Page 36 of Claimed

“I found something earlier,” Kim says suddenly, turning away from the monitors. “In the library.”

“Oh? I didn’t think you got very far with your research.”

He gives me a coy smile then stands and takes a leather-bound volume from the mantle above the fireplace. “It’s about shadow manipulation. Ancient stuff. Nothing about destroying The Covenant but it might help you to read it.”

As he walks back, I shift on the sofa to make room for him. He sits closer than necessary, the warmth of his body a stark contrast to Lucien’s cool presence. I lean in to look at the book, and our shoulders touch. Neither of us moves away.

“Look at this,” he says, opening to a page with illustrations of shadowy figures. “According to this text, shadow workers can use darkness not just as a weapon but as armour. They can wrap it around themselves for protection.”

“That’s what happened when Trent attacked me.” I take the book and pull it closer, then look up and find his face inches from mine. His eyes search my face, and I feel a familiar flutter in my stomach.

“Can I ask you something?” I say, the words tumbling out before I can stop them.

Kim closes the book, giving me his full attention. “Anything.”

“You said you and Sarah never...” I trail off.

“Had sex?” he finishes for me, a slight flush creeping up his neck. “No. We never did.”

I swallow forcefully. “So, back in the pool. Was that…?” I hold my breath, waiting for his answer.

Kim chuckles and gives me a knowing smile. “Until a few hours ago, I was a thirty-two-year-old virgin.”

I open my mouth, then close it again. I don’t know what to say.

“It’s okay.” Kim grabs my hand. “It’s a good thing. It felt right.”

“Even with Lucien watching?”

Kim shrugs. “Surprisingly, I wasn’t thinking about him much.”

I put the book aside and inch closer. “I can’t believe that was your first time.” I glance down at the outline of his cock, but he catches my wrist before I can touch him.

“Naughty girl,” he mutters. “No distractions, remember?”

“I remember.” I slide onto his lap, legs on either side of him, and tilt his head up to kiss me. “But I also remember how fun it was to⁠—”

A sharp beeping from the iPad interrupts me.

Kim’s head snaps toward the sound. He squeezes my hand once before releasing it, lifting me off his lap, and moving to grab the tablet.

“What is it?” I ask, following him.

“Movement on the perimeter.” He sits in the chair by the fire, leaning over the tablet as his fingers fly across the screen, bringing up different camera angles. “But I can’t see what it is.”

“Could just be a fox or something,” I offer, crossing the room to look over his shoulder as he continues to flick between feeds. “Or Lucien’s dogs.”

Kim shakes his head. “The dogs have collars that stop the cameras being triggered by them,” he says, chuckling a little. “Lucien is nothing if not ‘high-tech’.”

“The fox then?” I say as I gently rub Kim’s shoulders. He’s tense but starts to relax as I massage the base of his neck down to his upper arms.

He tilts his head back a little. He’s still holding the tablet but his eyes close. “Luna…”

I’m running my hands down his chest, sneaking beneath his shirt, when the tablet catches my eye. I jerk forward, pointing. “There, Kim. Camera Three.”

He sits up straight, zooms in, and my blood runs cold.

Everything in the room seems to descend into a dark, misty, frozen moment of time that I can’t move through or escape.