Shadowed Magic (The Enlightened Species Novella) by Wendy S. Hales Read Free Book Online Page A

his brother. Tenebrae’s death after the fall of Atlantis had devastated Eros for many millennium. Family meant everything to him.
    Eros ported to his first destination. He arrived in Umbrae and Enlil’s sitting room just as his sleepy daughter was feeding her young. He could only stay a moment but he needed to see for himself Umbrae was safe. She smiled at him groggily with one infant to her breast while another fed from blood at her wrist. Her bloodmate Enlil sat beside her with the other two infants cradled in his arms waiting their turn.
    Eros relieved Enlil of baby, Erisa. Her green/gray eyes gazed up at him with intelligence. “She sure knows her grandpa.” Enlil commented.
    “Indeed.” Eros adored the three girls and one boy Umbrae had delivered safely just three months earlier. However, Erisa had been the tiniest of the four and being named after Eros, she held a special place in his heart.
    “So what brings you by at the crack of dawn, dad?” Umbrae asked.
    “I need to know what a woman needs.” Eros answered, Umbrae understood he wasn’t much for small talk.
    “That’s the universal question isn’t it?” Enlil chuckled.
    Eros grinned too realizing he’d misspoke. “I meant to ask, if a woman were to be away from home for a period of time, what would a woman pack?”
    Umbrae chuckled. “You’re asking a wash and wear girl what to pack for a woman?”
    Eros hadn’t thought of that. His daughter didn’t own a brush, she finger combed her short hair. Enlil required more maintenance in toiletries than Umbrae probably did. By saving grace, Irsu stepped into the room rubbing her eyes. The girl’s had had a late night. Irsu lifted Jestyl from Enlil, gave the baby a kiss then handed her back to her father. “Let me get dressed and I’ll go with you to Aymee’s apartment.” She walked out before Eros could argue and returned a few minutes later wearing jeans and a halter, her hair in a high ponytail. “You want to port or fly?”
    “I’ve never been in her residence.” Eros handed Erisa back to Enlil and kissed Umbrae on the cheek. “Have you flown in shadow before?” He asked Irsu.
    She nodded. “Many times with Othos.” Eros knew Othos and Irsu had become quite close over the last few years and gone on missions together, so he wasn’t surprised by her familiarity with the Sicarius shadow ability.
    He pulled a conduit chain from his pocket and waited while Irsu clipped it around her neck. “I’ll be back shortly.” Irsu said her goodbyes to Umbrae and Enlil and they stepped to the front door.
    Eros removed his shirt and shoved it into his back pocket, grasped the dangling end of the chain and shadowed them both before they exited the house and took to the sky. They landed on the roof of Aymee’s martial art studio. Aymee’s best friend and business partner, Jess, had installed an escape hatch from Aymee’s apartment above the sparing rooms to the roof. Irsu dragged him by the chain silently lifting it. He gave her enough slack to drop into a giant closet of some sort then followed her in. Releasing the chain and shadow as soon as his feet sank into the thick padding of the carpeted floor. Irsu removed the chain and handed it back to him.
    “This is actually the second bedroom, but Aymee converted the entire room into a closet when she and Jess had the other renovations and addition built.” Irsu made her way through the sea of clothing racks.
    Eros looked around shocked. Clothes, shoes, boots, purses, belts, scarves, and jackets … everything perfectly organized by function and color. A rainbow of T-shirts took up half a hanging bar then the color started over with blouses. Below the hangers were tiny three-tiered bleachers, each tier held rows of shoes. No wonder Jacob didn’t pack anything appropriate for Aymee, it probably never occurred to his son to seek her wardrobe in a separate bedroom.
    While Irsu busied herself in the ‘closet,’ Eros explored. Aymee’s apartment was