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The moments before we left our world flash in my mind over and over again. I trusted my father. I never saw his desire for power above all else. There was cruelty, yes, but I never thoughthewas cruel. Even when Onyx warned me. I never thought any of it could be true.
Until he stole the life from our world to feed his own power. Until the moment my brother had a chance to kill him and didn’t, and only seconds later we realized he should have. That was the first time I knew he had to die. Knew that he could no longer be king.
“Rule with me. We’ll end this ridiculous human occupation and the earth will be ours. You, me, your brother, even the little deaf boy. There’s a place for all of you.” Onyx breathes in deep but doesn’t move. Not because he’s afraid, but because I haven’t given a signal.
And because he doesn’t believe him either. My father is gone. Only the Shadow King remains. And given the chance, this man would kill us all.
The Shadow King doesn’t know the meaning of the wordmercy.
I smile and clench my sword more tightly. “I would rather die than rule with you.” I pause, hoping Ann is safe, praying for Dusk to get away, knowing this could be my very last battle. “Father.”
And my father, the Shadow King, smiles. “You’ve grown. Because, no matter how you answered, you were all going to die today. And you actually knew it, didn’t you?”
The dragon behind him roars, and it shakes the very earth beneath us.
I turn enough so that Onyx can read my lips “Get Dusk to safety. There’s nothing else you can do here.”
“Phantom,” my brother says my name weakly.
“I need to do what neither of us was strong enough to do before.”
Not looking back to see if he understands, I clench my sword tighter and start running, blade held out before me.
My father smiles, not even reaching for his sword, and I know. I know this is the moment one of us will die, either way, and this will all be over.
At last.
I picture Ann’s face.This time I can’t hesitate. I won’t hesitate.
My mate needs me to be strong.
SHIFTERS’ SECRET SIN
STOLEN BY SHADOW BEASTS: BOOK TWO
ONE
Ann
My shadow beastsare battling an enemy they can't possibly defeat. I know it in my heart. There was no other reason for them to send me away, except that they wanted to protect me and no longer felt they could. They've gone into this fight believing that they won't survive it, and I can't let that happen.
No matter what it costs me.
I stare at my mate, my heart aching. Even though he's in Adrik's body, there's no denying that it's him. Not just because only Rayne could kiss me like that, not just because I see Rayne in this man's eyes, but because I would know the man who stole my heart anywhere.
My mate. Dead and now somehow back with me.
It hurts me more than I ever imagined that I have to turn away from him now. That in one direction is freedom, the two of us escaping back to our fae brethren and leaving behind all the danger that comes with the Void and the shadow king, and yet I can't go in that direction with him. Instead, I have to go toward the battle. Toward almost certain death.
"They're not going to survive," I tell Rayne, hoping he sees it in my face, sees what I want to do.
He frowns at me, his brows drawing together. "Maybe not, but this isn't our battle."
Maybe it wasn't... once upon a time. It wasn’t when the shadow beasts first took me from the Royal Fae Academy, but things have changed. If the shadow beasts fail, the world will fall. What's more, Phantom, Onyx, and Dusk aren't just random beasts to me any longer... I care for them. And I'll never forgive myself if I walk away now and leave them to their fate.
"I have to go back."
A stubborn kind of anger falls over Rayne's face. "No."
