Page 66 of Shadows of Fate

My shadows spiked, moving below my skin. Almost to full power, but not quite. I could have killed him just for the way he spoke her name, as if he had the right to. “Over my dead body will you come anywhere near her.”

He laughed, again. Which was actually starting to piss me off.

“Oh, My Lord, that is the plan. You see, we know that you being taken will—” He looked around the room for a moment, as if searching for the proper word. “—leave her a bit resentful toward my group. That’s what we’re counting on.”

“How exactly does my female being angry help you?” I asked.

“Anger can quickly turn to desperation when it’s monitored closely, and honestly, Raiden, I’ve been monitoring very closely. Everything worked out exactly the way I’d planned, and soon she’ll be back with our master and he can carry on with our plans for Kostbare.”

“And what exactly are his plans?” I questioned.

“Oh now, don’t ask too many questions. Can’t be too careful after all. All will play out in due time, so don’t fret too much. But it is important that you know she belongs to our master, not you. No matter what the Fates have deemed, she will always be his.”

The more he said it, the more rage was boiling in my veins. He suddenly rose from his chair to come closer, and I gritted my teeth, trying to bide my time.

The only thing I could come up with was that maybe he sired her, and that was why he felt such a claim was valid. However, it wasn’t. Not in our world.

“Now, I’m sure all that anger is ruining my well-thought-out venom placement, and seeing as I don’t wish to die in the midst of our questions, this is just some insurance.” He leaned in closer, but before I could rip his throat out, he slammed the second shadow stone blade into my side again.

I smashed my teeth together and hissed, trying not to give him the joy of hearing my scream. He smiled and started for the door.

“I’ll head out soon, but first I do have a few questions. From my master, of course.” He smirked. His tone oozed confidence he didn’t deserve to possess. “What do you know about born vampires?”

I could already feel the venom he stabbed me with taking effect, so maybe I didn’t hear him correctly.

“The… born vampires? What about them?” I questioned.

“Specifically how they come to be… made,” he stated, his demeanor completely sincere.

I started chuckling. I couldn’t help it. “Wow. Did your master not explain sex to you?”

He let out a sigh. “That’s fine. You clearly aren’t ready to talk yet. I’ll be back soon, Raiden. This was a lower dose, so it shouldn’t affect you much, and you’ll be more inclined to chat when I come back.”

He patted my shoulder and I tried to pull my shadows back, but I could feel them receding back into whatever slumber this venom he’d concocted was pushing them into. I let out a breath and sleep quickly overtook me.

Chapter34

Light Brown

Silvana

Iwas on the docks of The Black Sea, with no idea how I’d gotten there. Which was strange enough on its own, but it was also daylight and I wasn’t up in flames.

I looked down at the dock, watching the humans around me going about their business. It looked different in the daylight, or maybe it was the clothes or fish merchants. I wasn’t sure. But I knew this wasn’t the normal docks of Darkmoor.

I walked past the stalls of merchants, coming to the conclusion that this must be a dream. But then I saw him.

He was talking to a young girl with long blonde hair and a smile that screamed she picked flowers for fun. He was smaller now, not as broad. His dark hair was cut short, just long enough to tuck behind his ears.

“Raiden?” I asked, but no one looked at me. Odd, but okay.

I walked around to see him full-on. His eyes were a light brown rimmed in a deep gold color. I smiled at the sight. He looked so innocent and carefree here. Part of me wondered if this was real. Bastian and Micah had mentioned dream sharing, so this easily could be a memory of Raiden’s.

Deciding to just ride it out, I followed him back through the streets to his home. It looked exactly the same as it did now. I wondered if he had anything to do with that.

“You know, you seem much more laid-back here, as a human, My Lord,” I said. I smiled sadly, knowing he couldn’t hear me but being happy to talk to any version of him. Any part of him I could see and hold on to.

He paused before the front door and I glanced around him, realizing it was ajar. Was this typical for humans? Leaving their doors open? I had no idea. I watched as he slowly pushed the door open.

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