Chapter 81: Chapter 81
“Brendan gave this to me when I lost my connection to my wolf and to him. It’ll allow me access to his shadow power without having to access our bond.”
Hadeon held her wrist and looked at the mark again. “It’s pretty small, looks like you only have enough for one spell.”
She sighed, “Yeah, he didn’t want to overwhelm my weakened body. Plus, I wouldn’t be able to do anything super powerful in the state I’m in right now.”
“Are you sure you should be doing anything at all? You’ll make yourself worse.”
A nod. “We can’t stay here, especially you. You’re the key to this all.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I’ll hide us in the shadows; it’ll be like an invisible shield. I’ve seen Brendan do it before.” Suki stood and took a deep breath. “Whoever trapped us here won’t be able to see us or detect us at all. It’ll allow us a chance to get out of the building, and then all I can do is hope help is on the way.”
Pushing himself to his feet. “Alright, I’m trusting you right now.”
Suki smiled, then glanced down at her hand. She tried to summon her claws – but still nothing. “I don’t have much strength. You’ll need to stay close to me; I don’t think I’ll be able to make a very big shield.
“Oh, sure.” He nodded and stepped closer. Hadeon looked down at Suki and scanned her face carefully. He tucked a lump of her hair behind her ear and softly spoke, “You’re very brave, Suki.”
Looking into his midnight eyes brought her a soft glimmer of comfort, reminding her that her mate was out there, looking for her alongside her other mate. A small twist of guilt churned in her stomach – she got to have two mates, when Brendan would never experience the bond.
Hadeon’s hand lingered on her face, his thumb stroking her cheek. “Are you okay?”
“Uh, yeah,” she said, stumbling to find words to say. She looked away. “Sorry, your eyes are just like his…”
“You miss him.”
“Yeah,” she cooed. “It’s okay, I’ll see him once we’re out of here.” She took a deep breath, then held out her hand to summon the shadow magic.
But nothing happened.
Suki exhaled, “Shit.”
“He never showed you how to use the power, did he?”
She shook her head.
Hadeon scoffed and rubbed his temples.
“He did it to make me feel secure while I was so powerless. I don’t think either of us really expected me to need it.” Her head dropped.
“Hey,” Hadeon said, hooking a finger under her chin and making her look at him. “It’s not over yet. My brother may have been the only one with powers, but I was there during a lot of his lessons. Our father wanted us both to learn.”
“You know what we need to do?”
He smiled and nodded.
Relieved, Suki leaned into him and hugged him, resting her head on his chest. “Thank the Goddess.”
Wrapping his arms around her, he took a moment to enjoy their embrace. “Don’t do anything yet; you need to understand the shadows first. People think shadows and darkness mean it’s evil, but it doesn’t. There is safety in the dark; it can shelter you and heal you. Think about that, picture the shadow in your mind.”
Suki hummed, picturing what her personal shadow looked like in her mind.
“Don’t just think about the image of it too – think about how it feels, how it smells, anything to help you connect to it more.” He stayed silent for a moment, stroking her hair. “Tell me about your inner shadow.”
“It’s… cold, but not uncomfortable, it’s inviting. Comforting. It dances like fire. It’s powerful. Chaotic. Protective.”
“Good,” Hadeon said, holding her shoulders and pushing her back to look at her face. “How do you feel?”
She licked her parched lips. “Better. Secure.” Looking down at her wrist, she noticed flecks of shadows swirling around her.
Grinning, he released his hold on her. “Look at that. Perfect. When you’re ready, invite the shadows to bend to your will. Command them to surround us, express how they are there to shield us, hide us, and, most of all, keep us safe.”
Suki nodded. “Okay, I got this.” She smiled. “You know, you would make a powerful shadow wielder.”
“You think?”
“Yeah, I can tell. You helped your brother when he was a kid, and now you’re helping me, and that’s without having your own powers. It’s impressive.”
He huffed a half-laugh. “Yeah, I guess I would be. Who knows, maybe I’m still a late bloomer.”
She grinned. “That’s the spirit.” Centring herself, Suki held a strong stance and held her hand out once more. She slowly turned her hand, ready to bend the shadows to her will, but a sudden flash of a memory forced her to stop.
“Are you okay?” Hadeon asked, concerned.
Suki blinked repeatedly, thinking over the memory – Brendan’s memory. The story of his past, how Hadeon helped him settle himself. Her eyes darted to the shadows still swirling around her hand and wrist.
Her mind began to spiral.
“Suki?”
“Something doesn’t… Something doesn’t add up,” she whispered. Dropping her arm, she stared at the wall as she processed her thoughts. “The first case of a werewolf losing their powers was months ago.”
He furrowed his brows. “Right…?”
“But if your blood is used to make this vaccine to eliminate werewolves, and the humans kidnapped and trapped you here to use you… I shouldn’t have seen you in Nighttide recently. Unless–” Suki inhaled a rapid gasp as something sharp pricked her side.
Hadeon gripped her waist, holding her against his chest as he whispered in her ear, “You’re smart, Suki. Too smart, it seems.”
Looking down to her side, she whimpered as she felt the cold liquid rush through her bloodstream. “No… No!” She pushed herself away from him, her vision blurring and body swaying. She grabbed hold of the rack of cleaning supplies to hold herself up.
“Shh… It’s alright, just a mild sedative.” He smirked, a darkness lingering in his eyes. “Laced with a little wolfsbane.”
Her knees buckled, and she dropped to the ground. Pressing her palms against the ground, she struggled to hold her weight. Tears streamed down her face. “Why…?”
Hadeon knelt in front of her and swiped away the tear with his thumb before tracing over her lips. “There is so much you don’t know, but when I’m done, you will.”