Page 139 of Shadows Ascend
"Zaki!" Riella cried, running towards her spirit guide with open arms. The pookah turned, its red eyes glittering with happiness, shifting back into a bunny before it launched himself into her arms. "Naughty pookah, where have you been?"
The spirit guide’s ears tucked back as he hissed softly. "Free."
Looking between them, I arched a brow at Ethereal. "The pookah freed you?"
Ethereal’s normally refined voice rumbled, speaking out loud for the first time. "I was already halfway free, rodent."
My brows raised. “You can speak outside our minds?”
Ethereal tore his narrowed glare back to me, “Only because we are within the Eithne. The realm of the dead allows all creatures to communicate like you do.”
Ethereal huffed and my hair blew across my face. "Leave it to the fairy boy to collect more parasites," he said, disgusted and glaring at the pookah one more time before raising his massive regal head. "Death god. Lady of the Night Court, Lord of The Shadow Fae. Greetings."
Tucking Riella and her pookah into me, I watched my family’s shock at Ethereal’s presence, the only one not affected was Shea himself.
Kade looked at me with raised brows. “You got to be goddess damn kidding me, why do all the beasts end up loving you,” he muttered towards me, playful jealousy in his tone.
I grinned smugly back.
The death god snorted, smirking at the panther. "Am I not uncle to you then, nephew?"
Ethereal’s golden tail softly flicked side to side, and his nose wrinkled, "It takes more than blood to call you uncle, Shea."
My father chuckled, "So you do remember then."
He growled, "I remember some, not all, but I do remember what matters most." Turning back towards Riella and I, his gaze bored into mine. Sending blistering heat deep into my soul. “Where is Daemon? Tell me fairy boy is still alive," he inquired, fear lacing the deep dulcet tone.
Ethereal loved Emon. My shifter had a way of gathering lost souls, binding them to him with loyalty and love without ever realizing it. Emon had always swore they hated each other and perhaps their relationship was strained but that did not mean love did not tie them together.
"Just. He is in the soulless sleep," I whispered and the shadows shimmered, bringing Emon’s body to us.
Ethereal bowed his head and whimpered, "His soul is not inside of him." Sad eyes turned on me, "It is inside of you,” his voice whispered inside my mind.“And it is not well. the Sanguine taints him.”
I nodded, my lips pressed into a thin line, bitterness burning like acid in my throat. "Yes."
Ethereal sighed, "He will not be the same."
“You do not know that for sure nephew,” Shea snapped behind us but I ignored him, knowing in my heart Ethereal was right.
Up until now, I had been denying my own fear…starting with Emon’s demeanor as a soul wraith, the irrational uncontrolled anger, losing himself in rage, and then the Sanguine power ripping him to shreds. The last time we spoke, when I took his eternal life, he could barely believe I was real, something haunted him, a fae losing a battle within.
I could see my already pale face turn ghostly white in Ethereal’s gold eyes. “What will happen to him?”
"There is no way of knowing, it could simply be parts of his memory will be lost or all of it, or it could be much much worse. His entire truth of who he is could change," his voice growled.“Especially with the Sanguine corrupting him,”he added in my mind, masking his thoughts from the others.
“Again there is no way of knowing this,” Shea growled, “You worry my daughter unnecessarily.”
I turned towards my mother, ignoring the death god, “Have you had any sight of this?”
She shook her head, her hair falling in waves like the shadows flowing over her, “My visions of Daemon ended the moment his soul left his body, but he knew the effects being a soul wraith could have on him—he prepared for it.”
My heart raced.The letters…he knew something like this was going to happen.“Shifter, when you are whole again, what happened to you in The Under will seem like a lovers caress compared to what I have in store for you.”
My thoughts fell away, my chest aching fiercely even while Emon’s soul glowed within. If I were to be honest with myself, if Emon returned to me whole again, I would just as likely fall to my knees with pure relief rather than kick his balls through his throat.
Riella stepped around me without fear, her swirling gold and green eyes angry while she pointed at Ethereal, understanding fully what they were unwilling to say. "Faedere could never forget me, he would never forget us!" She turned towards me, confidence wavering in her eyes. "Right maedere. He will never forget us."
Sometimes being unable to tell a lie was a goddess damn curse. I knelt and adjusted her crown. “He promised he would always be with you. We will trust in that.”
