Chapter 29

The loving with Ellie was always so incredible. He stared down at her gloriously naked body, aware he'd been gifted with someone so very special. As he ran his fingers over her full lips and high cheekbones, he marvelled that her purity could be so Dark inside. And yet, it was that Darkness that made his Ellie so very alluring.

He blinked, and suddenly, he stood in the hallway, his mind muddied at how he'd come to be there. The scent of iria tickled his nose and he smiled, reminded of their incredible lovemaking. His brothers' shouts alerted him something had happened. As he strode towards the source of unrest, he passed Jonas barrelling in the other direction, a hard look on his face.

Stunned, Cadmus raced towards his brothers, shocked to see them and their affai surrounding someone on the ground. He moved closer and pushed past them, the sight of his mother lying motionless shocking him to action.

"Mother?" He stared in horror at the burning hole above her heart. The scent of scorched flesh and the remnants of blue flame made him ill.

"Cadmus," she moaned, her eyes fluttering. "How could you?"

"Mother?"

"How could you bring that into my home?" Her eyes narrowed in Ellie'sdirection, and she coughed, blood splattering her lips. "Such evil does not belong here,my son. You have doomed us all to die."

Ellie stared at him without regret, her blue eyes shining bright, like the blue flame that had wounded his mother. The Netharat, those minions toSin Garu, had done this. The Netharat—a conglomeration of ice wraiths, Shadren, and more importantly, the Djinn. The teachings of his father returned, stirring the shame deep within him that he had not been a better son, that though his father had been killed by the vile Djinn, Cadmus had disregarded the truth and accepted one of them into his home, into his heart.

Ellie laughed, a shrill screech that mingled with the blood-curling cries of the Netharat now tearing at the castle's very walls.

Smoke and chaos filled the air as Light Bringer after Light Bringer fell, and then his brothers one by one. Until only Arim and he remained standing.

"You stupid, Darkling fool," his uncle sneered, turning several nearby wraiths into stone. "You've single-handedly destroyed Tanselm. Led by your cock instead of your brain. Typical."

Arim blurred, and the world around him faded until all that remained were two blindingly bright blue eyes and the sound of feminine laughter as he lost all that was dear to him.

Cadmus woke with a start, sweat streaming down his face. He glanced over at Ellie lying face down on the bed beside him. His hand trembled as he touched her skin, and the heat of her flesh served to shake him from the cold chilling his body. Warming, his thoughts began to clear, and he slowly nudged Ellie to her back, bemused to see her sleeping so peacefully.

Like the dream, she looked angelic, perfect in sleep. A tremor shook him, and as he stared down at his affai, he wondered whether his dream had possessed any truth, or if his fears of the future were simply trying to leech away his happiness. He continued to study her, looking for flaws, for anything that might tell him if what he'd dreamt might have a hint of foretelling. But try as he might, he found nothing, and the tiny seed of doubt that had plagued his sleep took root.