Page 15 of The Shadow's Soulmate

“Thank you for the entertainment, though. Oh, have you noticed?"

“Noticed what?”

“Your connection with the little human is attracting the wrong sort of attention.”

His eyes widened with surprise and fear. Perhaps that sliver of knowledge would help him to react more quickly, unburdened by surprise, when the time came. I couldn’t give him any more, though. Everything was so tenuous. I blipped away from the cell block.

I landed back in Ella’s room. She wasn’t there. I sat on the bed feeling like there was a rock in my stomach. It wouldn’t go away until I’d spoken to her. Until I overcame what was apparently the one fear I’d had in centuries. Telling her that I loved her.

I waited and waited. Fidgeting and uncomfortable before, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer. There was one other thing onmy mind that needed to be sorted. My heart. I blipped back to the cellblock. No sign of the minotaur and orc. But sat there was the lich. He had a pack of cards in his hands. I sat down and let my mind open.

“Game?” I said, pointing at the cards.

He looked at me, narrowing his eyes for a moment. Every interaction in prison had the potential to turn nasty. You had to stay on your guard. I could see that this creature was dangerous. Maybe even to me if I wasn’t careful. There was no point in trying to manipulate him. He’d be able to tell. Liches have strange magic. I was going to have to do another thing I was uncomfortable with for my mate. Be honest.

“Okay. What did you have in mind?”

“Heads up poker.”

“What are we playing for?”

“A favor. One hand, all or nothing.”

He laughed, but dealt the cards. A vision flashed in my mind of the cards in his hand.

“How very apt,” I said.

“Is it?”

“You’ve recently found the queen of your heart, haven’t you?”

His whole body tensed. This protective creature would try to rip me apart if he thought I was a threat to his mate. I knew the feeling. Except I couldn’t. I had to be honest, I reminded myself. Open and honest. I laid it all out for him. What I needed and wanted. My heart, the axe. We prodded at each other a bit, postured to see if one of us would successfully intimidate theother. We didn’t. In the end, it came down to one thing. The same thing that it would come down to for all of us.

“Can you see if she will be safe? My mate?”

I focused on his and her thread and moved around the vision. Making decisions about what to tell him and seeing how it changed. Manipulating the visions in this way was tiring, and it was starting to wear me down.

“Direct her to the window. It will be safe for the first 10 minutes or so.”

“Which window?”

“Next to the infirmary.”

I stood and left, feeling exhausted. I’d done what I needed to here. Back in my cell I collapsed on the bed, passing out nearly instantly.

Chapter 11

Ella

I’d thought that he’d come to see me. He hadn’t been able to keep away from me for weeks. But now he wasn’t anywhere to be found. I wandered around for a while, looking in every corner and shadow. Nothing. I checked my room, and he wasn’t there. I wandered back out to the therapists' lounge and found Heather sat quietly in a corner. She seemed troubled, so I sat down near her and smiled.

She smiled back and sighed. It felt like she wanted to talk, but wasn’t sure how to begin. I felt the same. Perhaps one of us just needed to dive in.

“I found my mate, Heather.”

She blinked in surprise.

“Me too.”

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