Evernight Publishing

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2012 Naomi Clark

ISBN:

978-1-77130-048-3

Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

Editor: JC Chute

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this
copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or
reproduced electronically or in print without written permission,
except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are
fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or
persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

Dedicated to my family—parents, brothers, grandparents
and all—whom I adore, but fervently hope never read my
sex scenes.

BOUND BY NIGHT

Brides of Darkness, 3

Copyright © 2012

Part One

The great tower of Geistheim Abbey loomed out of the

darkness, a single point of light in the storm-tossed night. Adeline felt
a gasp of hope and urged her tired horse onward. Once she was inside
the abbey, she could claim sanctuary, and her father could no longer
touch her. There would be no wedding, and she would not spend her
future chained to the coldhearted and cruel Baron Falken. She would
take life in the abbey, amongst the silent monks, over that fate.

The lone light shone through a high-arched window. Through

the sweep of rain Adeline thought she saw a dark figure move behind
the light. She was tired though, and the night sometimes played tricks
on her eyes. She decided it must have been her imagination, and
pressed on.

She slid off her horse when the poor beast reached the old

wooden door. The horse hung his head, quivering with the same cold
that afflicted Adeline. She’d had no time to pack sensibly and had
simply pulled on a woolen cloak and taken off running. Her father and
Falken would have had her carted away to Falken’s manor with
nothing more to her name, so she refused to be sentimental about the
possessions she’d left behind. Still, she thought as she hammered at
the weatherworn door, a waterproof cloak would have been nice.

For a long, icy moment, it seemed nobody would answer.

Adeline bit her lip and searched her mind for somewhere else she
could go if Geistheim proved no use. It was the closest religious
house to her family’s own home, though she knew little about it.
People simply didn’t talk about the abbey.

Just as despair began to fill her, the doors swung open.

Adeline stepped into the shadows within, a whisper of fear filling her.

There was no sign of any human to open the door, no sound to prove
life dwelt here. Remembering the fate from which she fled, Adeline
swallowed her fear. Better to face an empty abbey – to have it as a
hiding place – than Falken’s rough hands and cruel words.

Adeline found an oil lamp on a dusty window ledge and

sparked it to life. Shedding her sodden cloak, she wandered the wide
hall of the abbey, calling out to any soul who might hear. Once or
twice she thought she heard a reply, but it was just her own voice
echoing back off the high, cold stone.

It wasn’t until she pushed open the doors to the chapel she

found any sign of life. Candles burned around the austere room,
creating warmth and comfort. Someone had clearly been here
recently, for the prayer book lay open on the altar and, unlike the rest
of the abbey, there was no trace of dust or cobwebs here. Adeline set
her lamp down on the faded red velvet draping the altar, and brushed
her fingers over the prayer book. Perhaps nobody spoke of Geistheim,
she thought, because there was nothing to say.

“What brings such a fair spirit here, on such a wicked night?”
The voice, male and low, made Adeline start. She spun round,

hands pressed to her heart, to confront the speaker. He stood just a
foot or so away, as if he’d materialized from the shadows. He was
hooded and robed, so she couldn’t see his face, but his form was tall
and broad and his voice was beautiful. Sonorous and musical, like a
harp. Something about that voice both warmed Adeline and made her
sharply aware of how she must look. She stood soaked to the skin, her
pale hair plastered to her face and around her shoulders. She was
dressed roughly, having abandoned the fine, luxurious gowns Falken
insisted she wear. Her thin dress clung to her curves and she had a
sudden urge to fold her arms across her breasts, to hide them from the
monk’s eyes.

“I claim sanctuary,” she said, remembering the important

words. “Please.”

“What do you flee, fair one?” he asked. “What threatens you?”
“My father wishes me to marry against my will, to a heartless

man. I would rather live a simple life here than to be his lady. Please,
let me stay.” She would beg if she had to.

She didn’t see him move, but suddenly he was in front of her,

lifting his hand to stroke her hair and caress her cheek. His fingers

were warm and Adeline gasped, closing her eyes. A fire leapt to life
inside her at his unexpected touch.

“You know,” he said, “this has not been a holy place for many

years. The brothers have fled. They say Geistheim is cursed.”

Her heart sank. “Then I cannot stay?”
“You may stay, and I will give you sanctuary. But you should

know it comes at a price.”

She thought of Falken’s empty eyes, and the way he ran his

hands over her body, as if she were a mare to be assessed for
breeding. The way he spoke of her as if she were a thing, just another
trinket for his amusement. She thought of the way her father had
discussed dowries so coldly, as if all Adeline ever meant to him was
how much he could sell her for. “I will pay any price,” she said.

“You are very brave. What is your name?”
“Adeline Strahlend.”
“I am Daghan. Come.” He took her hand and led her from the

chapel. Adeline went unresisting, bewitched by his voice. Could a
man with such a voice ever be a threat? She knew she was naive to
think it, but her heart trusted him.

He guided her up the winding staircase to the upper floor of

the abbey, past rows of empty cells where monks must once have
prayed. An aura of sadness filled the abbey and weighed on Adeline.
“What happened here?” she asked. “Where is everyone?”

Daghan glanced back at her. His face was lost in shadows, but

Adeline sensed his expression was as melancholy as the abbey itself.
“A man with good intentions brought great harm here,” he said. “Now
he seeks to return purity and love to the abbey.”

She was not foolish, and knew he spoke of himself. “How

would he do that?”

“You must ask me no questions yet, Adeline. Please.”
He took her to the final cell, this one showing signs of life.

Heavy, leather-bound books sat in uneven stacks under the window.
There were strange symbols on the covers, and Adeline could not look
at them without feeling a sense of dread. The bed looked as though it
had not been slept in, but there were candles in the wall sconces. The
scent of rosewood filled the small room, the sweet, spicy smell
permeating Adeline’s senses. She felt lighter, suddenly. Warmer. The
storm still raged outside, but the candles and rosewood pushed it
back. Daghan gestured to the bed.

“Sit. I will bring you dry clothes.”
She didn’t ask where these clothes would come from, or why

there would be women’s clothes in the abbey. She simply sat and
watched him glide from the room. She wondered if she would see his
face, if it matched his voice. She wondered what he had done and how
he sought to atone. She wondered what part she played, for surely she
must.

He returned with a bundle of cloth and a towel. “May I help

you?” he asked.

She shouldn't let him. An decent woman wouldn't, even if his

voice did make her weak and wanton. But Adeline knew she wasn't
decent anymore. She'd stopped being decent the moment she fled her
arranged marriage and disgraced her family. There was no way to
retrieve her honor, so why not give into her desire?

Adeline rose silently, offering herself to him. He moved

around her and, standing behind her, slowly peeled her dress away.
Adeline bit her lip, trembling as he trailed his fingers down her skin.
He brushed the ruined dress down her body, skimming over her hips
and down her thighs. His touch was achingly light, making her yearn
for something harder. Her lust surprised her, but she didn’t question it.
He’d said there was a price. He’d said ask no questions. Adeline was
willing to follow his rules.

When her dress hit the floor, she stepped out of it. Daghan

rose back to his feet, caressing his way up her body now. His hands
stroked along her legs, glancing over her breasts. Cool air and warm
skin made her nipples rise and her clit burn. She felt the soft swish of
his robes against her back as he moved, a strangely sensuous feeling.
His hands came to rest on her shoulders, toying idly with her wet hair.
Outside the thunder rolled and the lightning flashed, creating a
tempestuous beat that echoed the pounding of her heart.

“You are the answer to my prayers,” he whispered in her ear.

“You are everything I have hoped for.”

She felt him slide the towel around her body, his movements

drying the raindrops from her skin with such tenderness it was almost
frustrating. The material was coarse, but the roughness delighted her,
sending waves of erotic need coursing through her body. She knew
whatever else happened tonight, she’d been right to come here.
Falken could never have made her feel like this.

“Turn.”

She obeyed Daghan’s command and when she did, she saw

he’d pushed his hood back. She couldn’t restrain her gasp. He was
angelically beautiful: golden-haired and blue eyed. His face was
perfection – except for one thing. A vicious scar branded his left
cheek, a jagged cross that ran from the corner of his eye down to his
lip. She couldn’t help raising her fingers to touch it. Pain filled his
eyes as she did, but she didn’t stop. Adeline traced the lines of the
scar, and felt the smoothness of his skin contrasted by the roughness
of the cross. It didn’t ruin his beauty, she thought, nor did it enhance
it. It was simply part of him, as much as those soft lips and sky-
coloured eyes. It must have hurt though, and her heart bled for his
pain. She wanted to ask how it happened but remembered to bite her
tongue just in time.

“You have so many questions in your eyes,” Daghan said,

sounding amused. He ran his fingers over her cheek as she’d done to
him, smoothing the pad of his thumb over her lips. She parted her
mouth instinctively at his touch, and he slid his thumb inside. Adeline
kissed it, trailing her tongue around it. He tasted of rosewood and
spice. When he pulled his thumb back, she felt at a loss, but then he
trailed his hands down her throat to cup her breasts and she sighed in
relief.

“I was a good man,” he said, drawing delicate circles round

her ready nipples. “A devout man, like all the monks here. I sought
knowledge of our religion and our God, wanting new ways to
understand and communicate with the divine. That was my undoing. I
delved too deeply into the esoteric and occult. I learned too much and
I wanted more. I discovered there was not just a divine realm, but an
infernal one too. I found beings of dark power, found them willing to
offer that power to men, for a price.” His voice turned bitter. “I didn’t
understand the forces I played with. I didn’t think I needed to fear.”

His words sank into Adeline, and she knew she ought to be

afraid. She ought to pull away, run away even. But his voice, that
beautiful rich voice, kept her pinned. And his touch, so worshipful
and full of promise, burned away her fear.

“I made a bargain and corrupted my soul. My brothers fled,

knowing me to be cursed. I have waited here for years, Adeline, for a
chance to undo my mistakes and now, as I am on the verge of giving
up, you come to me.” He gazed at her as though she was a miracle, a
divine gift, and it took her breath away. “My corruption can be

cleansed, if a pure-hearted soul will save me. Would you save me,
Adeline?”

She almost laughed. He had already seduced her. That he

would ask her now seemed ridiculous. She was naked in his arms,
ready and willing to give her body to him. How pure could she really
be? “May I ask one question?”

He smiled and inclined his head.
“What is the nature of your curse?”
“I am shadow. I am darkness. When the sun rises, I am a

wraith. I exist only when night falls.” He stared out the window at the
storm raging in the black night. “I have prayed to feel the sun on my
skin again.”

She kissed him then. She didn’t know if she was pure, or if

their union could lift his curse. She didn’t know if it mattered. They
were here together, two lost souls seeking sanctuary, and she wanted
to offer him all she had to give. So she kissed him deeply, pressing her
bare body to his, feeling the strength of him beneath his robes. He slid
his hands down her back to cup her rear and lift her to her tiptoes,
flexing his hips so his shaft pressed against her. Adeline felt herself
grow hot and slick with desire, and she fumbled to pull his heavy
robes away.

He laughed roughly and stepped away from her to do it

himself. Beneath the discarded robe he wore a simple shirt and
breeches, but before Adeline could reach for them, he gripped her hips
and dropped to his knees. Holding her firm, he kissed his way up her
inner thighs, gentle and slow. He drew patterns on her hips and across
her buttocks with his fingers, lazy trails that sparked a desperate need
in Adeline for something fiercer. She tangled her fingers in his silky
hair, throwing her head back in pleasure as he made his way up to the
juncture of her thighs. He licked and kissed at the sensitive skin there,
shying away from her aching core but teasing, promising wicked
pleasures to come. He traced the curve and crease of her buttocks, one
finger slipping over her delicate rear entrance and making her gasp in
surprise, before he found her clit. He swept his finger over that
pulsing place, increasing the pressure little by little, until Adeline was
sure her legs would give out.

Just as she thought she would have to beg him for more, a

thunderous sound cut through her bliss. Not thunder itself, but a
hammering and a shouting that echoed through the storm and turned

her blood cold. "Falken," she whispered. She stumbled away from
Daghan, sitting down hard on the bed, her heart racing. "He's found
me."

Part Two

It was Falken’s voice she heard, spiraling through the night. It

was unmistakable. Adeline forced herself to stand and go to the
window. Daghan stood behind her, one hand on her shoulder, offering
a small measure of warmth and support.

She stared down into the dark. This room was directly over the

entrance to Geistheim, and she saw horses and men lined up on the
path to the abbey. If she had any doubt that it was Falken who'd come
for her, a burst of lightning lit up the dark just then, glowing on the
tabards of the men and illuminating his family crest: A bird of prey in
flight, on a field of red.

One of the men looked up as the lightning flashed and for a

brief second, his eyes met Adeline's. She stepped back from the
window, knowing it was too late. "He saw me," she said. "Oh,
God…he saw me."

"Adeline." Daghan's voice was strong and firm, and she turned

to him instinctively, seeking the protection of his embrace. "He won't
have you."

He pulled his robe around her and kissed her quickly. "Can

you be brave?" he asked her.

"I'm here, am I not?" she said with a wry smile. "What would

you have me do?"

"Distract him. I promise he won't touch you, Adeline, but you

must buy me a little time." He looked fierce and dangerous now, more
warrior than holy man.

Adeline nodded without hesitation. She'd come this far to

escape Falken's clutches. She would go further still.

Daghan smiled – and vanished.
Adeline gasped, spinning round to search the room. But he

had gone, melted into the shadows. She shuddered, remembering how
he had appeared so suddenly down in the chapel. Great power,
indeed––but not worth the price, if the cost was for her to be forever
alone and chained to darkness.

A great cracking and creaking pounded through the abbey.

Adeline ran from the cell and down the stairs, back to the entrance
hall. She stopped on the bottom step, frozen by the sight before her.
Falken's men had forced open the doors. Rain and wind lashed into

Geistheim, ushering in the man himself and his followers. He stood
just a few feet away, one hand on the pommel of his sword. His harsh
face was dark with rage as his eyes met hers, and despite her
resolution to be brave, Adeline trembled.

"Whore," he said. "How dare you run from me? You were

bought and sold at a fair price – too fair, I think now." He held his
hand out to her. "Come with me now and your punishment will not be
too severe."

"No," Adeline said. Her voice was steady and strong despite

her fear of him, and she felt a moment of pride in herself. "I claimed
sanctuary here. You cannot force me to go."

"Sanctuary?" He laughed. "This place is abandoned and

accursed. There is nobody here to offer you sanctuary." He took a step
towards her. She resisted the urge to step back. No distance between
them could ever be great enough. "I expect obedience from my wife,
Adeline. I don't wish to beat this defiance from you, but I will if need
be."

"You will never lay a hand on me." She pulled Daghan's robe

tighter around her, inhaling his rosewood scent and drawing strength
from it.

"We'll see, shall we?" Falken stormed toward her and reached

out to grab the robe, pulling her off her feet. Adeline cried out as she
fell, tripping down the steps to land at his feet. The robe flew open,
revealing her nudity. Falken's eyes glowed. "Whore," he said again,
grabbing her by the hair. "You think to ruin yourself and escape me
that way? It won't work. Your purity means nothing to me."

She twisted in his grip and pulled herself free. Tears stung her

eyes as pain stole through her, but she held them back. She would not
cry for him. "You won't have me."

"I already do." He loomed over her, ready to grab her again.
A shout behind them made him spin, and Adeline saw one of

his men disappear into shadow. It was as if the night swallowed him –
one moment he was there, the next vanished. And then a second man
disappeared, with barely enough time to cry out as shadows devoured
him. The remaining men didn't wait to be taken. They ran from
Geistheim, back into the storm. Adeline didn't blame them. Raw terror
flowed through her as she thought of Daghan's story. Infernal
creatures and dangerous bargains. This, then, was what Daghan had
corrupted his soul for.

"Stop!" Falken called. "Cowards. How dare you––"
He was cut short as Daghan materialized before him like a

phantom, darkly angelic and enthrallingly dangerous. She watched as
he stalked towards Falken. Shadows gathered behind him as he
moved, filling Geistheim with crackling power that stole Adeline's
breath. She pushed herself to her feet and ran from Falken, taking
shelter in the corner of the hall.

"Sorcerer." Falken drew his sword. "I am not as easily cowed

as my men."

"It doesn't matter how brave you are," Daghan said. "You

cannot fight me."

"She is mine, the demon whore," Falken said, slipping into a

fighting stance. "I paid for her and I will have her."

"No." Daghan was implacable, as unmoving as the abbey

itself. "I promised her you wouldn't have her."

"And how will you stop me taking her?" Falken struck,

swiping his sword at Daghan.

Adeline screamed out a warning but Daghan never moved.

Shadow swarmed over the blade, melting it away, then it ran up
Falken's arm, swallowing him up as it had his men. Falken screamed
now, trying to escape the encroaching darkness. But there was
nowhere for him to run. The shadow devoured him, leaving nothing in
its wake but fresh shadows.

Adeline covered her mouth, shocked and shaking. She stared

at Daghan. His expression was melancholy, regretful. When his eyes
met hers, pain flashed across his face.

"You are afraid now," he said. "I don't think you were before."
She couldn't answer. She gazed at the place Falken had stood,

trying to comprehend what Daghan had done. "Is he dead?" she
asked.

"I don't know what happens to them," he said. "I've never

dared try to find out."

Adeline rose, clutching the robe tightly around her. The abbey

was cold now, not just from the storm battering at the walls. There
was a chill in the air she felt sure came from Daghan himself, and
what he'd done.

And yet, he'd saved her. Falken would surely have killed him

and dragged her home if Daghan had not acted. Hadn't Adeline herself
come here begging for protection? She walked towards him, studying

him carefully. His beautiful face was somehow even more beautiful
now, laden with sorrow, like a mourning angel in a stained glass
window. She wondered how joy would suit him.

"Thank you," she said when she reached him. "You saved me."
He frowned. "Are you not afraid? Do you understand now

what I am––how corrupt I am?"

"You are a man who made a mistake once," she said. "Maybe

you were naive, or arrogant, or just foolish. I don't know. I do know I
came here tonight seeking shelter and help, and you have given me
both. So thank you."

He cupped her face in his hands, a desperation filling his eyes.

"I would not force you to stay now, Adeline. I would not have you
come to me out of a sense of obligation."

She'd been prepared to give herself to him in exchange for

sanctuary, she thought. She was still prepared to give herself to him
now. Perhaps she was the whore Falken claimed. But it wasn't
obligation that moved her. He'd captured her with his voice in the
chapel and with his touch in the cell. His reasons for needing her
didn't seem as important as her own desire. She wanted him, her body
was on fire for him, and she would have him.

She covered his hands with her own and slid them down her

throat, dragging his palms over her breasts and holding them there.
She leaned in, pressing her lips lightly to his. "Are you casting me
out, Daghan?" she whispered.

He slid his hands to her hips, pulling her tight against him.

"No. Never." He kissed her urgently, with none of the lazy skill he'd
shown earlier He was afraid, she realised as she responded. Afraid,
that she was afraid.

"Then take me."

Part Three

His cell seemed too far away, with lust and passion firing

through her and his own sudden desperation moving him. He lifted
her and took her to the chapel, laying her out on the faded velvet like
an offering. Adeline slipped out of his robe, baring herself to him once
more. Daghan stood over her, trailing his fingertips up and down her
body, smiling when she gasped or sighed or squealed as he touched,
teased, and tormented. She was past ready for him when he slid first
one, then a second finger inside her. His thumb grazed her sensitive
rear passage, sending tremours through her as his fingers worked
magic on her clit.

With his free hand he pinched her nipple to readiness,

sweeping his tongue over the peak before biting down. Gently first,
then harder, then gently again, leaving Adeline rising and falling,
pushing her closer and closer to breaking point.

****
She raised herself to grab at him, determined to bring him into

her arms, into herself. Daghan laughed and ducked away, catching her
hips and pulling her to the edge of the altar. Her legs hung over the
stone side and when Daghan knelt there, he was perfectly placed to
explore her inner core with tongue as well as fingers.

The sensation was maddening, breathtaking. Adeline closed

her eyes and let it carry her, relishing every lick, caress, and stroke.
He trailed slow circles round her clit with his tongue before gliding
his finger over the burning bundle of nerves, so Adeline whimpered
and moaned, straining to press herself closer to him, to soak him up
completely.

"Adeline." He rose to run his hands up her body, cupping her

breasts. "I don't deserve you."

"You can't possibly stop now," she said, grabbing his hands

and twining her fingers in his. "Please, Daghan."

Her plea seemed to undo him, for he pushed hard against her,

his thick shaft pressing delightfully against her clit, sending
unbearable rushes of lust through her. "Do you give yourself freely?"
he asked. "Do you give because you want to?"

"I want you," she cried. She flexed her hips, increasing the

pressure between them. Daghan groaned and closed his eyes,

plunging into her with a smooth, strong movement. Adeline felt a
flash of pain that quickly melted into spine-tingling pleasure as he
drew out and then filled her again.

Silence fell over them. The only sounds in the chapel were

Adeline and Daghan's breathing and the soft slap of skin on skin as
Daghan pushed in and pulled out of her. His strokes were slow and
careful, as if he were afraid she'd shatter, and Adeline wanted, needed,
more.

She locked her arms round his neck, pulling him down for a

kiss. It started tender but she poured her desire into the kiss until they
were both frantic and on fire. He broke away, his eyes glazed with
lust, lips parted, breathing fast. He was on the edge, she thought, on
the verge of letting go. But still he held back. She reached up to brush
her lips over his again, catching his lower lip between her teeth and
tugging a little.

“You don’t need to be gentle with me,” she whispered. “I

won’t break.”

With a growl, he slung her legs up and over his shoulders,

leaning over her and thrusting hard and fast inside her. Adeline closed
her eyes, overwhelmed by the rush of sensation within and around
her. Every stroke of his shaft sent fresh pleasure through her, building
to an almost unbearable pitch. The softness of the velvet beneath her,
the cool night air swirling around them, the heat of his skin…She was
overwhelmed, and overcome.

She wanted to touch him, run her hands down his powerful

chest, but their position made any touch far too fleeting. So she
touched herself instead, kneading and stroking her breasts, delighting
in the moans and growls it pulled from Daghan. His movements grew
more frantic, and Adeline knew they were both at that edge now,
ready to fall. She moved her legs to lock them round his waist,
pushing herself up to meet every thrust. And just when she was ready,
not to fall, but to throw herself into ecstasy –– he stopped.

“No!” She reached for him, terrified he was going to leave her

hanging, that he’d changed his mind.

Daghan laughed darkly, smoothing her hair back from her

face. “Let me savour this moment, Adeline.” He stared down at her, a
light shining in his eyes that had been missing until now.

She couldn’t match his patience. She moved her hips in slow

circles, grinding against him until he swore in frustration.

“Temptress.” He pinned her hands over her head and pushed

into her. Adeline laughed now. She didn’t feel pure in that moment.
She felt wanton and wild, and it was impossible to believe she could
be his salvation.

Her release came swiftly then and she had a sense of leaving

her body, of melting and burning at the same time. She writhed and
shook, crying his name. Once more, her words seemed to break
something in Daghan, for his own release soon followed. His shout of
triumph echoed round the chapel. He slumped down on her, breath
hot on her cheek, murmuring her name. Adeline clung to him,
unwilling to release him until her own climax finished. Tremors of
pleasure still coursed through her, and every twitch of his muscles or
throb of his shaft created a fresh pulse.

“This isn’t how I expected this night to be,” she said.
He laughed. “Nor I. But I am grateful.”
She bit her lip, worried that he still thought she’d slept with

him out of obligation. “This was not a duty for me, Daghan. I wanted
this. I wanted you.”

He raised his head enough to kiss her. “Good,” he said.

“Though I marvel at your generosity. You aren’t the first woman to
come here seeking shelter or sanctuary, but you are the first to offer to
help me. Even if my curse is not broken, I won’t forget this.”

She had no reply, so she stayed silent. Daghan kissed her again

and eased off her. He draped his robe around her and walked to the
chapel window. Rain still lashed at the stained glass, and a flash of
lightning illuminated him, glowing too briefly off his naked frame.
Adeline went to join him.

“It will be dawn soon,” she said. She left unspoken that then

they would know if his curse was broken. She desperately hoped it
would be, for this was no life here. Isolated, chained to shadows – it
could drive a man mad. At least she’d been able to escape her
unhappy fate.

He settled himself behind her, arms wrapped around her, his

head resting on hers. “Then our time together grows short.”

He didn’t think the curse was broken, Adeline realized. He

was resigning himself to fading with the rising sun. She turned in his
arms to kiss him, wishing she had something to say or do that would
give him hope. But all she had was herself.

Perhaps that would be enough.

***
They sat together on the chapel altar as the first rays of sun

slid through the stained glass window. The storm had finally eased
and Adeline could only hope it was a sign. She clung to his hand,
afraid to let him go in case he vanished without her touch to anchor
him.

Daghan himself barely breathed. His gaze was fixed on the

window, watching the slow move of sunlight pushing at the shadows
in the chapel. She could feel him trembling. She wondered how it
would happen, if it did. Would he simply disappear? Or was it a slow
fading, like smoke vanishing from a room? She wasn’t sure she could
bear to see it.

“If I fade away,” he said suddenly, “will you still be here at

sunset?”

Adeline squeezed his fingers. “Yes,” she said. It was an easy

promise to make. Even if she’d had somewhere else to go, she
couldn’t leave Daghan to his fate. They were two lost souls and
they’d found each other. For her, it was as simple as that. Whether he
faded or not, she would still be in Geistheim come nightfall.

He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her fiercely as the

sun rose, bathing the chapel in rosy golden light. And he didn’t fade
away.

The End

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Shadow Cursed

The Wolf Witch

Evernight Publishing

www.evernightpublishing.com