The breath caught in my throat.Married!
—and I got pregnant, did I learn that he needed to produce an heir with a first generation Shade from a long Lumen bloodline. The mix of his fallen angel blood, with my Lumen and Shade magic would produce a child of great power, a Shadowling.
A chill skated down my spine. That word, Shadowling. It’s what the demons Apollyon sent after me called me. Now I finally knew what it was.
Apollyon is very powerful, but his reach is limited because he’s chained to the Netherworld. He can only visit Earth for short periods of time and to do even that he must consume the soul of a lost one.
I stopped reading, my breath coming out in ragged gasps as I processed what my mother had written.
Consumethe soul of a lost one. Apollyon consumed souls? Bile rose in my throat as I was reminded of what Aurum had said when he’d told me what my mission was. To free the lost souls and collapse the Netherworld. Maybe this was why… maybe Apollyon was… I shivered, unable to even fathom the possibility that he was a soul eater. I didn’t want to read another word. I’d reached my max level of stress and trauma that I could take. But I also couldn’t bear not to finish.
With a Shadowling heir, he can free himself from the Netherworld prison and rule Earth as he does the Netherworld. In order to do that, he needs to consume your soul, Tatum. When I learned of that, I fled with you. You won’t ever truly be safe until he’s destroyed. I’m going to try to kill Apollyon, but if I don’t make it back, I’ve instructed your gran to hide you. A childhood in hiding isn’t what I hoped for you, but I do want you to have a life. I am keeping this letter from your gran. The less she knows, the more protected she is. When you come of age, your powers will be greater than any Watcher before you. Train, learn to protect yourself, and someday I pray you finish what I may not be able to end today.
Be strong, my dear precious girl, and know that I love you—now and forever.
Above all, choose Lumen.
Mom.
I set the letter down on the felt table, stunned by all I’d just learned. My hands shook, my body felt numb, and a deep depression settled over me like a heavy blanket. In the past twenty-four hours I’d learned that my father was trying to consume my soul, and my sort-of almost-boyfriend ditched me.
I’d officially reached rock bottom.
CHAPTERSEVEN
The trip back to Lumen Academy was completely silent. Dash seemed to have picked up on the fact that I needed some time to myself. He just walked by my side, scanning the crowds for threats. Aurelia probably told him to follow me everywhere, which reminded me that I needed to speak with her.
When we reached the academy entrance, I waved him off. “I need to find Aurelia. I’ll catch up with you later.”
He nodded and turned to go when I called his name.
“Can you… let me know if you hear from Gage? I just want to know if he’s okay.” I was still kinda pissed he left, but I didn’t want his dad to kill him.
He paused before answering. “Sure.”
I spun, heading toward the academy, then Dash’s hand snaked out and caught my wrist, gently.
I glanced up at Dash surprised to see a haunted look cross his face. “I grew up in a Shade family in Los Angeles. When I chose Lumen, my father tried to kill me. It’s where I got the scar.” He indicated his face.
I gasped, caught off guard by his random admission.
“I had to flee Los Angeles, and I came here to hide out from my family. They’re powerful Shade leaders and never would have let me live. I haven’t been back since and don’t plan on ever returning.”
I had wondered why the level ten demon had seemed to know Dash. I didn’t know how high up his family was, but to be recognized by a level ten, it must have been high. Maybe even higher than Arthur, which was a terrifying thought.
“Nobody else knows about this, but the reason I’m telling you is that I know how Gage feels, okay? I’m not trying to condone why he left, but you have to know what he went through wasn’t easy. Whatever loving childhood you had, Gage and I didn’t have that. We’re fighters, and our sense of safety comes from the strength we carry with our powers, not from the people around us. Now Gage is powerless.”
Dash’s words hit me in a deep place. Fresh anger and sadness ripped through my heart in equal measure. Even with Gran’s illness, my childhood was full of love, and I’d always felt safe. It might have been unstable at times when she got sick, but I never feared she would hurt me. I was grateful Dash had shared such an intimate and private part of his history all in an effort to help me to better understand Gage.
“Thanks for trusting me with your story.” I pulled him into a hug and felt him stiffen, like he wasn’t used to getting hugged, before his arms came around me. He patted my back awkwardly, and then we broke apart.
I grinned. “Not a hugger?”
He pulled his hood farther over his face. “Nah. More a fist bump kinda guy.”
That caused laughter to peal out of me. Reaching out, I raised my hand and we smashed fists.
“See ya.” He tipped his head, and I headed inside the academy to face my fate and a no doubt uncomfortable talk with Aurelia.
