Page 21 of Crimson Shadows
“When will you learn? Sneaky is what I’m made of.”
Corvus drops from his perch and shifts in mid-air to land at my feet, fully clothed, thank fuck. “No shit, djinn-lock. You got anything else to share? Like what the fuck she is doing here? How no one knew she existed until right now? And least of all, what the fuck is she?”
“She’s a vampire,” Zaiah shrugs.
“No,” Corvus says with a fangy smile, which makes me roll my eyes. “Not a vampire.”
“Totally a vampire,” I say, pushing off from the tree, straightening my suit jacket, and brushing off imaginary dirt from my sleeve.
“And how would you know? Dark Fae have zero sense when it comes to not-vampires.”
“Who cares, anyway?” I retort, caught out. Corvus is right. Dark Fae are completely useless at sensing other creatures. But I’m not about to admit that to him. “The point is, she’s Randall Black’s daughter. That makes her off-limits and dangerous.”
Corvus snorts. “Since when has off-limits and dangerous ever stopped us? Daddy whip some sense into your arse over the summer, Zeph?”
“Fuck you,” I grumble, although he isn’t far wrong. Dad is a massive pain in my arse. King of the Dark Fae, although in no way close to retiring, or dying, he is brutal in his discipline, hoping to get me in line before I have to run the Kingdom. The chances of that happening are slim to none, though. I despise rules and will break them every chance I get. However, and there is a giant ‘but’ to this conversation… she is Randall Black’s daughter and that means something around here, whether we admit that to ourselves or not.
“You two are missing the point,” Zaiah interjects, his white eyes gleaming with mischief. “Think about it. Randall Black’s daughter, hidden away all this time, suddenly shows up at MistHallow? There’s more to this than meets the eye.”
I narrow my eyes, considering his words. He’s right, of course. Nothing happens by chance in our world, especially not when it involves someone as powerful and influential as Randall Black.
“What do you know?” Corvus demands, taking a menacing step towards Zaiah, but he is all teeth, and Zaiah knows it.
Zaiah holds up his hands, still grinning. “Who said I knew anything? But I’m not blind or stupid, and I will say this—that girl is going to shake things up around here. And personally, I can’t wait to see it happen.”
I grunt at Zaiah’s cryptic bullshit. Typical djinn, always speaking in riddles. But he’s right about one thing - Miss Black’s presence at MistHallow is going to cause waves. Big ones.
“What’s her name?” I murmur.
“Adelaide,” Zaiah replies. “In the human world, Adelaide Légère.”
“Légère? Light. And yet her name here is Black. Interesting juxtaposition.”
Corvus snorts. “Ooh, someone forced into Dark Fae Summer school, these last few weeks?”
I don’t dignify that with a response. Despite my natural rebellious attitude, I enjoy learning.
“So, what’s the play here?” Corvus asks, interrupting my thoughts, his eyes gleaming with predatory interest. “Now that I’ve smelt her, I’m not walking away from that.”
“Eww,” I mutter. “But we’re not. Not a fucking chance. Little Light Dollie is going to turn all the way Black before the first term is out.”
“You sense her aura?” Corvus asks, intrigued.
“Naturally,” I scoff. “She is pure, not innocent, but she is naïve, delicate. She is terrified of something out there, but more so of us. She is happy to be here, but confused and curious.”
“You got all that from a few minutes with her?” Corvus asks, slightly jealous.
I grin, my sharp teeth on display. I may not have fangs, but my canines are wickedly knife-like and will draw blood just as easily. “I did. Blood is your thing, emotions are mine. She will be easy to manipulate for a while.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Zaiah scoffs. “She caught on to me trying to get her to make a wish really fucking quickly. It was…” He breathes hard through his nose. “Irritating.”
I raise an eyebrow at Zaiah’s admission. It’s rare for a djinn to be thwarted, especially him. This Adelaide is proving more interesting by the minute.
“Well, well,” I drawl. “Looks like Little Light Dollie has some fire in her, after all.”
Corvus chuckles darkly. “All the more reason to get closer. I do love a challenge. And if it’s fire we’re dealing with, you know who we need.”
I chuckle. “Ignatius will be here tomorrow. He had… things to deal with.”
