In 2010, Shadow turned 108. Long gone were the leather pants and weaponry that made her look like a tiny assassin. In their place were the trappings of the gloriously filthy rich. Most of her clothes bore no brand name and those that did were heavily tailored to her very small frame.
She found her way to New Orleans in 2002, and in eight years, she could boast some major accomplishments. She was Bonded to the Tenebroso Elder and not for money or power, though he had both - She loved her Bonded. She was Regent. She had cleaned up Europe to point of a finely tuned machine and she didn’t openly war with any Tenebroso. Though, whether that was her personality, her Bonded, her position, or her scary scary abilities, no one quite knew. If asked, she probably would have responded that her blanket is better than their blanket.
Shadow was born to darkness in Terre Haute, Indiana. Her Sire moved her to Indianapolis, Indiana shortly after her embrace. For the first few years, she was under the care of her GrandSire, Jacques LeSombra Dark and had very limited contact with the man who actually made her. But that ended after 10 years.
Shadow stayed with her Sire for another 66 years. During that time she was beaten, drained, tortured and made to be nothing but a vampiric blood doll for her Sire's amusement. After all, this had been how it started, this would be how it ended. Shadow finally grew extremely tired of the abuse. She began to coerce the servants in to letting her out more than once a night and she began plotting. Plotting for her freedom. Plotting to escape. Anything was better than the hell she was currently experiencing. Towards the end her Sire's humans started helping her escape at night to feed. Sometimes they just let her feed off them as long as she didn't kill them. They also began to plot with her.
Shadow snuck into her Sire's chambers early one evening before he awoke. The previous night she had drunk from many inebriated men knowing that her Sire would then feed from her taking in all of that drunken blood. While her Sire was still in a deep, drunken sleep she staked him through the heart with a pencil she found on his desk, and drained his blood completely, taking in all of his power. She then cut off his head with his own silver sword and burned his body along with the rest of his haven. The flames shot 100 feet in the air thanks to the humans leaving canisters of kerosene laying around for her easy use. The deed actually made the papers and the national news. The police are still searching for the arsonist in Indianapolis.
The drinking of her Sire's blood was both a blessing and a curse. Along with his advanced power over shadow manipulation and his knowledge, she also took in all of his thoughts and the atrocities that he had done throughout his life making her already nightmare filled days even worse.
She fled to New Orleans as a runaway, unaware of her family line or even that of their history. Her Sire had never bothered to tell her who she was or where she came from. She was nothing more than an accident. The only sign that she might be something more than a runaway is her unconscious and untrained manipulation of shadows far beyond that of any Tenebroso currently living.
The nightmare filled days are gone. Intense telepathic intervention by Cade solved that problem.
When New Orleans died in a fiery demolition of Werewolves and Believers, Shadow fled with Cade to San Francisco. Deciding instantly that she didn't like San Francisco, she left after spending less than 24 hours in the city. Her destination for the next two years was Terre Haute, Indiana. She went back to her hometown. During that time, she spent her nights researching her past, her Sire, and her Grandsire. There was no one that could help her with this task other than herself - and so - she dove into it. When she finished, she had everything she needed, and 10 bank accounts.
It was a little fraud and a little help from the Devious Queen of the Tenebroso that brought Shadow back to New Orleans six months before anyone else knew that it was reopening to the Vampires. What Shadow did then is subject to speculation, but the rumors of darkness and cool death surfaced. What happened to the King of the Tenebroso? Shadow doesn't know and doesn't care. She was never told and never asked. She was on her own assignments. The only thing that is known, is that whatever Shadow did, it earned her the position of Regent and six trips overseas to forcefully re-secure the businesses they had almost lost.
Upon arriving back in New Orleans, Shadow had hoped for a calm night. Instead, she was ordered by the Queen to kill Marek Tenebroso, Cade's Childe. For hours, Shadow attempted to garner Cade's attention, but aside from staring at her attire and collar bones, she couldn't manage the task. Finally, using the Bond, she asked for his help only to be delayed and denied.
Within minutes of her last plea, Marek was dead, but not by Shadow's hand. Accusations flew. Screaming matches ensued. Her own Bonded accused her of Betrayal. However, Shadow remained concrete in her words. She did not kill Marek Tenebroso. In fact, she hadn't killed much of anything. The reports had flown in to Carolina - royalty dead, king potentials assassinated. Yet, nothing pointed towards Shadow. Evidence mounted. Shadow even brought back the evidence of Gastone LeSombre Tenebroso's death - a ring. Yet, she swore to Cade that she had only killed a handful, and her reasons were not of the Queen.
Betrayal. Staunchly stubborn in her answers, Shadow maintained her innocence. The stress mounted. Finally, unable to tolerate anything else, the appearance of Victoria Tenebroso sent her over the edge. Cade was her Bonded. In a flash of rage, bones were broken and Victoria was thrown from the Plantation. Surprisingly, Cade exited with his mistress, leaving Shadow alone with Joost and Giselle. Neither understood.
Giselle refused to believe that her Sire had shoved Shadow, gripped her, yelled. None of it. Joost and Shadow knew the truth.
Chaos and hours later, a mental yell from Giselle prompted Cade's return to the mansion. Unable to console Shadow or himself, Cade retired to bed.
Still distraught, Shadow spent hours on the phone with Sean only to fall asleep atop Cade. Denied at sunset and still upset, Shadow exited the Plantation to spend quiet time with Sean. Their location was a new art gallery. Shadow loved art. She loved paintings and statues and quiet. However, all the silence did nothing to alleviate her upset. Growing more withdrawn, she stepped outside only to be returned to the gallery by Sean.
Sulk evident, Cade finally turned his attention towards his extremely unhappy Bonded. The misery had to stop. The separation was killing them. Suddenly, Shadow found herself exactly where she belonged, Cade's arms. Exited to the limousine and a securely tucked away blanket, Shadow finally relaxed. She was home with her Bonded.
It didn’t cure things, but it helped. She no longer worried about sleeping in an empty bed. It didn’t happen. The affairs slowed considerably. The turning point was in Cade’s office. She’d come downstairs because she wanted to talk and she really wanted a hug. She expected a pat on the head maybe a kiss. She got several kisses, and they did talk. It was business oriented, but it was something. Then, they did something they hadn’t done in years. The sex was brutal, destructive to the furniture, and intensely satisfying.
In the coming weeks, their lives slowed. They had time to talk or argue as they were want to do in the beginning. Communication was ridiculously hard for both of them. It took them a couple weeks to resolve all outstanding issues. The rest of the time was spent in the bedroom with brief exits to take care of matters that could not wait.
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