Page 30 of Shadowing Bright
“Another shapeshifting murderer.”
He nodded.“Step back.”
He opened the door and sent a blast of fire into the hall.The two behind the fake Rolf dove to the side, but the man was caught in the blast, and his expression went from fury to blank.
“Come in.All of you.”
Azreen pulled the man in, and it changed into a brownie with some ogre vibes.The other two followed and stood with heads bowed.“Why are you after her?”
“The shadow born and dark fire master was betrothed to our king.She refused him.”
Vaia blinked.“I don’t have dark fire.I can’t even move my shadows.I just eat like a psychic vampire.”
The assassin frowned.“But you are tied to the small oracle.It has to be you.”
“Nope.I...oh...I know what has happened.”She pulled out her phone and contacted her assistant.Min sighed and walked from the end of the hall.
“Minayel, do you know anything about this?”
“Yes, and no.I didn’t know it would happen now, but I know who they are looking for.”
“Min?”
“Well, you know my roommate Hura?”
“Sure.The artist.”
“Right.Well, uh...she’s the other dark fae that I know, but she has control over dark fire.The last time I did an oracle reading, there was mention of the dark monster’s beloved, and I think they thought it was you.”
“When did you do the reading?”
“About a week ago.I was with Jen at thePatchwork Dragon,and we did a prediction-off.We may have gotten a little loud.”
“What did yours say?”
“The dancer, beloved of the king of dark monsters, wielder of the dark fire, will bring light to shadows and rend the darkness when she and her mate collide.”Min smiled weakly.“It sounded very dramatic, so I won a shot of espresso.”
“Oh, hell.That explains it.You call her; I will call Kremoryn.”
Min winced.“Why?”
“Because she is the dancer, and he is the king of dark monsters.At least if they are together, it will be a fairer fight than just Hura on her own.”
“She’s gonna be pissed.”Min pulled out her phone and made the call.“Hey, Hura.How’s your evening going?Nachos and pyjamas?Great.Um, you know that vision I had a week ago?It wasn’t about my boss; it was about you.So, things are at a head right now, and we are together to figure out what is going on.You might be in danger.”Min waited and then frowned.“Oh.Oh!Well, can you get to me?We are at the...yeah.That’s it.Okay, as fast as possible.”
A shadow formed, and Azreen tensed, but then it turned into a woman with her hair in a sloppy ponytail, a deep dish with nachos on it in her hands, and a phone tucked under her ear.“Fast enough?”
Min grinned and tapped her phone.“Can I have some?”
Hura held out the deep dish, and Min wandered over and dipped her fingers in.“Oh, it’s still hot.”
Vaia asked, “I’m Vaia.May I have some?”
Hura held the dish out, and Vaia had some of the gooey cheese covered with toppings barely held together by a tortilla chip.
Vaia sighed happily.“That’s really good.”
Min asked, “Where are the assassins?”
