Bound by Shadow [SAMPLE]

CHAPTER ONE

"I'll see you outside," she said as she left the room.

I stood from my seat and smoothed my hands over the front of my dress. It was an off shade of white, closer to a pale pink, with little red beads covering the entire dress at random intervals. It felt tight around my center, so I moved carefully to the vanity mirror in the corner of my room as I picked up my own mask. It was red an intricate red lace that covered my eyes and brows.

"You ready?" A feminine voice spoke from behind me. I startled at the sudden appearance. After living with eternals my entire life, I would have thought I'd become accustomed to their silent footsteps.

Gripping my ornate mask in my hand, I turned to face Morgan. Her blond hair was slicked back, and she had her own mask pushed to the top of her head, revealing her soft features. She wore a striking red dress, which clung to her figure and exposed her legs in two long slits up the side. Though I considered all of the Stuarts family, Morgan was the closest I had ever gotten to any of them.

"I think so," I said.

She opened her lips to speak, but before words came from her lips, her eyes widened and became distant. I gritted my teeth and peered around her, making sure no one walked the hall outside. I had seen that look on her face many times, and as the edges of her irises began to turn white, I knew for certain she was having a vision.

The white spread across her blue eyes until it completely engulfed her iris. Her lids fluttered, casting dark shadows across her cheeks as her long lashes moved. The bottom of her eyes rimmed red where blood mixed with her tears. I knew better than to touch her or move her. Having a vision was a delicate thing.

She stood taller than me, and when her head snapped toward mine, I gulped. Her lips parted as she began to murmur. "The battle begins. The Shadow breaks through, and Light will bend. Moon breaks through, shattering. Binding. Binding. Blood for blood, blood in blood. Blood is power. Truth will reign. Run, run."

Blinking twice, the white seeped away from her gaze and color returned. She lifted her hand and wiped away the bloody tears. "Shit," she cursed under her breath. "It wasn't supposed to happen tonight."

I faltered. "Tonight?" I had no idea what her broken words meant. It was rare any of her visions made any sense. She was visibly shaken as she looked frantically behind her.

"Did anyone hear?" She quickly asked. At her side, one of her hands balled into a fist. I shook my head in confirmation. She grabbed my mask from my hands and spun me around as she began strapping it over my head in a rush. Her voice was hushed. "Do not go through with the transition tonight. We'll get you out."

With the mask tied securely around my head, I faced her again. "What?" I had been training for this night for as long as I could remember. She had been helping me train for this night! Now all of a sudden she didn't want it to happen?

She opened her mouth to explain, but three raps at the doorframe stopped her.

My brother, Zachariah, stood waiting. "It's time." His own black lace mask was already fastened around his head. His suit was black and had a tailcoat outlined with delicate golden thread.

I stared at Morgan and waited for her to say something more. She gave me a look, and I knew not to ask anything else. She stared at me a moment longer before she passed through the doorway and into the hall. She pulled her red velvet mask over her eyes. She left me shaken and confused. I tried to piece together her words, but none of it made sense. I knew in old terms the Stuarts were known as the coven of Light, but the Shadow and Grey covens had been destroyed centuries ago.

I didn't want to know what her words meant, but the way her voice had snapped through my mind, I knew I couldn't ignore her.

Zachariah held his arm out to me, and I tucked my hand under his elbow as he lead me from my room. The velvet on his jacket was soft against my hand, and I tried to focus on that instead of the hammering in my chest. He lead me toward the large staircase where the rest of the Stuarts stood and waited to make a grand entrance.