The Alpha Queen

Chapter Twenty-Four

The sound of waves crashing against the shore washed over Torren and Adwin as they arrived at their destination, their feet instantly sinking into sand and filling their shoes. Torren ran a hand through his silver hair, the top longer than the sides, as it whipped around in the hot summer wind.

"It looks like a storm's rolling in," Adwin commented as he gazed out over the ocean. "We should make this fast."

Sure enough, dark clouds filled the sky in the distance and seemed to be headed straight for them. Usually in the south when it rained it poured and when it poured it was accompanied by thunder and lightning.

"It shouldn't take long," Torren replied as he began to head for the house on their left, which looked more like a shack. "It usually doesn't."

Adwin silently followed behind Torren, his shadows swirling around him and reaching out to twist between Torren's ankles. Torren slowed to allow Adwin to fall into step beside him, bumping against his shoulder.

"What," Adwin asked, glaring at Torren from the corner of his eyes.

"What," Torren replied with a smirk. When Adwin looked away, Torren sighed. "We haven't spent much time together since I brought Theia to the city."

"That's because you've been spending most of your time with her."

"And because you've been avoiding me. Why?"

Adwin hesitated a moment, lowering his head as he ran a hand over the back of his neck. "I wasn't avoiding you, I was avoiding Theia. You know how I feel about all this, how I worry."

Torren did know. They both had worked as Queen Esmeralda's spies and they both were forced to do things they wished never to think of again. The shadows were a part of them, something they were born with, but the shadows were sentient entities that came from the Otherworld making their gifts rare. They didn't know for sure, but it was said the shadows only became one with fae children born from parents who also possessed shadows, or children who had been cursed.

All the shadows could affect the mind in some way. Unlike Torren's shadows which could be used to put someone to sleep, Adwin was able to use his shadows for something much worse. He could tap into a person's nightmares and make them believe they were experiencing their worst fears. He could simply scare them or he could crank up the intensity to frighten a person to death.

With skills like Adwin's, the queen had often used him to torture people. Together, they were forced to hunt down talented fae. Torren knocked them out to bring them in and Adwin tortured them until they agreed to work for the queen, or killed them if they refused.

Torren moved in front of Adwin, causing him to stop walking. He then grabbed Adwin's shoulders, meeting his brown eyes. "I promised you this time was different. You've met Theia now, you know she's nothing like Queen Esmeralda."

"And now we know she's not the true queen," Adwin added.

"No, she's not, but she's a good leader. We both learned that while watching her this past year."

"I know. I still can't help but worry. It's the way I am."

Torren smirked, squeezing Adwin's shoulders. "Oh, I know it is. Which is why you keep me around, to remind you not to worry."

Adwin smiled then, a small curve of his lips. Torren's eyes flickered to the movement and then a moment later he leaned forward to press his lips against Adwin's. Adwin opened his mouth to allow Torren access before grabbing Torren's waist to pull the male closer.

Breaking apart, Adwin reigned in his shadows which had surrounded them so thickly the rest of the world had disappeared around them. They shared another look before continuing on their way to the shack, this time walking so close their fingers and shoulders brushed against each other with every step.