Page 36 of Taken to the Shadow Realm

Allura’s smile flashed across my mind. She wouldn’t want this. She wouldn’t want me to endanger myself.

The royal guards had probably already been alerted of something going on in the twin’s bedroom. Soon, this room would be filled with people who wanted to kill me. And if that happened… What about Iris? She wouldn’t be safe in my realm, all alone.

It was that thought alone that calmed me.

“I would have sent for you,” Eros said, noticing the room was getting lighter as my shadows retreated. “But I assumed you knew.”

“Well, I didn’t,” I hissed. I let the shadows consume me. Home. Get home. “I will hold you to that fucking favor.”

I used my shadows to travel back to my realm and into the kitchen where I'd left my human.

I needed to feel her against me. Tell her everything will be alright. To tell her she’s safe in this realm. With me.

But when I got there, there was only a half-eaten plate.

My little pet was nowhere to be found.

Iris

I was struggling to get my eyes open.

My body felt heavy, the weight of it pushing me down into the soft bed. My mind was fuzzy and desperately tried to lull me back into a deep sleep.

But there was something wrong. Something nagging at the back of my mind told me I was in danger.

I shifted against the material, my body sinking into it and refusing to get up. It was so soft. So welcoming.

Then, memories flashed through my mind.

Me and Yien. Talking about the souls. The way her claws caressed my skin. The look on her face when she found out about her sibling. How at home I felt in her arms. I had been eating. Waiting for her to come home. And then I was?—

I jolted out of bed, panic running through me.

My eyes adjusted to the bright room in seconds. It’s the same. Horror washed through me. The same exposed brick. The same tall beds.

I pulled back the blanket on the bed, looking down at my attire.

The same slip. I am back at the auction.

It was the same as when I had woken up the first time. Except then, the room was silent.

“The little human awakes,” called an all too familiar voice.

My eyes darted to the other side of the room, where the white-haired, red-winged demon was waiting for me. My first instinct was to flee, but with her right by the door and no other exit in this place… I was trapped.

There was a sinister smile on her lips as she watched my mind come to terms with where I was.

How? Why?

Yien promised no one would ever hurt me again, and then all of a sudden I was back at the auction?

It doesn’t make sense.

“Where’s Yien?” I asked, trying to keep the panic from my voice.

The demon looked amused that I even asked.

“She skimped on payment,” she said with a shrug. “So you are back here and will be going through the auction again.”

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