A Walk Amongst Shadows (Book 2)

“Hey Rose! Rose, wake up!” I felt a pair of hands gently nudging me. I opened my eyes and saw I was laying down in bed in my room. But not the room I share with Aris, the room I had shared with my sister in my parents’ house. I saw her warm eyes gazing lovingly down at me.

“Marceline!” I cried as I bolted up in bed. I flung my arms around her and held her close. Tears flowed freely down my face. “Marcy, I-I’m so sorry. I-I n-never meant to hurt a-” I was blubbering like a fool.

“Shhh,” she soothed as she delicately stroked my hair. “It’s alright Rose. Nobody blames you.”

I pulled away and looked quizzically at her, sniffling and wiping my eyes. She looked as gorgeous as ever.

“But it’s all my fault.” I sighed; my breath still uneven. Marcy put a grounding hand on my back.

“You weren’t given a choice. You tried to go peacefully, but they wouldn’t let you.” She scratched her neck.

“Girls? You up?” I could never forget the sound of my own mother’s voice and I felt my heart melt when I saw her face.

“Mother!” I jumped up and was met with her loving arms. She held me close to her.

“I’ve missed you so much sweetheart,” she choked. Not surprisingly, my father came in right behind her. He had tears in his eyes before I even made it close to him. I’m sure we were a sight to see. All hugging and crying. But I didn’t care. There was a wholeness I hadn’t felt in years being in their presence again.

“I’ve thought about you all every. single. day,” I said as we all regained composure.

“Not one day has passed that we haven’t missed you too dear,” my mom said sweetly.

“You’re really not mad at me? For killing you?” I choked on the words, but I needed to say them. I saw Marcy scratch at her neck nervously.

“What are you talking about?” my father asked.

“Sweety, you didn’t kill us,” my mother reassured.

“But that night…my purification, I thought-”

“You killed everyone at the ritual that night,” Marcy clarified.

“Which was everyone except for us,” my father added. I furrowed my brow.

“Then what happened to you guys?” I asked, ignoring the feeling of nausea growing in my stomach. I saw all three of my family members exchange glances with each other. “What is it?”

“After we left the temple that night, the council met with us in our home. They wanted to make sure there wouldn’t be any… issues with the three of us returning to society after you were purified.” I felt my mouth gape open as I stared into their now sullen faces.

“I told them the goddess would never forgive them for doing what they did to you,” Marcy spoke up, “I said a few other things that I probably shouldn’t have also…” I saw a sly grin twinged the corners of her mouth.

“We wanted no part of the village after doing what they had done to our family,” my father asserted, as he placed a hand on my mother’s shoulder.

“What did they do to you?” I asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

Marcy pulled down the collar of her shirt to reveal a small, nasty, red scar on the side of her neck. I saw my parents follow suit. I felt sick to my stomach. A sudden rage filled my chest. I hadn’t killed my family. They were executed. I was at a loss for words as I sat in stunned silence.

“I’m so sorry,” was all I could manage.

“Nonsense,” my father comforted, “we made our choices.”

“Then we met him.” Marcy beamed.

“Who?” I asked.

“Our angel,” my mom smiled. “He came to us after the council killed us and offered us a choice. To go with him and be reunited with you or to pass on.”

“Whatever that means,” Marcy said, rolling her eyes. I knew exactly which angel they were talking about. The one’s whose marks I now bore on my skin. I looked down at my arms but saw no marks. My arms were completely bare. I looked back up at them and saw the room was getting fuzzy, fading away from me, and just like that, I was alone with him. He looked just as he had the last time I had seen him.

“You saved them for me…” I said as his golden eyes pierced into mine.

He walked towards me, nodding slowly.

“And I can give you so much more…” he spoke softly as he closed in on me. He reached his hand out and tilted my chin upwards toward him, almost as though he was about to kiss me again, only instead, he stopped just before he reached my lips. “As long as?” his words hung in the air waiting for me to finish his sentence.

“I know,” I kept my voice level, despite the fact my heart was racing, “mind, body, and spirit.”

I saw his face crack into a brilliant smile that nearly knocked me off my feet.

“Yes,” he hissed, as he touched his lips briefly to mine. He then embraced me and held my head gently against his chest. Then he spoke just above whisper, “you’re mine.”

I woke up in bed and sat bolt upright, ready to fight. It took a moment for me to realize I was back in my home outside of the royal city. I don’t remember blacking out, but I do remember the shadow walkers standing around me chanting my name. I also remembered seeing my family and… him. I held my hands out and saw the black markings were still there. So it wasn’t a dream after all.

“How are you feeling?” I heard a low voice ask from the corner of the room. Startled again, I clutched my chest as I squinted in the low light of the room and saw it was only Aris.

“Aris!” I cried, relief washing over me. I felt tears on my face. Like a child, I felt myself reaching out towards him. In all of the madness that had descended upon me this last day I needed him now more than ever. He quickly moved to my side and pulled me into him. I buried my face in his shoulder and wept.

“You came back,” I croaked. I was deeply grateful to have him with me once more. From the instant he held me in his arms, I forgot about it all, the dark god, Wren’s Glen, the prophecy, everything, and I was able to relax.

“Of course I did,” he soothed. I felt him kiss the top of my head as he stroked my hair, making me feel even more childlike.

“I’m so sorry Aris” I muffled against him. “It was horrible of me to attack you like that.”

I felt him sit next to me on the bed and pull me gently in his lap. “I’ve had much worse done to me,” he teased. “Besides, I am the one who owes you an apology.”

I sat back and looked up at him, his appearance was that of a shadow walker once more. His expression was full of remorse. “I should never have tried to shield you like that. You deserved the truth right from the beginning, no matter how horrible.”

I buried my face in him as we hugged again. “I missed you so much. I-I don’t even know what all has happened to me, but-”

“I missed you too,” he cut me off. “I can only imagine…” he trailed off. He held my hand as he examined the markings.

“Do you mind if I have a look?” he asked.

I wondered if he had any idea what the dark god had done to me while I was in the shadow realm as I nodded and sat criss-cross in front of him. I slipped my dress over my head, feeling far less vulnerable now that it was only Aris and me. I felt him move my hair so that it hung over my right shoulder. He traced his fingers across my shoulders. It gave me goosebumps.

“Gods…” he muttered under his breath in disbelief.

“Can I see?” I asked, scared to know what lay within my own skin.

Aris gave me a hand mirror as I stood. I turned so my back was to the small mirror that was hanging on the wall and angled the hand mirror so I could see my own reflection. I gasped, nearly dropping the mirror as I did so. The entirety of my back was covered in black markings. I felt my head spinning. I did not recognize my own body. I sat on the edge of bed and held my face in my shaking hands.

“Gods, what have I done?”

Aris draped a blanket over my shoulders and I pulled them tightly around me.

“You did what you had to do,” he comforted.

“I didn’t have a choice. It was the only way he would let me come back.” His eyes were full of sadness as I spoke. I felt my breathing grow more uneasy. “He said that if I helped him, he would even bring back my family.” I fought back tears. “How was I supposed to say no to that?”

“Father is known for making deals in this way,” he said reassuringly. “Ask any one of those shadow walkers back there. We were all made offers…” he trailed off, “he’s never wanted anyone as much as he’s wanted you though,” he sighed, defeated, “and there isn’t a damned thing I can do to protect you from him.” His shoulders slumped solemnly. “I’m so sorry.”

“You aren’t angry at me?” I asked.

“Of course not,” he said in disbelief, “Why on earth would I be?”

“Look at me!” I uttered louder than I had intended. I held up my hands and shirked the blanket from my shoulders. I sighed a wavering sigh, “he’s defiled me.” I nearly choked on the word. But it rang true. He had marked my body, claimed it for his own. “My body is no longer my own… why would anyone want this.” My voice was barely above a whisper by the time I finished speaking. Aris leaned over and kissed my shoulder. He kissed lower down my arm, taking my hand in his once more, he kissed the back of it. He kneeled on the floor so that I was looking down at him and grabbed my other hand.

“You are still you, Rose. Father has marked you, yes. But you are not lesser because of it. Just as I am no less myself, even though I am his as well.”

I looked at him through tearful eyes.

“I can’t protect you from father, but if anyone is strong enough to stand against him, Rose, it’s you.” He spoke with conviction as he squeezed my hands in his. “I don’t know what’s coming next, but I assure you we will figure it out and get through it together.”

“We?” I asked meekly.

“By my dying breath, I will see you through this madness Rose,” he pledged.

Wiping my eyes, I leaned down and kissed him on the lips. “I thought shadow walkers couldn’t die.” I felt myself laugh.

“Precisely,” he grinned as he swept me off my feet as he stood to his.