She opened her eyes, looking directly at me. "Should I be?"
"Most would be."
"Most haven't spent their lives dreaming of belonging somewhere." She reached out, touching my face with fingertips that trembled slightly. "The shadows feel like home."
Something powerful and primitive surged through me at her touch. The claiming bond, still incomplete, pulled tight between us. My vision sharpened, focusing entirely on her. Her pulse was visible at her throat and her scent was filling my senses.
The shadows responded, wrapping more securely around us both, creating a world that contained only us.
"Varkolak," she whispered, my name a question on her lips.
"The shadows recognize you," I said, voice rough with restraint. "They've never responded to a human this way."
"What does it mean?"
"I don't know yet."
But I had suspicions, dangerous ones that would upend everything the elders believed about humans, about our isolation, about our future.
"Will you stay?" she asked. "Just until I fall asleep?"
The request was innocent, but complying felt momentous. A boundary crossed.
"Yes."
I settled beside her bed, maintaining the shadow cocoon around her. Her tears had stopped, replaced by a look of wonder as she watched the darkness move like water around her fingers.
"I'll help you prepare for the trials," I promised. "You won't fail."
"Because you're protecting me?"
"Because you're stronger than they know."
She smiled, eyelids growing heavy as exhaustion claimed her. Just before sleep took her completely, she murmured, "The shadows knew me before I knew myself."
I watched her drift into dreams, surrounded by darkness that should have terrified her but brought comfort. The shadows continued to caress her even as she slept, drawn to her so I couldn't explain.
Whatever the coming trials would bring, one thing had become clear: Aya Fletcher wasn't just my genetic match. She was something unprecedented.
And I would do whatever was necessary to keep her safe, from my tribe, from their tests, even from myself.
CHAPTER 5
Aya
The shadow dwelling felt alien to me. Cold stone walls stretched up into darkness, rooms connected by tunnels carved into the mountain. My fingers traced the smooth surface, polished by centuries of shadow creatures moving through these spaces.
"You'll adjust," Varkolak said, his deep voice echoing slightly as he watched me explore. "Humans usually do."
I turned to face him, still not used to how his form seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. "Are there many humans here? In the shadow lands?"
"Few. Very few." He moved closer, his movements liquid and graceful. "You're the first in our settlement in many seasons."
My heart skipped. "Why me?"
"The blood test. It showed compatibility."
I wasn't sure whatcompatibilitymeant, but the way his midnight eyes lingered on me sent heat across my skin. I'd only been here two days, and already I felt drawn to him in ways I couldn't explain.
