AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 1
Ayla
“The Shrouded Shriek! The Shrouded Shriek is the one who cursed me as a baby.”
“Well, fuck.”
I stared openly at Kai, slack-jawed as I tried to absorb the absolutely batshit idea that the sorcerer who cursed me as a baby was one of the most malicious, terrifying enemies Camdaria had. A true specter of the Vekan forces. A murderer who left piles of bodies in his wake.
As much as I was struggling with the fear, though, I just kept wondering why.
Why?
What purpose could there have been in cursing a baby? Was I just a victim of unfortunate circumstance? Had he been aiming for someone else when I was caught in the fray? What else could be his motivation for casting something so malignant? Why not just kill me? The curse running through my body was murder with a whole lot of extra steps.
“Are you certain?” Kai asked. I could tell he was trying to sound calm, but adrenaline was pumping through our bond. I certainly couldn’t blame him for that reaction either, because I was covered in a thin sheen of sweat.
“I mean, I can’t be, but all the pieces are sliding together in my mind now.”
I thought back to how my magic acted after our first interaction together, when I’d insulted the Shriek’s name and then he’d tried to strike me right out of the land of the living. I remembered how disconnected I’d felt from my magic afterward, and how it took hours before I could fully handle my abilities again.
“Something in my gut is telling me I’m right.”
“Then… then we need to hunt down and kill the Shrouded Shriek, and we’re not breaking up. I mean, I understand why you think you need to, but I’m telling you here and now, that’s not happening.”
I appreciated his honesty and that he was still so determined, but part of me wondered if he was merely in shock. Killing the Shrouded Shriek was an impossibility. Thousands had tried and not even one had succeeded. Could he even die?
It would be so much safer for me to fling myself into the ocean. Or even a volcano.
On top of the Shriek being immortal, were we certain it would break my curse? That’d been the general assumption, but ever since finding out about the Five Blessed Bloodlines, I’d wondered if anything could ever be so simple.
“You say that like any of us are a match for him. I know I’m not, especially since my magic fails whenever it interacts with his.” Was that a failsafe he’d built in? A powerful magic user like him didn’t stay alive for decades without being paranoid. I was sure he had backups, loopholes, and all sorts of other failsafe’s I had no idea about.
Fuck, that idea was intimidating.
Kai crossed over to me and took my hands in his. I looked up into those deep, chocolate eyes of his as he poured support and determination through our bond.
“I know the Shriek is dangerous, but together, we’ll find a way to defeat him. No one is infallible, not even him. We’ll find his weakness. There’s no rock on the ground I wouldn’t overturn to break this curse with you. I’d move mountains and swim across seas if I had to. My mate will be free to follow whatever path she wants. We’re in this together, my love. No matter your curse, no matter who cast it, come hell or high water, I am your mate, and you are mine. I am never letting go unless, one day, you truly do not love me anymore.”
He said the words with such finality, I was moved. Seeing him so passionate about me… well, it was a lot. I wasn’t an inconvenience because of my curse. Instead, I was his valued and beloved mate who needed help being set free.
“T-thank you, Kai.”
“Of course. I hope you can feel just how much I mean it.”
“I can,” I murmured. Despite how long I’d fought to keep us apart, to guard my heart against Kai, it just wasn’t enough. I was inexplicably tied to him right down to my soul, and I wasn’t fighting it anymore.
“Good.” He let go of my hands, then pressed his warm palm against my cheek, letting me rest my face into it for just a moment. It was such a simple touch, but it was a balm to my soul, letting me sit within my own body. “Because I have some things I need to update you on.”
“Oh?”
“Word got back to me that the Shriek is on the move again.”
Suddenly, the slight sliver of contentment I’d felt drained away. I gave him a hard look not because I was angry at him, but because I could feel the anxiety flooding my body. “How do you know that?”
“There’s been a concerning pattern of several attacks on the borderlands, where any defenses in place were completely obliterated. There wasn’t a single survivor left.”
That was indeed the Shriek’s pattern. “Do we have any more conclusive evidence than that?”
