Threaded

Copyright © 2023 by Tay Rose. Cover Art by Maria Spada. Chapter Header Art by Momo: @momosbookss (Instagram) Editing by Brittney Corley of This Bitch Reads Media. Proofreading by Taylor Robinson of Taylored Text, LLC. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. Any relation to any person or place is entirely coincidental. 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. Please direct inquiries to [email protected]. Paperback ISBN: 979-8-9876709-1-0 E-Book ISBN: 979-8-9876709-0-3 CONTENTS Author’s Note 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 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Acknowledgments About the Author For those whose life took a path they did not anticipate, but have learned to find beauty in the unknown. AUTHOR’S NOTE Threaded is an adult fantasy romance containing content which may not be suitable or appropriate for all readers, including sexual content, adult language, violence, depictions of childhood trauma, and mentions of sexual abuse. Reader discretion is advised. This is book one in a series and ends on a cliffhanger. PROLOGUE Two sisters stood together in an ethereal plane, in a world that existed beyond the comprehension of mortal minds. One was older, but only just. Long ago, her younger sister was taken from her, hidden away in the darkest of the realms by one who believed possession and control could remedy a broken heart. The elder didn’t know how much time had passed since she’d last seen her sister. That concept—time—did not exist to her. All she knew was her balance, her scale, the other side of her same coin, had been gone. But now she was back. The sisters embraced once more, both feeling complete to be reunited again. As if all was set right. If only that were true. The younger sister released the elder, stepping out from her embrace. He will come for me. You know he will. She spoke with the whispers of the night wind through the stars. Her older sister frowned. I would like to see him try to take you from me again. Her words burned through the infinite expanse like a spark of warmth in a mortal’s chest. The younger smiled sadly. You are strong, lifted up by many who hold your presence in their hearts and minds. It seems that with my time … away … I have not been so lucky. You are not weak— I am, my sister. At least, I am right now. Wildfire flashed in the younger sister’s eyes. Yes. Only for now. Then we have time. For you to grow your strength. The elder’s voice was strong and sure. You know we do not. Once he discovers I am gone—which he likely already has—he will come for me. He will not waste time. I spent five thousand years with him, sister. He will come, and he will draw me away from you by taking this fight somewhere you can not go. The elder’s strong expression faltered, just slightly. I made the decision to save that world. Have I doomed it? The younger grabbed her sister’s hand. No. I will not let him take that world from you—from us. That world is ours, and its people are our children. The elder regarded her sister. You have a proposal. Tell me. The younger pulled all her immortal grace to her before meeting the elder’s gaze. If we join, then together, our power in that world might be enough to stop him. The elder blinked, and then scoffed. Impossible. If we join, in these forms, then we would doom not just that world but all the realms. I don’t mean in these forms, nor in any form on this plane, my sister. The elder snapped her gaze back to her sister. Comprehension spread across her face. She thought for a moment; the possibilities playing through her mind on an endless, eternal loop. This … this could work. We would have one chance. I have no more grace to give, and you can only give yours once. And even then … we would not survive it. Not as we are now. I know. It is the only way. The younger’s voice was stoic and assured. She’d thought about this for five millennia while trapped in that endless darkness devoid of starlight. She knew this was their only hope. The elder looked away from her, gazing out across the violet expanse of their endless realm. She had long ago doomed herself to spend the remainder of eternity there, unable to visit the beautiful world with stars and seas and life she’d helped to create. She had no desire for her sister to do the same. But there was one thing she loved more than her sister. One thing she loved more than the single, sparkling north star that grounded her in ways her sister could not. She would gladly give away her entire, immortal being to save that world. She looked back to her younger sister. Who? Just as the word spilled into the void between them, the two sisters felt a soul flash into existence. A soul that ached for freedom, that longed to be filled