Page 29 of Cursed Shadows

“We can rest for as long as we need to,” Dragan corrects me.

I feel my lips tighten but I don’t respond. This is the reason I avoid the company of others. Especially when said others are righteous in their own beliefs and convinced of their own self-importance. There are multiple large personalities in this small band and those personalities are beginning to wear on me.

I can only hope the Transmutation Stone is worth this.

I watch as Dragan lifts Eilish in his arms and carries her to a nearby tree, setting her down beneath it. I wonder about his feelings for her. Of course, he views her as the answer to defeating Variant. But there’s more. He genuinely cares for her. It’s obvious, and it’s something Cambion has noticed, as well. And it bothers him; I can see as much in the fire in his eyes and the crease of his frown.

I don’t envy Dragan. In attempting to defeat Variant, there’s a very good chance the angel won’t survive. Thus, it’s better not to form an attachment to her. All life is transitory and short. It’s one of the first lessons you learn as an immortal—don’t become attached to those with short lifespans. It’s simply a prescription for pain.

Eilish sits, her eyes fixed on Thoradin as he begins to build a fire. I approach and take a seat beside her. Dragan’s eyes areon me instantly. He doesn’t trust me; that much is obvious. But he really doesn’t trust me with the girl. Little does he know I’m uninterested. Yes, I find her as beautiful as everyone else does. But physical pleasures are of little interest to me. The only emotion that drives me is revenge.

“How did you know how to destroy thebone devil?” I ask her, still surprised by her impressive magic. The power to disintegrate creatures, especially one of the animated undead, is no small feat.

“I don’t know,” she says quietly; she seems just as awed as the rest of us. She stares at her hands curiously, as if they belonged to someone else.

“Well, thanks,” says the sprite as he appears from nowhere. The bloody thing is beyond annoying. “’Bout time you did somethin’ useful.”

“And when was the last timeyoudid something useful?” Cambion asks the sprite after eyeing Eilish suspiciously. He’s wise not to trust her.

“It’s thanks to me you even know ‘bout the angel in the first place!” the sprite rails.

“Stop bickering!” I command in an elevated tone, startling everyone into silence. “We must keep moving and we must do so as quietly as possible. We may be out of the city, but we still have a hard road ahead of us.”

“I thought you said you weren’t coming with us,” Dragan says as he arches his brows at me, and I realize he doesn’t want me with them.Interesting…

“Changed my mind,” I answer with a quick shrug.

“You no longer work alone?” he continues, eyes narrowed.

“If Cambion can restore my memories to me, the trip will be worth it.”

“And if he can’t?”

I shrug. “Then I suppose it won’t be worth it?”

Dragan is quiet for a few seconds, but his eyes never leave mine. His jaw is tight. “When Cambion finishes creating the Transmutation Stone and attempts to return your memories to you, whether or not he is successful, be on your way.”

“No, Dragan,” Eilish says as she shakes her head, facing him earnestly.

“That was my plan from the beginning,” I answer acidly. I wonder why he doesn’t want me to continue with them. Is it due to the angel? Then he must see the way she looks at me. Yes, I feel drawn to her, as well, but I can’t explain why. Even though she’s a creature of the light and, as such, of little interest to me, I feel as though there’s more to her, beneath the surface. Otherwise I can’t explain this attraction, as it goes beyond the merely physical. It feels as if the darkness of my soul is pulled toward her, which makes little sense as she possesses no darkness...

“We need him, Dragan,” Cambion puts in, reminding me that they’re still arguing about me.

Dragan shakes his head. “We thought he was dead up until a day ago. And it didn’t change our course of action.”

“But now we know he’s not dead,” Cambion argues. “It’s important Bar—Revenant fight alongside us.”

“The gargoyle is right,” I interject. “I’m not interested in joining your heroic quest. If it’s all the same to you, I’ll go my own way once my memories are returned to me. Or once they aren’t.”

“And what’s in it for us, then?” Cambion asks, glaring at me.

I shrug. “I can help protect you along the way. Four able-bodied men is better than three.”

“I hope you’ll reconsider,” Eilish says, looking up at me with those huge blue eyes. I feel as if I could drown in them. The feeling upsets me, and I immediately stand. I need solitude. I’ve been around this group for too long now and they grate on me.

“Where are you going?” Cambion demands.

“Away,” I respond and disappear into the darkness.

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