Page 19 of Dark Princess: Shadows

"The village is as lovely as ever," Sari said after exchanging hugs and kisses with her siblings and their mates. "The weather is absolutely perfect."

"You can still change your mind." Kian wrapped his arm around his sister's shoulders. "My invitation to you and your people is standing. You can move in any time."

She chuckled. "You gave away the houses you reserved for us to the Kra-ell. There is no more room."

"Nonsense." He kissed the top of her head like he used to do when she was little. "There is enough room for everyone, and I can always build more."

With the room filling with the chatter of her family, Annani felt the tension leave her shoulders. This was what she needed: the chaos and warmth of familial love.

Annani deliberated about how to take Kian aside without anyone noticing. She needed his opinion on whether telling everyone about Ell-rom's potential talent was a good move or not. She trusted her family, but her greatest reservation was about them becoming fearful around Ell-rom.

She caught Kian's eye and, with a subtle nod, indicated that she needed to speak with him privately. Understanding, he transferred Allegra to Syssi and put his hand on Annani's arm. "You wanted to show me that artifact you've seen on the web."

"Oh, yes. The artifact." She smiled. "I forgot about it. Let's see if I can find it again." She walked toward her room, where she had transferred her desk from the spare bedroom to accommodate Ell-rom and Jasmine. The guest quarters had gone to Sari and David.

After closing the door behind her, Annani walked over to her workstation and sat on the chair. "Do we tell them?"

"About Ell-rom's talent?" Kian guessed right away.

She nodded. "I hope Julian kept it a secret from Bridget."

"He did because I asked him to." Kian ran a hand through his hair. "I guess it doesn't make sense to keep it from my sisters and their mates. I just hope they won't start acting weird around him. The guy is barely holding it together as it is."

"That is my concern as well. We need to make them aware of how fragile Ell-rom is at the moment and how important it is to make him feel welcome and loved."

Kian put his hands on her shoulders and leaned to kiss her cheek. "I can deliver the facts. I leave assuaging their fears to you."

She nodded. "I hope I can do that."

14

MORELLE

In the wake of her mother's departure, Morelle became aware once more of the voice that had become her constant companion in this twilight state. He was in the middle of a story, his words weaving a tale of star-crossed lovers that seemed to echo her parents' ill-fated relationship.

"...and though they knew their love was doomed, they couldn't bear to part. Each moment together was stolen, precious beyond measure. They lived a lifetime in those fleeting encounters, knowing that the world would soon tear them apart."

Morelle was moved by the beauty and tragedy of the tale. Was this a legend? A myth?

The stranger's storytelling was masterful, his voice rising and falling with the rhythm of the narrative. Morelle found herself completely entranced, picturing the scenes he described with vivid clarity. She could almost feel the desperate passion of the lovers and taste the bittersweet flavor of their stolen moments.

As the tale reached its poignant climax, Morelle felt an overwhelming urge to open her eyes and see the face of herstoryteller. She willed her eyelids to lift, her fingers to twitch, anything to show that she was present, that she was listening. But her body remained stubbornly unresponsive, a prison of flesh and bone that kept her isolated from the world.

Frustration welled up within her. She was so close to the surface, so near to breaking through the barrier of unconsciousness. She could feel the world just beyond her reach—the bed beneath her, the cool air on her skin, the presence of the stranger at her bedside. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't breach the final barrier.

"Mother of All Life, please help me find a way out of this prison."

Morelle felt like a hypocrite for beseeching a deity she didn't believe in. Asking her own mother for help would make much more sense. After all, she had appeared in this dream state and demanded that Morelle wake up.

"Mother!" she called in her mind. "Come back and help me breach the surface. I'm locked inside."

No one answered her plea.

Her mother had not returned, and the Mother of All Life was not real.

Morelle focused all her will on lifting her eyelids, and when that did not work, she imagined her eyelids fluttering or her fingers twitching, but her body refused to obey.

She remained still, silent, by all appearances lost in the depths of unconsciousness, while on the inside, she was a storm of awareness and emotion.

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