Lexi stared incredulously at him before looking at Cole. “Can you hit him again?”
Despite his growing urgency to return to the Gloaming, Cole chuckled. “Anytime you want.”
“Good.”
Cole drew her against his side as he lifted his hand and placed his palm out against the air. Drawing on his power, he focused it before him as he worked to tear a veil into the fabric separating this world from the Gloaming.
Only the king could open a portal into the palace, and he pictured a door forming in his rooms in his mind. She would be safest there, and he would lead her straight into them.
When the portal materialized, Orin set down his spoon. “Good luck, brother.”
“Same to you,” Cole said. “And don’t forget, Sahira can find you anywhere, so don’t try to run.”
Orin placed a hand over his heart as he feigned insult. “I would never dream of doing such a thing.”
Cole watched his brother as he led Lexi into the portal and toward the battle waging on the other side.
Chapter Seventy
Orin strode past the closed doors of the cells lining the corridor of this long-forgotten prison. Established centuries ago, the stronghold sat on an outer realm that was barely more than a floating rock spinning through the fabric of time.
Misery hung like a thick, cloying blanket over the place. The smell of despair, sweat, and tears choked the air. He despised this place and rarely came here, but there was something he had to do.
He wasn’t concerned about the witch tracking him here. She could find him if she tried, but Sahira was otherwise occupied, and she couldn’t track all his past locations. Besides, he’d be back before anyone realized he was missing and started looking for him.
Behind the doors, some of the prisoners wept, others shouted, some begged to be set free, and others remained eerily silent. They had either accepted their fate or snapped completely. He’d seen those broken ones, sitting within and staring at the wall while they wasted away.
They refused to eat, and most were skin and bones as time marched relentlessly on. He’d wondered if some of them would eventually die, but it hadn’t happened so far.
He felt no guilt over their fate. They’d chosen their path when they decided to fight for the Lord, and they were paying the consequences of it.
The soft soles of his boots didn’t make a sound against the stone floor as he walked. He couldn’t see any of the prisoners behind their solid metal doors. He was aware they were there, but they didn’t have the same luxury of knowing about his presence.
Halfway down the corridor, he stopped outside one of the cells. A single window sat high up in the door. The metal covering was firmly closed and could only be opened from the outside.
Stepping forward, he grasped the small knob and pulled it open. Directly on the other side of the door, a pair of red eyes glared out at him.
He had no idea how the vampire did it, but Orin had yet to open this window and not discover the man standing there. He was tempted to believe the vamp never moved away from the door, but that was impossible. The vampire had to sit, sleep, and shit; he couldn’t do those things while standing there.
No, somehow, this asshole always knew when he was coming, and he was always waiting for him.
Hatred simmered in the vampire’s eyes as they stared at each other. Then Orin smiled.
“Hello, Del,” he greeted. “We need to talk about your daughter.”
Lexi and Cole’s story continues in Shadows of Betrayal. Preorder it now then turn the page for a sneak peek: brendakdavies.com/SBwb
Sneak Peek
Shadows of Betrayal, The Shadow Realms Book 3
Chapter 1
Cole released Lexi as soon as he stepped out of the portal and stalked over to one of the windows overlooking the Gloaming. His jaw clenched as flames from the torches they carried leapt high. The dark fae roused from their homes fled from the approaching army.
A couple of hundred dark fae crested the hill and marched toward his home. He couldn't make out who was at the front of the rebels, but he would make them pay for it when he found out who was behind this.
"Stay here," he said as he turned away from the window.
"I'm going to the front door with you," Lexi said.
Cole didn't take the time to argue as he strode toward the door; he flung it open and swiftly descended the stairs to the first floor. Lexi ran beside him as he raced for the weapons room.
When he arrived at the room, he pulled the door open and entered the cavernous space. Lexi followed him inside, and he closed the door behind them.
Countless weapons lined the walls, filled the trunks pushed against them, and stuffed the containers set into the floor. Only a few knew how to access those hidden containers.
He stopped and knelt in the middle of the white marble floor. After years of having his father drill it into his head how to access these weapons, instinct guided him to this spot.
When he was little, he used to have to count the steps straight from the door to the right place. Along the way, he hoped he didn't step too far to one side or the other because it would throw him off completely. Not anymore.
When he placed his palm against the floor, the marble heated, and a golden glow shone around the edges of his hand.
"Amazing," Lexi whispered as the floor slid back to reveal the thick, metal case beneath.
When the marble settled into place with a click, he leaned forward and pulled the case open to reveal the cache of weapons within. He only wanted the sword, though.
The black, oplyx stone in the center of the sword's hilt shone as he lifted and turned it over in his hands. The blade was lighter than it looked and even more lethal. He'd seen it cut through flesh like butter before. He pulled the sword halfway from its sheath and examined the honed blade.
"Is that yours?" Lexi asked.
"My father's."
"Is it fae metal?"
"No, but whoever started this rebellion won't survive its wrath."
Even though his people were rising against him, he wouldn't use fae metal against his kind. Those rebelling against him wouldn't survive, but he couldn't break one of the most sacred rules amongst the fae.
No matter what, the fae didn't wield fae metal against their own.
Of course, some didn't always respect that boundary. He was certain more than a few of them were marching across that field right now.
Cole dropped the sword he wore to the ground, slung his father's sword over his shoulder, and secured it there by its strap. He would go into this battle wielding his father's weapon.
When he lifted his head, he discovered Lexi watching him with dread. Her sun-kissed skin was much paler than normal, and her full lower lip trembled before she stiffened it.
Bending, he clasped her cheeks in his palms. "I must go. Don't leave the palace."
"Please, be careful," she whispered.
"Always."
He kissed her forehead, her nose, and finally her lips before releasing her and walking away. As he crossed the floor, the panel he'd opened slid back into place with a click.
He didn't look back as he opened the door and strode out of the room.