“Home?” I spat the word like it was poison. “You think I’m just going to?—”
His hand tightened again, squeezing until I could feel bruises forming beneath his fingers. “Keep your mouth shut.” The threatening growl that rumbled from his chest sent a shiver down my spine.
I bit my tongue, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst. My legs were barely holding me up, the world spinning and tilting in nauseating waves. I tried to plant my feet, tried to force my body to stay upright, but it was no use. The black spots dancing in my vision were growing larger, swallowing up everything until all I could see was darkness.
“Oh no, you don’t,” a deep, rumbling voice growled from above me. Then, without warning, I was lifted off the ground, my stomach lurching as my feet left the cracked stone path beneath us. My head lolled back, and in the next instant, the black mist that constantly surrounded The Shadow enveloped me like a frigid fog.
I fought to stay alert, to make sense of what was happening, but it was like trying to hold on to water with clenched fists. Everything felt slippery and surreal. My face was pressed against something solid and warm beneath the cold mist—his chest, I realized, though his damn shadows were still obscuring everything else. Did he even have a real face under all that darkness, or was he just some nightmarish manifestation of everything evil in this world? I couldn’t tell, and my hazy mind wasn’t up for unraveling the mystery right now.
I drifted in and out of consciousness, the world slipping away and then slamming back into focus in sporadic bursts. The next thing I knew, I was being laid down on something soft. I blinked, trying to focus on the ceiling of what looked like the inside of an SUV. The Shadow slid in next to me, his form shifting as he adjusted himself on the leather seat. I couldn’t see his eyes, but I could feel his gaze on me, sharp and unrelenting.
“Here.” He shoved a cold bottle of water into my hands, the plastic crinkling beneath my trembling fingers. A bag of pretzels followed, dropped unceremoniously into my lap. I stared at them, then at him, in bewilderment.
“What the fuck?” I managed to croak out, my throat raw. Was he actually giving me snacks?
“Is your miniscule human brain unable to comprehend what food and water are?” he said, his tone casual, almost bored. “You should eat before you pass out again. It would be awfully inconvenient if I have to carry you again.”
I wanted to hurl the water and pretzels right back in his face—if he even had one under all that swirling darkness—but I was starving, and my stomach was tying itself into painful knots. I needed to stay strong if I was going to figure a way out of this mess, so I cracked open the bottle and took a long, greedy gulp. The icy water slid down my throat and soothed the burning acid in my stomach.
I glared at him as I tore open the bag of pretzels, crunching on them like they were the bones of my enemies. He watched me, his presence both oppressive and oddly comforting. The vehicle hummed beneath us as the driver—a silent, hulking figure—navigated through the twisted streets outside the Wraith Territory.
I glanced out the window after a while, the landscape outside as bleak and foreboding as I remembered. Broken buildings, abandoned storefronts, and flickering street lights that barely cut through the gloom. The Shadow’s territory was a dump, a kingdom of decay. I remembered Celeste and the guys’ reaction to seeing The Shadow’s territory once The Mirror of Truths had lifted the illusions. They’d been amazed at the beauty. I’d believe it when I saw it.
We drove deeper into his domain, past the outer ring of desolation and into an area where the buildings became grander and more ominous, but still shitholes. The shadows here seemed to pulse with an unnatural energy, and the atmosphere seemed thicker and colder. Finally, we pulled up to a massive iron gatethat groaned open to reveal a dark fortress that loomed against the inky sky like something out of a gothic nightmare.
The SUV came to a sudden, jarring halt, and before I could gather my bearings, his cold hand gripped my arm. The Shadow hauled me out of the vehicle with a force that sent me stumbling, my feet slamming onto the stone pathway. A sharp pain shot through my ankle, but I barely had time to register it before he dragged me forward, his iron grip unyielding.
I looked up, and my breath caught in my throat. The structure was carved directly into the side of a mountain. The jagged stone walls looked more like the ribcage of some monstrous beast than any human-made building. Shadows clung to the spires like a living mist, their edges flickering as if the fortress itself was breathing.
I had been here before, but I doubted it would ever lose its effect. And now it was supposed to be myhome.
The massive stone doors groaned open, revealing a cavernous entry hall beyond. My eyes widened. At first glance, the black marble floors polished to a mirror shine, towering columns veined with gold, and chandeliers dripping with crystals seemed opulent. But something was off. The chandeliers didn’t give off light the way they should have. Instead, they twisted the illumination into jagged, distorted shapes that danced and flickered like taunting specters. The reflections on the marble floor moved of their own accord, giving off the unnerving sensation that shadows were watching me, tracking my every step.
The walls seemed to shift and pulse, as if alive, the dark stone surfaces slick with a faint sheen like the skin of some ancient creature. My footsteps echoed unnaturally, like the air was playing tricks on me.
As he dragged me deeper, my pulse pounded in my ears, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that if I let my guard down, the shadows would swallow me whole.
As if he sensed my hesitation, he tightened his hold on me, pulling me through a labyrinth of narrow corridors lined with towering mirrors. From the corner of my eye, I caught glimpses of twisted versions of myself—face contorted in fear, eyes hollow, skin pale as death. I forced myself to look straight ahead, refusing to give in to whatever sick game this place was playing.
We turned a corner, and suddenly, the temperature grew colder, biting at my exposed skin. The hallway opened into a massive chamber, its vaulted ceiling disappearing into darkness. At its center stood a grand staircase that spiraled upwards, disappearing into the shadows above. The fortress seemed to stretch infinitely, the boundaries of reality warping and bending like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.
The Shadow didn’t pause to let me catch my breath. He dragged me up the staircase, his steps precise and unrelenting, while I struggled to keep up. Finally, we stopped at a door reinforced with black iron and ancient runes glowing along its edges. With a flick of his wrist, the door unlocked.
“In,” he ordered.
I hesitated for a heartbeat, but the shadows pulsed in warning. Reluctantly, I stepped inside. The door slammed behind us with a finality that made my heart clench.
I was disoriented, half in shock, still trying to piece together what the hell had happened back at the convention. But it didn’t matter. None of it mattered. All I could think about was Will. Was he safe? Did he get out? Had Ciro held to his agreement with The Shadow?
I recognized the room immediately—it was the same place where he’d attacked me, Celeste, and the guys months ago, capturing us with his shadows and slamming them against thewall. The memory of that day was still a raw wound, and I could feel the anger bubbling up inside me again.
I crossed my arms over my chest as he took a seat behind his massive desk, the dark mist swirling around him like a sentient storm. “What the fuck do you plan to do with me? Just fucking kill me and get it over with,” I spat. My fear and adrenaline were mixing into something volatile I couldn’t contain.
He leaned back in his chair, his face still obscured, but I could feel his gaze burning into me like a physical force. The tense silence made my skin itch.
The shadows around his face parted just enough to reveal the ghost of a smirk. “I’m going to marry you.”
For a second, I thought I’d misheard him. A bitter laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. “Marryme? Are you out of your fucking mind?”
