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“Because there is now.”

Moving toward the beacon shimmering beneath the door, I hear Brax’s footsteps rushing toward me.

“What the fuck?” he whispers as I reach for the door handle, but before I can grasp it, Brax kicks the wood with his heavy boot, splintering the door frame in the process.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to berate him, spew some shit about not being such a brute, but it falls short when the reason for the green glow comes into view.

“Raven,” Brax says, not turning to look at me, and I step in beside him, lacing my fingers through his.

“Is that…”

“Yeah,” Brax answers, pulling me a step closer to the shimmering green jewels of the emerald gate. The emerald gate that leads to the Realm of Shadows. The same gate that disappeared back in the caves. Now it stands before us.

“I guess it’s found a better place,” I breathe, still in complete disbelief.

“I guess so.”

“What do we do now?” I ask, knowing the answer but wanting to hear him say it.

His thumb runs over my knuckles as he exhales slowly. A flicker of understanding and excitement dances in his eyes when his gaze meets mine.

“It’s time we figured out how to do exactly what the prophecy declared.”

A shiver runs through me as I step through the emerald gate, still completely stunned by the fact that it appeared in our home. I’m taking it as a sign that the Realm of Shadows trusts us to be what it needs. Or is it the Realm of Eternity? I’m still all tangled up on the prophecy; the intricacies of it leave me confused.

The dim light from Creed’s room is quickly replaced with the marbled effect of grays, from almost white to coal black. My hand remains engulfed in Brax’s as his childhood home comes into view. However, the clear path that we usually have to the wraparound porch is obscured by silhouettes and shadows.

Gulping, I feel the energy shift around us. “What’s going on?” I ask Brax, not pulling my eyes from the obstruction.

“Ask them,” he mutters, instantly reminding me of Erikel’s bullshit comment about me not being able to speak with the shadows even though I’m a necromancer.

“I don’t know how,” I remind him, my body tingling with anticipation from the vulnerability I know they will likely sense.

Brax’s thumb caresses my knuckles again. “You just have to take your time, Raven. Feel it inside.”

I recall the fact that he has been able to do this. I don’t know how, but it worked. He managed to get the shadows to bring me here in my sleep. I want to give him some smart remark about thinking he’s a pro now, but compared to me, he just might be, so I keep my mouth shut instead.

As much as I need Brax’s comfort and touch right now to keep me grounded, I need to focus on my magic and the shadows before me, so I release his hand and take a step toward them. I instantly want to lace my hands together, twiddle my thumbs, and sink my teeth into my lip. The need to fidget is overwhelming as fuck. But that only reveals more weaknesses I don’t want to expose. Apparently, being out of Shadowmoor for this long has softened me inside. A fact that I’m more than happy with, but for now, it’s the old me that’s needed when it comes to this war. The version of me that didn’t lower her walls for anyone. That swung her fists first and asked questions later. That’s what I need, no matter who it is I’m communicating with.

Rolling my shoulders back, I relax my hands at my sides and tilt my chin up, oozing the effortless confidence I used to own, even though it doesn’t quite sit with me the same as it once did.

“I want to understand the prophecy, the intricacies of the situation, and I feel the pain that runs deeply throughout this realm. I want to help you as much as I want to bring my family home.” The words pour from my mouth without thought, and I find each and every one of them to be true.

I mean it.

I do want to help.

That pain I felt from the binder resonates inside of me.

One shadow moves, inching toward me as it grows in size. I stand tall, refusing to falter as it drifts perfectly so the silhouette of a hand ghosts over mine.

“Darkness. Promise. Change.”

The words echo in my mind, reiterating three words from the guidance written in the binder on how to fulfill the prophecy. It feels like words of promise, words of confirmation that it’s me they believe can do it. My darkness, my desire for change.

“Raven.” I tilt my face to see Eldon step onto the porch first, and I smile, but quickly look back to the shadows as they dissipate, no longer standing between us and the house.

With a clear path, I rush toward him, leaping when I’m close enough and he catches me seamlessly. Wrapping my arms around his neck, his hands splay against my back as I breathe him in.