A Soul to Keep

A Soul to Keep Plot Summary

Introduction

# Shadows of Desire: A Soul Caught Between Monsters and Moonlight The village bells toll their final warning as Reia Salvias stands in her wedding dress, crowned with flowers that will soon wither. For nineteen years, the villagers have whispered her name like a curse—angelus mortem, the angel of death who survived when demons devoured her family. Now, as shadows gather at their gates, they offer her as sacrifice to the creature that haunts their nightmares. But when the Duskwalker emerges from the forest—seven feet of bone and shadow crowned with spiraling horns—something unexpected passes between predator and prey. His burning blue eyes find hers across the cursed clearing, and in that moment, both their fates shift toward something far more dangerous than death. What begins as ritual sacrifice will become a journey into the heart of darkness itself, where love blooms in the most impossible places.

Chapter 1: The Sacrifice: A Woman Offered to Darkness

The creature that steps from the treeline defies every nightmare Reia has imagined. Orpheus moves on four legs like some primordial wolf, his massive frame draped in black robes that billow like storm clouds. Where his face should be sits the bleached skull of a predator, crowned with impala horns that catch the dying light. Blue fire burns in empty sockets, casting shadows that dance across the terrified faces of her former neighbors. Behind him pad two phantom wolves, their forms wreathed in azure flames, silent as death itself. The villagers shrink back as Chief Gilford presents their offering with trembling words, his voice cracking under the weight of desperate hope. They speak of honor and tradition, but Reia knows the truth—she is not a gift but garbage, finally being discarded by people who never wanted her. When Orpheus's massive hand closes around her throat, she expects crushing pain. Instead, his touch is careful, measuring, as if he understands exactly how fragile human bones can be. His voice resonates from within the skull without moving jaw or lips, ancient and otherworldly. "What is your name?" The question surprises her. Monsters don't usually care about names. When she answers, something flickers in those burning eyes—recognition, curiosity, perhaps even approval. The binding ritual that follows carves its mark into her wrist with surgical precision, a single drop of blood sealing a contract she barely understands. Blue light erupts around them as the protection spell takes hold over the village, and Reia realizes she has become something more than sacrifice. She has become his.

Chapter 2: Journey Through Shadow: Into the Veil of Monsters

Three days of walking through landscapes that grow progressively more alien bring them to the border of the Veil. The transition is marked by a wall of black mist that clings to towering cliffs, reeking of decay and ancient death. Reia retches as the stench hits her, but Orpheus had spoken truth—once they descend into the shadow realm itself, the air clears to reveal a twilight forest of surprising beauty. Under his cloak, pressed against his chest, she discovers that monsters can be warm. His scent surrounds her—not the rot she expected, but rich cedar and pine, earthy and clean. When demons call out from the darkness, drawn by human flesh, his growled warnings send them scurrying back into shadow. She begins to understand that in this realm of nightmares, she has found the most dangerous protector of all. The cabin that emerges from the gloom shatters every expectation about her captor's lair. Built from massive logs and surrounded by a garden where actual sunlight falls in golden shafts, it looks more like a fairy tale cottage than a monster's den. Inside, warmth radiates from a stone hearth, and the walls hold shelves lined with herbs, crystals, and curious trinkets that catch the candlelight. Orpheus moves through the space with practiced ease, lighting candles and preparing what he calls a cleansing bath. The ritual is intimate in ways that make her skin flush—his hands work oils into her flesh while she sits naked in the wooden tub. He explains the necessity with clinical detachment: without masking her human scent, every demon in the Veil would descend upon his home like locusts. Yet beneath his matter-of-fact tone, she senses careful restraint, as if this is as difficult for him as it is for her.

Chapter 3: A Monstrous Home: Unexpected Warmth in the Darkness

Morning brings sunlight streaming through windows and the discovery that Orpheus has prepared breakfast—fresh fruit from his garden, water from a nearby stream, tea brewed from herbs that taste of honey and wildflowers. He watches her eat with those burning blue eyes, and she catches glimpses of yellow flickering through them. Curiosity, he explains when pressed, though the colors can mean many things. The bedroom he shows her contains dresses—dozens of white wedding gowns that belonged to others who came before. The sight should terrify her, but Orpheus answers her unspoken question with surprising honesty. Some had fled and died in the forest. Others were taken by stronger demons. A few simply faded away, unable to adapt to life where sunlight is precious and safety exists only within carefully maintained boundaries. When she asks to go outside, he presents her with a circlet of silver and diamonds, ancient protection that will burn any demon foolish enough to touch her. The garden proves to be sanctuary within sanctuary, where roses and berries grow in defiance of perpetual twilight. Orpheus works methodically around the perimeter, carving protective circles and filling them with salt while she sits in precious sunlight. The attack comes without warning—a desperate demon drawn by human flesh, too hungry to respect boundaries that keep others at bay. Orpheus transforms in an instant, his human facade melting away to reveal something far more primal. Fur sprouts across his shoulders, bone ridges burst through skin, and his hands become claws capable of tearing through flesh like paper. The demon's death is swift and brutal, but what lingers is how he positioned himself between her and danger, the protective fury that drove his transformation.

Chapter 4: Forbidden Intimacy: Touch Across Boundaries of Being

That evening, as she helps him craft protective charms from dried herbs and small bones, Reia feels the first stirrings of something she dares not name. His hands guide hers as they work, and when their fingers touch, she feels warmth that has nothing to do with temperature. He is patient with her questions, gentle with her fears, and when he laughs at her clumsy attempts to tie ritual knots, the sound is rich and surprisingly human. Their conversations grow deeper, more honest. He tells her of the village of intelligent demons deeper in the Veil, creatures who have evolved beyond simple hunger into something approaching civilization. She shares the true story of her family's death, and he helps her understand that she is not cursed—merely unlucky enough to survive when others had not. The guilt that poisoned her for nineteen years begins to dissolve under his patient explanations. The evening baths become something else entirely when she asks him to remove his gloves. His hands are gray as storm clouds, with bone ridges protruding from knuckles, but they are infinitely gentle as they map her skin. She watches his eyes shift to deep purple and finally understands what the color means—desire, pure and undeniable. When she whispers that she feels the same, his control finally shatters. What follows is a claiming that transcends species, a joining of flesh and spirit that leaves them both transformed. His mouth finds secret places that make her cry out in languages she has never learned, and when she shatters beneath his touch, she understands that she is no longer his prisoner. She is his mate, his equal, his chosen companion in a realm where love is the rarest magic of all.

Chapter 5: Flight and Capture: Facing Inner and Outer Demons

The morning Orpheus leaves to fetch water, Reia makes her choice. She had lain awake all night, her body still burning from memory of his touch, when his ungloved hands had mapped every inch of her skin with reverent care. The intimacy terrified her more than any demon—not because it was unwanted, but because she wanted it so desperately. She picks the lock with skills learned from years of imprisonment in her village, grabs a dagger from his table, and runs. The forest welcomes her with shadows and whispers, but the protective amulet keeps smaller demons at bay. For precious hours, she believes she might actually reach the Veil's edge and find freedom in the world above. The illusion shatters when she stumbles into a web of silver threads that cling like liquid metal to her skin. The spider demon that emerges from mist is nightmare fusion of human torso and arachnid body, her face inverted and grinning with too many teeth. She calls herself the Weaver of Sorrows, and her gift is cruelty refined to art form. Wrapped in silk cocoons, Reia is forced to watch as illusions of her dead family accuse her of their murders, their voices echoing with all the guilt and self-hatred she has carried for nineteen years. The rescue comes like thunder—Orpheus in his most monstrous form, all claws and fangs and protective fury. He tears the spider demon apart with methodical precision, but when he turns toward Reia with red eyes blazing, she sees her own death approaching. Instead of running, she stands her ground and speaks his name. The sound cuts through his blood-drunk madness like a blade.

Chapter 6: The Protector Protected: Roles Reversed in Blood

The journey home becomes a race against time as Orpheus collapses, poison from the spider's sting coursing through his veins. Reia finds herself dragging his massive form across forest floor while lesser demons circle like vultures, drawn by scent of blood and weakness. The protective circle around his cabin has been broken by her flight, and now creatures that never dared approach his territory press close with hungry eyes. When the first demon breaks through failing barriers, Reia discovers reserves of strength she never knew she possessed. With a sword taken from Orpheus's collection, she fights like a woman possessed, her blade finding flesh and bone with desperate precision. The creatures that seemed so terrifying from distance prove vulnerable to sharp steel and determined fury. For two days and nights, she holds vigil while demons scratch at walls and whisper threats through windows. She crafts new protective charms with trembling fingers, rations the small amount of food and water available, and discovers that the safest place in the cabin is pressed against Orpheus's side, where his scent masks her own from hunters outside. When he finally wakes, his first concern is not for his own injuries but for hers. She had been wounded in the fighting, and the sight of bandages on her shoulder and ankle sends his eyes flashing red with renewed fury. But beneath the anger is something else—wonder that she had chosen to save him, gratitude that she had stayed, and growing realization that this human is unlike any who came before. She had not just survived in his world; she had fought for her place in it.

Chapter 7: Healing Wounds: Truths Revealed in Darkness

The demons eventually disperse, but their presence has changed something fundamental between captor and captive. Reia no longer sleeps in the small bedroom he prepared for her—instead, she curls against his side in his own bed, claiming she feels safer there. He makes no protest, though she can feel the tension in his body, the careful control he maintains to avoid crushing her in his sleep. In the village of intelligent demons deeper in the Veil, they walk among creatures who have evolved beyond simple hunger. These demons have built civilization from stolen knowledge, a mirror image of the world they helped destroy. The pastries smell delicious, the music is hauntingly beautiful, the architecture magnificent—all built on foundation of human suffering. The Owl Witch guides Reia to books that will unlock secrets about the world beyond the Veil, including truth about the Demon King whose castle looms in the distance. But the most important discovery is a simple fairy tale tucked among the pages—Beauty and the Beast, a story of love transcending boundaries between human and monster. The message is clear: some bonds are strong enough to bridge even the deepest divides. That night, back in their cabin, the evening bath becomes something else entirely. His hands, ungloved and reverent, map her skin with worshipful precision. When she whispers that she wants this, wants him, his control finally shatters completely. What follows is a claiming that transcends species, a joining that leaves them both transformed and bound by something far deeper than mere desire.

Chapter 8: Shadows and Light: A Soul's True Sanctuary

The greatest transformation is not Reia's acceptance of the monster, but Orpheus's discovery of his own capacity for gentleness. Through her eyes, he learns to see himself as more than creature of hunger and shadow. Her laughter fills corners of his home that had been silent for centuries, and her touch teaches him that tenderness is not weakness but the rarest form of strength. When the Demon King comes for her, using another human woman's hatred as weapon, Reia makes the ultimate choice. As life ebbs from her body, she offers Orpheus her soul—not as payment or bargain, but as gift freely given. The ethereal spirit that emerges from her chest is liquid flame, reaching toward him with arms of pure light. Death, it seems, is not the end for those who give their souls to a Duskwalker. Reia awakens as something new—a Phantom, existing on threshold between life and death. Her soul, now bound to Orpheus by threads of shadow and starlight, anchors her to the world through him. She can shift between corporeal and spectral forms at will, invisible to most creatures but always tethered to her beloved monster. The village that cast her out as harbinger of doom will never know that their sacrifice became salvation—not just for themselves, but for a being who had wandered alone through endless years of darkness. In choosing to stay, in fighting for her place beside him, Reia had given Orpheus the one gift he never dared ask for: proof that even monsters could be worthy of love.

Summary

In the shadowed depths of the Veil, where demons prowl and sunlight never touches the forest floor, two souls found in each other the home they had always been seeking. Reia's journey from sacrificial offering to willing partner revealed truths that challenged everything her people believed about the nature of good and evil, predator and prey. Her transformation from human to Phantom, bound eternally to the gentle monster who claimed her heart, stands as testament to love's power to transcend even death itself. The Veil would always be a realm of shadows, but within its heart burned a light that no darkness could extinguish. Their union became legend among the creatures of that twilight world—living proof that understanding could bridge any divide, that acceptance could transform the darkest of hearts, and that sometimes the greatest sanctuary is found not in fleeing from monsters, but in learning to see the soul that lives beneath the frightening mask.

About Author

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Opal Reyne

Reyne delves into the complexities of adult paranormal romance, weaving tales that transcend traditional boundaries by incorporating diverse mythological creatures and emphasizing the beauty of all ethnicities. Her work often focuses on monster romance, where mythological and horror elements intertwine to form rich narratives. This thematic approach is evident in her renowned "Duskwalker Brides" series, where monsters remain untransformed, challenging the archetype of handsome princes, while her "Witch Bound" series explores forbidden love between dragon-shifters and witches, showcasing her flair for complex relationships set against fantastical backdrops.\n\nHer writing journey, which began with an early passion for the genre, matured into a distinctive style characterized by strong character development and intricate world-building. Reyne's narratives are not just plot-driven but also deeply character-focused, creating a reading experience that is both engaging and immersive. The author’s early books underwent revisions to ensure quality, reflecting her commitment to growth and excellence. By constructing diverse worlds, she offers readers an enchanting escape while fostering a deeper appreciation for representation within storytelling.\n\nReaders of Opal Reyne's works gain more than just entertainment; they receive a rich tapestry of survival, identity, and complex human emotions woven into her stories. Her books cater to fans of paranormal romance who appreciate narratives that push boundaries and challenge stereotypes. This bio highlights her influence within the genre, demonstrating how her commitment to diversity and unique storytelling methods have set her apart. Despite the lack of public awards, the positive reception and recognition from the paranormal romance community underscore her significant impact on the genre.

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