A Curse of Shadows

“I’m kidding, Isla.” I tap her chin, lifting until she looks at me again. “I mean, you could get there from here, but I’d have to let you in. The only places you can enter without needing doors to be unlocked are the exits for each floor and the basement. Though I don’t recommend using this as your means of travel through the castle unless there’s an emergency. It’s too easy to get lost and trapped in the walls.”

She shudders and peeks around me. “It’s dark down there and basements freak me out. Secret doors aren’t as exciting as the movies make them seem.”

“I think you may be right.” I tell her and then with regret, I know I need to leave. “I need to have a meeting with my father about Elodee. Oh, and if you have coordinates for her we will use those.”

Her brow raises. “Coordinates? Like an address?” She shakes her head and grins as she walks toward the small desk across the room. “Everything here seems so normal until it doesn’t.”

“I hope that’s not a bad thing,” I say as she starts to write down what I assume is the information we need.

“Just different.” Isla hands me the folded paper and shock exchanges between us when our fingers touch, something she doesn’t seem to notice as I do. “This is where she lives. Remember she won’t go easily and she’s probably freaked out that she hasn’t heard from me. You can’t hold it against her if she fights back.”

“She’s going to be okay, I promise.” I glance back toward the door, knowing I need to go even though I don’t want to. “I don’t know how long I’ll be, but you can use the phone beside your table to order lunch in and I can take you out for dinner later if you’d like.

She bites the inside of her cheek and seems nervous about something. I want to press, but we’ve made more progress today than I expected. I don’t want to push my luck.

“If you’d rather stay in, that’s okay too,” I add before reaching to lightly wrap my hand around her neck, closing the space between us to kiss the top of her head. The sweet, vanilla scent of my mate nearly doesn’t allow for me to let go, but I force myself to step back.

Her cheeks are flushed and her eyes closed as I head toward the door. She may not say anything with words, but her physical reactions are more than enough for me, for now.

After this morning, I at least feel more confident about having a chance to get my mate back. Now, I just need to get her friend here and hope she doesn’t think we’re all insane.

As I exit Isla’s room, I glance down the hallway and remember Grayson. There’s something equally important that I need to do before I meet with my father.

Using the mental connection I have with all my pack members, I call only to him. “I’d like to meet with you about something urgent. Can you be in my office in ten minutes?”

His reply is immediate. “See you there, Son.”

Going to Grayson’s door, I knock before cracking it open so that he doesn’t have to get up. “Mind if I come in?”

He coughs and laughs at once. “Do you really need to ask as the king?”

No, I don’t, but I always will unless my people give me a reason not to.

I step inside, finding him as frail as he was yesterday. Despite the dose of blood I gave him last night, he shows little improvement. Damn it. I hope I’m not too late. Isla will never forgive me if I fail him.

Without asking his opinion, I go to the bathroom and grab another cup. This time when I extend my claws and cut my wrist, I go deeper, allowing the blood to surge into the glass.

Grayson attempts to sit up, his voice raspy with concern. “What are you doing? That’s too much.”

My head shakes. “Seeing you now, I’m not even sure if it’s enough, but you’re going to drink every drop I give you until we find out. Isla no longer needs to choose between leaving or saving you. I can’t watch you suffer any longer.”

He reaches for the cup, his hands trembling. I support him, carefully bringing the drink to his lips. He gulps eagerly, but I moderate his intake to prevent him from choking. “Easy, Grayson. There’s no rush.”

He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, his voice breaking. “I almost lost my chance, Asher. I almost gave up and my Flo… She’ll never get to see her girls again. They’ll never truly know their mother.”

The man I’ve always looked up to begins to sob and I’m unsure what to do, especially when he’s making no sense.

“What do you mean by ‘they’?” It’s been nearly three hundred years since I’ve heard anyone speak of Isla’s sister, Estee. She was the first wolf to abandon her pack, but I never blamed her. Losing Isla was hard on all of us, but most of all me and Estee.

Grayson sits up more on his own and grabs the cup from me, taking another drink before answering. “I know it may seem crazy, which is why I hadn’t said anything yet. First, I wanted to speak with Isla more when she returned because she said something to me last night, but I don’t think Estee chose to leave us.”

My chest tightens at this revelation. Have I failed my mate in more ways than one? I did my best to take care of her family after her disappearance, but Estee leaving ruined any progress I’d made with them. If she’d been forced out and I did nothing to protect her…I’ll never forgive myself.

Not as her king or her family.

“What did Isla say?” I ask finally, sitting up straighter on the bed before refilling his cup.

Just like when I told him that his daughter had returned, his eyes grow bright, a mixture of hope and nostalgia flickering across his face “She mentioned Elodee, her friend from Earth, calling her a ‘soul sister.’ It struck a chord, Asher. It’s more than just a feeling.”