The Shadow's Star

Chapter 5

"Don't be stupid, come with me, now." He held out a hand and motioned for me to go with him.

"If I have to come back here, it will be with your brother." He added.

"Go home Callahan" I simply said before turning my back on him. I waited before looking over my shoulder to see Callahan had gone.

"Are you boys going to pour me a drink or what?" I asked no one in particular but looked to him. He hadn't moved, he was still slouched back with a girl on either side of him.

"Here you go love" A broad, muscular, rugged but handsome looking man with brown wavy shoulder-length hair slid me a glass across the table.

"It's not every day a light fae willingly chooses to party with us." He sat back with a wine glass in one hand and a leg resting on top of the table.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Whatever you want it to be." I shrugged and downed the drink. I was already in dangerous territory there was no way I was going to share my name with them.

"Did you come here just to piss your boyfriend off?" I heard that low familiar voice of the man who healed me.

"Does it matter?" I said my eyes glanced to the two females beside him. "He's not my boyfriend" I stated and he said nothing.

The long-haired man stood and approached me.

"I can help you forget all about him if you want" He smirked, his demeanor oozed confidence and I held back from rolling my eyes.

"It's been a while since I took a light fae into my bed" He started to brush the back of his fingers along my collar bone, a feeble attempt to seduce me but I lashed out and slapped him. He let out a low laugh before turning to his friend.

"I like her," and his friend only responded with a smirk.

"I'm Spike" he held out a hand for me and I shook it.

"And your name?" I turned and asked his friend who hadn't moved since I stepped in here.

"Whatever you want it to be," He replied taking a sip of his drink.

I spent the next half hour letting Spike pour alcohol down my throat straight from the bottle and dancing with the fae in the booth. I occasionally looked towards him to see him intensely staring at me as though I was prey. I gave my friends outside the booth a reassuring look and they carried on partying without me. Although Clara glared at me as if to say what the hell are you doing! I was actually quite enjoying myself that was until I heard the blood-curdling screams.

Everyone stilled in confusion and then fae everywhere started frantically running for the exit. I left the booth in search of my friends, I was pushed in every direction and then I bumped into Zia.

"What's going on?" I asked as I looked for the others.

"I don't know—." I heard a slicing noise, like a blade piercing the skin, and turned to see Zia frowning, blood pouring from her mouth.

"Zia!" I screamed and before I could do anything she was pulled back revealing the thing that had her. A tall all black hairless creature with long clawed limbs, no eyes, and a huge mouth with rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth stood over Zia. I called for my power but there was nothing, not even a flicker of power to use and I had no weapon, I was useless. I could do nothing but look on in horror as the creature sunk its teeth into Zia's neck and ripped out her throat. I froze as I watched the life drain out of her. I heard countless more screams, windows smashing and saw more of those things enter the building. I found my friends and we headed towards the exit, the rush of people all panicking and running for the same exit made me fall and when I got back on my feet my friends were gone. More creatures appeared in front of me and I decided to head for the room I was in earlier. The room was empty; I lifted the window and hurled myself out of it and into a side alley. My feet hit the ground and I turned towards the entrance to find my friends but a creature jumped out in front of me blocking my path. I tried to search for something I could use as a weapon and then two more appeared out of nowhere. Shit. I'm going to die. These things are going to rip me apart. Xander, I'm so sorry.

I closed my eyes, accepting my fate, and then I heard a scream of pain, not from me or any fae for that matter but from one of the creatures. I opened my eyes to see a lifeless body hit the cobblestones with a loud thud. The two others lunged towards me but were stopped mid-air and then I saw what looked like shadows rip them in two.

"Hello, trouble," I heard and spun around to see him, the dark fae that had healed me had also just saved my life.

"I bet you wish you had that pen" He smirked. He looked too calm for someone whose party guests had just been attacked and some of them killed. I looked over my shoulder to see royal guards round light fae up to take them to safety.

"Shit," I darted against the wall to try and hide in the shadows. I didn't want them to find me, if my father finds out I'm here then I will never be allowed out of the palace again.

"Friends of yours?" He asked stepping towards me. What is wrong with me? Zia has just been killed, the safest place for me is with the royal guards and yet here I am hiding in an alley with a stranger. I peered towards the sun which was still obscured by the moon.

"Shit. Shit. Shit," I rested my head back on the wall and tried to steady my breathing while I decide what to do. Any minute now they were going to find me.

"Let me take you home" He offered his hand to me. I looked to his hand and then the royal guards and weighed my options. Face the wrath of my father and brother or go with this stranger and potentially be killed. I stepped out and took his hand.

"You can jump us?" I asked.

"Yes. But we're not going to jump" I tilted my head to question him.

"We're going to fly." Large wings of silky black feathers extended from his back, like me, he must use magic to conceal his wings, something only high-born fae can do. His wings looked like a replica of mine except mine are all white. With one quick motion, he swooped me off my feet and shot into the sky.

I yelped at the cold slap of wind as he flew high and then dipped down gathering speed as he flew us towards the light realm borders.

"What were those things?" I asked wondering why Xander and Callahan had never mentioned them before. I know there are creatures that live beyond the fae realms but I never heard of them being so close to home, attacking and killing fae. How did they get here?

"Voiderz" He replied.

"They killed my friend," Sorrow filed my heart as images of Zia being slaughtered by one of them flashed in my mind. I couldn't stop the tears that began to fall, I didn't want to cry in front of this stranger but I had lost a friend and I didn't know if my other friends made it out or not. I turned my face into his shoulder in an attempt to hide my wet cheeks. I felt his hand lightly graze over my lower back, was he trying to comfort me?

Within a few minutes, we landed, near the border surprisingly close to the golden city, to the palace. I wiped my cheeks as he set me down on the ground.

"I'm sorry about your friend" He frowned as though he was recalling a painful loss of his own.

"Thank you for bringing me here," I said.

"I assume you'll be okay from here?" He nodded towards the border.

I nodded a yes "I can take care of myself" and lifted my chin.

He let out a low laugh "I believe you"

The corner of his mouth turned upwards into a half-smile.

I turned and looked up relieved to see the eclipse was over, I can just jump back to the palace instead of walking through the golden city.

"Goodbye, Aurora" I heard over my shoulder. My eyes widened at the realization that he said my name but when I spun around he was gone.