Page 22

CHAPTER 22

CLAWDIA

E lizabeth called out as I left Winnie’s house, and I stopped on the pavement to wait for her.

I was glad to leave. I hated being in front of Lydia, looking bedraggled while she looked lovely with her face made up and fashionable, fitting clothes. I also hated being in Winnie’s house without her. It felt … wrong.

Being her familiar had been like a holiday, a spa break where I could heal and become myself again with the support of someone who loved and encouraged me. It gave me the time to recover from my past before more turmoil was thrown my way.

Life was a simple, quiet blessing that I hadn’t appreciated until it changed.

I could do with that break now.

“Clawdia,” Elizabeth said, catching my arm. “I’ve been meaning to speak with you.”

“Oh?” I asked. But I already knew what she was going to say. Charlie had warned me. So, I threw my shoulders back and steeled myself for the lecture.

“I heard you killed Mary.”

“I did,” I admitted, then rushed on. “I’m sorry for the loss of your niece, especially since it was me who brought about her death, and I understand you are going to grieve all you knew of her. But I’m not sorry she’s dead. She killed her girlfriend, my witch, to create a knife for Fafnir and tried to kill me again while she aided hunters in draining my soul pair. She was evil and would have done worse, given the chance. I’m glad she’s gone, and I will not apologize for it. Nor will I apologize for protecting myself and killing her.”

Elizabeth blinked in the same way I’d seen Charlie do. Then she nodded slowly and squeezed my arm. “I didn’t expect you to apologize, Clawdia. I do grieve her loss as her aunt who loved her as a girl, but I know what a monster she turned out to be. I’m only sorry you have to live with her death as a stain on your soul.”

“You were worried about me?” My relationship with Elizabeth had been fraught, to say the least. I didn’t think it was one where she might be concerned about my wellbeing after I killed her niece.

Her brown eyes softened as she took in my face. I’m not sure what she saw. “Taking a life is hard, and you are going through a lot. If you need to talk, I’m here.”

“I appreciate that,” I replied slowly. “I avenged Winnie, and I’m proud of that, but yes, I’ve only ever wanted to heal people, not take lives. I’ve not been thinking about it, to be honest, since there’s so much else going on, but I can see that I might … struggle … with my actions later. I’m grateful you thought to check in.”

“You have many people who care about you now, Clawdia. Don’t forget that.”

As I looked to the front door where my soul mate waited for me to join him in the house, I nodded. I have lots of people who love me, and they are who I’ll protect.

If I could have told myself a month ago that in twenty-five days, I would walk around on two legs in a supermarket, with two men who adored and guarded me as I stood horrified at the price of milk in the refrigerated section, I wouldn’t have believed it.

But here I was doing exactly that.

Various brands of milk each had a different price tag, and my eyes watered to see them. Signs boasted “low prices” and “deal of the day,” but they were liars.

“It’s extortion,” I whisper angrily to Zaide.

Zaide chuckled, stepping forward to avoid someone passing with a trolley behind him. “Charlie assured us he has plenty of money. I think he’ll be able to afford it.”

“It’s not about having the money. It's the principle. A pint of milk was never so expensive in my day.”

Baelen’s squinted from the bright fluorescent lights beaming down on us but laughed as I reluctantly placed a cool bottle into the basket he carried.

“You have to admit that it’s convenient having all your needs in one market open at all hours and never out of stock. I think once the portals are open again, the moneymakers within the realms are going to want to bring this idea home with them.”

My original plan was to distract myself by going to the shop, filling Charlie’s cupboards with food, and cooking a meal for everyone. However, having seen the amount of already prepared food available to buy, I bought essentials as well as easily cooked meals.

I didn’t want everyone to rely on me for food, and most of the cartons said the meals could be cooked in the microwave, which Savida had mastered.

Zaide and Charlie flanked me protectively as we made our way past the crowd, standing around what must have been the bakery counter from the smell of freshly baked bread wafting in the air.

“We should have bought Savida with us. He loves shopping.” Zaide’s comment was almost drowned out by the hum of people’s chatter … and then it stopped.

I stopped in my tracks, unseeing as in a flash I saw something, a vision, a warning. Someone, something black and smokey … a shadow. A shadow … attacked me. It was trying to kill me.

“Sunlight?” Baelen asked, stroking my face as I came to, blinking, my heart lurching with panic.

“Come with me.”

I didn’t think. I darted through the clear plastic drapes that separated the shop from the storage and hurried to an area we wouldn’t be seen, my men following close behind me.

It was brightly lit, but no one was around, and I paused between shelves where most of the packaging around us was white. Then I waited, and as I did, I pulled the vision up in my mind and rewatched.

I will not let him stab and kill me. I won’t die from a random shadow attack. I won’t.

“What are we doing here, Little Cat?” Zaide whispered. His breath frosted in front of my face.

Baelen explained before I had time to open my mouth. “She’s had a vision.”

“A shadow is about to attack me. To attempt to kill me,” I told them through our bond.

Their posture changed from relaxed to guarded, and they converged to push me against the shelf, protecting me with their bodies, their heat keeping the chill in the room from reaching me.

“There.” Baelen pointed toward a corner where the shadows seemed to deepen, swirling unnaturally against the wall.

A tendril of darkness, thinner than a finger but darker than the deepest night, snaked its way across the ceiling, slithering toward us like a sentient thing.

It would have been unnoticeable, but at this point, we were familiar with shadows.

We waited as it moved with unnatural speed, gliding rather than walking across the floor.

“Don’t stop me. It doesn’t kill me,” I told them. Baelen gave me a sharp look, but he nodded once tightly, then faced our enemy.

When it was close enough, it changed from a small blot to a void in the shape of a person with no discernible features. From its center, a thin black cord—like a tether made of smoke—extended outward, ending in what looked like a wickedly sharp blade.

It lunged forward, the black cord whipping toward me with deadly precision. But I’d seen this before and knew exactly what was going to happen and how I’d handle this. Before either of my men could attempt to protect me, I rushed out between them, charging toward the shadow and its tether.

As it attempted to strike me, I dodged in exactly the right way in order to clasp it in my hands as it thrust downward. But my hands around the tether made the shadow freeze and flicker as it tried to escape my grip.

I squeezed, and its cry of pain echoed around the quiet storage room. I quickly glanced around to check we were still alone before questioning the shadow.

“Why did you attack me?” I asked, my voice low and threatening.

The shadow squirmed as he hissed, “How did you know how to immobilize me?”

The voice was dark and deep. Male.

“Did Kaatu send you?” Baelen asked.

“You know my king? You dare speak his true, born name?” the shadow spat.

“He invaded my mind and forced me to heal the natural portal to Ombra, so I know him, but we aren’t on friendly terms.” Baelen’s bitterness and anger laced each word, and his red eyes swirled dangerously.

The shadow stopped fighting my grip and stilled. “The shadow portal is open?”

I didn’t loosen my grip, but I changed my tactic. If he is a shadow that’s been here since the Fall, all he will want is to go home. But first…

“I will let you go,” I began reasonably. “I’ll even take you to your portal home, but you need to tell me why you attacked me and how.”

“Let me go now, thief,” he snarled. “I owe you nothing.”

“Thief? I haven’t stolen anything.” Indignation took the threat and control out of my tone. Instead, I sounded like someone who had indeed stolen something.

He snarled, and his tether began to twist to escape me again. “You stole magic from our homeland even as it died. You deserve death, and my realm deserves whatever magic it can cling to once you are gone.”

Each word was weighted with centuries of fury and explained exactly how he’d spent his time in this realm.

“You attacked me because I’m a familiar?” I gave a shocked laugh and shook my head. “You kill familiars because you think the shadow magic goes back to your realm?”

Baelen explained with a mockingly sympathetic expression, “Shadow magic was trapped in this realm because the portal was destroyed. Any familiars or animal gods you killed wouldn’t have helped Ombra. The magic would have continued to linger here for witches to take advantage of again and again.”

He stopped wriggling, and from the tilt to his featureless head, I got the impression he was listening.

“I don’t believe you,” came his skeptical retort after a few seconds of silence.

“That’s your prerogative, I suppose, but I’m not arguing with you about it. I know the truth.” I waved the tether in my hand. “What does this do?”

A hiss sounded. “Don’t do that.”

I squeezed again. “You were trying to kill me with it.”

“I believe it’s called a tether,” Baelen said helpfully.

“Isn’t that the part of the magic that Charlie and I used to bond?” I asked Baelen, and he nodded. I squeezed the tether harder. “You were going to hurt me with a bond?”

“A temporary bond.”

“Explain,” I demanded.

“You’ll let me go if I explain? Unharmed? Tether attached?” I didn’t like that he thought this was a negotiation, but I would not harm him.

“Yes.”

“A tether is like a magical extension of ourselves. Shadows use our tethers to bond. It’s our most vulnerable part, and the only thing to hold us without escaping through shadows.”

“And yet you thought to use it as a weapon and leave it open for the taking?” I asked incredulously.

Baelen raised a brow. “That seems unnecessarily risky.”

“Foolish,” Zaide muttered.

“No one should know,” he hissed and wriggled. “I’ve never encountered a supernatural that knew what it was called, let alone how it could be used.”

“Well, we are special.” I chuckled and waved my hand. “Go on. How do you use it as a weapon?”

“Typically, my kind use it to create a permanent bond with a partner, but temporary bonds can be created, and since the bonds share emotions, thoughts, and memories, that can be weaponized.”

“Interesting,” mumbled Baelen.

I clarified. “So, you were going to inflict pain with emotion? Enough to kill?”

“Yes.”

“Sunlight, are you really not furious this male tried to kill you?”

“I’m more angry because he’s been killing familiars pointlessly. I probably shouldn’t let you go for that reason alone, but we had a deal.” I glared at the figure and commanded, “When you go back to your king, tell him that because of your misdeeds while you’ve been in the human realm, killing who knows how many familiars and animal gods, he now owes us two favors. We will be collecting.”

He hesitated, then asked cautiously, “Who are you?”

“Tell him you had the misfortune of encountering Zaide, the first titan in ages to find his soul pair since the fall and future king of Tartarus; Baelen, the powerful akari-titan demigod he possessed and for whom a great debt is now owed for saving his realm; and Clawdia, who has just been given the power of Fate herself.“

In the tense silence that followed my declaration, Baelen added, “We may not look like much right now, but one day soon, we will rule the realms. It’s best if you aren’t on our bad side when that day comes.”

“Forgive me. I will tell him,” came the quiet, humbled reply.

“Then leave,” I snapped. I let him go, and within seconds, he morphed into a blot and disappeared into the dark hidden spaces of the storage room.

Zaide took my hand and pulled us out into the busy corridors of the shop again.

“That was pure brilliance, Sunlight,” Baelen whispered earnestly as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

“You were so fierce, Little Cat,” Zaide added, also smiling proudly. “A queen,” he uttered reverently and kissed my hand.

“You think so?” I asked as a blush rose to my cheeks.

“You were spectacular, and Charlie will be sorry to have missed it,” Zaide answered as he picked up the basket and began surveying the shelves again as though nothing had happened.

I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride at their praise. I had acted quickly and confidently, using my powers to defend myself against a threat. It was a reminder that despite feeling lost and unsure about my visions, I was still capable and powerful.

Maybe I will see another future for us, one that tells us how to survive like this one did. Maybe I’ll be able to face Fafnir with the same confidence.

“That vision told you exactly how to save yourself?” Baelen asked as we followed Zaide.

“Yes. As though I would have done it anyway, but I wouldn’t have known to grasp the tether without seeing the vision.”

“It’s a paradox.”

“I wish other visions were so easy to decode.” I sighed. “Do you think I could talk to your mother? She might help me figure out more about the vision.”

“She seemed well when I saw her. It might make you feel better to discuss it in more detail with her.”

We finished the rest of the shopping without too much issue. I was horrified to see the total price and stumbled when it came time to pay with Charlie’s card, but the whole event made me more confident.

I’m alive, defeating shadows, and being a woman of the modern world. Go me!

Later that evening, when I’d finished making dinner and putting away the food, I sat on the sofa and tried to see another vision of Fafnir.

I was ready. I could face him again. I could see our deaths and not panic.

You know what they say. Pride comes before the fall.