Page 18 of Cursed Shadows

I shrug again. “I guess you could say Dragan has taken it upon himself to be her protector, of sorts. And she doesn’t seem to have a problem with that.”

“Then neither of you know her well?”

“No, we don’t.” I pause a moment or two. “And it should go without saying that I’m not sure whether I buy her story, or whether I trust her.”

“She has magic.”

“She’s an angel.”

Baron shakes his head. “It’s more than that. She’s powerful.”

There’s a fireplace with two chairs in front of it. We sit and stare quietly into the fire for a moment. The heat revives me somewhat and the tired ache in my bones lessens.

“It appears our angel isn’t the only one with an ill-functioning memory,” I say to Baron, my voice tinged with the edge of a joke.

Baron nods. In the otherwise dark room, the flames are the only source of light and they cast dramatic shadows across his face. His sharp features emphasize the shadows.

“You know what pisses me off more than anything?” he asks me.

“What?”

“I hate that fucker, Variant, more than anyone in the three realms. I’ve been obsessed with him, with hating him. And I never knew why. Yet all my motives were driven by a desire to see him fall. And now I learn that he’s the reason I’m like this.”He glances down at himself and shakes his head. When he looks back at the fire, he almost appears to be elsewhere. I imagine he is.

“This ‘life’ I live, in all of its unnatural vileness—he’s the reason for all of it,” he continues, his voice soft, haunted. “All this time I’ve been preparing for a fight only to learn I’ve already lost.”

“Lost?” I balk. “The real fight is yet to come. This is no coincidence. The three of us reunited, here, now. The angel. The timing is too perfect.”

“But what use are we?” he asks, frustration transforming his voice into a near growl. “Me, an undead with no memory of my former life, and her… she…” he trails off.

I start to laugh because I know that expression, and I recognize the frustration in his voice. He’s been bitten by her as surely as we all have. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” I ask, almost before I can help myself.

“I can’t say the pleasures of the flesh affect me like I’m sure they once did. I don’t hunger or thirst or need to rest—”

“Oh, please. You would fuck her all night long if you could,” I rib.

“It does slightly complicate things that the key to overthrowing Variant happens to be the most sexually alluring creature I’ve ever encountered,” he admits.

I laugh at that. “I think Dragan has plans of his own for her; poor guy hasn’t gotten any tail in that dungeon of his for a long, long time.”

“Dungeon?” he asks, and I explain to him how Variant banished Dragan to the Gorge and me to my own prison.

“Why was Dragan’s punishment so much worse than yours?” he asks with a shrug. “You were allowed women, at least.”

“Variant and Dragan were always at each other’s throats. Variant grew to hate all three of us, but I believe he hated Dragan the most.”

“And you?” he asks as his smile broadens. “You crave the angel, as well? Even though you’ve had women all this time?”

I exhale slowly. “My version of exile included a few more recreational opportunities than our gargoyle friend, but still, I won’t deny that I crave her.” I’m quiet for a moment as I consider my feelings toward her. When I face him again, he seems to understand my frustration. “Crave isn’t even the word for it.”

“You feel as if you need her?”

“Need to be inside of her, maybe,” I answer. “I’ve craved women, of course. But this… this is something I’ve never experienced before.”

“I understand,” Baron agrees. “And I can’t quite put my finger on it but there’s something about her…”

My mind flashes to the vision of her beneath me. The feeling of power I held while inside her. My stomach churns pleasantly at the memory. I wonder how quickly the vision will come true. Hopefully sooner, rather than later. I can’t imagine such could be the case, though, because Dragan is with her nonstop. And if Dragan is anything, it’s possessive.

“The sooner you can get her out of your mind, the better,” Baron announces, giving me an expression that suggests he knows exactly what I was just thinking about.

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