"Are you waiting for someone?" the man asked, shuffling some more. I got the feeling he'd turned to face me.
"I have a friend in there. We were supposed to meet, but I can't get in," I explained, and the man hummed.
"What's your friend's name?"
"Shade," I replied quickly, hoping this man was someone who could or would let me in. I could feel the magic that surrounded him like I'd felt it inside the Sanctuary yesterday. Whoever he was, he was powerful.
He seemed surprised by my answer, and a clink of metal had me furrowing my brows and drawing back. Was he grabbing a weapon of some kind? Had I messed up somehow?
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. It's just my arm," he said, as metal brushed against my palm. Taking that as permission, I trailed my fingers over the metal, realizing quickly it was a prosthetic of some kind, going all the way to the man's elbow.
"Oh, that's fascinating," I said, then felt myself flush. "Sorry."
He gave a warm laugh. "It's all right. Draven did marvelous work with it, and I find it quite fascinating too. Now come on—let's get you to Shade."
"I can come in?" I asked, shooting to my feet as a wide grin spread across my lips.
"Yes, of course. Any friend of Shade's is welcome here. You do know what this place is, right?"
"I do. He told me yesterday."
"Ah, that was you," he said, as if something finally made sense, and I remembered the man who'd come asking if Shade knew who'd come through the door.
"Wait. Are you... are you Zephyr Morrigan? The man who made this place?" I asked as we paused in front of the door, turning my head toward him.
"Oh, my bad. I should've introduced myself. Yes, I'm Zephyr. It's nice to meet you."
"I'm Diego," I said, and he paused for a moment before patting my shoulder with a firm but flesh-and-blood hand.
"Welcome to the Sanctuary, Diego."
Shade
Diego was late and I was getting nervous. Had he changed his mind? He couldn't change his mind, not now.
Last night, I'd dreamed of my mother for the first time in years. She'd held me in her arms as we sat in our cave, peering at the stars we could barely see out of the cave's exit. We sat as far away from it as possible so light wouldn't reach us when we woke the next morning, but even from here, we could see a few.
Ma was telling me a story, and it was my favorite one.
"You'll see, sweetie. One day, you'll meet them, that one person who will make your shadows dance, whom you will never want to let go. They'll make you happy in a way no one can, and with them, you'll be able to see the world."
"How will I know it's them?" I'd asked, excited about the prospect of finding that special person who would be just mine.
Ma had smiled at me, then pressed a kiss on my forehead. "When you first see them, you'll know they're special. You'll want to protect them, and so will your shadows. If you're ever separated, your shadows will stay with them to keep them safe until they can bring them back to you."
"Do you think I will find them soon?" I'd asked, and Ma had assured me I would. Which wasn't true, since it'd taken me a few centuries to get here.
I'd woken up from that memory-dream with my heart in my throat and a desperate need to see Diego again. I had no idea what he would say if I told him what he meant to me. I didn't even know if he was interested in men, much less me. He'd always known I wasn't human, and he'd accepted me, but that had been as a friend.
The outside door to my area opened, and I raced to the door, all worries thrown aside as I waited impatiently. The second door opened, and I slumped when I saw it was the headmaster, then straightened right back up when I saw Diego was with him.
I hurried to him, paying no mind to the headmaster—even though I should probably have been worried why Diego was with him—as I took Diego's hands in mine, scanning his face. "Are you okay?"
He smiled up at me, his hazel eyes soft. "I am. I couldn't get in, but then Zephyr let me in." I blinked. Why were they on a first-name basis already?
I turned to the headmaster, who gave me a shrug. "You should've told me about him yesterday, and I would've registered him into the ward."
"I wasn't sure you'd allow it," I said, and his brows furrowed as he glanced between us.
