Page 30 of A Story of Sinners

I didn’t know what was already set in motion, and my trust in Fin’s mate was slowly withering to nothing. Still, I returned to my seat and waited.

There was a moment of silence as everyone collectively held their breath. The shadows withdrew from the room, slowly slinking under the door. An unsettling air fell over the space as we waited for the door to creak open, but one second passed, then two and three, and nothing.

People fidgeted, their panicked gazes darting about the room as they decided whether to flee, but they remained frozen, too terrified of approaching the door and meeting what lay on the other side. Dahlia’s eyes remained glued to the entrance, her fists clenched and spine straight.

She knew whatever or whomever would enter through that door. My brow furrowed; I’d never seen this side of her, but I shouldn’t have been surprised. There would always be another secret for her to keep concealed.

A loud bang followed by an explosion of splintering wood thundered about the room. Heavy footsteps thudded as malformed creatures with dark wings, blue skin, and sharp teeth filed in one at a time, forming a V formation at the center. They were shades, a term used to acknowledge the more powerful, monstrous creatures of the Otherworld.

Still, shades could be killed—it was the shadow creatures that were a concern. The shadow creatures typically took the form of birds or other animals, consisting of nothing more than smoke. Their bite was brutal, mercilessly so, and they were impossible to fight or kill. Shadow creatures were deemed lesser than shades due to their instinctual thought processes, but it only made them more significant of a threat.

Luckily, there were none, at least not yet.

The shades waited silently for their leader, most likely one of the five shade gods of the Otherworld, coined gods due to the power they held. They were large, brutish creatures with spiraling horns and unlimited power.

But what walked through wasn’t one of those five beasts, inhuman and monstrous. No, it was a fully formed male, with ivory skin and a narrow build, blue-black hair, two curved horns, and a crown of bone. He had the wings of a shade, but unlike the others, these were lined with a visible skeleton that stretched throughout the exterior. An almost human-shade hybrid.

Like my mate.

Those shadowy tendrils that invaded the room surrounded his body, stretching and writhing as he made a path through the other creatures, taking his place in front of King Aiden’s throne. His turquoise eyes scanned the space, and his lips formed a smirk as his gaze darted, landing on each leader, issuing an unspoken challenge to each one. When his eyes landed on me, a slight furrow formed above his brow.

I glared back at the male, not knowing who he was, but understanding he would be a huge problem. His attention whipped to my little crow, and a sick, almost demented, smile tugged at his lips. My stomach swirled with nausea when she met his eyes.

A look was exchanged between the two, making it clear they knew one another…well.

My blood went ice cold as he locked eyes with my mate. “Happy name day, Duana.”

Chapter13

Dahlia

Malachi’s shadows had targeted the armed individuals, nullifying any possible threat. I didn’t think when they fixed on Brandon, only reacted. I dove before him and blocked his body, halting the path of the dark tendrils. They poked and prodded at me, determined to reach around, but I wouldn’t allow it. No matter how much Brandon had hurt me, how much he’d betrayed me, I couldn’t let him die, not when there was a way to prevent it.

I still cared about him, still trusted him.

Call me a fool.

Physical harm was the least of my concerns. While I was locked away in the dungeon, there’d been nothing to do but reflect—on my actions, and the actions of those around me. While I’d pondered about Malachi and his intentions, our tumultuous relationship, I’d come to one conclusion: he wouldn’t kill me. Torture, maybe, but never murder.

He cared, in his own sick way, probably a little too much. I was his obsession. I should have seen it when we were children, while there was still a chance to do something about him.

Now, others were involved, those I loved—Redmond, Ryken, Gabriella, and even Eulalia and Brandon—and though he wouldn’t harm me, there was nothing holding him back from targeting those individuals.

“Happy name day, Duana,” Malachi drawled.

Aiden cursed under his breath. He’d heard the name before, uttered by the women of the order, and had let it go when I’d lied to him, claiming ignorance.

Aiden’s eyes darkened as he realized there wasn’t only one of my kind. There were two.

I didn’t respond as all eyes danced between us, caught in a tug of war. I simply pushed my body back into Brandon’s, my arms held to the side, as if I could block anything that came our way.

Malachi tutted. “I won’t hurt your little mortal. You can let go. I only came here to talk.”

Ryken rose from his seat, silver power crackling from his body, but when he made a move to fight, Eulalia pinched the side of his torso.

Malachi glanced over at Ryken and ground his jaw. He’d finally put a face to the male who had bitten me and marked me as his, and fury oozed from every pore. Dark shadows tinted with maroon writhed about him, and his wings stretched wider than before.

In Malachi’s mind, I was his and his alone. The idea of me having a mate was an atrocity of the greatest kind. I didn’t like the way he eyed Ryken, like he wanted to kill him and then eat his corpse.

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