by Meg Anne
Contents
Map
I. Shadow-Touched
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
II. Guardian
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Epilogue
Note From Meg
Shade of Danger Exclusive Sneak Peek
Acknowledgments
Also By Meg Anne
About the Author
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright 2019 © Meg Anne
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-7322867-6-4 (Paperback Edition)
You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce, or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the author.
Permission requests can be sent to Meg Anne via email: [email protected]
Cover Art by Story Wrappers
Edited by Analisa Denny
Proofread by Dominique Laura
Created with Vellum
This one’s for Emigh . . . you know what you did.
Part I
Shadow-Touched
“I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.”
Pablo Neruda
Chapter 1
Icy fear arced down Lucian’s spine as Effie’s body crashed into his with the force of an enraged Talyrian. No one so little—infused with a Shadow’s corruption or not—should have the ability to knock a man of his size onto his ass.
Lucian grunted in pain as his head cracked into the rubble-strewn floor. She landed on top of him and immediately went for his neck. Lifting his hands instinctively, Lucian struggled to pry her slight body off of his. While she was small, she was now Shadow-touched. Even if the transformation was not yet complete, she was already reinforced with a Shadow’s unholy strength.
Effie fought like a wild animal, all fang and claw. Little growls sounded in her throat as she gnashed her teeth, aiming time and again to tear into his vulnerable flesh.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he managed, maneuvering his right arm between them and shoving her off of him with more effort than he would have liked. “But I will if it means keeping you whole.”
She flew back into the desecrated bodies she’d been ravaging when he’d found her. With a snarl, Effie pulled herself up into a crouch and glared at him through the bloodied strands of her hair.
A shiver of apprehension danced across his skin as her expression shifted from malice to dark amusement. There was no question which of the two emotions frightened him more.
Lips parting in a cruel smile, she purred, “What’s wrong, lover? Don’t you want me anymore?”
The words were bad enough, but it was her voice that cut at him like the scrape of metal over glass. It was all wrong. A broken rasp that had no place coming from such a sweet mouth—even if said mouth was currently dripping blood.
Using the opportunity to assess his next move, Lucian raked his eyes over his charge. He barely recognized her. Physically, she appeared almost normal. If one discounted the sheer amount of gore covering every inch of her body and the snaking black lines slithering in her milky eyes. But those were merely window dressing.
The subtler, harder to pinpoint shifts in her were what inspired true fear. Like the odd, halting way she moved, almost as if she was no longer at home in the body that contained her. Or perhaps it was the aura of hatred wrapped around her like some kind of mantle.
Lucian might be looking at Effie, but she was not who was staring back. A savage, blood-thirsty creature had taken over and had no intention of letting go of its prize anytime soon.
It didn’t take him longer than a heartbeat to finish his assessment. This was not a battle that could be won today. Not without a sacrifice he was unwilling to make.
What he needed was time. The only way to buy that was to subdue her, and fast. The longer this went on, the worse it was going to be—for both of them. Teeth clenched, Lucian pushed to his feet and eyed the discarded weapon a few paces away.
Following his gaze, Effie tsked. “Can you really kill me so easily, Guardian? Just sink that blade of yours straight into my heart as if I mean nothing to you?”
A savage roar tore through him in immediate protest, but Lucian kept his expression carefully blank. Let her call his bluff. He only needed to fool her long enough to tie her up. Then he could figure out how to save them both, because there was no doubt in the entirety of his being that if she was lost, so was he.
Stooping down, Lucian scooped up his blade. “Effie, if you can hear me, I need you to fight this, okay?”
The creature sneered. “Effie’s not home right now.”
Taking a step forward, Lucian snapped, “Fight, fledgling.”
Her expression rippled, like there was some kind of internal war taking place within her that he was not privy to. Or perhaps that was just his fervent hope making him see something that wasn’t there.
“There’s nothing to fight except for you,” she growled, standing slowly. “Your fledgling is dead.”
“No,” Lucian roared, charging forward in a burst of speed.
She was ready for him, tossing a handful of dirt and rocks up into his face. Lucian didn’t need his eyes to see. He pulled his power forth with no more effort than one used to take a breath.
Even now with the corruption streaking through her in a series of thin black and gray strands, Effie glowed a pale gold. Her light was barely diminished, reinforcing Lucian’s hope that it wasn’t too late to save her. If anyone was strong enough to fight against the corruption while he searched for a cure, she was.
Effie let out a shriek of rage when Lucian didn’t stop charging, wholly unaffected by her trick. She shone like a beacon, and it was more than enough for his aim to stay true.
Sword arm raised, Lucian dropped his power. A slight widening of Effie’s eyes was the only hint she knew what was coming. He bashed the hilt of his sword down into the side of her head, not holding anything back from the blow.
The effect was immediate. Effie crumpled like a ragdoll, her eyes rolling back into her head as her body went slack.
Lucian winced, mentally apologizing as he caught her. Shadow-touched or not, Effie was still his. His eyes dropped to her face, and his heart ached. Eyes closed and features no longer twisted with menace, there was no trace of the being that was living inside of her. Effie could have been sleeping.
Swallowing, Lucian adjusted her in his arms and forced the t
hought away. He couldn’t afford to think like that. Right now, Effie was the most dangerous enemy he’d ever faced. Not because of the threat she presented to the world at large, but because of the threat to his very nature. He was going to have to do the impossible if he had any hope of surviving this. It would be a battle with his deepest and most primal instinct at every step.
A Guardian’s primary purpose was to protect at any cost. But how could he protect someone when they were the monster?
“Lucian?”
Kael’s voice should have brought a wave of relief, but Lucian knew his brother. He was not going to like Lucian’s plan.
“Over here,” he called.
Kael rounded the corner, his expression relaxing slightly when his eyes landed on Lucian and the woman in his arms. “You found her. Is she alright?”
Lucian didn’t know how to answer that without lying, so he didn’t.
Brows veeing, Kael stepped forward. “What is it? What’s the matter?”
“We’ve got a problem.”
Sparing a glance for the destruction around them, Kael let out a humorless laugh. “That’s putting it mildly.”
“Effie’s Shadow-touched.”
Color leached out of Kael’s face, his jaw going slack. “What? When? We were all fine after the lajhár . . .”
“It must have happened before. When she was bit.”
Kael’s eyes shuttered, and he leaned heavily against the wall. “Fuck,” he whispered. “Luc, I’m so sorry.”
Lucian had known Kael long enough to know where his thoughts were heading. Hell, it would be the same direction his would go had their positions been reversed. “Don’t,” he gritted out.
“Lucian, you know what this means.”
“Stop,” he warned, feeling the throb of his pulse in his neck.
“We both know what needs to be done.”
“Shut. The. Fuck. Up.”
Kael’s voice was soft, his green eyes filled with his own pain. “Do you need me to do it for you?”
Lucian growled and tightened his arms around Effie. “She’s not to be harmed.”
“You know as well as I do what’s in store for her. She wouldn’t want to become that.”
“She won’t.”
“Oh? And how do you plan to stop it?”
“I’ll find a way,” he bit off.
“Brother—”
“We’re not having this conversation, Kael.”
“But, Lucian—”
“Either you help me find a way to save her, or get the fuck out of the way.”
Kael closed his mouth, his eyes assessing. “I recall a similar conversation not too long ago where you were on my side of this argument.”
“And?”
“You spoke of mercy.”
A muscle ticked in Lucian’s neck. “We weren’t talking about her.”
“Are you sure you’re willing to put everyone else at risk for less than a sliver of a chance?”
“I’d risk anything to save her.”
“Lucian, I care for her too—”
“Kael, this isn’t a debate. Help me or get out of my way. I don’t care which.”
Kael scowled, looking offended by the implication. “Of course, I’m helping you. That was never a question. I just wanted to make sure you know what you are doing. If we’re going to set the world on fire, I want to make sure you’re certain before you light the match.”
Lucian allowed himself a small smile of thanks as some of the tension eased. He’d hoped Kael would side with him, but his brother’s loyalty was to the realm first. Technically, so was Lucian’s, but everything had shifted with Effie’s arrival.
“We need to find somewhere safe to keep her away from the others.”
Frowning, Lucian nodded his agreement. He didn’t like the idea of locking her up, but it was the safest thing for everybody involved. With the citadel gone, the last of the Keepers and the townsfolk would need to regroup and see what could be salvaged, and then decide where to go from there. There was no knowing how many of them were left. They’d likely spend the rest of the day combing through the rubble and searching for survivors.
“I’ll take her to the catacombs,” Lucian murmured.
Kael looked conflicted, but nodded. “You should do it now, before the others show. Less questions that way.”
Lucian grunted his agreement. “We keep this quiet for now.”
Lifting a brow, Kael asked, “Just how long do you think we can keep her from the others?”
“As long as we have to.”
“They’re going to want to know what happened to her.”
“So we tell them the truth. She fought bravely defending her home.”
“And?” Kael pressed.
“And what?” Lucian asked, barely keeping the snarl out of his voice.
Kael shook his head. “You think they’re going to be satisfied with half of an answer?”
Lucian let a fraction of the rage simmering within him rise to the surface. “If they were that concerned for her, maybe they shouldn’t have left her behind.”
“Fair enough. I’ll buy you some time.”
“Once I get her settled, I’ll come find you.”
With a nod, Kael turned and started to walk away. Pausing at the end of the hallway, he turned and looked over his shoulder. “Lucian?”
“Hmm?”
“For what it’s worth, I’m truly sorry.”
Lucian struggled to maintain his blank expression. It felt like someone had shoved their fist into his chest and ripped out his heart. “I know.”
It was obvious that Kael didn’t think they were going to find a way to save her in time. All he saw when he looked at Effie was sand filling the bottom of an hourglass.
When Lucian looked at her, he saw the flickering promise of everything he’d ever wanted. She represented an entire lifetime of unspoken hope; his heart’s deepest wish made reality by a woman who was so much more than she ever gave herself credit for.
The flame might still be there, but it was guttering, and there was no telling how much longer it would last.
The catacombs were tomblike in their silence, especially after the insanity of war. Set beneath the citadel itself, deep within the earth, they were all that was left of the Keepers’ original home. Few, if any, remembered they were still here, and it had been millennia since anyone had need to visit them.
Until now.
Ignoring the thick webs built and abandoned by centuries of spiders, Lucian easily maneuvered his way through the winding chambers, the place still as familiar to him as the city above. But the air was heavy and thick, and breathing became almost painful the deeper down he went.
Reaching a room that had once been a bedchamber—and the first he’d come across that still had a door and functioning lock—Lucian stepped inside and carefully laid Effie’s unconscious form down on what was left of the bed.
She didn’t stir.
Even though he’d felt the soft gust of her breaths against his neck, Lucian pressed his hand to the side of her throat, not convinced she was alright until he felt the steady thump of her pulse against his fingers.
He allowed himself a moment to linger, his hands running along the velvety column of her throat up to her jaw. Even battle-stained she was breathtaking. Not because of something superficial like the symmetry of her features, but because of the aura of fierce defiance she still seemed to exude even while unconscious. A warning, perhaps, for those that would seek to harm her.
Lucian’s eyes fell closed, his breathing ragged.
Effie had been forged by fire, her life more difficult and painful than most of her friends would ever know. Her scars might be the only testament to her struggles, if one took the time to learn how to read them. Effie herself was carefully evasive with answers about her past, downplaying the horrors that had been heaped upon her—sometimes by her own parents. Where many would have crumbled, she continued to rise, each time stronger and more resilient tha
n the last. And all with a core of unyielding kindness and quiet strength. He’d never met her like.
Her existence was a miracle, even if it had been preordained.
Opening his eyes, Lucian traced the curve of her lips. The curse of the Keepers was to be gifted with foresight but never know their own fate. It was a curse Lucian shared. He’d been informed he’d find his true purpose in Elysia, but had been given no clue when or where it would be waiting. No amount of bribery or threats had revealed anything further. Not even a name.
There was nothing in any world with more allure than a Guardian’s true purpose. Once found, it superseded any prior vows or commitments. While it was not always a person, nor a relationship with romantic ties, a Guardian spent their immortal life searching to find and fulfill that. While Lucian had spent most of his life waiting for her—had even known to some degree that he would succeed in finding her—Effie had crashed into him like a wild storm.
Lucian knew now that no amount of warning would have ever prepared him for her.
“M’vitra pour vestry. Non refert l’coût.” The words of his native tongue came unbidden, pouring out in a guttural rush.
My life for yours. No matter the cost.
It was a Guardian’s most sacred vow. There were no words, in any language, that held more meaning for him, and right now it was the only thing he had to give. Brushing his knuckles across her cheek, Lucian leaned down to press his lips to Effie’s forehead.