A Crown Of Shadows And Secrets - Sloane Murphy

Chapter One

Remy

“What the fuck do you mean Fallon’s been taken?” Colt all but yells down the phone at me. “Fuck this. I’m on my way.”

The line disconnects and I rub my temples. This day has gone from bad to epically worse, and I just need a goddamn minute. Taking a deep breath I look up at my guys who are all watching me like I’m about to implode.

“I’m not going to break. Not anything but Archer’s fucking neck anyway. We need a plan, because I’m going into the Shadow Realm to get her whether you approve or not. She’s my friend, and this is my mess.”

“We wouldn’t dream of stopping you, princess. But you need to think this through,” Roman says softly, which makes me pause. Soft is not something Roman does. I look up to him and I see worry and tension painted all over his features, matched by the others.

“What if you can’t pass back through to here now that you’re not an Angel?” Levi asks, and I take another deep breath.

“We need to find a way,” I say to him, knowing I’ll happily sacrifice myself to save my friends.

“We do, because I’m not staying behind,” Creek says, stepping forward and crouching in front of me. “She’s my friend too, Remy. You’re not in this alone.”

“We should call her mother,” Kain interjects, and I nod, picking my phone back up to dial Marie.

“Let me,” Creek takes the phone from me and moves into the sitting room to speak to Marie, when the front door slams open and the hurricane that is Colt appears.

“Break a few speed limits on your way here big brother?” I smile tightly at him, but he’s practically shaking.

“Don’t start with me Remy. Talk. What the fuck is going on?” He paces in front of me, a hand pulling on his hair, just like he used to when we were younger, and he was stressed.

“Take a seat, Colt,” Levi says calmly, I can see the tension in his shoulders. He hates that we’re here, just when we thought we were almost clear. Getting the factions to work together was a huge feat, but of course we couldn’t revel in our win for even a few days. I also know he hates when anyone talks to me like that, but he’s trying to give Colt a pass because well, it’s Fallon.

“Bauer called me this morning, telling me we needed to talk,” I start and Colt’s eyes bug out, before he crashes into the seat next to me, on high alert. “He told me that Archer has been behind everything. The rogues joining together, the hybrids, all of it. Bauer has been trying to stop it all, since Archer discovered he needed me to open the portal to the Shadow Realm.”

I give him a minute letting it sink in, because Bauer was practically his hero, hell, when we were younger he was mine too. It’s a lot to process.

“Why does he need you?” Colt asks, looking around at us all.

“He needs me, because before I was a Hunter, I was an Angel. A Shadow Walker. Which meant that I could pass between the realms with ease, and I’m the only one who can open the portal for more than a few minutes, because my blood was used to seal the portal the last time it was opened.”

“What the…”

“I know, it’s been a day.” I sigh and keep going. “I got back from speaking to Bauer, explained everything to these guys, and I got a call from Archer. Saying he had Fallon, that she’s in the Shadow Realm, and we won’t get her back unless I help him.”

“You can’t help that ass bag.” He shakes his head, still reeling from the shock of it all.

“I don’t intend to. But I am going into the Shadow Realm, and I am going to get her back. But I don’t know how long that’s going to take. It’s why I called you. I need to make sure all hell doesn’t break loose here when Archer discovers I’ve gone into the Shadow Realm rather than helping him.”

“I don’t… I mean… Holy fucking shit, Remy.” Colt sits back, wide eyed. I get it. It’s a lot.

“I know. I know. But I don’t see another way.”

“Can you even do it? Since you’re not an Angel? I mean, that’s something we need to circle back around to, because what the fuck.”

“Yeah, it’s a long story. I’ll explain that after. After this shit show is sorted, and