Lady of Shadows (Lady of Darkness #2)

Chapter 3 Scarlett

CHAPTER 3

SCARLETT

S carlett woke in a large bedroom chamber. She’d been here before, but she had no idea if that had been a dream or real. She glanced to the foot of the bed, half expecting to see the panther there. She wore no clothing, and the sheets were soft and luxurious against her bare skin. She slowly looked around the room, taking it in. The room was warm. There was a fire crackling in the hearth with two overstuffed chairs flanking it. Two bookshelves that reached nearly to the high ceiling, crammed with books, stood to either side of the fireplace. To the right of the massive bed there was a desk that was neatly organized. A chaise lounge sat near a window to the right of the fireplace under some windows. To the left of the fireplace was a great set of double doors leading out to a balcony.

Scarlett rose from the bed and grabbed a blanket from one of the overstuffed chairs. The scents of cedar and ash enveloped her as the shadows curled around her arms. She wrapped the blanket around her naked body and went to the doors. With a push, they opened and she stepped out onto the balcony. The view was breathtaking. They were high in the mountains. Snow-capped peaks filled her vision for miles. Trees spanned the mountainsides, and though it was obviously cold outside, the balcony was as warm as the interior of the room.

Scarlett walked to the balcony railing and looked over. She was in some sort of castle or palace or tower, high above the ground. Her breath hitched as it brought back another room high above the ground where she had been locked away. Her shadows stroked soothingly down her arms. She forced herself to breathe in and out. In and out. That was over. That had been real, right? Sorin had come for her.

Or was that the dream?

Scarlett turned and went back inside, closing the doors behind her. She passed a room that clearly led to a bathing chamber of some sort. Next to it was another doorway that led to a walk-in closet that rivaled her own back at the Tyndell Manor. In fact, it was larger than her own, but only half full. She ran her hand along the various tunics and shirts that hung in the closet, the same familiar scent clinging to them. A large oak dresser stood on the opposite wall. An assortment of daggers lay scattered across it, and there were swords discarded nearby on the floor. All of them had the same black metal blades that Sorin’s weapons had been adorned with.

Scarlett turned back to the clothing and pulled down a deep red button-up shirt. It was huge on her, hanging down nearly to her knees. She buttoned it except for the top button, discarding the blanket onto the floor. She found a belt among the daggers and cinched it around her waist, adding one of the daggers to it. As she turned to leave the closet, she noticed the full-length mirror in the corner and froze.

She looked the same, yet different. The shadows were adorning her, of course, but there was more. She brought her face close to the mirror, studying her reflection. Her silver hair was almost…silkier, shimmering like starlight. Maybe this was a dream after all. Her ears were slightly elongated, coming to points at the ends. She could’ve sworn she was a few inches taller somehow. Everything about her seemed longer, more graceful.

Scarlett left the closet, her footsteps completely silent on the marble floor. The door to the chambers was half open, and she slipped through to find herself in living quarters. It was larger than the bedroom chambers. A large brick red sofa occupied the center with an overstuffed chair on each side, forming a U-shape around the fireplace on the opposite wall. On the far right was a grand piano, polished and gleaming. There were three doors along the far wall leading somewhere. But on the far left and directly in front of her was a long dining table with platters of breakfast foods lining the length of it.

Scarlett’s stomach grumbled, and she took slow steps towards the food. Real or dream? She still hadn’t decided. She cautiously took a piece of melon and popped it in her mouth. The juice exploded. She must have been starving, because it tasted better than any melon she’d ever had. She took a few more bites of fruit and picked up a cherry pastry. She was halfway through the pastry when the main door opened.

“Sorin, your Inner Court are some of the whiniest bunch of—” a man started, but stopped short at the sight of Scarlett.

Scarlett turned to study him. She’d decided after the first bite of pastry this was likely a dream, so rather than reach for her dagger, she took another bite of the cherry treat, waiting to see how this particular scene would play out. Would she even remember it? It had been a rather dull dream so far.

The man had shoulder length hair that was so blonde it was nearly white, as if he spent every day in the sun. His eyes were the bluest she’d ever seen and reminded her of her own. He was muscled and built just like Sorin. He wore pants that hugged all the right areas and a loose fitting tunic that still managed to show off his chest.

“Scarlett,” he said cautiously, “you are awake.”

Scarlett cocked her head to the side. He knew her? She put the last of the pastry in her mouth, watching him.

“Does Sorin know you are awake?” the man asked, taking a tentative step into the room.

Scarlett took a step back, and as she did, a ring of fire encircled the man. Her shadows swelled, reaching tendrils of darkness to him. He swore and a thin shield of water appeared between him and the fire. Scarlett merely raised her eyebrows. Water. Not fire?

“Scarlett, please,” the man said. “I am a friend. I swear it.”

Scarlett just stared at him. She picked up a pear from the table and took a bite, leaning against the table as she continued watching him.

“Sorin!” the man called.

Scarlett’s head snapped to one of the doors along the opposite wall. She heard his muffled voice yell something about being there in a moment.

“Aditya, now!” the man called again. Scarlett turned her attention back to him. Sweat was forming along his brow.

“Coming,” came an exasperated huff and then, “Ho-ly hell.”

Sorin appeared at the doorway of the middle room. He held an open book in his hand, which he promptly closed and set on a low table near him. He wore loose-fitting pants for lounging and a button-down shirt that was open and unbuttoned. His features had changed like her own, and there were some tattoos that hadn’t been there before.

Scarlett merely took another bite of her pear. Maybe it wasn’t a dream? She really couldn’t tell.

“Scarlett,” Sorin said slowly.

She again said nothing. Just watched him, as if she were watching a play at the theater.

“Sorin,” came the man’s voice. “A little assistance here?”

Sorin’s eyes stayed fixed on Scarlett. He closed his fist, and the ring of flames guttered and died. The man’s shield of water disappeared immediately, and he seemed to be panting slightly, like he’d just exerted himself.

Sorin took a step towards Scarlett and a thin shield of flame formed around her, her shadows coiling to strike. Sorin's mouth twitched into a slight smile.

“Sorin, she has been sleeping for days. Her magic is fully replenished. Do not antagonize her.”

“I am well aware, Briar,” Sorin replied, slowly continuing towards Scarlett, the small smile still in place.

A flame leapt from Scarlett’s shield straight to Sorin, but he merely caught it in his hand, tossed it back and forth like a ball a few times, and then closed his fist around it, extinguishing the flame. She straightened and turned to look at the other man, but Sorin said in a low, commanding tone, “Here, Scarlett. Keep your eyes right here.”

Her eyes locked back onto his, and her pear thudded to the ground. Sorin. He was real. He was here with her. He had come for her. He had taken her from Mikale. He had not left her alone.

He was the godsdamned Prince of Fire. He had known her mother. He was responsible for her mother’s death. He had kept secrets from her. So many secrets.

Sorin stood right before her shield now. He placed a hand on it, as if placing his hand on a window. “Hey, Love.”

Scarlett narrowed her eyes at him. “Hello, Prince .” Hatred and venom dripped from that one title. They stared at each other for a long moment, then she said, “Is this real, or is this a dream?”

Sorin’s smile faded and a look of concern passed across his features. “This is real, Scarlett.”

“You came for me?”

“I will always come for you.”

He stilled as her shadows reached out for him, swirling around his legs, his arms, his torso, searching him. She could feel him beneath her own hands as they moved, as if they were an extension of her own being.

Slowly, Scarlett brought her hand to the shield and placed her palm against his. The flames flickered a few times, then disappeared entirely. They stood there, palm to palm, eyes locked on each other. He certainly felt real, but so had so much else in her dreams.

When Sorin reached to bring a hand to her cheek, she stepped back, out of reach. “This is real?”

“This is real, Scarlett. It is not a dream,” Sorin answered gently.

“Callan, Finn, and Sloan? They are here. That was real?”

Sorin’s jaw tightened. “Yes, they are here.”

“Eliza. Is she real, or was she a dream?”

“Eliza is a very real person.”

“Cassius. Is Cassius here? I want to see him.”

“No, Scarlett,” he said gently, shaking this head. “Cassius and Nuri are back in Baylorin, safe and protecting the children.”

Scarlett fell silent, tendrils of her shadows reaching out to the prince once more. Sorin didn’t move as they swirled over his chest, stroked down his cheek, coiled around his throat.

“Do you want me to summon Beatrix?” the man asked quietly.

Shadows pounced on the man, and he winced as they wound around his wrists.

“Here, Love,” Sorin said, his voice low. “Stay with me.”

“Sorin,” the man said, his voice low and urgent. “She cannot control it.”

“She will not learn if she is asleep,” Sorin argued.

“We cannot keep doing this. She needs to ease into it. Train her in the courtyards, not in your drawing room,” the man countered.

“I will not shove her into a cage to be tamed,” Sorin snarled, his voice going steely.

“She is standing right here,” Scarlett snapped. They both whipped their heads to her, and she scowled at them.

“The choice is yours, Scarlett,” Sorin said. “I can summon Beatrix, our Healer, to help you sleep through more of this, or you can try it on your own.”

“I do not need to sleep any more,” she sighed, her shadows reeling back to her. “What I need is a bath.”

“I agree,” Sorin answered. Scarlett leveled an unimpressed stare at him, and he shrugged. Then he leaned forward until his face was inches from hers. Her breath caught at his closeness. She thought he was going to kiss her, and she readied to punch him right in the godsdamn face, but then he whispered, “You smell.” She brought her fist up to do just that, but he caught her wrist with a smirk. “A necessary touch. To protect myself.”

“You are still an ass,” she replied with a roll of her eyes, jerking her arm back and out of his grip. The man behind them barked a laugh, and she turned to face him. “Who the hell are you?”

The man straightened at being directly addressed. “This is Briar. You sort of met him when you first arrived,” Sorin cut in. “He was here anyway.”

Scarlett studied the man a moment more before saying, “Have you known Sorin long?”

“Since we were children,” Briar answered, curiosity lining his face and glimmering in his blue eyes. “We were practically raised together.”

“Did you also know my mother?” She heard Sorin suck in a breath beside her.

“Scarlett, let’s go discuss this in another—”

Scarlett held up a hand to silence him, and her shadows twined around his throat. Her eyes remained on Briar.

“I served in her Inner Court alongside Sorin, yes,” he answered.

“And has he always been a secret-keeping bastard?” Scarlett asked, now leveling a cool stare at Sorin. She could have sworn he winced slightly.

“A secret-keeper only when necessary,” Briar answered. “But he has always been a bastard,” he added with a wink.

“Thank you for that,” Sorin interjected with a roll of his eyes.

Scarlett’s full attention turned back to him. “All I want you to do is tell me real or dream. I don’t want your ability to conveniently leave out important information to get in the way. Do you think you can do that?” When Sorin nodded, she continued. “You came for me, and we fled Baylorin.”

“Real,” Sorin answered.

“Lord Tyndell is working with Mikale. They know I am Fae and knew my mother.”

“Real.”

“Callan and I kissing on the journey here?”

“Gods, I hope that was a fucking dream,” Sorin muttered.

“Me and you kissing on the journey here?”

“Real, Scarlett. That… By the stream was very, very real,” he whispered.

“The Fae Queen is searching for a weapon. You figured out I was this weapon and kept it from me.”

“Scarlett, that’s not—”

Her shadows tightened around him. “Real or dream?” she hissed.

“Real.”

“My mother… She was a Fae Queen.”

“Real.”

“I was stabbed.”

Sorin shuddered imperceptibly. “I thought you were going to die.”

“The man with the black eagle and the…” She looked down at her forearm where the three stars were inked on her skin. She had wanted to ask about the panther, but didn’t want to appear as if she’d completely lost her mind. She was sure she sounded half-insane.

Sorin’s brows bunched. “That was a dream, Scarlett,” he said softly.

The tenderness in his voice made her heart squeeze in her chest. She brought her eyes back to his. “You are the Prince of the Fire Court and are responsible for my mother’s death.”

Briar sucked in a breath. “Scarlett, he is not—”

“It’s fine, Briar,” Sorin cut in. “I can handle it. I can handle what she needs to say to me.”

Scarlett fought back the tears stinging the back of her eyes. “Real or dream?” she demanded.

Sorin swallowed. “Real, Scarlett. That is real.”

Scarlett jerked back a step from him. Real. That had been real. He had been her mother’s closest confidant. He had been her Cassius. And he was responsible for her death.

Breathe, her shadows whispered to her, curling around her ear. Breathe, Lady of Darkness.

She met Sorin’s eyes once more and a cruel smile twisted onto her lips as she said in a low, icy voice, “You have much to explain.”

“I wanted to tell you in Baylorin, Scarlett. I wanted to tell you so many things,” he started.

Scarlett ignored his last words, walking past him toward the bedroom, her shadows like a fog behind her. Too much. This was too much right now. She needed a moment to breathe.

“She is remarkably similar to Eliné and yet not,” she heard Briar whisper, awe in his voice.

“She is no Eliné, I assure you,” Sorin replied. “She has endured more than Eliné ever did.” Her fury weakened a touch at his words, until he added, “She is also a much bigger pain in my ass.”

In a flash, she had pulled the dagger from her belt and flung it across the room. It flew by Sorin’s face, slicing a shallow gash along his cheekbone, and embedded in the still half open entry door. Brair's eyes were wide, but Sorin merely smirked at her. “You missed." With a mocking sigh, he added, “I suppose we could continue your training now that you’ve gotten your beauty sleep.”

Scarlett narrowed her eyes at him. She could swear her veins were crackling with icy fire. “You and I both know I missed on purpose. If I wanted you dead, my beloved darkness would ensure that was the case.” As if in emphasis, those shadows rose up behind her in a swirling mass of dark fog that had Briar’s eyes widening even more as he stepped back from her.

“So you do not hate me enough to want me dead then?” Sorin asked.

“Oh no, Sorin,” she purred, slowly closing the distance between them. The corner of her mouth kicked up into a smirk when she heard his heart rate jump. “I definitely want you dead.” She brought her hand up and ran her finger lightly along his face, brushing back a lock of his dark hair. His eyes darkened a shade at the touch. She ran her thumb sensuously over his bottom lip as she said softly, “I just haven’t decided how thoroughly I want to break you before I end your life. Where can I bathe?”

He held her stare as she registered a shift in his ash and cedar scent. Something heady and lush. But then he stepped back from her.

“Right this way, Love,” Sorin replied, strolling past her as if the shadows and her words were nothing, his hands sliding into the pockets of his loose pants.

“Your arrogance is truly astounding,” Scarlett said, rolling her eyes.

“Right back at you, Princess,” Sorin answered without even looking back at her.

“Fucking prick,” she muttered, throwing him a vulgar gesture as she followed him into the bedroom. Briar’s laughter carried to her as the door clicked shut behind them.