by Emma Harley
Copyright © Emma Harley, 2020
Instagram: @emma_harley_xx
Facebook: Emma Harley
Twitter: @i_am_le_batman
Cover Illustration by Starla Huchton
www.designedbystarla.com
Instagram: @designedbystarla
Facebook: Designed By Starla
Twitter: @starlahutchon
ISBN: 9798692052759
Independently Published through KDP
All rights reserved.
Books in this series
The Shadowborne Legacy
Heir of Shadows
For Corey, Talia and Killian
Chapter 1
Bus journeys can only be described as the epitome of hell. The wafting fumes of stale sweat and old cigarettes had festered in the midsummer heat, stuffing itself up the nostrils of the dreary-faced passengers staring out the window with soulless eyes. One of the rear tyres was under-inflated, making the journey even more insufferable than usual as the passengers were lopping from side to side. Thankfully there were few enough people that no one had to sit beside each other.
Raina was eternally thankful that the greasy-haired man well into his seventies had gotten off less than an hour into the bus ride. Why he had decided to sit beside her when there were more than twenty empty seats available, was baffling. The odour of unwashed, damp clothes had lingered long after he left, leading her to swiftly uproot and find another seat. Preferably before she vomited into the blue-tinted hair of the elderly woman in the seat in front of her.
She cast a frown at the battered wristwatch, not for the dents and scratches that peppered the glass, but the minutes that ticked past her expected arrival. The dim light of the setting sun made her squint. Huffing heavily, she realised she was supposed to arrive at her destination twenty five minutes ago, and judging by the few road signs she was able to see through the grimy, bug-splattered window panes, there was at least ten minutes before the bus finally arrived at the station. Raina stuffed her earphones into her jeans pocket and slid a bookmark into her novel. It was a brand new book, and she was not enough of a heathen to fold down the corner.
As the grey, high-rise buildings began replacing the rows of housing estates and playing parks, Raina strained to look out the window at the unfamiliar city sights approaching. She would have pressed up closer to the glass, but the splattered flies, mildew and general grime put her off sticking her face too close. Rolling her eyes at the inconvenient tardiness of the ancient bus, she pulled out her phone. Three texts sat waiting, one from her ex-boyfriend asking her to give back his belongings, one from her friend Luke pleading that she be safe and to make sure she called him every now and then, and one from her aunt Thea, asking for her new address so she could ship the last of her belongings. Firing off short texts to Luke and her aunt, she ignored the text from her ex. Raina wasn’t in the mood for the ensuing argument once she told him that his belongings had been incinerated in a stranger’s bin whilst she was heavily intoxicated.
The prehistoric bus pulled into a large, red-brick depot, still bustling with travellers despite the late hour. Raina stood and stretched out, knuckles and spine popping in a satisfying stream of clicks. She swung her bag over her shoulder and swiftly got off the bus, eager to breathe air that wasn’t permeated with sweat and dampness.
The cool air kissed at her tired eyes and face in a welcome embrace. The plaid shirt she wore was slightly damp with the stifling humidity. She popped open her top buttons, allowing the cool breeze at her chest and sending a grateful shiver of goose bumps down her arms. The side trunk of the bus hissed open and she hauled a large suitcase to the ground with a heavy clunk before making her way into the brightly lit building.
Raina followed the signs to the bathroom, keen to quickly change out of her stale clothes and refresh herself before getting a taxi. She pulled on a low-cut maroon shirt and spritzed her neck and wrists with perfume. Glancing at her reflection over the sink she groaned. Her eyeliner had smudged into shadows and her makeup had gone patchy. She applied a quick fix, a lick of lip gloss, a layer of foundation and mascara. She ran a brush through her dark brown hair and decided to leave it down, only because she couldn’t find a hair tie in her bag.
Eager to get to a taxi, she dragged her heavy suitcase through the bus station and into the brisk evening air. Spotting a bench along the street with a taxi company sign attached to a lamppost, she made for it to sit down again. She had been on the damned bus for so long her buttocks were still numb and she could have sworn her legs were atrophying. It was also possible that she was just being dramatic. She pulled out her phone to double check the address of her new home. Slash workplace. Not only would she be working as a tutor for a family, she was also given the opportunity to board with them while she started college in September. Despite only being twenty-six years old, she had somehow beaten more qualified, experienced tutors for the job, one she applied for in no small part due to the handsome salary that came with it.
Swiping through her cluttered email inbox, she reread the email she had received from a Mr Kalen Blanchard two weeks ago, giving her a new job, a new home and a new lease of life. Not that her old one was horrible, she had an amazing group of friends and she had lived with her aunt Thea for a few years, a soft hearted, gentle soul who had pushed her forward and brought her out of a downward spiral that threatened to ruin her life. She adored her aunt, and her brood of cousins too. But she was always going to be the girl with the dead mom, and that was an image she wanted to depart from very quickly.
The air was steadily dropping in temperature, yet not a single taxi had pulled up at the rank, and her phone battery had drained into the red thanks to her attempting to avoid a conversation with the greasy passenger on the hell bus. She pulled her jacket out of her holdall and zipped it up, grabbing her luggage and heading back to the bus station to find a payphone.
Her eyes were blinded in an attempt to adjust to the heavy fluorescent lights overhead. Suddenly a tap on her shoulder made her jump. A smiling man with greying hair stood holding a placard with “Raina” printed in block letters.
“You wouldn’t happen to be Miss Phoenix would you?” he asked gently, an apologetic tone lacing his voice.
“Oh, uh yes I am,” she stuttered, “I’m sorry do I know you?” He let out a puff of relief and grinned broadly at her.
“My apologies Miss, I’m Darius, I was sent here by Mr Blanchard to pick you up. I must have arrived too early and I had to dash off to the shop before it closed, I’m so sorry I missed your arrival,” he babbled, clearly upset at himself. Raina gave him a reassuring smile.
“Oh that wasn’t your fault at all my bus journey was considerably longer than expected, I was the one who was late,” she explained “but Mr Blanchard didn’t mention he would be sending a driver, I was sitting outside waiting on a taxi.” Darius’s face clouded with confusion.
“I’m so sorry, he told me he had informed you already. I can understand you may not want to get into a car if you’re unsure, would you like to call him and straighten things out?” he offered. Raina smiled at him.
“You have a placard with my name on it already, I doubt you’re a kidnapper,” she chuckled, adjusting the strap of her holdall from digging into her shoulder. He gestured for her to follow him outside, holding the door open for her. Wholesome and chivalrous, she thought, trundling her suitcase over the bumpy brick pavement outside. Darius grinned and lifted her holdall off her shoulder to her relief, and guided her towards a sleek black limousine. He opened the passenger door and gave a tiny bow.
“Your carriage m’lady,” he joked.
Raina
raised an eyebrow in amusement.
“A limo? Was that really necessary to collect a college student?” she laughed. Darius smiled and lifted her suitcase into the trunk with a grunt.
“I think you’ll find that Mr Blanchard and his brothers enjoy showing off their excessive wealth. Although in my opinion they’re not the typical spoilt sons you would expect them to be, they aren’t stuck up,” he said, sliding into the driver seat.
“Help yourself to drinks and snack from the mini fridge,” he added brightly, “you must be thirsty after such a long journey.” He flicked a switch and a tiny, glass-fronted refrigerator lit up. Abruptly aware of how desperately dehydrated she was, Raina grabbed a bottle of icy water and gulped it down without a breath. She gasped for air as Darius chuckled. Wiping a dribble off her chin, she peeked out the windows at the lights blurring as we drove past.
“So what are the Blanchard’s like?” she asked curiously, leaning back into the cream leather seats as a swirl of chilled air breezed against her cheeks. Darius shifted slightly in his seat and hesitated.
“Well I have never met their parents; they’re always travelling for work and leave the family business to the oldest son to run. Parents are divorced, and from what I picked up working at the manor, it was a bitter one. I would advise not to ask questions about it. Three of the sons live here full time; the youngest goes to the college nearby. There’s a sister too, I’ve never seen her though. They’re lovely people, pay their staff well, good job benefits, the older boy is the stand in for the parents, he’s the one you have been speaking with. The middle two boys help out with the businesses sometimes but they prefer to enjoy their social lives,” he explained. Raina waited to hear more but Darius stayed silent, he seemed to be done talking about the family. Estranged siblings, bitterly divorced parents... It looked like the family had a lot of drama, and Darius didn’t seem like the type to gossip.
Raina took to staring out the window as the number of houses and streetlights began to dwindle. More and more dusk covered fields came into view, like rolling sheets of pure blackness stretched into the horizon. She helped herself to a packet of salted peanuts and another bottle of water as Darius drove us deeper into the darkened countryside. After a long stretch of silence she spoke up.
“I thought the Blanchard’s lived in the city, I didn’t think their house was so far away,” she said quizzically, squinting out the window in an attempt to discern the blurry shadows flying past. “They live quite a drive from the city, a few hours out,” he announced “the city is the closest you can get on public transport except for a bus that runs a few times a day into the town. Unfortunately it stops early in the evening.” She sat back in her seat, nibbling the peanuts and gazing out the front window. The car slowed as they approached a brightly lit street.
The sprawling fields had gave way and a small town began to clutter the view. The town was small, but it had a quaint presence. The houses varied between endearing little bungalows and small flats above shops to large 3 storey townhouses and detached homes with pristine lawns and glass conservatories. The further they drove, the houses began to grow bigger in size and appear less often, every so often they would pass one larger than the last, breaking up the landscape.
After several minutes of nothing but trees and open grassland, the sound of crunching gravel grabbed Raina’s attention. In the distance, glinting off the headlights stood a heavy metal gate, hidden among a row of ancient oak trees that blocked out the sky. Large floodlights lit up the area as he pulled up to the gate and called a jumble of numbers and letters into a microphone at the side. The gates swung open with a creaking greeting and he drove through. Raina’s jaw dropped at the sight that hailed her.
A beaded string of perfectly rounded bushes lined a striped lawn, precisely mirrored on opposite sides of a gravelled driveway. A glistening marble water fountain depicting a trio of dancing nymphs was proudly displayed in the centre of a flowerbed set in geometric rings of gentle lilac pansies, bright yellow marigolds and creamy white roses. The majesty of the garden however, paled in comparison to the building behind it. Raina had been expecting something fancy; after all they had recruited her as a private tutor in their manor. But “manor” was putting it lightly. This place could easily pass as a palace for royalty.
White marble pillars supported a lengthy balcony, decorated with drooping greenery sprinkled with delicate milky flowers. A terrace bordered the front of the palace, lit gently by the smothered warm glow of the lights from inside. Darius glimpsed her dumbstruck face in the rear view mirror and let out an emphatic laugh.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it,” he chuckled, as the car pulled up in front of large ornate doors. She placed a little bet in her head that the doors definitely had lion-head knockers. It just had to meet the stereotypical view she had of big mansions. Darius got out and opened the passenger door, bowing slightly in mock reverence.
“Your new castle, m'lady,” he said with a sweet smile. Raina grinned broadly at him.
“Are you naturally kind-hearted to complete strangers or are you just paid really well to be nice?” she asked, lifting imaginary skirts in a joke curtsey. He opened the boot to lift her luggage.
“Well we are going to see a lot of each other, and I am aware you live quite a distance from any family or friends. It would leave you with a bad taste if I was rude to you on your face day now wouldn’t it?” he said, swinging her holdall over his shoulder and gesturing up the steps. She reached to help him with her suitcase; it was incredibly heavy as she had pretty much packed everything she could fit in there. He tried to swat her hand away.
“No no, this is my job, I got it,” he puffed, his face straining as he bumped the suitcase up step by step. Raina smirked.
“Oh no one is looking, let me help you. I have everything but the kitchen sink in here,” she giggled, hauling the suitcase up the steps. Suddenly the door swung open and a stream of light leaked down the steps. A tall, bulky, black-haired man met Raina’s eyes and gave a strikingly white grin.
“You must be Raina,” he said, grabbing her suitcase with ease, “I’m Elias Blanchard. Come on and we’ll get you settled in.” Nerves tingling, she followed him into the cream tiled foyer, gazing around at the magnificently decorated room. A crystal chandelier sparkled beautifully on the ceiling, accompanied with several crystal vases filled with stunning flowers in varying shades of blue and purple, set on top of carved white pillar stands. The marble staircase flared into a crescent at the bottom, with brass spindles flowing up along the sides and across the landing. Raina turned to Elias in awe.
“Your home is breath taking,” she said, suddenly becoming very aware of her faded jeans and worn leather boots. She almost wanted to hold her breath, as if her presence alone was dirtying the air. Elias smirked at her.
“I personally think it’s a little much. We have twelve bedrooms and only three people live here, four now including you,” he bristled. She simply returned to taking in the magnificent palace, before turning to Darius.
“Don’t you live here too?” she quizzed. Darius set her holdall down on the ground shaking his head.
“Well I do, kind of. I have a small cottage on the grounds, my son works here too and we prefer our space. After work hours I like to relax, and you’ll find that in here it tends to be quite hectic at all hours,” he straightened up and groaned, “I’m getting along in my old age now. Master Elias, if there’s nothing else you need I’m going to clock off for tonight.” Elias lifted Raina’s holdall like it was a feather and swung it over his shoulder.
“Of course, I’ll make sure to tell Kalen to add your overtime for today. Thank you for getting Raina here safely,” Elias tipped his head to Darius as he walked out with a wave.
“I’ll probably see you tomorrow Raina, it was lovely to meet you. I think you’ll be a wonderful new addition to the household,” he said giving me a little nod and grasping her hand. She smiled at the warm soul as he closed the door behind him, leaving h
er with Elias. He looked down at her.
“I thought you would be taller,” he said, as Raina raised an eyebrow in surprise. The cheek of him! she thought, with a little flare of indignation.
“I’m average height” she muttered, folding her arms and looking up at his cocky expression. He laughed huskily.
“I’d say you’re about five foot nothing,” he guessed, patting her on the head like a puppy who just earned a treat. She glared at him, trying to keep in mind that he was technically one of her bosses and not just a housemate.
“Excuse me I’m five foot three and a half inch, I’m a little below average height for a girl. You’re just an extra tall freak of nature,” she huffed, her face blushing with contempt. He stared at her for a moment before he roared with laughter.
“I think you and I are going to get along great Short Stuff,” he chuckled, “I’ll take your bags to your room, my brother Kalen will be down to meet you now. Wait here just a second.” He motioned toward a stunning chaise lounge for her to sit until he came back. She perched on the edge obediently, still bristling slightly from the insult to her height. Watching him ascend the staircase, she glanced around again, absent-mindedly twirling a lock of black hair around her fingers as she took in the splendour of her surroundings.
Fishing in her bag for her keys, not that they were any use to her now, she checked her hair in the little mirror hanging on a keychain. With all the rush to get her belongings packed and begin moving all her correspondence to her new address, she hadn’t been maintaining her long hair and now it was becoming matted and clumped at the nape of her neck. She would have to start looking for a new hairdresser once she was settled.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Elias returning downstairs with 2 other men following him. The tallest of the 3 was dressed in a navy suit with a loosened tie that said he had just gotten out of a long and stressful business meeting. His deep brown hair was swept neatly to the side with a disobedient flick at the front. He strode across the foyer with a grin as Raina stood up to greet him. He extended his hand to shake mine.
