Shadow In The Ember Series 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.

Her eyes glowed faint silver for a second. “Touch me again,” she whispered, voice layered with something dangerous, “and I’ll let my babies eat your hearts.” They scrambled away, sobbing. Aria stood in the alley, breathing hard, hands trembling. She looked down at her belly. “Mommy’s learning,” she murmured. “We’re going to be okay.” But that night, as she lay in bed tracing the stretch marks forming on her skin, a new scent drifted through the cracked window,faint, wolf, familiar. Shadowthorn. Someone was looking for her.

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…”

"We've always thought of Jen as a level-headed person. How could she have messed up like this? It was your meddling all along! "How could you be so cruel? Sabotaging your own sister?" What a joke. In my previous life, I stopped her and was blamed by everyone. This time, I let her be, and still, I was the one they blamed. Was I supposed to stand there and take the fall for everything?

"He's nothing but bones now, he can't touch me. However, you, you're the one I need to protect!" …… Jim yanked the bone arrow out of his chest and strode back to the battlefront. Every city camera was live-streaming the chaos, but aside from the wind's constant hum, there was a haunting silence. It was as if the world had hit the pause button. My mom stopped her tears, eyes glued to the screen. She watched as dark clouds swirled with Haunts, their rage shredding every creature in their path. Telephone poles were ripped from the ground, their sparks setting fire to dumpsters.

"I hid my daughter in the silence of the Gray, and I stayed in the shadows of the Market to watch over every seedling that grew from his poisoned garden. Including you, little bird." The shadow girl,Anna’s long-lost aunt, the hidden sister of her mother,stepped closer. She pointed to the silver necklace in Anna’s hand. Through the tether of their shared blood, Anna saw a sudden, sharp vision. The Anchor wasn't in a box. It wasn't in a grave.

Then I saw them. The Shadowborn. Their formation stretched through the forest, precise and silent. Their armor was not forged, but grown, metal fused with flesh, their veins glowing faint red beneath the skin. The split wolf sigil burned across their chests like an open wound. And at their center, walking with deliberate calm, was Emory. My son. His hair was longer now, streaked with soot and silver. His face sharper, colder, shaped by something that had forgotten humanity. One eye glowed gold, the other black, swirling faintly like smoke behind glass.

Not attached to anything. Not cast by any light. Just… there. Moving. Slowly. Deliberately. Emily’s grip on my hand tightened. “That’s it,” she whispered. I stepped slightly in front of her. The shadow shifted. Like it had noticed us. Like it was aware. It began to move toward us. Not fast. Not aggressive. But certain. Like it already knew where it was going. And who it was going for. “Stay behind me,” I said. “No,” Emily said quietly.

If anger or fear took hold of her, the gemstone would darken, turning a deep, unsettling black. The feeling of the pendant against her skin was both grounding and empowering. The cool touch of the silver filigree and the smooth surface of the gemstone provided a tactile reminder of her connection to her heritage and the protection it offered. The runes and symbols etched into the silver felt cool against her skin, their presence reassuring her that she was protected and that her powers were being kept in check.

he growled. “Oh, I’m helping,” Ember sing-songed, clearly delighted. I buried my face in my hands. “I hate all of you.” No you don’t, Liora whispered slyly. You want them. You want everything. And soon, you won’t be able to resist. Later, after Ember went to stay at Liam’s and the Shadow Fangs finally left, it was quieter. Just me, Zander, and Rowan. I curled up on the couch under a blanket, still wearing Zander’s shirt, my body aching in ways that felt almost good now.