A dark, gravelly voice startles me. I turn around toward the sound, but I don’t see anyone; just looming shadows. The candles lit throughout the room do not provide sufficient clarity, as their flames flicker.
“Are you that scared of me that you reside in the shadows?” I mock instead of answering him.
He tsk-tsks in response. “Don’t be a rude little human. It might get you into more trouble than you can save yourself from. I could tear you apart in a matter of seconds if I wanted to.”
My jaw ticks as I hear his words.
Then, he casually steps from the shadows. I catch my breath as I take in his beauty. I’ve never seen a man, no, a vampire, like him before; he’s almost ethereal. His dark, raven-black, mid-length wavy hair combined with a sharp jawline and long black eyelashes. His lips are full, and his sharp white teeth are displayed as he flashes me a savage grin. My heart flutters at the mere sight of him. He’s tall, 1.95m easily. His skin is so pale, almost translucent, and marked with intricate patterns. He wears a loose black blouse that clings to his body, revealing his muscles. I swallow, the sound loud in the sudden, deafening silence. His peculiar eyes lock onto mine. They are dark, almost black, as if his irises swallowed his pupils. His eyes are unlike theusual dark red eyes I’m accustomed to. He’s unlike any vampire I’ve ever seen.
“Why are your eyes not red?” I blurt out.
He looks at me in delighted surprise.
“Why are you not scared of me… human?” he counters as he cocks his head.
Shadows emerge from his markings and coil around him to prove a point: I should be terrified of him. I don’t care about the shadows; if anything, they explain how he can step into and out of them. That’s one question he’s answered unintentionally. I’ve never seen a vampire with such powers, though.
“You first,” I say.
He looks amused, liking my boldness. “Very well... because I am anUmbraedon, not a vampire. I feel slightly insulted that you thought of me as a mere vampire. My kind is also known as an Umbra. Your turn.”
I huff and cross my arms in front of me. I hold his stare, unrelenting. “That doesn’t explain anything to me. What’s the difference?”
He lifts a dark, well-groomed eyebrow at my forwardness, and I wonder if I am the first… being to talk to him as I do.
“You truly are an entertaining little human. One of the biggest differences is that an Umbra feeds on all beings, including vampires and witches of any kind, were-beings, and shifters; we are not picky. As we eat the cursed, our eyes are a hue of black. Satisfied?” He smiles with a toothy grin at me.
“I’m not scared of you because my magic protects me from the supernatural, includingyou.Satisfied?” I parrot mockingly. “Why have I never heard of Umbra’s before? Or seen one?”
He takes a step closer to me. I squint my eyes at him, unsure what he’s trying to prove. Fynn’s story vividly replays in my mind how he eliminated that vampire and weakened her. My touch will scorch his skin if he tries anything funny.
“Interesting. The magic that exudes from you is indeed old, like me. I knew it. How old are you, human? And what’s your name?”
“I turned 18 a week ago,” I hesitate, but something about this, vampire, no, Umbra, compels me to answer him, “My name is Harlot… What’s yours?”
“Harlot,” he muses, “What an odd name, but so fitting for your bloodline.” Before I can respond, he continues to speak. “My name is Emrys. I came into existence after the Witch Wars. My kind is a cruel twist of fate to maintain some of the balance that the dark creatures have destroyed by murdering all the White Witches and their magic. We are not cursed like the other dark creatures by the old Gods, but made by them if you will.”
“My kind purely exists to remind the Darkness that an even more brutal and vicious darkness lurks if they do not behave. We are scattered throughout the continents, solitary creatures. We are everywhere, yet only visible if we want to be.”
“As you can imagine, years of solitude can be boring. I enjoy stalking the shadows of the cities as a form of entertainment, and then I witnessed you, Harlot. I could smell your curiosity, your strange magic, sparking my interest. Your soul pulled me in, the words escaping my lips before I knew it.”
I gaze at the Umbra before me; its shadows have now retreated. A creature I just met has already told me more about this world I inhabit than my own mother ever has.
“What did you mean when you said my name is fitting for my bloodline?”
His intruding dark eyes are glued to mine as he steps closer until he stands in front of me, hovering over me. I crane my neck at him as I swallow. This man is pulling me in; unconsciously, I latch on to his every word.
“How do you do that? How can you withstand being so near to me?” I ask, bewildered.
Yet, I don’t make a move to step away from him. He looks down at me.
“Your magic only protects you from those that scare you, those you don’t want close to you. It seems you don’t mind me being near you.”
He cocks his head as he holds my gaze.
“I-I…” I stammer, unsure of what to say.
I decide to go with the truth.
