Page 70 of A Shadow of Betrayal

“You really don't like them, do you? The Seniorem?” I ask, and Valen shakes his head.

“No. They were growing more corrupt over the years and found a way to harvest magic from the Demons. After they figured that out, they did everything in their power to get their hands on the Demons who possessed magic. They began using unsavory methods, going against our very core beliefs,” Valen hisses, his beautiful, Fae-like face twisting in disgust as if recalling a memory. “I suspect they are the reason I’m lost.” My eyes widen at this confession, and I pull him to a stop.

“You think they did this to you? That they took you or something?” I ask in disbelief. Valen studies me carefully and then shrugs.

“It's only a hypothesis. The Seniorem crave power, specifically the magic they can harvest from the Demons they have battled with for centuries. Anyone who has some or can control it should be wary of the Seniorem. They are not what they used to be.”

“And what was that?” I ask, my curiosity at an all-time high. I already knew the Seniorem wasn't to be trusted. Lennox and Creed have both hinted at such, and I have purposefully avoided all members whenever I see them in the cafeteria or training area, but Valen is a lot more open about his hatred toward the group of men than anyone else I know.

“To keep the humans safe. The Beastia are drawn to their fear; that is what attracts them the most. It's not their physical scent, but the fear humans produce when frightened. When that fear is not controlled, it is potent and makes the Beastia crazed with hunger. The stronger the Beastia are, the faster they hunt.”

“Which is why the Seniorem is using humans as bait,” I whisper in horror, the revelation making me feel sick. “They kidnap them, hurt them to make their fear grow, then use them to attract the Demons. Holy shit! That's it, isn't it?” I shout, looking up at Valen, who looks down at me in confusion.

“You have seen these humans?” he asks, and I nod.

“Yeah, my Senior knows and went to save two of them during the Demon attack,” I tell him in a rush, my mind running a million miles an hour as I try to piece everything together.

“Your Senior? That's surprising,” Valen says darkly. “Are you sure he wasn't the one that put the human out there?” I nod and wave off his suggestion.

“Yeah, Nox hates the Seniorem as much as you do.” Valen’s eyebrows lift and he grins.

“I think I like this Nox. If I ever make it out of here, you'll have to introduce us.” I smirk and look up at his stunning face.

“You will,” I declare, and nod firmly. “I’ll make sure of it. There is a reason you're here in my dreams. There has to be, right?” I ask, my brows furrowing as I try to figure out how to find someone who doesn't even know where they are.

“You called me here,” Valen says, and I wave my hand in front of me and shake my head.

“I don’t know how to do that. So why are you here?” I ask, following Valen as he starts walking toward the small cave in the side of the mountain. Glancing up, I look at the path that leads away from the cave, the way the trees thicken as it splits, the right side moving up the mountain and the left leading down. “I’ve seen this before,” I murmur in realization.

Valen laughs and tugs me into the cave. “I would certainly hope so. It's your dreamscape, Mi Sol.”

“No. I mean, I think I’ve been there in real life,” I explain, tossing another look over my shoulder before Valen pulls me deeper into the cave, blocking my view of the path and trees.

“Probably. Dreams are a twist of reality,” Valen says, dropping the sticks and branches to the ground. He finally lets my hand drop from his arm as he takes the few he had me hold. He bends down and quickly builds the fire before taking a few stones nearby and altering them in his hands, manipulating their color before he strikes them against each other. A few moments later, a small fire is burning, giving off a fair amount of heat for its size.

Plopping down next to it, I hold my hands out in front of the small flames, soaking in its warmth as I watch Valen stack the rest of the sticks in a pile nearby. After he has a perfect stack, he walks over and brushes at the cold hard stone of the cave, moving the excess dirt and stones before he lowers himself down at my side, giving me a brilliant smile.

“You're a little OCD,” I tease, bumping my shoulder into his. Valen laughs, but nods in agreement.

“It's a flaw of mine; one my family teases me for. But I don’t function well without order,” he explains, bumping his shoulder back to mine, making the smell of winter air and citrus stir around us. I breathe in the comforting smell and lean closer, wanting to wrap myself in the oddly familiar scent.

“Are you cold?” he asks worriedly, mistaking my closeness for seeking out warmth rather than what it actually was. But there is no way in hell I'm telling the man I was trying to sniff him, so I nod, then blush a little when he wraps an arm around my shoulders. Of course, that's when the small rational voice reminds me I just spent the evening making love to Creed, and I probably shouldn't be snuggling with another man.

Just as I try to pull away, Valen tugs me close and runs his hand up and down my arm. “Umm,” I start, pursing my lips, wanting to stay in his arms, but knowing I’m currently sleeping completely naked in Creed’s, makes me feel like a cheating bitch. I mean… Creed and I aren’t dating, but we did just have sex for the first time, and I think that means something. “So, I have a question,” I say as I pull back, not missing Valen’s frown as he lets his arm drop to his side.

“And what is that, Mi Sol?” Valen asks, resting his hand behind him and leaning back, watching my every move as I shift a few inches away from him. His eyes darken a little as he watches, and I think I see his jaw tick to the side, making a burst of nerves flood my body.

“The human I saw during last week's Demon attack, he had a symbol carved into his chest,” I explain, running my finger in the dirt between us as I try to create what I can remember of the swirls and lines that were etched into the man's flesh. After I remake what I remember, I sit back and look at him. “What does it mean?” I ask as Valen leans forward, inspecting the symbol closely.

“Are you sure this is what you saw?” he asks in a low voice, and I nod.

“I’m pretty sure it's similar to this,” I confirm, leaving out the little detail that this symbol has been burned into my mind ever since I saw the thick raised edges of the wound carved into the man.

Valen reaches out, his long elegant finger adding an extra line in the center of the symbol, then curves at the end, and I nod, getting excited.

“Yes! That's it,” I shout, moving to my knees to inspect the symbol, then back at Valen, who looks furious. “What's wrong?”

“That is not an Umbra Symbol, Meyer,” he growls out, his almost melodic voice turning rough with anger.

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