Page 71 of The Wolf and Her Shadows

Carina smiles, seemingly oblivious to Mariane’s discomfort. “She’s doing well, currently hovering around the alcohol if I was to guess. She’s never been one for crowds, as I’m sure you know.”

“Neither am I,” I mutter, hoping to draw a bit of attention away from Mariane.

“Is it true that you’re a prince?” Carina asks, taking the bait.

Mariane sends a beaming smile my way before leaning her head on my shoulder. “She sure is.”

While I’d normally be a bit more humble, something about Carina and Mariane’s interaction thus far causes me to, for lack of a better term, wish to ‘mark my territory’. Placing a kiss on the top of Mariane’s head, I let go of her hand so I can wrap my arm around her instead. With a loving smile, I pull her more fully into my side, reveling in the way she all but melts into me. And the way Carina’s brows furrow as her eyes follow the movement.

Offering the red-head my most charming grin, I dip my head in a slight bow. “Indeed, my name is Vaniaren Zarathi, The Shadow Prince of Amzarath. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Carina.”

Letting out a whistle, Carina raises her brows. “Wow, Mariane. Look at you, bagging yourself royalty. If I wasn’t happily married, I might say that I was jealous.”

“Oh, so you and Lynne are married, then? Congratulations,” Mariane says, taking a bite of her chicken.

The red-head nods. “We are. Have been for about six years now.” Her eyes drift past us, focusing on something over Mariane’s shoulder. “Though, speaking of Lynne, I should probably go find her before she ends up drinking herself into a stupor. Again.”

“Ah, well, don’t let us keep you.” Shifting my full attention to the woman I love, I’m barely able to keep a smirk off my face as I pretend to whisper, “Come, Your Majesty, let’s go see if we can’t track down those friends of yours. See what sort of trouble we can get into together.”

Without another word, I take a bite of my own chicken and begin guiding Mariane away from the bonfire. Right before we get out of earshot, I faintly hear Carina whisper, “Your Majesty?”

It seems at some point in the earlier chaos, Mariane and I have misplaced our cups. Hopefully, if we do find Stephan and Kali, they’ll have more alcohol with them. No matter, if not I’m sure more will magically appear in our hands soon enough.

We are the guests of honor after all.

I’ve lost count of the amount of alcohol I’ve drank at this point. And the number of times a stranger has come up and introduced themselves, offering me apologies for my people as well as sincere words of gratitude for helping to bring Mariane home. At first it wasn’t too bad, but now I’m finding it all remarkably overwhelming. Considering we’ve lived the majority of our life in the shadows, being surrounded by so many people who know who I truly am is…strange.

After forcing me to dance with her until both our feet ached, Mariane was whisked away by Stephan and Kali, leaving me to fend off the villagers myself. Currently, I’m attempting to hide in the shadows of a nearby building. But sadly, the sound of approaching footsteps dashes any hopes I had of having a brief bit of respite. Sighing in defeat, I take another sip from my cup, the unknown liquor inside doing very little to numb my nerves thanks to my annoyingly high tolerance for alcohol.

“It isn’t helping any, is it?” a familiar voice asks.

Whirling around, I come face to face with the old woman from earlier, who I now know is Old Greyva. Lowering my cup to my side, I clear my throat and say, “No, unfortunately it isn’t. Apologies, I’d meant to come to you sooner, as you’d requested but…”

Waving away my apology, she glances over in the direction Mariane and her friends had gone. “Ah, I said find me when you’re ready. You looked ready, so I figured I’d make it easier for you and come get you myself.” Her eyes drift back to mine, the knowing look in them sending a shiver down my spine. “Are you ready?”

“For what?” I ask, voice barely above a whisper.

In lieu of responding, she loops her arm around mine and leads me inside the building I’d been hiding next to. Stepping through the doorway, I’m met with a similar interior as Mariane and her mother’s home, although this cabin is a bit larger and has enough seating for a large number of people. Had I somehow been lurking outside the old woman’s home by mistake?

“Sit down child.” She tsks, letting go of my arm and gesturing to a plush sofa in front of the fireplace. “You look as if you’re a heartbeat away from shadowing out of here. Or hells out of the entire village itself.”

Collapsing onto one of the soft cushions, I chuckle. “If only I was able to, I might.”

“Ah, yes. I forgot you haven’t discovered all of your abilities yet,” the old woman mutters, taking a seat next to me.

“How do you know that?” I ask, my muscles tensing again before they’d even had time to relax. “What abilities are you talking about?”

Old Greyva takes my hands in hers, looking me in the eyes as she had earlier this evening. “My dear, there is so much about yourself you’ve yet to realize. The others had their magical gifts unlocked during the previous tragedies you all have suffered, but you, Vannaria, have not.”

“What in the hells are you talking about?”

“Do you not feel it?” she whispers, tightening her grip on my hands. “Your connection to the shadows around you. I imagine it would be much stronger than what your mental companions feel.”

I start to shake my head, but when the old woman gives me a stern look, I close my eyes and do my best to focus on the shadows clinging to the corners of the room. As I would if I were about to step into them. At first, it feels the same as it always does, and then I feel it… A strong tug, drawing me towards the darkness while also feeling as if the shadow wishes to come to me.

Letting out a startled gasp, I open my eyes, then immediately recoil in terror when my vision doesn’t change and I suddenly find myself in complete darkness. Shared memories of Rayne’s time underwater with a blackout hood over her head flash through our mind and I’m barely able to choke back a whimper.

The deceptively strong hands holding mine let go before cupping my cheeks instead. “Breathe, Vannaria. It’s only shadow. Will it away and it shall bend to your commands.”