Page 34 of The Spark that Ignites (Shattered Soul #1)

She darted in front of him, shoving a hand against his chest. “That was a shadow dragon in the clearing, right? Was it—does it have to do with the Shadowheart ?”

“Yes, Emmery, that was a dragon. Very astute of you.”

She glared at him. “Where did it come from? It just appeared.”

Vesper released a heavy breath, keeping his eyes downcast. “That’s Kaida. She lives inside my mark.”

“She? What do you mean she ?” Shaking her head and poking his chest, Emmery demanded, “Explain, Vesper Merikh.”

With a long exhale and a tousle of his hair, he said, “The mark of the Shadowheart can summon a shadow creature. It’s like the rest of our magic.

We have no choice in whether we bear it.

She’s part of me as much as I’m a part of her, but it’s .

.. different from my other magic. It’s hard to describe but when I call her, she crawls from my chest, and I can’t really command her—or rather she doesn’t listen.

But sometimes I get this fluttering in my chest, like she’s trying to escape, and I can summon her.

It’s usually only if I’m in danger and it heavily drains my magic, so I’ve only done it a handful of times. ”

Emmery gaped at him, her stomach dropping. “So, I have shadow creatures living—inside me?” She swallowed, palming her mark. “What ... like a dragon?”

“ A shadow creature. One . Single. Likely not a dragon. Izzy’s was different from mine.

” Vesper stared down at her finger jabbing his mark and Emmery retracted.

“ Shadowhearts have been extinct for centuries, and we don’t know much about the mark, but Iz and I received it when we passed our trials.

It was a bit of a shock too. There’s fear around the legends, so we hid it for some time. ”

“What do you mean by fear?” Her heart thrummed and she fisted her hands. “And they were ... extinct? For how long?”

“They were executed centuries ago because they were too dangerous. Powerful. But that was long before we were born. Many couldn’t control their creatures and there were catastrophic consequences.

The destruction of kingdoms, wars, and overthrown monarchies.

History says when they died, so did the magical line. ”

Emmery asked, “Did your father have a mark? Your mother? How did you get it?”

“No, and ... I wouldn’t know.” He frowned, rubbing his jaw. “I assumed Iz and I did because of the prophecy. There’s really no other way. And I guess it’s the same for you.”

Emmery’s brows scrunched as she ran her finger over the raised skin. “So, if people were afraid of Shadowhearts , what did they say when they saw your mark?”

“My father wasn’t pleased, and some were so frightened they abandoned his service.

But others were excited. Claimed the gods had finally made a wise choice.

But most don’t remember what Shadowhearts were like other than fear filled, ludicrous stories.

And because it's written in history, that voice is the one that prevails, whether it's right or wrong.” Giving her a thoughtful look, Vesper said, “I would advise keeping it to yourself and focusing on your other magic. The last thing you want to do is lose control and Collapse. After I summoned Kaida, my vestige was paper thin. I called her back in time, but it was a close one, and I’ve had much more magical training than you.”

Emmery shivered at the underlying threat in his words.

She could die from her magic if she didn’t gain control.

It seemed each day things got progressively worse.

First the khaos flame and the prophecy made her a target, and now she held even more dangerous magic.

With the Shadowheart and another beast housed within her, fear crept into her heart.

People would be afraid of her because of it.

Would they eventually execute her too? Would it only be a matter of time?

She had escaped across the gate from danger, but it seemed she was the dangerous one after all.

A danger to herself. What if she slipped up and released her Shadowheart by accident? The colour drained from her cheeks.

Vesper frowned at her. “You should rest. You’re still a bit pale from the fever.”

Emmery gave him a meek nod, knowing the fever wasn’t the cause.

He led her down the hallway to the last room on the left and the moment he pushed the door open, Emmery’s jaw dropped.

A dressing table with a gothic framed mirror sat in the corner, several ceiling high shelves overflowing with books ran one length of the wall, and a large four poster bed with a canopy centered the room.

Though these were all things she dreamed of having, it was the forest-green walls that made her heart skip.

“This is—” Her voice caught. “This is my room?”

When Vesper nodded, Emmery flopped face down in the plush black blankets, grinning like a fool.

Aera entered the room with a sassy swish of her tail and leapt onto the bed, settling on an embroidered pillow.

This room was fit for a princess, certainly not someone like her, but it felt as though the design bled straight from her mind.

She sat up, inching to the edge of the bed.

“I had the linens washed while you were bathing,” Vesper said, taking a seat beside her.

“I also read three of your books, used your writing desk to start and finish my autobiography, and took a try at some of your powders there.” He gestured at the vanity.

“Apparently makeup is not one of my many talents.”

Emmery elbowed him and he exhaled a throaty laugh as he rubbed his side.

“You’re ridiculous. I wasn’t in there that long.

” Her heart lodged in her throat as she attempted to read the novel titles from where she sat.

“It’s like you pulled this room straight from my imagination.

That’s my favourite colour.” She leaned back on her hands, nodding at the walls.

“If I ever had a home of my own, I would’ve painted it all that shade of green. ”

Vesper stood from the bed and walked to the doorway to lean against it, his expression impassable. “You never had a home across the gate? What about that house you brought me to?”

“The cottage? I haven’t lived there since my sister—” She abandoned the sentence, unable to finish it.

His gaze locked with hers and it wasn’t sadness in his eyes, but understanding. “Well ... you can stay here as long as you like. Forever if you want. The castle is too big anyway.”

She swallowed against the burning tears in her throat. “That’s kind. Thank you. But I’m sure one day I’ll have a home of my own and I won’t have to leech off you.”

“I don’t mind. It’s ... nice to have the company.

” Vesper lingered in the doorway for a tense moment before he cleared his throat and crossed his arms. “I’ll be across the hall.

If you need anything, don’t hesitate.” A few heartbeats ticked by, and he appeared as if he wanted to say more, opening and closing his mouth several times, but he turned on his heel and left.

Emmery bounded to the first bookshelf and ran her fingers along the dusty spines. Whoever picked these had good taste and from the dust on the volumes, like everything else, they had lived here for some time. The novels were fairy tales with fantasy sprinkled in but overwhelmingly romance.

Though she knew it wouldn’t be here, she rifled through the shelves searching for her nameless book lost all those years ago.

It was likely left in Fionn’s townhouse, now home to someone else.

She wondered if they had found the book and read it too.

Though she hadn’t seen it in many years, every word remained etched into her mind, as if they flowed from her own heart and hand.

Thankfully Vesper had laid her pack beside the bed, and a sigh of relief left her as she found the celestial trumpet. She was one step closer to bringing Maela back. Tucking it carefully away in a drawer, Emmery searched her bag until she found the book from Rhessa.

She settled into bed, tucking into the love story.

But as she drifted off to sleep in her new temporary home, surrounded by lovely things and promises of a bright future, her Shadowheart fluttered against her chest and khaos flame purred beneath her skin, reminding her that she in fact, didn’t belong. Not here. Not anywhere.

She wasn’t normal.

These pretty belongings, this pretty life ... it wasn’t for her.

And never would be.