Situated in the North Tower, the solar provided a spectacular view of the Gloaming. Cole didn’t have to look out the window to picture the fields full of crops rolling into hills. Though the dark fae mostly survived on the energy produced from sex, they also ate enough regular food to make crops necessary in the Gloaming.
During the summer, those crops would fill the fields, but now they were only half grown. Like Earth, the Shadow Realms had seasons, and the seasons in the Gloaming were similar to Earth’s.
It was June in the human realm and spring in the Gloaming, but they didn’t have winter here. They had a longer spring, summer, and fall. The leaves changed colors and fell in the Gloaming, but new ones sprang forth within weeks of the old ones falling.
Cole’s uncle, Maverick, watched Tove as he paced from his seat at the table. A golden goblet full of wine sat before him, but Maverick removed the silver flask from inside his jacket, unscrewed the cap, and took a gulp. His uncle was more of a whiskey than a wine guy.
Taller than Cole by about two inches, Maverick had difficulty getting his six-foot-nine frame to fit under the table and kept his legs sprawled out to the side. His dark brown hair waved around his broad face, and his chestnut eyes shone with amusement as he watched the king.
Maverick was the alpha of his pack, but he couldn’t stop some of his members from leaving to fight against the Lord during the war. But then, the lycans always enjoyed a fight.
His pack was not the only pack in the Lunar Realm. Others resided there, and before the war, they often argued with each other. They would battle over land, losing bits and pieces to enemy packs only to reclaim it again the next day or week.
Cole leaned against the wall as he sipped wine from his golden goblet and watched his father. It had been years since he’d seen Tove so enraged. Brokk glanced at Cole and raised an eyebrow. Cole shrugged and drank some more wine.
“What started the fight?” Brokk inquired.
“A vampire grabbed the ass of a lycan’s mate. Her mate punched the vamp in the face; someone hit a witch in the ensuing battle. It was a free-for-all after that,” Tove replied.
“You can’t blame a lycan for defending his mate,” Maverick said.
“Maybe not, but they’re all going to spend a week in my dungeons.”
“You cannot blame a lycan for defending his mate,” Maverick repeated.
Tove stopped his pacing and turned to face Maverick. The two men stared at each other.
“They are on our side,” Maverick said. “Some of them are part of my pack. They were wrong to fight in your hall. Let them stew in that knowledge for the night, but set them free afterward.”
CHAPTER 13
A muscle twitched in Tove’s jaw as his teeth ground together. Cole didn’t say a word, but his uncle was right, and his father knew it.
“It might not be the best idea to make an enemy out of them,” Brokk said.
His father grumbled something and paced over to the table. He grasped the chair at the end, his chair, and gazed down the table at his sons and Maverick.
“I’ll set them free tomorrow,” he relented. “Except for the vampire. He’ll stay in there until I say he can leave, and I don’t care if that’s three centuries from now.”
“They can’t fault you for that,” Cole said.
“No one gives a shit about the vampire,” Maverick muttered.
His father released the chair and pulled it back to sit on it. He waved a hand at the two chairs beside him. “Join me,” he commanded his sons.
Cole stepped away from the wall and walked down to sit at his father’s right side while Brokk took the chair on his left. Maverick sat a couple of chairs down from Brokk.
They had originally planned to have a full coalition meeting with the other immortals seeking to end the Lord’s tyranny. However, there was no reason for those members to remain in the palace once Tove commanded everyone to leave.
Maverick was family; it wouldn’t look odd if he remained, but it would look strange if the others did.
“I spoke with Talon,” his father said.
The warlock was a powerful asset to the coalition, but he was also the most cautious.
“He’s determined that we find someone who can sit on the throne before we try to destroy the Lord,” Tove continued. “He believes it won’t do us any good if we remove the maniac but have no one to replace him.”
“The throne and the power are going to rot whoever we replace him with,” Brokk said. “Just like it has the current Lord.”
Cole still remembered what the current Lord was like before he sat on the throne. He’d been a good man, a warlock who was chosen by the other immortals to take the place of the Lord before him.
Cole clearly remembered Andreas as a smiling warlock with hazel eyes and a boisterous laugh that once rebounded off the walls of the downstairs’ hall. He was one of the few immortals everyone liked, and now the throne had corrupted his mind and turned him into a madman who had unleashed hell upon the unsuspecting mortals.
“And each race of immortal wants it to be one of their own,” Maverick said.
“I don’t know why everyone is so willing to claim the next lunatic as one of theirs,” Cole muttered.
The idea behind the coalition was a good one. A few of the strongest leaders from different realms belonged to it, but unfortunately, the idea was better than the execution. They often spent more time bickering with each other than they did undermining the Lord’s control.
His brothers had known what they planned and hoped to accomplish, but five of them grew impatient with the lack of progress and broke off to join the rebels. Only two of them remained.
Cole didn’t fear that they would rat out the members of the coalition if they were caught. They may have stood on opposing sides of the war and had differing opinions on handling things, but there had always been a lot of love between them.
None of them had the same mothers, but they all had each other, and their father loved them all equally. They would never betray each other.
They were supposed to have stopped him before the humans ever learned about the existence of immortals. Instead, while the war was still waging in the Shadow Realms, the Lord grew impatient with its lack of progress and turned his dragons loose on Earth.
The humans, not expecting the attack and having never seen anything like the creatures scorching their land before, were slow to respond. But it didn’t matter; the Lord had gathered enough intel that he sent the beasts to destroy the human’s military strongholds first.
No country was safe from the wrath of the dragons. By the time the humans responded, their military was devastated, and what remained of it was ineffective against the dragons.
The war had spilled out of the Shadow Realms by then, and though the coalition spent much of the war working in secret to depose the Lord, Cole realized they’d failed. Now, they were still trying to figure out a way to defeat him, but millions, if not billions, had lost their lives in the process, including countless immortals.
Once the human realm fell, those immortals who fought on the rebel side had nothing left to fight for… other than their lives.
The war continued for almost another year, but it grew smaller and smaller until the rebels turned and fled in the hopes of saving their lives.
“Because they think they might have some sway of the next Lord if it is one of theirs,” Maverick said.
“Why? The warlocks have no control over this one,” Cole said.
“It makes no sense, but that’s the way it is,” his father said.
“Hmm….” Cole drummed his fingers on the table and glanced at the empty seat across from Maverick. At one time, Del would have occupied that chair, but his friend was gone.
However, his daughter was still very much alive. Cole pushed aside the image of Lexi’s awed face as she gazed at the luna flowers. Now was not the time.
“How do we go about finding someone to take the Lord’s place?” Brokk asked.
“That’s the question no one can answer,” Maverick said. “That throne was built for an arach. Those dragons belong to them.”
“But they’re all dead,” Cole said.
“That they are,” his father muttered as he poured himself a goblet of wine.
“There has to be someone who can handle its power,” Brokk said.
“We haven’t found anyone in a thousand years,” their father replied.
“There has to be something we can do,” Brokk insisted. “We can’t sit here and wait for the Lord to decide he wants all our realms, and all of us, dead next.”
“Someone has to sit on that throne,” Maverick said. “The Shadow Realms will be almost as unstable with an empty throne as it is with the Lord on it. The dragons will have free reign of the realms if someone isn’t on that throne to control them. And if those things decide to fly free….”
“We’re all fucked,” Cole finished when his voice trailed off.
“Exactly.”
“What if we kill the Lord and instead of replacing him with one immortal, we have a rotating group of them, each chosen by a member of the coalition?” Brokk suggested. “We can pick who we think will be the best choices for the throne.”
“And what if one of them sits on it and decides not to give up the throne’s power?” his father asked.
“We’ll fight that battle if we come to it, but if they’re not on it for very long, maybe we can keep the throne from corrupting them.”
“I think Brokk’s suggestion might be worth discussing with the others. Have you spoken with Circe?” Cole asked.
Circe was the witch on the coalition. No other witches knew one of their most powerful coven leaders was secretly helping other immortals bring down the Lord. They would have been astounded to learn that at one time she was also working with a vampire, but Del’s death ended that relationship.
Tove had originally gathered Maverick, Circe, and Talon for this. After years of friendship, he felt he could trust them, and he wanted the powers other immortal creatures could bring to the table.
He later brought in his sons, and Cole was the one who introduced Del. The man was a military genius, but not even Del could figure out a way to get through the dragons to destroy the Lord. However, he’d been working on something he said might change things. Unfortunately, he died before anyone could learn what it was.
“Brokk’s suggestion could work,” Maverick said.
“There’s a lot of hate between the different species; look at what happened here tonight,” his father said.
“There will be a lot more death if they don’t get over it,” Cole said.
His father sat back in his chair and clasped his hands before him as he stared at the far wall. “I think we might be on to something here. I think the others will approve of each species having equal time on the throne, and we can hold each other accountable.”
“It’s going to require a lot of trust between the species,” Maverick said.
“That’s something we’ve never had before,” Cole said.
“The humans never possessed knowledge of us either, and we never believed our families would be torn apart the way they are.”
“This may be our only hope,” Brokk said.
“I’ll talk with Circe and Talon,” his father said.
“If they agree, we’re still left with the biggest problem of all,” Brokk said.
“How do we get past the dragons to kill the Lord?” Cole asked.
They all stared at each other, but no one had an answer.
“Keep an eye out for Varo and Orin,” his father said. “Don’t put yourselves at risk, but if there’s something you can do….”
“We’ll save them if we can,” Cole vowed, and Brokk nodded.
Cole knew that was easier said than done as the Lord’s men were relentlessly hunting his brothers, but he would do what he could to save them.
CHAPTER 14
Lexi strolled toward the large weeping willow near the lake. She inhaled the sweet scent of spring and the water lilies floating on the water. The gentle breeze caused the small green leaves to dance as she approached the thick canopy they created.
The branches spilling into the water sent small ripples across the serene surface when the wind stirred them. She couldn’t see it yet, but beneath the boughs of the tree and against its trunk, she’d erected a small marker for her father.
His body would never reside here, but his memories lingered like ghosts over a graveyard. She heard his laughter as he chased her beneath the drooping branches and through the curtain of tiny leaves.
Her laughter mingled with his when he lifted her from the ground and spun her around. Her feet flew through the air, and for a moment, she was flying and the world was this wondrous place. She never once doubted his love for her.
Over the years, they spent many hours beneath this tree playing, imagining they were in a fantasy world battling pirates or soaring through the air on the Lord’s dragons. Sometimes, she would sit on his lap while he read to her for hours, or they would feed the ducks while birds flitted through the branches and the wind whispered through the leaves.
It had been years since they last sat beneath the tree together. The war took him away long before it claimed his life, but she came here often to sit beneath the boughs and talk to him. Only now, he wasn’t talking back anymore.
She refused to look at the smoke rising from the burned-out city while she walked; she’d seen enough of it. Arriving at the tree, she pulled back some of the branches and ducked beneath the leaves.
When she released the branches, they swished as they settled into place behind her. Hidden beneath the tree, some of the weight lifted from her shoulders and they sagged.
She’d spent most of the day trying not to think about what the future held after their return from the Gloaming last night. She hoped it wasn’t true, but she suspected it wouldn’t be long before Malakai turned up here.
She didn’t know how much time she had, but she had to prepare. However, she had no idea what to do. No matter what happened, she would not join her life to his, but her refusal was not something he would take well.
What would he do to her? To the manor? To Sahira?
She shuddered at the possibilities before shoving them aside. Those were concerns for a later time. Now, it was just her, this secret place, and the small plaque for her father.
The willow’s branches encased her, but they provided enough room for her to walk over to the marker without bending. Kneeling before it, she wiped away the leaves that had fallen onto it and sat back on her heels to read it.
Delano Harper.
Beloved father, brother, and friend.
She’d wanted to put so much more onto it, but no stone could ever be big enough to display the depth of her love or the endless magnitude of her grief.
“I miss you, Daddy,” she whispered.
A low groan accompanied her words. Lexi froze as the hair on her nape rose and prickles raced across her skin. She held her breath as she waited for something more, but the only sound was the breeze rustling the leaves.
She glanced around the shadowed interior but didn’t see anyone else. Rising, she edged to the left of the tree trunk. Her hand went to the hunting knife strapped to the belt on her waist.
Because she was half human, she couldn’t transport away from a threat like other vampires. She didn’t burn or catch fire in the sun, though, so she supposed it was a good trade-off. However, it didn’t feel like one right now.
She hadn’t imagined that groan, and if there was a threat on the other side of the tree, she couldn’t fend off many immortals if they got their hands on her. Still, she had to know what was there.
She slid her knife from its holster and held it before her as she stepped around the tree trunk. Lexi’s hand flew to her mouth when she spotted the man on the other side of the tree.
Red covered him, and it took her a minute to realize it wasn’t because his c
lothes were red. No, torn open and blood-soaked were the best ways to describe what lay before her.
Unsure what to do, she stood and gawked for longer than she should have before reacting. When her feet stopped sticking to the soft earth, she rushed forward to kneel at his side.
She reached for him before jerking her hands back. She had no idea what to do or where to touch him that wouldn’t hurt him more. When he groaned again, his head rolled toward her, and a pair of narrowed black eyes met hers.
There was no recognition in those eyes, and she had no idea who he was, but she knew the raven hair, dark eyes, slender build, pointed ears, and ciphers of the dark fae. She had no idea what he was doing here, but whatever propelled him to seek shelter couldn’t be good.
“They’re coming for me,” he croaked.
“Who’s coming for you?” she asked.
She inspected the jagged slices filleting his side and chest to the bones beneath. The blood drenching his torn-open black shirt caused it to stick to his flesh.
Carefully peeling away the scraps of cloth, she revealed the jagged tears beneath. A lycan had done this.
Lexi suppressed the unease churning in her stomach while she inspected the wound. The Lord of the Shadow Realms had unleashed bounty hunters on the remaining rebel army, and with their superior tracking skills, many of those hunters were lycan.
She should get away from this man and flee to her house. She should pretend she’d never seen him or, better yet, turn him in. He was a danger to her and Sahira, but she didn’t move.
She’d never forgive herself if she turned her back on him or, worse, was the reason his hunters finished what they started. Her father had fought against him, but she didn’t want to fight, and she was so tired of all the violence and death.
“How many of them are coming?” she asked.
When he didn’t respond, she shifted her attention from his injury to his pale face. Even his lips had lost all their color, and his eyes were closed. Leaning closer, she listened to his shallow breaths as they rattled in and out.
Shadows of Fire (The Shadow Realms, Book 1) Page 6