Bride of The Shadow Lord

d into my skin, blood drying

whatever had done it,

nt to

ced with trembling fingers just hours ago. But I hadn't carved t

e wors

dn't

en a l

ed me more t

o my room b

I hadn't told anyone.

knock. He

almost immediately, and I

ed the pag

lowed.

aced th

odd

ouldn't

d. "Wh

like a shadow stretching toward the

at

front of me. C

he way mortals do. It follows m

ds were rough, warm. His thumb traced over

assed betwe

hifted, thickened and

magic. The pull o

ed, more to himself than t

I echoed,

didn't

down and pressed hi

caught in

iss. No

eal. A ritual. A stor

, the rune had faded. N

me wonder wha

eft, I bar

udded for a

e had seen every version of this story and still

ouched me li

I was

, was more danger

g for answers in the only p

orth

doned. Twisted trees and wild ivy that crept up the cr

mething from my

gr

sn't

lf-sunken, with moss

had left a

arved with a symbol

brushed th

re other

he tangled brus

sonal left behind. A ribbo

oking at before I le

id

who came

y, I couldn

uldn't b

oice

ing among the trees like he

tell me they

't waver. "Yo

y are you d

, stepping closer, "you'll be

touch me

h out or pu

sence was w

them," I

ope

e graves. And for a flicker o

ch one mysel

eath

There was grief buried under the st

love them

oked

mber what lov

d back i

art would

astle, the cliffs, the garden-it was all par

next name wr

't ready t

in front of the mi

the rune had been. It was

emi

t I'd

was aw

d with wind. Thun

was comi

I wasn't going

from th

saw

n from m

er of the room, soak

mouth, and spok