Beyond The Shadows (Shadows Saga bk3) ON HOLD

Chapter 5- Feray Tremonte

Mara met up with Marx and Trixle after the rest of the High Council left. They made their plans on how to go about getting Feray back to the castle.

"She isn't going to want to come back," Marx said. "You remember what she was like when we suggested it last time."

"Well this time she doesn't really have a choice. We aren't asking her to come back to live here, we're having her come back to help us. She can go right back after she's done."

Marx shrugged. Mara felt bad about how she had said it, Feray was his sister and she had just basically admitted to using her.

"What if we use this time to help her?" Trixle asked.

Mara and Marx both looked at her in confusion.

"I mean, you've asked her to come back before. She's a Nightshade, but she doesn't really act like one."

"Minus the killing random people," Mara whispered under her breath. She felt Marx tense beside her.

"But she didn't kill you," Trixle pointed out. "Whether she admits to it or not, she has restraint. What if we use this time that she's helping us to help her? We can so her that she doesn't belong out there with the others, that she belongs back here with us."

"I don't know Trix, that seems like a stretch. How about we just start with getting her back here," Marx said.

Mara nodded and reached out to the other two. They each took her hand as Mara focused on getting them to Feray.

When Mara opened her eyes, she saw the same cave she had been nearly two years before. She looked around, everything looked just as it had then. She saw flashes from her memory of what she remembered from the attack, the vampire jumping out and latching itself onto her. Mara shivered and turned to the cave.

"Feray," she called out. "Feray Tremonte!" Mara was met with the echo of her voice bouncing off the cave walls and back at her.

They waited for a moment with no response.

"Are we even sure she still lives here?" Trixle asked.

"Oh I still live here," Feray's predatory voice said from behind them. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We need your help," Mara said.

Feray looked them over. "It must be serious if you're coming to me for help."

"It is," Mara said stepping forward. "There's been an attack. My aunt was killed, Marx nearly died as well."

"Show me," Feray said looking directly at Marx.

"What?" Marx asked.

"Show. Me,"

Marx raised his shirt over his head and turned his back to Feray showing her where the bullet had struck his right shoulder. It still hadn't healed fully but at least it looked better.

"Silver bullet, whoever it was knew exactly what they were doing."

"Yes," Mara said. "Marx's bullet was silver, however the one that hit my aunt was plain, coated in poison."

"So professionals then." Feray said with a slight smile.

Feray was taking pleasure in the details, Mara could tell. She fought the urge to lash out at Feray, but that's the kind of person Feray was. She had no problems with killing; to her it was an art form. Hearing about someone who was as well prepared as these people, getting the opportunity to look into something like that, well Mara guessed Feray had just been presented with possibly the highlight of her life.