Lucidity hit me hard for a moment. Oh. Everything suddenly made a lot more sense. It was like every second of my life flashed before my eyes. Too bad I believed I might die before I could call Luke out on it.
Everything went black and I fell into a dream.
Chapter Thirty-One
Kara
The Past: Kara’s Human Senior Prom Night
Fiddling with one of the dozen bobby pins in my hair, I was almost nose to nose with my reflection in the mirror. There. I smiled, satisfied when the curl stayed in place. Half of my long locks were pinned up, while the rest lay against my bare back. The black sequin dress was lovely, and while it didn’t reveal anything more than my back, the material clung to my skin, drawing attention to the curve of my hips.
I spun around, inspecting myself. When I noticed how high my heels were, I frowned. I was already so much taller than Gregory. Maybe I’d do a lot of sitting instead of standing so I could stare at a face—any face—when I talked to Shadow. Excitement filled my lungs, and I materialized smaller heels.Something in my chest fluttered—fragile, like a heartbeat I hadn’t heard in years.
I still couldn’t believe I was speaking to Shadow in the flesh. The idea of chatting, laughing, and touching with my long-time friend, Hades! I needed to get to school so I could see him.
Unable to contain myself, I giggled as I faded and re-faded into the bathroom at high school. I took another quick peek at myself in the mirror, where I gave myself a wink,and then stepped into the hall. And nearly bumped into the calculus teacher in my rush.
“Kara.” Mrs. Smith gasped, clutching her chest before her fear morphed into a frown. “I didn’t see you come in.”
“Really?” I cocked my head. “I’ve been here a while. My mom dropped me off.” The fib rolled off my tongue easily. Everything in my life, especially with attending a school in the human world, was a lie.
“You always have a knack for popping out of nowhere.”
She had no idea.
Mrs. Smith shooed me forward. “Oh, well, get into the gym.”
“I’m waiting for someone,” I said, twisting around to face the entrance. I didn’t know where Shadow planned to meet me.
“I’ll take her off your hands, Mrs. Smith.” My skin tingled at Gregory’s voice.
The voice wore Gregory’s face, but it wasn’t him. The cadence was too calm, too sure. Gregory stammered when he was nervous. This voice had waited centuries.
How did he know her name? Shadow seemed to know everything. He should probably frighten me, but everything about him thrilled me. Even when I was a child trying to figureout why the shadows followed me, a sense of comfort came from him. The ominous presence lurking became my confidant. He never left me alone for long. I’d watched enough princess movies to infatuate myself with the idea that he was waiting for me to grow up and steal me away.
Perhaps it was time. Maybe my delusions were more than girly obsessions.
I was eighteen and, for the first time, he spoke to me—not wrote but spoke to me as a male. Well, not his body, but it didn’t matter.
“Kara is your date?” Mrs. Smith’s question pulled me from my reverie.
Shadow’s not paying attention to her. An instant flush of heat hit my face and neck. I didn’t know why his focus on me felt so much more intense. Shadow had been watching me for as long as I could remember, possibly all my life, and I never got an answer from him when I asked why.
“Yeah. She’s mine,” he said, never once breaking eye contact with me. “Isn’t she lovely?”
My lips curled upward.
“Yeah, she is,” Mrs. Smith agreed. “You two have fun.”
As soon as Mrs. Smith turned the corner in the hall, Gregory’s entire face darkened, and my stomach sank before he even uttered, “Beauty is nauseating. Its ability to turn heads, start wars, and ruin lives.”
This was Shadow. He was quite grumpy and a shrew of a guy, but—I didn’t even know what I wanted, what I expected from a night with him. I enjoyed verbally sparring with him, but there was a deep yearning for something else… More soft and less hateful. Something a little more real. I knew nothing aboutShadow, and he knew every part of my life. Just once, I wanted honesty and fewer insults. Every time he gave me a compliment, he always made a comment afterward to make it not mean anything. I had a hard time understanding him.
“This guy is not tall, is he?” Shadow lifted his finger to my neck. As he dragged the digit across my skin, a shudder ran through me. The deep, sudden tightening in my center was an unbearable thing, especially as he traced the finger near my cleavage. I realized then, Shadow was right. Gregory wasn’t tall, and the heels weren’t short enough. His eyes were level with my breasts.
Shadow was intent on teasing me about it, so I cleared my throat and side-stepped. “Shall we go to the dance?”
“If that’s what you want,” he replied, taking my hand.
