20. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

I t was Saturday. I looked into my closet for the millionth time.

It is homecoming tonight! I am going with Shad to the dance ! I refrained from making a loud squeal. After all, it was still rather early, and Mary had been working late the past couple of nights. Not everything was perfect. Ryker wouldn't be there, and our last conversation still left a bad taste in my mouth.

I tried to distract myself for most of the day, but it was hard to do. I wandered around the house and almost drove Mary nuts from time to time. Ash was coming over to get ready with me, then going back to her house to wait for Sam to pick her up. I was so glad he finally asked her. I counted the minutes; again. Time was not on my side as it decided to be exceptionally slow—in order to torture me.

"I hate you," I whispered, glaring at the digital clock in our living room.

"Why don't you just watch a movie or something; read a book—anything except pace that hall again or curse the clock?" Mary suggested with a chuckle.

I laughed. "Sorry, this is the first time I have ever done anything like this." That was kind of true. Brian and I had tried to attend the spring formal in middle school, but we all know how that turned out. Maybe it's a good thing Ryker isn't here, I thought. He would probably cause trouble.

I sat down on the couch as Mary put on some movie, and I barely paid attention to it. When the movie was over, there were only a few hours left until the dance, yet I groaned, knowing that it was still too early to get ready. She laughed and put on another movie. Finally, after the two-hour-long, sappy romance, with an actor who actually vaguely reminded me of Shad, I stood up and went to get dressed. The doorbell rang, and I rushed to it.

"Finally! I have been dying to get ready. This is all so stressful," I groaned, as Ash gave me a hug.

"Let's get all dolled up!"

"Dolled up?" I asked.

Ash just shrugged.

"You made it, Emma. You didn't die!" Mary cheered at me as Ash and I walked down the hall, and I rolled my eyes at her even though she couldn't see it. We made our way into my room, and as Ash hung her dress over the hook on my door, I opened my closet. There it was: my dress. I touched the fabric. It was a soft, silver-blue with just the right amount of sparkle. It reached just below my knees. I had also purchased a pair of silver, strappy heels that really did a good job of making my legs look longer. After I put on my dress, did my hair, and put on my shoes, I became even more excited. It was real. Ash used my curling iron on her straight, black hair, making soft ringlet curls that she pinned on top of her head.

"You look gorgeous," I said when she stepped out of the bathroom to twirl.

"Now, I need to get that dress on," she smiled. I realized, then, that I wished I would have spent more time getting to know Ash even better than I had. I hoped she knew I cared about her, even if I wasn't so good at being a friend. I was trying, but it was all so new to me.

I sat on my bed, staring at my hands. Was I really going to a dance with a real date? I turned and examined myself in the mirror. Ash had come up to me a few minutes after I put on my dress, gushing about how beautiful I was. She then proceeded to curl my hair just as she had done to hers. I liked how it hung around my face, almost as if framing it. My hair was extremely long, and the curls down my back made my hair look thicker than I had ever seen it before. It looked so pretty that I made a mental note to curl my hair more often. I breathed in once and felt satisfied; there was nothing more to be done— hair, makeup, dress, and shoes; that is it.

An hour later, Ash waved goodbye from her foster parents' car and sped off. And only a few minutes later, I heard the doorbell ring, and then Mary's excited voice from downstairs. She wanted to take pictures before we left. I told myself at that moment, I will pull myself together and try to enjoy this. I do have the most attractive and kind guy as a date, so that is saying something .

"Emma!" Mary called as I reached the bottom of the stairs.

"He is in the doorway." She was giggling and holding up her phone excitedly. I was grateful that she decided not to hate Shad, for whatever her concerns were about his parents, especially on that night. We walked together to the front door, and there, I saw him. Seeing Shad in his everyday formal wear always blew my mind. He was a put together person, but on that night, he was something else.

He was wearing a tuxedo; solid black with a silver-blue neck tie.

How did this happen? How could his outfit tonight make all his other clothes look like t-shirts with holes in them and faded blue jeans? I played the song just for him inside myself, and let it fill me up. He isn't just handsome, I thought . He is beautiful—not just because he is attractive–many people are, but there is so much more to him than looks. He is kind, thoughtful, sweet, and he cares. He listens; he is respectful; he has worries and fears, but he doesn't let them stand in his way. He is there for me in the moments I need him. I want to know all of him. So, yes, he is beautiful , breathtaking, and handsome, but it isn't just from the outside; it is from within, too. I smiled at him, I couldn't help it. I felt so much for Shad at that moment. He had chased the darkness from inside me time and time again .

And here he is, standing in front of me. I still want to run into his arms and kiss his lips and make him hold me, and never let me go, but I was also willing to be whatever he needed me to be, I just wanted him in my life, always.

His hair was combed back. Shad looked like royalty in that tuxedo, He had cufflinks on, and it seemed like the suit was tailored specifically for him, every inch. It fit his athletic body beautifully. I thanked that tailor in my mind and the thought came to me that if he had a golden crown placed upon his head, he would have looked like a very attractive fae prince.

I might have checked out a few more fantasy books from the library a few weeks earlier– I can't help it . Fantasy was exciting. Shad, for sure, fit the hot, fae prince vibes.

As I reached him, his face brightened, as if he had been in a dark room before, and when I entered, someone turned on a light—he glowed.

"You look radiant, Emma," he complimented as he reached out to me. He pulled me close to him, but not close enough that our bodies were actually touching. Shame. He held my hand as he whispered in my ear, "Darling."

I thought my heart would give out in a matter of seconds. I loved hearing him call me that.

"Huh, You look even more formal than normal, tonight, Shad. I didn't know that was possible," I said with a smile on my lips.

I watched him raise his eyebrows at me until a smile crawled upon his own lips, letting me know that he understood my joke.

"Okay, picture time!" Mary shouted. Shad and I stood in the hallway, and Mary took a couple pictures of us. Shad placed his arm around my waist and pulled me in close for one picture. In another photo, he blew on my cheek, and I laughed at him. Finally, when she called it "good," we headed out the door.

"Are you ready, Emma?" Shad asked as we walked to the car.

"Just stay with me, please. I'm nervous."

He chuckled, "and where would I go?"

I shrugged.

"I will be there with you every step of the way," he assured.

As we drove to the dance, we were silent. We pulled into a parking spot, then Shad shut off the car.

"Okay, here we go," Shad encouraged as he looked at me.

"What exactly are we going to do?" I asked, my nerves bubbling up inside of me like a bubble bath.

"Don't worry, Emma. Just follow my lead; I am good at navigating through these kinds of things." He winked and got out of the car. He was over to my side in an instant and opened the door for me.

"You go to dances often with girls?"

"No, more like my family's business; we always had these grand parties, which I had to attend, so we can handle this Homecoming thing, I assure you."

I nodded.

"Hold my hand, Emma," he whispered, and I realized that I was clutching my hands together behind my back, and he had been reaching for me. I gulped and let go of my hands, placing one of them into his.

We reached the check-in table, and Shad handed the teacher our tickets. The gym was decorated all in white: white balloons, white streamers; everything was coated in a frosted, bright white. It looked beautiful, really. I could have given the dance committee props on a job well done. As soon as we entered the gymnasium, a slow song began, and three girls walked toward Shad and me as it started. I had tried over the previous few weeks to ignore the obvious flirting I had witnessed in Shad's direction from what seemed like most of the female population at school, but maybe I am being dramatic — it couldn't be the entire school, Emma. When it came to Shad, I knew it could be somewhat uncontrollable. He was just that mesmerizing; however, could they not see that, clearly, I was there with him?

"Hey, Shad!" A blond, long-haired upperclassman called in an alluring tone—or one she tried to make sound alluring. She looked stunning in her blood red dress and with her hair in soft curls down her back, giving total vampire vibes.

"Hi, Jaz. This is Emma, my date," Shad returned, moving his hand to touch my back and pushing me forward. I had somehow ended up behind him.

"Hi, Emma. It is nice to meet you," she glared at me.

"I was wondering if you could spare me a dance, Shad," she asked in a sultry voice.

Gosh, some girls will do anything, huh. That Jaz girl was– yuck ! I wanted to smack that pretty smile off of her face.

Calm down, Emma —the thought popped into my head at the perfect time because I was about to smack her.

"I am all Emma's this evening—and, hopefully, every evening," he clarified, again with his stone, stoic face.

"What?" she pouted.

"She is my date ," Shad said, pulling me very protectively beside him. He leaned down and touched my nose with his and smiled so big that it sent a fire into my belly.

"Oh—" she finally relented.

Shad didn't look away from me.

"Well, I better get my date onto the dance floor before the song ends. Excuse us."

I was awestruck; I did not speak as Shad moved his face away from mine and led me onto the dance floor.

"Marry me," I said, still in a daze. I felt my body grow overly warm, and I moved away from Shad then.

He chuckled.

Did I just say that out loud?

"I sent a girl away, and you want to get married ?" His eyebrow raised. "I should talk to other girls around you more often."

"You seem to—really to, um—to know what you're doing," I whispered with a gulp.

"Well, I am practiced in diplomacy," he whispered in my ear, his breath, caressing my skin, sending thrills and shivers through me. I felt as if the electricity between us would cause me to burst—to explode.

Did he say diplomacy? A Fey prince had a need for that at court right? I was not going to discount the possibility there.

"Well, thanks, for that back there. It was very chivalrous of you."

"Anytime, I don't like it when people make you feel uncomfortable." He gave me a small smile, as he pulled me along with ease onto the dance floor. One of his hands held my waist, and I felt the familiar electric charge in it. His other hand was still in mine. I placed my free hand upon his shoulder, resting it near his tie, and I could smell the scent of him. The song I created swirled around us as I took it all in. I stood there, swaying in his arms–so close, and I didn't want him to ever let me go. He smelled like mint and springtime and new life, and still—all guy. His scent was making it hard for me to focus, and I looked around the room to regain some composure. My classmates were simply swaying to the music, back and forth, but Shad seemed to make us float, as he pulled me close to him and led me around the entire dance floor. I was breathless as the song ended, but soon, a new one began, and we continued for how long? I couldn't tell how long we danced. I only knew that I was in his arms, and his golden eyes were watching me, and his arms were around me, and I was in heaven—surely, I was in heaven. Perhaps, he is no fey at all but an angel. Eventually, Shad led us off of the dance floor to get a drink.

"I didn't know you could dance. Is this another hobby, perhaps?" I asked as Shad led me to the side of the hall with our drinks in our hands.

"Oh, yes. My mother made me take lessons. I hated them back then, but I guess they did come in handy after all. She told me that one day I would thank her." He pulled a few fingers through his hair. I ached to know more about him. He led us outside for a bit to get some air.

We reached a bench, and I sat down and looked up at Shad. "I didn't know if I would like this whole thing," I admitted, running a hand down the dress.

"So, how do you like it so far?" he asked.

"I like it."

He smiled and said, "Me, too."

We sat there for a while, and eventually, his fingers brushed against my wrist, sending bolts of electric shocks through me. He caressed my wrist and then my palm with his fingers, ever so delicately. I thought I would combust from the thrill of it. His hand found mine, and he interlocked his fingers with mine again, and like every other time, I felt like I belonged there–with him and nowhere else.

I like holding your hand, I thought, squeezing his hand tight.

"I like holding your hand, too," Shad agreed, looking up at the stars.

Did I say that thought out loud? I was surprised that he had repeated the very words I had just been thinking. He always seemed to know how I was feeling. He was so in tune with me.

"Yeah," I returned, looking at his profile.

He turned to face me, then, and smiled.

"My dad used to talk about the stars a lot," I noted, getting lost in the sky. "He told me that he thought there were worlds with other people out there–other ‘realms,' he called them. My mom used to make up stories–reframing common fairy tales, and I used to imagine that her stories were real and that the realm she wrote about was real, and that it was out there, somewhere, beyond the stars."

"I'd like to believe that there are," Shad agreed.

"That would be amazing, but it was just child stuff–fictional stories to help me fall asleep."

"The stars make me sad most of the time. I cannot even look at them, anymore, for very long," Shad whispered.

"Why?"

"They remind me of home, of the people I have lost."

"Your family?" I asked, looking at him. He nodded. We were silent for a few minutes, and it was nice to sit there together, only the music in my mind, that soft melody floating between us.

"I like being around you," he continued. He moved his face so that my eyes were locked onto his; my green eyes focused upon his golden ones. The song in my mind and soul played loudly, like it always did when Shad was around me. I felt like I could have listened to the music playing between us forever.

Is this what falling in love is like? Is love made of all these feelings and emotions and songs in my head? Do I love him? No, I can't love him; that would be crazy, right?

"I like being around you, too," I agreed with a fragile smile. He reached out to touch my face. His hand caressed my cheek, and I thought the world had started to spin faster.

"I have something for you," he said in a whisper, as if—as if someone had heard him, then, the gift would break. I remained silent as he moved his fingers away from my face and let go of my hand. The emptiness that I felt without his touch was something I hated. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small velvet bag. He untied the knot in the drawstring and shook out the contents of the bag into his palm. There, on a long, golden chain, was a beautiful crystal. It was clear and cut beautifully, which caused it to sparkle like crazy even in the dim lights of the night.

"What is this?" I exclaimed, almost breathless.

"Your Homecoming gift," he said as if that should have been an obvious fact. "Turn around, I will put it on you."

I did as he said, and his fingers moved my hair away from my back, his fingertips grazing my neck as he brushed my hair onto my shoulder. He lifted the chain over my head and placed it around my neck.

As I touched the crystal, I felt a small jolt, as if it held some sort of power. It was warm, but that was probably because it had been inside his pocket. I felt it again—the little jolt–and looked down at the gift, and I told myself that it must have been a little bit of static shock. Yes, that made sense.

This is a normal, non-jolting necklace. All this fantasy talk is getting into my brain again.

"Is this from the creek?" I asked, surprised.

"No, but it is a crystal," he said with a smile. "It looks good on you."

"Thank you," I returned, still in awe. "You didn't have to get me anything," I continued quickly.

"I know, but I wanted to give this to you. I have wanted to give this to you for a long time." We'd been outside for a while, and I could hear the sounds of a slow song coming on. "Would you like to dance?" he asked, standing up, fixing his jacket, and stuffing the little velvet bag into his pocket again.

"Sure," I stood, and he took my hand into his.

We walked back into the gym, and he pulled me right into his arms, very close. As we danced, I placed my head upon his chest. He led me about the dance floor, slowly, and I was able to observe all the other couples in the room. I had yet to see Ash, and wondered where she was. Everyone was kissing, it seemed to me. I felt a tinge of sadness because I wished I could have been kissing Shad right then, too. I was falling for him, and I was falling hard. That was clear. I moved my head from his chest and looked at him again. He smiled down at me and brushed his nose with mine. Being so close to him clouded my judgment, and I quickly stood on my tiptoes to close the distance between our lips. He was too quick and pulled back before our lips could meet. I dropped my gaze, hiding the shame that washed over my face in a bright crimson.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Shad. I seriously wasn't even thinking. This song and all these people dancing, I think it got to my head." I wanted to scream at myself out loud; someone needed to dump a cold bucket of water over my head. He lifted up my chin so our eyes could meet.

"No sorry necessary, but this isn't the ideal location for a first kiss, now is it? I can do a lot better than that." His face held a different emotion, one that I had not seen before.

Is that desire?

His eyes were so close to mine, and I wanted to drown in them. Seriously, I was losing my mind.

"So you think we are going to have a first kiss?" I asked softly.

"Yes, and a second, third, and so on," he answered rather quickly.

"But you didn't–are you upset I just tried to kiss you?" I asked, hoping he would disagree, but my humiliation got the better of me and I kept speaking. "We can still be friends, right? It does not have to change things–"

"Yes, Emma, I will always want to be your friend," his voice low and deep.

"Shad I—" I am an idiot and want more with you than friendship. I am just an idiot who cannot speak.

He touched a finger to my lips. "Let's get out of here."

I only nodded.

He pulled me along as we moved through the many distracted couples and out of the gym. We walked through the school at an incredibly fast pace. Shad opened his car door for me and then closed it after I got in. Once buckled, he sped off.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" I laughed.

"No hurry," he said, leaning back in his seat and finding my hand.

I think I am falling for you! Kiss me!I need you to kiss me now, please—before I fall off the face of the earth! But, I am so scared of you. If I let myself fall in love with you, what if you leave me, too, like my parents, or even become distant like Ryker is now? Is that what love is? People care about you, and you them, but it never really lasts? If I had been brave, I would have actually spoken some of my feelings and my thoughts out loud, but I wasn't.

He sat there, looking at the steering wheel, while stopped at a red light.

"Are you okay?" I asked, looking at him, confused. "Shad?"

"What?" he returned, shaking his head. "Oh, yes, I am fine." The light turned green, and as we drove to my house, it was still dead silent between us. The conversation we had at the dance was becoming more and more like a dream to me, fantasy instead of reality. I pulled at the crystal on the necklace he'd given me, and I felt a little more confident that he, at the very least, liked me.

He parked at the curb in front of my house and put his keys into his pocket. We made our way up my driveway, and before we even reached the porch steps, he pulled me into his arms and gave me a hug. We stood there for a moment, our hearts beating as one, and his song played in my head. It was soft and was so faint; I could barely hear it. As I hummed along with it in my head, it grew louder.

He lifted up my chin so that I was looking at him, and he smiled a very wide smile. His eyes were so golden and so full of what seemed to be warmth and light and happiness, and I wanted all of it.

"You are not at all what I thought you would be like," he said.

"What?"

"Nothing," he added, pulling away quickly and taking my hand.

If he liked me, which it really seemed like he did, why hadn't he kissed me yet? Was he waiting for some perfect moment? Because hello, now is pretty perfect. If we are more than friends, please, kiss me, now! I screamed in my head.

As we reached the front steps of my house and then walked slowly up them, our conversation stopped. This is it—either he is going to kiss me here on my porch tonight, or tonight's not the night. I stood in front of him and looked down at my feet.

"So, I guess I will see you at school tomorrow?" I finally broke the silence, looking up at him.

He had let go of my hand, and both of his hands were in his pockets.

"Tomorrow is Sunday," he said with his big grin.

"Oh, yeah, Monday, I mean," I corrected myself, feeling like the biggest idiot in the universe.

"Monday sounds good," he agreed, walking a little closer to me. He touched my arm, trailing his fingers down my skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake until he reached my wrist. He lifted my wrist to his lips and kissed the inside of my soft flesh there. Electric fire burned within me. He kissed my palm, and then each finger. I felt my breath catch as I noticed his eyes were staring into my eyes. My face must have been bright red, and I was grateful for the cover of night. His lips pulled away from my fingers as he gave me a knee-buckling smirk that sent my insides boiling.

Who is this boy?

He pulled me to him and wrapped his arms around me, that time lifting me off of my feet as he held me tightly to him, our bodies flush together.

He pulled away slowly. "I really had a great time tonight with you, Emma." That signature, playful smile was on his face.

"Me, too," I gulped like an obsessed weirdo.

"Goodnight." He stepped away from me and turned.

I watched him as he walked away. I felt my heart crack. It wasn't right. That was not how the night was supposed to end. I wanted him. I wanted everything he was. I needed him. It was as if with his every touch, he made me his—more and more. I heard the faint song again in my head, and I mentally blasted it so loud that I hoped to drown out my disappointment that our night together was over–without his kisses on my lips.

I moved my gaze from his back and turned to unlock my door. Suddenly, I heard pounding steps, and before I could fully turn around to see what the noise was, Shad had me pushed against my front door soquickly, yet softly. He held me there, panting. His eyes were pure gold, with a hunger that I felt within me. I needed Shad. Could he possibly feel the same about me?

"I should go." he said as if he were trying to convince himself that leaving was the right choice. But a smile crept over his lips ever so slowly. He ran his nose against mine, our breaths mingling together.

I couldn't speak even if I wanted to. I was under his spell.

He kissed my cheek softly, and I felt something in my tummy doing flips. He trailed soft kisses from my cheek to the corner of my mouth. "Oh, you are so soft." His lips stilled as he moved away for a moment. "Please, Emma, tell me to go," he begged, looking into my eyes.

The only thing I could do was move my head, shaking it, ‘ no .'

"Please, Emma, I need to leave—Oh, Ancients, help me—" he whispered, kissing my chin, and while I didn't really know what he was saying, exactly, and why was he having some sort of struggle, it was okay; it was what I wanted—didn't he know that? He had to want it, too.

"Please, Shad, don't ask me that, when all I want is for you to stay here."

He grinned mischievously and moved his lips to my ear. "I can't. I am so sorry," his voice was low and husky as he spoke. He pulled away from me, his arms removing me from the door slowly. I didn't like where he was going—away from me. I grabbed the lapels of his jacket and tugged hard. Surprise filled his face as his nose came an inch from mine.

"I dare you," I challenged him with fire in my eyes. No way was I letting him play with me in that way without getting my first real kiss.

"You dare me?" he chuckled, the most attractive sound I'd ever heard. "You have no idea how badly I–"

"Shad–I dare you," I whispered. "Do it."

"You don't know what you are asking." My back was against the door, my chest flush, its rising and falling coming so quickly that I couldn't catch my breath. There was a burning passion–a hunger–between us; I was certain that a kiss was the only answer. He kissed my forehead, my nose, avoiding my mouth, and I wanted to scream with irritation, but his kisses made me feel like I was floating, and I didn't want him to stop until he reached my lips.

"I should not be doing this, Emma." His eyes were brighter, and he looked into my eyes as if he wanted me to say ‘no' to his touches, pleading and begging me to stop him.

Why would I ever do that, I thought.

He kept both hands on either side of my head, which was still against the door. He panted, looking at me with eyes that held so much more than longing and desire. The dark, golden color was melting me with each moment. Those eyes locked onto mine. We breathed the same air, and for a moment, my head was spinning. I felt elated, pure joy running through me. That was it, the moment I had been waiting for, my first kiss—our first kiss. But before I could close my eyes and feel his lips against my own, he pulled away from me.

"Emma, there is something I need to tell you."

I felt cold without him near. I remained there, leaning up against the door, watching him slowly pace back and forth before me. He stopped–his back facing me. Why was he holding back?

"This isn't exactly easy to say—" He shook his head, "Ancients," he cursed. "They know I have tried before, too."

I didn't know what he was talking about, but I kept silent, listening, waiting for him to let the words pour out of him, if that was what he needed.

"I tried the other night, but I couldn't find the words. I can never find the words here." He shook his head. "I have gone over this conversation a dozen times in my head." He turned back around and looked at me. "So I am not going to use words, Emma." He walked back to me, and I heard the song in my mind and in my soul once again—the song I had made up. "No words at all," he whispered as the melody I created just for Shad sped up, and then slowed down.

I looked at him.

"Emma, do you feel that, hear it?" he whispered, touching my waist.

"What?" I asked. He couldn't be talking about the little melody I had made up.

"Yes, Emma–the music—the song between us."

I gasped. He can hear it, too? It isn't something I made up in my head? "You can hear it?" I asked, amazed.

"Yes, I can."

"What—how?—I thought I just made it up," I sort of laughed. "That is incredible." How is something like this even possible?

"There is more," he continued, pressing his forehead to mine. Suddenly, words entered into my thoughts within my head, and then, directly into my soul. "There is so much more, darling."

I gasped. Did he just communicate with me within my mind?

"I just spoke to your soul, Emma," he answered, touching my cheek.

"How is this possible? Wait! So you are a vampire–or are you a Fae—a witch, perhaps?" I asked with a gasp, taking a few steps back and covering my mouth. He was something , right? Have I been right all this time?

"I am not any of those things. I am what you would consider a human," he chuckled. "Believe me, I have met a few of those other kinds of beings. We are nothing alike."

"Wait, what? Are you telling me vampires are real, but you are not one even though you can speak in my head to me? No way!" I said, shocked.

"There is so much to explain; there are different worlds and different magical beings and creatures and types of humans."

"This is–"

"Unbelievable, I know," he said with a sigh.

I looked at him even more closely, and I could see there within the furrowing of his brow, his stress and his worry. No matter what he was, Shad deserved my attention. I needed to focus on what he was trying to tell me. If he was not a vampire–but he said magical beings and creatures existed, what was he?

"So, you can read my soul ?"

"Your soul's melody is what I can read—hear or sense–however you want to describe it. Yours is very loud."

"Excuse me?" I gasped. Did he call it a soul's melody? How could he know about my mother's stories?

"There is so much to explain," he sighed. "I am sorry, I am doing a poor job of this. I can only read the thoughts you share, but because you do not have any training in shielding, you share a lot. I do try not to listen. I cannot go into your mind and look around if that is what you are wondering. This music that you hear between us, it's your soul's melody. It lets us speak to each other. You talk to me a lot through it, through the melody of your soul. It was hard to know when the right time was to tell you about it. I know you have been through a lot, especially with your parents, and things with Ryker have been confusing for you—"

"Shad, how do you know about melodies?" I asked him, raising a hand to pause him. My mind was spinning.

"What? You already know about them?" he asked, surprised, taking a step back.

"I mean, my mother wrote a book of fairy tales for me when I was younger, and she made up something called ‘soul's melodies' for her characters–so how would you know about them?"

He paused and just looked at me.

"She was teaching you," Shad said with a gasp.

"What does that mean?"

"You are one of us, Emma." He smiled, taking my hands in his.

"What is this us ?"

"I promise, I will tell you everything; there is much to share with you about who I am, and now, who you are and who your parents were. I thought you had to be from Terra, but never knew for sure."

"Terra? That is my mother's fairy tale world. Shad–I am trying to wrap my head around all this, but it is rather hard to understand–"

"I promise, I will tell you everything I know. But it will take some time. You'd think I would be able to explain it, but it is difficult," he said.

"This is all just so—surprising. If I am from the same place as you, why did they not outright tell me?" My heart ached, but something like a lost puzzle piece felt like it gently fell into place inside of me.

"I am so sorry. There had to be a reason. Things for Terrans are not good, which is why the portal to this realm was opened."

"Shad, this is—I am—even though it's unbelievable, in a weird way, it's sort of believable ," I finally admitted.

"As in?"

"I felt like there was something extra happening. I had been imagining vampires or magical creatures. But it's like I knew it was something."

"You sensed something."

"In a way, I thought that what we had was too good to be real. Anyway–it felt like fantasy and like what my mother talked about in her stories. So in a way, this is kind of validating," I rambled, my mind racing.

Shad smiled. "I am glad it is not too frightening."

"No–I mean, this is a lot, but actually, it kind of explains some things, especially this thing, this connection, between us. I knew it was special," I said, squeezing his hand and looking into his eyes.

We are special. What we have–I knew it was. I spoke to his soul. Once I knew what it was, it was easy enough.

"I will probably never get used to hearing your voice inside my soul," he whispered. "It is special and wonderful. I have been searching for you, Emma, for so long," he said, pressing his forehead against mine.

"I just—this is so amazing."

"It isn't an uncommon thing where I come from—I mean, what we share is rare. It's usually just emotions, not actual words and language, that are understood between people. I have never heard of melodies being so overwhelming and perfectly clear like this." He cleared his throat, taking a step back.

"So, if you are not a vampire, fae, or witch–what are you exactly? What am I?" I asked, confused and not even sure what to think.

"So, your mother's stories are about a land called Terra, with happily-ever-afters, magical and Ancient beings?" he paused.

I nodded.

"It's so different from this place, and there are all sorts of magical beings: dragons, elves, Fey, Ancients, pixies, mermaids, princesses, and princes there. I am an Ancient Heir, Emma, an Ancient Heir of Terra, and I believe, so are you."