Darkness: Freya Snow, #15

By L.C. Mawson

Freya thought her fight was over.

She was wrong.

After finally defeating Lord Uther, Freya fell into a holding pattern. With her husband and daughter gone, there was nothing for her to do except wait for change.

But when her girlfriend lights a rescue beacon, it becomes apparent that all is not as quiet as Freya thought.

And saving those she cares about might mean facing the darkness that has always plagued her...

DARKNESS is the fifteenth and final book in the Freya Snow urban fantasy series, which starts out as YA and follows Freya's magical adventures through to university and into adulthood. If you like kick-ass, sarcastic heroines, immersive magical worlds beneath our own, and love that crosses the lines of magical feuds, then you'll be instantly hooked on L.C. Mawson's fast-paced urban fantasy series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: L.C. Mawson
• Release date: Mar 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393254768

Book preview

Chapter One

The wolf huffed as a plate of food appeared by her bedside.

Not food for the wolf, food for the girl.

She buried herself deeper into the blankets around her, willing herself to fall back to sleep, but her empty stomach wouldn’t let her.

Saying that she would rather starve than turn back was always a compelling thought in the moment, but she always, eventually, relented.

Fur retracted back into her skin as her bones warped, returning her form to that of a woman.

And her mind, as well.

She cringed as the now-familiar blanket of grief and guilt enveloped her.

It was unbearable.

The palace cook had filled her plate with curry, the one thing Freya had been able to keep down for months.

She had no idea why, but at least it was something.

Freya was still sure that she would prefer raw meat that the wolf could stomach, but she knew that she couldn’t ask for that.

She hadn’t even asked for this.

It had presumably been the result of the palace staff realising that she didn’t eat anything else they sent her.

Guilt gnawed further at her at that thought.

She would prefer it if they just ignored her, but she supposed that there was no way they ever would.

She was the one who paid their wages, after all. If she starved...

Well, Damon would still be there. And Katherine.

Maybe if Freya starved, they would finally be able to return home.

Her door opened, and Freya grabbed her blanket to pull it around herself before glaring at the intruder.

I’m not dressed, she growled at Rodrick, the wolf still in her throat.

He, infuriatingly, didn’t seem to react at all. You’re never dressed. But I needed to see you while you were in humanoid form. I do not know if the wolf can understand me, but she never turns back when I request it, she just goes to sleep.

The wolf did understand him, she just didn’t care.

Unfortunately, Freya did care.

You’re holding court tonight, Rodrick informed her.

I didn’t ask you to arrange that.

No, but it has been too long. And as you were indisposed, I asked Prince Damon. He agreed that I should go ahead.

Flames flared across Freya’s skin. I thought I told you not to bother Prince Damon while he’s away from the Palace.

My Queen, you have been indisposed for weeks. While Lord Uther’s death, and the birth of Princess Katherine, means that things are now quiet, there are still some matters which cannot be ignored. If you will not deal with them, Prince Damon will have to.

What matters could possibly be so important? The nobles are just bitching like always.

And like always, they need their Queen to help them see sense. Otherwise squabbles will turn into something rather more dangerous. You did just avert a civil war, My Queen. It would be prudent not to let another fester while you’re distracted.

Fine, Freya said as she steeled herself as she wrapped her blanket around her, forcing herself out of her bed and towards the bathroom.

She probably needed a shower. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had one.

Wolves didn’t need them.

Prince Damon will arrive here in an hour, Rodrick said before leaving the room.

Without him to scold her, Freya’s bed seemed to draw her in once more.

But no, she was on her feet now.

She just had to make it to the shower.

With each step, she was sure that the next would take the last of her strength.

But she kept going.

Not because she found a reserve of strength.

No, she simply went numb, her momentum carrying her forward and nothing more.

Once in the shower, the water turned on of its own accord.

Thank the Creator for magic, was all Freya managed to think as the warm water streamed through her matted hair.

She had no idea how long she’d stood there when she finally found the strength to grab the shampoo.

She’d almost doubted it was possible when she first entered the shower, but she supposed that drawing from the elements helped.

And she’d always had the most affinity for water.

Eventually, she managed to wash both her hair and her body, feeling better for finally being clean.

Better enough to face the nobles.

It wouldn’t last. It never did.

But it would be enough for now.

ONCE FREYA WAS DRESSED, she headed to the main hall, finding Damon waiting for her, little Katherine in his arms.

Though ‘little’ didn’t mean what it used to.

She was still small but growing fast.

Freya’s heart panged as she realised that she wasn’t even sure how long it had been since she’d last seen her.

Was it just weeks, or had it been months?

It didn’t matter. Damon had made it clear that she was staying with him, and he wasn’t returning to the Underworld.

And Freya couldn’t blame him. After everything she’d done... He was right to not want to return, and Freya could barely take care of herself at the minute, never mind Katherine.

Damon fixed her with an icy glare, as he always did.

He would play nice around the other nobles, but she was pretty sure that that just meant that he felt the need to be extra cold with her in private.

Just so that she didn’t forget that it was all an act.

So that she didn’t dare to think for even a moment that she hadn’t lost him.

But she had.

She knew that better than anything.

My Queen, Damon said, his voice made of ice.

Frost threatened to cover Freya’s skin, only held at bay by the way Kath was smiling up at her.

She had no idea of what was happening, or the mistakes Freya had made.

That would change soon, Freya knew, but for now, she would take what she could get.

Chapter Two

Damon left the Palace as soon as was polite, using Katherine’s exhaustion as an excuse.

As far as the nobles were concerned, he was simply going to his and Freya’s chambers, but Freya knew that he was heading to the portals, and back to Earth.

None of them knew that Damon didn’t still live at the palace, and it was better that it stayed that way.

As Rodrick had said, she’d given up everything to stop a civil war, and that would all have been in vain if she allowed another to spring up now because people thought her weak.

As soon as the nobles had left, Freya headed back to her room, transforming into a wolf before curling back up into her bed, and finding that the palace staff had used her holding court as an opportunity to finally clean her sheets.

She huffed at the intrusive smell of flowers permeating the fabric, but she had to admit that the smell she had left behind had probably been worse.

And leaving the room for a while would have probably meant that she would actually be able to smell it.

Thankfully, the wolf felt no shame, and so fell right to sleep, even if she knew that the girl would be overcome with guilt at the realisation.

Guilt that wouldn’t change anything.

No, it would just drain her further, making it even less likely that she would start taking care of herself.

FREYA DID TRANSFORM back into a woman the next morning, if reluctantly, to eat her breakfast.

She looked over to her chest of drawers as she ate.

She should probably get dressed.

But then, there was nowhere for her to be. At least, not until later, when she had agreed to meet Jean.

And she’d been talking to the nobles the night before. That was draining for her, so she was allowed some time to herself.

She’d spent so long running after Uther, she’d struggled to find time for anything she wanted to do.

She curled up further into her duvet and pulled out her phone, loading up YouTube videos as she drifted in and out of sleep for the rest of the day.

At least, until she had to