17. Zane

SEVENTEEN

ZANE

Idon’t know what time of day it is. I never fucking do. Everything is starting to merge together. I’m pretty certain we’re now sleeping during the day and focusing on being awake in the dead of night so we’re alert and ready in hopes that Raven and Brax appear.

It’s not ideal—none of it is—which is probably why I’m barely managing to get more than a few hours of sleep, but we’re rolling with it. It’s all we can do.

I leave Creed and Eldon in the information room, which is my new name for the space filled with all of the attempts Marieta and Peta have made to get the fuck out of here, and head upstairs. Closing the bathroom door behind me, I methodically turn the shower on and grab a towel from the closet. As the water warms up, I brace my knuckles on the vanity, staring down at the porcelain while I get lost in my cluttered mind.

Sometimes, there’s just too much going on and it’s hard to focus. Without Raven’s guidance, knowing which path to follow or which thought to center on is hard. That puts a lot of weight on her shoulders without me trying to, but I would follow my dove to the end of the realms and back without question if she asked me to.

Attempting to do anything without her near to me is hard, but knowing that everything we’re doing here is as much for her as it is for us keeps me going.

Steam begins to billow around me, fogging up the mirror, so I quickly undress and step under the spray. It’s hot as it hits my skin and I relish it. I don’t know why, but no matter how much I wash myself, I don’t feel any cleaner. It likely has something to do with where we are, but I still go through the motions anyway.

It’s as if the Realm of Shadows clings to me in every way possible and I’m struggling to remember what it felt like on the other side.

The other side with my girl.

Fuck.I miss my dove.

The flash of her pink hair, the soft curve to her lips, the feel of her nails pressing into my skin, all of it. I should have made it clear in the handbook that we couldn’t be separated like this, but it’s too late now.

My eyelids fall closed and the beauty that is my dove comes to life before me as the water continues to pound against my body and I quickly blink them back open. Thoughts of her stir my cock to life, and I squeeze it tight, willing the desire to go away, but my need for her is relentless. So is the pulsing hardness that refuses to go untouched.

Tugging once, hard and fast, I exhale while internally berating myself.

I shouldn’t.

I should save every last drop for her, let her feel the weight of how much I’ve missed her when I finally get the chance, but I can’t help it. Today has been another cluster fuck with no success and the only thing I can cling to is my want for her.

My hand moves of its own accord, tugging harshly at my stiff cock, and I give in, closing my eyes as I let the flutters of ecstasy float along my skin. The vision of her, my dove, only intensifies. Her pink and black hair splayed out, fanning her angelic face as she forms the perfect O with her mouth. Ruffled sheets frame her, her knuckles white as she holds on for the ride.

I can see the flush of pink that travels over her skin, hear her breathy moans as she chants through her release, and feel her nails piercing my skin.

That’s all it takes.

All I need.

My release paints the tiles as I blink my eyes open, instantly coming down from the high I was riding seconds earlier. It’s anticlimactic, to say the least. My hand slackens on my cock that still stands hard, desperate for the real thing, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon. There is no feeling in the world quite like coming inside of her. The feel of her pussy clenching around me is a craving I’ll never be able to sate, and I’ll never want to.

I’ll hear her cries soon enough. I have to.

Mindlessly running through the motions, I finish my shower and step out. Water droplets cling to my skin as I reach for the towel, running it over my damp hair when a blaring sound echoes from the other side of the door.

Frowning, I head for the door, but as I grab the handle, I quickly remember I need to put clothes on. I rush to get dressed, refusing to use my magic. Every ounce of my magic is being saved for when it matters most. Not that I’m certain it will make a difference, but I’m not willing to chance it.

I can hear the others talking, confusion and a sense of panic in the air as I clamber down the stairs to find them gathered at the front door.

“It feels too early for them to be here,” I state, joining them to earn a pointed look from Creed.

“It is,” he grumbles, and the impending worry that was simmering inside of me roars to life.

Eldon’s brows are furrowed as he pulls the front door open and peers outside. Marieta and Peta are just as tense as the three of us, which doesn’t calm the situation.

Something isn’t right.

Fuck.

We’re not going to get any answers if we just stand here, though. No matter what it is, I’m sure we’ve faced worse, and if not, it will be good practice.

Slipping between Creed and Eldon, I move out onto the porch, ignoring Marieta whispering my name. I’m not trying to be rude, but I’m not waiting around for trouble to come to us when we could have acted first. It’s exactly what Raven or Brax would have done, but neither of them is here.

Brax has held up everything on our end in the Elevin Realm; it’s only fair I channel his fearlessness here too.

“What’s happening?” Eldon asks, and I shrug, not turning to check in with him.

“I’m not sure.”

All I can see is the same blank space around us. An array of grays coloring the area, all except Brax’s family home. Closing my eyes, I focus on my other senses, hoping to hear something or feel the hairs on the back of my neck rise in anticipation, but nothing comes.

Turning back to the house, I find Eldon and Creed slowly making their way toward me as Peta appears in the doorway with a sword, Marieta a step behind him. He spins the handle, the glint of the silver-tipped blade dancing at his side.

The second they’re all off the porch, the house disappears. My eyes widen along with my stance as I blindly prepare for whatever is about to come next.

“What the fuck is going on?” Eldon bites, hands fisted at his sides as movement flickers out of the corner of my eye.

I twist in a rush to see a shadow forming beside me.

Holy fuck.

The silhouette shows a head, arms, legs, and torso, just like my shadow would appear. But this is different… completely different.

Another appears, followed by another, until six stand in a line beside me.

“Zane,” Marieta warns, panic clear in her voice. I lift my hand slowly, signaling for them to remain calm and not act yet. Something’s going on; we just need a second to understand what.

The shadow moves toward me and I take a step back, not in fear of them, almost as though I’m instinctively following their guidance. A few more steps and I’m standing between Creed and Eldon with Marieta and Peta right behind them. Before there’s time to act, the shadows circle us. Hands joined, they grow, stretching out longer and longer until they rise, covering us.

Everything goes black, but the desire to fight doesn’t come. They don’t feel aggressive or malicious, but I don’t know why I feel that way.

The darkness only lasts a few moments before they move again, but this time, we’re not standing in a blank space; we’re in a cave. Not just any cave, the one we were in before we stepped through the emerald gate leading to the Realm of Shadows.

The black silhouettes remain spread on the floor at our feet, making me frown. When I glance at the others, I find them just as confused as I am.

“What are we doing here?” Marieta asks, gripping Peta’s arm.

“This is where the emerald gate was. This is where we were with Erikel, searching for the ruby,” Creed states, and her eyes widen, but she nods in understanding.

“Are we⁠—”

“No,” Peta interjects, cutting Eldon off. “We’re still in the Realm of Shadows.” I want to ask how he knows that, but before I can question him, he points down at the shadows. “I think they want to show us something… listen.”

Pressing my lips together, I keep my mouth shut, doing as he says. It takes a few seconds, but I hear something in the distance. I can’t piece together what’s being said, but can sense them getting closer.

A moment later, a familiar fur cloak drags along the floor as a man trudges across the rocks and damp ground toward the gemstone-covered wall where we found the Potens Ruby.

“The Potens Ruby is here somewhere,” Erikel snarls, throwing his arms out wide. “I know it is,” he insists, continuing to talk to himself. “Whether that bitch knows how to speak with the shadows or not, I know she knows where the ruby is.”

His rambling makes my breath catch. I know he’s referring to Raven. He has to be.

Fucker.

I want to cut the distance between us and beat the shit out of him, but the shadows seem to be blocking us from moving. I can’t take a step over them.

“I want to pummel the fuck out of him,” Creed grinds out, his voice raspy as he keeps it low.

Erikel’s gaze whirls around in our direction and I freeze, thinking he heard my friend. But it’s as if he sees right through us—like we’re not here at all.

“Whatever he’s doing, the shadows want us to see,” Peta offers, sheathing the long blade he brought with him.

“But why?” Eldon asks, but no one can answer him because we’re all as clueless as one another.

“That scar,” Peta murmurs, pointing to Erikel’s side profile. I gave Erikel that scar.”

“Does that mean it’s him?” I ask, watching as the asshole continues to survey the wall of rubies.

“No,” Marieta answers. “We’re still in the Realm of Shadows here, remember?”

“How do you know?” I push, swiping a hand through my hair.

“The shadows are showing us this. They can only access the real world through a necromancer, and that’s only when summoned.”

I shake my head. “But Raven has mentioned before that she sees them in bed without having called for them.”

Marieta’s eyebrows rise, but she shrugs. “She’s calling for them somehow, even if subconsciously.”

I don’t have an answer for that, so I turn to focus on Erikel but instantly freeze. “So if he’s here, he’s either a necromancer or someone who has died and been brought back.”

“Yes,” Peta says with a heavy sigh.

My mind races, trying to put the final piece in place, but it’s as if I can’t speak it.

“They’re helping us,” Creed states, distracting me as he points down at the shadows on the ground. “They’re helping us see what they believe we need to see within the Realm of Shadows.”

How? Why?

“So if we’re able to see this, inside the Realm of Shadows, it’s like Zane said. He’s either a necromancer or someone brought back from the dead,” Eldon repeats as if his brain is short circuiting too.

It’s staring us straight in the face. We just have to speak it.

“It means our assumptions were correct and Erikel is…” Marieta’s words trail off as we gape at the scene before us, watching as the scarred face and long nose morph into another set of familiar features we know.

The fur cloak frames the shoulders of our true enemy.

Burton.

He bellows before we can take the information in, anger echoing around us as the rocks shake. One little move from him and the shadows seem to panic, and a moment later, we’re being transported again. Darkness swarms us for a brief second before Marieta and Peta’s home comes into view.

I feel breathless without even doing anything.

Spinning, I try to garner the attention of one of the shadows, but they disappear before I can even try, leaving me frustrated and helpless once again.

“What now?” Creed asks, planting his hands on his hips as his head hangs with the same deflation I feel.

“I think the Potens Ruby could help break us free from here,” Marieta thinks out loud, and Peta drapes his arm around her.

“Maybe,” he offers, guiding her back toward the house. Without a word, the three of us follow after them.

“All we can do is wait for Raven and Brax to get here. They’re our hope,” Eldon states, and I nod in agreement. The countdown continues to tick down.

Hurry, Dove. The end seems to be drawing near, and I have to be by your side when it comes.