Page 22 of Shadow Kissed

Jasiel shrugs his shoulders as we enter a house that has had its front door brutally ripped off. It’s now lying in shreds, hanging on by a single hinge. “It’s just an odd coincidence that the protection on the walls failed the night after we arrived here.”

My eyes snap up to meet his. “You think someone took it down deliberately to harm us? No one here has the power to do that.”

Jasiel bobs his broad shoulders and runs a hand over his beard. “Maybe it’s all connected to her.”

“Eretreya?” I say, knowing he is voicing what I’ve been thinking. There is something about her, something different.

“Ever since those mutts picked up her scent in the forest, it’s like they’re possessed,” Jasiel says, studying my reaction. “I’ve never seen them so fixated on their prey to the point where they hunt together. They’re lazy creatures. If the hunt proves too hard, they move on to easier prey.”

He’s right. The mutts’ behaviour is out of character, and it’s been that way ever since they found her. “You think they followed her back here, to Terleigh?”

Jasiel chews his bottom lip as we lift another dead body into the cart. “It’s something we should consider.”

I nod my head in agreement. He’s right. All of this might be tied to her. There is something about Eretreya Lockwood and I can’t quite put my finger on what it is—but I will.

Reya.

Pain. So much pain. Then warmth and joy. My body hums as the warmth spreads through me, filling up my pores and blood and easing the pain. Then, as suddenly as it came, it is gone, and I reach for it with my mind, begging it to come back to me. The pain is gone now, and I can sleep.

“You did this,”screams Mayla, her eyes wide with accusation right as the mutt takes her down and feeds on her.

“NO!” I scream, sitting up, frantic and sweating.

“It’s okay, my sweet girl. You’re okay.”

Beside me, holding my hand, I find one of our healers, Mirela, and the sound of her voice grounds me, helping me to breathe more easily.

The mutts!

The screams!

I survey the large room and take in all the injured. “It’s all my fault. I did this.”

Mirella looks at me with such sympathy and she pats my hand. “You’re confused, but you’ll be okay.”

“I did this,” I tell her, my voice barely a whisper. “I had a dream last night.” I shudder as the memory of that dream runs through my mind. I called them here and I…Oh heavens, I dreamed of them attacking Mayla. I clutch a hand to my chest. I’m a terrible person. I don’t deserve to be alive when so many others aren’t.

Mirella leans in and strokes my cheek. “I’ll hear no more of this. I mean it, Reya. You need to rest and try to keep your stress levels down.”

I search her face. Why isn’t my confession a shock to her? Why is she so calm about this?

“She knew something,” I say out loud, sitting up despite her protestations. What did she mean it’s time to face who I am?Does she mean as a Shadow Kissed? What kind of monster am I that I called them here?

“Reya!”

I glance up to see Arkynn heading towards me. I see a look of relief wash over him as he scans my face. He drops to his knees beside my bed. “Are the boy’s okay?”

Arkynn nods. “They are safe. Surviving children are being looked after at the schoolhouse. We thought it best that they don’t see the bodies.”

I swallow and nod my head, bewildered. Reaching out, I brush his hair out of his face. “You look tired. You should rest.”

He shakes his head firmly. “There is too much to do. I wanted to come and check on you.” In the past, his touch would ignite a flurry of butterflies within me, but I sense nothing this time. “Thank Mother Crystal, you are okay. Reya. If you had died…I…”

I shush him, placing a finger to his lips. “I’m fine. In fact.” I sit up in the cot. “I need to help.” I attempt to swing my legs off the cot, but Arkynn places his hand on my knee to stop me. I glower at him. “Don’t you dare try to stop me, Arkynn. I have to help. I need to make it right.”

He frowns at me as he moves his hand away. “Make what right?”

I pause. Something stops me from confiding in my lifelong friend. “Nothing. I mean, I just need to be out there helping instead of lying here.” I swing my legs out and close my eyes as a wave of dizziness hits me. “I’m fine,” I insist, before he tries to push me back down. Arkynn offers me a mug of water, and I gulp it down greedily. My throat feels like an arid desert. He steadies me with a hand at my waist when I stand to my feet. “Stop fussing,” I order him, gently pushing his hand away. I don’t miss the way he flinches when I reject his touch.

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