Shadows So Cruel Novels & Stories

Glenn looked over at his friend uncertainly but nodded. When it happened Carine barely saw him move. Glenn raised the knife and brought his hand back to strike, lashed out and found his hand trapped in the grip of the dark clad man. With his other hand the newcomer sent a slashing blow downwards, snapping the ulna and radius bones with a sickening crack. Carine looked at him in horror as Glenn screamed, grabbing his arm. She could see something white jutting from the dripping wound. Jesus! She thought as bile rose in her throat.

Claura said attempting to look sexy and sultry. The men looked at her and barked out a laugh. “Uh Claura, you have slept with so many men, you are considered a s*x pool. Did you not hear what Andre said? Philip doesn’t want you and if you aren’t good enough for him, you can be sure as hell she won’t be touched by us.” While the man was talking, another man silently crept up behind Claura and when she was about to speak again, she felt a needle stick her in the neck and in seconds, she was dead to the world. When she woke up, she groaned.

Casting their flashlights until they found them, huddled in a corner, all four of them were shocked at the sight which greeted them. No longer did they resemble Nolan and Anna. Their true faces grotesquely amalgamated with Nolan and Anna’s, as if they were stuck while trying to escape the hijacked bodies. ‘The dagger works,’ Faye whispered to the others. ‘They’re trapped, with no way of escaping.’

(THIRD POV) Dr. Collins leaned back against the cracked leather seat of the taxi, her fingers drumming restlessly on her lap. The sky outside had turned a heavy, ominous shade of blue, the last light of the day smothered by thick clouds, and the streetlights buzzed to life, casting long shadows across the road. It was so much darker than when she had first left Ivy’s place; the hours had slipped away faster than she realized, and the creeping night felt like a veil of anxiety settling over her shoulders.

My shadows screamed and surged in response, no longer content to coil quietly. They erupted. Darkness poured off me in a tidal wave, wrapping my body from throat to ankle, lifting my hair in a storm of black ribbons. I felt them slipping past my control, feeding on the dagger’s fury, amplifying it. The vault filled with a blinding clash of gold and shadow. Damien shouted something I couldn’t hear over the roar. The blade in his hand flared like a dying star, its light stabbing into my eyes. My shadows tightened around me, a cocoon and a cage all at once, vibrating with power that threatened to tear me apart.

My brother landed beside me, groaning. Ashen rose above the ground—her feet inches off the earth. The frost beneath her spread like a disease, curling across bones and stone alike. She lifted one hand. The dead began to rise. Not as wolves. Not as humans. As shadows. Twisted forms. Screaming souls with torn mouths and broken claws. They crawled from the dirt, eyes glowing the same empty black as hers. Lucan screamed, slicing one down—but two more replaced it. Kael shifted fully, his wolf bursting through his skin with a snarl. He tore through three shadows in seconds, blood and smoke in the air.

Keagan was on the other end of the battlefield, still trying to figure out what more he could do. The battlefield transformed into a dark and twisted dance as Emberlyn and Keagan fought against the villain's shadow manipulation. The villain used the shadows to his advantage, creating illusions, launching surprise attacks from unexpected angles, and ensnaring Emberlyn and Keagan with their inky tendrils. The villain was relentless, drawing upon his diabolical mastery and infamous skills, his control over the shadows growing stronger. With a malevolent grin, he unleashed a wave of darkness, enveloping Emberlyn and Keagan, temporarily obscuring them from view.

She is drinking in my fear, her purple eyes sparkling with pleasure. “I can see the panic in your eyes. Your timid, pointless little wolf isn’t even worth taking. Cillian can’t pick up your scent, he’ll get my fake lemon scent and think he’s won the lottery. Did you ever notice we’ve left an awful lot of silver daggers lying around the place? You’re on a fucking platter. He takes your head and then he finally loses his mind completely. Job done. Shadowlands falls. Even if he tries to fight it will be a hollow war for no purpose.” Tears trickle down my face, Ruth enjoying every second of explaining her vicious scheme.

"I have seen the dark side of life." "I have seen love but I have also seen pain" "I had everything...Then I lost everything." "The walls that I have built are to protect me from the dreams of the world." "I have become strong with the things that I survived over the years." "This darkness that surrounds me could have drowned me." "Now that I know I can survive...It's time to let in some of the light."

Adrian stopped. Jamie turned, heart pounding. “I just wanted you to know.” Adrian studied him, something raw flickering behind his eyes. “It should.” “Maybe,” Jamie said. “But it doesn’t.” Adrian stepped closer, close enough that Jamie could feel the warmth radiating off him. “That,” Adrian said quietly, “is exactly what scares me.” They stood there, suspended in the space between words and action, the city holding its breath around them. And somewhere deep beneath the surface, La Corona Nera shifted, aware that something fragile and dangerous had just been seen and couldn’t be unseen.