Page 3 of Taken By the Shadow Prince

“Oh, come on,” Leven says, nudging her with his arm. “Have a little faith in me—I’ve enchanted us. Nothing you say will be heard by anyone but the three of us.”

Mair casts him a grateful glance, love swimming just beneath the surface. There’s love in every act between the two of them—it’s nearly enough to make me sick.

Mair says, “I need you to find demon-witches. And I need you to do so without alerting the rest of your team of their existence. We can’t risk it.”

I fight away the heavy blink that would have given away my surprise. I don’t even know how I’d go about doing that, much less how I’d do it in secret. But still I say, “Okay.”

“You’re allowed to say no,” she reminds me.

“There’s no need to. Your wish is my will.”

She sighs and turns to Leven. “I don’t know. It feels like too much.”

Ah. So it was his idea, then. He says, “If anyone can do it, it’s Mavey. We need the demon witches, Mair.”

She frowns and turns back to me. “Okay. Do whatever it is you have to do to find them without alerting the others, alright? This is your priority.”

I nod.

“If you don’t find them—”

I cut her off. “I will.” My tone is sharp with fierce determination. There is no other outcome allowed. I’ll find the demon-witches, no matter what I have to do in order to make it so. No matter how far I have to travel, no matter the obstacles, no matter the cost. Mair—and Leven, it seems—trust me with this responsibility, and no one else.

That alone is reason enough not to fail them, nevermind the kingdom that is at stake if I fail.

The going-away party around us suddenly seems like an even bigger waste of time than I originally thought. “May I be excused?”

Mair waves a dismissive hand toward me. “Of course. Good luck, Mavey—and thank you. Really.”

I don’t give her anything more than a nod before turning, the cloak I wear billowing in the air before settling against my back again. I stride for the doorway and to the stairs at the end of the hall. Pretending to enjoy myself is no longer the only thing I can do.

Now, I’ve got to figure out how the fuck I’m going to find demon witches that have clearly made it a point to not be found.

Simple as that.

Chapter 2

Armin

atheya

It is not as dreary here as mortals seem to think.

Atheya is not a cave riddled with hellish fire. We have two suns and two moons—so, in this instance, it would seem that their realm is closer to being buried than ours with their single sun and moon.

We do not need fire and stuffy air to emphasize our cruelties. Demons are far more clever than that. And we aren’t so dull as to deliver each other our worst nightmares, either. No, our tortures are things you’d never even think to fear.

It’s much more fun that way.

Though it isn’t a constant pit of wicked schemes and painful tricks. Those are merely reserved for those you dislike—and, for me, punishments to dole out to misbehaving subjects. It’s not a very glorious job, having one-seventh of a rule over this realm. It’s actually boring, most of the time.

I often grow weary of immortality.

Patience, on the other hand, is something I’ve long since mastered. There’s always something to occupy my time, if I can’t keep from fidgeting with my hands or tapping my foot. Sometimes I can hardly remember the last time I’ve had nothing to do.

This is not one of those times.

It’s been slow in Atheya as of late—at least in my district, anyway. I couldn’t say anything about my brothers’—not that they’re my blood, but after over so many centuries together with so many responsibilities holding you together, it becomes hard not to view someone as family.

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