Shadow X Tails Novels & Stories

It was quiet for a few minutes and he finally said, “Tilly and I have absolutely no secrets. People like you and me … we can’t be with just anyone. It’s either one night stands, fake short term relationships or nothing. You don’t just find a Tilly on every corner. A woman that will accept you, that if you are totally honest with her … won’t be afraid of you. I never had someone to … to help me. To direct me, and it damn near killed me. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I call it my dark shadow … it’s a part of me, but it’s a part of me I can mostly keep hidden, that I can control.

There was a caption below the illustration and it reads, “TroXe: protector of the l**k.” “Are you sure about this?” “Of course I am. Look, we only need three drops of blood from me, the host, a shadow’s blood, a binder, and the blood from my closest l**k.” “What’s a shadow’s blood? And a binder?” “Dang, a shadow’s blood, idiot! The shadow’s blood.” “Yeah, keep repeating that, and I swear I’ll get it.” “Each Wielder have, at least, two souls. One for the shadow and one for the Wielder himself. To get the blood of the shadow is to get its essence. Do you get it now, or do I have to show you what I mean?”

The sheer, brutal force of the slap sent my head snapping to the side, my face forcefully tilted toward the dirt. "You truly made things incredibly difficult for me, Raegan. You made me waste so much precious time hunting you down," he hissed. Before I could recover, his fingers aggressively tangled into my hair, yanking my head back with immense force until I was looking directly into his face. The one countenance I had prayed to never encounter again was staring right back at me. His dark, soulless eyes pierced straight through me, and an uncontrollable tremor shook my limbs as a sadistic smirk stretched across his lips.

The countdown had begun. The first rays of dawn painted the sky in hues of blood orange and bruised purple, casting long, ominous shadows across the battlefield. The air hung heavy with the scent of pine and damp earth, a stark contrast to the metallic tang of blood that would soon saturate the air. The Shadow Stalkers, a formidable force cloaked in darkness and malice, emerged from the depths of the whispering woods, their numbers seemingly endless, a tide of black fur and burning eyes. Their leader, a hulking behemoth with eyes like chips of obsidian, stood at the forefront, his snarls echoing through the silent forest.

I was pinned down but, I would fight with everything in me. I reached out to Rudolph through my mind and gave a mental image of everything. I knew now why I felt so connected to him. It had nothing to do with me, yet it felt like it had everything to do with me. I was his eternal soulmate. We were Shadows of the night passing each other, torn apart by death but, meant for each other by fate. Eternal soulmates, yet shadows in the dark. I reached for Rudolph with everything in me. I could almost see him in the field of flowers. He reached for me. I felt myself fading. Edgar must have figured out our connection in my mind cause he screamed.

“Wait.” Tora whipped her head toward the old woman, her voice ragged. “He’s being taken—” “Watch,” Grammy said softly. Confusion battled rage in Tora’s gut, but before she could argue, the air shifted. The shimmer was faint at first, no brighter than moonlight dancing across water. It pulsed gently between Liora and Kael’s clasped hands, rising and falling with the rhythm of their tiny breaths. The shadows faltered. A ripple moved outward from the twins, brushing against the encroaching darkness like the touch of a breeze—and where it touched, the shadows hissed. Thin cracks of light broke across the black tendrils clutching at Jax.

Ryan shouted, stepping into the path of the assault, his energy colliding with the creature’s, sparks and shadows twisting and clashing in the mist. Amelia, desperate to protect them both, stretched out her hands. The Shadows, responding to her bloodline, swirled around her like a living storm, forming barriers and striking at the advancing creature. She realized with a jolt that she could direct them not just command them, but guide them, shape them into tools for defense.

I glanced at the puzzled faces of the other two men before I stopped, feeling a chill run down my spine. Austin muttered a curse under his breath, while Gabriel's eyes narrowed. “This feels like a message,” he whispered. I swallowed hard, pushing open the door to my study room. The light sparkled overhead. I froze, my senses heightened, as a shadow moved, quick and deliberate. My ears felt blocked and I felt every muscle in my body tense, ready for whatever came next… And then, the room fell into silence. “What?” I mumbled.