SHADOW BOUND by Garrett Leigh

SHADOW BOUND by Garrett Leigh

 

Pages: 19

Date: July 27, 2015

Details: Free Short Story

E-book

The blurb:

“Broken and bleeding on the forest floor, a wounded warrior must choose between the finite end of his supernatural existence and an undeniable bond with the healing hands of an enemy.

After a fearsome battle with a pack of rabid werewolves, wounded vampire Luca is abandoned by his coven. His wounds are many, and with the gaping gash of a werewolf bite poisoning him from the inside out, he has no hope of healing.

He lies on the forest earthy ground, watching his crystalline form disintegrate. Addled by pain, his mind wanders as one by one, his senses begin to fade. Then a stranger appears in the clearing, casting a new light over Luca, a light that warms him from the inside out.

Dashiel offers Luca a chance of survival…a chance to live, but, first, Luca must decide if his brittle heart is ready for the life Dashiel is offering.”

My thoughts:

“He had existed for many years, but he had not lived. Had not loved or been loved. He’d seen the worst the world had to offer – death, cruelty and violence – and he was tired. Tired enough to fade away if Dash didn’t want him.”

I’m a fan of Garrett Leigh. She writes beautiful and heartfelt stories using precise, descriptive and well chosen words. I’m also a bit afraid of her books because this author does angst very well, and this reader is not very good at dealing with angst. When this free short story became available I took one look at the blurb, one-clicked and sat down to read it. I am very glad I did.

This is a beautiful and original story. We see very little of the world Luca and Dash live in but what we are shown is enough to put us straight in the narrative and to make us understand what’s happening.

This is a story about the choices we make; a tale about the difference between being alive and living, a fable about the power of love. Shadow Bound is powerful, thought-provoking and glorious. (Oh dear, am I gushing again?).

Do yourself a huge favour and pick up this freebie. It is a wonderful read and while it is quite possible you’ll find yourself wishing you could have spent more time with Luca and Dash, I certainly did, you won’t feel short changed by the length of this story. As short stories go, this one is pretty much perfectly formed.