Reign of Shadows

By Melissa Wright

Brianna can see her future, but it's the past that haunts her. Plans laid in place centuries ago are threatening not only her and her sister, but all of the Seven Lines. As the shadows plot their way to old rule, the visions shift again. Her power has led to some hard choices—and the occasional stab wound—but this set of futures holds nothing but darkness.

Unable to bear the idea of losing the footing they've so recently gained, she turns the soldiers of the Seven. But with shadows hidden among the ranks, can she overcome the path they've set in place, or is she blindly following their lead?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melissa Wright
• Release date: Jul 30, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311946683

Melissa Wright

Ms. Melissa S Wright is a doctoral student in the University of Southern Mississippi Department of Adult Education.

Book preview

1

BRIANNA

Heat pulsed through the warehouse, liquid fire pushed by some unseen force. Metal screamed and block crumbled, tearing away every protection she had from the gale. But it was not the light of fire that accompanied the wind, nor the brightness of a flame. It was dark beneath the haze of fog.

It was a shadow.

Brianna jolted awake, sitting up to find the darkness of her room. It was there again, that urge to fight and the impulse to run, but she forced it down, not allowing herself to be afraid. Not even conceding to the desire to click on the bedside lamp. She took two deep breaths, committing the details to memory: the tang of metal in her mouth, the sulfur that hung on the too-hot wind, and the sound beneath the screeching, that steady beat of footsteps heading toward her.

Quiet laughter floated in from the front room and she closed her eyes, willing the calm back before pulling her feet over the edge of the mattress and onto the plush carpeting of her council bedroom floor. It would be her sister outside. And her Logan.

She ran a hand over her face. They didn’t understand. As far as anyone knew, it was all over. The terror they’d faced with Morgan, with the prophecy, all of it gone. But less than a day since waking from that affair, the aftermath not even cleared away, she’d begun having the new visions.

The real ones.

She shuffled across the floor in darkness, hand out to catch the edge of the dresser, purposely not thinking about why her mind had labeled them that way, not allowing herself to panic at the ideas that had flooded her in the last hours. She would work through them, but one thing at a time. Brianna reached up, blindly feeling for the switch that would illuminate the washroom, and flinched at her reflection, the glimpse of something as it flashed in the too-green eyes staring back at her.

One thing at a time, she reminded herself, feeling the heat pulse through her fingertips, the skin prickle the length of her arm. Brianna pulled her hair back into a ponytail to splash her face with water, barely sparing another glance at her reflection before sliding into a pair of borrowed jeans and leaving the darkness of the bedroom to join the others.

The front room was large, holding a sitting area, several tables, and a workspace. Emily glanced up from where she perched on the edge of a sofa, always appearing ready to stand or bolt from the room, her dark blonde hair in loose waves, her casual smile still out of the ordinary. Sorry, Bri, she said. Did we wake you?

Brianna shook her head, forcing a smile as her eyes caught Logan, sending a sharp pang through her chest. His arms were crossed as he leaned against the side of a large padded chair, that same state of constant readiness in his form as in Emily’s.

Where’s Aern? Brianna asked, aware and more than a little guilty that they didn’t suspect her of keeping something from them.

Logan shifted, and Brianna kept her eyes on her sister, knowing he was doing his best to give her space until she recovered. Emily pointed toward the floor, or rather the level below where Council business was being conducted at an alarming rate. He’s downstairs, still working out details for the new board and the other properties.

Brianna’s face paled, her thoughts going to Brendan and the others who had been lost in the fighting. Nothing was left of Westlake; the entire property had been reduced to ash.

A look passed between Logan and Emily and she stood, patting a hand on her knee as she said, I’ll go grab us some lunch. She left the room to Brianna’s vague nod, and Logan moved, squeezing her shoulder as he asked, Sleep well, Brianna?

She searched his eyes and found the same concern she thought she’d heard in his voice. If anyone would have suspected her, had realized she was keeping secrets, it would have been Logan, wouldn’t it?

She said, I’m sorry, the apology for more than just those secrets, and he slid closer, wrapping an arm around her as he pressed his lips to her forehead. He smelled clean, too familiar, and she breathed it in as his fingers trailed down her back.

Brianna, he said, none of us would be here without you. Don’t apologize. For anything.

No, she whispered. I’m sorry for what’s about to happen. She tilted her head, drawing it from beneath his chin to look again at the amber of his eyes, the glow that was within them before suddenly stronger than she’d ever seen it. I’m sorry for what I’ve set into motion.

Logan’s brow drew down, and the stab in her chest redoubled. She was going to have to tell them. They had thought they were finally free, finally able to find genuine happiness, and she was going to have to tear it away from all of them. Because her powers had been restored, and they were showing something she couldn’t face alone, something that none of them had expected. She knew the four of them didn’t stand much of a chance of fighting this future, but she felt the difference in herself. In their situation.

Because the shadows hadn’t died with the prophecy. They were still out there, trying to shift the fate of the world.

But now, Brianna Drake could see them.

2

SHADOWS

I ’m ready, the dark-haired man said, hands fisted at his sides. He was a complete contradiction to his audience, but he didn’t care. He wanted her. He would take her himself . Let me at her before she has the chance to get any stronger.

Don’t be a fool, the other man said. He waved a hand as he reached for a glass of aged Scotch. You have no idea what she’s capable of.

Two chairs sat at the center of the room, a small table on either side, the fireplace a deceptively serene backdrop in the dim light. The man in the second chair didn’t speak, merely rolled the edge of an empty glass in its place on the table. He didn’t drink. And he didn’t waste his time on the likes of this weak-blooded man currently pleading his case before them.

The dark-haired man straightened, coming to his full height, and said, Then what shall be my next step? He didn’t say our. He knew better than to assume so much. This was their game. He was no more than an underling. A pawn.

But he would do anything to play.

Keep an eye on things for now, the first man answered, still not bringing the glass to his lips. And see what else you can get out of that Samuels boy.

The dark-haired man glanced at the edge of the hand-woven rug inches in front of his feet, then back at his audience. It was a boundary, a line that was not to be crossed. I’ll see what we can do. There’s not much hope of his recovery after the last time.

The other man tilted his head, a small shift that served as a warning, and the dark-haired man dropped into a nod, nearly a bow, and walked from the room.

But he could still feel their presence behind him.

A team of men stood waiting in the vestibule, a uniform of black-clad soldiers awaiting the dark-haired man’s instruction. He held in a sigh. Torturing Brendan and the blonde was the last thing he wanted to do today.

What he wanted was Brianna.

3

AERN

W hat do you mean? Emily asked again. That’s not— She stopped, shaking her head. "Brianna, that’s not possible. There can’t be more of them."

Aern’s weight shifted toward her. He’d known the battle with Morgan was not the end. He’d seen it in Brianna’s eyes, felt it in her apology. They’d set some new chain of events into motion, brought some new fate down upon them all.

How long do we have? he asked.

Brianna shook her head. They’re waiting on something. Her eyes went briefly out of focus and the skin of Aern’s arms tingled. An instant later she was back. I can’t quite find it. But I feel like once I have full control, I’ll be able to see.

He understood without her having to explain in detail. Brianna had broken something free in all of them, given them powers that were long ago taken away, and they were hard to grasp. It was taking time to regain their control, to relearn the motions of it. Like a muscle after years of disuse. After a terrible, crippling accident.

There’s something different about the visions now, Brianna said. Her gaze skimmed the surface of the table. She didn’t want to admit what she was about to say. What she had to say. It’s not like the prophecy, this is something else. And it’s not what’s to come. She locked eyes with Aern. "It’s now."

He sat, suddenly intent on having this conversation at eye level, and braced his elbows on his knees to lean toward her. So you’ve seen these other shadows? He was careful with the word, unsure of what it would mean to them, to Emily.

No, Brianna said. They aren’t clear. There’s something fuzzy—she paused, finding the right term—foggy about them. Blocking them. But I know they’re there. She pulled her lip beneath her tooth, then purposefully freed it. What I’m seeing now, though, I’m not sure what he is.

He? Emily asked, pacing behind Aern’s chair, arms wrapped around herself. It wasn’t a look of fear, it was agitation. Readiness.

There was a man, Brianna answered with a nervous glance at Logan. I hadn’t had a chance to tell anyone, but I didn’t realize … She shook her head, started again, He was there, in the warehouse where Morgan held me.

Logan flinched at the reminder, but Brianna couldn’t see where he stood at her shoulder. Only Aern and Emily saw.

Who? Aern asked.

Brianna shrugged. I’d never seen him before. Dark hair, sharp features, and a strong jaw. Maybe six two. But there was something about him, something that made me want to tear free and fight.

The man’s words echoed through Aern’s mind, a warning they’d not understood at all.

Maybe Morgan isn’t the only one you should be worried about.

Aern’s gaze flicked to Logan, and Brianna glanced up at him over her shoulder. That’s not all. She swallowed hard, eyes coming back to Aern. I saw him again, after I’d repaired some of the connections in me and Emily.

The room went still, Emily and Logan finally understanding. And you saw him as he was, not as a prophecy, Aern said.

Brianna nodded. "I didn’t realize that was what was happening. But he was there, with Morgan, and it was as if he wanted me to see him."

It seemed she did notice Logan then, the absolute stillness of him, not a breath, not even the tightening of his fist, and her eyes pleaded with Aern to follow her conclusion without making her say it. Without explaining to Logan and her sister that someone might have that power over her, might be able to push thoughts into her mind.

Okay, Aern said, then we find him. He reached across the space between them, taking Brianna’s hand in his. It was a promise. They’d let her down before, and he’d not let it happen again. Whatever it takes, Brianna. We’ll do it.

Brianna nodded, her expression hinting that there might have been more, but he wouldn’t push her. Whatever she needed to do, he would have to trust in. Make me a list, Aern said, sliding a notepad across the table toward her. Every single detail you can remember about him, the things he said, the background to your visions. Especially the backgrounds, anything that will help identify where you’ve seen him. He would send a team out. This man had worked for Morgan and not all of those men were recovered.

Emily stood beside him, watching as Brianna took the pen. She wanted to say something, wanted to ask. Brianna knew her sister as well as Aern did; she glanced up at her, waiting.

Bri, Emily said levelly. How many?

They understood from two words the full scope of what she was asking. Brianna and Emily had thought they were alone. After the death of their mother, they’d been convinced they were the last of their kind, even when they’d not known exactly what that had entailed. But mere days ago, they’d discovered that they were something no one had expected, no one would have believed. They’d discovered they were something the Seven Lines—something everyone—had good reason to fear.

And now Brianna was telling her there were more of them.

Shadows.

And here was the more Aern had thought he’d seen in Brianna’s expression. Because she’d known, once she’d found the connections to free herself and Emily, that they had not been still in place from centuries ago. Those bonds, the ones that had kept their powers hidden, were put in place after they’d been born. And the only thing strong enough to do so would have been another shadow.

Brianna’s fingers tightened on the pen, twisting as she answered. I don’t know for certain. But there’s more than one, more than just a few. I think—she swallowed, momentarily reluctant to voice her fears, and the pen came to rest on paper—I think they’re behind all of this, Emily. I think they’re trying to control the outcome of the war.

There was a moment of collective silence, and then Logan, from behind her shoulder, said, What war?

The war, she answered, they’re planning on inciting between us.

Us? Aern asked.

She nodded. The shadows. And the Seven.

She’d said it. She’d marked them as an enemy, separated the us by blood, not by their bonds. But it hurt her. Brianna was on their team.

She had