Aya concentrated, brow furrowed. For a moment, nothing happened, then a whisper of shadow drifted across her fingertips before dissipating.
I sucked in a breath. Impossible.
"Did I do something?" She turned her face toward mine, so close I could count her eyelashes.
"No," I lied. "But you're sensing them. That's more than most humans ever achieve."
My hands had moved to her wrists now, ostensibly to position her correctly. Her pulse hammered against my fingertips.
"Again," I murmured, my mouth closer to her ear than necessary. "Focus."
We practiced for an hour, my hands occasionally guiding her arms, her shoulders, her waist. Each touch lingered longer than it should have. The shadows responded to my growing desire, darkening the room further, curling around both our ankles now.
"You're distracting me," she finally said, her voice hushed in the darkness.
"Am I?" I didn't move away.
"You know you are."
I stepped back, needing distance. "We're done for today."
Her disappointment was palpable. "That's it? I was just starting to feel something."
Oh, I was feeling plenty. Too much. "Tomorrow," I promised, moving toward the door. "Same time."
A sharp knock interrupted us. The door swung open without waiting for my response, and my cousin Nyx stood there, his tall frame blocking the light from the hallway.
His eyes narrowed when he saw Aya. "So it's true. You're training the human."
"The Elder assigned me to her." I kept my voice neutral, though the shadows around me darkened in response to my irritation.
"A waste of time." Nyx stepped into the room, circling Aya like prey. "Humans can't manipulate shadows. Their blood is too thin, their spirits too weak."
I felt Aya stiffen beside me but admired how she kept her expression calm.
"The Elder seems to think differently," she said, meeting his gaze without flinching.
Nyx's lip curled. "The Elder is getting old. His judgment falters."
"That's enough." I moved subtly between them. "State your business, Nyx."
"I came to issue the challenge." His dark eyes flickered to me. "Her presence here dishonors our bloodline. The elders must see she doesn't belong."
Something cold and dangerous coiled in my chest. "What kind of challenge?"
His smile was all teeth. "Tomorrow at dusk. The Shadow Arena. Let her prove her worth—or let her leave."
"She's under my protection." The words came out before I could consider them.
Nyx raised an eyebrow. "Is she? How interesting." He leaned closer to me, voice lowered. "She has you bewitched already? Or is it just that you haven't bedded a human in decades?"
The surrounding shadows lashed out without conscious thought, striking the wall beside Nyx's head. He didn't flinch, but his smile widened.
"The challenge stands. Tomorrow at dusk." He looked at Aya again. "Unless you're afraid, human."
"I'll be there," she said quietly.
After he left, she turned to me, face pale but determined. "What exactly did I just agree to?"
