BOOK THREE - promised series
Espheros is inhabited by more than just the human species. Shifters and Immortals walk the earth amongst them, hiding in the shadows.
There are some humans, however, who are very much aware of what moves through the dar...
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The wind that had blown into the room made it drop a few degrees. A cold prickling sensation ran down my back as a sense of foreboding began to move into my mind, threatening to unleash a storm of fear and anguish.
The room darkened and a quick movement caught my attention. When I looked over to the wall behind Reece, I saw nothing there but oil paintings of nature decorating a peach-coloured wall. Reece noticed me looking and turned around, his gaze confused once his eyes found mine.
I furrowed my brows. Then, like slowly rising flames, shadows began to creep up the wall behind Reece, drenching the room in an eerie darkness with barely any light. Time seemed to still but my heart began to race.
It felt awfully a lot like...
"Emmet," I managed to croak but was rendered unable to continue when a haunting thought crossed my mind and I realised that Leizer was not the only one who had entered the room when he'd stormed in.
"Finally, we meet again," a deep, melodic yet terrifying voice sang, echoing through the room as it rolled off the halls, creating a resounding feeling of panic. It chilled me to the bones.
"I sssssee your jawssss have recovered, little wildling," the voice hissed, and I knew it was the shadowed figure that had knocked both Emmet and me out cold.
"What do you want from us?" Reece demanded, his tone void of the fear that turned my blood into a burning acid that kept my heart from beating properly as everything inside me turned numb.
"Sssssso naive," it answered, not coming from one direction but from all.
Reece made a growling sound. "I'll tear you apart for what you did," Reece threatened, his voice dripping with a ferocity that I would have never dreamed of possessing in this kind of a situation.
There was no one in the room, not really. I only felt my brothers' and Leizer's presence, yet somehow, the person the voice belonged to still must have been hiding somewhere.
The shadows lingered on the wall, moving but not expanding. They mimicked flames yet did not burn. It did not turn into smoke like they had last time.
Then I suddenly wondered, what if those shadows represented his emotional signature? Could I control them?
And just as those thoughts entered my mind, the voice echoed again. "You will die before you ssssshall have the chance to sssstop me, little wildling. Your giftssssss are nothing compared to what I will do to you..."
Another chill ran down my spine upon being addressed directly. It was almost as if he'd read my mind, felt what I'd thought. What I'd considered doing...
But how could he have? There were no mind-readers walking Espheros, were there?
"I look forward to ssssseing you again, little wildling..." and then light flooded the room, chasing away the shadows but leaving behind a resonating sense of dread that refused to let go of its iron grip.
Though it was not cold in the room anymore, my body still felt frozen into ice with acid running through my veins, pumping fear into my heart, eradicating anything that resembled hope or courage.
☼
Leizer left the room after inquiring if we were all unharmed. His concern for our wellbeing was appreciated, but none of us really felt like we'd said the truth. Though there had not been any physical harm done, my mind felt like it was permanently unhinged and completely beyond repair. I could barely form a coherent thought because nothing seemed to make sense anymore. What had become of all of this? What were we even doing here, and how had we gotten to this point?
A dark cloud of bitter resentment grabbed me. Had the Thrakos men not showed up in Everett Valley, none of this would have happened. Kendra, my brothers and I could have continued living an isolated life. At least it had been fairly peaceful, and I hadn't received any death threats!
"Why did he mention your gift?" Emmet asked after we all moved to sit onto the two couches in the entrance area, close to the arches that made way to access the left side of the U-shaped room.
"I think he might have either read my mind or somehow detected my intentions, I don't know," I answered, astounded by how Emmet never missed anything.
He tilted his head slightly, wanting me to elaborate further.
"I wondered if the shadows were his emotional signature. I barely even really thought about it, but I considered trying to control it to see if they were."
Reece inhaled sharply as Emmet's eyes grew large.
Before either of them had the chance to react, someone else barged through the doors unannounced. The person coming in was ridden with concern and a force surrounded him that instantly made me feel safer now that he was here. It was as if merely his presence made me forget about what had just transpired and all I wanted was to be held by him and never let go.
"Leizer told me you were fine. Are you?"
I nodded wordlessly.
"Leiirin, I need you to come with me. Alpha Reece, my subordinate Leizer will update you on what has transpired. I need a moment with your sister."
The respect that Reagan showed Reece by saying that made me stare at him in awe. It wasn't lost on Reece either, considering the shocked expression that briefly crossed his face.
Reece nodded subtly. "Thank you."
Reagan exited the doors then and I moved from the couch to stand up. "I think we might have to pick a side sooner rather than later," I said before I turned to leave.
My brother's both let my words sink in and did not answer.
Once I shut the double doors behind me, leaving Leizer with my brothers and finding myself alone with my promised, I felt nervousness and relief run through me, contradicting themselves as I felt them soak in.
"Are you really alright?" was Reagan's first question. His words were filled with so much concern.
Nodding, I tried mustering a weak smile. "Only a bit shaken."
Reagan stared at me, expressionless.
Contrary to everything I would have expected, Reagan's arms wrapped around my body and he tenderly pulled me into his chest. His proximity enveloped me in a soft blanket of security and warmth, filling me out from the inside.
When we parted, I felt loss when his warmth left me. His golden eyes stared into mine with an intensity that made a tingling sensation run across my skin.
"I think it's safe to say that it was, in fact, Kintar who attaked you in your home."
Staring back into his eyes, I barely fully registered what he'd said because I lost myself in the golden mystery of who he was, trying to see if I could find anything in their depths.
"Dante and Ryker both encountered him in the Keinarnin down at the sea. Kintar is known for his illusions. What you just witnessed was one."
Reagan's voice turned grave when he spoke next.
"We need any help we can get. Now that Kintar knows where Polla'Nisia is, we must prepare for the worst. You must choose which side you're on or if you even want to be involved with this. Under any other circumstances I would want you far away from all of this, but your gifts could prove invaluable. We need you more than you can imagine."
And with those heavy words, Reagan briefly squeezed my arm, stared into my soul, and did not wait for my reply.
"I need to get back to my meeting with the officers. Ask for me as soon as you're ready."
