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

against his chest. Sherecalled his heartbeat beneath her ear as he held her. She’ddrifted off, secure in the knowledge he would always protecther.

He’d seemed indestructible to her, but she’dbeen wrong. Her hero had fallen on a battlefield, and she had onlymemories and photos left of him.

With tears clogging her eyes, she turned awayfrom the photo. She tugged off her barn clothes and tossed theminto the hamper tucked inside her walk-in closet. One side of thecloset contained some of the fancier clothes she wore to the few“special” events she attended in her life, but it was mostly fullof jeans, sweaters, and hoodies.

She did have a collection of shoes she loved.Unfortunately, she didn’t wear them often as sneakers and bootswere her main source of footwear for work around the manor. Butoccasionally, she would take them out, put them on, and admire thembefore slipping them away again.

Gathering some new clothes, she left thecloset behind and set the clothes on the pale, yellow comfortercovering her queen-size bed. She flicked on the bathroom lightswitch, but nothing came on.

Lexi lifted the flashlight from where sheleft it on the counter and turned it on. Hopefully, there was stillenough hot water in the tank to get her through a shower, but itwouldn’t be her first cold shower if there wasn’t.

Remodeled when she was fifteen, the bathroomheld the claw-foot tub she insisted on having. There was also astand-in shower with a glass door.

The beige walls were simple and unadorned,but the shelves lining them held various bottles of some ofSahira’s concoctions. Lexi pulled down a lavender mix she lovedbefore stepping into the shower.

She’d been looking forward to a hot shower,but the lukewarm water didn’t last long enough for that to happen.In the hopes of calming her nerves, she rubbed the lavender overher skin and washed it away before fleeing the cooling water.

Wrapping a towel around herself, she left thebathroom and dressed in a pair of jeans, a loose-fitting T-shirt,and her socks. She stood in front of her bureau’s mirror, brushedher hair, and slid an elastic onto her wrist to use later.

When she finished, she left her room andwalked down the hall to where Brokk was resting.

CHAPTER 32

She contemplated knocking on the door to see if theyneeded anything, but she didn’t want to wake Brokk. He’d been onthe verge of death last night and required his rest, so didCole.

She descended the stairs and strode down thehall toward the kitchen. She stepped into the large, airy room withits gray stone back wall. The rest of the walls had been drywalledover and painted a cranberry color.

To her left was a large window overlookingthe barn and paddock. Beneath the window was a basin sink. Sahirastood at the stove at the far end of the large island in the room'scenter. Thankfully, the gas continued to work when the power wasout.

Her aunt was chopping herbs on a cuttingblock she’d set out on top of the black marble countertops.Whatever she was cooking made Lexi’s stomach rumble. However,judging by the vials surrounding Sahira, she wasn’t makingbreakfast. She was replenishing her potions.

Shade, Sahira’s black cat and familiar, satbeside the cutting board and watched as Sahira’s fingers workedtheir magic. Shade’s tail swung back and forth as he meticulouslycleaned his paw. He paused in the middle of his grooming to studyLexi with his golden eyes before resuming his cleaning.

Sahira absently rested her hand on Shade’shead, and their eyes met before they resumed their activities. Lexilifted a piece of bread from the counter before pouring some bloodinto a mug.

“How’s the patient?” Lexi asked.

“When I looked in on him an hour ago, he wasdoing much better,” Sahira replied. “He’s still sleeping, but he’shealing.”

“That’s good. Was Cole awake?”

Sahira set her spoon down with a loudclatter. “No.”

“Good.”

“He’s dark fae.”

“I know.”

She also knew what that meant. Everyone knewthe dark fae were lethal and cold. They also only had one use forsomeone of the opposite sex… to feed on the energy they emittedduring sex.

But Cole wasn’t entirely dark fae. When shefirst met him, all she’d seen of him was fae, but last night sheglimpsed far more lycan in him. And the lycan were known for theirundying loyalty to their mate. They also played the field alot until they found their mate.

And while Lexi didn’t think she was hismate—that was not what she wanted in her life at all—shedidn’t think he was like the other dark fae. Not entirely, atleast.

Would he break her heart if she wasn’tcareful? Absolutely.

But she didn’t plan on letting him get closeenough for that to happen. However, she wouldn’t mind if he got asclose as he did last night again.

You don’t want to become shadowkissed.

She shuddered at the possibility of becomingone of those mindless, sex-starved things the dark fae sometimesleft behind. No, she did not want to become one of them, butfor that to happen, she was pretty sure a lot more than what passedbetween them last night would have to occur, and she had no plansfor that.

She felt Sahira’s gaze as she slatheredbutter on her bread, but Lexi didn’t look at her aunt as she triedto act completely nonchalant.

“I’ll be in the library reading,” she said asshe lifted her mug and her plate.

“Hmm,” Sahira grunted.

Lexi strolled over to kiss her cheek. “Youworry too much.”

“I always worry about you.”

Lexi squeezed her shoulder before releasingher and strolling toward the door. “I love you too.”

CHAPTER 33

Following the scent of whatever was cooking, Coledescended a set of backstairs and entered a large, airy kitchen.With her back to him, Sahira stood at the island in the center. Herfingers flew as she chopped something with easy precision.

Though she remained focused on whatever shediced, the slight stiffening of her shoulders told him she wasaware he’d arrived. His feet didn’t make a sound as he strodeacross the kitchen toward her.

She didn’t turn to look at him as heapproached. “Can I get you something to eat, Colburn?”

He stopped at the countertop and, sniffingthe air, caught the faint hint of Lexi. She’d been hererecently.

“No,” he said. “And call me Cole. You helpedsave my brother’s life.”

Sahira didn’t look up at him while sheworked, but