The Hidden Truth (Shadow Claw Book 7)

by Sarah J. Stone

  She felt thinner than she normally did. She was small-boned, but her normally lean stomach was concave, and her shoulder bones popped through the top of her arms. She moved to get under the covers, shivering, and he wished he could light the whole room on fire to warm her.

  “How was work?” he asked, trying to make the situation normal. “Do you like working there?”

  “It's a job,” she rolled over to face him. “It was the highest paying job I could find, so I took it. We get commission on top of an hourly rate.”

  “Ah, so I should have bought ten vests,” he said, and she smiled.

  “If you are in need of them, yes,” she replied. “But let's not talk about work now. Do you want some tea?”

  “I'll make it, love,” he said, as they both sat up. “You worked all day.”

  “I worked four hours, actually,” she said. “It was supposed to be eight, but they cut my hours from this morning, which is a terrible hit on the paycheck.”

  He didn't know what to say to that, because he had never been in that situation before. All he knew was that it was terrible, and he wished he could help.

  “The tea is in the bottom cabinet,” she pointed him in the right direction. “I have sugar, but I don't think I have milk.”

  “Leave it to me,” he kissed her head and got up, going to boil water in the beat-up kettle. While he prepared the fixings for tea, he watched her out of the corner of his eye.

  Rosa had always been quiet and thoughtful. Everything she said and did was pre-determined in her mind, and she often moved slowly. It hadn't ever concerned him until recently. She had never had his high amounts of energy, but something had changed. He knew her well enough to know what she was thinking just from the movement of her eyes. Now, as she got up to do a few things, she seemed to be constantly calculating where the next place she could sit down was to put away an item, charge her phone, close a book. There was a couch, the window ledge, a dining room chair, and the edge of the bed that she moved from.

  The kettle boiled, and he poured the tea, bringing both mugs to the table.

  “Are you all right, Rosa?” he asked, as she fiddled with her phone. She looked up and gave him a smile.

  “Yes. I'm just tired. Perhaps we could have an early night?”

  “Whatever you need, my love,” he said, as they both sat. “I'll cook your dinner, do your laundry, and rub your feet….”

  She laughed.

  “We are remarkably domestic, given our situation.”

  “I would trade it all for domestic bliss with you,” he said. “Especially since my brothers are all married now.”

  “I saw Cole the other day,” she said, and he looked up. Being half witch, Cole could visit her with no issues. He was up to date on witch affairs, and often went to Rosa for advice. “He looked well, for the brief moment he stopped in to ask a question.”

  “And could you answer it?” he asked.

  “Of course, I know everything about magic.” She gave him a teasing smile. “I just can't use it.”

  “You will again one day.” He placed a hand over hers, and she looked down. They both knew that the chances of that were unlikely.

  Dinner was a dismal creation, but he thought it was the best meal that he had ever had in his life, because he shared it with her. Cobbled together from various leftovers, it was barely enough for his growling stomach and tall frame. Rosa seemed full after a few bites though, a fact that he was sure contributed to her new figure.

  Everything was normal until they were going to get ready for bed. It was as if they were a married couple, taking turns brushing their teeth and turning out the lights.

  Rosa got up to wash her face when he returned from the bathroom. He glanced down at his phone, and the next thing he knew, there was a giant crash.

  He looked up in terror to see Rosa crashing to the floor. He couldn't move fast enough to catch her, but he managed to at least stop her from hitting her head on the hardwood.

  Two of his sisters-in-law, Enya and Yvette, were humans in ill health. On more than one occasion, he had caught them both when they fainted. This didn't seem like fainting. Her eyes were wide open in surprise and alert as she reacted to the sudden movement.

  “Woah,” he said. “Woah, love. Stay down, don't move, don't move.”

  “I'm all right,” she said. “I'm all right.”

  “Just stay here a moment.” He pulled her close. “What happened? Did you get dizzy? Have you not eaten enough?”

  “No, it's not that.” She leaned against his chest, listening to his breathing. “I'm all right.”

  “Rosa,” he picked up something in her voice, “what happened?”

  “I…” she swallowed. “Sometimes, the magic just gets a little too weak to support me.”

  “What?!” he felt like his world was crashing down. He knew that witches were fueled by magic, of course. He knew they relied on it. But seeing her legs give out made him realize just how much they relied on it.

  “It's nothing to worry about,” she tried to assure him. “I'm fine now.”

  “You are not fine,” he protested. “How long has this been happening?”

  “I don't know,” she replied, but she was a terrible liar.

  “Rosa,” he whispered softly, “please tell me.”

  “About eight months,” she admitted. “Not usually like this. Just–”

  “God.” He held her close for another minute until he felt she was strong enough to stand up. “Do the witches know?”

  “Yes,” she said. “But it's expected. Ancestral magic without a coven can't last forever.”

  “Let me.” He was ready to flood her with dragon magic, anything to give her strength, but she pushed away.

  “You do that, and everyone will know your mark is on me,” she said. “I'm all right. It was a momentary lapse.”

  She seemed strong enough and headed to the bathroom. But he wasn't about to let this topic go so easily.

  “How long do they expect it to last?” he asked, point blank.

  “What?” she turned to him.

  “The magic,” he replied. “How long do they expect it to last?”

  “Nicholas, there's never been a situation like this,” she replied, lightly. “No one knows for certain–”

  “How long?” he demanded again, and she sighed.

  “Six months. A year, maybe.”

  “And then what happens to you?” he asked.

  “And then I…” She turned back to look in the mirror. “…will have no magic life to fuel me.”

  “And so, you die,” the words felt hollow.

  “And so, I die,” she echoed softly.

  Chapter 3

  Tuesday came far too quickly for either of them. He knew that he shouldn't have stayed that long, but after her news, he couldn't leave her side. He did everything he could for her, from grocery shopping to cuddling, but it didn't change the truth. Her legs didn't give out again, but he could see the signs.

  When her alarm went off on Tuesday morning, he wanted to smash it. He wanted it obliterated and to snuggle with her forever. But they had a world to face, as much as it broke his heart.

  “I will be back as soon as I can,” he said. “And I'm going to leave you with some contacts. My sisters-in-law are here regularly, and should anything happen, and you need me, you can reach out. But Rosa, only if–”

  “Only if it's the end.” She looked him right in the eye. “It won't be, Nicholas.”

  “I know.” Neither of them believed that. “But if there is….” He wrote down Enya's number and then Yvette's. He was about to write down Ariel's, and then he froze. “No,” he said, and scribbled it out.

  “No?” she asked, confused.

  “Ariel is a carapace,” he reminded her. “Some exposure to her may have been all right once, but not now. You are to stay away from her at all costs. Her kind has already permanently damaged Alexander. I love my sister-in-law, but you can never meet this one.”

&n
bsp; “Right,” she took the paper, staring at the numbers. She swore to memorize them by today, because carrying them around was too dangerous. “Come back soon, my love.”

  “Wild horses couldn't keep me away,” he said, hugging her tightly.

  Leaving her was the hardest thing he ever had to do. She had to go to work, and he had duties to attend to. She was cold, she was hungry, and there was nothing he could do about it. Worse of all, he had to act as if all was well and he hadn't just spent the weekend having his heart wrenched out by the love of his life. He had to have his usual smirk on his face, strolling through the palace like he didn't have the weight of the world on his shoulders.

  He got back to the palace about nine A.M, wanting to change and clear his head before he was to take over. Peter and Alexander would already be gone, doing whatever it was they needed to do, and he resented that it was him that had to sit on the throne today. This was never supposed to be his duty, even when Peter was dead. Alexander was militant about the throne and tried to be there as much as possible. When Nicholas was regent, he only babysat it for an hour or two a few days a month. Now, it seemed Alexander and Peter had constant duties.

  He was walking the hallway, lost in thought, when Cole called out to him.

  “Brother?” he asked. “I didn't expect you back a good hour before you had to run into the throne room. Something has changed within you.”

  “Perhaps I thought I'd be responsible,” Nicholas replied. “You should try it once in a while.”

  “Maybe,” Cole answered. “But as the youngest prince, my only job is to keep the line alive. So, stay safe and reproduce.”

  “Speaking of your wife in such terrible terms,” Nicholas said. “Are you due to Earth in the next bit?”

  “Not until next week,” Cole replied. “Why?”

  “No reason,” Nicholas answered, trying to appear nonchalant. “I thought that might be the case, but you seem to be on the trail of something witchy.”

  “You have spies everywhere, I swear,” Cole answered. “It's nothing sinister. The witches reached out to me for help. There's been many reports of fading magic. They wondered if it had to do with the Other dropping the veil away.”

  “Fading magic?” That stopped Nicholas in his tracks.

  “Sure. Once powerful witches not being able to cast a spell for coffee. Usually, it's more of a momentary lapse than a fade,” Cole shrugged. “I haven't noticed any issues, but then, I am only half witch, so it's not quite for me to say.”

  Nicholas tried to calm his beating heart. “And do you have any idea what the cause is?”

  “Not yet,” Cole replied casually, as if lives didn't depend on it.

  “Report directly to me with any new information,” Nicholas said. “It's not specifically dragon business, so there is no reason to bother Alexander and Peter. But we should keep on top of it in case it starts to affect other shifters.”

  “Of course,” Cole gave him an odd look. “It's not like you to care about other shifters, though.”

  “Perhaps I'm trying to turn over a new leaf,” Nicholas said. “What does it matter, Cole? Just do it.”

  “There's the grumpy brother I know so well,” Cole replied. “I will, don't worry. Now, get to the throne.”

  “Do I have a queen?” Nicholas called over his shoulder. “If not, find me one, please.”

  “I think Ariel is home,” Cole replied. In the absence or ill health of Yvette, the actual queen, they tried to always have one of the girls on the throne as well to represent the equal opportunity the dragons were known for. They made no distinction in terms of inheritance and rank between males and females. The only reason the princes lorded over the kingdom was because they were four brothers and no sisters. Their wives were equal to them in rank, and Ariel had been queen by default for a time until Peter married. “She's always fun to do throne duty with.”

  “That's fine, Cole,” Nicholas said. But as he walked into his chambers, he wondered if he should be near his favorite sister-in-law at all. Could carapaces pass on their abilities to take magic through osmosis? Was he hurting Rosa simply by being near Ariel?

  He decided to be cautious of it, which made Ariel raise an eyebrow when he didn't take her arm to enter the throne room.

  “I'm trying something,” he said to her. “Do you mind?”

  “What are you trying?” she asked. Ariel never judged, but she was curious at times. “How to look single while sitting on the throne with a queen?”

  To that, he grinned.

  “Everyone knows that you are in love with my brother.”

  “Everyone does not know that,” she said to him. “Mostly because it's not true. Alexander and I have a marriage of convenience, and I am perfectly happy with that.”

  “You must think I'm stupid,” he grinned, “to not see the way you two rejoice in each other’s arms.”

  “This is going to be a long day,” she teased him. “Luckily, I like you. But you have been acting funny lately.”

  “It's nothing,” he tried to assure her. His sister-in-law was smarter than that, but she said nothing to him. When Alexander returned that night, though, she brought it up.

  “Nicholas is up to something,” she said, as they got ready for bed. In the public eye, they were regal, strong, and were often putting on a show for the public rather than talking honestly. No one saw them when all the walls were dropped and they were just themselves. They were usually quiet, honest, and tired.

  “He is always up to something,” Alexander replied. “How would today be any different?”

  “He said he was trying to look single while sitting on the throne.”

  “He said that?” Alexander asked, confused.

  “Not in so many words, but yes,” she replied, as she sunk onto the bed. “He's usually the king of affection.”

  “He's just moody today, perhaps,” he said, sitting on the bed next to her. “I wouldn't worry about it.”

  “Hmm,” she glanced over to him. She was always cautious about the fact that a band of carapaces had ruined his health for good. She knew that her singular energy alone could not do any lasting damage, but it didn't mean she didn't feel bad about it. “All right?”

  “Long day,” he answered, shifting down on the pillows. “If you think he's up to something, you are welcome to investigate and report back to me.”

  “Pht,” she replied. “What am I, one of your princes to report back to you?”

  “No.” He wrapped an arm around her waist. “You are my queen.”

  “Go to sleep, Alexander,” she replied, shifting down on the pillows as well. “You're clearly tired if you're being sappy.”

  “I must be,” he answered, closing his eyes. She was perfectly happy to snuggle against him, though, letting sleep take her.

  Outside their door, Nicholas paused. He had been heading to his room for the night, but his superior hearing perked up at their conversation. It tugged at his heart. They may take a night like this for granted, thinking that it was nothing special. But he would give nearly anything to have a night like that with Rosa.

  He wished he could bring her here inside the palace walls. Just last week, though, two guards had died in an attack on the palace treasury, and a third one would likely never be seen again. He couldn't subject her to that; couldn't even stomach the idea of her being near such a threat.

  Rosa was currently safe from everyone but herself, it appeared.

  He spent half the night staring at his cell phone. They had each other’s numbers in their minds, but they never called or texted each other.

  The cell phone was primitive technology on Umora, but it hooked up to the internet well enough. Nicholas had always smiled when the Earth girls were shocked by Wi-Fi here, as if it were difficult.

  His hands were shaking, and he knew he shouldn't, but he typed in a few numbers and sent her a voice chat request. He was hoping that at least this way, it would be more anonymous than actually calling her.

 
She accepted within moments, and he hit the button for the camera to pop up. This was a huge risk, but he needed to know.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, keeping his voice low when she answered. She was in her apartment, sitting on the very bed that they had spent most of their time on. His chest ached from missing her.

  “I'm fine,” her voice came through a bit crackly. “You're calling me.”

  “I know. I know I shouldn't,” he said, “but I needed to check on you.”

  “Nicholas, really, I'm all right. It was a good day,” she said. “How was your day?”

  “Fine, except you weren't in it, so terrible,” he answered. She smiled, her eyes connecting with him through the screen.

  “This is so nice,” she said. “Like a normal couple.”

  “Like a normal couple,” he answered. “Just talking on video chat.”

  “Ha,” she shifted her position. “Show me your room.”

  “My room?” he asked in surprise. “It's just a room.”

  “If this is only going to happen once, I want to see every detail of your life,” she said. “Please, show me.”

  “All right,” he got off the bed, angling the camera. For ten minutes, he took her on a discreet tour of his room, pointing out where he spent time doing various tasks. She giggled at some of his comments, or mentioned the things that she liked. It was so simple, yet so delightful. “I miss you so much, Rosa. But I should go.”

  “I miss you, too,” she said, softly. “But I know you have to go.”

  “For you to be safe,” he reminded her.

  “Yes, safe,” she said. “I know.”

  But her heart ached a little more when they hung up. What was safety without love?

  Chapter 4

  “What are you doing?” Alexander looked at Ariel, confused by the fire after a long day. She was standing up, her hands flying, which told Nicholas she was telling a story. She was so animated when she spoke, and he always thought his sister-in-law should be their spokesperson. That was, if she could keep the filth out of her mouth, which she usually couldn't.

  “It's a musical about American history. But it's a rap musical with modern dance, rather than traditional styles.”