Shadow's Edge

by Jami Gray

  “You.”

  She gave a short jerky nod. “And, perhaps, Maris.”

  The agony in her whispered comment, made Raine wish she’d taken a bit longer in killing the monster downstairs. No mother, or child, should ever have to come that close to such a blood-chilling nightmare. But dead was dead, and it was time to get Eirene out of here, before anything else happened tonight.

  “We’ve got quite a trek ahead of us. Can you make it?” Because between their injuries it would be a hell of a haul. Another nod, and Eirene used the wall behind her to brace as she struggled to her feet. Even with her dress ragged and torn, her body battered and bruised there was no mistaking the delicate beauty of the woman. Raine’s stomach tied itself in Gordian knots. She didn’t want to voice her next question, but it needed to be asked. “Eirene, did Kaimana rape you?”

  That delicate chin lifted, and her split lips curved up revealing sharpened teeth, much sharper than Maris’s. “He tried, but some things males won’t risk losing.” She snapped her teeth together in two vicious bites.

  Seeing that savage response made Raine smile. “Good, but you can’t go out in that, you’ll freeze to death.” She shrugged out of her slicker. Even with the ripped sleeve, it would be better than what Eirene was currently wearing.

  As Eirene took it, she said, “I need our skins.”

  “Do you know where they are?”

  She shook her head and pushed off the wall to shuffle over to Raine. “No.”

  Raine stifled a sigh and wrapped her working arm around Eirene’s waist, careful of her ribs as they made slow progress down the stairs. “Okay, well since neither of knows where he stashed him, I have an idea.” Because uncovering secrets were her uncle’s thing.

  As concisely as possible, she explained to Eirene how they would go get Maris and her uncle, and he could help them locate their missing skins. She took Eirene’s lack of argument as consent and concentrated on getting down the last few steps with falling.

  They stepped onto the bottom floor and Eirene’s hiss brought Raine up short. Eirene stared at the burnt remains of the Triton sprawled by the wall. “By Stygian Darkness, you did that?”

  Refusing to let the other woman stand and stare, Raine just grunted and inexorably led her out into the now calming storm. The wind had died down and the rain had tapered off into a light mist. It took twice as long to make it back to the cabin, but as she lifted a heavy foot for the first step to the porch, the door swung open.

  “Mama!” A tiny blur hurtled forward and slammed into Eirene.

  A soft groan escaped as she held her daughter close. “Baby, Maris, my baby.”

  Listening to the woman reassure her tiny daughter and hold her close, their two dark heads together, brought a choking pressure to Raine’s chest. Her knuckles whitened on the railing and she looked away only to find her uncle standing in the doorway, the light from inside spilling around him, leaving his expression shadowed.

  Locking her aching memories away, she choked out, “Eirene, we need to go inside.”

  She followed the mother and daughter up the stairs and stopped as Mulcahy let them through. As she came even with him, he set his hand on her shoulder. “How bad?”

  “Bite to my arm, dislocated shoulder, otherwise I’m fine.” She turned to meet his eyes. “It was a Triton, so the bite’s pretty bad. Unfortunately, Eirene has no idea where he hid their skins.”

  “And you want me to find them?”

  She went to shrug, only to stop with a small hiss as her damaged shoulder protested. “It’s what you do.”

  Humor lit deep in his amber gaze. “Very true,” he murmured. “Let’s get you patched up and find their skins.”

  Two hours later, Raine and Mulcahy followed Eirene and Maris away from the tower. Like Raine expected, Mulcahy made short work of finding the skins. The tracking spell he used wasn’t one she was familiar with, but it was old.

  Kaimana had stashed the skins in the tiny attic of the cottage. The two Selkies took their skins and Mulcahy hauled the dead Triton down to the nearby beach, while Raine followed behind.

  Standing at the water’s edge, Eirene and Maris waded out into the now calm surf. A song started, haunting and illusive. It drifted above the ocean, sinking beneath the incoming waves. The last notes died away as the clouds drifted from the moon, and a cresting wave rushed in to break gently against the shore, a figure stalked towards the two females.

  Raine held her position next to her uncle.

  The figure became a man who gathered Eirene and Maris to him, holding them tight. Maris clambered up his chest to curl her thin arms around his neck. He caught her close with one arm, and wrapped his other gently around Eirene. Together the trio waded to shore, the sea lapping at their feet.

  They stopped and the male spoke. “I’m Afon.”

  “Ryan Mulcahy.” Her uncle dipped his head as his arms were full of roasted Triton.

  Afon’s attention turned to Raine.

  “Raine McCord,” she offered, noting the raw markings on the male’s chest. It looked as if he tangled with Jaws.

  He stared at what Mulcahy held. “You saved my family when I could not.” When he looked up, Raine had no problem seeing the guilt and fury warring in his face.

  She motioned to his raw torso with her bandaged arm. “Looks like you did your best.”

  “It was not enough to stop Kaimana from taking what wasn’t his.” He brushed Maris’s hair with his chin. “A debt is owed.”

  The offering left no response but the nod she gave.

  Another wave crested and two more figures stepped out of the surf, moving closer. A harsh bark broke the night, and Afon turned his head to respond. When he turned back, he addressed Mulcahy. “We’ll take his body.”

  Mulcahy handed over the Triton to the larger of the two males walking up the beach. Everyone remained silent as the body exchanged hands and was taken back to the sea.

  Pale streamers lined the horizon where sea met sky, announcing the sun’s approach. Maris whispered something in her father’s ear. He looked from Raine to his daughter, a small smile curving his lips. He unwrapped his arm around Eirene, then slowly sank into a crouch to set Maris’s feet in the surf. He searched the sand and grabbed something, holding it tight in his fist. A series of lyrical notes fell quietly into the still pre-dawn, and a soft luminance covered his fist, then faded away. He opened his hand and Maris grabbed whatever it was nestled there. She turned and walked back to Raine.

  Dropping down to the girl’s eye-level, Raine studied Maris’s young face. The little girl held out her closed fist. “For you.”

  Extending her palm, Raine caught the object. A stunning iridescent stone of swirling blues and greens lay in her hand. She curled her fingers around it and brought it to her heart. “It’s as beautiful as you, baby girl.”

  Maris giggled, dashed forward and gave Raine a quick hug. “Someday, I’ll be a warrior like you.” The girlish whisper tickled Raine’s ear.

  Closing her eyes, she tightened her hold on Maris. “You already are, kiddo.”

  She let her arms dropped, but stayed on her heels as the little girl rejoined her family. The three slipped further into the sea, until Eirene offered one last wave before disappearing.

  A light touch against her hair startled Raine. She tilted her head back to find her uncle standing next to her. Unable to bear the depth of emotion shadowing his face, she turned back to the sea. “Maybe next vacation, I’ll choose Hawaii.”

  His quiet laugh echoed over the sea as dawn chased the rolling waves.

  Thank you for reading Shadow’s Edge.

  Not ready to say good-bye to the shadowy world of the Kyn? Keep reading for a preview of book two, Shadow’s Soul. Or if you’re on a roll, pick up your copy here!

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  Shadow’s Soul

  Kyn Kronicles Book 2

  An ancient evil, old vendettas and unsettling truths--can Raine & Gavin untangle the threads before it's too late?

  Blood dripped into her eyes. Raine McCord raised a hand to brush it away, smearing the warm wetness across her face. Around her the world shimmered feverishly, sunlight glinting off the snow draped forest. She stumbled over a fallen log. Pain screamed through tattered nerve endings and down her right leg before the overload caused it to go limp. Collapsing to her side, she tried to protect her injured right shoulder. With a groan, she used her left hand to push up to her knees.

  She knelt there, head down, eyes closed, trying to breathe through the never-ending dizziness. Instincts screaming, she struggled to lift her heavy head and forced her eyes open. Get up! Move!

  A strange silence filled the winter forest. Under the white barked tress, patches of snow clung to the forest floor as faint whimpers and ragged breathing filled her ears. Dead leaves and fallen twigs scraped against her tender palms as she ignored the chill and dug her bloodied hands into the wet, cold dirt.

  Inadvertent sounds whispered on the icy air as she dragged her battered body along the ground. Somewhere behind her a branch cracked. Jerking to look back she found only drag marks smeared with crimson marking her path. Turning forward, she blinked, trying to clear her vision as it wavered between gray and bright white.

  Aiming for the large, dark shape looming just out of reach she began to move, inch by agonizing inch. The indistinct shape slowly became the remains of a fallen tree, large enough to hide behind. She managed to crawl behind its dubious shelter before her arms and knees gave out, sending her face first into the cold, wet earth.

  The rattling shivers from earlier were now a bone deep weariness. Still, she pulled her knees to her chest, curling into a ball, each slow movement torture. Soft pain-filled noises broke the silence. Quiet. She had to be quiet. She stuffed her fist against her bruised lips, hoping to mute the piteous sounds as the swirling darkness and cold drag her relentlessly under.

  Want to slip back into the shadows with Raine and Gavin?

  Click here for book two, SHADOW’S SOUL

  Also by Jami Gray

  THE KYN KRONICLES

  Shadow’s Edge

  Shadow’s Soul

  Shadow’s Moon

  Shadow’s Curse

  Shadow’s Dream

  PSY-IV Teams

  Hunted by the Past

  Touched by Fate

  Marked by Obsession

  Fate’s Vultures

  Lying in Ruins

  Beg for Mercy

  Caught in the Aftermath (coming Feb. 2019)

  What Readers Say…

  About the Kyn Kronicles:

  “…a fantastic paranormal action novel is quite possibly the best book I’ve read this year. I could not put it down, and had to exercise serious self-control to keep from staying up all night to finish it.” —The Romance Reviews

  About PSY-IV Team:

  “This story is an emotional roller coaster, from betrayal, anger, fear, love…” —InD’tale Magazine

  About Fate’s Vultures:

  “…if you like your characters with a bit more bite, with secrets, with hidden agendas, and all those sorts of things, and your worlds are a far more deadlier place, then this is for you.” —Archaeolibrarian

  About the Author

  Jami Gray is the coffee addicted, music junkie, Queen Nerd of her personal Geek Squad, Alpha Mom of the Fur Minxes, and award winning author of the Urban Fantasy series, The Kyn Kronicles, the Paranormal Romantic Suspense series, PSY-IV Teams, and her latest Romantic Suspense series, Fate’s Vultures. She writes to soothe the voices in her head.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, or events, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Copyright © 2011 by Jami Gray

  All rights reserved.

  Shadow’s Edge - Kyn Kronicles - Book 1

  Revised Publication: November 2018

  Celtic Moon Press

  ISBN: 978-1-948884-16-7 (ebook)

  ISBN-13: 978-1-948884-17-4 (paperback)

  Cover Art: Robin Ludwig Design, Inc.

  First Publication: October 2011

  Black Opal Books

  ISBN: 978-1-626940-54-3 (ebook)

  ISBN-13: 978-1-937329-15-0 (paperback)

  Copyright © 2016 by Jami Gray

  All rights reserved.

  Submerged in Shadows - Tangled in Shadows - Kyn Kronicles Short Story Collection

  JG Pub

  ISBN: 978-1-626944-25-1