Page 40 of Shadows of Air and Earth
“Well,” I said, cracking my neck from side to side, eyeing the growing black sky, the increasing winds swirling my dark hair around my face like my shadows, “I guess it’s time for a little reunion for you two, since the whole family decided to stop by.” I shrugged, pulling back my tangled strands and patting my stomach. “Most unfortunate timing. I am starving.” On cue, my stomach growled. Goddess, what I wouldn’t give for a nice, buttery croissant.
Riley’s handsome face twitched, a small smile forming on his lips as he pulled his angry eyes from the sky. “You know Rem,” he said, throwing his arm around me, “I just so happen to know a perfect place in the plains where they make the most sinful, hot cuppa tea and scrumptious pudding to go along with it. It’s on me, we can share.”
Xi walked by, choking with indignation, “Anyone worth calling themselves fae knows that the best thing to order at Pastry Plains is the custard tarts. Don’t let him fool you, Rem. He just wants all the tarts to himself. The last time he visited he ordered all of them before anyone else had the chance to eat a single one.”
“Not fair,” Riley pointed out, “the sticky toffee pudding is delicious.” He winked down at me, mischief glittering in his hazel eyes.
My stomach growled again, “Idolove custard tarts. I am prepared to fight for them if I must, and fair warning, I don’t lose. Not when it comes to pastries.” I shot a wink up at him.
Riley laughed, squeezing me into his side before heavy winds slammed into our bodies, the storm reaching us as we approached the edges of the town. Its roaring rush muffled Riley’s next words. “Don’t listen to Xi, there is no need to fight me for them. She’s just jealous that I offered to share with you first instead of her,” his chuckle carrying on the gusting winds.
I couldn’t help but grin back and my heart seized at the image of him—carefree and impish as if the world weren’t so dark and heavy, so much like my brother Kade. The sudden and precious memory of my lost sibling was a boon that Riley Dragoon had no idea he had given me. One I would cherish for days to come—the loneliness and emptiness of my life were more obvious than they had ever been before.
“Fair warning general, Riley Dragoon’s version of sharing is 90/10. Ninety percent his and ten percent yours, if that.”
I grinned at the frown in her tone.
“Lies!” Riley sputtered.
Xi turned around to look at him rolling her eyes. “The fae don’t lie, I see through you Riley Dragoon and so does the general.” Done with the conversation, her uncovered grey eye targeted the sentient shadows flitting around me. “Hey shadows,” she cooed. More than eager, the shadows plunged in her direction like a hungry pet wanting a treat. The delicate sound of unrestrained laughter bubbled from her chest. It was a sound I hadn’t heard from her before and it seemed even Riley was caught by the rare moment. “Be dears and hold onto this for me will you?” Without warning, she tossed the seal of Hell into the air. The gold disc glistened against the dark sky before it was swallowed by the thirsty darkness of my shadows.
Satisfied, they curled around Xi’s neck, thankful to be of use and basking in her praise, her hand absently stroking their shimmering tendrils.
My heart warmed at the sight, it was the first time Xi had not frozen in terror at the shadows’ presence, let alone their touch. By doing so, she had fully accepted me into her life—all that I was and all that I was not.
For I was never going to be a shining beacon of light for Faerie. No. I was always going to be in the shadows, the loner in the darkness, the one that did the things no one else had the heart nor the stomach to do.
But I was also the one that would give the last of my breath fighting for the fae I loved. There was no doubt this friendship was meant to be—how easy it was to laugh and cry in their arms, to rage one second and then be at peace the next, safe within their presence. The fae had a saying for such a friendship.
Amici animae. Friends of the soul.
Something I had never had before and never expected when I set off on this quest. I had asked the goddess what I was missing and she answered in the form of the famous elemental twins of the plains. They were myamici animae.
Lightning crackled overhead and if it weren’t for the impending battle looming just outside these gates, I would have thought it beautiful against the black and blue skies. Our sure strides slowed against the fierce winds.
“That bastard is really pulling out all the stops,” Riley snarled, stepping away from me and slashing his hand downward to create a resistance free path.
Xi’s steps came to a stop just past the gates and her lips pressed into a thin line. The wavy grassed plains were now condensed, the winds ripping through and flattening them to the earth. Lightning crackled, striking the ground, setting areasablaze, the smoke swirling with the relentless storm, joining the large fluffy thunderhead clouds above.
But the violence of the elements destroying the plains wasn’t what caused us to pause. Stepping alongside her, I gave the regiment of fae in the distance a lethal look.
“Is it wrong for me to say I am happy it’s them?” she whispered over the rush of air and thunder, her hands curling into fists. I could not see Xi’s parents from here, but I could feel their slithering evil presence. “I want it over, I want the nightmares to end once and for all.”
Placing my hand on her shoulder, I nodded when she peered down at me. Fierce determination etched in the beauty of her face, making her look more like an avenging goddess than a simple earth elemental seeking vengeance. “We will be here with you every step of the way.”
Riley growled low on her other side, his gaze narrowing on the one fae that was a blight amongst them all. It was the same figure I was also watching—Rory Dragoon, Commander of the Queen’s city forces, was a fae desperate and that made him more dangerous than ever before. “They will attempt to split us apart,” he spat.
I nodded, “Yes, with us separate, it will be easier for them.” Signaling to the shadows, I sighed, their comforting, dark tendrils curling up along the tattoos of my arms. “But they still will not win, their deaths are marked for this day,” I said sweetly.
Xi shivered next to me, “General?”
Pulling my gaze away, I arched a brow at her, “Yeah?”
She grinned madly, shaking her head, white hair catching the wind so I was struck by the full thrall of her beauty. “This time, I fucking love your tone.”
Chapter 28
Xi’s laughter cut short,her eyes widening in horror and my heart dropped dead in my chest. Protectively, I lunged for her but it was too late.
