Page 14 of Claimed By Shadow and Blood (Of Fae and Wolf Trilogy #2)

Chapter Six

Vad

T he orb ignited within my grasp.

The skin on my hands melted, and the frigid coldness of the shadow magic pressed even harder upon me. My lungs stopped working, and the ground spun. I closed my eyes and tried to keep Briar’s face foremost in my mind. She was the final vision I wanted to see before death.

The dull purple light of the orbed flashed through my eyelids, blocking her face from me and reminding me that I was a failure to my father, my sister, Briar, and my kingdom. When I opened my eyes, crimson water was seeping over the orb and turning pink.

The message was clear.

I had failed.

I’d marred my family’s entire legacy.

No. No . It couldn’t end like this. I refused to give up when the threats against Briar, my family, and kingdom were so strong.

The fire beneath my hands ebbed, and icy agony spiraled through my veins and drove away every trace of warmth. The magic wanted to suck me away from consciousness and drag me the rest of the way into the bottomless depths.

No . I was doing this to gain more time, not less. Death wasn’t a consequence I was willing to face. I had to survive and be as powerful as possible; otherwise, this was all pointless.

I gripped the now frozen orb tighter, barely feeling it in my palms. Shadows poured into me, and my own shadows couldn’t fight them off any longer.

My heart slowed, and the shadows coiled around me, making me feel as if I were suffocating.

I grunted as my knees hit the ground with a painful bang .

My fingers slipped, almost releasing the orb, and I screamed as I dug my fingertips back into the stone.

The urge to let go and vanish into the darkness pressed against me.

Images blazed through my mind: Father’s iron grip on my shoulder as he demanded I show strength, the set of his jaw when he saw Mother’s body placed in the marble crypt with her hands folded over the bouquet of death blossoms on her chest, the first night Elara awoke screaming, clutching her chest and shaking with terror when the illness set upon her, and Briar—my Briar—grinning and covered in blackberry trifle and daring me to join in the fun.

The last memory made my heart skip a beat.

Briar made all this suffering worth it, and I clung to that memory. Every image of the people I loved strengthened me, even as the shadows sought to rend me apart and the council’s voices climbed to a deep booming rhythm.

Get through this. Fecking void, you have to get through this. And yet, the orb drank from my life force greedily, and the void promised peace and safety. It’d be so easy to let go, but what would that mean for Briar?

I couldn’t die, not until I saw she was safe with my own two eyes.

I wouldn’t give up or be manipulated into losing. I wouldn’t be owned. I wouldn't accept any queen but one, and I would carry her from that forsaken prison myself.

The shadows spiraled around me, and the frigid agony continued to build. I clenched my hands and jaw even tighter, biting down so hard my own teeth might crack. And suddenly, torment, ice, and darkness surrounded me.

My chest seized, and I screamed internally, yet I refuse to die!

Deep within my soul, something clicked into place. My lungs expanded and filled with clean air once more, and my shadows eased, as if both my shadows and the source recognized one another and were at peace. The agony ebbed, and I opened my eyes to find that my sight had returned.

A sob built in my chest as my shadows surrounded me. They didn’t grip me from within as tightly as they had just a day before. The light within the orb had gone from dull to rich deep purple and thrummed more evenly.

I swallowed the cry. This was the miracle I’d asked for, and I wouldn’t complain. However, the return of the kingdom’s magic wouldn’t last long. Time was ticking once more.

I opened my mouth to speak, but it was too dry, and the words wouldn’t form. I swallowed hard and glanced at the council surrounding me.

All but Vyraetos dropped to their knees and bowed their heads. Their long hoods draped forward, but this time, they spread out their hands and turned them so that the palms faced me. “The power is vested in King Vad. The power of the Shadow King is now seated.”

Vyraetos strode around the pedestal and stopped in front of me. I straightened slowly and squared my shoulders, my wings twitching. Remnants of pain cut through my veins, aching and pulsing with each breath and heartbeat.

He bowed his head and then also lowered himself to his knees.

“The fullness of our kingdom’s magic now rests within you.

It will hold for at least three days, perhaps up to seven.

May Fate guide you as you seek the answers you need, and may your bride bring you great strength and further balance this power when the bond is sealed. ”

I nodded; then I stood and took two steps away from the black pedestal.

Shadows spiraled over my arms, wings, and chest. The scent of scorched ozone, cold rock, and fresh blood hung in the air, and I focused on keeping my feet steady beneath me and my spine straight, the silent weight of the council’s eyes a pressure on me.

Even now, power lashed wildly at the edges of my awareness, tearing at the boundaries of the realm and merging where I started and it began.

The notion didn’t terrify me as much as it should have.

For a heartbeat, I almost welcomed it. I was so tired of holding back.

The room seemed smaller than before, shimmering with energy, and my body felt exhausted. I needed to be alone before I could collapse in front of everyone. My legs were shaking, and my head was pounding. I gestured for the council to stand.

Vyraetos pressed his hands palm to palm. “We serve the Shadow Kingdom and its ruler.” The others rose and echoed his words.

I was fortunate that, in this case, they viewed the interests of both my rule and the Shadow Kingdom as being in alignment. Removing me from power would now be more complicated, though when the magic weakened, such a removal would become simpler.

I lowered my head, and the room spun. Still, I cleared my throat and spoke steadily. “And I shall do all within my power to preserve and protect our kingdom.” It was the right response, even if the truth was that the kingdom was not so high in my priorities as my family and, most of all, Briar.

Vyraetos shifted his gaze over me. “If I might be so bold as to suggest it, Your Highness, I recommend you return to your chambers and rest for a few hours. The vesting process leaves the body and mind taxed. The morning will bring with it more conflicts that will require your attention, and we still need to prepare for the formal coronation for the benefit of the kingdom.”

I bit back a bitter laugh, steeling my expression as I gave a curt nod. Sleep was the last thing I’d be getting, but they didn’t need to know that. I couldn’t rest until Briar was safe. I suspected that what I had just gone through was nothing compared to what my enemies were doing to her.

I exchanged a few more cursory notes with Vyraetos and then called the shadows to transport me back to the observatory. There were so many plans I needed to make, but first, I needed to see if Thalen had located either guard.

As the observatory appeared around me, I stumbled forward, my legs hitting the edge of one of the couches. Luckily, there were no unexpected visitors this time, so I took a moment to catch my breath.

The air still held the charge of magic but also a tinge of fresher, lighter air from the hall, as if someone had just been here moments before.

Someone other than me.

Muscles tensing and shadows flaring out, I glanced around the chamber past the golden telescope and back to the black couches and—there, on the center table between the couches, sat a large crystal flagon of black currant wine.

The signal. Thalen had found at least one of the guards and gotten him to the onyx cellar.

My blood surged with delight at the thought of wreaking vengeance on one of the bastards who had dared to touch my beloved. After what I’d endured, if it couldn’t be Briar sitting here waiting for me, this was exactly what I needed to see. Fate bless you, Thalen.

I called my shadows, the cool tendrils stirring within me just as my knees gave way and I almost dropped to the ground once again.

I snarled, disgust seeping through me at how physically weak I was, but I had to remember the cause. I had gained enough power to give me more time to fix this mess, and I needed to rest, but time would run out quickly. I needed to push through and free Briar.

Saving my strength, I walked toward the back staircase in the eastern wing of the royal quarters.

The heavy diagonal door guarding it slid open on soundless hinges to reveal a narrow passage of the gouged rock, the stairs so narrow that barely half my foot fit on one at a time.

My shadows urged me down into the depths, which gave me a little surge of energy.

Traces of quartz made the onyx walls glimmer even without torchlight, and my eyes adjusted to the darkness… not that I needed them to. I’d walked this way so many times I knew the path by heart. My shadows slid along the walls, and I kept my wings folded tight against my back.

The staircase twisted four times in a tight spiral before opening into the tunnel of coarse-cut stone.

Nothing had been polished or sanded, but some of the roughness of the stone floor had been worn away over time.

I suspected my sparring, training, games, and youthful endeavors had added a fair bit of wear over the decades, and my footsteps were silent now.