Shadow Bane: CURSED, #2

By T.L. Manning

In the second installment of
the CURSED series, Delilah finds herself at the very mercy a new darkness she has accepted as part of her gifts.
In a moment of selfish need she does the unthinkable and changes the very nature and future of Xander, the one she loves.
With Lukin lovingly by her side, they are forced to travel to an unknown realm filled with every fairytale and nightmare they could ever imagine in an attempt to make it all right again, save the lives of loved ones, and Xanders soul. Soon they are running from the Vamphume, the original creatures we know today as vampires, who do not drink blood but something much more sinister and evil. With everything, including time against them can they make it out the same way they came in, or will they forever be changed and trapped?

• Language: English
• Publisher: T.L. Manning
• Release date: Mar 18, 2014
• ISBN: 9781497711891

Book preview

RECAP

Xander...

Everything we knew about this curse was a lie from the beginning, how far do you think this will go Freya? Her mother stood beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

It will go around the world if we don’t learn everything we can and find a way to kill it. Everyone became silent realizing that the big family secret was out, for now it was contained to the grounds of the estate, but for how long? Dad sat with me and took my hand as he talked almost in a whisper.

Thank you for not doing what I had asked, we can find another way together. I squeezed his hand but didn’t take my eyes off Ella and Lukin, sitting so close to each other. It made me sick to my stomach when he touched her; I decided to look at something else and turned my attention to the others. This room was filled with misfits and outcasts and I couldn’t help thinking to myself Weren’t we just the Army the world wanted to see coming in the war against hell? A few witches, a dragon, a bird, two handymen and the three dead stooges.  No matter what scenario I could picture in my head, we had lost this fight and we hadn’t even begun it yet.

ONE

Ella...

The darkness that surrounded us outside the walls of the estate began to creep slowly inside. We were creating our own gloom, the silence and feeling of suffocation was deafening and yet no one moved and no one spoke. We all had our fears lingering around the room; you could smell it in the damp air filling our noses. It was hovering above us for all to see, Freya knew it was over her head and her powers, meaning it had to be above Emma’s powers as well. Since none of us had an idea who was helping her we knew anything could happen at any moment. Carna and Kali kept quiet with anxious eyes out the windows, Eris was becoming a sponge and looking for any and every answer she could find trying to drown her fears with knowledge. Some of us were pacing, some sitting, and some still searching. In the end we were all filled with questions with no answers, and yet still, we never spoke. We all knew this was the beginning of hell on earth. The darkness seemed to continually grow around us as if it knew where we were hiding. It was as if it could think and reason, it was hunting us I knew it in my heart, and in a room full of people I wanted to reach out to for support, yet I knew that I couldn’t because I had never felt so alone. As the sky became darker through the windows around us, my mind raced with questions about what had just happened to me; not just the labyrinth, but everything that had happened and been discovered while I was inside of it, making me realize that I was not the only one affected by its evil. It had gotten to all of us but as I looked around thinking of all the lies that had been told already I feared what they would say, dripping with fabrications to put me at ease. I looked at my Aunt Carna who had told me that she had never spent time here, which I knew to be a lie since they basically grew up in this house. Glancing to my left I saw Eris, she was the first to tell me that the house sensed us, how did she know such things if she had never been here before. The most hurtful was realizing my own Grandmother, Freya insisted that she had only been here as a child for a short time, but I knew now that she was the reason my own Father had been cast into hell. I couldn’t look at him, but the most arrogant of all was that Xander told me he would wait forever, and within an hour that I was in hell and he was screwing my cousin, or my sister which was another secret my family had been keeping. One thing plagued my mind more than any of the others, the most important thing I had learned so far was also the one that made my brain hurt the most, why did the curse seem to predate Emma? I had thought that she was the one who had created the hell I was trapped in, but after living through it I knew that she was stealing the credit for that from someone else, and if that were true how powerful was the one that came before her, What if none of this was about the family at all, what if it all came back to ultimate power, and if it did then maybe we were fighting the wrong war. How could someone powerful enough to create all of this need more power, these were the things I needed to focus on, but as I looked at Xander, just sitting across from me, looking guilty and sad, my thoughts went from ultimate power to the ultimate betrayal. I couldn’t believe I had to sit this close without being able to punch him. Selene just sulked, showing no remorse or guilt for what she had done to me, occasionally she would scan the room without making eye contact. I was dragged back from my dark daydream that had Selene on the floor, bloody and screaming as Lukin placed his hand on my knee, and I smiled at him. He had become such a good friend, a bond had been created from the very things that I hated right now, and I knew that what we shared had been forged from hatred, lies, and dishonesty from others and I wouldn’t let that poison us the way it had poisoned so many bonds that I had forged from trust. I looked up at my family and couldn’t help but let myself hope that the outcome would be different with them.

Lukin...

Sitting in this room, surrounded by Grace Women made me feel more and more anxious. Each one of them another piece to this puzzle, the very idea that generations of them were all together in one place made the hair on my arms stand up. The only one that didn’t seem to remind me of my time in hell was Ella, who was the one who looked most like the witch that sent me there. I felt awkward which made me pissed off as I sat in silence. Xander had not taken his eyes off me for a moment, the hatred beaming from his brow. He had every reason to hate me, I had forged a bond with Ella that even he couldn’t break and he seemed to know it already. The real fear inside me rested in the hands of the clock on the wall. Ella and I had established that I should be a dead man in age, yet here I sat looking no older than Xander was, how long could this last before I start aging at a rapid rate? I held onto Ella’s knee for comfort, all the while knowing that I was making Xander insane with jealousy. For all I knew I had ten minutes left on earth, I wasn’t going to waste a second of it. I squeezed her knee harder and gloated as she rubbed my leg and smiled. Pretty boy has another thing coming if he thinks that his charms and model looks can win over my bitter, anger at the world. I just need a hug when it comes to her heart.

Xander...

His icy stare and hard stance had me from the moment I laid eyes on him. Lukin wasn’t fooling me like he had the others. Hell on earth or not I wasn’t loosing site of the real danger, he was in the way of everything I ever wanted and he knew it. The past twelve hours had been the scariest of my life, and looking at the tossed spell books around the dining room that wasn’t changing any time soon. Selene sat in a chair facing away from everyone; she hadn’t spoken since she regained consciousness. Eris was on the floor with Carna, flipping through spell books and Kali followed Freya back and forth gathering more books from the study. Scott and Brandon had fallen asleep on the floor while Ailen stared out the window into the darkness, a lost ship in a storm.

Ella sat across from me, eyes looking everywhere but at me. Lukin wouldn’t leave her side so I could talk to her and every time I tried to get her attention he shot me a cold, dead stare. I had to get her alone so I could explain everything that hadn’t happened. I could feel my blood pressure rising at the thought of his hands on her, my hands balled into fists and my mind racing with images of the two of them together, I stood up to pounce when Eris jumped in front of me.

Xander, would you come with me to the parlor for a minute? I glared at her, and by the glare I received it wasn’t hard to figure out she knew exactly what I was about to do, and stopped me out of principal. I followed her out to the parlor and she turned around with a finger in my face.

"Do you really think this is the most important thing we are dealing with right now you ass? I know you are upset about Lukin, but the truth is that no one cares right now. We need to get this Curse back where it belongs before it starts taking people, that is problem number one and then I will help you get Ella back do you understand?" I took a deep breath and nodded in agreement with her, I wasn’t sure how I would keep my anger at a tolerable level for now, but I had to find a way.

Eris, do you think she will? She looked at me and gave a wink.

I don’t think she will, Xander. She began to walk away and I felt like I had been punched. I know she will. I picked my foot up and kicked her in the butt; we both laughed and walked back into the dark and helpless feel of the room and company. All we could do was watch the minutes pass by until someone found a way out of all of this. I walked to a window to watch it roll in on us, nothing but black fog as far as it would let me see.  I knew I shouldn’t but I walked over to where Ella was standing and put my hand out to her, she rejected it. I took a deep breath and put my hand on her shoulder, she inched it away. I just stood in place feeling my face become hot with anger as Lukin shot her a look.

Ella can I please talk to you, it’s important. She shook her head at me, not saying a word. I tried again. Ella it is really important that I talk to you right now. I could feel Eris glaring at me from across the room but I didn’t care, maybe I needed to tell her the truth to not only clear the air between us, but clear the air outside and I wouldn’t give up. Ella turned to me and her eyes narrowed.

Xander, just stop, I don’t want to talk to you right now. I persisted, needing just a few minutes to talk. I felt so frustrated and helpless after a few minutes I decided to throw in the towel and give up when she turned again with tears in her eyes.

Ella...

Stop talking to me! I was yelling with tears in my eyes. Whatever he had to say I didn’t want to hear right now, we had bigger issues to deal with and he was not more important than that. He stepped closer and Lukin put himself between us.

You heard the lady, back off Xander. He reached out with his right hand and Xander grabbed it before it could land on his shoulder. With a shake of his head Xander lowered Lukin’s arm."

Trust me; you don’t want to try that one again if you want to keep that arm. Lukin laughed and stepped back, holding that grin as he stared at Xander. The battle of testosterone was enough to make me sick. I turned to walk away, leaving the boys to fight out there issues without putting me in the middle. From behind me I heard the voices get quiet until Xander yelled out.

What’s wrong Ella, I didn’t mean to upset you. I shook my head and kept walking to sit with the others, to clear my head and figure out this riddle we were trapped in. Nothing felt right, my head was cloudy and my body felt like I had a current running through it which was something I had never felt before. I was beginning to think that there was much more to this than we thought.

Does anyone else feel different? I looked around and no one spoke up, but everyone looked away. Were we all feeling it? I concentrated really hard and tried to talk to Eris without speaking.

Do you hear me Eris? Let me know if you hear this. She shot me a confused look, so I knew she heard me but I wasn’t sure what the look was for. Eris, can you hear me or not? She widened her eyes at me and then I heard a yell so loud I almost covered my ears, but it was coming from inside my head.

Stop yelling at me Ella, I can hear you dammit! I was really confused by her tone; I didn’t need her to yell at me to get her point across.

I wasn’t yelling Eris; I just wanted to make sure that you could hear me. I feel weird; different somehow I just can’t put my finger on it. She stood up with a dirty look and walked away. I was starting to get scared that something was really wrong with her.

Ella listen to me right now, I don’t appreciate you yelling at me, none of this is my fault. If you remember I tried to stop you from going down those damn stairs to begin with, so go yell at yourself for a while would you! I watched her storm out of the room, I had no idea what I had said to make her so angry at me. I had to go after her and find out. I jumped up from the couch and bolted out of the room to find her by the door, crying in a corner.

Eris, what the hell? Why are you yelling at me like that? She turned with an evil look in her eye.

Yelling at you? I was asking you to stop yelling at me and calling me names. Calling her names? What the hell was going on here?

Eris I swear to you I was not yelling at you or calling you names, I swear it. Is that why you said all of this was my fault? She wiped the tears from her face and looked very frustrated.

I never said anything was your fault Ella, I just kept asking you to stop yelling at me and talk to me if you had a problem with me. I took a step back as I began to realize what was happening.

Eris, I am going to say Hello, I love you. Tell me what you hear." I thought about my words very carefully and then put them out to her. As her eyes got wider I knew she didn’t hear what I said.

"Ella I am not going to tell you what I heard, but