Princess of Shadows (Obsidian Queen Book 2) Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Factions

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Note from Shannon

  Newsletter

  About Shannon

  Princess of Shadows

  Obsidian Queen, Book Two

  Copyright © 2018 by Shannon Lynn Cook

  All rights reserved.

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Editing by Z.A. Sunday

  Cover Design by Shannon Lynn Cook

  For Amanda

  I am so blessed to have you as a friend and cousin-in-law.

  Magical Factions

  Urocyon

  The Foxes

  Masters of Stealth and Manipulation

  Lupus

  The Wolves

  Leaders

  Gryphus

  The Griffons

  Masters of Magical Intuition & Insight

  Lepus

  The Rabbits

  Animal Whisperers

  Draconem

  The Dragons

  Masters of the Elements

  Cervidae

  The Deer

  Healers

  Herodias

  The Herons

  Wielders of Weather

  Passeridae

  The Sparrows

  Jack of all Trades, Master of None

  Taurus

  The Bulls

  Gifted with Great Strength

  Canis

  The Hounds

  Trackers

  Cristatus

  The Peacocks

  Gifted with Beauty and Grace

  Sciuridae

  The Squirrels

  Tinkers and Craftsmen

  Rhopalocera

  The Butterflies

  Masters of Light and Illusion

  Chamaeleonidae

  The Chameleons

  Shifters

  Strigiformes

  The Owls

  Alchemists

  Struthio

  The Ostriches

  Ungifted

  CHAPTER ONE

  “He’s fine,” Eric assures me, growing exasperated.

  I face the Viking warrior lookalike with my arms crossed. “Then why won’t you let me see him?”

  “Because he found this whole experience very traumatizing, and I don’t think he’s ready to face you.”

  Just stab me in the heart, why don’t you?

  I turn away from the knight marshal, unable to even look at him any longer. How dare he separate me after I’ve been this worried? It’s been over a week and a half.

  Eric sets a hand on my shoulder. “Maddie, sweetheart. Let him sleep for now.”

  The knight is going to have to let me in soon because we’re moving out of our suite in Tahoe this morning. For the last few weeks, we’ve attempted to track down a deranged pixie who was murdering bank tellers and impersonating them to steal private customer information to sell to identity thieves.

  Though the pixie got away, we opened a whole can of worms while we were here. Now the Royal Guild wants us back in Avon. Plus, we have to go home to deal with the tiny matter of my ex-boyfriend fraternizing with a criminal casino owner bent on using magical means to exploit humans out of their money.

  Jonathan, my other teammate, walks through the door, ready to grab more bags to take down to his Hummer. His short-but-messy black hair has been meticulously styled in such a way it looks like he rolled out of bed looking sexy—but it actually takes him thirty minutes to pull it off.

  As if reading my thoughts, the Griffon—member of the Gryphon faction and reader of magic—smirks in my direction. “You were just checking me out, weren’t you? Don’t deny it.”

  “I was actually thinking I never want to share a bathroom with you again.”

  He opens his mouth, that wicked look growing as he thinks of something suggestive to say, but Eric cuts him off. “Shut up, you two. He’s sleeping.”

  Jonathan rolls his eyes. “He’s fine, Bunny Hugger. So his dinner was twelve hours late, and you fed him Kitten Nibbles instead of Pedigreed Perfection. He’ll live.”

  Try telling that to Charles Archibald Argyle III, my pedigreed Sphynx hairless cat. He thinks he’s royalty. (With the price I paid for him, he probably is.) He still hasn’t forgiven me for the evening I didn’t feed him. I had a good excuse—I was being held hostage. The cat’s going to have to get over it.

  Gray steps into the room, not far behind Jonathan. “Are you still coddling that stupid cat?” he asks Eric. “You barely remembered to throw granola bars and bottled water at me after I was shot.”

  “We found you a healer—it’s not like we left you in the humans’ care for long,” Jonathan says. “Besides, we all know Maddie was your preferred nurse.”

  I turn my eyes to the floor, uncomfortable.

  Things are weird between Gray and me, especially now that his ex-partner/nemesis and I are friendly. And by friendly, I mean Rafe’s my dark knight, and I’m his dark queen. Together, we’re destined to open the magical thresholds to our land of Aparia and take over the world, ruling over Aparians and humans alike using black magic and monsters from the nightmarish depths of darkness.

  Since I haven’t figured out a way to break that piece of news to my team, it’s been hard to explain why Rafe’s stuck to my side like glue—and not the flimsy, white school stuff. The super glue type. The type that you must be very, very careful not to touch because the Obsidian Knight is forbidden from entering into a romantic relationship with his Obsidian Queen.

  Which is ridiculous, because I’m not embracing my Obsidian Queen identity or planning to open the thresholds—even if I can command monsters as black as night to do my bidding. And frankly, that’s something I’m still trying to wrap my head around.

  On top of all that, I don’t even know if I want Rafe. Sure, he has that dark, broody, aristocratically handsome thing going for him. His magic also calls to mine like a siren on a rock…

  But still, I’ve had a bit of a rough patch with men, and I believe I need to take a break from dating altogether. A guy diet, of sorts.

  But I digress, things are awkward with Gray. I probably shouldn’t have indulged in a rather steamy makeout session with him when we first arrived in Tahoe. Hindsight and all that.

  “Where did you disappear to this morning?” Jonathan asks Gray as he grabs a couple more duffel bags and one of my three rolling suitcases.

  Gray stalks across the suite, checking for odds and ends we might have left behind. He’s in a particularly rotten mood today, and his icy blue eyes are stormier
than usual—which is bad considering Rafe’s not even here right now. “I sold my car.”

  The room goes silent. His car isn’t just any car. I don’t actually remember what it is, but it’s a classic, as sexy as a car can be, and if Gray can be believed, it's wicked fast too. I know it means a lot to him.

  No one dares speak first, so Jonathan, Eric, and I share a look, each waiting for someone to jump in. Because the two knight marshals are gutless, it finally falls to me. “Why would you do that?” I ask.

  Gray doesn’t bother to look at me. “I paid off Finn’s debt.”

  Again, silence. This time it’s so heavy it’s almost suffocating.

  “You did what?” Jonathan demands, finding his tongue. He and Gray consider themselves to be vehicle connoisseurs—though Jonathan prefers new, and Gray gravitates toward restored—and the Griffon looks personally offended by the news.

  “How much did you get out of it?” Eric asks, not the slightest bit worried about tact. Finn owed over seventy-five thousand dollars. Did Gray really sell his car for that much?

  “Enough.” Gray’s answer is curt, which tells me he doesn’t want to have this conversation. “I took the money to Morris this morning and politely explained that I redeemed Finn, and now I own him.”

  “When you say politely explained, do you mean you held a gun to his throat?” Eric grins.

  Gray rolls his eyes, but his stormy expression lessens slightly. “Of course that’s what I mean. What else?”

  The team’s official job is to track down Aparians—magic users like ourselves who come from a land we’ve been separated from—who are using too much magic around humans. We don’t, however, usually step in unless they’re using said magic to violently maim, kill, torture, or extort humans.

  Trolls, sprites, and other unsavory creatures are on our radar as well. And even though we try to limit our own magic use, my teammates are quite free with their human weapons. I myself have a Taser. It comes in handy more often than you might think.

  “Madeline, did you get all your girly junk out of the bathroom?” Jonathan asks.

  “Not sure.” I check my hair in the mirror hanging by the door. “All of your manly-metro junk was blocking it.”

  He walks by me, his arms full of luggage, and whispers, “You know you want me.”

  “Never denied it,” I tease as he lugs our things out the door.

  “Where’s Rafe?” Gray asks abruptly, surprising me by mentioning the knight at all. For the most part, he’s done his utmost best to pretend Rafe doesn’t exist—even when he’s in the same room.

  But now that the Knights’ Guild is under the impression Rafe’s position in Tahoe is blown, he’s coming back with us. Of course, only I know Rafe is more than a double agent, he’s a free agent, working only for himself. And for me, if I can trust him.

  I drop my hand from my curls and turn to Gray. “He had a meeting with his realtor this morning.”

  Rafe is selling his house—his absolutely gorgeous house on Lake Tahoe—so he can follow me back to Colorado.

  Gray grunts and then goes back to checking drawers, cupboards, and anywhere else we might accidentally leave something. He frowns at a notepad and tosses it back on the desk. “Are we ready?”

  Eric comes out of the bathroom with an armload of tiny hotel soaps and shampoo bottles. “Let me fetch Charles.”

  “He’s my cat,” I say to the knight’s back.

  Eric grins at me over his shoulder and then disappears into the suite’s bedroom. “Yes, but he doesn’t like you right now.”

  Giving up, I roll my eyes and walk into the hall. If Eric wants to wrangle the feline demon into his crate, then more power to him.

  I trail after Jonathan, carrying one little makeup case and a lightweight jacket.

  “No, it’s okay,” the Griffon says, juggling the large duffels and my suitcase. “I’ve got it. Thanks for asking.”

  I match his speed and jiggle my makeup case. “Oh, good. I was hoping you could take one more.”

  He grins and purposely bumps into me with a duffel bag.

  “So, what happens when we get home?” I ask as we make our way to the elevator.

  “That depends.” Jonathan turns his head and pins me with his dark chocolate gaze. With his warm complexion, dark eyes, and almost black hair, he’s handsome in a way that makes grown women sigh. “Have you decided if you’re going to stay on the team?”

  That’s a question that has been weighing on me for the last week. I don’t really have a reason to stay, and it was a fraudulent apprenticeship anyway. Unbeknownst to me, Lord Finnegan—aka Gray’s half-brother and my ex-boyfriend—only put me here to keep an eye on the team and serve as a distraction so he could pay off his gambling debt without the team noticing.

  “You know I don’t really add anything to the mix,” I tell him. “You’re already the pretty one, so that title is taken.”

  “You’re not leaving the team,” Gray says from behind me, startling me and Jonathan both. I didn’t realize he followed us out. “Not with Trent still on the loose.”

  But the thing is, I’m not sure I really need the team’s protection from the pixie. After all, I already have my own personal knight. Of course, Gray doesn’t know that yet.

  “We’ll see.” I move ahead, not wanting to have this conversation.

  But Gray, alas, doesn’t want to postpone it. Still irked about selling his precious car, he sets his hand on my shoulder and stops me.

  Jonathan, traitor that he is, continues down the hall. I flash him an irritated look when he reaches the elevators, but his only reply is a crooked smirk.

  I return that smile, silently telling him he's going to pay for deserting me.

  “You’re not leaving the team, Madeline,” Gray says, oblivious to the exchange between Jonathan and me.

  Even though I’m a respectable five-seven, Gray’s a head taller than I am, even when I’m in heels—which I usually am—so I have to look up at him.

  Way up.

  “Are we back to this caveman act of yours?” I demand, standing a little straighter, giving myself as much height as possible.

  “That depends.” He levels me with a cool stare. “Are you back to your prissy princess thing?”

  I don’t want to fight with him, not again. We were getting along so well before I found out he basically sleeps with anything female, and I was just another line waiting to be notched in his belt.

  Thankfully, I found out Gray has a bad habit of getting friendly with all his female teammates before I let myself get carried away. First, he was with a girl at the academy who had been temporarily placed on their team, and a few years later, he slept with his best friend’s almost-fiancée.

  His best friend who happens to be Rafe, my knight and the former leader of the team.

  As you can see, my life is a little messy right now—hence my man hiatus.

  I look at the Wolf, getting ready to say something scathing, when all the irritation slowly fizzles away. “I don’t want to do this again. We’re past this.”

  Gray narrows his eyes, but after a moment, his expression softens. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

  “I know.”

  “Is it because of Rafe?”

  That, Gray darling, is difficult to answer.

  “I know something transpired between you two after he rescued you.” Gray looks past me instead of at me. “And I want you to know I understand. Please don’t let that be the reason you choose to leave the team.”

  Basically, he’s telling me he doesn’t want me to leave and be murdered, which is what happened to Rafe’s girlfriend. The poor team is still suffering. Rafe, Gray, Jonathan, and Nicole all trained together; they were friends since their days in the Knights’ Guild Academy. I know they feel her loss every day, and sometimes, I wonder if I'm making it worse. Resurrecting old pain.

  I step forward and wrap my arms around Gray’s middle in a very chaste, very brotherly hug. “I’m not involved with Rafe. I�
��m not involved with anyone. After everything that happened with Finn and…” You, I think. “…I’m not ready to date. I need some time alone.”

  The Wolf tentatively wraps his arms around me, holding me loosely. It’s the first time we’ve touched since the night before I was kidnapped. He’s freshly showered, and he smells like soap, deodorant, and freshly-laundered cotton. Combine that with the feel of his ribbed abdomen under his T-shirt, and you have an experience that’s downright habit-forming.

  As if Gray can tell what I’m thinking, his muscles tighten ever so slightly.

  And…that’s my cue to move back.

  “Hey, Maddie.” Eric steps out of the room with Charles tucked safely in the cat crate. “I think it’s a little too warm for Charles to be wearing the sweater, so I took it off. Oh, and don’t forget to apply a little sunscreen if you take him outside. He’s been stir-crazy, so I ordered him a harness and leash. It should arrive at your house in a few days.”

  I shift away from Gray, glad for the distraction.

  All Aparians are gifted with a unique type of magic that’s passed down to them by one or both of their parents. Eric’s of the Lepus, or Rabbit, faction. They’re the animal whisperers. Most people like to call them Bunny Huggers. We say it with love…most of the time.

  The fact that Eric, our Norse god in the flesh, sexiest man this side of Norway, is a Bunny is sort of hilarious. Except when it isn’t. Like right now.

  “What’s Charles going to do when I take him home?” I ask. “We’re going to have to set up playdates for the two of you.”

  Eric waves my mock concern away. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll visit.”

  I shoot Gray a look as Eric passes me. The leader of our team purses his lips, trying not to laugh, and sets his hand on my shoulder to guide me down the hall after Eric. He doesn’t bring up the subject of me leaving the team again—not when we’re in Jonathan’s Hummer, not when we stop for the night, and not when he and the guys drop me off at my house.