Page 49 of Shadow of Death

“Hi, Aunt Elara,” I said, matching the softness of her tone. She clearly didn’t want it on blast that she was being friendly toward the enemy. I didn’t have the luxury of alienating anyone.

“I’m glad I found you. How is it going?”

“All right.” I was a lot better than when I’d been sitting in the dungeon, that was for sure.

She smiled as if she were listening, yet her eyes kept darting around. “Come, I want to show you something.”

She waved for me to follow her as she took a couple of steps. At this point in my life, I was having a hard time followinganyoneblindly. Maybe I was being naïve, and her softness was a lure to pull me in? Still, my gut told me she was safe.

She led me down another hallway I hadn’t explored yet, to a small set of stairs that winded upward and continued on. When they finally stopped, she opened a door to the top of the estate.

The wind blew my hair back, the smell of salt filling the air, with the view of the ocean in the distance.

“It’s nice up here, isn’t it?” Aunt Elara said.

“It’s amazing.” For the first time in days, I felt like I could breathe.

“This is where I come sometimes when I need a moment.”

I turned toward her.Need a moment? From who? Varic? Or was I making things up in my mind because I found him so disgusting? I was having a hard time imagining thatanyoneliked him, but I couldn’t afford to jump to conclusions.

“I come here in the mornings sometimes, right before dawn, if you ever need to speak to me.”

“Thank you.” She was still Varic’s aunt.Don’t read into it.Maybe her and Varic were trying to set me up so I’d tell all my secrets. Good luck with that. I hadn’t told the dirty truth to people that I trusted a lot more than them.

“Have you always lived here, at the castle?” I asked, trying to steer us into nice, shallow waters.

She turned and looked out at the sea, her chest visibly rising and falling. “I lived here when I was younger. I left but still lived nearby. After Death Day, it got harder to be alone, even as a shifter. It’s difficult to be here sometimes, but we’re all making compromises.”

Shared woes? Was this more bait? She didn’t feel like a fake.

She turned and gave me a knowing look, filled with old wounds. Still, I wasn’t saying a word of my secrets. I’d trusted the wrong person too many times in my past. No way was I doing that again.

She patted my hand. It always shocked me when people weren’t afraid of touching me.

“I’ve got things to handle, but I’m glad we had a chance to talk,” she said, turning to leave.

“Do you mind if I stay up here for a few minutes?” The idea of going back into the building after being inside for so many days seemed like torture.

“Feel free to come here whenever you want. I find just being able to get away for a few minutes helps me immensely. Not many come up here, so you usually have the place to yourself.”

“Thank you.”

She left, and I turned back to staring at the ocean. I could make out the waves breaking in the distance, hear the sound of the surf and see the birds swooping down. It wasn’t my rock by the river back in Arkansas, but it was a close second. It might’ve taken first place if the inhabitants of the building were more palatable.

I closed my eyes, letting the breeze wash over me as the seagulls called to each other in the distance. I’d almost been able to forget where I was when I sensed the presence of something behind me. It was definitelyother, as there hadn’t been any noise of an approach and that piece of darkness was clawing at me. It wasn’t Death, though. There was a different feel to her presence, a chill. This felt more like a void.

If it wasother, and not Death, who was here? Was it the robed man who’d been appearing, staring at me? Whatever the creature was, if it wanted to hurt me, I’d already be dead.

I could feel it waiting for me to turn around and confront it. I didn’t need another otherworldly creature stalking me, but it didn’t seem avoidable.

I was trying to center myself, preparing for this confrontation, when I felt a brush of fur against my fingers. I looked down to see the glowing eyes of the wolf from my dreamsby my side. Was I losing my mind? It rubbed its muzzle against my side, bolstering my courage as I turned toward the unknown creature.

The robed man stood in front of me, even taller than I’d realized. I had to crane my neck back to look at his hooded head, and not a single feature was visible.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Charon.” His voice was deep, with a strange timbre that sounded a little eerie.