Princess of Shadows: A Dark Fae Fantasy Romance by Olivia Hart (read me a book txt) 📕

didn’t know my reputation. Maybe it was because I hadn’t used magic. Maybe it was because she had that twisted bloodline. It had been a very long time since I’d had any interactions with someone from both sides.

I found the warren and stopped. Rose waited patiently as I took her hand and made the transition into the tunnel. When I stepped into the tunnel and pulled her along, she managed to stay upright, a surprising feat from someone not used to shadow walking.

She quickly gave me a smile to cover up the discomfort of sliding between realms. It wasn’t like using a portal. Portals were permanent bridges between the worlds. There were no gaps like there were when using the shadows to cross over. Many people believed that the space between the worlds and the warrens was where people went when they died.

I listened, letting the mists enhance any sounds. Warrens were excellent places to stage an ambush, though the number of people capable of shadow walking made it difficult to overwhelm an enemy. Slipping in and out took almost no energy, and unless the traveler was extremely wary, it was easy to be caught from behind.

Luckily, we didn’t have far to go. I didn’t relish the idea of carrying Rose again. If I hadn’t been so focused on fleeing, it would have been difficult to touch her like that without becoming inflamed with hunger with no possibility of sating it.

Thinking about that forced me to realize that I’d used far more magic than I should have. Normally, I’d have enjoyed a relaxing night with one of the many female Fae who would welcome me. They were always more than willing to let me feed on them in return for giving them a night they’d never forget. For some reason, I didn’t feel like I could do that with Rose near me.

I turned around and began walking. A small squeak came from Rose, and she covered her mouth. She already understood the dangers of these tunnels which was slightly impressive. Humans, and half-bloods who had grown up as humans were notoriously stupid. She pointed at her feet, and I nodded. Mists coated her bare feet, cushioning her footfalls and protecting them from any jagged points in the stone.

I hadn’t told her that I would do that, and it must have surprised her. I made a mental note to explain what I was going to do. I rarely traveled with other people, so I wasn’t used to having to explain each and every thing that I did. It would be much better once I could get her stashed somewhere so I could deal with the real problem of what to do about Nyx and Seraphina.

She recovered well enough at least, falling into step behind me. My fingers trailed the rock, sensing picture after picture of the shadow that I would step through if I slid between the realms.

Some went to the Mortal Realm, but the vast majority went to the Immortal Realm. These tunnels were connected to both, but the warrens were closer to the Fae.

After only a few minutes, I took Rose’s hand silently, and I made the transition. We stepped out of the shadow of a tree, appearing from the ground as though we were floating out of a hole. This time, Rose stumbled slightly, but I caught her, my hood slipping off my head in the process.

“You did well,” I said softly. Her eyes stared into mine, and her green eyes slowly turned a bright amber. I felt her desires stirring inside her as my hands held her bare arms.

Lightning bolts of power began to flood my hands, and I felt the hunger growing. That power teased me, tempting me to push her into something she would regret. The hunger of an incubus was not like an earthly hunger. There was no growling stomach, no hunger pains.

Instead, it was a slowing of the body. A slowing of the mind. Pains in the extremities.

I wasn’t there yet, but I needed to be careful. My body knew it. I’d spent the majority of my life with a topped-off tank of power, and I’d become careless. I shouldn’t have made the replica yesterday. I should have simply run and caught her. Even a unicorn would have retreated from me. He would have smelled my power and backed off if I had made no aggressive moves toward him.

I’d been showy, and now I was feeling the hunger returning. It would be many days before I would be able to feed again. I glanced down at Rose, and the thought flashed through my mind. Unless she were willing…

No. She was too inexperienced. Regardless of how annoying she was, no one’s first time should be with an incubus. It would ruin their experiences for the rest of their lives. And there was no way that an incubus could be monogamous.

I pulled away from her and pointed at a cottage in the distance. Simple and small, no one would expect a man of my power and prestige to stay in a place like this, much less own it. I’d even told the gardener to let the flowers that grew inside the cobblestone wall stay a little overgrown.

“That’s beautiful,” Rose said, her voice more chipper than I’d expected. “Is it yours?”

“One of many, but I happen to like this one more than most of the others. It’s where I would choose to live if I had the option.”

She nodded, surprisingly quiet as we began to walk towards the cottage. The wooden gate squeaked as I opened it. Rose glanced around the front of the house, smiling at the flowers that grew along the wall and the statuaries that had been placed throughout the flowers.

The statuaries were simple stones that had been carved by a local stoneworker into the shapes of various animals from both Realms. A small rabbit sat amongst the vines of a honeysuckle and a boggart was perched in the split of a rose