Page 83 of Shadows of Fate

I tried not to think like that, but it was hard given her reaction had been that of seeing a stranger for the first time. No emotion. No attachment. Nothing.

“So, tell me about yourself, Silvie,” Keres stated.

I dropped my glass to the stone floor in an act of pure consternation. The glass shattered at my feet, leaving behind a puddle of blood that reminded me much of my past life I’d left behind in these walls.

I could feel the shadows aching underneath Raiden’s skin, and I reached over and grabbed his arm. I was fine. I was okay. I wasn’t going to break like my glass did on the floor beneath my feet. I wasn’t going to break like he expected me to.

“I’m sorry about your glass, Keres, the blood goes straight to my head sometimes, you know?” I said, a fake smile aching on my face, and his name tasting like ash in my mouth.

He nodded in reply. “I know exactly what you mean.”

The conversation quickly diverted away from me and myclumsiness, and before I knew it, another female I didn’t recognize was showing us to rooms for the evening. She’d shown us to three rooms on the same level, but before I could even worry about being away from the rest of our friends, they were all in the room with us.

Cedar quickly shifted back to his vampire form and looked around at the males surrounding me.

“We’ll take shifts in pairs to keep watch. One at the window and one at the door,” Bastian whispered. “Speak in low tones, we don’t know who’s listening. Nothing you don’t want them to know, just to be on the safe side.”

The four of us nodded in agreement, and Bastian and Paine took the first watch.

Raiden and I laid on the bed atop the blankets, my head on his chest and his arm wrapped tightly around me.

“How do you feel about Cora, My Queen?”Raiden asked gently.

I looked up at him, tears brimming my eyes. “Lost. Confused. Concerned. Part of me hoped she wasn’t here, Raiden. I’d hoped she’d escaped. But she didn’t. She’s been here the entire time without me there to protect her. What kind of sister does that make me?”

“You’re here now, Silvana. You remember now. You know now. Let’s go from there. We’ll figure it out, okay?”he said.

I nodded my head in agreement and curled around him tighter, smiling as a few of his shadows escaped and curled around me as well.

It wasn’t long before sleep took me.

* * *

Iwas limping through the snow.

“Come on, Silv, don’t stop now,” a feminine voice whispered from next to me.

I looked at the figure beside me, her shape slowly coming into focus. She had her arm wrapped around me, my arm over her shoulders, stumbling through the deep snow that seemed to be melting as we walked. I couldn’t see very well. Everything looked like foggy shapes and colors.

“Where are we going?” I asked her. My voice sounded strange—gargled.

“You have to leave, Silv, or he’s going to kill you. We just have to get you over the border into another court and you’ll be safe. You’ll move on and live your life. Leave me behind, and I’ll protect you.”

I could smell the salty tears on her cheeks. The soft scent of oranges and some sort of flower coming from her. I knew that smell just like I knew her voice. But something was wrong with my mind because I didn’t know who she was.

“It’ll be scary, I know. But it’s going to be okay. I promise. I made sure of it. No one will come after you. You trust me, right, Silv?” she pleaded.

I felt myself nod. I trusted her. This female I couldn’t remember. I knew I trusted her. I just didn’t know why.

I sat up in bed, gasping for air. Raiden was there, hands on my shoulders, whispering calming words into my ear.

“Are you okay, My Queen?” he whispered.

“Sh-she—she was the one who brought me out,” I replied, tears now running down my face. “She got me out of this prison, Raiden. She risked herself and got me out so he didn’t kill me.”

“Who did, Silvana?” he asked. I looked around and noticed they were all staring at me.

Cedar with a look of sadness, as if he already knew. Paine and Bastian with looks of confusion.

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