Page 1 of Claimed By Shadow and Blood
Chapter One
Briar
Abitter smell filled my nose, and my stomach roiled. The sound of heavy, frantic footsteps rushing away pulled at my consciousness, but when I tried to open my eyes, the world spun and bile inched up my throat.
What the hell? Had I drunk too much?Ember, what’s going on?I tried to pack link to my older sister. But then I noticed that the warmth of our pack link bond was muted...and everything crashed back over me—being kidnapped and swept into another realm. Then thrown into deadly bridal trials where contestants didn’t hesitate to murder each other in an attempt to survive and gain favor with both the Shadow and Aureline Councils to wed the Shadow Prince.
Vad.
At the ball, he’d asked me to be his queen.
The breeze shifted, and the floral perfume of lilies mixed with the coppery tang of blood. The scent was so strong I could taste it.
It was still nighttime. I was on the ground, one arm outstretched. I tried to move my hand, but it wouldn’t budge. My fingers seemed to be wrapped around a wooden handle. Thick liquid soaked my gown, hot near my hand and sleeve but cooling as it reached my chest and side, and a strange arm was wrapped around me, cold fingers pressed to my shoulder.
Adrenaline pumped through my veins, burning off some of the haze, and I finally managed to open my eyes.
My stomach dropped.
In the shadows of what I thought might be a garden, King Merrick lay beside me, dressed in his black royal surcoat with silver embellishments. I lay next to him with my hand....
Oh Fate. No.
My fingers were wrapped around the handle of a...adaggerthat was lodged in his chest, left of center, barely shy of his heart.
A strangled scream ripped from me.
What thefuck?
“Help! The king needs help!” I shouted. I tried to push myself up, my bare feet scrabbling on the slick stone, but I got no traction. Instead, I slid in the blood that coated my entire side.
My heart twisted. I had to put pressure on his wound. The blade needed to remain in place until a physician could oversee its removal, or it could worsen the bleeding and his condition.
I placed my free hand against the marble, needing extra help to get onto my knees. As I rose, a sickening squelch sounded, and my other hand pulled out the dagger like it was attached to me. My heart dropped into my stomach.
And then the entire nightmare came to light.
Dark blood spurted from the gaping wound and poured onto the pathway. A sharp hiss escaped the king’s chest, wet and wrong, like something tearing open.
The king’s dark blue eyes met mine, and my throat tightened. He was in even worse shape than I had feared.
Eyes glassy and lips pale, he lifted a hand and dropped it to his chest like he was beckoning me to come near. I dropped to my knees beside him and lowered my head, just as his tongue ran over his lips as if they were parched. His next breath came with a horrible sucking sound, as if air was being pulled through his wound. Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. "L-l-lilies," he gurgled weakly.
A scream tore through me as I pressed my free palm over his wound. Despite the pressure, my wolf ears picked up on his weakening heart. As if Fate were taunting me, thick blood pulsed against my hand, slower and slower, and not due to the pressure.
I tried to drop the dagger so I could better help the king, but my fingers remained wrapped around the handle. A weird, smooth, dark rope bound it to my hand. It looked like it was made of ordinary fibers, but it felt like a snake, and when I tried to shake it off, a prickling and pinching sensation at every point of contact consumed me.
My heart nearly stopped. Thishadto be some sort of awful nightmare. One I needed to wake from.
My wolf within surged forward, sensing danger. She was right, though I couldn’t panic. I needed to stay as calm as possible.
Breathing through my mouth, I studied the dagger. It was half the length of my forearm, the metal blade slick with blood with faint traces of iridescent green on the blade.
The strange black cord around my hand turned iridescent, then gray, then faded. The dagger clattered to the blood-soaked ground and splattered in an arc of thick red droplets.
Footsteps pounded again, this time coming toward me.
I whimpered as my vision blurred. “Please, hold on. They’re almost here.” His face had gone deathly pale, but his eyes remained fixed on me as he tried again to form words. Hisfingers twitched like he wanted to communicate but couldn’t. Nothing but rasping breaths escaped him.
