Chapter Nine #2
From my peripheral, I caught movement. A lightbulb above the back stall fizzled out, and darkness settled in. Not the usual kind. This felt like the kind of darkness where something waited.
“I’m not giving you Josh, brat.” Michelle snapped, arms crossed. Then her gaze flicked to me. “Why are you so quiet, Kara?”
“Can we hop out of here? I want a Slim Jim,” I said, already heading for the exit.
Shadow disliked the girls. He constantly made fun of me for hanging out with them.
I wanted a human experience. Yes, they were mean, and I would not exactly call them friends.
But whether it was age or high school, something about girls could be horrifying when they felt threatened.
I didn’t get upset with their behavior. I liked kissing boys, too.
Definitely planned to do more. But despite what Michelle said, Josh hadn’t been a good kisser.
Who knew? A year might have made a difference.
Jackson, who graduated last year, had been my best experience so far.
The man had shoved his tongue hurriedly in my mouth and cupped my breasts.
That desperate hunger had been electrifying.
I should have gone all the way with him.
“Jeez. I don’t see how you stay so fit,” Michelle muttered, knocking me out of my thoughts.
I worked hours training each day with the family. No way I could explain that to any mortal.
“Let me guess.” Behind me, Renee’s flip flops smacked against the floor as she stepped closer. “No one is good enough for you.”
The sharp undertone in her voice sliced down my back like a blade. I looked over my shoulder, still walking, and caught the resentment twisting her features.
I let it roll over me.
Josh and Ethan had asked me to prom first. Envy brought out the worst in everyone—except Joy—who somehow stayed pleasant despite her curse.
“Kara—”
Michelle didn’t get to finish. An oof escaped my lips as I bumped into someone. Books thudded to the floor.
A brown-haired boy nearly bumped into my chin as he bent down to retrieve my belongings . “I didn’t see you,” he blurted, scrambling to gather the items.
As I bent down to help him, I saw it was Gregory. The gangly boy with thick glasses had sixth period with me. .
“I didn’t see you either,” I said, smiling.
His head shot up, eyes bulging behind his lenses. I half-feared his glasses might break. “Oh, my, Kara!”
His face slowly morphed into a tomato as laughter snickered behind me. Gregory’s shoulders drooped, realizing the laughter was for him. “I’ll help you,” I said quickly, as if I could erase the sound echoing down the long hall.
“It’s okay…”
The fluorescent lights blinked once, twice, and then darkness blanketed the corridor. Confused voices rose around us, but it lasted only seconds before the lights flickered back on.
Gregory was watching me.
I froze.
There—just for a heartbeat—I swore his pupils flashed crimson. But no. Humans didn’t have red eyes. Besides Gregory’s were brown.
When he smiled, a current of energy zinged through me—pure sorcery. He slid his books under one arm, stood, and offered me his right hand.
I took it. His grip was firm—oddly strong for a boy who usually stared at the floor while walking. As I stood to my full height—Hades, I was three inches taller—Gregory’s posture shifted. Confident. Steady. Like a warrior returning from battle.
“Kara.” The way he said my name sounded different, too.
A sudden weakness hit my knees. I nearly crumbled.
“Easy there.” He caught me as I swayed.
My heart slammed against my ribs as he traced a slow line across my palm with his index finger.
“I don’t know if I have a car—probably unlikely.” He glanced down at himself, then back at me with a smoldering grin. “So, I’ll meet you here Saturday.”
I frowned. For prom?
Michelle gasped. “No way.”
Gregory’s pimply face darkened. His glare hit my friends like a slap. “You don’t listen. I told you from the beginning these two were insufferable.”
My mouth fell open. Shadow said those words. But how? I didn’t know he could possess someone. Could it be him?
“Excuse me?” Renee screeched.
A slow smile tugged at my lips.
Gregory winced, rubbing his ear. “Come on.”
He dragged me away from Michelle and Renee as they squawked behind us. Without a care in the world, he yanked open a janitor closet and shoved me inside. The door clicked shut. He shuddered.
“I don’t see how you tolerate them.”
“How did you manage this?” I asked, touching Gregory’s face. “You’re not a ghost. How are you able to possess someone? What are you?”
He shrugged. “Your shadow.”
“Ha-ha.”
“You don’t belong here.” His tone darkened. I didn’t meet his eyes. Knowing who he was, the intensity cranked to a thousand. “But I’ll go with you to this dance.”
“No. You hate everything about school.”
“Yes, well, you’re in the human world more than the castle lately.”
I crossed my arms, leaning forward until I was in his face. “You miss me, don’t ya?”
“If that’s what you want to believe.”
Shadow moved like a panther—quick and silent. He pinned me against the shelf. Cleaning supplies toppled around us. Containers smacked my sides.
“You might be surrounded by hundreds of humans, but you’re lonely here. You’re trained to fight demons, yet you don’t say a word to those dreadful girls. You could throw them across the building with one hand if you wanted.”
“Exactly. I could kill them. But I was born to protect them.”
Shadow-Gregory rolled his eyes and groaned. His breath was warm on my skin. Nerves fired like fireworks beneath my flesh.
“Pitiful. Disgusting. You’re just like your father.”
He never said it outright but it was obvious. He disliked my dad.
“Thanks. He’s a wonderful role model.”
“If your Reaper powers fully unlocked, I wonder… Would you still protect them, if you saw what they’ll become?”
I doubted Michelle or Renee would become criminals. I hoped I got to ascend them one day. Shadow wouldn’t twist me.
“Let me go,” I muttered.
“You’re stronger than me. If you wanted me gone, I’d be through a brick wall.”
“I wouldn’t hurt poor Gregory.”
“Is that this boy’s name?”
“Yeah.” I had a feeling he already knew.
The heat surged again as his gaze dropped like he was seeing me for the first time.
“Should we give him a good memory?” he asked.
A throb ticked between my thighs.. I stared at Gregory’s lips like a lion stalking prey.
The desire was overwhelming. I never felt anything like it for any of the boys I’d kissed.
Was it because—even inside a human—Shadow belonged to my world?
Or was it because he was always there? My longest companion.
My watcher. Sometimes my tormentor. Other times, my protector.
My shadow. But then his expression changed.
The smirk vanished. His brows drew together.
“Kara, do you want to give Gregory a good memory? Or is it me?”
He inhaled sharply. His eyes flickered red.
“I can smell you. How— ”
He backed away so fast, he nearly fell.
His reaction cut. Like rejection always does.
My face burned. I swallowed thickly. “Would it be bad if it was because of you?”
“You’re a child—”
“I’m eighteen.”
Tension coiled off him.
“I was trying to scare you.” He shook his head. “Why, Kara? Why are you never afraid of me?”
“You’re my—”
“I wouldn’t actually touch you.”
His words sliced deep. Of course. Shadow always tried to intimidate or piss me off. Why would I think…
I blinked rapidly, trying not to show how badly it stung. “Gregory’s breath smells like baked beans. I wouldn’t have kissed him.”
“Oh, Kara.” He cupped my chin. “You’re lying. I know everything about you. No need to pretend. I’m just a shadow out to ruin you. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
I sucked in a breath. My chest tightened, and I cursed myself for digging so deep into that memory. The past had claws—it always did—and I’d let it drag me under.
“Where did you go?” The Devil’s gravelly voice cut through the quiet, sharp, and sudden.
I jolted, his presence hitting me like a chilly wind, even though the air around him always ran hot. He stood behind me again—of course he did. Always looming, always watching.
I turned slowly. His eyes burned like embers, half-lidded, suspicious. Curious. As if he’d felt my mental shift.
“I was thinking,” I said, keeping my tone even, my face neutral. “It’s allowed, even in Hell, right?”
His jaw ticked. “Thinking is dangerous for you, Kitten. You drift too far into things you shouldn’t remember.”
My brows knit together. “Afraid I’ll remember something you don’t want me to?”
He smiled without warmth. “You’re not the only one with memories better left buried.”
His words lingered between us, heavy with implication. He was baiting me again, pushing just enough to keep me off balance, but there was a flicker behind his gaze. Something unreadable. Almost haunted.
I swallowed thickly and shifted my stance. “Then I guess we both have ghosts.”
“No,” he said, stepping closer, voice low and laced with disdain. “You have ghosts. I have consequences.”