Lost in the Shadows

Chapter 19

The next hour or so passed in a blur of exploration for them both. Star was braver than she had thought she ever could be, her newly sensitive skin came alive under David's gentle caresses. Control passed fluidly between them both as he made her gasp and tremble with delight first and then she did the same, her lips light on his smooth, broad chest as she lay a trail of kisses across his skin. Teeth and nails grazed flesh and traced curves as they learnt more and more about each other. The climax, when it came for them both, was beautiful.

Star lay curled against David's bare chest, her hair spread over the pillow behind them like an ink stain, her eyes closed and a small smile on her lips that was a mirror image of David's own satisfied grin when the whoops and yells of the other boys made her sit up.

'Man oh man, did that feel great!' Paul's unmistakable gleeful tone reverberated around the room. Star reached for the sheet tangled around them to pull it up over her naked body, but David stopped her with a grin and wrapped her tighter in his arms, protecting her modesty as he pulled her back towards him.

'Boys,' he admonished lazily, 'D'you mind? We're a little busy here.'

'Alright! Pull the curtain back and let us all see some ass!' Paul laughed, but the sound was cut short with a yell as Dwayne thumped his hard on the arm.

'That's my sister, man,' he grumbled.

'She's sister to us all now,' Paul countered and flung himself along the lip of the fountain. Marko sprawled himself amongst the cushions on the floor and Dwayne settled beside him. A long, low whistle made David sit up.

'Tozier?' he questioned, yanking his pants on and tossing Star a strappy summer dress. 'Hey, man,' he greeted the bald-headed, tattooed hulk of a man who looked like a mouse caught in a room full of cats.

'Never thought it'd look so goddamn cozy in here,' Tozier finally managed, finding a perch on the edge of the fountain beside Paul.

'Tozier!' Star barrelled through the gossamer curtain and flung herself into his arms, almost knocking him back into the wide, empty basin below as David lowered himself into his throne-like wheelchair with a smirk.

'Jeez girl, you look so good!' He held his friend close for a moment, returning her squeeze of a hug, before holding her out at arms-length to get a proper look at her in the flickering light of the candles that dotted the place. 'What the hell d'ya do to her?' He queried, looking over at David who lounged shirtless with one hand supporting his stubbly chin. 'Last time I saw her, which could've only been a few hours ago, she was battered and bruised to fuck.' David smirked and the other boys were silent. Tozier pulled the girl closer again and looked deep into her eyes, catching the flicker of something different there, something a little more wild. 'She's one of you,' he concluded softly.

'She's one of us.' David confirmed. 'She's mine.' He sat up and opened his arms and Star curled gratefully into them, unsure of how Tozier would react. Her friend bowed his bald, shiny head, the black tattoos snaking across his smooth scalp like a living thing, as he pressed his hands over his eyes. It felt like an age before he sat up and looked at her.

'If it's what you wanted, if it makes you happy, I'm happy. Can't say much fairer than that.' Star smiled, relieved.

'How long have you known about us?' David asked.

'All my life I think. I was grown up round these parts, always hearing tales of the dark creatures living here up at Hudson's Bluff, twisted tales that kept us away. Wasn't til I met Chris ten years ago that I really started digging deeper. He's a big believer in vampires and shit. We built a survival kit between ourselves just in case. Never thought we'd have to use it though but shit did it come in handy tonight.' Tozier jerked his shiny head over to the black bag that rested at the foot of the staircase where he had dumped it on his way in.