A Shadow In The Ember Novels & Stories

Kade hissed. “My focus is on my mate!” I met his glare, seeing the fire burning in his eyes. “Did either of you hear what I was even saying?” Kade sounded annoyed, but I didn’t care. Listening to him yammer on was not part of my agreement with his Queen, and while he spoke, I let my eyes wander over Ember, ensuring she was unharmed. “I used shadow magic. Got it. It probably won’t ever happen again.” Ember said, sounding defeated.

Facing the camera, I spoke calmly, “No one loves me anymore, and I don’t have the courage to go on living. Fine. You can all just think of me as weak, but don’t worry. I’ll make sure to record everything. Even if I die, I won’t let them get away with it.” In the video, I crouched by the shore of Exile Island, holding a sharpened piece of bamboo. Again and again, I struck it against a rock. My hands soon became a bloody mess, but I felt nothing. It was as if I had gone completely numb. Someone in the audience cried out, “What is Jacob doing, sharpening bamboo like that? He’s not thinking of ending it, is he?” “After everything he’s been through, it wouldn’t be surprising…”

And the shadow knew it too. “Rowan,” Ember’s voice whispered from the edge of the porch, startling me. She knelt by the frost-covered ground, inspecting marks that hadn’t been there before small scratches on the snow, shallow, deliberate, unnatural. “It’s closer.” I exhaled slowly. “I know.”

It looked like hope amidst the darkness that surrounds it. She shivered when the cold breeze assaulted her skin. Ember had developed this kind of habit to go out every night, when everyone was fast asleep and she would watch the darkness of the night before her. It made her feel secure and calm. And she knew she was getting weirder as her tummy got larger, and she thought it was her child who played the role of her change.

Some ray of sunshine was flowing into the room, making their shadows stacked upon each other. “Stop being so naive.” Ember let out a sneer. “Mr. Lane, you’re no longer in my and my son’s world.”

One moment she was powerless, the bond being stripped away piece by piece. The next, her wolf rose up inside her like a tidal wave. Like a dam breaking. Stronger than ever before. Wild. Ancient. For three heartbeats, Lyra felt power she'd never experienced. Power she'd never even imagined. Power that made the air around her shimmer and ripple. Power that made shadows dance at her feet like living things. Power that made the pack members step back in fear. Helena's face went white. Snow white. Her green eyes widened in recognition and something else.

It lunged toward her. “Emily!” I shouted. But she didn’t move. She raised her hand slightly. And the ground answered. A wall of stone shot up between her and the shadow. The shadow slammed into it. And for the first time— It reacted violently. The air around it twisted. The darkness flickered. Like it was unstable. Emily pushed forward. The stone wall cracked— Then surged outward. The shadow broke apart. Not gone. But scattered. Like smoke caught in a strong wind. The pieces pulled back toward the crack in the ground.

Shadows began appearing along the horizon, and the whispers increased. The smell of fresh flowers but none within sight, only grass. I followed the smell to an old oak tree. The bark was tough and rough as I held my hand against the trunk. It creaked and groaned as a door appeared in front of me in the trunk. Stepping through brought me home. But it didn't feel like home. It was cold, empty, with grayness overcast through it. Breath was visible in front of me as I took deep breaths. All light and love had sucked out of it. This time I heard his voice. Damian!

The shadow let out an unearthly shriek and dissipated into the air. Breathing hard, drenched in rain and sweat, Emma approached the node. It was a small, cylindrical device, glowing faintly, humming in sync with the shadows outside. She knew what to do. She connected her signal device, forcing its pulse into the node. The hum intensified, reverberating through her bones. The shadows outside twisted and shrieked, retreating into corners as the node’s connection faltered. Emma’s fingers ached, sweat and rain dripping down her arms, but she held firm. Finally, the hum steadied, the shadows froze, and the node went dark.

“It doesn't look like you're fine, and honestly if I were to say something, I'd say you're a better character than I am, I don't know about your current situation, or status or anything, and even if I knew, I'm not sure I know how to solve them, I mean the experience is like a celebrity trying to wash dishes, so whatever it is that you're hesitant to share, i just feel letting it out sometimes will makes you feel light of the burdens.” A better character? I bet she wouldn't say that, if she met Maverick Nightshade, would she still say that when she knew my intentions? When she knew everything Maverick Nightshade touched gets burned to dust? “Yeah, everything is fine when you're so perfect.”