Page 71 of One Last Wish

“I’ve always been right here, Alora,” he whispered, pulling me so I was resting on his chest. The contact of our bare skin made my arms and hands glow, and the gentle thump of his heart sent me into slumber. “I’ll keep you safe until my last breath,” I heard him coo as he planted a kiss on my forehead. “Sleep now.”

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THE FEMALE VOICE HISSEDat me. “Did you honestly think you could take him from me?” It was a dark figure, but I couldn’t make out the face. “You’re not even his race! How do you think that could possibly work? He’s been hiding youallthis time!”

“If you tell Tamas and Duna, Darce will destroy you!” My voice was shaking as the figure backed me against a wall.

“He won’t find out if I kill you now. You haven’t even come into your powers. You are defenceless against me!”

“Darcewillfind out. He’ll kill you himself.”

“You lovesick, foolish female! You think he cares that much for you?” The figure laughed darkly. “You are merely a plaything for him. He’ll tire of you within a century, I guarantee it.I’mthe one that can match his power. One day we’ll rule this veil together. He cannot run from his destiny, and that, my dear,Alora, is linked tomine! You willneverhave him, because Darce belongs tome!”

“Take another step closer and I’ll scream,” I warned, throwing the books that were on the shelf behind me.

“You and your books. They can’t save you this time.” Shadows and sparks of electricity radiated from her hands. “Any last words?” she cackled, shooting her power right above my head. “I’ll make sure that Darce receives them.”

Closing my eyes, I waited for the final blow, which never came.

“Alora!” Darce bellowed, rushing into the room and surrounding me in some form of dark mist forcefield. “Charna, what are youdoing?”

“She’sDylin,Darce. What were youthinking? I am saving you! She will get you killed!”

“And you think taking her from me won’t kill me?”

“We can’t trust her!”

“No, Charna, it would appear I cannot trustyou.” The figure dropped to the floor in pain. “You would really hurt a defenceless creature? I should kill you myself for that.” Darce seethed. With a twist of his hand, the figure screamed in agony. “I will not kill you, but our loyalty bond is broken. You are nothing to me! If you speak ofanyof this to Tamas or Duna, I willendyou!”

“I’m your chosen one, Darce,” Charna cried out. “You cannot do this to me...to us!”

“I’ve made my choice and it’snotyou!” Darce snapped before turning to look at me with loving eyes. As he moved towards me, the mist forcefield evaporated. He scooped me up in his arms and carried me away without so much as a look at the figure on the floor. “Are you hurt?” he asked once we had cleared the room.

“She knows what I am.”

“I know. Now might be a good time to send you home. I cannot risk you being here any longer. No matter how much I enjoy having you in my bed every night, I cannot afford to be selfish. Not where you are concerned.”

“We knew you couldn’t hide me forever. You may have changed my hair colour, but I still stand out.”

“I’ll send you home tomorrow.” With a nod, he leant down and pressed his lips against mine.

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WHEN I OPENED MY EYES, everything was covered in darkness. How was it still dark? I felt like I had slept for days. Darce was lying peacefully next to me when I rolled over. His body was radiating swirls of shadow that were filling my room.

I really hadn’t learned anything from last night's dream. What I did know was that Darce was a shadow wielder, and I...well, I had no idea what I was. I had a name for it, though:Dylin. I was Dylin, whatever that meant.

I stretched out, wanting to explore the contours of his chest, but his hand reached out to grab my wrist. “If you touch me, Alora, we won’t be going to work today.”

“You stayed!” I beamed, watching the darkness diffuse around us. I squinted at the sudden light.

“You asked me to. I never break a promise.” I leaned in, pecking his lips softly. “I might have to project us near work, though. We’re probably going to be late.” I finally looked at the time. We only had twenty minutes until we were due for our shift.

“Shit!” I jumped up, grabbing my clothes. Darce chuckled at me, casually putting on a fresh work shirt. “How do you have fresh clothes?”

“Shadow magic,” he shrugged, like it should have been obvious. “Did you want some help?”

“How?” I questioned. Darce clicked his fingers, and suddenly, I was washed and dressed, with my hair up in a very neat bun. “That isinsane!” I gasped, looking down at myself. “How powerful is this shadow magic?”

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