right?"

Shadow shook his head. "I still want to do all those things."

"You sure have a funny way of rea.s.suring me."

"My mind has been preoccupied, if you haven't noticed. I just learned that the person I was hunting for the past thirteen years-the twisted f.u.c.k who murdered my parents-ended up being my own twin sister. I'm sorry if holding your hand, whispering sweet nothings in your ear, and taking you away on an extended vacation is not at the top of my list at the moment."

His words tore through me like razorblades. Was this what loving Shadow was going to be like?

"Why are you acting like you hate me?" I asked. "Like I no longer matter?"

He was about to say something, but quickly stopped short. After a long pause, he spoke again. "I don't hate you."

"Do you even love me anymore?" I asked, afraid of the answer.

There was no pause this time in his response. "I do."

"Prove it then-" but before I could finish my sentence, he was already on me, his mouth pressed hard against mine as our tongues found their way to one another. My stomach soared to my heart as I felt his strength crush my body close to his.

If he only knew how long I'd waited for this moment, for him to give me a sign that he still loved me. His kiss was so pa.s.sionate and forceful, yet somewhere deep down inside, my heart was breaking as I gave my body up to him once more.

Chapter Three.

Aria s.e.x was always better when emotions were high, and at the moment, my emotions were an inch short of touching the moon.

Shadow's mouth devoured mine and I moaned, tasting the sweetness of lips and his tongue. Oh G.o.d, how I missed all of this.

He pushed me atop the kitchen table, requesting me to submit. By instinct I tried to get up, but he pinned me back down with his strong arms, rendering me helpless, to do as he pleased.

"The sandwiches," I said breathlessly, while looking over my shoulder at the plate of food at the center of the table.

"f.u.c.k the sandwiches," he said, and with one hand he pushed the plate onto the ground, scattering the bread, lettuce, and meat everywhere.

While sitting at the edge of the table, I grabbed his neck with one hand and pulled his mouth closer to mine, forcing our lips to lock once more. His strong hands found their way to the front of my white blouse and he ripped it open, exposing my lace bra underneath. The raw and dirty sound of fabric tearing fueled the fire burning inside me.

My blouse was ruined, but I didn't give a s.h.i.t. The only thing I wanted was to feel Shadow's bare chest pressed against my body and to have his hardness satisfy me again.

I shrugged my blouse off my shoulders. It slid down my arms and onto the table. My mouth remained fixed onto Shadow's as our tongues continued to explore one another, feasting on the magnetism that drew us together.

It felt good to be wanted again.

His soft lips found their way between my neck and shoulders, while his hands undid the clasp of my bra. I shivered with nervous antic.i.p.ation while Shadow exposed my heavy b.r.e.a.s.t.s to him. His fingers pulled lightly at both my nipples while I moaned with pleasure.

His mouth gravitated towards the tip of my b.r.e.a.s.t.s and he sucked them, his tongue tracing circles around each nipple.

"Shadow, f.u.c.k!" I gasped as I grabbed his leather belt with trembling hands. I undid the clasp and pulled down his zipper, freeing his throbbing erection. The warmth of his hard c.o.c.k between my hands sent shockwaves through my body. He unleashed an earthly groan as I ran my hands up and down his full length.

I wanted him to fill me. I needed him to fill me.

Shadow lifted me off the table and onto my feet again, kissing me with a sense of urgency, his mouth was the coolness that could vanquish the raging fires within me. He pulled my jeans down to my ankles, with my thong following closely behind, and pushed me back onto the table as his fingers slipped inside of me, the pad of his thumb ma.s.saging my throbbing c.l.i.t.

"You're mine," he growled, just before his mouth found my aching nipples once more as he gently pulled on them with his soft lips, his tongue lapping their ends.

The sounds of his fingers, pushing in and out of my wetness sent me to the edge.

"I want you inside me," I breathed.

"When I'm ready," he answered as he pressed the tip of his head at the entrance of my p.u.s.s.y and rubbed it up and down the length of my outer lips. Every time he glided over my c.l.i.t, I felt waves of pleasure crashing across my entire body.