Mortal Desire: Shadow Sisters, #1

By Chloe Adler

In a world on the brink, can love ignite a witch's lost magic and save us all?

Who would've thought I, a witch with practically zero magical powers, would fall for the new human in town?

Yet, even as he sends my heart aflutter, he also evokes a terror in me I cannot shake.

Ryders's touch lights up my... everything. It's so intense, it's almost—magical.
He's the alpha-hole man-candy I never knew I needed.

My world is far from simple. It's more dangerous than I ever realized, with nightmarish creatures hiding in the shadows. But there's a traitor in our midst. Despite my instincts warning me against trusting this human, my heart believes he may hold the key to my happiness.

I must unlock my dormant powers in time to resist this impending evil and shield everyone I love. And Ryder just may be the answer...

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**All the books in this series can be read out of order, they each follow a different hero's HEA

-this book was previously published as "A Witch's Mortal Desire" and "Overtaken"

Tropes: dark/ish romance, fated mates, unlikely couple, love redeems, romantic suspense, interracial romance

Book 1: Mortal Desire
Book 2: Dark Craving
Book 3: Fevered Heart
Book 4: Wicked Hunger

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chloe Adler
• Release date: May 3, 2017
• ISBN: 9781947156081

Book preview

Chapter One

As I worked the keys into the lock of my house, my roommate Burgundy’s giggling, drifted into the night. It was followed by the low moan of a male. My breathing sped up, the usual spark stirring between my legs. I wanted to be inside, to see what was happening, but I fumbled and my keys fell to the ground.

As I bent down to pick them up, the door to our tiny house swung open. The wafting scent of juniper hit me first. My eyes tracked upwards to the most delicious naked male I'd ever seen. His eyes were cast downward and didn't meet mine as I slowly stood up, taking in his luscious, hairless body. His skin was dark, glinting with oil in the moonlight. The light fell on all the right places through the branches of our large acacia tree. His thighs were as rock hard as his member, which stood at attention, probably due to the cock ring that fit snuggly around it and his balls.

Sub, stand aside and let Sadie in, Burgundy's voice rang out.

The perfect specimen of man stood to one side, letting me pass.

As I entered my own house and he closed the door, I turned to face him. Over one shoulder, I glanced at Burgundy and licked my lips. My beautiful female friend brought new meaning to the word voluptuous. She was as full figured as a girl could get while maintaining a seductive hourglass shape. Her dark eyes flashed, indicating her rising lust.

Burgundy nodded at me curtly, leaving me to wonder if she'd picked this hot man for me, her, Jared or for all of us. It didn't matter, we always shared.

Sub, you will serve Mistress Sadie in whatever way she desires, Burgundy commanded. And then to me, Sadie, take him now. I want to watch.

I pinned him to the door with my arms, one on either side of his muscular chest, which was heaving. He was nervous. I liked that.

Look at me, I demanded. He tried to bring his eyes to mine but looked away before meeting them. I reached out and tilted his chin upwards. He let me, and when our eyes locked, the sheer force of his dark gaze almost knocked me backwards, as if by a huge gust of wind. I actually lost my balance, steadying myself with a hand to the door and breaking eye contact. When I looked back, he was watching me. I wanted to eat up the look in his eyes, a look that declared I was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. There was hunger there, but also appreciation and something more. Desire, yes, and something else. The emotion was almost hidden, but he let me glimpse it as it seeped out around his irises. Longing? Regret? Perhaps he hadn't realized he was in for a threesome and felt uncomfortable.

Great. Another jealous toy?

Why did I constantly have to keep apologizing for my sexuality, my choices? My throat burned with familiar anger and shame. How many times had my roommates and I kicked out a lover because they couldn't count past two? Why should this guy be any different?

By the time Burgundy and I were done with him, he'd be running for the hills, but for now . . .

I reached out and ran my hands along his broad chest. He shuddered as Burgundy moved to stand behind me. Pushing my hair to one side, she bent to kiss my neck. The man watched, his heartbeat quickening as my hand steadied over perfectly chiseled pecs. Burgundy's fingers reached around to caress my breasts through my light cotton shirt. She tweaked and pulled at my nipples, hard, the way she knew I liked it. My head fell back against her, a rapturous sigh escaping.

Down on your knees, sub, Burgundy commanded but he hesitated. Without waiting, I pushed him down; and he dropped. Burg weaved her arms under mine. One hand punished my left nipple while the other moved down to my skirt. It was pulled up to offer the sub a full view of my cleanly shaven pussy glistening with desire.

Spread her open. Her demanding and sensual voice slid across me like silken sandpaper.

The sub eagerly did what he was told, unfolding me like a flower. Burgundy's arms rose up and over mine, making a loop and pinning me to her body.

Hold her skirt up and lick her until she comes or begs you to stop. Use your skills, Burgundy commanded him. And then leaning into my ear, she whispered, I know he has them.

My pussy pulsed with the knowledge that he'd already pleased her in this way. She moved her hands behind my head, still holding me in a vice lock, and grabbed my hair at the base of my neck. She pulled back with such delicious force I almost fell over but her body kept me still.

Eat her now. Burgundy's voice was thick and deep.

The sub's closely cropped curls disappeared between my legs, his expert mouth enveloping my lips. He licked and sucked, bit and pulled. My moans escalated as I allowed my body to flood with the pleasure. He stimulated me to the point of orgasm and then he stopped. I tried to arch my pelvis and pulse into his face but he pulled away. I writhed and thrashed but Burgundy held me tightly against her.

Don't stop, I managed as Burgundy laughed. I knew that laugh. It was pure, delicious evil.

Kiss her mouth, Burgundy instructed, and the sub stood and bent forward to kiss me, rubbing his rock-hard body and cock against my tender skin.

He tasted like me. I loved the flavor of my own pussy on someone else's lips, it drove me crazy. Burgundy knows this about me, as she knows all of my secrets. The lips of this man were soft and yielding. His mouth was deep and filled with his own secrets. Our tongues tangled as jolts of delight shot up my spine. His hand reached down between my legs as he fingered and played with my swollen clit.

Pinch her nipples, hard. Another command from my best friend.

He did, and I melted into the Sadie sandwich I had become between this delicious man and my voluptuous friend. My nerves were on fire. I could feel everything. The sharp pinching of my nipples, Burgundy's ample breasts rubbing against my back, his hard cock rubbing against my stomach and his hand playing with my clit. The orgasm was building again. Burgundy was pulling my hair and head back again, this time harder as her mouth found my neck. I was so close and they both knew it. The sub kept kissing me deeper and deeper, his hand moving expertly between my legs, his fingers alternating between delving into my cavity and rubbing my swollen clit. I pushed hard against him, my mouth and my pussy, as it built too quickly to stop. Right before my final release, Burgundy sank her fangs into my neck, pushing me over the edge with a plunge that brought my intensity to new heights.

I began to come, and the slave dropped to his knees to take me in his mouth again, sucking and licking greedily at my dripping mound. His hands wrapped around me, grabbing my ass and pulling me into his face. My entire body spasmed and Burgundy held me up as she fed on my lust and blood. My ecstasy pulsed in enormous waves and I rode it as I came over and over and over again.

Chapter Two

We dozed off and on together, lying on the couch in a naked tangle, Burgundy, me and the sub having all been satiated a number of times. There hadn't been any formal introductions and I didn't care. That's how we did things at Casa Mañana—the House of Tomorrow in Burgundy's native tongue.

Most of the time, the sex slaves that Burgundy and Jared brought home were passed among us and then let go while we searched for another fresh young thing. It's not that we didn't appreciate them, our treats. It's that we knew if we copulated with them more than a few times, we risked getting attached. Each of us had learned the hard way not to trust our heart to someone who inevitably didn't understand the strength of our bond. Since we loved our arrangement and wouldn't jeopardize it, we'd agreed long ago not to become attached to anyone else, lest they disrupt what we had.

The sub snuggled closer to me, wrapping his big arms around my smallish frame. His face bored into my neck as he breathed me in deeply. When his tongue flicked out to lick my ear, there was a pulse between my legs. This wasn't safe. I shook my head no against his.

My name is Ryder Evans, he whispered unbidden into my ear.

Shh.

Burgundy, having heard his transgression, stood up. Time to go, sub. She pointed to the door.

Ryder fingered the amulet that I and my sisters all wore around our necks.

So lovely, like you, he whispered.

Sub. Burgundy's voice grew louder.

Ryder rose, holding eye contact with me, and I could not make myself look away, which was not only unlike me, it was dangerous and I knew it.

Burgundy was walking around the living room, picking up his clothing. Ryder stood tall in front of me, staring. The pain in his eyes was apparent now, deep and sorrowful. Who was this man? I wanted to know. But I couldn't. I must be strong for our pack and so I looked away. He didn't move, still staring at me. Burgundy threw his clothes at him.

Dressed and gone in thirty seconds, or you won't like the outcome. Her voice was no longer creamy and sensual. It was hard and demanding. She didn't play around. Hopefully he wouldn't find out how serious she could be.

Ryder bent and picked up his clothing. I watched him from my peripheral vision as he quickly dressed and walked toward the door.

With one hand on the handle, he stopped. Burgundy's eyes narrowed and she said, Seven seconds.

Turning the handle and walking out, he called over his shoulder, Burgundy knows where to find me. And the door closed.

I hadn't realized I was holding my breath until the sigh escaped.

What the hell was that? I asked her.

You tell me, she responded as she walked back over to the couch and sat down next to me.

I don't know. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I thought it was just lust, but there was something more. Something deep and old and . . . Fuck, I have no idea what the hell just happened. Was he human?

Burgundy nodded. Yeah. I got him for you. He's not your customary fare, but somehow when I saw him, I knew you'd like him. I just didn't know you'd like him more than our usual candy.

I'm sure it's just a passing thing. I'll forget about him after tonight. It was probably the bite and the orgasm at the same time. You haven't bitten me in ages.

I turned to look at my friend. She was so lovely. Thick dark hair, violet eyes and perpetually tanned Latina skin. As she sat naked beside me, I couldn't help but admire her curves. A woman so confident in her sexuality that she even earned a living from it. Trying to accomplish the same through my nude modeling, I was failing miserably. Burgundy loved to be worshipped. Me? The students looked at me more like a lamp or a doorknob as I held a pose for an excruciatingly long period of time. There was nothing sexy about cramped muscles. Worse was hearing my mother's and Chrys’s voices in my head, telling me how disgusting my choices were. Why couldn't I be more like my friends?

What's going on inside that pretty little head of yours? Burgundy cooed into my ear.

I shook my head, unable to respond.

Not this again. She reached over to pet my hair.

Why can't I be more like you?

Well, for one thing, I have about twenty years on you.

I giggled. She didn't look a day older than twenty-five.

And for another, I don't have a family who breathes down my neck, shaming me for who I am.

Do you miss them? I asked her.

Who, my family? Sometimes. She shifted on the couch and looked away.

You can always go see them, Burg. Nicaragua is not another world. Maybe visit your brother? Or have them come here again, that was fun.

Someday. Not now. Now is about you.

Letting out a deep sigh, I snuggled into her warmth. A flash of Ryder's face swam in my vision.

That was a lovely gesture, getting that man for me. For us. And the bite. I'd almost forgotten what the hormones she released into my bloodstream could do to magnify the intensity of the experience. In current society vampires didn’t have trouble finding donors, but Burgundy in particular had willing participants the globe over.

I hope that was okay, sweetie. She tenderly kissed my cheek. I didn't plan it and you know I try not to bite you or Jared.

You bite Jared way more than you bite me, I countered.

It's true. She pulled me onto her lovely breasts. It's because⁠—

—of my mother, I finished.

She doesn't like it and I don't need to be on her bad side.

Aurelia doesn't own me.

Burgundy kept rubbing my hair. Tell her that.

I sighed, burying myself even deeper into her.

I can hear your heart, it's beating faster than usual. Burgundy's voice was heavy with arousal, my blood still freshly circulating in her veins.

She could control her urges, most vampires could, but once she bit someone, it was a little more difficult.

It's the human, isn't it? she intoned into my ear, nibbling lightly on my lobe.

Why do I have such a soft spot for humans? I disentangled myself from her tight grasp and walked naked across the room to pause in front of the window. Moving the heavy curtains to one side, I stared out at the moonlight, distracted by my desires.

A sliver of ocean was visible from our living room window, and the bright lights of the boardwalk beckoned. The Ferris wheel was in full swing from spring through most of fall, spinning and spitting lights in the wake of gleeful children's laughter.

I cracked the window to hear them but the sound was too far away, carried away on the breeze that constantly blew through our town. If I inhaled deeply, I could almost smell the cotton candy, cinnamon apples and caramel corn.

Because Aurelia hates humans. It's simple, sweets. If your mother loved them, you'd probably hate them. Classic psychology.

It's not that. It's something deep and primal, I argued, crossing back over to her.

Ah, yes, of course, because of Taylor. You're half human. Why do I always forget that?

Because I'm all witch, I said as I ran my hands down my body, trying to entice her as much as I was trying to change the subject.

All witch and no bite. Burgundy broke off into peals of laughter.

I'm tired of not having powers. Don't make fun of me.

She poked me playfully in the ribs. I think the best part of you is Taylor, the human part. Not Aurelia, the ice queen witch.

That’s not saying much. One wishes I was dead and the other one is dead. The hurt of losing my father twelve years ago still felt like an icy gash in my heart.

Maybe he isn’t dead, Burgundy countered.

Maybe, I conceded, but why would Aurelia lie?

Burgundy snorted. As if she needs a reason.

I rolled my eyes at my friend. I guess we'll never know.

Have Chrys and Iphi tried to confirm his death in their crystal balls?

Of course, I said. They can't see anything about him when they ask, so we assume . . .

Her hand stretched toward mine, fingers opening and closing. I uncrossed my arms and placed my hand in hers. Holding it, she rubbed the back in a calming circular motion.

You may never know the truth, she said.

Looking away, I blinked rapidly, an expert at burying my emotions, especially from myself.

Chapter Three

An hour later, I stood in mother’s kitchen, the last place I wanted to be. But when Aurelia demanded to see me, I couldn’t refuse.

Sadie Willamena Holt, you were born headstrong. You almost tore my uterus completely open at birth. At twenty-one years of age, you still remain a pain in my side, she turned to tell me while polishing the silver, a task she never seemed to tire of.

Mother liked to remind me about this whenever she was angry, just like she liked to call me by my full, horrendous name. I suspected she gave me Aunt Willamena the spinster's name because she resented the way I had come tearing, quite literally, into this world.

I pretended not to notice her reflection in the teapot she was scouring, which stared at me with one bright blue eye and one dark and accusing brown eye. Heterochromia iridum, a matter she could easily remedy if she wanted to, but she'd always liked the dramatic effect. Sometimes I changed the color of one of my eyes to be dramatic as well, the extent of my powers. But it just wasn't the same as being born with it.

I know you and Chrysothemis don't see eye to eye, but can't you bring your sister along with you and your friends tonight? With what's been happening in Distant Edge, all the disappearances, I'd rest better if there were more of you together. Plus, all of Chrys's friends are getting married and having children. She rarely gets out anymore.

I snort-laughed at this, it was involuntary.

That is not ladylike, Sadie, and what's so funny? Aurelia said, her lovely features crumpling in on themselves. Even when my mother was displeased, she was still a hauntingly beautiful woman.

Chrys. She'd better meet someone soon.

How can she if she never gets out? Aurelia looked at me under wisps of wavy strawberry blond hair. This will be a good opportunity for her. She shook her head. You'll bring Chrysothemis.

I tried a different tactic. You know that Chrys doesn't approve of what Burgundy, Jared and I do for fun. She'll complain and reprimand us the entire night.

Aurelia stopped polishing for a moment and turned to look at me full force. That wasn't good.

Then do something Chrys will like. Go somewhere where she can mingle and have the chance to meet others. And, Sadie, keep it in your pants for one night. You don't have to engage in endless depravity. It's disgusting.

Why do you polish your silver anyway? My voice sounded nasal and distant. We both knew I was trying to change the subject. My mother had made it abundantly clear that she didn't approve of my lifestyle. All you have to do is conjure it perfectly clean.

I like to busy my hands when you frustrate me so I don't turn you into a toad.

I had to look away from that stare, trying not to remember the time she'd been so angry she'd turned me into a mouse. An actual mouse. It had been horrible. All I could think about was food, besides the fact that everything terrified me, and I kept trying to hide under the refrigerator, which was humming so loudly my tiny little mouse ears felt like they were