"I choose both," I growled.
With a surge of power I'd never accessed before, I split my consciousness. Half my shadows remained to fight alongside Elder Morokh, carrying the physical evidence toward the stage. The rest of me, my core essence and my most powerful shadows, launched after Aya.
The strain was immediate and devastating. Pain tore through me as I divided my being, stretched between two purposes. But I pushed through it, racing after the transport where they were loading Aya's limp form.
Behind me, I could feel my shadows helping Elder Morokh reach the stage, presenting the evidence to the stunned tribal leaders. Umbra's shouts of denial echoed across the amphitheater.
But my focus was singular now: Aya.
I reached the transport just as its engines fired. With a roar of effort, my shadows wrapped around the vessel's landing gear, holding it in place. Guards fired weapons at me, energy bolts passing harmlessly through my non-corporeal form.
"She belongs with me," I snarled, pulling myself up onto the transport as it struggled against my hold.
Inside, I found Aya strapped to a medical gurney, unconscious but alive. The pilot turned in shock as shadows filled the cabin. I didn't waste time with words. My darkness engulfed him, throwing him off the transport while I took control of the vessel.
As I carefully lifted Aya into my arms, I felt the other part of me succeeding on the stage. Through my divided consciousness, I could hear Umbra's confession as Elder Morokh's shadows forced the truth from him before all the tribal leaders.
The pain of maintaining my divided form was becoming unbearable. Darkness crept into the edges of my vision as I guided the transport back toward the amphitheater.
"Stay with me," I whispered to Aya's unconscious form. "I found a way to choose both."
Her eyes fluttered open briefly, focusing on my face. "I knew you would," she murmured before slipping back into unconsciousness.
As the transport descended toward the now-silent amphitheater, I glimpsed Umbra being restrained by leaders from multiple tribes. Justice and Aya, I had refused to sacrifice either.
The strain of my divided self finally overwhelmed me. As we landed, my shadows collapsed back into my body, and darkness claimed me completely.
The last thing I felt was Aya's hand finding mine as we both fell into the void together.
CHAPTER 13
Aya
Cold stone pressed against my back as I curled up on the narrow cot. Three days in this cell, and the only change had been the guards who brought tasteless gruel twice daily. My fingers traced the iron collar around my neck—the dampener that blocked my connection to Varkolak and suppressed the shadow abilities I'd only just discovered.
"Eat." The guard shoved a tray under the door slot. Same gray mush as yesterday.
I ignored him, turning to face the wall. My stomach growled in protest, but I couldn't bring myself to eat. Not when I knew what they planned for me.
The separation ritual.The words echoed in my mind like a death sentence. Elder Niall had explained it with clinical detachment yesterday. They would sever my bond with Varkolak, permanently erase our connection as if it had never existed.
"You'll thank us later," he'd said. "These pairings were never meant to happen."
Footsteps echoed down the hall after the guard left. Not the heavy tread of the guards, but lighter. Female.
"Psst. New girl." A whisper came from the adjacent cell.
I rolled over, pressing myself against the bars separating our cells. "Hello?"
A pale hand extended through the bars. "I'm Leena. They got you too, huh?"
I reached out, our fingertips barely touching. "Aya. What do you mean 'too'?"
"Shadow-matched, right? Against the council's precious plans."
"How many of us are there?"
Leena laughed bitterly. "Six that I know of. We're all down this corridor. All matched with the 'wrong' shadow creatures."
