Shadows of Fire (The Shadow Realms, Book 1) by Brenda Davies (free e books to read .TXT) 📕

His body would never reside here, but hismemories lingered like ghosts over a graveyard. She heard hislaughter as he chased her beneath the drooping branches and throughthe curtain of tiny leaves.

Her laughter mingled with his when he liftedher from the ground and spun her around. Her feet flew through theair, and for a moment, she was flying and the world was thiswondrous place. She never once doubted his love for her.

Over the years, they spent many hours beneaththis tree playing, imagining they were in a fantasy world battlingpirates or soaring through the air on the Lord’s dragons.Sometimes, she would sit on his lap while he read to her for hours,or they would feed the ducks while birds flitted through thebranches and the wind whispered through the leaves.

It had been years since they last sat beneaththe tree together. The war took him away long before it claimed hislife, but she came here often to sit beneath the boughs and talk tohim. Only now, he wasn’t talking back anymore.

She refused to look at the smoke rising fromthe burned-out city while she walked; she’d seen enough of it.Arriving at the tree, she pulled back some of the branches andducked beneath the leaves.

When she released the branches, they swishedas they settled into place behind her. Hidden beneath the tree,some of the weight lifted from her shoulders and they sagged.

She’d spent most of the day trying not tothink about what the future held after their return from theGloaming last night. She hoped it wasn’t true, but she suspected itwouldn’t be long before Malakai turned up here.

She didn’t know how much time she had, butshe had to prepare. However, she had no idea what to do. No matterwhat happened, she would not join her life to his, but herrefusal was not something he would take well.

What would he do to her? To the manor? ToSahira?

She shuddered at the possibilities beforeshoving them aside. Those were concerns for a later time. Now, itwas just her, this secret place, and the small plaque for herfather.

The willow’s branches encased her, but theyprovided enough room for her to walk over to the marker withoutbending. Kneeling before it, she wiped away the leaves that hadfallen onto it and sat back on her heels to read it.

Delano Harper.

Beloved father, brother, and friend.

She’d wanted to put so much more onto it, butno stone could ever be big enough to display the depth of her loveor the endless magnitude of her grief.

“I miss you, Daddy,” she whispered.

A low groan accompanied her words. Lexi frozeas the hair on her nape rose and prickles raced across her skin.She held her breath as she waited for something more, but the onlysound was the breeze rustling the leaves.

She glanced around the shadowed interior butdidn’t see anyone else. Rising, she edged to the left of the treetrunk. Her hand went to the hunting knife strapped to the belt onher waist.

Because she was half human, she couldn’ttransport away from a threat like other vampires. She didn’t burnor catch fire in the sun, though, so she supposed it was a goodtrade-off. However, it didn’t feel like one right now.

She hadn’t imagined that groan, and if therewas a threat on the other side of the tree, she couldn’t fend offmany immortals if they got their hands on her. Still, she had toknow what was there.

She slid her knife from its holster and heldit before her as she stepped around the tree trunk. Lexi’s handflew to her mouth when she spotted the man on the other side of thetree.

Red covered him, and it took her a minute torealize it wasn’t because his clothes were red. No, torn open andblood-soaked were the best ways to describe what lay beforeher.

Unsure what to do, she stood and gawked forlonger than she should have before reacting. When her feet stoppedsticking to the soft earth, she rushed forward to kneel at hisside.

She reached for him before jerking her handsback. She had no idea what to do or where to touch him thatwouldn’t hurt him more. When he groaned again, his head rolledtoward her, and a pair of narrowed black eyes met hers.

There was no recognition in those eyes, andshe had no idea who he was, but she knew the raven hair, dark eyes,slender build, pointed ears, and ciphers of the dark fae. She hadno idea what he was doing here, but whatever propelled him to seekshelter couldn’t be good.

“They’re coming for me,” he croaked.

“Who’s coming for you?” she asked.

She inspected the jagged slices filleting hisside and chest to the bones beneath. The blood drenching historn-open black shirt caused it to stick to his flesh.

Carefully peeling away the scraps of cloth,she revealed the jagged tears beneath. A lycan had donethis.

Lexi suppressed the unease churning in herstomach while she inspected the wound. The Lord of the ShadowRealms had unleashed bounty hunters on the remaining rebel army,and with their superior tracking skills, many of those hunters werelycan.

She should get away from this man and flee toher house. She should pretend she’d never seen him or, better yet,turn him in. He was a danger to her and Sahira, but she didn’tmove.

She’d never forgive herself if she turned herback on him or, worse, was the reason his hunters finished whatthey started. Her father had fought against him, but she didn’twant to fight, and she was so tired of all the violence anddeath.

“How many of them are coming?” she asked.

When he didn’t respond, she shifted herattention from his injury to his pale face. Even his lips had lostall their color, and his eyes were closed. Leaning closer, shelistened to his shallow breaths as they rattled in and out.

He was alive, and if she could get himsomewhere safe, he would heal, but if she did that, she’d embroilherself in this mess. She could get Sahira; her aunt would knowwhat to do, but she preferred not to involve Sahira in this.

No matter what, she couldn’t leave him hereto be hunted down and slaughtered. Rising, she made her way to thebranches