Page 38 of Sweet Venom Of Time (Blade of Shadows #6)

Chapter Fifteen

AMIR

L ying amidst the tangled sheets, I wrestled with the chaos inside me. Emotions I had long buried clawed their way to the surface—raw, jagged, and achingly human. It was terrifying and unfamiliar. These sensations made me feel exposed and vulnerable in a way no blade or enemy ever could.

Elizabeth’s fingers ghosted over my chest, a touch so light yet heavy with a tenderness I didn’t deserve. She unsettled me, stripping away my defenses layer by layer. I didn’t know how to handle it—her, this, us.

Her voice broke the silence, soft but piercing. “Who are you, Amir? Is Amir your real name?” Those storm-washed eyes searched mine, unwavering, reaching for truths I didn’t know how to give.

I closed my eyes, shame curling through me. Damn, Lazarus. I shouldn’t have let her get this close. I shouldn’t have let her look past the surface. But she did. She saw the darkness that festered beneath my skin, the shadows that twisted my soul. And still, she stayed. Unafraid. Curious. Hopeful.

A bitter laugh scraped my throat, laced with self-loathing. What a fool. Opening my eyes, I met her gaze, my chest tightening as I prepared to shatter whatever fragile bond was forming between us.

“I am a darkness,” I confessed, my voice hoarse, raw. “I don’t belong in this world... or any other.”

Her breath hitched, shock rippling across her delicate features, but she didn’t pull away. Her hand remained over my heart, warm against my cool skin.

“If not here... then where?” Her words trembled, the slightest fracture in her voice betraying her fear, her intrigue. She was braver than I ever gave her credit for.

The truth weighed heavy, suffocating. I wanted to lie, to protect her from the storm I carried, but there was no point. She deserved the truth, even if it destroyed whatever illusion she held of me.

A deep, shuddering sigh escaped me as my vivid, merciless past flooded back.

Solaris. My home. Once beautiful—now corrupted.

The memories clawed at my mind, unforgiving, dragging me into the shadows I had fought so hard to escape.

I could almost see it again—not lit by the familiar sun, but by an immense, otherworldly clock whose face mirrored the moon.

I could hear the laughter that once echoed through the citadels, feel the way life used to pulse with purpose.

But that was before. Before darkness seeped in, twisting everything it touched.

.. twisting me. My voice came out jagged, fractured.

“I come from a place called Solaris... a once-magnificent realm. A place of light, purpose, and hope. But that is long gone—shadows have since tainted everything, and corruption has sunk its claws into the very heart of my world.”

The memories unfurled like a cruel tapestry, threads of joy ripped apart by loss and betrayal.

My chest tightened as faces I once loved flashed before my eyes—faces now long gone, reduced to ashes and echoes.

“Solaris was the realm of time travelers, ruled by the Court of Timebornes and Timebounds... protected by the House of Darkness.” My voice wavered, the pain too real, too raw.

“We were guardians. Heroes. Until we became monsters.”

I swallowed hard, the taste of regret bitter on my tongue.

“An evil queen ruled Solaris once, her cruelty poisoning the land, driving it into chaos. Under her tyranny, everything fell apart. I fought... I fought so damn hard to protect it. But I failed.” My gaze fell, shame searing through me.

“I lost my army. I lost my home. I lost... myself.”

I looked past Elizabeth, my vision blurring as I stared into the abyss of my past, the weight of it pressing down on me, suffocating. Solaris had been my paradise, my purpose. And now... it was nothing but dust and ruins.

The silence between us was heavy, suffocating, wrapping around us as the twisted sheets clung to our skin. I looked at her, searching her eyes for understanding, for any sign of fear. But all I found was a blazing curiosity, an unwavering trust I didn’t deserve.

“How much do you know about your father’s society?” I asked, my voice low and edged with steel. I needed the truth. No more lies. No more secrets. “I need to know. How much do you know?”

Her eyes locked onto mine, unflinching and fearless.

Her voice was low, laden with pain. “I know more than I should. My father is a destroyer... a ruthless hunter of Timebornes and Timebounds. He’s merciless.

Cold. Obsessed with eradicating them, like they’re a plague that needs to be wiped out.

” Her gaze faltered, a flicker of confusion breaking through her bravery.

“But I don’t understand why. I don’t understand his obsession.

And as for time travel... it’s just a myth to me. A fairy tale.”

Her words hung between us, a cruel twist of irony that cut deeper than any blade. Time travel was a fairy tale. To her, maybe. But to me, it was everything—the reason for every scar on my body and soul.

I looked at her, really looked at her. Her innocence was a knife to my chest, a purity I could never touch without staining. Yet, she was tangled up in this darkness—in my darkness. Her father was a monster, and I was no better.

A cringe tightened my muscles, a bitter laugh threatening to break free. It was incomprehensible to me—this disbelief of something so intrinsic and vital to my existence. “How can you not believe it?” my voice was a whisper, low and splintered.

“It’s as natural as breathing. It’s in my blood, my bones. It’s who I am.”

She leaned closer, her curiosity tinged with awe and just a hint of fear. “Can you... can you time travel?” Her voice was fragile, a whisper that shattered the walls around me.

“Of course,” I breathed, the truth tasting bittersweet on my tongue. My curse. My gift. My prison.

Her gaze softened, fascination swirling in her eyes. “How? How is that possible?”

A shadow passed over me, ancient and insistent.

“When a Timeborne is born... so is the darkness,” I confessed, my voice raw, haunted.

“We are two halves of the same coin. A black dagger appears by our side, born of shadows and blood. The blade is etched with sacred inscriptions intertwined with a curse and a blessing. And when the full moon rises, we speak the words... time bends to our will. We slip through the cracks of reality, defying fate itself.”

Elizabeth’s eyes widened, her lips parting as she absorbed my words. Her pulse raced, her heartbeat echoing in the heavy silence between us. I could almost taste her fear... her awe.

For a moment, she was silent, her mind weaving through impossible possibilities. Then, with a voice that trembled with wonder and hesitation, she asked, “Where have you traveled in time?”

My chest tightened, memories crashing into me—images of worlds lost, and futures shattered, faces long gone, and battles fought in the shadows of time.

A bitter smile twisted my lips. “The real question is... where haven’t I traveled?

” I met her gaze, letting the weight of my past sink into the space between us.

“I’ve seen empires rise and fall. I’ve watched the birth of legends and the death of hope.

I’ve stood in the ashes of worlds that no longer exist. And through it all.

.. I remained a shadow. A ghost passing through time, never truly belonging. ”

Her breath hitched, her eyes wide and shimmering with an emotion I couldn’t quite name.

She wasn’t just looking at me—she was seeing through me, and it was terrifying.

I had built walls so high that I sometimes forgot what was on the other side.

Yet, at this moment, her gaze reached places I thought were long buried.

My hand moved almost instinctively, fingers tracing the soft skin of her arm.

It was a grounding touch, delicate and unconscious as if I needed something real to anchor me to this world—to this moment.

Memories began to surface, uninvited and unending.

I felt the shadows stir within me, restless and uneasy.

“Alina,” I began quietly, my voice softer than intended. Her name felt heavy on my tongue, like an old wound reopening. “The dark queen of Solaris... she was powerful. More powerful than any ruler before her. And she craved more. Always more.”

Elizabeth’s eyes remained locked on mine, wide and curious. Her gaze had no fear, only a genuine need to understand. It made my chest tighten. She deserved better than my darkness, better than my past. But she was here, warm and steady, and for once, I didn’t have the strength to push her away.

“She wanted the Blade of Shadows,” I continued, my fingers still absentmindedly brushing her arm.

“A weapon of unimaginable power. With it, she could have ruled all of Solaris... and beyond. Nothing could’ve stopped her.

” A chill ran through me, the old fear resurfacing.

“She would have destroyed everything to get what she wanted.”

Elizabeth’s lips parted, her breath catching at the weight of my words. But her gaze softened, compassion flickering in her eyes. She reached up, her fingers tracing my jawline, and the gentle touch made my chest tighten painfully. It was too tender, too kind. I didn’t deserve this.

“Her daughter, Isabelle...” I swallowed, the memory bittersweet. “She saw the darkness in her mother and feared what would happen if Alina got her hands on the blade. So she did the only thing she could—she separated the blades, breaking their power... and she ran.”

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Isabelle’s choice had changed everything. She had been brave and selfless. And I had failed her.