Chapter Nine

The radiant and the girl sit on the couch close together, speaking quietly and comfortably, as if they have known each other for a long time. As if they are friends.

This annoys me.

Why? I can't explain it. But I don't like them so close and friendly.

She's nervous but not scared. I feel her emotions from here, but get nothing from the radiant, which isn't surprising, as otherworldly beings are better at masking their emotions than humans. I bet if I could feel them, they'd be nothing but pure happiness. Radiants are annoyingly happy and positive, almost always. Aside from that, there is this gleam in his eye that goes beyond normal radiant behavior. He is flirting.

I grind my teeth together. That really annoys me.

I watch the two of them for a long time, longer than I should, and all they do is speak to one another. He leaves for a moment and comes back with a glass of water. She sips it, puts it down, and they keep talking. I consider going inside the house so I can hear what they are talking about, but it's too risky. If I'm caught, it could be the end of my life.

There's a shift in the air, a wave of tension blowing through me, the emotions coming from her in thick waves. They fall silent, and their postures turn stiff. What was said to make such a drastic change?

I'm watching intently, her anxiety so thick I can taste it. It finally settles after a while, when they share a few words. But then it spikes again.

What in the world is going on in there?

I move to the end of the window, hoping to get a better angle. I'm not great at reading lips, but perhaps if they were facing me, I'd catch a word or two and piece things together. No such luck.

But not all is lost. As I move, something catches my eye from the room beyond the living room. A shadow has just entered the house. My gaze darts to the girl and the radiant—they do not know they are no longer alone.

This shadow who has entered is not just any shadow. He is the one I was speaking to a short time ago. The one who was sent to check on me because I wasn't feeling well.

I didn't believe it earlier, and now I know I was right in feeling that way.

What is he doing in this house?

His movements are precise as he slinks against the walls, moving fluidly. He enters the hallway, stopping against the wall just beyond the living room doorway, directly in front of me. His head tilts as if he is listening to them. He doesn't know I am here, that much is clear. I keep my eyes on him, curious as to what he is doing. Is he here because of the radiant? That doesn't quite make sense. Our job is to protect the humans from the darklings. What the radiants do is up to them. Unless they come to us, we do not make contact.

Was this shadow sent to go after this radiant? Or is he here for the girl?

As with everything else, this situation only confuses me more.

Is she being two-timed, or am I? Is the radiant being assassinated? Is she?

As I work through my thoughts, this shadow slowly takes a solid form—right before my eyes.

What in all the realms is this magic? This is something I thought was impossible in this realm without the attachment to a human mate. Does this shadow have a human mate? Unlikely. Magic cannot help solidify shadows in this realm—at least not as far as I know. So how is he doing this?

Once his body goes from transparent to opaque, he produces a knife from thin air. Now this is something I know can be done, as long as the item and all its parts are created in the Shadow Realm. They can become one with us until we need them, as we are both one with the darkness.

I glance at the girl and the radiant, neither of them aware of what danger lurks just outside the door. Everything in front of me proves this shadow is going to harm at least one of them. Most likely both, as I doubt he is so careless to leave a witness.

Though I have no feelings toward this radiant, my stomach twists at the thought of the girl being harmed. I've no time to wonder why.

The shadow moves forward a step, slightly out of my view, so I shift to get a better look, which causes him to pause. He turns his eyes on me and freezes. He's been caught. We lock eyes, and his gaze goes dark, furious. I give it right back to him. It's clear his intentions are nefarious, and that is not what we are supposed to do outside of our realm. As far as I know, there isn't a single shadow who has the duty of attacking humans or radiants. Not unless we are provoked, and that did not happen here.

What will this shadow do now? Will he continue on? Or give up?

I hold his stare, ready to fight if I must. It is my duty to protect the humans from my kind, and it's possible this shadow has gone rogue.

After a moment of us glaring at one another, the knife disappears, his body shimmers into a shadow once again, and he goes back the way he came, leaving the house through the wall.

I turn and run to the front of the house, refusing to let him get away without answering to me. I don't care if he was sent directly from the chief, he will tell me what he is doing here.

"Why have you left your zone?" he growls at me.

"I am doing my duty as a shadow. Have you gone rogue?" I shout at him.

"Of course not! I am on assignment," he spits.

"To kill a human?"

He grits his teeth, then gets close to me, baring his teeth. "I suggest you don't meddle in affairs that have nothing to do with you, Vesperon. You are already on thin ice."

My eyes widen, and I step back. But I won't cower from him. I grit my teeth and stand up straight. "This is my zone, and I have dedicated my life to protect it. I am a Guardian of the Realms and will not allow harm to come to a human while on my watch. If something of this caliber is to take place while I'm on duty, then I should be notified and ordered to ignore it by a superior, not by you."

He searches my face for a moment, then nods.

"You've passed this test."

A whoosh of air leaves me. "Excuse me?"

He jerks his head toward the park. "Though you've left your zone when you shouldn't have, you have passed the test."

"What test?" I snap. "I've not heard anything of the sort."

The shadow sighs, then steps toward me, lowering his voice.

"The chief was concerned that after the accident, you weren't at your sharpest. Tonight was a test, and it seems you've passed. Congratulations." He smiles.

Relief washes over me, but something isn't sitting right. Is he telling the truth or using this, so I'll put my guard down? I've already decided I can't trust anyone, but I'm not so stupid to tell him that.

"Thank you," I say. Going along with it is my safest option. "But I admit, I dislike all of this secrecy."

He gestures down the road that will lead us back to my zone and we walk.

"Understandable, but I think after tonight, it won't be an issue any longer. You've proven yourself."

"That is great news."

Only now, I feel I have to be on guard more than ever.