Burning Shadows Chase Cards Novels & Stories

The bond spiked, sharp and urgent, and I spun, blade drawn, as the shadows at the chamber’s edge *moved*, not light tricks but *alive*, curling like smoke, forming shapes—hands, faces, eyes. “Get back!” Lucian shouted, pulling me to the center, his blade flashing as the shadows lunged, not solid but cold, their touch burning like frostbite. I slashed the dagger, its light cutting through, scattering them, but they reformed, faster, their whispers filling my head—*spark, key, ours*. Killian swung his staff, the runes flaring briefly, pushing the shadows back, while Mara stabbed at one, her knife passing through but slowing it. “What are they?” she gasped, her voice shaking.

Book 2: Crown of Shadows Chapter 1: The Departure The carriage door closed with finality that echoed through her chest like a death knell. Through crystal-clear windows enhanced with court magic far beyond territorial capabilities, she watched Shadoweave's spires fade into pre-dawn mist. Each familiar landmark disappeared with the inexorable permanence of choices that couldn't be unmade.

Matteo replied, "Of course not. Business meetings aren't as important as my precious girl." The Shadowridge Pack was one of the top packs in the region, and it took us great effort to convince them to give us this opportunity. The negotiation was crucial for our pack's future development as it could make or break us. I reminded him again, "Alpha Noah only gave us two hours for this meeting. If we..." Sabrina glanced at me with annoyance. "Does a lowly Beta like you need to tell the Alpha how to do his job? Who do you think you are?"

Before she could pull away fully, a hand clamped around her ankle and wrenched he pulled her out of the narrow shadow into the open, where there was nowhere left to hide. “You bitch really thought you fooled me?” he roared.

“The shadows marked them. That’s why.” I snapped my gaze to him. “Don’t say that. They didn’t mark them. They tried.” Lucian nodded. “You fought it off. The shadows didn’t expect your blood to reject them.” Chase’s jaw tightened. “Whatever that power is… they want it.” Before I could reply…. A scream tore through the corridor. Sharp. Panic-filled. Too close. Chase’s head whipped toward the noise. Lucian straightened instantly. “Stay here,” Chase ordered me.

“You are mine. The black fire is your inheritance.” She stepped closer in the vision. “Give in, Ember. Or I’ll burn Orion. I’ll bury Caelan. I’ll make Bastion beg me for death.” I came back with a scream, and the city around me was in flames. The fire inside me surged; but this time it changed. The flames darkened, swallowing light instead of casting it. Shadow poured into the fire like it had been waiting all along. My breath hitched as the power snapped into place. Black flame erupted from me in a violent pulse. My hands trembled as the fire danced up my arms, devouring the ground beneath me. The shadows inside me weren’t hiding anymore. They roared to life, wrapped in flame, and obliterat

The shadow evolved mid-strike, learning, adapting, faster than thought. We can’t beat it with force alone, I shouted. We have to bait it. Distract it. Then hit its core directly. Azrael’s eyes flicked with understanding. A decoy. My wolf growled. A gamble but it’s our only chance. We divided our energy. I created a glowing phantom of myself, shimmering, pulsing with our combined bond energy. The shadow froze, sensing a strong pulse. It lunged at the phantom, claws slicing through air but the illusion flickered and vanished at the last second.

"The cards." Josie pulled her deck from her pocket. She shuffled. Cut. Drew. The Moon. Illusion. Things hidden in the dark. She drew again. The Hermit. Solitude. The seeker. Light in darkness. She drew a third. The card was blank. No. Not blank. Changing. The image on the card was shifting, moving, the ink running, reforming. A figure in a chair. A figure with too many eyes. A figure that was looking at her from the surface of the card, looking through the card, looking through the paper and the ink and the air between them and finding her.

Another pulse of energy hits. Stronger. The ground cracks deeper beneath her feet. The shadows respond instantly. They rise higher, forming shapes that almost look human now. Faces form out of darkness. Watching. Waiting. The Hunters begin to fall back. Even they can see this is out of control. The scarred one stays. He is watching her like she is the answer to something he has been chasing for years. I move toward her. Two shadows block my path. I tear through the first. Dodge the second.

My chest burns with a rage I can’t control. “STAY AWAY FROM HER!” My power surges harder than it ever has before. The shadows inside the beast explode outward, ripping chunks of its body away. Ezra seizes the opening, fire flaring so bright it blinds me for a second. Rowan’s claws flash, tearing its head clean off. The beast collapses in on itself, writhing, the tar-like flesh disintegrating into a puddle of smoking black sludge. For a moment, the chamber is silent except for our heavy breathing. The stink of burnt shadow clings to the air, acrid and suffocating.