The Darkness of Shadoewynne: Book 3 of the Shadoewynne series

  Copyright @ 2020 Shelly Imholt

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden with the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Penelope Kein

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  Please purchase only authorized editions and do not participate in, or encourage, the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Edited by Jessica Llanes at White Tiger Editing

  Cover by Rachel Bunye at White Rabbit Creations

  Acknowledgements

  As usual, a special thanks goes to my husband, who supports me through the rough times and puts up with way more than he probably should.

  Also, thanks to Jessica Llanes, my editor and alpha. This book would not be what it is without her.

  A heartfelt thank you goes out to my beta team. Rachel, Cindy, Vivian, Laura, Emma, Justin, and Sarah. You all have supported me through my random rants, odd questions, and generally have just been there for me whenever I needed you.

  I lucked out when I found all of you.

  Thank you!

  Prologue

  David

  Darkness surrounded me. Everywhere I looked, the red-tinged blackness swallowed all light, all that was good. I stood in the center of nothingness with no memory of how I got here.

  A sound, like wind, whistled in my ears. I didn’t think I was running since I couldn’t feel any movement. A low, guttural laugh bubbled over the sound of wind and I felt it rumble in my chest.

  Was that me?

  It didn’t sound like my normal laugh. The ominous sound caused a shiver of uneasiness to crawl down my spine.

  A scream ripped through the darkness. I looked around but I still saw nothing.

  What happened?

  Instinct told me I didn’t want to know, so I sunk further in my mind. It felt like the darkness was seeping into my soul but I couldn’t bring myself to care.

  I reached out to Evalia and the guys but couldn’t find them.

  Did they leave me? Where was everyone?

  Despair overwhelmed me and, like an anchor to my subconscious, it dragged me deeper until I had sunk far enough that I couldn’t hear the wind. Only one sound was audible. A crunch that vibrated through my head, causing me to quiver with dread.

  Something bad happened and it was my fault.

  There’s no way I could face what I did. I sunk as deep as I could in my mind, until the sounds faded, until I couldn’t feel anything. Curled up in a ball, I rocked myself to sleep, deep inside my mind.

  Chapter 1

  Evalia

  After Kait told me he may not be able to save David, I locked myself in my room and cried. It had been a long battle, so I only let myself lose it for about twenty minutes before I gathered my pajamas and headed out to change. While the water warmed I glanced in the mirror. The magic had worn off, so I looked like me again. Tear tracks and streaks of god only knew what ran down my face, smearing the makeup, making me look even younger than normal. I took the bobby pins out of my hair, letting it fall to my shoulders in a tangled mess.

  There was a light knock on the door. I sighed, “Yeah?”

  Travis called through the door, “I thought you might like help brushing out your hair before you take your shower.”

  I debated for a minute, then decided there was no reason to push him away. My heart was heavy because of David’s disappearance but having Travis and Kait near helped. So much for being a strong, independent woman. I huffed at my thoughts as I opened the door and let him in before turning back to the mirror. Travis shut the door behind himself as he squeezed in. Wordlessly, I handed him the brush as I took a washcloth to my face.

  My mind ran in circles as I scrubbed harder than I should have with the steaming washcloth.

  David’s possession was my fault. I brought the Svikari down on us; they were after me and he was just someone close to me.

  Tears threatened again but I held them in by sheer willpower. Travis was gentle, starting at the ends and working his way up. It didn’t take long for him to get all the knots and tangles out. I ran my hands through my hair but whatever Brad had used made it feel slightly dry and unpleasant. Travis ran his fingertips over my shoulders then he turned me around to meet his eyes.

  “We will go get David and we will make sure he is fine.” Even though he was doing his best to be strong, I could hear the worry in his deep voice. He was only saying that to make me feel better. Kait was right. This mind-reading thing could suck sometimes.

  I sighed. “I appreciate the effort, Travis, but please don’t lie. We will find him, but Kait isn’t sure he can fix this.” I blinked away the tears. “It’s all my fault. The Svikari would never have gone after him if not for me.”

  “Don’t think like that. It’s not your fault. Whoever did this to David is to blame. You did nothing to make them come after you. No matter what, it’s not your fault.” He pulled me into his body and rocked me gently.

  I spoke into his chest. “It sure doesn’t feel that way.”

  “I know, Babe. I get it, but you need to place the blame on the people who did this. You didn’t ask for them to hunt you, and you didn’t ask David to protect you. So either way, it’s not your fault.”

  I sniffed as I nodded, still against his chest, then I pushed away. “I need a shower, Travis. I’m good now. I’ll be out in a bit, okay?”

  He searched my eyes for a minute before nodding and kissing the top of my head. “I’ll be waiting.”

  I was lost in thought as he walked out. One part of my brain was wondering why Travis was waiting for me when it was Kait’s night while the rest of my mind was wondering what David was doing. Mechanically, I undressed before getting in the shower to wash the night off me. The grime that had stuck to my feet in the kitchen and freezer turned the water sluicing off my feet black. Amazingly, there wasn’t much blood, but I still spent a long time scrubbing. My fingers were pruney and the water icy by the time I turned off the shower.

  I stared at the floor. Did I want to put on pajamas? Travis was waiting for me, but it was just Travis. I don’t need pajamas just for him.

  The door swung open. Travis stared at me for a minute before he picked me up, towel and all, to carry me to the bed. He unwound the towel from my hair, brushed and braided it, then spun me, gently pushing on my shoulders until I laid down. After pulling the covers over me, he kissed my forehead and went to the bathroom. He stripped to his boxer briefs and climbed in beside me.

  He pulled me back against him. Quicker than I thought possible, I slipped into a dreamless sleep.

  *********

  I woke up wedged between two warm bodies with the towel still wrapped around me. Apparently, Kait had climbed in with us when he returned from wherever it was he had gone. I urgently needed to go to the bathroom but didn’t want to move. My hands were resting on Kait’s chest and my head was on his bicep. Travis’s arm was slung over my waist with his hand on my stomach. They both were breathing deeply and
evenly, still sound asleep. It was unusual for me to wake up first in the morning.

  I laid there as still as possible for a while, trying not to wake them, but eventually the call of nature became too urgent. Kait was on the outer part of the bed, so I gently moved Travis’s arm before attempting to climb over Kait. He stirred when I slung my leg over his, rolling to his back as his arms wrapped around me, pulling me into his hard chest, while I feebly pushed at him. Still mostly asleep, his lips went to my neck and a tingle shot through me.

  “Kait, I need to use the restroom.” He mumbled something, then let me go. I smiled as I finished climbing over him. Before getting my stuff together, I wrapped a fluffy robe around myself and turned around to watch my guys. There were lines I didn’t remember seeing before on his drawn face. Travis looked sad, his mouth turned down in a frown.

  After grabbing the first clothes I saw, I softly closed the door behind me and padded down the hall to the bathroom. My mind was on other things, so when Janelle called my name, I jumped. I had forgotten to ask about her, Sarah and Sibhre in the craziness of last night.

  “Oh my God, Janelle! When did you get here? Are you okay? Are Sarah and Sibhre okay? What happened?”

  She laughed softly at my onslaught. “We are fine. We got back last night but we decided it was best to wait until this morning to talk to you. They just took us to a holding facility and they did nothing to us. The guard kept saying they would release us when it was all over but we didn’t believe him. Our people found us yesterday morning, but it took all day for us to be debriefed and get back here. How did your assault go?”

  “I’m so glad you guys are good. Um, I need to use the restroom. Let me get ready and I’ll be out in a minute to tell you what happened, okay?”

  “Okay. I’ll start breakfast.” She turned and went into the kitchen before I could reply.

  Once in the bathroom, I relieved the urgent need, then focused on getting ready. The soft purple sweatpants and maroon sweatshirt I grabbed clashed but I didn’t care at this point. I put in my contacts and brushed out my hair before re-doing it into one long braid. I gave myself a little pep talk before heading back out to the kitchen.

  When I walked in, Janelle came over and wrapped me up in a hug. I returned the hug, then pushed away, staring at the counter as I did. “The assault went fine. Kait said we were successful. But David…” My voice broke and I couldn’t continue. I couldn’t look at her.

  “Evalia, I already talked to Kait. I know what happened with David. He will be okay. Kait has a plan and I trust him.”

  I nodded and spun my braid. She pushed a plate with bacon and pancakes in front of me. I glanced up at her. She looked completely at ease, with no sign of the accusations I thought would be there. “How do you do it, Janelle? Why aren’t you mad?”

  She smiled, “I trust Kait with my life. He said he can find and fix David, so I’m not worried.”

  I barely stopped myself from shaking my head. As nice as it was that she believed in Kait, I couldn’t. He is hiding how worried he is from me and Janelle. But I couldn’t bring myself to tell Janelle that.

  I picked up the syrup and dumped it over the pancakes. Since I only had a sandwich before the assault the night before, I was hungry. I was just finishing up when Kait sleepily entered the room. He stretched and rubbed his eyes before kissing my head.

  “Morning, Princess. Morning, Janelle.”

  “Good morning, Kait. Want some breakfast?” Janelle waved at the pancakes as she said this.

  “Yes, please. Thanks, Janelle.” He still sounded tired.

  “No problem. Do you want me to make your plate?”

  “No, I’ve got it. You’ve done enough.” He walked around the island and took a plate before piling it high with pancakes, with only a few pieces of bacon. Without sitting down he folded a pancake and put the whole thing in his mouth. In a few bites, he cleared his plate then put it in the sink before helping himself to some coffee.

  “Damn, Kait. Were you starving?” I stared at him with my mouth hanging open.

  He leaned against the counter and stared back. Eventually, he answered. “Yeah, I didn’t get much to eat last night.” He looked at Janelle. “Did you pack what I asked you to?” She nodded. Kait looked back at me while offhandedly thanking Janelle. “Thanks. Princess, we need to leave early today to go after David. You need to pack enough warm clothes for at least a week. We will be in the wilderness for most of the trip, so pack accordingly.”

  I nodded, even as my stomach sank. Camping in the woods scared me. I hadn’t stayed in a tent for over ten years and it was still cold out. How would we stay warm while we slept?

  Kait caught my eye and raised an eyebrow. When I just looked at him quizzically, he wiggled his eyebrows at me suggestively. I shook my head. Leave it to him to turn a serious question into an innuendo. He laughed softly.

  I hid a smile as I got up to rinse my plate before putting it in the dishwasher. I ran a fingertip over his shoulder blades as I walked past and was rewarded with a flash of heat in his eyes. Once the plate was in the dishwasher, I turned to head back to the room, only to find Kait blocking me. Janelle had made herself scarce so it was just us in the kitchen. He slowly reached for me. When I didn’t move away, he stepped closer, pulling me to him. I laid my head on his bare chest.

  “Kait. What is wrong with David? Will we be able to save him?”

  He sighed and rubbed my back. “Like I said, I think something possessed him. Last night, I asked an ancient being for help. She agreed, so she will travel with us until we find David. But, I need to talk to you and Travis before we go. There are magical laws in dealing with this being and you two need to be aware of them so you don’t end up in trouble.”

  With my head still on his chest, I searched my feelings, separating out mine from Kait’s. “That sounds bad and you didn’t answer my second question. Do you think we can save him?” I didn’t want to look up at him.

  “I don’t think we can save him on our own. With Eir’s help, I believe we can.”

  That name sounded familiar. I pushed away from him. “Eir, the Norse Valkyrie of healing? She’s real?”

  He scratched at the scruff on his chin. “Yeah. But, just like with everything else, only a little of what you’ve heard is true.”

  I shrugged. “I remember the name, but not much else, so I’m not too worried about it.”

  He glared at me over the steaming cup of coffee he had picked up after I let go of him. “You should be. You know her from Norse mythology, but she is Shadoewynne and most of the rules you have heard of regarding Fae, or Fairy, are true for her. She is tricky and does things for her own reasons. As grateful as I am that she agreed to help, it worries me how quickly she agreed. There is something going on here that I don’t understand.” Then he calmly sipped the coffee.

  How can he be so calm? I was still shoving down the fear his words caused. We would find David and help him. He’ll be okay, if only I believe enough. Kait snickered. I rounded on him, pointing my finger in his face as I did. “I’m glad I amuse you. David is out there, doing God only knows what, and you are laughing at me because I’m worried about him.”

  He held up his hands. “Down, Kitten! I’m not laughing at you because you’re worried. I find your thought process amazing. I have met no one else whose thoughts jump around with no reason like yours do. I mean, how did you go from Valkyrie to Tinker Bell?”

  I lifted my chin in the haughtiest way I could. “I, sir, need not explain myself to you.” I spun on my heel away from him, but he grabbed me before I got far, and pulled me back into his chest. He kissed me tenderly, before resting his forehead on mine. “I love your thoughts, and I love you.” His voice dropped, and he whispered, “We will get David back, I promise.” Then the bastard leaned down to kiss my neck.

  Completely against my will, I melted. I have no chance against him when he uses his masculine wiles against me. Was that even a thing? He laughed softly against me, the scruff on
his face doing funny things to my insides. His strong arms encircled me, which was a good thing because my legs would not hold me up against this onslaught. My arms wrapped around his neck as I returned the favor, kissing and sucking on the spots I knew he liked.

  A throat clearing behind me made me jump. Kait just snickered without letting up on my neck.

  “Come on, Kait.” Travis sounded upset.

  Kait stopped and looked over my shoulder. “No, you had her all night. I need some time.” His voice sounded funny, so I glanced up at his pale face. The five-o’clock shadow had disguised how pasty he was.

  I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair before tightening my grip to move his head to look into his eyes. “Kait, are you okay?” I was concentrating on the bundle of feelings inside me that were Kait’s, so I felt the small spike of apprehension that went through him.

  “Yes, why?” He purposefully didn’t meet my eyes, attempting to move his head back to my neck as he spoke. I pulled at his hair to stop him.

  “Why are you lying to me?”

  “Princess, I’m not lying. I am fine, just tired. I didn’t end up getting much sleep last night and dealing with Eir is draining.” He finally met my eyes and I could feel and see his sincerity. I’m not sure I believe him. His hands tightened on my waist. “I just need some rest, which I will get tonight. Since Travis is up, we need to discuss Eir then get ready to leave. I want to be on the road in less than an hour. Eir is waiting for us and we don’t want to keep her waiting.”

  That wasn’t a problem a minute ago, but fine. I turned away and went back to the counter to sit while Travis ate and Kait talked.

  Chapter 2

  Travis filled his plate then sat close enough to me that his leg constantly brushed mine. Kait shook his head but said nothing. Travis is feeling David’s absence as much as I am and he’s looking for reassurance. I rubbed his knee and he shot me a grateful grin. His eyes were a darker blue than normal and he looked somewhat pale. I rubbed my face. Do I show the same signs of worry and stress that they do?