Page 56 of The Shadow King's Brother

And when we do, the ones who took her will understand what it means to awaken the wrath of the Shadow King.

Chapter9

Victoria Galli

I wake to thick,suffocating darkness, like the world has swallowed me whole.

Where the hell am I?

My body aches. My head throbs. There’s a sharp sting along my ribs, like something tearing beneath the skin. I try to move, but everything feels heavy—too heavy. Like my limbs belong to someone else. Like I’ve been drugged. Or worse.

I blink into the shadows, trying to make sense of my surroundings. The air smells stale, like old wood and dust, and the faintest glimmer of light cuts through the darkness from the corner of the room, just enough to outline a worn armchair. I don’t know where I am. I can’t remember how I got here.

I push myself up slightly, my back pressing into the cold surface beneath me. A low groan escapes my lips, but I quickly swallow it, my mind racing.

Why does everything feel wrong?

There’s no sound. My heart beats faster as I struggle to recall anything, but nothing comes. Just fragments. The bedroom. Shots fired. A man.

The door creaks open.

A figure steps inside, silhouetted by the sharp light in the hallway. My pulse spikes as recognition hits me like a wave. It’s him. The man from the parking lot. The one who attacked me. The same man that took me from the De Luca mansion. He must have used some drug, because I can’t remember a damn thing.

Shit.

I sit up, wincing at the pain in my side, but I force myself to stay steady, to not show fear. Not in front of him. Not now.

He takes a slow step into the room, his gaze piercing through the darkness. He’s tall, broad-shouldered, with striking features made sharper by the shadows—high cheekbones, a strong jaw, hair cut short and dark as ink. There’s a kind of cold elegance to him, the kind some would call handsome. But to me, he’s just a monster in nice packaging.

And still… there’s something about him. A flicker in the way he walks, the way his eyes scan me—it’s familiar. I can’t place it, and that unsettles me more than I want to admit.

“You’re awake,” he says, his voice rough, like gravel scraping against metal.

I don’t say anything at first; I just stare at him. The anger, confusion, and terror all boils inside me, but I can’t give him the satisfaction of seeing it.

“You,” I manage to rasp, my throat dry, “what the hell do you want? Who are you? Where am I?”

A smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth, but his eyes stay cold. “Name’s Eddie. You’ve got a lot of questions, Galli. But you’re gonna need to be patient if you want answers.”

I shift slightly, ready to stand, but the pain in my side stops me. I grit my teeth. “You think I’m just gonna sit here and wait for you to explain yourself?Youattacked me.”

“Did I?” His tone is playful as if he’s enjoying this. “I think you’re remembering it wrong.”

I narrow my eyes at him, fury burning in my chest. “Don’t play games with me.”

He steps closer, and for the first time, I notice the knife at his belt, glinting in the dim light like a quiet threat. My breath catches, but I don’t flinch.

“You don’t get to decide how this goes, Victoria Galli,” he says, voice low, almost tender. “You’re not in control anymore.”

Galli. Always Galli. Why?

I straighten as much as I can. “Let me out of here,” I say, my tone steady despite the fire gnawing at my side. My gaze flicks to the door, calculating. I could try to lunge, catch him off guard—but my body’s sluggish. Weak. Poisoned.

I shift, and pain lances through me.

He chuckles, and the sound makes my skin crawl. “Sorry about that,” he says. “Had to incapacitate you. Can’t have a girl like you pulling one of your dumb, brave stunts. Even half-dead, you’re dangerous. I like that about you.”

My jaw tightens.

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