Page 23 of The Shadow Fae Rhapsody
“How uninspired…” the assassin mutters almost tediously, staring at the darkness beyond us. “He’s calling those same monsters again.”
Yes, but more of them, Shade…By the sound of it, hundreds. And they’ll be here soon.
I don’t know how we are going to fight all those beasts. We barely survived two dozen of them.
“Half of my organs are leaking. You should make a run for it,” Shade suddenly whispers. He juts his head to the other end of the tunnel, urging me to leave.
I stare and blink at him, without moving from my spot.
“I’ll follow you soon. Go now,” he adds.
I feel like I’ve heard those words spoken to me long ago, at a time when I was useless, powerless, and weak. But I’m neither of those things now.
I recognize the lie.
“I’m not five, Shade.” I shake my head. No more running. No more leaving the people I care about behind. I clench my fists in determination.
“Let me borrow your bone knife,” I say to him.
Shade arches a brow at the command. But the best thing about him is that he never questions anything I do. I can always count on him to play along. He delivers it to my hand without stalling.
“Be still and silent for the next seventy seconds. Do not even breathe,” I tell him as I draw the runes of the summoning circle on the ground. Recognition shines in Shade’s smoky eyes when he realizes I’m just like him.
A summoner.
There’s no way for me to contact Lulu in such short timing, Nimue will faint in Shade’s presence, and I’ve cut ties with Jessica. The only one I can rely on is Ed.
“God of Terrible Things, Devourer of Souls, heed my call—”
I stop from uttering another word.
Another growling sound reverberates from the tunnel behind us, but this one is different.
Familiar.
It’s him.
My husband.
Chapter 2 Rhianelle
Ifeel his power beckoning to me long before I see him walking towards us. The stagnant air in the tunnel trembles at his presence, becoming charged. I can’t fight the silly smile rising to my face as I call his name. “Svenn!”
My heart leaps at the sight of him, kicking and jumping in my chest. The joy vanishes the moment the rat demons arrive at the end of the tunnel right behind him.
Hundreds of them.
Running, swimming, crawling the walls like cockroaches.
Heavens above…
The fastest one draws close enough to strike him from the back. I get up to protect him but my stupid ankle fails me—just as the rat fails to bury its claw into Svenn.
Shadow coats the vampire’s body like armor. The same darkness now envelops me, protecting my body from harm.
Svenn levels a cool, unimpressed glare at the incoming threat. Everything happens so fast I barely register it. He snaps his fingers and flames dance before my eyes.
The beasts balk from him too little too late. A sea of fire surges from Svenn.
