Chapter 37 Shade
Shade
An unfamiliar feeling simmered low in my stomach. Unease, with a bit of disquiet.
I hated it.
It took me longer than it should have to identify what the emotion was—anxiety.
I was anxious. I was a god, for fate’s sake. Anxiety was not an emotion I had the capability of feeling. That I had the freedom of feeling.
My shadows churned around me, roiling and agitated, desperate to cling to something. To snuff. To devour.
Leaves on trees crinkled and swayed amongst the disruption. My shadows rattled them. Caressed them.
Though they ached to caress something else entirely.
I drifted, unsure where I was heading until an opening came to view.
The Barren Lands.
The Oasis.
My mind throbbed, the pieces slowly connecting, clearing as though swiping away long dried mud.
The Oasis.
I tilted my head, examining the wreckage.
The once beautiful, sprawling paradise was now dead. Decrepit.
They called this place the Barren Lands, and it was obvious why. It stank of rot and dirt and lacked the blossoming perfume of wildflowers and greenery.
And worst of all, I couldn’t feel a trace of magic emanating from it.
A shiver creeped down my spine. I fought the urge to flee.
Something about the place felt wrong.
I waited for my impending capture with bated breath.
I couldn’t decide what my path forward would be. Ginger would be upset if I ripped everyone to shreds, but this idiotic King was determined to take me away. Or worse—to kill me. Would Ginger be upset if I killed in self-defense?
I dreaded the thought of being separated from my mate, even if only for a moment. Even now, a wisp of my shadows followed along in her footsteps, keeping a watchful eye on her, keeping a crumb of my soul in her presence.
Could I still do that from across the realm? Was I strong enough?
My head jerked to the side, another painful memory sliding into place.