“Hearts Entwined: The Shadow's Claim"

Chapter 3

Shadows of the Past

Astrid’s POV

Mason and Daxon were clearly tense apart. It hung in the air like the mist never seeming to clear Moonshadow. Every time the three of us were together, I could sense a wordless struggle under their guarded looks. And in some sense I had turned into an unwilling battlefield.

That was not intended to be the case. Coming to this town, I was trying to move past my past and find tranquility somewhere where nobody knew who I was or what I had gone through. Rather, though, I became caught in a web of contradictory feelings that may have split me apart. Spending more time with Mason and Daxon helped me to see I was attracted to both of them. And that most terrified me more than anything.

Mason had been a healing agent for my damaged soul with his friendly smiles and subdued demeanor. He was simple to chat to; he always knew the exact thing to say to calm me. The gloom that tormented my thoughts appeared to go from me when I was with him, then replaced a warmth I hadn't felt in years. With him, I could picture me releasing my past and discovering a future free from the definition the scars I carried defined.

Then there came Daxon. He was everything Mason lacked—cold, remote, and ferociously protective. As if he could read every secret I tried to suppress, his piercing blue eyes appeared to see straight through me. He made me feel vulnerable in a way that was both thrilling and terrible. Daxon had something dangerous about it, something that spoke to the side of me shattered by my history. Though in a way I wasn't sure I could survive, he gave me life.

I was falling for both of them even as much as I tried to ignore it. And that presented difficulties as well. One large one.

Soon after discovering the extent of my emotions for the brothers, the dreams started. They were way too real, vivid, and terrible. Every night I was back in the golden cage of my past, tormented by the fated mate who had once promised the world, only to break it with his savagery. His voice murmured sinister promises that made my skin crawl in my head. Convinced he was there, watching me from the shadows, I would wake up in a cold sweat and pulse pounding.

Though I attempted to tell myself the nightmares were dreams and tried to push them away, they felt too real. After working so hard to get over my anxiety, it returned and I began to feel as though I was losing control over reality. Knowing that sleep would merely bring more suffering, the walls of the cottage that had previously felt so safe now appeared to press in on me and I started to dread the time the sun would set.

Helping Mason and Daxon with their research on the unusual disappearances afflicting Moonshadow would enable me to divert myself during the day. People were leaving only murmurs of a dark presence in the forest as they vanished without a trace. The villagers were justifiably afraid. Moonshadow has something unusual, something not quite like other works.

Mason was resolved to guard the village, solve the vanishing, but the conflict between him and Daxon was getting in his way. Every time they cannot agree on what to do, I could see their bond faltering under pressure. It was separating them, and I started to feel accountable. Perhaps things would be different if I hadn't come to Moonshadow or allowed myself to get near to them.

For that, though, it was too late now. Damage done; there was no turning back.

One evening following a particularly heated disagreement between the brothers, I started to stroll into the forest. Just below the horizon, the light created lengthy shadows over the trees. Though I hardly noticed as I strolled buried in my ideas; the air was cool and clear.

I needed space. I should have thought. Above all, though, I had to flee the emotions separating me. Though I couldn't pretend that I could pick between Mason and Daxon, both meant so much to me. Neither fair to them nor fair to me. But how could I leave Moonshadow when they had grown to be such a regular feature of my life?

As I descended further into the forest, it was absolutely silent. Usually the noises of nature were absent, replaced by a disturbing silence that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Realizing I had gone farther than I had meant, I stopped. The thick vegetation engulfed the way back to the cottage, invisible now.

Turning in circles, searching for my bearings, panic started to set in. But I lost more the more I sought my way back. The trees appeared to close in all about me, their gnarled limbs like skeleton fingers. The darkness seemed to be squeezing in and ready to overwhelm me.

"Astrid...!"

My heart sprang into my throat as I froze at my name. Though it was quiet, little more than a whisper, the voice was clear. I heard the voice. It was the one that tormented my dreams, the voice of the man who had once claimed to be my mate.

I shook my head and murmured, "No," backing away. "You are not real." You are not present here.

Still, the voice just got louder, more forceful. Astrid, you cannot run from me. You are a part of me.

My foot caught on a root as I staggered backwards, knocking me down. As I battled to stand up, the globe whirled around me, but the terror paralyzed me. I could almost see him watching me with that twisted smirk in the darkness. I could feel him.

"No!," I cried, then at last got the will to dash to my feet. Breath rushing in frantic gasps, I rushed blindly through the jungle, branches ripping at my clothes. I had to get away; I knew not where I was headed. The gloom pressing in on me had to be avoided.

I exploded into a clearing just when I felt I could run any more. Daxon stood in the middle of the clearing as the moonlight gave the space an unsettling shine. His cool blue eyes fixed on me, and for a moment all the terror vanished.

But before I could say anything, he was next to me searching my face with hands grabbing my shoulders. "Astrid, what transpired?" Are you all right?

"I.. I gasped, the words flying out before I could stop them. I heard him. He's here, Daxon. This is him.

Daxon's face clouded, then he drew me into his arms and held me tightly as though he could shield me from the dreams that had come alive. "You're safe now," he said, his voice shockingly soft. "I will not allow anything to pass through to you. I vowed.

I would have liked to believe him. I wanted to let myself slide into his hug and forget about the atrocities waiting for me in the night. Though much I wanted to believe him, a part of me knew this was merely the beginning. Neither the darkness seemed to be engulfing Moonshadow nor my past would let me go so readily.

I could hardly see Mason in the eye the following day. What had transpired, of how I had allowed Daxon console me when Mason was the one who had been at my side from the beginning, embarrassed me. I could not, however, ignore the relationship I developed with Daxon—the way he made me feel simultaneously protected and on edge.

Naturally, Mason saw the change in me. He was not very perceptive. Rather than facing me, though, he just gave me a little, sympathetic smile as if he understood precisely what was going on in my thoughts. That made it far more terrible.

"Astrid," he whispered gently as we sat on the cottage porch, the sun setting far away. "I understand that this is not a simple matter. I want you to know that I am here for you; I understand what you are going through. Regardless of other factors.

My throat closed and I had to blink back tears. "Mason, I—"

But the sound of feet on the gravel road cut off our conversation before I could finish. We both turned to find Daxon grimacingly approaching. The compassion he had showed me the evening before vanished from view.

Daxon halted in front of us and stated, "We need to talk," his voice sharp. "Something's occurring in Moonshadow and it's growing worse.

Mason nodded, his manner changing to reflect the gravity of his brother's. "What is it?"

Daxon's gaze darted to mine, and I shivered down my back. " Another person vanished. The worried local residents are beginning to discuss leaving. That cannot be allowed to happen.

As I considered the ramifications of his comments, my heart dropped. The vanishing were increasing in frequency, and whatever was behind them was becoming more audacious. The idea that my presence in Moonshadow might be linked to the darkness engulfing the village, though, most worried me.

Mason responded, his voice calm: "We have to find out what's going on." Still, we cannot accomplish this on our own. We depend on assistance.