I looked up at him, really looked at him. In the weak morning light, his features seemed less alien than they had when we first met. His dark skin had a subtle sheen that caught the light, and his eyes—deep and watchful—held an intelligence and emotion that defied the rumors about his kind being mindless predators.
"What are you thinking?" he asked softly.
Heat rushed to my cheeks. "That I've been lied to my whole life. About monsters. About you."
I stood, my legs steadier than yesterday, and moved to the window. Outside, the wild territories stretched in every direction, beautiful and dangerous in equal measure.
"When they matched our blood samples," I said quietly, "I was terrified. Everyone told me shadow creatures were violent, emotionless. That you'd consume my shadow and leave me hollow."
"And what do you believe now?" He moved behind me, not touching but close enough that I could feel the coolness radiating from his body.
I turned to face him, heart pounding. "I believe they were wrong about everything."
The moment hung between us, charged with something I couldn't name but felt in every part of my being. Since the partial ritual, I'd been more aware of him, more connected. Could feel his presence even when he wasn't visible.
"Aya..." My name sounded different when he said it, like a sacred word.
"I know it's crazy," I whispered. "We've only known each other for weeks. But since the ritual... I feel..."
"Connected," he finished.
"More than that." I gathered my courage. "I have feelings for you. Real feelings. Not just because of some blood ritual or genetic match."
His expression softened, shadows receding until he appeared almost human. "I've existed for twenty-eight years in darkness, Aya. Until you, I never knew light."
My breath caught as he reached out, his fingers tracing the line of my jaw. The touch sent electricity through me, awakening nerve endings I didn't know existed.
"I shouldn't want this," he murmured. "You deserve better than a life on the run with a creature of shadows."
I leaned into his touch. "I've spent my whole life dreaming of belonging somewhere. With someone. Maybe it doesn't make sense, but I feel like I belong with you."
His eyes darkened, pupils expanding until they consumed the iris. "The ritual only partially bonded us. If we complete it..."
"I know." I placed my hand over his. "I'm not afraid."
The tension between us was unbearable, a live wire of need and restraint. I could feel his desire, not just physically, but emotionally, through our partial bond. Could sense his struggle between protecting me and claiming me.
A crash from outside shattered the moment.
Varkolak moved with inhuman speed, pulling me away from the window as something metal clattered against the outer wall.
"Get down!" he shouted, throwing his body over mine as an explosion rocked the building.
My ears rang as dust and debris rained down. Through the new hole in the wall, I could see shadowy figures approaching, not Varkolak's but something else. Taller, more angular, with eyes that glowed amber in the morning light.
"Malakar assassins," Varkolak growled, pulling me to my feet. "From the northern tribe."
"How did they find us?" I coughed, struggling to see through the dust.
"The ritual." His face was grim. "They can sense our partial bond. It's like a beacon to them."
Another explosion hit the far side of the outpost.
"We need those records," I said, scrambling toward the fallen folders.
Varkolak nodded, helping me gather them. "The back exit. Now!"
We ran through the crumbling outpost, the sound of pursuit close behind. Varkolak's form shifted constantly between solid and shadow, absorbing impacts from debris falling around us.
