Page 19 of Fated for Dawn

“Well that could’ve gone better,” I wheezed.

The rest of the week passed in pretty much the same manner.

During the day, I attended classes. The stares and whispers remained, and an uneasy tension lingered in the halls. At night, Rafe and I attempted to get past the Shadow Guardian.

Each time, we were thrown back, our bodies growing more battered and our spirits more worn.

We tried sneaking in, reasoning with it, even attempting to bribe the sentinel. Then came the Lucien specially concocted potions.

Nothing worked.

The Guardian remained an unyielding wall of darkness, its sword always ready.

By the end of the week, our failures were taking their toll, and the lack of sleep made me see things in the shadows. Rafe looked just as bad, his usually bright eyes dulled with exhaustion. At least tomorrow was Saturday, and we had all weekend to devise a solution.

7

Evelyn

Saturday morning, Rafe called us to the courtyard.

The May sun was warm on my skin, but it couldn’t thaw the anxious knot in my chest. Time was slipping away. I had to find a way into the Shadow Realm, and I had to do it by Monday. There’s no way I would be leaving Alister there another week.

“Evelyn, I have complete faith that you’ll one day be able to get past the Guardian and access the Shadow Realm,” Rafe said, his voice steady but tinged with anticipation. “But since time is of the essence, I reached out to my brother for help.” He hesitated, his gaze flickering to mine. “I didn’t want to say anything earlier in case he couldn’t come through. He’s difficult to get a hold of, and I didn’t want to get your hopes up unnecessarily. But I managed to make contact with him today.”

A ripple of power filled the air, and moments later, a figure descended from the sky, landing effortlessly.

We all stared in awe.

If Rafe was impressive, his brother was something else entirely. Taller than Rafe, taller than Ryker, but leaner, with cropped dark hair and striking turquoise eyes that mirrored Rafe’s. But his angel’s presence was colder and sharper where Rafe exuded warmth.

A faint glow surrounded him, and though I tried not to stare, it was hard to look away.

Chad let out a low whistle. “Are you guys seeing this?”

I nodded, unable to tear my eyes away.

“I might be questioning my sexuality right now,” Chad muttered, half-joking.

Rafe and his brother exchanged a few quiet words before approaching us.

The angel’s gaze settled on me, sharp and assessing. “Is this her?”

“Yes,” Rafe said, beaming. “This is my mate, Evelyn.”

The angel ignored me and looked at the others. “I see why you called me. You’ll need all the help you can get.”

Rafe grinned. “Everyone, this is my brother, Zade.”

“Zadkiel,” his brother corrected. “Only my friends call me Zade.”

Without waiting for a response, Zadkiel turned and walked away.

“Isn’t he great?” Rafe kept beaming at us.

I gave him two thumbs up before he turned and joined his brother.

Chad leaned in close. “Is it just me, or is Rafe’s brother a complete ass?”

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