by Meg Anne
Effie tried to move, but she was caught fast. Her eyes wide with terror as she struggled to breathe.
One of the tendrils took the shape of a hand, its blackened fingers caressing her cheeks before grasping her and squeezing hard. It was forcing her mouth open.
She fought as best she could but she was defenseless against the strength of its grasp.
More of the smoky tendrils converged before her, turning first into a ball of swirling darkness, and then into the shape of a man. There were no distinguishing features, but there was no missing the sinister smile, or the glide of a tongue across its mouth.
Without warning, it sealed its ice-cold lips over hers and pumped her full of the darkness contained within.
Effie’s body spasmed at the invasion, unable to breathe as she was filled with tendril after tendril of corruption.
She was screaming, begging for it to stop, but the voice grew fainter until it was no more than a ragged whisper as the relentless invasion continued.
When the creature made of nightmares finally finished, the horrible reality became clear.
There was not just one walking nightmare, but two.
She was one of them.
Effie heaved, her body trying to purge her of the darkness that still felt like it was slithering inside of her. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she pushed herself up, gasping for breath, her body ice cold.
Ronan’s arms were banded around her as he helped her into a seated position. He knew better than to ask if she was alright.
Reyna’s hand was pressed against her ankle, one more anchor to this reality. She let the heat of their touch warm her, even though she still shook with the imagined cold.
“What did you See?” Ronan asked, speaking near her ear.
Effie shook her head, not ready to give voice to the vision.
“Journal,” she mumbled, wanting to write it down instead of saying it out loud.
“Daughter.” Smoke folded to his knees beside her, the move so graceful it could have been slow-motion.
She flinched when he lifted his hand.
“Let me help you.”
After a tense silence, she jerked her head in a nod. Gently, he rested his hand against her head. This time, Effie felt nothing but blissful emptiness as he replayed her vision.
She barely breathed as she waited for his reaction.
The Keeper jolted as if struck by lightning, falling back as her vision ended.
The Mirrors raced forward, hands outstretched to lift their brother off the ground.
Ronan and Reyna exchanged a worried glance over her head.
The Triumvirate never showed a reaction or acted with any kind of haste. Something was terribly, terribly wrong.
Effie licked her cracked lips, her racing heart feeling like it was about to fly out of her chest.
“What . . . what does it mean?” she finally asked when the silence became unbearable.
The Triumvirate were silent, as if they were too shocked to speak. Finally, Smoke’s voice filled her mind.
“It was the first marker. Darkness rises.”
Reyna’s sharp inhale told Effie he hadn’t spoken to her alone.
Holding out a hand to help her stand, the Triumvirate spoke as one.
“The Shadow Years are upon us.”
From his hiding place in the hallway, Kieran turned away from the Triumvirate and their guests to slide back into the relative safety of the dark. Smoldering anger and small flickers of guilt wormed their way through him. He silenced the guilt and focused instead on the anger, letting it fuel him.
Effie had betrayed him.
It had taken only one look at the haunted eyes of the Guardian when she’d stepped foot into the dining hall to realize what had happened; why she’d fled from him.
Rage unlike anything he’d ever felt took over, and the need to mark her as his became his driving need.
He knew he’d hurt her when he implied she’d spent the night in his arms. If things had gone the way they were supposed to, she would have. And she wouldn’t have felt any embarrassment about the fact, either.
She should have been overjoyed at the thought, but instead of joy, she’d felt guilt and she’d run. Because of him.
Kieran let out a low snarl at the thought of the Guardian trying to claim what was his.
Effie would forgive his harsh words.
She was his. The girl from his dreams.
The one he’d left everything behind to find.
He would not lose her now.
He just needed to prove that he was her future. The only one that mattered.
With a soft whistle, Kieran peeled himself away from the wall and made his way to the unmarked door.
Pushing it open, he wandered into the Hall of Prophecy, letting the door close behind him with a soft click.
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Acknowledgments
I have a small army to thank after getting through this one. Firstly, to my readers, I really hope you enjoyed the first glimpse into Effie’s journey. There’s been something special about this character since she appeared in Reign and I knew she needed her own series. Thank you for all of the messages and emails letting me know your thoughts. I appreciate all of you so, so much.
To my husband, thank you for being my alpha reader, for letting me run into your office to shout random plot points at you like you are having the same internal debates I am, and for always being there with a hug or an emergency unicorn when things get messy. I love you.
Mom and Dad, thank you for being my de facto storage facility while I am out of the country. You make it easy to chase my dream, and I am so lucky to have you.
To my sprint gals (gang? Did we ever pick out a crew name?) Melissa, Heather, Chanda quite simply this book wouldn’t exist without you. You make work feel like hanging out with some of my best friends. I appreciate all of the advice and encouragement. And quite frankly, I’d probably go two or three days without putting on a clean shirt if I knew you wouldn’t notice on our Skype chats. Kel, Raye, Jess you are more than friends you are heroes. Thank you for putting me back together when I felt like I was coming apart. Analisa, Dom thank you for helping make my book shine. I am so blessed to have found you. I swear you both have halos.
And lastly the best little spoon in the world, Henry, and my future Instagram star, Karma. You two will never read this, but your unconditional love make my heart melt. Thank you for keeping me company while I write all the words. Our snuggle breaks are one of the best parts of my day.
About the Author
Meg Anne has always had stories running on a loop in her head. They started off as daydreams about how the evil queen (aka Mom) had her slaving away doing chores; and more recently shifted into creating backgrounds about the people stuck beside her during rush hour. The stories have always been there; they were just waiting for her to tell them.
Like any true SoCal native, Meg enjoys staying inside curled up with a good book and her cat Henry... or maybe that's just her. You can convince Meg to buy just about anything if it's covered in glitter or rhinestones, or make her laugh by sharing your favorite bad joke. She also accepts bribes in the form of baked goods and Mexican food.
Meg loves to write about sassy heroines and the men that love them. She is best known for her adult fantasy romance series The Chosen, w
hich can be found on Amazon.
Also By Meg Anne
THE CHOSEN UNIVERSE
The Chosen
Mother of Shadows
Reign of Ash
Crown of Embers
Queen of Light
The Keepers
The Keeper’s Legacy
The Keeper’s Retribution (Coming 2019)
The Keeper’s Vow (Coming 2019)
OTHER WORKS
Cursed Hearts
Co-written with Jessica Wayne
Star-Crossed
Amria
Supernova
Anthologies
25 Days of Christmas
Tales of Vixen Falls
Of Thrones and Crowns
The Monster Ball Year 2 (Coming 2019)
