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I t had been almost one hundred years since I’d last seen her. The moment had brought me to my knees—and it would have this time too if not for the chains that bound me.

One hundred years of dreaming, wondering, imagining, and now my power-induced high made me ravenous for her.

I hadn't forgotten a single detail of those curves, they were the only thing that got me through my many dark nights, except my memories had not been accurate enough.

Not even fucking close.

My soulmate wore fitted black leather that wrapped her body much like the shadows who were poised at her back, hovering like cobras of darkness ready to strike.

Her leather top was cut off at the shoulders, baring the pale skin of her tattooed arms to the fire’s light. I licked my lips hungrily, imagining my lips trailing over those black swirls of ink from her fingertips up. I wanted to worship every spiral, contour, and etching along their path.

Tracing the long line of her neck up to her heart shaped face, I memorized her petite nose, the lush fullness of her lips that parted ever so slightly—my gaze snapped up and the world melted away when I met her stare.

I inhaled at the faint hitch in her breath, the soft flutter in her long dark lashes then I growled hungrily, watching those emerald depths dilate, glowing with a need only I could give her.

Another slow blink in a moment of chaos. She would not understand it, our connection. Nor should she. The bond was undetectable, to her at least. Masking the soulmate bond was the only way to ensure her safety.

I smiled at the small furrow that formed when she frowned, her head tilting to the side, the tips of her black-blue tresses kissing her leather clad ass sinfully. An endearing curiosity clashing with her hardened warrior exterior.

“Who the fuck are you?” Jurin sneered. “We don't need no bitches intervening unless it's to suck our dicks.”

I barked out a snarl at the fae that would dare come between me and my soulmate.

Slowly, she turned her dangerous gaze away from me and on Jurin while the shifters in the camp laughed at her expense.

“Is that so?” She walked towards him, her hips swaying seductively. “I have been watching all of you quite intimately you know.”

Their eyes dilated with arousal and Jurin snickered with self satisfaction.

“Unfortunately, not even a hag would want to suck your worthless cocks. Dirty shifters do not belong in Faerie lands and I find that I am more than obliged to rid her of your filth.” Her pearly white teeth flashed in the firelight with disgust. “You. I’m going to savor killing you first.” She waved her hand lazily. “Go.”

A blur of darkness struck the camp, followed quickly by sudden snarls and cries.

A wide grin crept across my face, relishing the sight of my four captors as they struggled violently against shadows that anchored them to the forest floor.

Each one of them clawed and pulled against the unyielding darkness that chained them, but nothing could break that power—nothing they had in their arsenal anyway.

Twirling her hand at her side, the shadows snaked their way up her body, forming a long lethal black sword in her hand. Slowly, with dark amusement twinkling in her eyes, she stalked them all with perfect ease, admiring her work and tapping her black shadow sword against her thigh with pursed lips.

I leaned in with starved anticipation.

“You fucking bitch. You’re a shadow fae aren’t you?” Jurin pulled at his bonds and drew his sword strapped to his side defensively. “Your kind should be fertilizer for Faerie right now. I personally made sure of that. Who the fuck are you?”

She stopped in front of him, tilting her head to the side. “Who am I?” A sad smile spread across her face. “A betrayer. A monster perhaps. A ghost of a time past. But you’ll likely know me as Dark. Remnant Dark.”

Lunging against my bonds, a garbled warning ripped from my chest when I saw the subtle shift in Jurin’s body and his arm raising quickly, his shifter speed sending his sword blurring through the night.

She was faster. A thud hit the ground. The five of us all stared at the severed arm laying there, Jurin’s hand still clasped tightly around the hilt.

The shifter blinked slowly down at the bloody stump of his shoulder before his anguished howl pierced the night.

She grinned. “Shut him up.”

The shadows around his legs blasted upwards in a fire of darkness, flickering with the last sounds of his tormented screams only to be replaced by the soft cackling of the fire.

Remnant broke the shocked silence, kicking at his severed limb. “You missed something, my loves.”

I hummed my approval watching the shadows devour the severed limb like a juicy fae steak and then gazed at her vengeful face unable to hide my love for her. This was a side of her I had only heard tales of but never saw for myself, and I adored every bit of it.

“The shadow fae were supposed to be honorable.” Diego, the bear shifter snarled. He pointed at the shadows anchoring his feet and then at the blood stained ground where Jurin once stood. “I’d say using your pathetic minions to kill us is spitting on your family's grave. Traitorous bitch.”

The shadow fae threw her head back laughing and goddess, the way her body arched—I groaned .

“This…” she smirked, waving at his person, “coming from a fae that has one of his own chained so prettily to that tree over there. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you are afraid of him. Why else would irons be needed?”

I full out grinned when they all turned to look at me, my fangs bared before I shot them a lazy wink. Something splattered to the forest floor and her nose wrinkled ever so slightly.

Was that drool?

Diego sneered. “General Dark or not. You have no idea who you are messing with, shadow bitch.”

She smiled back lethally. “Then who exactly am I messing with, shifter? I’d love to meet them.

I’m in need of a real challenge.” She spun slowly with her arms outward in a mock search.

Stopping, she raised her brows. “Or is it that you are referring to yourself, do you think you’d be able to meet my needs ? ”

“Nuh uh, sweetheart. The real question would be can you meet all of mine.” The bear shifter growled, his claws lengthening and fur rolling across his body.

Remnant snorted and rolled her eyes, the pretend amusement gone from her striking features.

“Shifters are so disgusting. Why the goddess even created you is beyond my comprehension. But have it your way.” She waved her hand and the shadows released Diego without any hesitation for their mistress’s safety.

I sputtered out another warning when the fae shifted and a fucking demented teddy bear now stood over her, twenty five feet tall with over 600 pounds of bear muscle clawing outward with a savage swipe. Growling, I fought against the iron chains, feeling my flesh burn, desperate to help her.

Undeterred, emerald eyes shot towards me with glittering amusement before dancing gracefully away from his attack.

“Too slow baby bear.” She blew a kiss at him.

“Get her Diego!”

Cheers rose from the remaining two shifters while they continued to struggle against their bonds. Frowning, I tilted my head when the shadows stretched out from their anchored darkness towards me and then proceeded to rub against my chained legs in what seemed like a silent greeting.

I chuckled down at them. “Niccee meet you tooooo, little fiendsssss. Do me favorsss, don’t tellsss her ’et.”

They swirled excitedly up my body, around my head in a cool caress before fluttering back down to the ground. A content black puddle of darkness at my feet, not at all worried for their mistress.

Fond of her shadows already, I smiled. “Thanksss.”

A roar from Diego, that shook the very trees, drew my attention back to her. The bear had reared up on his back legs and his tawny head disappeared into the silver foliage of the woods. Drool dangled from his mouth and splattered straight into the shadow fae’s upturned face.

“Gross.” She wiped the drool off with the back of her hand and sneered.

He roared again and lunged, his giant paw lashing out in several directions while she twirled and danced out of the way with perfectly coordinated movement.

“Your attacks are predictable, baby bear.” She shook her head disappointedly. “How you lived this long is beyond me.” Finally, flicking her sword up, her eyes glowed villainously. “Allow me to remedy that. Give my best regards to the god of Sheol.”

The bear shifter roar’s shook the woods. Silver leaves fell down around us like confetti before he charged her. Without hesitation she met him head on, sliding under his swiping paws with her shadow sword raised.

Hot steaming entrails tumbled out from beneath him like a waterfall, her slice fatally long and deep. The shadow fae cleared his large frame, sliding to her feet, without sparing a glance at the bear shifter tumbling to the ground behind her.

Satisfaction rose within me as the goddess's light extinguished from his deep brown eyes.

“Uhg,” she said, wiping Diego’s blood off her shadow sword onto her black leathers. “That was messier than I wanted it to be. Who’s next?”

The other two shifters were silent, transfixed on the bloody pile of guts that was the fiercest of their little company.

Laughter bubbled up deep from my chest. Goddess she was a sight to behold. My slurring rumbles earned a small smile from her that had me practically glowing with happiness.

“Please miss.” A small shifter, named Tomac stammered. “Please, General, have mercy. Let us go. We won't tell no one what happened. We won't mention we even saw a shadow fae here in the woods. Jurin and Diego just got eaten by some animal. ”

“Shut the fuck up Tomac.” Hissed his friend. I never did get his name. I didn’t care. She was going to kill him anyway.

Four howls, four deaths, since the goddess so graciously decided to save my dying ass today, there were only two obvious candidates left.

I was going to enjoy this.

Remnant pursed her lips in contemplation, ignoring the other protesting shifter, “what’s your name again?”

“Tttommac General.”

“Just Remnant if you please. Well Tomac. You’ve been out here for Goddess knows how long, destroying and pissing in my woods, and torturing one of your own kind with those two sadistic bastards.

” She tossed her thumb towards the dead bear shifter.

“Which tells me exactly what kind of mercy you deserve.” She leaned in and whispered. “None.”

Tomac dropped to his knees awkwardly in his shadow restraints. “Plllease miss. I’ll do anything you ask of me. Please don’t kill me.” He sobbed

“Goddess, just fucking kill him bitch—he’s an embarrassment to his own kind.” His companion spat at Tomac’s prone form. “Let me go to fight. I'd rather fight for my life then beg to the likes of ya like that little cunt there.”

“You’re going to regret those words, shifter.” Her hair swayed when she sidestepped away from him, shadows pulling inwardly toward her, a small smile dancing on her plush lips.

It wasn’t until Tomac lunged for his companion with bloodlust in his eyes and a dagger in his hand did I understand her game.

The mad shifter, convulsing with rage, plunged his dagger deep into the chest of his unsuspecting friend over and over again.

Lost in his animal, having been pushed to the point of breaking, the bloodlust consumed him, and Remnant Dark wielded it like she wielded the shadows swirling behind her—with cold calculated precision.

The Wildwoods shuddered with delight, relishing in the blood feeding its deep roots, its silvery canopy glowing brighter around us.

Disturbed by the sudden glow like an alert predator, Tomac stood with a snarl. His eyes, just as red as the blood trailing down his face turned on the shadow fae.

“Watch snout.” I slurred with fear just as Tomac charged. “Bloodwust. ”

Throwing her hand out the shadows contracted inward, opening a pit of darkness. The force of their draw thrusted me against my chains, burning my flesh anew while the canopy bowed to her great power.

Mindlessly, Tomac charged head first into the swirling blackhole with savage intensity, the shadows closing with a loud snap behind him.

Released from the drawing force, I sagged back against my tree, away from the sharp sting of the irons while the forest lurched back to its natural resting state.

A rumble rolled up from deep in my chest and bursted out of me in loud booming laughter.

Goddess, she was phenomenal and she was mine.

Bright emerald green eyes turned on me—cutting through the dark night like the stars in the sky. Amusement and a tinge of worry dancing in their reflection. I soaked up every ounce of her undivided attention.

My only life purpose for the past century was to find her, forsaking all my duties and obligations—and now here she was. An avenging remnant of the past with her terrifying shadows and deadly blade.