Page 49 of Shannon in Sombra

But Susanna and Haures never had children. I always thought that was odd. I mean, fifty years worth of gold moons and they never had an oopsie? Unless… unless Haures knew of a prophecy about the first demon-human halfling—and his mate promised away her firstborn child.

Herfirstborn, notmine.

“I said what I had to to escape.” Susanna sighs, trembling slightly. “But I didn’t know then that a vow in Sombra… you can’t break it. He gave me Dagon’s life. Since I didn’t have a child yet and possibly never would, he said he would take something I hold dear until I complete our bargain.”

She pauses, waiting to see if Yelios will interject again. When he doesn’t, she glances down at the human man who is now sitting up, leaning against Amy, his eyes drawn to the ash, both dazed and obviously ashamed.

He doesn’t say a word, either.

“I didn’t know it was Dan,” she says, voice gone soft. “I don’t even know how he got involved. I haven’t seen him since 1987… but that’s Dan. Mindy’s husband… that’s Amelia’s father.”

“Dad,” Amy ruffles the back of his dark blond head. “I… you left Mom. You left us. What happened?”

“I, too, want to hear it from the human,” announces Haures.

I’m with both of them.

“I transferred essence from a demon who came to escape his existence in my shadows,” Yelios rumbles. “I tied Daniel to me so that he could do my bidding.”

Technically, that’s possible. Sombra demons usually wait until they’ve found their one true mate to initiate the essence exchange because they can only have one. You have to be absolutely sure that the lover you picked is the one you want to spend forever with before you do the exchange, and if they don’t give you their essence back, you’re screwed.

So if Yelios made another demon give their essence to Daniel Benoit, I would’ve been surprised if it drove him nuts. That, plus it would explain why he’s in Sombra now—though I guess that means his head’s not on the chopping block anymore—and why he looks so young.

But why?—

“The book,” blurts out Amy’s father. His voice is rusty, unused, and there is pure grief in the sound. “He made me send the book where it needed to go. To constantly remind me, year after year, that I wouldn’t be free until he had what he wanted.”

Yelios’s harsh laugh sends shivers down my spine. “The doppelseers see much, but they don’t see everything. I knew that the firstborn halfling would be my Alana returned to me. I made it so that every gods-given mated pair found each other so that I foundheragain.”

I’m not dumb enough to point out that he could’ve stopped after I hooked up with Mal. If he had, the book never would’ve made it to Hope or Sierra. Since Kennedy took the book from me, and both Billie and Tandy could’ve read it since Sierra kept it after she found Dagon. As for me… maybe that explains how theGrimoire du Sombrafound its way to Turn the Page in the first place…

“It’s my fault,” the man says. His voice is thick, tears streaming down his ragged, stubble-covered cheeks. “All I did was look for the book that Su was obsessed with. I thought it might be worth a couple of bucks. I had a wife. A little girl. Su took off, leaving everything behind. How was I supposed to know that it was a demon spellbook? Or that, when he caught me with it, he’d drag me through a portal to Hell?”

Not Hell, but I get the point.

Daniel Benoit gulps. “I told him Su was my sister-in-law. My family. And he told me that day I was his until Su gave him what he wanted. But Su didn’t. And I… oh,Amy… I had to take the baby. You see that, right?” Glassy eyes lock on my friend. “I lost mine. But to get her back… to get my sweet Amy back… he wanted his mate. His eyes… they were green. Do you see them, sweetheart?”

Amy pats his head, eyes wild and confused as she searches for Nox.

Me?

I’ve had enough.

“He’s not her mate!”

“Shannon, my flower?—”

“He’s not, Mal. You know it.Iknow it?—”

“And so I do,” says Haures. “I am the bondmaster. Whatever Yelios says, his bond died when Queen Alana did. She had all the essence he had to give. He can’t give anymore. I vow it. He is not the spawn’s mate.”

“No,” agrees Lucian. “I see her mate, and?—”

As long as it’s not Yelios, I can deal with that later. Especially since that other prophecy said Alana’s heart might stop once she finds her one true mate. But since that’s alaterproblem, and this is anowproblem…

“His eyes were green,” mumbles Dan. “But they’re white now.”

“He is lost,” adds Loki. “There is no reaching her.”

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