Page 90 of Crimson Shadows
Zaiah’s brow furrows, his ancient eyes clouded with worry. “Another presence? Did you recognise it, Adelaide?”
I shake my head, still unable to find my voice. The memory of that other self, so familiar yet so alien, sends a shiver down my spine. “No, and yes. It was me. It was another me.”
I can see their confusion, but I have no other way to explain it.
Zaiah steps forward. “May I?” he asks, his hand hovering near my forehead.
I nod, and he places his palm against my skin. Warmth spreads from his touch, soothing and calming. For a moment, I feel the djinn’s power flowing through me, searching, probing.
His eyes widen slightly as he pulls his hand away. “There is something there,” he murmurs. “A great power. It’s dormant now, but...”
“But what?” Zephyr demands, his patience clearly wearing thin.
Zaiah shakes his head. “It’s not a threat. At least not to Addy.”
A heavy silence falls over the room. I can feel their eyes on me, filled with concern, curiosity, and something else. Fear, probably. All of this is not what they signed up for. Mind you, it’s not what I signed up for either, so I can’t blame them if they run and hide.
But when I look around at these four extraordinary beings, each powerful in their own right, each connected to me in ways I’m only beginning to understand, I feel a surge of emotion. Gratitude, fear, and something deeper, more complex because they aren’t running. They are here with me, and they aren’t leaving.
Corvus pulls me close, and I feel the others gathering around us. A circle of protection, a barrier against whatever darkness is trying to claim me.
But as I close my eyes, I know that this is just the beginning. The battle for control has only just begun, and the stakes are higher than any of us could imagine.
In the depths of my mind, in that dark room newly discovered, something stirs. Waiting. Watching. And I know, with a certainty that chills me to my core, that this is far from over.
38
ADELAIDE
The guys hover around me.Their concern is suffocating, even if I appreciate their intentions. I need space. I need to think. The room feels smaller with all of them here, their powerful presence filling every corner. I’m not used to this. I’m used to me and dealing with things on my own.
“I need you all to leave,” I blurt out. I feel a pang of guilt, but I know it’s necessary.
They exchange glances, clearly reluctant. I can see the worry etched on their faces, the tension in their bodies. They want to protect me, but right now, I need to protect myself.
“Adelaide,” Zaiah starts, his white eyes filled with worry. “Are you sure that’s wise? After what just happened?—"
“I’m sure,” I cut him off, perhaps more harshly than I intended. “Please. I need to be alone.”
Corvus lifts me off his lap and pulls the covers over me quickly. He gets dressed before he reaches for my hand. His touch, so comforting earlier, now feels like an intrusion. “Addy, we’re just worried about you. What if it happens again?”
I pull my hand away, immediately regretting the hurt that flashes across his face. It’s like a knife to my gut, but I steelmyself. “Then it happens again. But I need to figure this out on my own. At least for now.”
Zephyr, surprisingly, is the first to nod. “We should respect her wishes,” he says. There’s an understanding that I didn’t expect in his gaze. Of all of them, he seems to grasp my need for solitude the most. That says a lot about him.
Ignatius looks like he wants to argue, his fiery nature is clearly at odds with the idea of leaving me alone. But after a moment, he sighs, the fight going out of him. “Fine. But promise you’ll come to us if anything happens. Anything at all.”
I nod, relief washing over me as they move towards the door. It’s like the air is coming back into the room, allowing me to breathe again.
Zaiah creates a pocket dimension for himself and Ignatius, the air shimmering as they step through. Zephyr transforms into a gust of wind, his presence lingering for a moment before slipping out the window. Corvus is the last to leave, his eyes lingering on me. The intensity of his gaze makes my heart ache.
“Be careful,” he says softly before transforming into a bat and following Zephyr out. It’s only when I get up to close the window behind them, I wonder how they got in without me inviting them. Have the wards failed? Or do they just recognise my fated mates? Mates. Is that even a thing? I guess it is.
The room feels bigger now, less claustrophobic, but the silence is almost deafening. I can hear my heartbeat, steady but fast, like a drum in my ears.
I race upstairs to the bathroom, wincing at my reflection in the mirror. Dried blood cakes my cheeks, my eyes red-rimmed and puffy. I look like hell. Like I’ve been through a war. In a way, I suppose I have: an internal one for my soul.
I jump when my reflection turns back to that Crimson bitch, but I glare at her, my body primed.
