He left, and I locked the door as instructed. Then I sat on the bed, suddenly alone for the first time in days.
The silence was oppressive.
I looked around the room, our room now, Kael's and mine. It was strange, being married to someone I barely knew. Sharing chambers with a man who was still a stranger, despite everything we'd been through together.
Would I ever really know him? Or would the curse always stand between us, a shadow I could never quite see past?
I thought about what he'd said. That I was a choice he would have made. What did that mean? That he cared about me? Or just that he appreciated having an ally?
Too tired to puzzle it out, I changed into a nightgown that had been left for me, soft cotton, much simpler than my wedding gown, and crawled into bed.
Just for a moment, I told myself. Just until Kael returned.
I woke to the sound of screaming.
Distant at first, then closer. Multiple voices, shouting in panic. Running footsteps in the corridor outside.
I sat up, heart pounding. The room was darkthe candles had burned down to nothing. How long had I slept?
I heard more screams. Closer now. And underneath them, a sound that made my blood run cold.
Growling.
I grabbed the knife Kael had given me, holding it with shaking hands. The door was still locked, but something was happening outside. Something bad.
Shadow beasts. They'd gotten into the castle somehow.
Kael. Where was Kael?
A crash from the corridor. Someone shouted for the guards. Metal rang against metal, weapons being drawn.
Then silence.
Terrible, absolute silence.
I backed away from the door, the knife held out in front of me. My training had been one hour. One lesson. I had no idea how to actually fight these things.
But I'd try. If they broke through that door, I'd try.
A sound at the window made me spin around. My heart nearly stopped.
A figure stood there, silhouetted against the starlight. Man-shaped, but wrong. Too thin. Too still.
And its eyes glowed red.
Not a shadow beast. Something else. Something worse.
It stepped into the room, and I finally saw it clearly.
It looked almost human. Almost. But its skin was gray, its fingers too long, its mouth too wide. And when it smiled, I saw rows of needle teeth.
"Princess," it hissed, its voice like wind through dead trees. "Such a pretty little princess. All alone. All defenseless."
I tightened my grip on the knife. "Stay back."
It laughed, a sound like breaking glass. "Or what? You'll cut me? Hurt me?" It took another step closer. "I can smell your fear, princess. Can taste it on the air. Delicious."
"I said stay back!" My voice shook, but I kept the knife pointed at it.
"The cursed prince isn't here to save you now. He's busy. Distracted. That's when we strike, when the prey is separated from the protector."
We. There were more of them.
"What do you want?" I demanded, trying to buy time. Trying to think.
The door was locked, but could I reach it before this thing reached me?
"Want? We want what we always want." Its red eyes fixed on me. "Power. Magic. Blood." It tilted its head. "Your husband has so much power. So much delicious, dark magic. But he won't use it. Won't embrace what he is. Such a waste."
"What are you?"
"Hungry." It lunged.
I moved without thinking, pure instinct and terror. Dove to the side, slashed with the knife as the creature passed. The blade connected, cutting deep into its arm.
It screamed, not in pain, but in rage. Black blood dripped from the wound, smoking when it hit the floor.
"You cut me!" It sounded more surprised than hurt. "Clever little princess. But that won't save you."
It came at me again, faster this time. I tried to dodge, but it was too quick. Its hand closed around my throat, lifting me off the ground. My feet kicked uselessly at air.
"Should I kill you quickly?" it mused, squeezing just hard enough to make breathing difficult. "Or slowly? Which would hurt the prince more, I wonder?"
Black spots danced in my vision. The knife was still in my hand, but I couldn't get the angle right to strike. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't think.
"Slowly, I think," the creature decided. "Yes. Slowly. Let him hear you screaming. Let him feel every moment of your"
The door exploded inward.
Not opened. Not unlocked. Exploded, torn completely off its hinges by a force that made the whole room shake.
And through the wreckage came Kael's shade.
I'd seen it before, fighting the shadow beasts. But this was different.
This time it wasn't trying to be subtle or controlled. This time it was pure rage given form, a shadow shaped like a man but bigger, darker, more terrible than anything human.
The creature dropped me, turning to face this new threat. I hit the ground hard, gasping for air.
"You," the creature hissed. "The cursed one. I should have known"
The shade didn't let it finish. It struck with impossible speed, claws of pure darkness tearing into the creature's chest. The creature screamed, tried to fight back, but it was hopeless. The shade was stronger. Faster. More vicious.
Within seconds, the creature was nothing but gray ash drifting to the floor.
The shade turned to me, its red eyes, Kael's eyes, but wrong, fixing on my face. For a moment I thought it might attack me too. Thought the curse had finally taken over completely, and Kael was lost.
Then it reached out one shadowy hand, almost gently, and touched my face. Checking if I was hurt.
"I'm okay," I whispered, not sure if it could understand me. "I'm okay."
The shade flickered, and began to fade. And behind it, at the broken doorway, Kael appeared. The real Kael, solid and human and covered in ash and blood.
"Elara." His voice was raw. He crossed the room in three strides, pulling me into his arms. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone. When I felt the danger, when I realized what was happening"
"How did you know?" I clung to him, shaking. "You were with Lady Morgana"
"It was a trap. She never sent for me, someone used her name to lure me away from you." He pulled back enough to look at my face, his hands framing my cheeks.
"There are creatures in the castle. Dozens of them. Someone breached the wards, let them in deliberately."
"Your father?"
"I don't know. Maybe. Or my brothers. Or someone else who wants me dead and knows the best way to hurt me is through you." His gray eyes were anguished. "I should have known. Should have anticipated"
"You're here now. That's what matters." I touched his face, mirroring his gesture. "We're both alive."
"Barely." He looked at the ash pile that had been the creature. "If I'd been one minute late"
"But you weren't. Your shade saved me." I hesitated. "Kael, it was... aware. It knew me. Protected me deliberately."
"The shade is part of me. It responds to my emotions, my fears." He traced the bruises on my throat where the creature had grabbed me, his expression going dark and dangerous. "When I felt you in danger, when I felt your terror, the curse took over completely. I couldn't control it. I just... let it loose."
"How many did it kill?"
"I don't know. Fifteen? Twenty?" He said it like he was confessing something shameful. "I wasn't counting. I was just trying to get to you."
I heard footsteps in the hallway, running, armed. Guards appeared at the broken doorway with their weapons drawn.