Chapter 22
Twenty-Two
LILITH
I stand in front of the forest, alone, my heart thudding in my chest. Every instinct I have is screaming at me to turn around, march back to the academy, and beg Simon to come with me.
The memories of my near-death experiences here are still fresh, but something deeper—a pull I can’t explain—draws me forward.
I think a part of me knows this is the only place where I might finally get the answers I’ve been chasing.
It’s unsettling when both your reason and intuition are at odds. The logical side of me is practically yelling that I should’ve waited until I mastered summoning my Shadows. And honestly, that voice is right. I should’ve waited. But what if I don’t have time? What if, by then, it’s too late?
There’s something dark and sinister lurking in this forest. It terrifies me because I have no clue what it is—or what it wants. So far, it’s only targeted me, but what if it starts going after the other students? What if someone else gets hurt because I didn’t act sooner?
No. I need to do this alone. I can’t risk involving Simon after my surprise visit in his shower. All I had wanted was for some way to let out some steam, relieve all that pent-up lust that was sizzling between us, and maybe see what happens when Simon loses control. And I wasn’t disappointed. I’ve thought about that day every single time I’ve found myself alone in the shower since, but I know things are now different between us. And I’m not quite ready to face that yet.
I glance back at the path leading to the academy, illuminated by torches lodged in the ground. It’s peaceful, calm, and completely deserted. No one in their right mind would come here at this hour.
Before I can change my mind, I take a hesitant step forward. My entire body protests, but I keep moving. As soon as I cross the boundary into the forest, a cool breeze sends a shiver down my spine. I pause, taking in my surroundings.
Oddly enough, the forest seems… almost ordinary. Moonlight filters through the canopy, and the trees don’t look as twisted and ominous as they usually do. That’s somehow even more unnerving. It feels like an illusion meant to lull me into letting my guard down. I can’t afford that—not when my Shadows are still untrained and unpredictable. At least I know they’ll appear if things go south.
My mind screams at me to turn back, but my feet move on their own. My heart’s pounding, and I hold my breath, waiting for any sign of danger. Gods. Maybe I really have lost it.
You’re a damn idiot, I tell myself, coming here with no plan.
Leaves rustle behind me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I whirl around, expecting to see something, anything, but there’s nothing. Just the trees swaying in the breeze.
“Hello?” I call out, the word barely audible. It physically hurts to give away my position like that, especially when something could be hiding in the shadows. But if this dark entity can speak, maybe I can reason with it.
“I know our last encounters weren’t... great,” I continue, swallowing the lump in my throat. Talking to empty air feels ridiculous, but I press on. “You know who I am. I don’t know who you are. I want to change that.”
A surge of energy flares within me, and I freeze. Are my Shadows about to make an appearance? Am I in danger? It doesn’t feel like it—at least not yet. It’s more like the calm before a storm, a warning rather than an immediate threat. The tingling in my chest tells me my Shadows are ready to protect me if necessary.
“Please,” I say, my voice wavering. “I just want to talk. I don’t want to fight.”
The words feel awkward, like trying to have a conversation with an ex who completely ghosted you. I cringe inwardly and half-wish I could walk away and forget I ever attempted something this fucking stupid. But then the rustling grows louder, and I spot something—a flicker of darkness moving between the trees.
Shit. Don’t panic.
“You’re here,” I murmur, my magic tugging at me, urging me to let it protect me. I resist the urge. This is my chance, and I don’t want to blow it by reacting out of fear. “I’m alone. I only want to speak with you.”
Suddenly, a voice—smooth and unsettling—slips through the air like a whisper. Welcome back , it coos, and the sound almost buckles my knees. There’s something hauntingly familiar in the way it says it, but I force myself to stand tall.
“I’ve returned,” I say aloud, unsure if it’s necessary to speak or if I could communicate silently. Either way, I choose to vocalize it.
How brave of you to return home, it says, its words curling around me like smoke.
I shake my head. “This isn’t my home. I came for answers. Who are you?”
The darkness presses closer, swirling around me like a living thing. The air grows thick, cold, suffocating. It feels like the shadows are studying me, waiting for something—for fear, maybe, or doubt. I resist the urge to bolt, knowing that showing fear would be a mistake.
Only time will reveal the answers you seek , it says, its voice low and almost taunting.
“What kind of answer is that?” I snap, frustration bubbling to the surface. “Who are you? What do you want from me? Why is this happening to me?”
I take a deep breath, my emotions threatening to spiral. “Why am I the only one who can summon both a Predator and a Prey?”
There must be a reason for my powers, something beyond the chaos described in the books about the other Dual. They claim he’s nothing but chaos, a destructive force that upsets the balance of nature, but I refuse to believe that’s my only destiny.
To stand by me, it replies, ominous and cryptic.
“To stand by you?” I repeat, hoping for clarification but expecting none.
As I create a new order in this realm.
“No,” I whisper, shaking my head. “That’s not going to happen.”
Suddenly, a figure materializes in the distance, barely visible through the dark web surrounding it. I squint, trying to make out details of what—or who—it is, but before I can get a good look, it’s gone like it was never there at all.
I take a step backward as an unsettling force draws me toward the unknown. The Darkness tightens its grip on me, and I feel my Shadows stirring within. But they don’t fully emerge. Something’s holding them back. Gods, I really should’ve trained more before attempting this reckless, half-cocked, risky stunt.
My Shadows’ light automatically radiates out from within me, ready to defend, but they still don’t fully materialize.
“Yeah, well, you can go fuck yourself,” I shout, the words tumbling out before I can stop them. “There’s no way I’m doing anything with you.”
As soon as the words leave my lips, something inside me snaps, and it’s like the chains holding me break in half for a split second, giving me enough time to react. My Shadows burst out, a brilliant light flaring around me. My fox and deer appear, circling protectively, their presence pushing the Darkness back. But the sinister force only seems to grow angrier.
You are a servant of chaos, Lilith , the voice declares, filled with certainty. From the moment you were born, you were chosen for this.
Chosen? For chaos? No, I won’t accept that.
I guess that gives me an answer to one of my questions, but I will never surrender to it. No matter what it says.
I open my mouth to argue, but before I can speak, the ground erupts beneath me, vines shooting up like hungry serpents. My fox leaps, light flashing, but the vines are relentless, striking with brutal precision. My fox staggers, its form trembling as dark energy rumbles through it.
One wraps around my leg, yanking me off balance. I react instinctively, unleashing a wave of purple fire that sears the vine, forcing it to recoil. But the contact leaves me feeling… tainted , like something dark has latched onto me.
Before I can catch my breath, the darkness hisses, You will be mine, and vines rush toward me, their numbers multiplying.
Panic surges as one wraps around my ankle, pulling me into the shadows, and I’m sure I’m done for. But then, something—someone—cuts through the chaos, ripping the vines away with a flick of motion. Light floods the area, and a figure steps into view, cloaked in a long coat that billows dramatically behind them.
As I scramble to my feet, seizing the opportunity, my fox companion leaps into action alongside a massive snake that appears out of nowhere. For a heartbeat, it seems like they might clash, but instead, they join forces against our shared enemy.
The mysterious man grabs my hand and drags me toward him, his face still shrouded in shadows. I don’t know what his intentions are or why he’s even here, but I know he can’t be any more dangerous than the Darkness closing in on us.
In his other hand glints a long blade, its silver light pulsing with an otherworldly glow. “Hurry,” he urges, pulling me along as we break into a sprint.
Our Shadows stay, counteracting the darkness to buy us some time, but it’s not long before it catches up. The mystery man seems to know where we’re headed, but there’s no way we can outrun the entity.
He stops abruptly, yanking me into his arms. I’m so caught off guard that I stumble, my hands pressing against his chest to steady myself.
As if summoned, shadows rise from the ground, their swirling, snake-like movements making my stomach lurch with unease. Yet I feel a strange sense of relief as they engulf us, whisking us away from the danger and toward safety.
My mind struggles to process what’s happening amidst the disorienting haze, but I can sense that we’re moving faster than before, propelled toward the edge of the forest.
By the time we’re out of reach of the Darkness, my entire body is shaking uncontrollably. I have to fight back the urge to vomit as I take shaky breaths, trying to calm myself down. For some strange reason, the mystery man holds me through it.
Eventually, I muster up the courage to step away, and finally get the chance to see his face under the dim light of the night. He’s taller than me with dark, messy hair that falls over his face. His tawny skin has a golden hue in the moonlight, and his intense gaze fixates on me.
“What were you thinking?” he demands, his voice a blend of familiarity and authority. I recognize him. I think. He’s a friend of Vaughn and Simon, but we’ve never spoken. “Going into the forest like that, on your own, with no protection, untrained. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
I ignore his questions and ask, “Who are you? And why the hell were you in the forest?” While I appreciate his help, I bristle at the way he speaks to me, as if he understands my experiences. He doesn’t.
“Neither of those things matter,” he dismisses my inquiries. “You can’t go out like that on your own right now.”
I want to say that I had it under control on my own, but I know that’s not true. I don’t know what would have happened had he not been there.
His tall frame towers over me, filling the space with a commanding presence. I inhale his intoxicating scent, momentarily losing track of where we are and what’s happening. It feels achingly familiar, yet elusive, as if my mind isn't wholly my own when he’s near. And my body... My body craves him in a way that’s both terrifying and exhilarating.
Then it hits me like a bucket of cold water.
“Oh, Gods,” I exclaim, the realization washing over me. “It’s you. The guy from the masquerade. The one that—” I trail off, studying him.
Now that I think about it, it’s surprising it took me this long to connect the dots. His presence is as unmistakable now as it was that night. I can’t explain it—it’s like my heart knows him even when my mind doesn’t. Is this what a mate bond feels like?
There’s little information about mate bonds; they’re unique to those who share them, a delicate tapestry woven from shared fates. I had hoped mine would be more… romantic, but nothing in my life has gone as expected, so I suppose I should not be surprised.
He stays silent, simply grabbing my wrist again and leading me toward the academy. I struggle to keep up with his long strides, and my mind is a jumbled mess.
We reach halfway up the steps before I pull my hand away, needing answers. Is this connection real, or is my imagination running wild?
Like he can sense my turmoil, he turns to me. His dark, intense gaze feels like an electric shock, almost too much to bear. I fight the urge to look away, my heart racing.
“Who are you?” I repeat softly, sounding shaky.
He seems to know exactly who I am, but I don’t know him at all. I could ask Simon or Vaughn—or even Headmistress Bennett—but I want to hear it from him. It’s the least he can do if we really fated mates.
“My name is Kai.” His voice is much calmer than it was earlier, reminding me more of our encounter at the masquerade. The memory of his lips on mine, his body pressed against me, flashes in my mind, but I quickly push those thoughts away.
“Why were you in the forest, Kai?”
“I came to rescue you.” His lip twitches. “I knew you’d get yourself into trouble.”
I raise an eyebrow. “How did you know I’d be there?”
“I was watching you from the shadows at the library.”
My jaw drops at his words. He says them so casually, like he didn’t just admit to stalking me, like it’s no big deal. Suddenly, the mysterious movements I thought I saw in the shadows make sense.
“Excuse me?” I demand, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. “Who do you think you are, stalking me like that?” I punctuate my question with a jab of my finger into his chest.
“Someone you clearly need in your life. You have no sense of self-preservation if you pull stunts like these…”
I blink once, taken aback. “You know nothing about me,” I snap, even though the bond between us is growing stronger, telling me differently. I knew him before even knowing his name, my soul familiar with his.
The bond also explains so much: how he found me in the forest, how our Shadows worked together a few minutes ago. Shadows rarely cooperate unless a bond exists beforehand. Ours are clearly familiar with one another—there’s no bond stronger than that of fated mates. Or so they say.
Kai remains silent.
“You don’t understand what it’s like to be fundamentally different from everyone else and have no answers.”
I’m tired of people trying to control me when they don’t understand the struggles I face every day as the "freak" of the realm. It’s surprising that word hasn’t spread yet—surely the Keepers would love to get their hands on this information. They’d have a field day with it, and I’d be dragged in for questioning.
“I know, to some extent, because I can feel it in you,” he responds, his face stoic but a hint of softness creeping into his tone. Or at least, I think it does.
An uncomfortable silence hangs between us again as we stare at one another, something that I’m sure happens often with him. He seems to be a man of few words.
My hand itches to reach out and touch him, to assure myself that he’s real, but I don’t. Instead, I want to retreat to my room and bury myself under the covers until tomorrow morning. I need a do-over. This is all too much. But one question still needs to be answered before I do.
“Will you tell the headmistress about this?”
Kai doesn’t answer, simply shaking his head, dragging out the silence even longer.
I clear my throat, trying to break the tension. “So… what now?”
Kai’s gaze flicks up toward the remaining five hundred or so steps we still have to climb. “I’ll take you back to your room.”
“Can’t you use your shadow abilities to make these stairs go faster?” I huff, gesturing toward the seemingly endless stone steps. Exhaustion is now hitting me after another terrifying encounter with the dark entity of the forest. So, the idea of climbing more steps is… ugh.
“I prefer to save my powers for more life-threatening situations. And with you, those seem to happen quite often.” He can’t hide a slight twitch in his cheek, but he manages to keep most of his expression neutral. Is he trying not to smile?
I let out a groan. “Fine.”
Grumbling under my breath, I start climbing the stairs, still convinced he could make this night easier with his abilities since he seems to use them pretty constantly when stalking me. But nothing is ever simple, and it seems my fated mate is no exception.