Narrowing my eyes, I studied the spaces they illuminated—shelves, hundreds of them, spiraling up the sides of the room, each one holding a large glass case.
Growling, I stepped closer, seeing a glint of gold in the light from the petite silhouette of a fae enclosed in glass placed reverently on the shelf. "Fucking goddess." I whispered, my eyes widening with alarm.
"It's Penina." Riella whimpered.
"It’s okay, little one," I choked. Instinctively, I plucked her from my shoulders, cradling her in my arms as she buried her face into my neck.
"This is a tomb." Remnant inhaled sharply walking past us and stepping up on the ledge to another glass coffin. "Tyr," she breathed, before carefully climbing up the next spiral step, "Riley." She touched the glass grimly with her fingertips.
I watched with a sinking heart as my soulmate continued to climb, naming off our friends while the glowing orbs of light floated delicately over each and every glass coffin like a ghostly guardian.
"Orly," she murmured, and I watched as sadness etched across her face, her hand stretching out on the glass. "We would play shadows and dragons together." Her eyes snapped up and then glared down at her brother, who had been silently watching in the shadows. "I don't understand. I see their chest rise and fall, I see their hearts beating."
"The end of your soul lies within Sheol," Kade quoted softly. "You know the rhyme mother always hummed to us. As I said before, Sheol is the land of the dead. It is not meant for the living."
"Yes. You have said that many times," I snarled back at him, holding Riella tightly as she whimpered with sadness. "But what the fuck does that mean?"
Kade sighed. "It means they are soulless, their light is gone. Their bodies are only vessels, preserved by the death god’s powers in these glass tombs and the only way to return them back to their living state is to travel to The Well of Souls."
I frowned, where had I heard that name before?
Riella sniffed, rubbing her face into me more. "They will be okay though, right Uncle Kade? You're going to help us wake them all up. Help us get their souls back."
Kade stiffened at the title she bestowed upon him and so did my soulmate but I would not chastise my daughter now, all those years alone in The Under, she had yearned for a family. Unknowingly, she was jumping at any chance she could to build just that and there were worse beings than Kade Dark that lurked out there. Although he was different and clearly haunted, I could still see the fae beneath. Besides, was I not a collector of lost souls? Myownfamily was a ragtag bunch of wounded fae, brought together byour wounds of the past and love for each other. A love that only strengthened us.
I shot Kade a warning look, stroking Riella's hair soothingly. "Of course he will, my cub. You need not worry about that, yourUncleKade will make sure of it."
Remnant dropped from the fifty foot ledge she was on, landing in a soft crouch in front of her brother, standing with a fluid grace that was more shifter than shadow fae—goddess she never ceased to impress me.
Planting her hand on her hip, she stared hard at her brother, final judgment flickering in her eyes and we all stood on a precipice on if she would accept his wounded soul back into her life.
After a long pause, she spoke, "Of course Uncle Kadey Kins is going to help us wake them all Riella. Isn't that right, brother?"
I smiled.“Well done, my love, he will never know what strength that really took, but I do. I see you, Remnant Dark and I am so proud of you.”
My smile widened when Remnant stood taller at my words.
Ignorant of our exchange, Kade’s lips thinned in a flat line. "It isn't that simple. If it were, I would have already done so," looking over to me, his eyes settled on Riella and his voice choked, "but of course I will help if I can my sweet little niece."
Riella's head perked up from my neck and she wiggled herself from my arms to walk over to Kade, sniffing as she went. He watched her wearily approach him and then stiffened when she wrapped her arms around his leg. "Thank you."
Startled and a bit bewildered, he looked up at me.
I crossed my arms over my chest, immensely proud of my cub as well and nodded down to my daughter.
Kade released a shaky sigh, and looked down at her, patting the top of her head awkwardly. "You're welcome, little bird."
Startled, I tensed when my vision of them suddenly blurred. Shaking my head hard, I lost my balance and stumbled sideways with shock. What the goddess? I was a fucking shifter, I never lost my balance.
Catching myself on my knee, I panted, the room spinning at an accelerated rate. “Fuck.” I groaned, right before my face decided to slam into the floor with no control of my own to stop it.
"Emon!" My soulmate's big green eyes, full of terror, were suddenly in front of me, and I blinked again. There were four ofher now…goddess I couldn't handle four of her, I didn't have the stamina for that.
Desperately, I reached out to Ethereal, but he was still silent. I wished that damned cat would talk to me…he would have at least snorted at my predicament. Maybe even call me an idiot fairy boy.
Where the fuck was he?
"So goddess damn beautiful," I slurred, before I felt the room darken, this felt like before, but fucking worse, much worse.
