chapter thirteen
I’M DREAMING AGAIN. THE MAN before me is nearly as breathtaking as Astēr.
They share the same tall, muscular frame, golden skin, and strong jaw, but contrary to Astēr’s messy dark blue waves and honey-colored eyes, this male has straight golden-blond hair tied in a neat ponytail at the nape of his neck.
His eyes are a dark blue, bordering on black, and the icy, detached energy surrounding him sends shivers down my spine.
My surroundings tell me I must be in a fortress or castle, and the handsome male sits rather nonchalantly in what must be some sort of throne.
He’s sipping a glass of deep burgundy wine that matches the heavy velvet curtains draped over the tall windows, and the dark stone that makes up the floor, walls, and ceiling only adds to the sinister mood of the place.
Wherever I am, it’s daytime. I stare at the jagged peaks of the mountain range outside the window.
There’s none of the warm sunlight I’ve become accustomed to so far in Reā.
On the contrary, it’s similar to the somber atmosphere of Bronich, making me think that wherever this place is, it’s located somewhere within the Void.
The sickening sweet smell that surrounds me is familiar, yet not . . .
Jolted by a flash of shadowy movement at the corner of my eye, I spin around, my heart lurching at the sight of the tall dark figure guarding the door.
An umbra. Although I want to look anywhere but at its twisted black shape, I can’t pull my gaze away.
The shadowy creature turns its hooded features toward me.
A shiver runs down my spine. Can it sense my presence?
For a moment, it stares right back at me from inside the darkness of its hood, the sensation of its soulless gaze making my skin crawl.
It’s all right, La?na, I reassure myself. It’s not real. You’re dreaming.
The umbra turns its attention back to the male on the throne as he speaks.
“Bring her in.” The male flicks his fingers toward the heavy double doors, causing them to slam open, only to reveal another umbra waiting at its threshold.
“My lord,” the umbra says in its hissing voice, bowing its head low before it steps to the side to reveal a beautiful Reān female.
My breath catches. Nana.
She pushes past the umbra as if it’s nothing. “Have you lost your senses?” Her violet eyes are ablaze.
“No. But hopefully you have finally come to yours,” he drawls, drinking her in as if she’s the last drop of water on the planet. “I knew that poor excuse of a male would not be enough to satisfy one such as yourself. Am I right?” He licks his lips.
Nana clenches her teeth, glaring at him in a way that makes me grateful I’m not on the receiving end of her anger.
“I’m not in the mood to play your games today,” she snaps, then turns her attention toward the two umbra. “Really, Casimir? Umbra?”
Casimir. I frown. The name rings familiar. Casimir. A wave of icy dread washes over me as the pieces click into place. How could I have forgotten? Seniia’s voice was barely a whisper when she mentioned his name. It’s him. The one who caused the Darkening.
Nana shakes her head. “Astēr said you would do it, but I defended you.” Tears glisten in her eyes. “I fucking defended you!” The knuckles on her fists are white.
“Oh, come on now, mi nā . . .”
“Don’t you dare.” She glares at him. “They are—were—humans.” She gestures toward the nearest umbra, who shows no reaction. “You had no right!”
“Are you saying the humans may not have powers?” He throws a glance in the umbra’s direction, then looks back at Nana. “They came quite willingly,” he adds with a smirk. “You’d be surprised how many find a soul to be a fair price for power.”
His words echo Llyr’s that day in his workshop. The day everything changed.
Casimir leans back in his chair, sipping his wine. “Reāns. Such hypocrites. Claiming equality, yet denying power.” He cocks his head at her. “I didn’t take you for such a racist.”
“It has absolutely nothing to do with racism, and you know it,” she seethes through clenched teeth.
Closing her eyes, she takes a deep breath.
“They are not made for it, Casimir. Yes, they become immortal, but at what cost? Their human bodies cannot withstand the pressure of any type of magic. They rot. Decay.” She gestures toward the umbra, scrunching her nose at the foul smell.
“Not that I’m supporting this madness, but if you insist on handing out this magic, evil as it may be, wouldn’t the shadowborn be a better option?
At least their bodies can withstand it.”
“The shadowborn . . .” He purses his lips in thought. “No. Their will is too strong. Humans are easily swayed, and their critical thinking skills are . . . mediocre at best. It makes them loyal. It suits my purpose perfectly.”
As Nana stares out the window toward the ragged mountaintops, her eyes reflect her disappointment.
“I’m only here to turn down your offer,” she says after a while, turning back toward him.
His lips pull back, revealing his fangs.
“Why?” He moves out of his chair, circling her in a slow, predatory way.
“What is it he has that I cannot offer you and more?” Shadows trail from his fingertips, caressing her.
“Soon you will be dead while I live on and on” His shadows wrap around her, pinning her arms to her torso.
“With me, you can be powerful.” He grabs her chin with his dark tendrils, forcing her to meet his gaze. “With me, you can rule . . . forever.”
“I don’t want—”
“Liar!” he sneers, snapping her with a whip of dark smoke that leaves a flaming red mark across her cheek.
Nana rolls her shoulders back and lifts her chin, refusing to let him intimidate her. “I’ve made my choice, Casimir, and there is nothing you can say or do that will make me change my mind.”
“Don’t be a fool, Nana.” He offers her a cold smirk. “Both you and I know there are many things I could do to make you change your mind.”
There’s such malice dripping from his voice that I begin to fear for Nana’s life.
“I’m certain Astēr wouldn’t want to see you, let’s say . . .” Tapping his lips, he pretends to contemplate. “Dead?” He smiles one of his sickly smiles.
“You wouldn’t dare!” It’s obvious from her shocked expression that she didn’t expect this. “I thought you said you loved me?”
“Oh, I do.” He cocks his head at her. “But I do not share.” His fist clenches around the glass in his hand, making it shatter, a mix of red wine and fresh blood running down his arm. Stepping closer to Nana, he caresses her neck in an almost tender way before extending his hand toward her lips.
“Want a taste? I can assure you my blood is a lot more tasteful than his.” The last word comes out a hiss.
When she doesn’t move, he fists her hair and pulls her head back. “Do you think I have forgotten who you were before you met him?” He traces the path from her collarbone to her earlobe with his nose, then quickly pulls away. “He has ruined your scent.”
Nana stands stiff as a board. “He will kill you for this.”
Casimir lets out a low laugh. “Oh, he’ll do something far worse than that.
” His lips tighten. “Why is it so hard to convince you to rule by my side? I have power enough for both of us, and even shared, the two of us will be more powerful than the rest of them together. You’ll have the eternal life you’ve always wanted. ”
“I’d rather burn than share it with you,” she snarls.
His nostrils flare. “If you say so.” He bares his fangs. “But at least let me have a taste before you go, for old times’ sake, hmm?”
Nana tries to pull back, but his black tendrils are still holding her in place. Fangs glistening, he bites down, drinking in, and for a moment, the only sounds in the room are his moans and her whimpers.
He yanks his head back with a growl, blood streaming down his chin, a ravenous expression on his face. “Him.” It comes out as a guttural growl. “Why do you taste like him?”
“We’re mated.” It’s barely a whisper.
“What did you just say?” He jerks her head back. Her pale iridescent hair is now tainted with blood.
Floating closer, I catch a glimpse of his distorted expression. This is not going to end well. By the look on Nana’s face, she knows it too.
“What. Did. You. Just. Say?” he repeats in an eerily calm voice that promises retribution.
To her credit, she lifts her chin and stares him square in the eyes. “I said we are mated, and there is nothing you can do about it. Not in this lifetime. Or the next. Or any that may follow. I am his.”
He throws his head back and lets out a guttural roar, his face twisted in fury. Before I can blink, wisps of black smoke snap Nana’s neck with a deafening crack in the otherwise silent room. Her body crumples to the floor.
I stare at her lifeless body.
“You fool,” he sneers, flipping her over onto her back with a kick.
If he regrets what he’s done, I can’t tell.
Reaching down, he unsheathes the dagger at her waist, the golden stone gleaming in the dim light. He studies it with a contemplative look upon his face. “Seems someone was seeking immortality after all.” He snickers.
Pulling out his own dagger, he holds the two next to each other. One light, one dark. My breath catches. His dagger is a replica of my own black shard.
With a scream of fury, he hurls the dark dagger at the umbra who showed Nana in earlier. It evaporates into a puff of black smoke, its remnants filling the air with the sickening sweet odor of rot and decay.
“Fix this,” he says with a flick of his wrist toward Nana’s dead body as he turns his back on her. She may as well be a sack of potatoes for all he cares. “Place her outside. Somewhere he will find her.”
The umbra, seemingly unfazed by the recent kill, responds with a fluid bow. If its master’s fury has affected it, it doesn’t show.