Shade The Echidna Novels & Stories

“You think you’re the only one?” “You wound me, Delia,” Gray chuckles. She slaps his arm playfully, letting him know it's time to get serious. He straightens up, as all signs of amusement snap from his face in a split second and holds still while she goes to work on the chain in his hands. She places both of her hands a few inches above the metal and whispers some incantation until a low blue glow can be seen from underneath her palms. When the glow fades she moves her warm copper brown hands and sighs.

The darkness loomed around them like a cloak. Sekhmet carried an old-fashioned torch he pulled from a hole in the wall to light the way. It was a bit theatric and unnecessary, considering vampires and werewolves alike could see in the dark. But it set the mood for torture nicely; causing shadows to dance across the walls. A bleeding.

Chapter One: A New Beginning Aqua’s heart raced as she walked through the imposing iron gates of Crestwood High. Another town, another school, another chance to start over—if only it were that simple. At 5'10", her presence commanded attention, but she preferred to stay unnoticed. Her dark skin glowed under the morning sun, and her eyes, a striking shade of amber, held secrets untold. She pulled her hood tighter, hoping to shield herself from the prying eyes she could already feel on her.

Kai is strong with his magic, but he chooses to have a balance between his hybrid abilities where Ever tends to favor her witch side. Kai and Shade are a great team. Shade is an all black wolf and is fierce. If he wasn’t my son’s wolf, I’d be intimidated. Stella is a similar coat to Sasha and is honestly a giant puppy, although she has a tough side. Sasha is only a giant puppy when she is with Zane. Other than that, she is a vicious wolf.

The whispers around the chamber grew into a cacophony of screams. The mirrors rippled like water, and dark, wraithlike figures stepped out, their forms shifting and indistinct but their intent clear. “Shades,” Ellara said, her voice taut. “They feed on doubt and despair. Be careful!” The shades lunged, their movements erratic and lightning-fast. Zoe ducked under one’s swipe, her claws glowing with Aetherian energy as she counterattacked. The shade let out an unearthly shriek as her strike connected, dissipating into smoke.

It didn’t matter because Zeke was getting tired. Zeke stared up at him, chest heaving. For the first time, I saw the fear. Zeke only spat curses and lunged at me again like a madman. Shade surged inside Ezra, and in one swift movement, he shifted, his massive black wolf form crashing into Zeke. The fight that followed was brutal. Shade overpowered him easily, sinking his fangs deep into Zeke’s throat. Zeke thrashed, claws raking the ground, but life drained from his eyes as Shade held firm. When it was done, Ezra lifted his head to look at me. Then in a sharp movement, he snapped Zeke’s neck off his torso, carried it to me, and dropped it on my feet. Like an offering.

Shade. Once again, Amilia had come face to face with the Shade. It was different from Strays, Amilia knew that. She should fight it off. She had done it once. Only now, she had no weapon and no Fallen to save her. But she was quick enough to evade its claw when the Shade struck. Amilia rolls down until she hit the brick wall that separates the lake from the pavement.

“Then let’s stop pretending we don’t see him.” She stepped away from the tree, her power stirring faintly under her skin like a warm breeze. “Come out, Aylexelen,” she said clearly, letting the forest carry her voice. “If you wanted us to know your name, then show us your face.” The silence that followed was oppressive. Not heavy, but still. Then, with a whisper of air and not a single footstep, a figure stepped from the shadows. He looked… human. Or close to it. Pale skin, sharp features, black coat that trailed behind him like smoke. His eyes, however, were not human. Not even close. They were a strange shade of silver—bright and unfocused, like looking into light reflected off a blade.

When I arrived at the Wildlands, I found Sabrina barely recognizable. The place was overrun by rogues, and for a weak woman like her, she had no choice but to sell her body to survive. She was a shadow of her former self, chained by the ankles and trembling in a corner. When Sabrina saw me, she was already half out of her mind, staring at me for a long time before snapping awake like from a dream. Then, she crawled desperately to my feet like I was her last lifeline.

Isis winked. Echidna moved to reveal a cave between her legs, the entrance to the Ghostly Plains. Just as they were about to enter a spear came spiralling through the air, Echidna was quick to deflect it. A few centaurs were galloping towards them. Zander searched for Gaylord but he wasn't there.