I swallowed hard. "Will you hunt me?"
The other shadow creatures nearby went still, clearly listening.
Varkolak reached out, his fingers stopping just short of my cheek. "Never. Your energy isn't for taking. It's for..." He paused, searching for words. "Sharing."
My breath caught. Something in his tone made the word "sharing" sound intensely intimate.
The female shadow creature who had spoken to me earlier made a disgusted sound and turned away. I understood that not everyone welcomed this human in their midst.
I woke to chaos in my small sleeping chamber. I found my few belongings—the clothes from Tankor, my parents' worn photo, and the shell necklace I'd made—scattered across the floor. The necklace crushed with pearls and shells ground to dust.
Worse, someone emptied my water container onto my sleeping mat, soaking it completely. In this cold mountain cave, I'd have no way to dry it before night.
I gathered my things, hands shaking with anger and hurt. I'd only been here five days. Who would do this?
A shadow fell across the entrance, and I looked up to see a female shadow creature as tall, willowy, with eyes that glinted like obsidian.
"Humans don't belong here," she said flatly. "Go back to your sea colony."
I recognized her voice from the hunting night. The one who had laughed bitterly.
"I can't go back," I said, meeting her gaze. "I was sent here."
"Because your blood test showed compatibility." She spat the word like venom. "That doesn't make you one of us."
Two more shadow figures appeared behind her, younger males with hostile postures.
"We don't need human weakness in our clan," one said.
I stood, drawing myself up to my full height, though I was still much smaller than them. "I didn't ask to come here. But I'm not leaving."
The female stepped closer. "Your things are broken. Your bed is wet. There's no place for you."
"Then I'll make a place." My voice came out stronger than I felt. "I survived an orphanage in Tankor where thirty children fought over scraps of food. I survived diving for spiny crustaceans in freezing water when I was ten. This?" I gestured at my ruined belongings. "This is nothing."
Something flashed across her face, not as respect, but perhaps surprise.
"Mela." Varkolak's voice cut through the tension as he appeared behind the group. "Is there a problem?"
The female, Mela, stiffened. "Just welcoming our guest."
Varkolak moved past them into my chamber, surveying the damage. His face hardened. "This is not our way."
"It should be," one of the young males muttered. "Humans are prey, not?—"
Varkolak turned so quickly I barely saw him move. Suddenly, Varkolak pinned the young male against the wall, Varkolak's arm across his throat, darkness emanating from him in waves.
"Finish that sentence," Varkolak said, his voice terrifyingly calm.
The young male's eyes widened in fear. "I meant no disrespect to you, Varkolak."
"But you meant it to her." He released the male, who stumbled away. "Clean this chamber. Bring new bedding. Now."
They left quickly, Mela casting one last glare at me before disappearing.
When we were alone, Varkolak turned to me. "Are you hurt?"
I shook my head, suddenly feeling the adrenaline drain from my body. "Just angry. And sad." I knelt to pick up my parent's photo, water-damaged. "This was all I had from my parents."
