Shadow Hunter
Courts of Life and Death book 2
Melody Rose
Contents
1. Myrcedes
2. Kalian
3. Daath
4. Myrcedes
5. Myrcedes
6. Syrion
7. Myrcedes
8. Myrcedes
9. Myrcedes
10. Daath
11. Myrcedes
12. Myrcedes
13. Myrcedes
14. Myrcedes
15. Syrion
16. Kalian
17. Myrcedes
18. Kalian
19. Myrcedes
20. Myrcedes
21. Daath
22. Myrcedes
23. Myrcedes
24. Kalian
25. Daath
26. Myrcedes
27. Syrion
28. Kalian
29. Myrcedes
30. Kalian
31. Myrcedes
32. Myrcedes
A Note from the Author
1
Myrcedes
The breath of the Kings warmed me as I laid in the blue velvet feather bed between them. For the first night in months, I experienced a true sense of peace. Since meeting and falling in love with these beings, there had been a threat against my life, polluting even the most serene moments. Once we’d eliminated that threat, I’d had to go without my lovers, my Kings. Now, all was well. We were safe. I was happy, protected, powerful, with nothing to bother my heart or mind.
Maybe it was the unfamiliarity of this very peacefulness that made it impossible to sleep. I’d passed out after a beautiful reunion with my Kings, but after what felt like just minutes of sleep, I was awake again. I didn’t feel troubled. No, I felt energized, like I used to feel the night of Christmas Eve; tomorrow was the start of a new life that I could only imagine. Now that Minerva, the Unseelie Queen who’d been out to get me since the moment I was born, was nothing but a pile of ashes, I knew I was Queen of Earth, and with Daath, Syrion, and I reunited, everything felt well.
The restlessness was almost charming at first, but I was bored out of my mind very quickly. In the darkness, I pulled myself from between Daath and Syrion. I felt a caring smile on my face as they stirred a bit. I reached for the soft cheek of Syrion and stroked it, repeating the gesture with Daath. These were the Kings of the Night, Rulers of the Universe, yet they looked so innocent lying in my bed with a space between them made just for me.
The night air was just cold enough to persuade me to put on real clothes rather than pajamas. I slid on shoes and glanced around the room at the priceless paintings and statues and the wall made of windows, looking fondly at the shooting star-like lights in the sky. I recalled the first night I’d awoken here after slaying the reaper at the nightclub and officially meeting Daath and Syrion. That night, Daath had explained what he was, made me a reaper, and promised to protect me. That felt like it had been a lifetime ago, just as it felt like it had been ages since I’d seen the House of Stars.
The House of Stars, this grand mansion nestled in a pocket of time and space on Earth precious few could access, seemed even more lovely than I remembered. I slid silently out of the room and wandered through the halls. They were as full of art as my room was. I could have sworn I recognized a few of the paintings from a book or a school project, but I could never place them. They were stunning to look at.
I glanced down at my reflection in the floor. Man, I looked like a mess. I ran a hand through my faded purple hair and made a mental note to have Lindsay help me re-dye it soon. Normally I’d switch colors, but I’d grown fond of the purple.
In the silence of the private estate, I closed my eyes. I remembered the sounds of the hustle and bustle in the Moonstone Castle and how it smelled in the morning as the kitchen finished breakfast. I missed Gloria’s loud and loving voice shouting orders to everyone in the room, with a base of patience but a tone demanding speed that only a grandmother could master. If I was right, breakfast preparations should just be starting…
In the course of letting my mind wander, I suddenly found myself standing at the kitchen door in the Moonstone Castle in the Underworld.
“Oh, good morning!” one of the cooks said, nearly running into me as I so suddenly appeared. Gloria looked up from peeling potatoes and gasped with excitement. The wraith made her way over to me and pulled me into a big hug, and I returned the gesture. She was wearing her World’s Best Grandma apron, and she’d wrapped up her gray-brown curls in a bandana.
“Mercy me, it’s my Myrcy!” she cooed. “Oh, sugar, I wasn’t sure when I was going to see you again! Where’ve you been? You look like you haven’t had a half-decent meal since you left. I’ll show those two Kings of the Night a thing or two about feeding you-”
“Gloria!” one of the younger confectioners squeaked.
The head cook just laughed and waved her off. I’d seen the relationship Gloria had developed with Daath and Syrion. It was one of respect and gentle admonishment, and they’d come to expect it. “Now, what are you doing here so early, Myrcedes?”
I laughed at the exchange between them and glanced around. I wasn’t quite sure. I hadn’t meant to world jump here, but my mind must have wandered so vividly. I felt disappointed in the lack of control that demonstrated, but at least it had happened without putting me in danger. Even so, I didn’t want to admit that I had been so reckless. “Well, I… guess I wanted to see if you needed any help with breakfast this morning.” That felt like a bit of a modest thing to offer now that I was a Queen, but it was a solid excuse and gave me a chance to spend time with someone I’d missed.
Gloria beamed at the offer to help and wasted no time handing me an apron of my own and assigning tasks. My experience with cooking had been almost entirely out of necessity, so I wouldn’t call myself any kind of expert, but the other
