Chapter Two

I wake with a gasp, jolting upright in my bed. My body is covered in sweat. This is happening too often. It's the same dream again. The one that has haunted me for the last few weeks.

I've never had issues with dreams before. It isn't a common problem among shadows. I look out the aperture and know by the brightness of the artificial lights it is daytime—still time to sleep.

Though our world is dark all the time, we have a standard time to wake and sleep. I don't follow those rules exactly because my shifts are during the night, so I follow them backward. Our nights run concurrent with the human realm, but this isn't true for all realms.

By the way I feel, I assume I have quite a few hours before it is time to head in for my shift. We don't have clocks, but I have learned how to tell time by the brightness. Like how humans can tell time with the sun. I'm not fully rested but mentally wide awake, the image of that dark-haired girl haunting me even now.

And here I thought us shadows were supposed to be the haunting ones, yet she won't leave me alone—both in her realm and mine. I've considered reporting her, but something is stopping me. I don't know what that something is, but it's there in the back of my mind like a black cloud.

The girl is clearly a hazard, and though I am supposed to protect their realm from the darklings who try to escape mine, I'm wondering if I should protect them from their own beings. Never in all the years I've been doing this have I encountered someone like her.

I've seen wanna-be witches many times. Foolish children playing with spirit boards trying to call upon the devil—and many other things. But never have any of these people called upon me.

Never.

Humans don't know about shadows. We are not recognized the way demons and angels are.

Yet, this girl knows.

How does this girl know of me? Of my kind?

How is she so brazen to stand at the edge of the woods and call me by name? Does she not fear what goes bump in the night?

I want to ask but I can't make contact with the girl. It's bad enough I already have—that first time she came to me. I was so startled I didn't know what else to do, so I reacted before thinking.

I do not know what to do about this human girl, which troubles me. Most likely, this conundrum is the cause of my nightmares.

My heart still pounds rapidly, and though I need more sleep, I will not get it, so I get out of bed and head down the hall to Jhaixl's room. I do not pass anyone as I go. Most shadows in this hall work during the nights and sleep at this time, so it is quiet for all.

Jhai is most likely sleeping but is used to me sneaking into bed with him. It's something I shouldn't do, but it makes me feel better. I have no idea what is going on with me, but I've not been feeling myself. The more I think about it, the more confused I become. There is a period of time that is a blur, and now I'm having nightmares and feeling… off. I'm told there was an accident during a battle with a darkling on one of my shifts, which makes up for my lost time—but to not recall any of it? Not a single moment? It doesn't seem right.

I knock gently on Jhai's door. Loud enough for him to hear if he is awake, but not so loud that it will wake him if he's not. When I don't get a response, I let myself in. He is sleeping, as I thought he would be. By the time I crawl into bed with him, my body is cleansed of the sweat. Being near him calms me, which is uncommon for our kind. Guardians do not have connections with others… That ability is stripped from us when we take our oath to dedicate our lives to being a guardian. We agree to take a life of solitude. Yet, here I am, and thankfully, Jhaixl doesn't question it. He's always been more sociable toward me than I to him. He's open about his want to fuck and that's never been an issue for me. Fucking isn't against the rules—only emotions are—and it keeps my mind occupied and passes the time, so I do not deny him.

Though this thing between Jhai and I has been going on for quite some time, it has been different lately. A part of me is hesitant, which is another thing I cannot explain. What has me hesitant about him when I never was before? I lie down beside him despite this feeling and listen to his rhythmic breathing that sends me into sleep quickly.

Everything is dark.

Not dark in the way I am used to, but darker than that. So dark that I cannot see.

I spin around and am met with nothing.

Emptiness.

There is nothing there.

It's empty.

I'm alone.

Empty and alone.

I stare into the darkness, wishing for something to come, to explain why I cannot see. Have I lost my sight?

The darkness is where I live. It is part of me. Why is there nothing here?

A soft hum starts… sounding far away but echoing around me. Spinning, still I find nothing. Until I spot a faint glow off in the distance. It starts off white but grows into a dull blue. Brighter and brighter, it glows until it separates into two. I take a step back, already knowing what is happening. My heart beats harshly, threatening to expel from my body. But the more I step away, the quicker the glowing orbs come to me. I trip on my own feet, falling to the cold, hard ground.

Then she's there. The girl. Standing over me, staring down with bright blue eyes, and a smile that makes my head a foggy mess.

When I wake, it is to a warm mouth on my neck. I open my eyes and find Jhaixl pleasuring himself while kissing my throat.

"I do enjoy waking up to you in my bed. The risk of it gets me so hard, Vesperon," he whispers against my skin.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I feel not even a slight stir of my cock, not a flutter in my stomach or chest.

Jhaixl groans in my ear, stroking himself faster. I watch the way his hand moves up and down over his thick length, the way the tip of his cock glistens with his seed. He leaks so much, allowing ample lubricant. I smell him from here, his sweet scent. I used to enjoy this. Now, I feel nothing but indifference.

"Drink down my cum, Vesperon. I love it when you do," he whispers.

I roll to my stomach and crawl down the bed. I look up at him and open my mouth. He hisses a sound of pleasure, stroking faster.

"Swallow it all." He grips the back of my head and guides me toward his cock. He fills my mouth four times, and I savor all of it.

Jhaixl smiles down at me as I wipe my chin of the few drops that escaped my lips.

"Not that I am complaining, but why did I find you in my bed again?" he questions with a smirk as he gets to his feet.

"Another bad dream."

He looks at me over his shoulder. "You should visit the medicine witch. If this is a repeat of the la—I mean, if you're not feeling well."

He averts his gaze, then moves to his bookshelf, suddenly interested in the books that line the long shelves. I frown as I stare at his back.

"What was that?" I ask, getting off the bed and taking a few steps toward him.

He answers without looking at me. "I was just saying that if you don't feel well, you should visit the medicine witch. You don't want to be ill."

"You were going to say something else. What was it?" I ask firmly.

Something twists in my gut. A feeling telling me something is very wrong here.

"Nothing," he blurts.

Too quickly.

I grip his shoulder and turn him toward me. I see in his eyes he isn't being truthful.

"What are you hiding from me?" I ask in a low voice, that instinct turning to anger. His gaze darts to the door, then back to me.

He mouths the words, "Not here."

I narrow my eyes at him. He widens his in a pleading way. I grit my teeth and let him move by me.

"I must prepare for my shift," I say, giving him one last look-over before leaving his room and heading back to my own.

Something is going on in this realm, and I am going to figure out what it is.