Two
Diego
It was him. It really was him. Shade. My shadow monster under the bed. My savior.
His hands were wrapped around me, and they felt almost human, except for the inch-long claws at the very end. I traced one of them with my thumb as I held on to him, afraid that if I let go, he'd slip away in his shadows and I'd never find him again.
The conversation I'd just witnessed between Shade and the other man had left me with a lot of questions, but Shade seemed to have questions of his own, so I held them back. For now.
"I think...No, I'm sure I accidentally gave you some of my shadow wisps the last time, and they're what you've been feeling. "
My brows shot up, and my heart skipped a beat.
Had he really been keeping me safe all these years?
The feeling had always felt like it was separate from me and still a part of me, and now it made sense.
My bond with Shade was stronger than any relationship I had, even the one with my mom.
He'd understood me in a way no one did, and I didn't know if this was my destiny, but now I could understand him in a way not many others probably would.
After I'd woken up in the hospital and discovered I'd be forever trapped in a world of darkness, I hadn't been afraid.
The doctors and nurses had called me brave and strong while I impatiently waited to go back home to tell Shade I was just like him now, that he could take me away in his world of shadows and we could always be together.
But when I got home, he was nowhere to be found.
There was nothing under my bed except dust bunnies that made me sneeze.
He was just gone, and I still didn't know why he'd left, why he'd abandoned me.
I'd thought I would be angry if I ever saw him again, that I would want to hit him.
But all I really wanted right now was to hug him and demand that he promise he wouldn't disappear again.
Finding out a part of him had always been with him helped too, but I couldn't find the words to express this.
"Well, then I'm grateful for them. They saved my life more than once, and best of all, they helped me find you."
"You're really that happy to see me?" he asked, and I detected a hint of wonder in his voice.
"Aren't you?" I asked, then wished I hadn't. What if I wasn't the only kid he'd befriended? I had no idea how old he was. I could be just one of many to him, while he was the most important person in my life even after all these years .
"I am. I didn't think I would ever see you again," Shade said, and he sounded sincere enough. He sounded so honest that the question I'd been holding back all this time popped out, and I hoped he'd be just as truthful answering it.
"Why did you leave?"
Shade was silent for a long moment, and I squeezed his hands, urging him to speak.
He pulled one hand away, but before I could start to worry he was pulling away from me, he cupped my cheek with it, tilting my head.
I imagined he was looking at my face, and I had no idea what he was seeing.
I'd had people describe what I looked like as an adult, and they seemed to think I was good-looking, but the only opinion that truly mattered to me was Shade's.
What did he think of me? Did he still see the sad little boy he'd befriended? Or did he see the man I was now?
"I left because of what happened, because of the part I played in it."
My brows furrowed. "You left because you saved me from Andrew?"
Shade blew out a breath. "No, I left because I let you get hurt before I stopped him. And because of the way I stopped him. I was afraid I'd terrified you, and that you'd be scared of me once you woke up. So I left before you did."
The day Shade had saved me from my mom's boyfriend was burned into my mind. Maybe because it was the last thing I'd ever seen, or maybe because it'd changed everything.
I'd been on the floor when it happened, my vision growing hazy as the pain in my head worsened, and the last thing I remembered seeing was Andrew getting completely swallowed up in darkness as a loud screech filled the room, and then the shadows had retreated under the bed, leaving behind nothing.
No Andrew. That was when I'd fallen unconscious, and the next time I'd woken up, I'd been without my sight, and without Shade.
"None of that was your fault. If you hadn't been there, he would've killed me," I said matter-of-factly, making Shade hiss. He didn't reply, though, and I pressed my cheek harder into his palm. "Please don't disappear again."
"I won't," Shade promised after a long pause, and I hoped he wouldn't change his mind. I didn't think I could bear losing him again.
"So...what is this place?" I asked finally, deciding a change of topic would benefit us both.
I could feel Shade brighten because the whole couch bounced with him as he did an excited shimmy. "Oh, it's just about the best place in the world."
"Yeah?"
"Yes! We call it the Sanctuary. It's a pocket dimension created by a powerful sorcerer named Zephyr Morrigan, whom most people call 'Headmaster.' You must've walked through a hallway, right?"
I nodded, and he hummed, his thumb rubbing under my eye again and again in a move I didn't think he was aware of.
"That hallway leads into different areas like a forest, a desert, the ocean, and others, and is home to all kinds of supes who can't live in the human world because of their appearance or powers."
I'd known since I was six that there was more in the world than just humans, but Shade was the only supernatural being I'd ever met.
I wondered what the others were like, and if they would send me away if they found me.
I didn't want to leave Shade again, but I also knew I couldn't live here.
Shade had hidden me from that man earlier, but he couldn't hide me forever. What would happen then ?
Shade
Leaving Diego was the hardest thing I'd ever done. I'd never thought I would see him again, much less as a handsome young man. My shadows were drawn to him in a way they'd never been before, and I wondered if it was because Diego was someone I'd known before, or because of something else.
I told Diego everything he wanted to know about the Sanctuary, not willing to keep any secrets from him. Finding him again—or him finding me—was nothing short of a miracle, and I wasn't going to reject this gift from the universe.
I didn't know how the others would react when they found out about my connection to Diego, but I wasn't going to let anyone stop me from seeing him.
If the headmaster told me he couldn't allow Diego entry, I would leave the Sanctuary.
I'd made some wonderful friends here, and I would miss them, but Diego was more important to me than anything in the world.
In all the time we'd been apart, a day hadn't gone by where I hadn't wondered about him, hadn't hoped he was safe and happy. If I'd known I'd left some of my shadows with him, I might've tried to reach them so I could keep an eye on Diego, just so I'd know he was doing well.
But he was here now, and I wasn't going to lose him again. He was my human, had been since he was six, since he first saw me and didn't shrink back, didn't fear me.
To this day, I didn't know what had made me follow him home that day, hiding away in his shadow and then under his bed. Maybe it was watching him play alone in the park and relating to him in a way I never had with a human, or the sadness apparent on his face. Maybe I'd just been curious .
I hadn't meant to stay, but then Diego had treated me with kindness, not like I was the monster literally hiding under his bed.
A bell rang out, startling both of us. Diego's cane slid to the floor, and I grabbed it, leaning it against the couch again as I explained, "It's the dinner bell. Someone will be here shortly with my food."
"Dinner? What time is it?" he asked, surprised, and I glanced up at the clock I'd hung from a tree nearby.
Since I was the only one who lived in this place, I'd turned the whole area into my home instead of building a house.
That way, I could sleep under the stars and experience the world in a way I couldn't outside.
"It's a little past six," I said, and Diego swore.
"I've been here all day? I need to go home," he murmured, and my heart sank. I couldn't expect him to just stay, but a part of me had still hoped.
"You could stay for dinner," I suggested, but he shook his head, then frowned.
"I'm sorry. It's just...I have a demanding cat who needs to be fed, and she's going to be mad I was out."
"Sounds like an expressive cat," I said, making him chuckle.
"She really is." He took a deep breath, then raised his head. "Can I come over again tomorrow?"
"Of course! Please do." I had half a mind to offer to come with him, but I didn't want to crowd him. Today had been a lot, and he might need some space to think.
Diego squeezed my hands, then let go and stood up, searching for his cane. He found it before I could assist, and then turned to me, a smile on his lips. "I'm so glad I found you."
"Me too. I'm sorry I left in the first place," I said, and he waved me off .
I made sure the coast was clear, and Diego left the area.
I waited until I heard the main door close before relaxing.
I wasn't sure why the door had let him in or out in the first place.
He was human, and even with my shadows clinging to him, he wasn't supernatural enough to pass through those wards.
Even Touya couldn't get through until the headmaster allowed it, and Touya was a human with some supe abilities.
There had to be something wrong with the wards.
There had been issues all around the Sanctuary recently, and this could very well be one of them.
While the others were mostly a nuisance, this could be an actual issue.
What if the wards started letting in anyone with even a hint of magic in them? Or just anyone? It would be awful.
I knew I needed to tell the headmaster, but what if doing that kept Diego out too? I couldn't use a phone, so I didn't even have a way to contact him. I supposed I could tell Liam and ask him to contact Diego for me, but I still wanted to keep him to myself.
Or maybe I could try using the wisps of my shadows on him to see if I could find him. But would the headmaster sense it if I left, the way he'd sensed Diego coming in?
I could just keep an ear on the door until Diego and I found an alternate method, and then I'd tell the headmaster. That should be okay, right? I'd make sure nothing bad happened, and Diego would have a way to visit me.
Then again, Touya had already said he'd get the headmaster to check the door, and I hadn't been able to find a good enough reason to dissuade him. If the headmaster had resolved the issue, I'd just have to bring Diego in through my shadows when he came.
Decision made, I went back to my couch and fell on it face-first. While the Darkness—the area of the Sanctuary I called my home—was more like a slice of the forest doused in darkness with trees everywhere and a river flowing through it, I had some comfort items like a bed, a couch, some comfy armchairs, and a few bookshelves spread all over it.
The sky here didn't have a moon, and the sun never rose in my home. There were a few stars, small enough that their light couldn't hurt me, but other than that, it was completely dark. It was the only way I could exist here without needing to hide in a shadow.
I inhaled deeply, and the faint scent of Diego filled my lungs. He smelled so right. He smelled like he was mine.
"Dinner time!" Liam called with a knock on my door, and I invited him in.
He came in with Haruto in tow, with three plates piled high with food between them.
Ever since Liam moved in with Haruto, he'd made a point to share a few meals with me.
It was sweet, and I liked eating with them.
Even though I couldn't go into most of the areas on my own, the other residents always made a point to involve me, and it made me happy, even if at the end of the day, I was always alone.