Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 112416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 562(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 562(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
His steps slowed. Something was wrong.
“Rayne?”
“Shey!” young Rayne cried, hurrying to his side.
Even as questions and doubts crowded Shey’s mind, he still opened his arms to embrace the one and only man to ever claim his heart. “What’s going on? Mother and Fiona are dead. Who’s doing this?”
Rayne ignored his questions and gripped his biceps with both hands. “Where have you been? How could you leave and abandon your duty to Caspagir?”
“What?” Shey gasped as his breath became lodged in his throat. Is that what Rayne thought? It wasn’t true. He left because it was his duty to protect his kingdom and people. “No, I abandoned nothing. Damardor. Something strange. But…” His words fell away. The mention of leaving and Damardor teased at a memory that refused to come free. It was locked in a dark corner of his mind.
“You left because I got married. Because I didn’t want you. What kind of prince are you?” Rayne demanded.
Shey tried to jerk away, but Rayne’s fingers dug deep into his arms, holding him in place. “No! I didn’t run. This wasn’t because of you. I—” He broke off and shook his head hard. Everything was getting jumbled. Nothing made sense. “Rayne, who killed my mother and sister?”
“You did.”
The air rushed from Shey’s lungs, and he almost stumbled, if not for Rayne holding him trapped. “What?”
Rayne’s lips parted as if to explain, but a strangled cry broke from his throat as his chest jolted forward and then froze. Shey looked down to see the bloody tip of a sword protruding from Rayne’s chest. As the sword was pulled out of Rayne’s body, Shey jerked his eyes up to see a shadow solidify behind Rayne, and he stared into his own face.
“Shey?” Rayne whimpered and tumbled, his legs giving out under him. Shey lunged, wrapping his arms around Rayne and lowering him to the ground even as his shadow doppelgänger ran off.
“No, no, no, no, no,” Shey mumbled while shaking his head. This couldn’t be real. None of it made sense. What kind of dark magic happened that would steal away his family and his sweet Rayne? He sat on the cold ground and pulled Rayne into his lap, holding him with one arm behind his shoulders while his other hand pressed to the wound right through his heart. Blood seeped through his fingers, and a thick, wet gasp for air came from Rayne.
“I’m so sorry, my love. I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you. Please don’t leave me, Rayne. You can’t leave me now,” he pleaded. Each word fractured into tiny glass shards as it left his lips. He stared through tear-filled eyes as Rayne’s face grew paler and his eyes lost their focus behind his glasses.
“Shey?”
“Yes, love. I’m here. I’m never leaving you.”
“Ty…”
“What?” Shey tightened his grip on Rayne and leaned in as close as he could to hear his breathless words.
“Tyche claims the sky is green.”
Shey jerked his head up. What the…
Thunder crashed, shattering the world. In an instant, all the memories came rushing back into his brain. The secret trip to Damardor. Being captured and thrown into prison. Tyche. Tyche had said bad things were coming.
This wasn’t real.
It was a nightmare. He was still a captive in a secret prison.
CHAPTER 19
Tyche
“Rayne! Rayne!”
Tyche winced at Shawn’s agonized cries as he remained locked in the grip of a nightmare. He leaned against the wall that separated them and scrubbed a hand across his face, trying to shake off the last of his ragged emotions. His nightmare wasn’t nearly as long or traumatic—but then, Yesuntei’s powers didn’t have the same hold on him.
He didn’t know who this Rayne was, but it was clear that he and Shawn had some kind of past that the man wasn’t over yet. Tyche prayed Shawn hadn’t come here looking for him, because there was a damn good chance he was already dead.
A sharp gasp cut through the room, followed by the sound of clothes scraping along the floor. Tyche fell still, listening as Shawn’s breathing evened out and he groaned softly. He’d woken up.
“You okay?” Tyche inquired in a low voice.
“No.” A beat passed, and Shawn swore. “I’m fine. What the fuck was that?”
“Bad things.”
“Ty,” he growled.
“What? Tell me I’m wrong.”
“Ty!” he barked. It sounded like he wanted to knock down the wall between them and strangle Tyche with his bare hands. Unfortunately, Tyche was out of patience as well.
“What the hell do you want me to say? It was magic. I really don’t think I need to spell it out for you, right?” Simply saying those words out loud felt dangerous. The people holding them had been searching for any sign of magic, and they’d finally found a repository of it they could break. It just backfired in their face in a big fucking way. That was what you got when you were stupid enough to torture the Goddess of Nightmares.