And hopefully, this restlessness within her would fade.
* * *
Shadow made her way to the kitchen after Nik left, already missing him.
Soft laughter echoed in her mind.I can hear your thoughts,agápi.I’ll be back before you know it, and I’ll make it up to you.
Can’t wait.She huffed out a laugh. She loved this connection between them, feeling his warmth inside her, his amusement. She didn’t feel so lonely anymore.
Shadow walked into the spacious but rowdy kitchen, rich with the aroma of coffee and the evening meal. All the women were there except for Ely.
Darci set her cup down and rose from the table. “I’ve got a few things to do. Michael’s gotten some old scrolls he wants cataloged and put away. I’ll see you later.”
“We’ll join you.” Kira glanced up. “Shadow!” she cried, jumping and hurrying over. “When did you get back?”
Smiling, Shadow shut the door behind herself. “A little while ago.”
“C’mon, sit.” Kira practically dragged her to a chair and parked herself on the seat next to Shadow. “What happened with you and Nik? Tell us, tell us!”
“I’m so sorry about her,” Echo said, plonking herself on Shadow’s other side. “She can’t help herself. She’ssoooonosy.” Her mismatched eyes sparkled. “Now tell us what happened when you got to Romania.”
“Yes, do.” Darci grinned, sitting again.
And just like that, the lingering tension, the frustration, the sense of helplessness faded. Shadow burst out laughing. She missed the affinity she found with the girls, their easy banter.
“Was Nik mad?” Shae asked from across the table.
Hedori, who’d just walked into the kitchen, smiled in greeting. “Would you like something to eat?”
“Yes, please,” she answered him, and to the girls, she said, “Nik told me to leave.”
Mouths dropped open, then snapped shut.
Kira waved it off. “But you didn’t. It’s been two days.”
Shadow set her new cell phone on the table. “I wasn’t going to let him tell me what to do.”
“Good for you.” Echo nodded.
“Well, long story short, I can now do this.” She summoned her obsidian dagger because it was so pretty, and it didn’t make her skin itch like her iron blade did, and she loved it. Moreover, the weapon said everything, so she didn’t have to go into the whole story. They would know.
The moment the obsidian took form in her hand, shrieks of excitement erupted.
“Our numbers grow. Soon we’ll no longer be the minority,” Shae said with a warm smile.
Hedori set a plated meal in front of her. A chicken breast oozing with some kind of herb, bacon, and cheese stuffing, and a side of mixed veggies.
Shadow left the dagger on the table. As she ate, she filled the girls in about Tolvi, about him marking her, but she left out Nik’s confession about his past, and ended with the hellhound hunting them.
“And you sliced that thing’s belly?” Darci asked, eyes wide, all thoughts of cataloging scrolls apparently forgotten. “Wow, you are brave.”
“No, I wasn’t when facing the creature.” Shadow grimaced, eating another bite of chicken. “After it tossed Race and Nik aside, it was me or it. So, I attacked.”
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Kira said, then she scrunched her face. “I hate fighting of any sort.”
Shadow smiled. “I don’t mind—”
“Great,” both Echo and Shae said in unison, then laughed. “We’re always looking for sparring partners,” Echo added.
