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PART ONE

THE SHADOWS

CHAPTER 1

SORIN

For the first twelve hours he was home, the Prince of the Fire Court did not leave his private bedroom. Beatrix had to summon additional Healers to help keep Scarlett comfortable and asleep. She vomited often as her body detoxed and went through withdrawal from the tonic. Sorin and Briar were exhausted from having to counter her magic as it surfaced over and over again. Finally, the vomiting ceased. Finally, a slight color returned to her cheeks. Finally, flames and ice stopped appearing. Finally, she slept.

Shadows still swirled around her, but they seemed to have lessened. Then again, maybe he was just hoping they had lessened. They wouldn’t let anyone touch her. Anyone who tried was burned by them. The Healers had gotten creative, using old spells to keep her asleep rather than relying solely on their healing magic. He forced his way past them a few times to try and comfort her in any way possible, but her darkness only allowed it for a few minutes at a time before he was forced back out.

When Scarlett hadn’t so much as sighed in her sleep in the last hour, he slipped from the room and found Prince Briar Drayce sprawled on the couch in his sitting room, his eyes closed. He opened one eye when he heard Sorin’s approach.Sorin flopped into one of the chairs and groaned.

“Well, that was delightful,” Briar drawled, thick with sarcasm.

Sorin grunted in reply, closing his own eyes. He hadn’t been this drained since before he went to the human kingdoms. He wasn’t sure he could summon enough flame to light a candle at this point. He had been drained when they arrived, and every time he managed to fill a little of his magic reserves, it was immediately depleted once more.

“So you’re back,” Briar said after several minutes of silence.

Sorin grunted in reply again.

“Did you lose the ability to speak in the mortal lands?”

Sorin threw him a vulgar gesture and heard him bark his laughter.

After a few more minutes of silence, Briar tried again. “You’re back for good?”

“I’m back for good,” Sorin replied, opening his eyes. Briar was still sprawled on the couch, ice crackling at his fingertips. “How do you have any magic left?”

“I haven’t spent the last three years in magic deprived kingdoms?” Briar offered.

“Valid point.”

“So the female?”

“The female.”

“She’s strong.”

“She is.”

“She’s Fae.”

“She is.”

“I’m going to need a little more here, Sorin,” Briar said, annoyance creeping into his tone. “You bring power like that into our Courts, I’m going to need some sort of explanation as to who she is.”

“She’s my twin flame.”

“You’re kidding.” Briar sat up, the crackling ice disappearing.

“Nope.”

“You’re sure?”

Sorin held up his left hand to show him the Mark that adorned it, closing his eyes again. Briar swore under his breath. “She doesn’t bear a companion Mark.”

“No, she doesn’t.”