Authors Note & Prologue

Author’s Note

Thank you for stepping into the shadows with me.

Shadowborn is a story that was never meant to be soft. It’s sharp-edged, tangled in blood and magic, born from the ache of being too much and not enough all at once. Therrin and Ari—two souls forced to share one body—represent what it means to fight yourself and still hope to be loved. Their journey isn’t easy. It was never meant to be.

This book explores the thin line between power and surrender, light and shadow, love and control. It walks the edge of desire and danger, and it does so unapologetically. Every chapter was written with the intention to make you feel—uncomfortable, breathless, seen.

If you made it to the end, I hope it left marks. The kind that haunt in the best way.

There’s more coming. The story doesn’t end here—and neither does the darkness.

Until then,

K. Lyn Leigh

Prologue

Darkness.

Pitch black.

A space void of light.

That's all I see when I open my eyes.

To be blind is a dangerous thing.

People always say that when you lose one sense, the others sharpen to compensate. But for me? That's an understatement.

You see, I wasn't born blind.

I was a normal, healthy child. Well… mostly. I was color blind—only able to see in grayscale. Not that it mattered much. Nobody knows exactly what caused it. My mother, Thetis, doesn't carry the gene, and my father is completely normal. That's how genetics work, right? That's how a girl ends up color blind. But I guess I'm the exception.

I didn't lose my sight at birth. I became blind after something happened when I was six years old. I don't remember much. Just fragments. Flashes. The way the world changed afterward is what stayed with me the most…

Now, I can feel the blades of grass before my feet touch the ground. I can hear the beat of a dragonfly's wings from miles away, fluttering by the river. My hearing is sharp enough to count the milliseconds between each rhythmic thrum.

It's beautiful—and unbearable.

My other senses are just as intense. So you can probably imagine how overwhelming things get when I come across something unpleasant. But I don't react. I don't show emotion. It's easier that way.

I should've introduced myself sooner.

My name is Therrin.

My friends call me Thera.

And I'm a shifter.

Being a shifter isn't like it is in the books or movies. There are no werewolves under a full moon, no sudden transformations under rage. In truth, we're a coven of witches—rare ones—gifted with the ability to shift into the creature of our choosing.

Ironic, isn't it?

The one thing I was born to do… I'm told I can't.

Because I'm blind.

How can a girl shift into a wolf or a panther if she's never seen what they look like? That's what my coven believes. They think I'm useless. Powerless. A burden.

But here's the thing: I can shift.

Better than any of them.

I never meant to learn. I never even tried. Not after they told me I couldn't.

But then it happened—

By accident.