Every inch of it . . . the pain . . . terror . . . and fear.
All because ofhim.
It’s the weakest form of control—to use force on those weaker than yourself to get what you want. To let anger and malice control your actions. It’s a sign of nothing more than a weak male doing whatever he can to keep the narrative on himself . . . and I wouldn’t stand for it. Not toward any female, butespeciallynot aimed at my starbound. Once I found out what Lucanus was doing in his Quarter, nothing, save for Aeternus himself, would stop me from destroying everything he holds close.
I heard a low clatter as I rounded the last step leading to the second floor of the basement, and my senses rose to high alert. I battled an internal war as I fought to keep my thoughts centered on the task at hand—on my mission.
My duty.
Rather than Raelyna and the intoxicating scent that surrounded her. The soft freckles that lined her nose and high cheekbones, the?—
A disgruntled sound came from up ahead, and I shook my head once more, cursing my stars-damned mind as I sank into the shadows, moving through the halls like the elite Shade I was. There was a reason we’d gotten the name of the Shade throughout the centuries, thanks to our ability to move through the shadows without as much as a trace.
I could spot the male in the distance, bent over a security screen that appeared to be the entry key to one of the lower rooms in the corridor.
Pushing out my own vitas affinity, I felt across the space, confirming that it was just the male in the basement . . .alone—exactly how I needed this meeting to be.
I moved through the shadows like a wraith, waiting until I heard the familiar click of the electronic lock before I sprang forward with grace and ease, slipping through the door behind the male.
I heard the door lock against my back, and I took in the room just as a raspy, low voice spoke. “I was wondering when you would show yourself.”
My eyes narrowed in on the male across from me, currently leaning against a metal table, arms crossed against his chest. The male before me appeared to be centuries older, perhaps rivaling Elion in age, though it was always difficult to tell since angels aged far more slowly. He wore protective gear, which had my eyes narrowing as I recognized the familiar patchwork design of the tactical vest he was wearing—the same issue as the Guild’s. He hadn’t drawn a weapon, but I quickly noted the three on display on the table behind him as his lip curled up ever so slightly.
“Thought I didn’t know about you, did you?” he mused, and I pulled on the strands of my vitas affinity only to find the power rendered useless in this space. I tugged once more, this time trying to call my fire to the surface.
I growled in frustration as my mind flashed back to the only other time I’d been unable to call on my vitas affinity.
“I can’t feel it.” My words were a frustrated cry as I turned to glare at Elion.
“You need to be more than just your affinities.” His reply was calm, level, as he stared at me.
“Why? I have the rarest affinity in all of Aurelia. Why do I need to be more than that?”
Elion let out a dark laugh. “Everyone has an affinity. And while yours is more powerful than most. It comes with its limits.”
“Yes, yes,” I grumbled as I tried, without fail, to use my vitas affinity. “I know it can only be used under Aeternus’s instruction, but it’s still powerful.”
“And you still need to be more. So run the drill again . . . without your affinities.”
“It won’t work here,” the male continued, and my gaze snapped to his icy blue eyes. “This room, much like many others down in these basements, barricades one’s affinities from surfacing.”
“That’s not possible,” I stated, finally speaking to the male we’d been tracking for the past few days.
“Isn’t it?” he retorted. “I would have thought the Aurelian Guild would have taught you better, boy. Yet you, the infamousShadeof the Aurelian Guild, Elion’s protégé, stand before me like a deer in the headlights, shocked at my statement.”
The muscles in my body tensed at his mention of the Guild, my fingers twitching as they hovered over the handle of my pistol, preparing for a fight.
“I’m not here to fight you. Rather, I was hoping you wouldcome, ever since I sensed the Guild’s presence lingering around the temple grounds. I have information Elion will need before the next phase of his mission—the mission I presume you’re here scouting for.”
“You speak on matters you shouldn’t know, which begs the question, how do you know about Elion? The Guild?” I bit out, wariness lurking in my tone as I eyed the male. He was far older than I’d first expected, his skin weathered with time, silvered scars lining his arms.
“That matters not. What matters is that right now, we are on the same side. What matters is that you are not alone—there are those of us in Solis Quarter who still remember the light. Those who know the truth of the Eternal and are fighting to fend off the darkness threatening to swallow us all.”
“I know you’re a Remnant,” I said then.
His lip curled in a smile as he nodded in confirmation. “One of the very last still in Solis. We’ve ensured all those whose faith remained in Aeternus once The Wall went up have escaped Solis Quarter. And now, the final few of faith remaining await Elion’s instructions.”
I stared in disbelief at the male across from me. Whatever I’d been expecting him to say, this was not it.
