Read Online Shadows of Fate (Shadow Born) by Angela Dennis - Free Book Online
Authors: Angela Dennis
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Brenna sought comfort in some solitude of her own. She tried to calm her nerves, but whenever she managed to reach a restful state the next breath brought horrible images of the past.
It had taken nearly fifty years to come to terms with what she had done. When her father’s men killed her husband, she had slipped into a rage so great nothing could break through. Even now in the theater of her mind, rage simmered in her blood. Those men deserved to die. Her only regret was that she had not gone straight to the Council, forcing them to act and serve justice.
Instead she had destroyed the men her father had sent to attack her new family. And when at last she reached the Council, she’d been blamed for the whole affair, as though she was the mastermind. Her father had laughed,told her he had more men, then ordered Orien, his general, to be executed for the loss.It would have hurt less had he impaled her on his sword.
Brenna slammed the door. She hated being a delusional ninny. Dunham was dead and she could never return home. She needed to move on. She couldn’t waste another hundred years mourning the impossible.
The marriage had been a sacrifice on both sides—the mating of the two most powerful clans, the Vires and the Sors. Two clans that had been at war for as long as she could remember. It should have brought peace. But her father had ensured it would bring only death. She had been both the sacrificial lamb and the scapegoat on his altar of hate.
He had given her no choice, threatening to kill her if she disobeyed. But she had seen it as a sacrifice for the good of their people. Had believed it would bring reconciliation. When she had been presented to Dunham, her body had shook with trepidation. But when they were alone, away from prying eyes, she learned that beneath the stern exterior lay a man who wanted what was best for his people as well. They had shared their first blood oath and she accepted him as her mate. The ceremony marked the beginning of a process that would tie their souls together in an unbreakable bond. Dunham had died before the ritual had been completed, so their bond could be severed.
Perhaps it was denial or stupidity, but once the rage had subsided she’d refused to accept he was dead. There wasn’t the gaping hole in her soul others felt, even without the completion of the bond. Sadness, yes, but there was an underlying belief that one day she would see him again. Perhaps that was true—in death.
Sick of self-pity, she threw on a pair of old jeans and a tight wool sweater and decided to hunt Gray out. He hadn’t stayed in his room. She found him in what had once been a study. Now it was more like walk-in junk drawer with a table in the center. He looked up as she pressed open the door.
Gray waved her to a chair. He was looking through a sheaf of paper. “Seraph had a runner drop off the files. I’ve been going over them.” He stopped to pick up the plate that lay beside him. “Marissa made cookies, want one?”
Brenna made a mental note to check on Marissa. Cookies only came when she needed to occupy her hands while she worked through a problem. Grabbing one, she slid into the chair.
“What are we looking at?” The pages seemed like gibberish. Numbers, symbols and letters arranged in no particular pattern.
“I’m going back over the older murders to find a connection between the victims. The nature of the killings should tell us when the demons became involved.”
She shook her head. “Seraph would have already spotted those things. What did his reports say?”
“It’s not even mentioned. The team he assigned didn’t know what they were looking for.” He paused. “We do.” He leaned back in the chair, hands behind his head. His enthusiasm was catching. “I’m guessing, but I’d say you noticed something?” Brenna leaned forward and puzzled over the drawing the Kenaz killer had made. It made her brain hurt, but eventually things began to click into
It had taken nearly fifty years to come to terms with what she had done. When her father’s men killed her husband, she had slipped into a rage so great nothing could break through. Even now in the theater of her mind, rage simmered in her blood. Those men deserved to die. Her only regret was that she had not gone straight to the Council, forcing them to act and serve justice.
Instead she had destroyed the men her father had sent to attack her new family. And when at last she reached the Council, she’d been blamed for the whole affair, as though she was the mastermind. Her father had laughed,told her he had more men, then ordered Orien, his general, to be executed for the loss.It would have hurt less had he impaled her on his sword.
Brenna slammed the door. She hated being a delusional ninny. Dunham was dead and she could never return home. She needed to move on. She couldn’t waste another hundred years mourning the impossible.
The marriage had been a sacrifice on both sides—the mating of the two most powerful clans, the Vires and the Sors. Two clans that had been at war for as long as she could remember. It should have brought peace. But her father had ensured it would bring only death. She had been both the sacrificial lamb and the scapegoat on his altar of hate.
He had given her no choice, threatening to kill her if she disobeyed. But she had seen it as a sacrifice for the good of their people. Had believed it would bring reconciliation. When she had been presented to Dunham, her body had shook with trepidation. But when they were alone, away from prying eyes, she learned that beneath the stern exterior lay a man who wanted what was best for his people as well. They had shared their first blood oath and she accepted him as her mate. The ceremony marked the beginning of a process that would tie their souls together in an unbreakable bond. Dunham had died before the ritual had been completed, so their bond could be severed.
Perhaps it was denial or stupidity, but once the rage had subsided she’d refused to accept he was dead. There wasn’t the gaping hole in her soul others felt, even without the completion of the bond. Sadness, yes, but there was an underlying belief that one day she would see him again. Perhaps that was true—in death.
Sick of self-pity, she threw on a pair of old jeans and a tight wool sweater and decided to hunt Gray out. He hadn’t stayed in his room. She found him in what had once been a study. Now it was more like walk-in junk drawer with a table in the center. He looked up as she pressed open the door.
Gray waved her to a chair. He was looking through a sheaf of paper. “Seraph had a runner drop off the files. I’ve been going over them.” He stopped to pick up the plate that lay beside him. “Marissa made cookies, want one?”
Brenna made a mental note to check on Marissa. Cookies only came when she needed to occupy her hands while she worked through a problem. Grabbing one, she slid into the chair.
“What are we looking at?” The pages seemed like gibberish. Numbers, symbols and letters arranged in no particular pattern.
“I’m going back over the older murders to find a connection between the victims. The nature of the killings should tell us when the demons became involved.”
She shook her head. “Seraph would have already spotted those things. What did his reports say?”
“It’s not even mentioned. The team he assigned didn’t know what they were looking for.” He paused. “We do.” He leaned back in the chair, hands behind his head. His enthusiasm was catching. “I’m guessing, but I’d say you noticed something?” Brenna leaned forward and puzzled over the drawing the Kenaz killer had made. It made her brain hurt, but eventually things began to click into
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