“Breathe, little umbra,”Emon commanded softly in my mind, sensing the panic before it even began.“Just keep breathing, I am here. We are here.”
I released the breath I had been holding, seeking Emon’s spiced chocolate scent and allowed it wash over me, a warm blanket in the cold cruelty of this world.
Elegantly poised, even her tears looked regal as they flooded her eyes. “Hello my little chickadee.”
A strong hand settled on her shoulder in silent support and I followed that swirling tattooed arm up to the green eyes of my brother smiling at me through ringlets of curly blue hair.
“Kadey Kins,” I breathed.
“Hey Rem Rem.” He sent me a tentative smile before turning a darkened gaze on Shea. “If you need additional help, I’d be more than happy to oblige.”
The death god sighed exasperatedly. “Eve, my love, this is not helping. Our children. Reason. Now.”
My mother sniffed, smiling softly at me. “Shea,my love, I do believe our daughter looks perfectly reasonable to me.” Her head tilted towards my brother at her side. “What say you Kade?”
“I’d love a piece of him myself,” he snickered darkly, and I frowned inwardly. What had happened here that made my brother hate our newfound father just as much as I did?
I shook my head, coming to Sheol was just as goddess damn backwards as the lands of Faerie, everyone wanted a piece of each other, masking the true lurking problems beneath the surface.
Lowering Riella slowly, I motioned for her to stay behind me as I stepped forward, my hands fisting at my sides, “I want answers, why have you brought us here?”
My mother looked back at Shea and shrugged a delicate pale shoulder. “Sounds perfectly reasonable.”
The death god glanced over at her with amused shock, ignoring my question. “Are you not worried for my safety, my love? Our daughter and her friends are threatening to kill me.”
Signaling to Asher to fall back to Riella, I strode forward, a brief flash was the only indication that Bane had thrown his sword to me. Without looking, I caught it with graceful ease, twirling it in my hand, getting a feel for its weight before adjusting my grip.
Nodding, I signaled to Riley to part the winds, while Emon slowly followed me at my back, Tyr and Penina snarling their support as they continued to circle around the three of us.
The entire action only took moments to execute, so when Shea looked back towards me and the three moons light glinting off my raised blade, he blinked slowly.
“I’ll only ask one more time,father.” I spat the word like one would vomit from their mouth. “Why are we here?” The coldness in my voice seemed to chill the entire air around us.
My brother barked out a laugh that was just as cold as my words, snarling at the death god. “I fucking told you.”
Shea’s infinite gaze regarded me with sudden sorrow. “You have lost control of the shadows daughter, and without them, you will never defeat the evil that threatens your world.”
I felt everyone still, as if we all stood on the precipice of fucking fate, and if we stepped forward we would find ourselves falling into its devious clutches.
Shaking his head, a lock of dark hair fell across his brow. “I am sorry for this next part though, daughter, just know it was the only way.”
I hissed and Emon snarled behind me, a steady strong presence at my back as I laid my sword horizontally across my fathers throat, standing on my tip toes due to his towering height. “What do you mean you are sorry?” I narrowed my eyes on his, searching for the answers somewhere in the deep depths of this god.
Then the glass shards still hovering around us split back into grains of sand right before Xi’s gasping voice called out to me. "General…Rem."
Alarmed, I turned away from Shea, knowing Emon stepped into my place, and caught the sight of my friend crumpling to the glimmering silver path.
"Xi!" I cried out stepping towards her, but sudden lightning and winds rushed by me, Bane and Riley immediately at her side.
Riley’s panicked gaze looked up. “Her heart beats but I cannotfeelher.”
Tyr’s tiger snarled behind me and Bane’s face turned grim watching him. “Her light is gone.”
At the swordmaster’s words, Emon hissed, lunging for the death god, his claws tearing into the gentle silk of Shea’s shirt. “What the fuck is this? What have you fucking done?” he roared.
Disgusted, the death god peered down at my soulmate and waved his hand sending him sprawling backwards. “I have done what I must,” not even reacting when Penina’s leopard and Tyr’s tiger lunged for him, fangs and claws bared, he smoothed his shirt. As if knowing they would never reach him, he did not seem surprised when they fell mid attack, shifting back into their fae forms, deadly still in the white sands.
Blurring to Penina’s side, Emon pulled her limp body into his arms. Leaning forward when her lips moved, he bent his ear down to catch the barely audible whisper before her head slumped back and her eyes closed. Stilling, Emon reared back, his bronze coloring turning an awful shade of gray as our eyes met.
