Shadow (Touched by the Fae 2)

“Sorry.”

Oof. The shocker there is that I actually kind of mean that. I’m wary of my new friend. Still, I don’t like to disappoint her, especially since she’s suffering way more than I am.

Her lips twitch, like she’s trying to force a half-hearted grin. “Don’t be. It was a longshot, but I had to ask. Since I’m gonna leave you by yourself, I’ve got something else for you.”

This baggie comes from her front pocket. It’s way smaller than the one filled with cash, t

oo. Carolina tips it over, letting something drop in her open palm. Once she has it, she slips her finger through the loop, lifting her hand high so that I can see what she has.

It’s a necklace.

A weirdo necklace, too. The chain is made of some kind of dark brown rope, thin, like leather sinew or something like that. Hanging at the bottom of the string, there’s something metallic that’s been wrapped in knots, creating a strange-looking charm.

I peer closer. It’s gun-metal gray, long and pointy.

What the—

“Is that a nail?”

She twists her wrist, sending the necklace twirling. My sight is good enough to pick up the stray moonlight filtering in through the window dancing softly against the dark metal. Yeah. I’m pretty sure that it’s a nail. Good thing that the point on the end looks like someone blunted it.

I could just see myself poking out my eye with it by accident.

“Wear this, okay?” Carolina says, holding the necklace out. She waits for me to offer her my palm again before she lets it land against the leather of my glove.

So, uh, the necklace weighs more than I expected. My hand dips and I feel my stomach tighten.

Not a normal nail then, is it?

I slip it on over my head because she’s expecting me to—and because I can’t come up with a good reason not to. The weight of the necklace is a little bit uncomfortable. Instead of leaving it on the outside of my hoodie, I tuck it under the material, letting it settle between my boobs.

Better.

“It’s an iron nail. Pure iron.”

Well, that explains it. Iron is one of the fae’s only weaknesses. Because I’m only part fae—the ear part, at least—it makes me feel a little off. That’s it, though. Just like I can lie when I’m not under the influence of Nine’s magic, I can handle iron without any problem.

“In case one of the Cursed Ones comes after you, the iron nail might buy you some time to get away. The more iron, the better, I’m sure you know that already. I mean, with enough iron, you can really hurt them—maybe even kill them.”

The chain seems to hang even heavier. “Are you saying I could use this nail to kill Nine?”

She says Cursed One, I think of Nine. It’s a knee-jerk reaction. So is my horrified expression at just the idea of hurting him.

The rest of the fae can go scratch themselves. Not Nine, though.

Never my Shadow Man.

Carolina frowns. “Not kill, no. It would hurt him. He might not even heal properly. It would take a lot more iron than that to finish him. I didn’t know you were going after him, Riley. Isn’t the Shadow supposed to kill the Fae Queen?”

Like I need the reminder. Because of the stupid Shadow Prophecy, the Fae Queen has made it clear to her Court, her guard, and her soldiers that it’s either her head or mine. Both Rys and Nine admitted that to me.

That’s why I asked her. She’s the one who first said kill, not me. I swear, it’s like everyone is homicidal. I don’t care what any of them say. The prophecy Carolina showed me doesn’t mention anything about having to off anyone.

The Shadow ends the Fae Queen’s rule. It doesn’t say how.

I cling to that.

I’m not a killer.