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He walked into the tavern with the confidence of someone who was invisible to the world. Much like the last two emissaries that had visited her, no one but her seemed to see him.
“He’s found me.” Violet’s heart drummed in her ears. A breath seeped through her lips.
They always did. And they always brought a tempest along with them. She stumbled back, colliding with the table and ignoring the wetness of a spilled drink that drenched her pants.
“Who is that?” Gavin stopped when his gaze fell on the emissary. Violet could see it: the moment the haze of the masking spell these undying fucks cast upon people lifted from his expression.
“Cora Elder…” The man was now close enough to make out his features. He looked young and old at the same time. What could have been a beautiful face carved from alabaster had turned into a nightmare. Covered in hairline cracks, it resembled an evil porcelain doll. The awful picture was completed by the misty, humanoid shapes that hovered around him, weaving in and out of his inky aura.
His voice sounded both close and like it came from far away at the same time. As if he wasn’t truly here, although he stood right amongst the shifters. “Your ancestor called upon Dargan, the God of Shadows, for a soul to be spared. The price of that soul will be paid with another of your bloodline. He has commanded me to tell you to abandon your foolish attempts to withhold what is owed to him—or he shall take you instead.”
The God of Shadows must have known that she was near the god stones. Even though Luelle had only just visited her, he’d sent his scariest henchman.
Perhaps she’d given up on the Stone of Clemency too soon…
“Fuck,” Mios exclaimed behind them. The dark emissary sneered and disappeared before their eyes, vanishing with a flash and leaving behind a faint trace of burned wood.
25
VIOLET
She couldn’t tell how much time had passed since the emissary had come to deliver his message and she’d escaped back to the cabin. A trail of frost crept up the glass like tiny claws, closing in on the reflection of her face. The front door clicked shut, breaking the absolute silence that had surrounded her until now. Her heart jolted at the sound, and she jumped, half expecting to see the black-clad fae once more. Instead, she met Gavin’s warm eyes, which trailed down her body as if she was an illusion and he expected her to disappear at any moment.
“You didn’t wait for us,” he scolded, but his voice lacked any heat. The worry etched into his face deepened at the sight of her.
She turned toward the window and the complete white-out that raged outside. Her jaw ached from clenching her teeth too hard, and a bitter taste clung to the back of her throat. The emissary appearing today in a busy tavern shouldn’t have surprised her. It seemed like the bastards loved to make an entrance in a crowded place—after all, Luelle had done the same.
The emissary appeared to have been invisible to most of the people there, and it was unclear how many of the shifters had actually seen him. In fact, the only people who had seemed shocked by the Dark One’s presence were Gavin and Mios. Violet had said nothing before storming out. Irrespective of the truth, it had felt like all of her secrets were out in the open for everyone to dissect. Anyone who hadn’t been drunk enough to miss that something had happened, at least.
Besides, Mios was still a stranger to her and could betray her.
“I needed time to think.” Violet pushed down the traces of ugly thoughts that threatened to consume her whole.
Gavin dusted the snow off the messy waves of his hair and shrugged off his coat before tossing it aside. He stepped over the puddle beneath him and headed toward her. “I was worried you’d left town in the middle of the storm.”
What he didn’t say was written all over him. He’d thought she’d taken off without him. A month ago, she would have done so without looking back.
Oh, how things had changed.
“What happened out there, Violet? Why was the Dark One after you?” He stepped closer. But the knot in her throat only grew thicker, her inability to speak a true sign that something was wrong.
The Dark Ones were fae that preyed on pieces of a being’s soul. A nightmare turned flesh, they made the Sídhe look like benevolent magical beings. Rumor had it that they were descendants of Dargan himself. Fuck them all. With their dwindling numbers, it was rare to see a Dark One outside the Copper Kingdom, where they reigned, and had become somewhat of a myth.
She’d never feared his race, however creepy they were. But that would change from now on. “That was an emissary. The undying bastards of my nightmares.”
“An emissary…” His face lost the last of its color. He was silent before pressing his hand against the wooden walls of the cabin. A warding spell left his tight lips, clicking into place like an orange shield.
Mios, who stood unmoving in the living area, cursed softly. “Are you a second-born child from a royal family?” His eyes rested on her with a molten gold intensity that made her squirm.
“Do I look royal to you?” she deadpanned. Mios shrugged, and she continued, “I’m not even a second born.” She let her face drop into her open, sweaty palms with a sigh. “He wants the second magical child in my bloodline. I’m the first in many generations, and I guess he got tired of waiting for one to be born. So he wants my future child instead.”
Except for the fire crackling in the fireplace, there was no sound. The worry in Gavin’s expression morphed into understanding. Perhaps her actions from last night made sense to him now. Would he leave her, now that he knew she couldn’t give him children?
It hurt all the more because he’d make an excellent father. If she wasn’t such a selfish bitch, she would let him go. Alas, Violet wasn’t the good person here, and she wanted him too much to push him away like she should.
She wouldn’t hold it against him if he walked out that door, though. She’d be happy for him. She would be. Eventually.
“The emissary said he will take you instead if you continue to withhold what you owe him.” Gavin paced around the room, tugging at the collar of his shirt.
