Darkness Rising: A Shadow Realm novel (Reclaiming the Shadow Realm Book 2) Read online

  The house was a two story, three thousand square foot, $180,000.00 home. It had four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and was affordable for someone making less than filthy-stinking-rich wages. They weren’t overly extravagant, but there were things around the home that suggested expensive taste.

  The smart fridge, the living room suite, and a ginormous smart TV for starters. But when Kailah stopped to think about it, they lived a modest lifestyle for the amount of money they had. They had nice things, but they weren’t over the top with them. They certainly didn’t try to show their wealth off to anyone. Maybe being wealthy didn’t have to make her feel awkward or like she didn’t earn it. After all, she could help kids, like she had always wanted to do.

  After a few short moments of thought, Kailah decided she wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to soak in Khanae’s large tub. That bathroom was built like a sanctuary, and she could certainly use the peace.

  Kailah sighed and nodded. “That sounds great. Thank you.”

  Khanae nodded. “Good! It’s settled. While you’re in there, I’m going to search the mental link I have with other Vampires. I want to find Jeff and Casi if possible. I’ve been searching, but the farther the generation is from me, the harder they are to find. Rogues make that twice as hard.”

  “That would be wonderful, because I’m due to go back to work tomorrow,” Kailah said. “Sydney got me approved for a few weeks, but I got a text saying I’m scheduled. And honestly, if you both don’t see a problem with it, I want to go.”

  Khanae and Sayen looked to one another for a moment before nodding. “Sure. We’ll let you know,” Sayen said with a smile. “Go on. We’ll send someone up with your things.”

  For the first time in a long time, Kailah found herself excited for a shred of her normal life. She hoped and prayed to whatever deity that might be listening that everything would turn out okay.

  Chapter Six

  Amanda had gone upstairs to get her things situated, leaving Khanae and Sayen a moment alone. The Vampire queen had watched Kailah closely since her arrival, and she had seen miraculous things. Most of which was her first successful training session with Sayen.

  Kailah had been about to break. Though Khanae hadn’t said a word to Sayen, she had felt her skin burning under Kailah’s intense rage. She’d felt the war waging inside the girl. Part of her had wanted Khanae dead while the other wanted to make her proud.

  She didn’t envy the girl.

  She pitied her.

  After twenty-four years of being human, Khanae couldn’t imagine what it was like to be told she was part of a bigger picture. It was true that Khanae had been around twenty when she had been turned, but she was warned at the age of ten by Anubis that her fate would be tragic.

  Khanae had to spend the majority of her life watching and waiting, preparing for a day that she would never see coming no matter what. Anubis had warned her that she would be a part of something huge. She would become a monster no one would trust.

  But she’d changed that fate, even if only a little.

  Though she’d lost everything she had ever known in the process, she managed to salvage her humanity through it all. Kailah was fighting to do the same. That day while Kailah trained with Sayen, Khanae watched the young woman overpower her basic instincts. Somehow, she’d taken control of all that power, and Khanae was grateful for it.

  She believed she would have to make a decision Sayen wouldn’t have been able to. Kailah was only moments away from releasing a blast of energy that would have certainly killed Brett and Aeric, but quite possibly could have killed Khanae, too. She hadn’t felt true fear of anything in a long time, but in those short moments, she did.

  “Do you think she’s going to do okay?” Sayen asked, breaking Khanae from her thoughts. “She is overwhelmed by everything. Even money.”

  Khanae smiled. “She didn’t come from a family poor enough to live on the streets, but she did grow up in a broken home and both parents struggled. Her father barely made enough money to buy proper food. Her mother was always running off to get drunk, and when she was there, they would have to scrape enough money together for a box of mac and cheese. It makes sense she would want to work for everything she makes. She has pride. She didn’t work for that money, so she feels like she doesn’t deserve it.”

  Sayen smiled, but it wasn’t amused. “That’s where she’s wrong. She has no idea just how much danger she’s been in since the moment she was born. She’s been earning that her entire life, and now she has an eternity to live. Unless the worst happens, she will never die.”

  There were a few moments of silence, and Sayen sat on the couch and sighed. “I don’t know. I think I’m just as worried about her as she is about all this. It’ll pass.”

  “You’re absolutely right. It will pass. This is a transition for everyone. Not just her. I know you’re worrying about her because she just freaked out over money. If she can’t handle having money, then how is she going to handle going toe-to-toe with creatures of the Shadow Realm? But like her, you’re overreacting. Where do you think she gets it?”

  Sayen turned and looked at Khanae with offense. “Hey!”

  Khanae laughed. “You know I’m right.”

  Scrunching up her nose, Sayen turned around, “Yeah, well ya don’t have to be a dick about it.”

  That earned an even louder laugh. “A dick? Oh, my. You’ve been hanging out with the boys too much. They’re a bad influence.”

  ***

  Kailah felt confident Sayen and Khanae would come up with a way to keep her safe while returning to work. Part of her knew how ridiculous it was to try, but the other part of her was desperate for even a moment of her old life. She hadn’t thought of him in quite some time, but she missed Sam.

  Sam was a sweet guy and a great nurse. She had worked with him for quite some time, and he had trained her when she first started. She loved being around him. Funny. Sexy. Smart. She sighed thinking of him.

  It had been quite a while since she’d been with anyone, but it never really bothered her. Not until moments like this, when she was alone. Though she’d had full plans of relaxing, her mind was scattered, and her thoughts of Sam were intrusive.

  She thought of his full lips on hers, moving across her jaw and down to her neck. She imagined his beautiful olive skin and long, black hair…

  Kailah’s eyes shot open as she nearly inhaled a mouthful of water. She had sunk further down into the tub, and the water was around her shoulders. What the fuck was that? Her thoughts of Sam had somehow changed into thoughts of Aeric.

  He was incredibly attractive, but that was something that could never happen. Even the thought of it was insanity. They were creatures destined to destroy one another.

  But he’s so tall… And his body…

  She shook her head and shoved herself down under the water. It swallowed her completely, and she suddenly felt peace wash over her. She felt calm. The water somehow felt as though it was part of her, and she could feel her energy reacting to it.

  How strange, she thought. It was bath water! How special could that be?

  Lying there, blackness engulfed her, and she was pulled away. She found herself standing on desert sand. The sun glared from above, and the heat was unreal. Off in the distance, she could see sand dunes all over, but she also saw men and women standing all around her. They looked angry, ready to strike.

  She’s about to be attacked… There’s too many, she thought.

  Time seemed to stand still as she stood there, studying everything around her. She turned and just behind her, Kailah saw a woman standing with her back toward her. She walked around and gasped as she stared into her own face.

  The woman was her, but she looked so very different. Her hair was even longer than Kailah’s was now, and her eyes were just as blue as Sayen’s. Her body was leaner, stronger.

  She wore a black tank top with what appeared to be a lightweight Kevlar vest over top. She wore black leggings with black knee-high boots
. On her boots were straps that held knives, and on her thighs were more straps holding larger knives. In an X across her back were two large swords, and on each hip were guns.

  “Who the fuck is this?” Kailah asked out loud. “That is not me. It can’t be.”

  The badass version of herself had been staring blankly at her enemy as time stood still, but suddenly her eyes shifted as they looked directly into present Kailah’s.

  “You’d be surprised,” warrior Kailah said.

  Before anything else was said, present Kailah was pulled into the body of the warrior, and time restarted.

  The first enemy ran forward, his fangs bared as he growled. Kailah moved so quickly, she barely had time to register what was happening. She pulled a longer blade from the holster on her thigh and rammed it upward through his chin and into his brain.

  The Vampire sputtered, gagging and gurgling as he stared at her with obvious shock, but Kailah quickly pulled the blade free. In the blink of an eye, she turned him, jammed the knife into the back of his neck to sever his spine, and then proceeded to tear his head off with her bare hands.

  Present Kailah was an innocent bystander as she watched from inside as warrior Kailah ripped this man apart. His aura was dark red, so she could see he was evil, but to witness her own actions was terrifying.

  Warrior Kailah had just dropped the head to the ground as another Vampire ran forward. Kailah grabbed her by the throat, her spiritual energy flaring. As it did, nearly a hundred spirits flashed into sight as the Immortal sent a bolt of energy through her hand and into the Vampire, immediately turning her to ash.

  Present Kailah wanted to scream. She had no idea how this was possible, but she knew it was her. Part of her was excited, exhilarated at seeing what she would be capable of, but another part of her was terrified of it.

  She quickly realized she was quick and calculated. She was nothing shy of a warrior, and she wondered just how far in the future this was—or was it just a dream?

  In that moment, Kailah realized she could see and feel the energy warrior Kailah was using. She watched and studied it. It became clear very quickly that it bore her own signature. She could sense her own personal energy in it. It didn’t feel like Sayen or Wendy or Khia. It was absolutely her, and this was real. This was something that would one day happen.

  And she could learn from it.

  Pushing her fear the rest of the way aside, she watched in fascination as warrior Kailah ran forward, easily jumping over a Vampire as she flipped in the air. At the same time, she unsheathed her swords and decapitated the man, the head and body hitting the sand just a moment after she did.

  Another Vampire ran forward, dual-wielding curvy-edged khopesh swords. He swung the first, and warrior Kailah easily countered. He moved with incredible speed, but she was just as fast, matching him strike for strike.

  A bolt of lightning shot past both of them and struck a Vampire coming up behind her. The distraction was enough that she was easily able to spill the guts of her opponent on the sand before decapitating him as he fell.

  Kailah looked over to see Sayen approaching, her white robes back in place. Her eyes glowed with fierceness as she slowly approached. Her hands lifted to her sides as the sand around her began to rise and swirl in the air.

  “You’re in for it now,” warrior Kailah said with a laugh as she turned to the other Vampires. “You probably shouldn’t have pissed her off.”

  A scream came from behind her, but was immediately cut off. She turned to see Aeric rip the heart out of a woman’s chest before dropping it down to the ground.

  “Where’s Aneksi?” warrior Kailah asked.

  Aeric pointed to the west, and she turned. On top of a sand dune was a snowy wolf no less than two stories tall. Present Kailah was in shock. She’d heard of Aneksi many times, but never in a million years imagined she was that big.

  Ha! You think that’s crazy? Trust me… You’re gonna learn a lot in a very short time. You haven’t even begun.

  That was her own voice speaking directly to her. What the hell? I’m having a hard time figuring out if this is a dream or real. A moment ago, I thought it was real. But now, you’re talking to me, and you shouldn’t be able to. If this is the future, then you’d be time-traveling in a vision… Fuck me, my head hurts.

  There was a brief pause as warrior Kailah took down another enemy. You’ll see soon enough. This is absolutely real. Things are about to start happening very quickly. You’re about to make some incredibly stupid decisions, but they’ll lead you to the right place. Stick with your gut.

  Present Kailah was confused and beginning to feel frantic. She had so many questions to ask, but she could feel the vision slipping away.

  Don’t bother asking, warrior Kailah said. You have to figure this out, or I could alter the future. Just don’t doubt yourself. Keep going. You’ll find all your answers soon enough.

  “Kailah!”

  Something grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her upwards. She inhaled deeply as her eyes opened, and she realized she’d been unconscious under the water. Her heart was racing, and she was breathing quickly.

  “Are you okay? I could hear your heart racing outside the door. I could smell your fear.”

  Kailah looked to the right and saw Aeric sitting there, a worried look on his face as he gently stroked her hair. She nodded. “Y-yes. I’m okay. I think so anyway.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I saw that.”

  “What’s that tone to your voice?” There was a darkness to it, like he knew something she didn’t.

  “It’s just… I don’t think that’s possible. I’ve seen enough of Sayen’s and Wendy’s visions to know what they look and feel like. Their energy is always flaring while it happens. Yours was, too. That was a real vision, but like you said in there, it would have required a future version of yourself to speak to you. As far as I know, the only beings capable of traveling through time are Reaper lords.”

  “I don’t know. None of it makes sense. That was terrifying, though. Cool as hell, but terrifying.” She smiled, and his green eyes softened as he returned it. Suddenly, she remembered she was naked, and she jumped and gasped as she struggled to cover herself.

  “Relax,” he said. “You don’t have anything I haven’t seen before. Besides, I threw a towel over you when I ran in. I figured you might freak out on me, and I didn’t want to burn to death because I saw a nipple.”

  The towel was weighted to her body because of water soaking it. It covered everything appropriately, but there were still plenty of bubbles to censor her as well.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I guess not that it matters. Like you said, it’s nothing you haven’t seen before. I’m a nurse. I’ve seen my share of nudity as well. Doesn’t really affect me so much anymore.”

  He smiled broadly. “Well, I haven’t seen yours, but hey… I wouldn’t turn down the chance. You’re incredibly beautiful, even when you’re all ragey and killy.”

  Her jaw fell open, and she splashed water at him. “That’ll be all, sir. Thanks for saving me, but you can go now.”

  He winked. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist. Anyway, Khanae said she heard you come directly in here without grabbing towels or clothing, so I brought some for you. I knocked, but when you didn’t answer, I listened in. I saved your life and brought you towels. I’m such a gentleman.”

  “You’re about to get singed,” she said, lifting a hand. Though her actions were threatening, her smile was friendly and almost flirty.

  “Well, that doesn’t sound very fun, so I’m gonna go. Let me know if you need anything else. Oh, and Sayen found a way to shield your mind. It’s like a physical barrier, but only for your mind. Basically, it’ll keep you from having any kind of visions or anything, but it’ll also keep Khia from tracking you through visions, too. You’ll be free to go where you please.”

  Kailah nodded. “So, like one of those foil hats to keep the aliens out, only its magic and keeps a psychotic Immortal out of my head.” />
  “Exactly! I couldn’t have explained it better myself. Amanda fell asleep on the family room couch, so I’m going to go check on her. Khanae forgot it had a bed in it, so they folded it out, and Amanda is taking it. Mary’s asleep on the recliner.”

  Kailah smiled. “Sounds about right. Mary has been sleeping in her recliner lately. Oh, and thanks again.”

  “It’s nothing,” he said before smiling again and leaving the room.

  With a sigh, she pulled the soaked towel off herself and removed the plug from the drain. She got out and dried off with what must have been the softest towel in existence. After wrapping her hair in it, she put on a satin robe Aeric had brought in for her.

  He’d also sat a small bag by the door just inside the bathroom with a toothbrush and toothpaste, a hairbrush, and other hygiene items. She quickly finished her routine and put everything away in the bag. She left the brush out, wanting to brush her hair in the comfort of her room instead of shedding all over Khanae’s bathroom.

  When she got to her bedroom, she shut the door and sat the bag down. As she turned around, she jumped. She wasn’t prepared to see Aeric sitting on the edge of her bed.

  “I also brought your clothes up for you,” he said softly.

  She cleared her throat. There was a different energy coming from him than what there had been before, and she couldn’t deny it was pulling at her from different angles. Part of her wanted to hit him in the head with the large wooden paddle brush, and the other part wanted him to spank her with it.

  Sweet, Jesus, what is wrong with me?

  “Thanks,” she forced out as she tried to push away those thoughts. “I really appreciate everything you guys have done. You’ve all gone above and beyond for us. I know it was rough at first, but I think I’m starting to get the hang of this not hating you so much thing.”