“That is a nice thought, Bastian but I am not his mate, I don’t even know him! Who is this Shadow and why does he have my Drake!”
Jazmin steps to her taking her hand, “Cadie you just called him yours. You only have to dare to believe it. You have the answer in your heart.”
“Are you nuts? I don’t believe in fairy tales, unlike you. Reality! Jaz, that is what I believe in,” Cadie yells out, stomping away.
“When we are together, I will show you the difference between fantasy and reality, my Queen,” the King promises.
Caderyn ignores the way her pulse jumps at his promise, and snaps back, “Stop calling me your queen! I don’t even know you!”
Bastian listens and smiles, “Caderyn, the Fae are immortal, as old as time itself. There are many branches of our family tree, fairies, elves, leprechaun, pixies, too many to list. Some dark and some light. Some believe we are descended from angels. The shadow was a Fae of the Light, and when he turned dark, he was pushed through the Vale. He has never forgotten his hatred of us.”
His rage boils, and the shadow seeps from Caderyn’s bag beside the couch, where Jazmin sits listening. The shadow longs to destroy the new Queen. So, intent on the story, they do not see the danger until it has completely enveloped Jazmin.
One minute, Jazmin is on the couch, the next she second, she’s standing in a field reliving the past.
Strong hands hold her arms behind her, as two young girls fling their tiny arms around her legs, crying for their mama.
“Nooo, let us go with him! We belong together!” Jazmin screams, but the voice she hears is not her own.
His back is to her, as the guardsmen drag him to the Vale, he’s struggling as he yells back, “Wynn! It will be okay! I will prove my innocence!”
The Queen walks over, pulling a bronze dagger, and slices a hole in the Vale. With a flick of her wrist, her power immobilizes him and lifts him into the air. The Queen ignores the pleas of his family; she must protect the Light. Without another thought, she throws him through the Vale. The rip closes as though never there. The guardsmen release Jazmin, and she runs trying to break through the barrier. He’s on his knees crawling towards her, and her screams rip through the night. He’s yelling at her, but she is beyond hearing.
In her desperation, Jazmin runs at the Queen attempting to grab the bronze dagger. Her only thought is to open the Vale to get to him! Jasmine’s scream stops short as the Queen shoves the blade into her heart!
Bastian sees the mist around Jazmin and tries to break through to save her, but his power is not strong enough. Caderyn screams and runs at Jazmin. Her hand breaks through the mist, and she pulls Jazmin free! The mist falters at Caderyn’s touch, and Bastian is able to call on the power of the Fae and attack the mist. The Shadow screams in frustration and returns to his portal.
“Bastian, help me!” Caderyn calls.
Jazmin’s heart is broken. When Bastian approaches her, she backs away in terror. “Let me go to him, he needs me!” she begs with her hands to her heart. When she lifts her hand, Bastian sees the blood, and horror fills his mind.
He murmurs a spell, knocking her out and she falls over. Bastian ignores the screams of his Queen. He lifts Jazmin, and snaps, “I can help her. Give me room!” Stomping down the small hall, he places her on the bed and orders Caderyn out.
“Drake, what do I do? He keeps attacking us through the globe, but it’s my only link to you!” she asks terrified.
“You do not need it Caderyn. We are one. The globe is only a pawn of the Shadow. Destroy it with the dagger!”
She runs to her bag and dumps the contents onto the floor, the globe falls free rolling out of the box. Caderyn snatches the dagger from the floor and the globe flares with a bright blue light. It begins to pour out and take the shape of a man. She does not scream for help because Drake is with her, he begins to chant, and she feels the power of his spell inside her mind. Her voice joins his, and together they plunge the knife deep into the spot where his heart should be.
A roar of pain erupts from the creature and Caderyn drops to the floor, smashing the hilt of the bronze dagger into the glass globe. The globe explodes upon impact and Drake uses the last of his strength to shield Caderyn from the explosion.
She feels him around her, inhales his scent into her soul and her spirit rejoices to be whole at last. When he starts to fade, from her, she calls out to him, “Drake? Don’t you dare leave me!” she demands.
“Yes, my Queen, but I fade. Hurry,” his husky voice orders.
“Drake, tell me how this is possible? I don’t understand how I could feel like this for someone I’ve never met,” she asks, hoping to keep him with her a little longer.
“Caderyn, we are twin flames, our souls are linked, chosen by the stars to be forever, one.”
Her body absorbs the sound of his voice, and she trembles with desire for him. “That’s a beautiful thought. When we are together, you will prove this to me?” she asks softly.
“I have waited longer than you can possibly imagine, Caderyn, to feel your skin, touch your lips, and hold you, I promise to make you never forget it!”
Chapter 7
Bastian looks at Jazmin and sees the blood seeping through her shirt. Quickly, he slices her
