“What?”
“Why won’t you admit you wanted to be near me like this, too?” I grabbed his hand, threading our fingers together. “Why do you always erase the nice things you say with something cruel?”
“I don’t.”
“Yes, you do.”
His eyes flashed bright red. “Do you want to dance or not?”
“Yes!”
“Then we’ll dance.” He pointed toward the exit. “But we’d do it alone.”
Heat rushed up my neck, flushing my cheeks. I hated how thrilled I felt, how eager my body was to be alone with him, even if it was Shadow. Especially because it was Shadow.
He tugged my hand, leading me past the parking lot toward the hill that overlooked the school. The oaks swayed in the night breeze, casting shadows under the moonlight.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Somewhere quiet.”
His silence stretched. Then, without warning, he asked, “Do you like the human world?”
I blinked. “Yeah.”
His brow furrowed. The lines on his forehead deepened as he tightened his grip on my hand.
“Do you really like their company?”
“Humans?” I quirked a brow. “Yes.”
He stopped beneath a massive tree and gestured for me to sit. The wind pulled at the curls pinned in my hair. Leaves rustled above us, but Shadow stood there, unmoving, expression carved in stone.
“Why does that bother you?” I asked slowly, lowering myself onto the grass.
He didn’t answer immediately. He just stared at the sky, then back down at me, eyes unreadable.
“Kara.”
With a huff, I held my dress against my thighs and sat. He joined me, leaning against the tree. At first, I had been excited about that night with Shadow, but the more I noticed how oddly he behaved, my hands grew clammy. My heart twisted painfully. His usual grumpiness was more like restlessness instead. He looked irritated, and I’d catch him staring constantly until I returned his gaze.
Nudging his shoulder, I asked, “What is it?”
I didn’t want to fight with him any longer. I wanted to fix the fissure settling in my chest cavity. There had to be a reason he seemed so odd.
“You don’t belong here,” he said, grabbing my hand and lifting it to inspect.
“These hands,” he started, letting his fingers glide down my arm. “This body.” He caressed my chin, tilting my face left, then right before leaning closer. “You may look like them, but you don’t belong here.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.” His finger grazed my bottom lip, and a pulse of need built in my panties. “You have no idea, Kara, no idea where you belong.”
“And you know?” I asked, barely listening as I leaned closer.
“Yes, I do,” he uttered against my lips. We were so close I could taste his breath. “Careful now… If you kiss me, you’ll long for another one for a very long time. You’ll search for the spark with someone else, but it won’t come.”
“Is that wishful thinking on your part?” I darted my tongue out and licked his lower lip, causing him to tense.
