The Shade and His Thief

Desperate thief Myth needs one big score to get himself out of a serious hole. Why not steal from his royal father, who refuses to acknowledge him? Unfortunately, the ornate amulet he steals is bad news. Now everybody is out for Myth's blood. Callan should be just one of the many people after Myth--but Callan isn't a person at all. He's a shade, a creature of shadow and magic. Callan is dark, and dangerous, and even worse news than the amulet itself. His dark, shadowy tendrils reach inside Myth and sate a hunger Myth never knew he had. Myth finds himself falling deeper and deeper into Callan's grasp. He'll lose sight of his goals--he'll lose sight of himself--if he gives in. But would that be so bad? Shade contains scenes of dubcon/noncon (between main characters), bondage, BDSM, shadow "tentacles," choking, humiliation, praise kink, CNC, sounding. It also contains references to sexual assault and past childhood abuse. Copyright © 2023 by Adara Wolf & R. Phoenix Map by Adara Wolf Cover by Atra Luna All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. CONTENTS Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Epilogue Afterword About Adara Wolf About R. Phoenix Also by Adara Wolf Also by R. Phoenix Also by Raissa & Adara Wolf PROLOGUE For a royal vault, it wasn’t particularly well-guarded. Well. Maybe a little more guarded than other areas of the castle. Myth ducked into an alcove and hid behind the decorative statue, watching the guards walk past. They were talking to each other, not really paying attention to their surroundings. They were probably used to long, boring nights without any incidents. Myth waited until his charm cooled down once more, indicating there were no people within twenty feet, and continued his way through the palace halls. He’d donned clothes similar to other servants in the palace to blend in, but that wouldn’t help him in these more restricted areas. There was no reason for a servant to be going into the vaults late at night. Myth’s lip curled into a sneer. He wasn’t a servant though, now was he? At least, he wasn’t supposed to be. If his royal father acknowledged him as his son and paid him what he was due, he wouldn’t have to be doing this at all. He’d be able to clear all of his mother’s debts all at once, and have time to fucking breathe again. After this heist, those wishes might come true after all. This was the big one, the score that would pay for everything. The royal vaults were sure to have enough valuable trinkets that even just a few would leave him set for life. Maybe King Eoghan kept important missives here too, ones that Eoghan’s enemies would pay good coin for… Myth’s charm heated up again in his pocket. He grimaced, glancing around for a hiding spot. The only thing he found was a door leading to an unknown room. He wasn’t a fan of unknown doors, but it didn’t sound like there was anyone inside. The door was locked, but between the small unlocking spell he knew and his own lockpicking skill, he got it open easily enough. He’d expected a storage room of some sort. Instead, it was a large library, with ornate display cases set out. Myth’s eyes widened. Forget the vaults. Scrolls would be easier to carry, and anything in these display cases would have to be valuable to somebody. Unfortunately, his warning charm was only getting warmer, and he heard footsteps approaching. Myth pulled the door shut with a small silencing spell on the hinges, then glanced around the room. There weren’t any good hiding spots. The best was the dark space underneath the desk. No time to think. Myth ducked under it and pulled the chair close, then pulled out another charm he’d brought along. It wasn’t an invisibility spell—Myth’s usual source of spells couldn’t produce them—but more of an… ignoring spell. As long as nobody bumped into him or stared directly at him, they wouldn’t notice him. He hoped he wouldn’t have to use it. Magic didn’t come cheap, and Myth’s own magical capabilities weren’t strong enough for more than a few minor spells here and there. Unfortunately, the door creaked, and Myth activated the charm just as it swung completely open. King Eoghan stepped inside, followed by a woman in distinctive sorcerer’s robes. Fuck. When Eoghan had kicked Myth out of the castle two days ago, that really had been the last time Myth had wanted to see the man. Nothing like his own father telling him he was worthless gutter trash to really win him over. Was there a family resemblance? Myth tried to find himself somewhere in this man, but with his dark curls and tanned skin, Myth took after his Priyanese mother more than his Phassian father. Eoghan was older than Myth’s mother by at least ten years. According to her, Eoghan had been very charming to her when she was a servant in this very castle. When it became clear she was with child, Eoghan had told her in no uncertain terms that she either disappeared on her own, or he would make her disappear. Myth hadn’t expected to be welcomed with open arms, but he’d hoped the threat of scandal would be enough to make Eoghan pay to make him go away. He’d been wrong. “You’re sure he’s gone?” Eoghan said to his companion. “I can’t afford for anything to go wrong.” The sorceress shrugged. “I’ve done what scrying spells I could. He wasn’t