Shadows of Fire (The Shadow Realms, Book 1) by Brenda Davies (chrome ebook reader .txt) 📗

Normally, she loved the way the sun spilledthrough the skylights and the large, arched windows making up mostof the wall on her right, but she barely noticed it now. Just asshe barely noticed the thousands of books lining the shelves to herleft, behind her, and around the fireplace.

She’d read every book in this room, many ofthem more than once. She’d always spent a lot of time here, butsince her dad died, it had become her favorite sanctuary. Twooverstuffed love seats faced the fireplace. The one on the left washers, while her father favored the one on the right.

Often, as a child, she would lay on her bellyon that rug. She’d prop her chin on her hands and kick her feet inthe air while gazing at the fire and listening to her father readwhatever new tale they were venturing on together. He had a thingfor the classics, his favorite being Oedipus. She had a thing forfantasy, her favorite being any Harry Potter book.

She stopped next to the fireplace and glancedback to make sure Sahira wasn’t around. Her aunt knew about thetunnels, but she would question why Lexi was entering them.

After every tunnel was built, Sahira would gointo it and cast a spell to keep them cloaked from the outsideworld. No one who didn’t know they were there would ever be able tofind one of the tunnels.

But she couldn’t go back and close thelibrary doors because Sahira would wonder about that too. Lexi hadto take the chance she could slip into the tunnels without Sahiraknowing.

Standing beside the fireplace, she kept herattention focused on the doors as she pressed one of the rocks. Itpushed in, and something clicked. When the inside of the fireplaceswung open, cool air drifted out from the shadows beyond. Taking adeep breath, Lexi prepared herself for what she was about todo.

Once she crossed this threshold, there was noturning back from her decision, but then, she’d already come toofar to turn around now. She’d already brought the dark fae furtheronto her property, and now she had to care for him.

CHAPTER 16

Lexi picked up the bottle of blue potion and liftedit. Inside, the golden liquid sparked a little as it swished backand forth. From behind the counter, the witch with the cool blueeyes and black hair watched her.

“How much?” Lexi asked about the healingpotion.

The dark fae in the tunnels had healed somesince yesterday, but it wasn’t fast enough for her liking. Sheintended to get him out of her life as soon as possible, and if thewitches’ concoction helped with that, then she would pay for it.Normally, she would have asked Sahira for this, but she couldn’t dothat now.

“Two hundred,” the witch said.

Lexi suppressed a snort of disbelief anddipped a hand into her pocket. It was highway robbery, and theyboth knew it, but she couldn’t risk drawing attention to herself byhaggling today.

She hated being fleeced by the witch, but atleast she could rely on the witches’ discretion. The sign next tothe register announced all sales were final and confidential.

The witches were known to keep the secrets oftheir clientele. Immortals and humans wouldn’t buy from them asoften if they were running around discussing their purchases. Thewitch would never reveal what Lexi purchased here.

She removed her small wallet from her pocketand took out two hundred carisle. She didn’t have to look at theShadow Realms' currency to know that dragons marked the front ofit.

The witch smiled as she took the money andslipped it into a leather pouch. She took the potion from Lexi andput it into another leather pouch before giving it back toLexi.

“Thanks,” Lexi muttered and stifled herimpulse to add, “for screwing me.”

Turning away from the makeshift, woodencounter, she ignored the people gathered inside the small hut asshe made her way through the shadowed interior. Everyone else inthe store was human; she could tell by the distinct lack of poweremanating from them. They all stopped their browsing of the potionsand trinkets lining the shelves to watch her go.

The humans didn’t have Shadow Realmscurrency, but the witch behind the counter would take their money.Lexi felt a stab of guilt as she met their curious stares. They alllooked tired and more than a little beat down by their new lot inlife.

As she passed a woman, the woman shoved ablack lump back onto the shelf. A sign above the lump guaranteed itwould provide enough food for a week.

Pity tugged at Lexi’s heart when the thinwoman bowed her head and her lank hair fell forward to shield herfeatures. The humans hadn’t asked for this; they’d never known itwas coming, and now they were suffering the consequences because amadman wouldn’t give up the throne that had corrupted him.

She barely had carisles left, but she foundher hand dipping toward her wallet. The price on the stone wasfifty dollars or about twenty carisle. The witch had robbed herblind, but apparently, she had a soft spot for the starving masses.Maybe she wasn’t such a smug ass after all.

The woman lifted the stone again, and Lexiscented tears before she put it back and turned away. Lexi stoppedand pulled her wallet out. She removed a twenty-dollar carisle andwalked over to the woman.

The woman started to turn away, but Lexigrasped her wrist to halt her. When the woman turned back to her,Lexi saw her round belly. She was only weeks away fromdelivery.

“Here,” Lexi said as she shoved the moneyinto the woman’s hand.

The woman started to shake her head. “Ican’t.”

“Take it,” Lexi insisted.

She could feel the witch’s eyes on her, butshe didn’t look back. The woman’s fingers curled briefly aroundLexi’s as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Lexi pulled her hand away and walked out ofthe store before she started to cry too. She’d grown up in themortal realm; she was more comfortable around humans thanimmortals. She’d grown up with them; they were her people, theywere suffering, and she hated it.

Stepping onto the crowded dirt road, sheignored the crush of humans and immortals surrounding her as sheswung the leather pouch onto her shoulder and slipped into thecrowd.

• • •

Cole despised the crowded human and immortal marketsthat had sprung up in