Alliance of Shadows, Book 5: LEIF

Encroaching Shadows

I put down my pen and turned to the doorway where Rowan was standing, watching me. His eyes darted to the book I had already filled with my past—a book only Dre had seen so far.

"Good day," I said, forcing a smile that barely lifted the weight pressing on my chest.

He nodded, his dark blue gaze traveling the length of my body before he sighed. He hadn’t come by since Dre went to him Sunday past, letting my mother-in-law drop the children off while he finished work. "Nice to see I raised my boys right. How are you feeling, Leif?"

Did he just…?

"Rowan, aye, it was one slap, I swear," I breathed, my voice low, steady enough. "We had a falling out, yeah, but it’s done now—we’ve moved past it." I ran a hand over my neck, exhaling slow. "I’ve... I’ve been struggling, trying to make sense of it all. We’re working through it, but something—no, someone—keeps stirring trouble for us."

He nodded again. "Dreson was saying something about a person from the past showing up, but he didn’t elaborate. Want to fill me in?"

No, not really, I thought, but my mouth opened to say the exact freaking opposite. "Sure."

That’s how it was with Rowan, though. He had this way of talking that made honesty inevitable. You couldn’t help giving in, couldn’t help telling him the full truth.

"Let’s start with something Kaden mentioned—about pictures of you in, um, disturbing situations," Rowan said.

He pulled out a chair and sat down just as my hands started shaking. Worry and fear welled up inside me, thick and heavy, but I tried to keep it together.

"Leif, I've told you a thousand times before that you have nothing to fear from me. I can't break a Mate bond as strong as the one you and Dre share, and I would never hurt my son in that way. You, Dre, and the kids are safe. You know this," he murmured gently.

Letting out the breath I was holding, I rose to my feet and walked stiffly over to the display cabinet. My limbs felt heavy, like they hadn’t quite gotten the message that the conversation was over. Each step was careful, deliberate, as if testing the ground beneath me. The air was still thick with everything unsaid, but Rowan's words echoed in my head, pressing against the doubts that had been clawing their way in.

Pulling out the pictures, I handed him the folder and sat back down. "Conner an’ Heather don’t go near that cabinet, so that’s where we put ‘em. Please, Rowan, don’t be lookin’ at me any different, yeah?"

My pleas were met with silence.

Looking over at him, I saw that, instead of hate, there was rage. Anger pulsed from his body, resonating with his powers until he forced himself to calm down. His breaths were sharp, controlled, but the energy in the room was thick with something unspoken. He looked up, tears sliding silently over his pale cheeks, splattering onto the glossy pictures as he slammed the cover shut.

"How did this happen?" he asked, voice low, tense.

Compelled to answer, I said, "Rowan, please, you don’t need to be usin’ your power on me. I won’t be lyin’ to you."

"Answer me, Leif," he pressed. "How did this happen?"

I bit my lip, swallowing back the hesitation. There was no other option—I had to let him in. If I needed someone, Rowan and Cece would be my biggest supporters.

Steeling my nerves, I said, "I’d rather you go on an’ read what I’ve written so far. It’s easier that way for me. I can’t be talkin’ about it without fallin’ apart, an’ Dre agreed—if writin’ helps more, then that’s what I should do."

"And has his backing helped?" my father-in-law asked calmly.

"Immensely, actually," I told him. "Dreson’s been good to me, apart from that one incident, but I ain’t holdin’ it against him. He’s a good man, Rowan. He was tryin’ to make me see I was in the wrong, but I wasn’t listenin’." I exhaled, steadying myself. "I know what you’re gonna say, too, an’ you’re right—there ain’t any excuses. But it was one time in six years, an’ I’ve been through far worse."

I realized I'd never had a heart-to-heart with my man's father. His mother, yes, but not his father. Rowan honestly frightened me more than a Werewolf.

He barked a laugh. "Yes, you're right. There are no excuses for putting your hands on someone you're meant to love for the rest of your Gods-given life. Cece and I raised those boys better than that."

"If it helps, he’s been tearin’ himself apart over it, apologizin’ near on every hour, like clockwork," I replied.

It was Rowan's turn to bite his lip as a look of regret crossed his features. "Yeah, I figured that when I got to the City Hall office we share and everything was in perfect order. He really felt bad about it, but I'm glad you two are working it out together."

"I love him. There’s nothin’ I wouldn’t do for him, an’ the thought of losin’ him—" I swallowed hard. "It hurts so much it scares me."

Rowan nodded, reaching for the papers, but I nudged his hand toward another stack instead.

"Sorry, but this is the first lot I wrote down," I said. Glancing at the clock, I groaned. I’d skipped lunch again today, and I wondered where Dreson was for him to forget to remind me.

"He's in his office, making calls to a few of the Sages. He's less than pleased with the fact that Harper more than likely knew everything before it happened and never intervened on your behalf," Rowan advised.

I shook my head. "Uncle Harper had no clue I existed till I ran into him by chance one day. I lived with him up until I met Dreson."

"Even so, you're late getting dinner. Go eat while I read," he said. "And for the love of the Gods, take that stubborn son of mine something before he drops? I swear if I didn't know that you two were Mates, I'd think you were non-biological twins with the way you get on. Forgetting to eat when you're too busy will put you under Cece's care, and you of all people know what she's like when it comes to her pups."

Shivering under the all-too-real threat, I ran into the hall and knocked on Dre's office door. Ordinarily, I didn't, but today it just felt right.

"Come in," he called out.

I eased the door open and laughed. "Oh, I’d love to, darlin’. Your father’s here, an’ he’s got me backed up against the wall for the truth, so I’ve let him in. But we need to feed our family, an’ it ain’t a takeaway day."

Dre looked at me, weary. "Is he still pissed at me? He hasn’t spoken to me since the night I hit you."

Moving to his side, I said, "Love, he was disappointed, that’s all. Besides, ain’t you the one who told me we can’t be livin’ in the past? It’s over an’ done, so stop frettin’ an’ help me sort what to cook for the kids."

Wrapping his arms around me, he pulled me down to sit on his knee. "Chicken nuggets and fries sound good. I can make that sauce they seem to like so much."

"That sounds lovely. I’ll go an’ get the nuggets in the oven, then heat up the fryer," I told him, tryin’ to get up. He held me firm.

"Leif, you know I’m sorry, right? I would never hurt you on purpose," he murmured against my neck as he ran his nose along my jaw.

Need pulsed through me before I shut it down. "Dre, baby, we’ve got all the time in the world, just not now. It’s been a rough few weeks for us all, ‘specially you an’ me, but it’s like Cece says, we got this."

"Damn it, I was hopin’ to get you to give in," he grinned. Shutting his laptop, he sighed. "Alright, alright, let’s go feed the gremlins."

Laughing, I went to get the kids from the playroom, but they weren’t there. Frantic, I started searching through the house for them.

Panic set in when I saw the back patio door—the one we kept locked with three different bolts—was wide open. My pulse quickened as I ran out to the backyard, straining to hear their cute little giggles.

Then I heard it.

Conner shouting from the far corner of the yard. My stomach dropped—it didn’t make sense. He was terrified of that area for some reason, scared of the Shadow Man he kept talking about. We had assumed it was just his imagination, a lingering fear after the trauma of losing their parents.

I summoned several small balls of light to my hands and released them along the path. "Conner? Heather?"

A tiny hand reached out to touch my leg. I looked down and found the kids huddled together inside the new playhouse Neil and Izzy had bought them.

"There’s someone out there, Papa," Heather whimpered as she cradled her sleeping brother. "He was tryin’ to get Con to go with him, but I pushed him into the playhouse, and he fell and got hurt. I didn’t mean it, I promise."

"Honey, it’s alright. You were protectin’ your brother," I told her, lifting Conner into my arms. "Come on, baby, let’s get inside."

My heart pounded a furious rhythm in my chest as I readily ushered the children into the manor.