Page 109 of Stroke of Shadows

With a muffled curse, Wyatt left her alone with the stranger. Harper shuffled back until she hit the wall, using it to lift herself to her feet. He stood over her, looking down his nose with eyes so red they couldn’t be real.

With a raised brow, he frowned at the fallen woman. She was completely naked, her skin covered in a waxy texture. He slowly picked her up, placing her on a set of crates as if she were simply a doll.

“Do you believe in a God?” He had his back turned, head tilting to pin her with a stare when she didn’t answer. “I hear your uncle believes in the many Gods of the Light. So what about you?”

“I’m not sure anymore,” she replied, her voice raw.

“Honesty. I appreciate that.” He turned, appraising her slow enough for her skin to crawl beneath his attention. “I’ve met Gods before, the Fates who supposedly watch over my Breed. I bowed at their feet and begged their forgiveness for a mistake. Do you know what they did?”

Harper shook her head, her headache seeping through her temple.

“They left me.” His laugh was silent, just a jerk of his chest. “Gods hold nothing but empty promises, and yet so many continue to beg for their affection.”

“Gods are a sanctuary in a world of darkness,” Harper croaked, trying to move her wrists more comfortably beneath the bonds. Silver glinted, the bead Ember gifted her caught between the ropes.

‘If you’re ever in trouble, you turn that bead.’

His eyes met hers, his smile widening. “Are they? I came from darkness, and no God gave me sanctuary. Should I be offended?”

At Harper’s silence, he laughed.

“You have spirit, much more than your cousin. I’m glad you were the one to obtain the chalice for me.” He knelt, hair long enough to brush the concrete. “I thank you for that. I’ve been searching since I was freed, but someone seemed to put a spell on it.”

Harper swallowed, her heart racing beneath her ribs. She twisted her binds, trying to move the bead.

“Do you have any idea what it is?”

“Does it matter? Wyatt’s going to kill me, anyway.”

Shut up Harper! she scolded herself.

Gideon took a step closer.

“It’s the Calicem Animarum,” she rasped, shaking.

“The cup of souls,” he added. “And you’ll have the honour of activating it.”

Fear seared through her centre, turning her cold. “Activate it how, exactly?”

Gideon smiled, the emotion turning her cold. “You fear me. I can see it in your eyes and taste it on my tongue. Yet you don’t know what I am.”

“I fear you because I’m bound and bleeding against my will.”

His chuckle was dark, his hand coming up to hold her pulse. “You have no idea the trials and tribulations I’ve taken to survive. The decisions I’ve had to make not only for myself, but for my kind.”

Harper recoiled as he moved closer, trying to pull her wrists towards her chest. The bead was so close, if only she could…

“The Fates, despite my hatred for them, brought Wyatt to me. His desperation for power was easy enough to manipulate. You can thank him for your role; it was his choice to use you as the chalice’s first.”

“It’s just a cup.” She swallowed, his hand catching the movement. “Nothing but a chunk of metal.”

“Oh, how easily you lie, and so convincing, too.” Gideon bared pointed teeth. “But I can feel your heartbeat, pretty one. You’re aware of the old magic it holds, dormant. Once the chalice is activated, I’ll finally be able to take back the control I’ve lost.”

He dropped his hand, taking a single step back.

“Wyatt wants to become a Lord, to take his place as a leader amongst the Undercity. But I am far beyond the shadows. It’s my time up here in the light.”

His shoulders jerked, black wings arching high above his head. They were black, leathery membranes stretched between thin bones with sharp spikes dominating the upper curves. Horns split through his hair, curling down just shy of his jaw.

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