Heir of Shadows (The Shadowborne Legacy Book 1)

by Emma Harley

  “I’m so proud of you Raina,” she shrieked, lifting her face in the air as Izak and JJ smothered her for a group hug.

  “Well done Phoenix,” JJ praised, drowned out by Izak’s victory whooping. Nick ruffled her hair and gave her a congratulatory kiss on the head before rushing back to stop his pot boiling over.

  “How did you manage to do it?” Kalen asked incredulously, “I was trying for hours and got nowhere.”

  “That’s because you suck Kalen,” Logan stated casually, opening a bottle of cold beer with a hiss. Elias chuckled while Raina pulled up a chair at the old beaten table. Davin brought her a bottle of beer and kissed her head.

  “I knew you could do it Phoenix,” he beamed, dragging his chair closer to her, “so how did you manage it?” Raina noted the heavy lingering of alcohol on him and said nothing. He had just buried his sister after all.

  “Logan reverse engineered by destructive outbursts. Since my magic is tied to emotions, he made me relaxed and made me think of important times in my life,” she blushed, omitting the details that she knew would get her teased mercilessly. Logan however, decided to go into greater detail.

  “I made her tell me about you guys, and made her think back to the moment she realised you would go to the ends of the earth for her.”

  The squad suddenly abandoned their culinary activities to focus on Raina with devilish grins. Davin slammed his elbow onto the table and rested his head sideways as he stared at her with a shit eating grin.

  “And what did she say about us?”

  “Yeah spit it out Phoenix,” Nick pressed, “you never tell us you love us to our faces, so we want to hear it now.”

  Raina groaned as her cheeks flushed deeper, “I changed my mind I hate you all.”

  “No you don’t,” Logan scoffed, before adding in a sing-song voice “and I know why.” He downed the last of his beer before turning to Nick.

  “Did you really have to save her ass when she got taken hostage?”

  Raina leapt across the room as her team erupted into jeering laughter, clamping her hand over Logan’s mouth. Logan gripped her wrists gently and spun her into him, keeping her hands by her sides.

  “Izak I heard you had to carry her for three days when she got shot,” he called, eliciting a series of whoops and laughter from his audience. Raina turned her head and strained to look up at Logan.

  “I swear when I get my strength back I’m going to pound you into oblivion,” she huffed, her face now a violent shade of maroon. His breath made her neck prickle as he whispered into her ear, too low for the others to hear.

  “Is that a promise?” He winked at her and released her hands, his thumbs gently grazing her waist. Raina became very aware of the eyes that bored into the side of her head and she moved over towards her team. She had lost so much weight that she was now constantly cold, and the absence of Logan’s heat felt like a missing limb.

  Raina sniffed at the various pots on the cooker. “What are you making?”

  “Whatever the hell we could find in the cupboards,” Elias snorted, swigging his beer. Alicia turned back to her.

  “We’re going to have a celebration tonight, as our last night on earth,” she confirmed. Raina scrunched her nose at the cacophony of smells.

  “I’ll pass on the food thanks, you lot couldn’t cook to save your lives.” JJ faked offense as Logan spun her round to face him.

  “Like hell you are, you’re eating something. I don’t care if it’s Elias, I’ll put some pepper on him.”

  “Hey!” Elias argued. Logan ignored him and kept his golden eyes on Raina. “See? He’s already salty.” Raina rolled her eyes and smirked.

  “Fine, but I’m making something else. Eating Izak’s food would kill me before starvation does.”

  “Excuse me, I make excellent quality food,” Izak retorted, his words slightly slurred.

  “You make vegetable soup or cheese pizza. Adding herbs to a frozen pizza doesn’t make it quality food you squirrel,” Raina scoffed. Izak squinted at her.

  “I’ve seen you eat put sweets in a bowl with milk and eat it like cereal,” he jeered. Logan snorted.

  “Yes it’s called a refined palette,” she chuckled, “I’m going to get changed, my clothes are soaked from laying on the ground.” Alicia narrowed her eyes as Logan mumbled something about needing changed too. Raina left quickly to change, Logan following behind. Before she reached the first stair, she heard Alicia yelling.

  “If you aren’t back in 10 minutes I’m coming up there!”

  Raina rolled her eyes and chuckled.

  “Damn if we only have ten minutes I better move fast,” he purred, sweeping her into his arms and carrying her up the stairs.

  “Don’t you go winding them up,” Raina giggled, swatting him away as he set her down in the hallway to their rooms, “There are now Fae in this house with super bat-hearing I don’t want them getting the wrong idea.”

  “Even better, it will teach them not to eavesdrop,” he remarked, tickling her waist and making her squeal excitedly. A sudden thumping on the stairs had them both turning back as Alicia turned the corner.

  “That doesn’t look like you’re getting dressed!” she cautioned, glaring daggers at Logan, who ran to the edge of the hallway.

  “Stop eavesdropping you rat bastards!” he roared down the stairs. He grinned and patted Alicia on the head.

  “I’m just winding those two up, I knew they’d tell you.” He laughed heartily and slipped into his room to change out of his damp clothing and Alicia stood guard until Raina went into her room too.

  She stripped off quickly and tossed her clothes into a pile, grimacing as she realised she still hadn’t finished packing her belongings. She shivered slightly in her underwear, but didn’t want to unpack the clothing she had already put away. Raina rummaged through the clothes she had been given for starting work with the Blanchards, pulling out a red satin blouse and short black pencil skirt.

  “Yes please,” purred a voice behind her. She spun to see Logan, dressed in a black button down shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and dark jeans.

  “You’re such a creep,” she scoffed, throwing the skirt at him. He brushed it away like it was a fly and tore his eyes off her.

  “You’re putting on fancy clothes to sit downstairs and get drunk?”

  “I don’t want to pull out the clothes I’ve already packed, but also I don’t want to wear fancy clothes,” she mused, examining the outfits hanging in the wardrobe. Logan peeked around the wardrobe door.

  “You know, you could stay like this,” he suggested, earning a feeble punch on the arm.

  “As much as you would enjoy that, I don’t think your brothers would be too comfortable,” she chuckled, tossing a dress onto the mounting pile on her bed. Logan shrugged.

  “Who cares, they aren’t even my brothers.”

  Raina paused and turned to him. “I guess that was just a cover in this world, so if Blanchard isn’t your last name what is it?” she asked, holding yet another dress in the air to examine it.

  “Calviere.”

  Raina rolled it off her tongue. “Calviere, that’s beautiful.” Logan swept her into his arms as she squeaked.

  “If you like it so much you can have it,” he grinned devilishly, gripping her tightly to him. Raina raised an eyebrow at him.

  “Can you stop flirting with me for five minutes and let me get dressed?” Logan flopped her down recklessly on the bed and grinned.

  “You can go ahead and get dressed, I’m not going to stop flirting with you though.”

  “Fine then, if that’s how you want to play it,” she smirked, flouncing out of her room and into Logan’s. She was back in the doorway moments later, wearing one of his large blue button down shirts with very few buttons closed. His eyes darkened and he swept her into the room, gently closing the door behind him.

  “We’re going downstairs to our friends, you should calm yourself down,” she breathed, running a hand throu
gh his hair. He growled, taking a long, deep breath before he set her down.

  “I may need a few moments,” he mumbled, stepping into her bathroom to splash his face with water, “Hurry up and get dressed or we aren’t leaving this room.”

  Raina slipped on a pair of shorts that disappeared under Logan’s shirt and stepped into her boots.

  “Come on, I’m hungry,” she called from the doorway. Logan’s jaw dropped when he noticed she was still wearing his shirt.

  “You’re wearing that in front of me all night?” he asked, flicking the collar as she fixed up a few buttons. Raina smirked up at him, her stomach fluttering at the smouldering heat in his eyes. “You don’t have to look at it if it bothers you.”

  “Where else am I supposed to look? I can barely keep eye contact with you,” he moaned. Raina patted his cheek softly.

  “It could always be worse Logan, so stop complaining.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I don’t see how it could get much worse you’re already making me leave the bedroom and I didn’t get to the fun part.” Raina put her hands on her hips.

  “If you don’t give over complaining I’m going to leave my underwear in the room and sit in your lap all night. And you still won’t get to the fun part.” Logan closed his eyes and breathed deeply, his fists balling around the hem of her shirt.

  “Spray perfume on yourself before we go downstairs,” he demanded, shoving away to search for a bottle of her spray. Raina cocked her head in confusion. He grabbed a little purple bottle and sprayed her all over, kneeling before her and spraying her thighs. Raina whacked him on the shoulder.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she hissed. Logan’s eyes darkened as he wrapped her in his arms and leaned down to her.

  “Fae can scent things on others, and right now you’re driving me wild. If you go downstairs without covering your scent, it will attract Kalen and Elias since you’re an unmated female. And I’d rather not have to rip their throats out, I’ve grown quite attached to them,” he murmured in her ear. She sighed and pushed back from him.

  “I’m not putting up with you being a possessive ass to everyone just because we flirt around. Behave yourself and have a night nice with us all or you can sit up here alone.” Logan frowned.

  “So we’re just flirting around?”

  Raina moaned and gripped his shirt as she rested her forehead on his chest.

  “Do we have to do this now?” she asked. Logan gripped her chin gently to look up at him.

  Sudden hurried thumps on the staircase made them break apart as Alicia slammed the door open with an incriminating “Ah-HA!” as though she was expecting to catch them stark naked. Raina tried her best to maintain an innocent glance while pretending to be going through her boxes while Logan leaned nonchalantly against the bed post. Alicia squinted at them both before sniffing.

  “We’re supposed to be having a night together you know,” she huffed, “don’t think we’re letting it slide that you haven’t eaten yet Phoenix.”

  “Sorry Mullins I got distracted,” Raina mumbled sheepishly. She cocked an eyebrow at the Fae male.

  “I can see why. Move it both of you,” she scolded, turning to leave. Raina followed her out with a sneaking glance at Logan. He winked at her and shoved off the post to join their comrades for their last night on earth.

  ∞∞∞

  “I am not drinking that.”

  Raina gagged at the pint glass on the table of the room she had just entered. The smell emanating from a horrifying melange of alcoholic drinks was borderline abusive on her nostrils. Izak tapped the deck of cards, his movements slowed by the copious amount of alcohol he had already drank.

  “If you want to play, you have to add your drink to the mix,” he slurred, falling into a lean against an unimpressed Nick.

  “For god sake Izak, get your shit together. You’re a disgrace,” Nick scowled, “even Alicia is out-drinking you.” Alicia grinned and ruffled Izak’s blond hair.

  “He had a bowl of soup and considered that a good meal before drinking,” she chuckled.

  Raina smirked, refraining from commenting. Kalen had introduced the squad to Elias’ sitting-turned-game room, complete with billiards table, a reversible foosball/air-hockey table, a wall-mounted TV with several games consoles and a miniature bar with neon signs. Everything about this room screamed “rich college jock”. However it fitted well with the human persona Elias had adapted. Davin and JJ had taken over the pool table, occasionally taking short breaks to observe Izak’s drunken antics as he fruitlessly tried to persuade Kalen into playing a game of Kings with them. Even Elias was objecting.

  “You realise that concoction is violently repulsive to us? We can smell everything you put in there. Including the crème liqueur that is now curdling,” Logan grimaced, pinching his nostrils. Izak just grinned lazily.

  “That’s the point of Kings though, loser has to drink the mix,” he garbled. Raina cupped her hands over her mouth and nose as she rushed to open the window.

  “No one is playing that game, Izak the damn thing is sour you’ll make someone sick,” she snapped, breathing in the fresh, non-curdled air. Logan grabbed the glass and left to toss it out, returning with a tin of air-freshener.

  “I’d suggest covering your nose little Faelings.”

  Kalen and Elias swiftly joined Raina at the window as Logan spritzed the room to remove the disgusting smell. Izak grumbled about a waste of his drink as he huffed on the leather couch. Elias sniffed cautiously, the berry-scented spray hiding most of the nauseating smell. Raina didn’t uncover her nose, even the spray was too pungent. Kalen laughed as she tugged Logan’s shirt over her nose.

  “You do get used to it eventually,” he reassured her, “It’s just like the hearing, it takes a little while but you’ll get accustomed to stronger smells. Eventually you’ll be able to sniff out Logan in a windstorm.” Raina chuckled.

  “Why Logan specifically?”

  “Depending on the manifestation of power, it changes the wielder’s scent too. I once met a half-Fae shifter who smelled like a barbeque, because he could turn into a cow and had a touch of fire magic.” Raina stared at him, wide-eyed. “You’re pulling my leg.”

  “If only, he turned into a cow once his powers started showing and he hasn’t turned since. No money in the world could force him to shift again,” Kalen chuckled, walking her to the bar corner to pour her a drink. Raina perched on one of the stools and leaned against the bar, fascinated by the detail Elias had put into making it seem authentic.

  “Are there a lot of shifters in your world?”

  Kalen measured out a sweet-smelling red syrup and tipped it into a glass of ice.

  “There’s a lot of them, but their numbers have reduced horribly in the past thousand years. Gangs began tracking them down and locking them into their animal forms so they could sell them as pets and working animals. Most of them began to escape to another country because their royal family was a line of shifters, they were protected better there. You wouldn’t come across too many in our land unless they’re in larger cities.”

  “Is there a lot of royal families in your world?” she asked, adding a thank you as he passed her a sweet pink cocktail. Kalen nodded, pouring himself a whiskey.

  “Most countries have a form of ruling royalty, with the exception of the republics. Your country is one of the largest and most prominent, with the current king at the helm. Then it’s divided into smaller territories, governed by lords and ladies. Anyone with a lower title is usually an elected official. Avellia is a huge country, but they also rule over some smaller countries over the world.”

  Raina shuddered. The prospect of being any form of leader for such a vast amount of people was terrifying. She secretly hoped her birth parents had indeed named an heir in her absence. She sipped her drink slowly, a delicious cherry cocktail.

  “You said you were in the army there. What did you do?” she asked curiously, swirling the ice in her glass.

  “In th
e army I got put into the 29th legion, it wasn’t anything special. I ended up getting a whole load of praise for saving your uncle in battle and was reassigned to the castle guards. Then about ten years before you were born I was made a member of the queen’s guard. The king’s guard protected only him, but I was assigned to your grandmother and your mother, and by extension, you.”

  Raina nodded, glancing back as JJ whooped triumphantly at beating Davin. Alicia had abandoned Izak’s intoxicated ramblings and was engaged in a furious air hockey match with Nick while Logan and Elias watched.

  “If I go back, I’m not going to have to rule or anything am I? I’ve been gone for so long I was slightly hoping they might just leave me in peace and not try to interact with me,” she mumbled quietly, hoping the others wouldn’t hear her over the din. Kalen knew exactly who she was referring to.

  “I don’t know about ruling. Your father named you as his heir apparent less than two days after your birth, the only thing that supersedes your right to the throne is your death. And I don’t think it will be possible to avoid them. The day Eliza carried you through the portal was a tough one. Your grandparents had to hold your parents to stop them following you through, especially your mother. She abdicated her role in the line of succession in the hope your grandmother would allow her to go with you.” Raina cocked her head.

  “I thought she was just a commoner from a clan?” Kalen looked blankly at her as he sipped his whiskey.

  “Not at all. The Terragae clan is led by a High Priestess, but she is just as much a queen. The title is different due to their heritage. Your mother was second in line and despite being considered illegitimate in other countries, marriage does not matter in their clan. Any child born of the High Priestess is a legitimate contender for her throne as long as it’s a female.” Raina sighed heavily and gulped down her drink.