Page 32 of Shadows of Destiny
What would she become when this was over? If it waseverover.
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Cole said as he squeezed her shoulder.
She hadn’t heard him approach, but he was often as noiseless as the shadows he ruled.
“I was going to sacrifice him,” she said.
“He would have been the first of many, unfortunately. We can’t save them all, and there are some we’ll have to choose to let die.”
Including us. But she didn’t voice those words.
Lexi rubbed at her eyes as she mumbled, “I know.”
She turned into him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Resting her head on his chest, she closed her eyes as she leaned against him. “Where are we off to now?”
“Next stop is Verdan, the witches’ realm,” he said. “But we’ll go after you get some rest.”
“No, we have to keep recruiting. I can rest when this is over.”
“Lexi—”
“We should go, Cole.”
There were far too many people relying on her; she couldn’t stand around feeling sorry for herself. She would never emerge the same as when she went in, but Lexiwouldemerge from this. And she would do everything she could to save as many immortals and mortals as possible.
“Kaylia wants to come with us when we go,” he said.
“And Sahira?”
Her aunt was half vampire and half witch. It was an extremely rare combination. Many immortals didn’t like the vampires, and the witches despised them.
“Sahira thinks it would be best if she didn’t go,” Cole said.
Lexi started to insist Sahira was wrong, but her aunt was probably right.
“Let’s get you better fitting clothes,” Cole said as he turned her toward their shared room.
She’d forgotten she was still swimming in his tunic until he reminded her. They walked side by side down the long hall. When they arrived at their room, he opened the door and waved her in. He followed and closed the door behind him.
Lexi located a clean shirt, pulled hers off, and tugged on a bra and new shirt before facing him. Cole leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. The muscles in his forearms bulged as he surveyed her.
The shadows weren’t present now, but she sensed their power simmering beneath the surface of his calm exterior. He’d always been powerful, as evidenced by the ciphers covering his arms from his fingertips to across his shoulders.
The markings also licked at his chin, ran across his shoulder blades, and down his back to his waist. Their sharp edges caused the black ciphers to resemble flames.
And those were only the markings he allowed to be visible to the world. When revealed, as he’d only ever done for her, they covered every inch of him from head to toe.
Before becoming the Shadow Reaver, he was probably the most powerful dark fae ever. The shadows only enhanced his powers.
And her people were the ones who burdened him with the shadows that were more of a curse. Or at least she’d started considering them as a curse. Yes, he could use the shadows to save and protect them, and those shadows helped destroy Malakai, but their ruthlessness and their effect on Cole scared her.
She wouldnotlose him to their power and malevolence.
When he shifted, her gaze was drawn back to his face. He was gorgeous with his square jaw and short, black beard lining it. His piercing, Persian blue eyes were filled with love and desire.
Her skin prickled in response, and her breath came a little faster, but now wasn’t the time for this. They had things to discuss and witches to recruit to their cause.
“Did you know the shadows could do what they did in Aerie? That they could enter another realm and report to you about it?”
