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“We should go, Ann. It’s not safe for you.”
And something strange occurs to me.
“Were you with me in the shadow world?” There was a distinct time I can remember when the king acted as if someone was tapping his shoulder.
He nods. “I’ve been with you since you met the shadow beasts.”
This is information I don’t know what to do with.
“But, Ann, we do need to go. We can talk about all of this later, okay?” He pulls me into a hug, but I don’t relax against him. Even knowing that it’s Rayne doesn’t take away from the feeling that I shouldn’t be touching another man like this.
My shadow beasts have stolen my heart.
He releases his hold on me, and our eyes catch. “I know things have changed, but we’re going to figure it out. We just need to get to safety first.”
He’s right, even though running feels like the last thing we should be doing right now.
We move down the bank of the river to the west, and I would thinktwo towersas a name would meantowers, something man-made. But when I see them, I know I’ve found where I’m supposed to wait.
There are two giant oaks at the edge of the river, shading a cave that seems to run underneath the water. “That’s where we’re supposed to go.” I point to the opening and Rayne nods.
“Okay.”
“Another damp cave. Figures, huh?”
He chuckles and pulls me into another hug. “I’ve missed you, Ann.”
When he lowers his head, pressing his lips against mine, I’m surprised, but I don’t pull away. His kiss is tentative at first, like he expects that I might punch him. And maybe I will. But then, he plunges his fingers into my hair and holds my head as he slides his tongue into my mouth, teases, coaxes, tempts me. It’s so strangely familiar that I close my eyes, and I’m taken back to a simpler time. A time before I lost my one and only mate.
Tears spring to my eyes. It’s Rayne and he’s here with me. I don’t need more than that. Not right now anyway. Later, I will figure out how to tell him he’s not my only mate, not anymore, and see if we can all find a way to be together. Even if some small thought whispers in the back of my mind that before Rayne touches me again, I’ll need to talk to my other men. I might have never imagined that Rayne could come back, but he has. We will have to deal with it.
And I hope my men can accept Rayne. Because I don’t think I can lose any of them without losing my heart.
TWENTY
Phantom
The battle is intense.I watch men fall, both my men and his. In the past, it’s been rare that the king has sent other shadow beasts into this world. I suspect it required more power than he was willing to spend. But today there are many of them. Shadow beasts the king has turned to his side, fighting us beside trolls who have no choice but to show their loyalty in battle.
There are forty of us left of the fifty or so we started with. Men who were spread all around the Void, but had come to offer their support when news of Ann and the whispers of the shadows were spread. We’re facing more than twice as many enemies. The only benefit from them having brought the fight to the forest is that the terrain favors us, giving us the home field advantage.
A troll who is proficient with his sword steps forward. He comes at me, broadsword raised above his head to swipe in a downward motion, an ark that’s designed to sever limbs and end lives. But the movement leaves his center open, and I plunge my dagger into his chest, then wait for him to fall. The resilience of the trolls makes them easy to kill, harder to keep down once they’re dead.
While he’s down, I douse him with flammable fluid and light him up. His leathery skin crackles as it melts from his body and makes a molten pool in the grass.
A few yards away, Onyx is battling two trolls with another shadow beast beside him, while Dusk is hand-to-hand fighting a shadow beast only slightly smaller than he is.
A rot monkey grabs onto my leg. I kick it away as hard as I can, working to get closer to my brother and best friend. Dusk is solely focused on his opponent. A punch grazes the shadow beast he faces, by then I spot a troll creeping up behind him.
I shout, “Dusk!” But it’s too late. He shoves the shadow beast in front of him away, then spins around. The glint of a blade at least as long as my arm catches the light a split second before it slices him open from nipple to belly button.
He falls to his knees, and I cut off the head of the troll who steps between us, racing to my brother’s side. When the troll that attacked him so cowardly goes in for the kill, I use my sword to chop off the bastard’s hand first. His blood--it’s black and gooey--sprays, and I try to get out of the way, but it splatters my clothes, my armor, my face.
I wipe it out away from my eyes, then take up a braced stance to fight anyone who comes near Dusk as Onyx protects the other side. We’re gaining ground, and there are fires lit across the forest where trolls have been put down. They comprise the bulk of the Shadow King’s army.
Suddenly, we see the Void surge in the distance. It crackles, like it’s filled with lightning, and a massive shape explodes out of it.A smoke dragon. Fuck.
The creatures are beyond dangerous. And as far as we knew, couldn’t exist outside of the Void.
