Page 16 of Shadows Lost
Emon sighed. “You haven’t left these woods in a long time. There are places outside of here that have completely succumbed to the Sanguine. It is now lifeless earth and the diseased decay spreads with each passing day. It destroys all, it kills all.” He snarled hard, his eyes unfocused, lost in a memory. “There are creatures that haunt the deadlands. Lifeless beings that kill anything they come across. I have lost a few of my friends by their soulless kind.” His golden gaze refocused on me with such an intensity that I had to force myself not to rear back. “Everythingpoints to the Sanguine resurfacing.” He continued in earnest. “Faerie needsyou,Remnant. You have the power to stop this.”
I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “Why? Why the need to save Faerie at all? The fae are already heading for extinction, this just speeds up our timeline.” I snorted. “Surely it's not for your disgusting people back in The West Isles with your parricidal king.” I arched a brow at him when he flinched. “In fact the onlyproblemI see is that your kind are in my woods, unwelcomed.”
Hurt flashed in his eyes and then was gone, a predator glared back at me. “You know nothing of my kind little umbra…and you know nothing of the world you choose to exist in but not live in.” His lip raised in a small snarl. “You are duty bound still to protect these lands. I know your vows. That kind of sworn fealty doesn't wear off, especially if the ruler you made it to is still alive.”
Rage burned within me. “Fuck you, shifter, I am protecting it…from the worst thing that could ever happen to it…me!” I hissed, sidestepping to the door and wrenching it open. “Now, I do believe your kind belongs outdoors—”
His nose twitched and then he was launching himself towards me. The heavy wooden door slammed shut and I gasped as I was forcibly pressed against its cool wooden planks and the heat of his hard muscular body.
“Do not move.” A vicious warning growl ripped deep from his throat. Slowly angling his body sideways with his lips peeled back over lengthening canines he peered out the window.
I heeded his warning, only because I knew the look of an animal that was threatened. Of course, it had nothing to do with the delicious heat pouring off of him that felt comforting and safe. I inhaled deep and waited for the panic to grip my monstrous soul. Seconds passed and so did my growing desire…not panic.
Angry at my treacherous body for responding the exact way it should, I drew my shadow sword from the void and laid it acrosshis throat. “Step away from me.” The chill in my voice thankfully did not reflect the desirous fire running hot inside. My shadows along with the dormant ones gathered, darkening the room, highlighting my anger, and the immensity of my own power.
The shifter Emon paid no attention to my blade, instead his gold eyes peeled away from the window and slowly perused my face. “Fuck.” He whispered, swallowing hard. “You’re so beautiful.” Raising up his hand, he cupped my cheek, his thumb stroking against my skin softly. “As much as I enjoy this, little umbra. We do have company and I don’t believe you’re an exhibitionist.” He murmured low, sliding that cursed thumb down over the bottom of my lip before he dropped it, stepping away from my blade. “Take a look, carefully.”
Irritated, I pressed my lips in a thin line and glared hard at him before dropping my sword and sliding with whispered steps to look out the window.
“No.” I whispered with disbelief. The sunlight was no more and the clearing was now replaced with an unnatural gray mist. It rolled over blackened decayed grass that was once green and choked the berry bushes to a pile of ash. Stiff and void of life, my chickadees lay on top of them—soundless.
Desperately, I searched the clearing for my gnomes, only to find them just as unrecognizable. Distinguished only by their sharp pointed teeth sticking up from their shriveled forms like tiny pincushions. Scattered among them were butterfly wings, fluttering stiffly in the sinister mist.
A tingling sense of alarm made me look beyond the rot towards the tree line that was slowly losing its vibrant silver shimmer. And in the middle of it all, black hooded figures floated eerily amongst it, dripping with dark red blood staining the decaying ground.
Spinning back to the shifter, I raised my sword threateningly. “You did this!”
Indignation flashed in Emon’s feral gold eyes. “Goddess help me, I know the former War General of Faerie isn’t this stupid. You know the stories. It's the Sanguine.” He hissed.
Past the point of reasoning, I thrusted my blade towards him and matched his same hissing snarl. “You will tell me whattheyare right now and how to kill them…and when I’ve finished that task then maybe I will consider sparing your life.”
The shifter shook his head and moved so fast, I barely had time to drop my blade, nearly puncturing him through the chest as he yanked me farther from the window. Bowing low he snarled in my ear. “Not a chance, little umbra. What those fuckers are…are a fight for another day. I am not letting you go out there to get yourself killed. Besides, I want my fucking proof that Deirdre is really dead, as you so adamantly swear by.”
The shadows deepened and my hand shook from not striking him down. It would be too easy to slide this blade straight through his toned bronze body. “Thisis my home,thosewere my flower pissing gnomes. I don’t owe you anything and I am not leaving!”
Again, with very little fear for his own life, he gripped my shoulders, and spun me towards the far side of the room. Further away from the abominations hovering unsuspectedly of the events happening here. Ducking away from him, I twisted my blade and sliced his arm with a controlled precise warning. “Touch me again and I will kill you.” I hissed.
Breathing heavily he stared hard at me, not even glancing down at the blood that ran in small rivulets over his forearm and splattered on the wood floor. “I don’t fucking believe you’ll kill me because unlike those abominations out there, I don’t send a chill of fear running down your spine. What I do send down your spine is much more pleasurable. Isn’t that right, little umbra?”
I narrowed my eyes and my hand tightened on the hilt of my sword.
He scrubbed his hand over his hair. “We don’t have time for this.” His eyes clashed with mine, the ferocity and fire there made me take a small step back. “I swear to you Remnant Dark and the fucking goddess herself, we will get your revenge for your pee pollinating gnomes.” Snarling through his sharp canines, he tipped his strong chin towards me. “Now, pack a bag or your void of darkness shadow shit. Weareleaving.”
I snarled back at him.
His lips turned up with amusement. “That’s more like it. Now where is your escape tunnel? I know you have one. I can smell the stale air creeping from its depths.”
Chapter 8
Iglaredatthetannedmuscular back of Emon who was setting a quick pace south towards the Balsam Plains, the southernmost point of the Wildwoods. He had easily sniffed out the cabin’s escape route and then proceeded to remind me of all my failures, taunting me to follow him.
My jaw clenched and my hands curled at my sides. I knew what he was doing, making himself a target so I would give chase. The problem was…it was goddess damn working!
If Deirdre was alive…
No. She was dead and I would prove it.
My eyes tracked his powerful stride, his toned ass taunting me with each prowling step. Only to be made worse by his bag slapping quietly against his side. Another taunt. I should have pilfered the contents…my damned honor was the only thing that had prevented me from doing it.
