A Curse of Shadows

“I’d like to be the one to go get her,” he says. “I’ll follow your every order, but I’d like to be part of the retrieval.”

He’s now finished his third cup of blood and his voice is strong. I’m not sure he’s up for the task, but I can’t deny a father the opportunity to reclaim his daughter. Not when he’s the one who pieced everything together.

With Noen and Declan still off island handling trade deals, it’s easy to make my decision since the only other men I trust with my own life are in this room.

“You and Mali will go today,” I say. “Find Elodee, give her a sleeping dose, and bring her right back here. No stops anywhere else, no speaking to anyone. Your strength will be dulled on Earth and we can’t take any risks.”

Especially with Grayson. I really shouldn’t let him go, but I don’t change my mind.

He slides his cup across my desk. “Then I better get stronger. I’ll take another dose.”

Cutting open the faint pink line again, I extend my claw and hold my wrist over the glass before looking up at my advisor. “Is this going to be a problem for you, Malimorte?”

My father holds a hand up. “Wait a minute. You honestly think it’s a good idea to send a man who was recently close to his deathbed and your assistant, who, from my knowledge, has never seen combat, to retrieve a human whom you think might be one of our princesses?”

Without blinking, I simply say, “Yes.”

“Have you lost your mind, Son?” he asks incredulously. “At least let me go as well.”

“Absolutely not. Your departure would draw attention, especially without Mom,” I tell him. “Mali and Grayson can easily slip out without anyone questioning what they’re doing. I refuse to let the person who might have done this learn that we’re onto them.”

He raises a brow and tilts his head to the side. “You haven’t even said what it is you think someone has done. Only that you think this girl might be Isobella’s sister.”

“Isla,” I correct with a growl. “And like you said before, reincarnation hasn’t ever just ‘gone wrong.’ If we find Estee, I firmly believe that someone must have killed them, stolen their lives, and found a way to make sure they didn’t return. Whoever that was, I will figure it out and they will pay with blood. Until then, this information stays within the walls of this office.”

I asked to meet with my father because I wanted his advice about bringing a human here, but that’s likely not the case any longer. If he doesn’t agree with my choices, then that’s on him. This is happening and I don’t care how long it takes, Isla will remember what happened to her and then I will get my vengeance.

Even if I have to start a war to do so.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

ISLA

Unease churns in my stomach as I lie on my bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling an inexplicable dread. I haven’t felt right since visiting Grayson’s room to find it empty. He seemed somewhat better at dinner last night, but now, anxiety gnaws at me—what if his condition has worsened?

I need to speak with Asher, tell him I won’t leave before the four weeks, so long as he heals my—Grayson.

My entire body shakes. I almost called him my dad, for the second time. Is that because of what I’ve been told, or because I’m starting to remember? The unknown blurs, leaving me more eager than ever to figure out a way to trigger more memories besides being in that cave.

I need to remember. I need to understand what happened to me, why I vanished from this world.

More than that, I need Elodee. I hope that whatever is taking Asher so long to return is because he’s one step closer to bringing her here.

I sit up in bed, eyes wide. “Shit. They can’t just take her. She’ll try to kill someone and my bestie is nothing short of a badass.”

Elodee is the kind of woman who takes judo classes for fun because she enjoys bringing grown men to their knees. Yet at the same time, she’s this ray of sunshine who makes people gravitate toward her. It’s easy to assume she’s sweet and kind until you mess with her. Then the claws come out.

That thought makes me snort and glance at my own hands. Asher said I was once a wolf shifter. I saw his wolf.

Oh, God. I saw his wolf. That ginormous beast was Asher. With all the revelations over the last two days, my mind didn’t quite hold on to that fact, but there’s no way I can turn into something…so ferocious.

I’d know, right? Like there should have been some sort of sign over the years if I were more than human. I know everyone here said magic doesn’t exist on Earth, but still. I shudder from head to toe. Shifting into an animal is possibly the least awesome thing I’ve learned since coming here.

Getting off the bed, I decide it’s time for me to find Cain. Asher said I could use the phone to order lunch, but before he also said Cain would be available to me. As much as I thought I didn’t want to leave the room after the forest incident, being in that cave changed everything.

A part of me still doesn’t want to believe any of this is possible, but the longer I’m here, the more I learn, plus that flicker of a memory… I can’t deny that there’s something anchoring me to this place. It wasn’t just seeing Grayson and feeling a connection to him. I didn’t want to admit it before, but now, there’s a rightness here. I’ve been without Elodee this whole time and I haven’t felt half as lonely as I did in our apartment by myself.

With Asher no longer being an ass, and the prospect of Elodee being able to stay with me, it’s easier to accept that maybe this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.