Page 21 of Monster’s Magic
Gathering my books in my arms, I hear the door lock behind me and find Mister Brecken leaving. He catches my gaze and offers a smile, then turns to leave.
I shove the books I’m able to fit into my backpack and close it, then sling it over my shoulder. The last few I pick up and hold in my arms. I make my way out of the basement level and stare out a nearby window, and for a moment, stand perfectly still. It’s dark outside and I can’t see much from my spot, but a light flickers across the darkness.
Padding across the floor, I lean toward the window and let my forehead rest upon the cool glass. My breath fogs the window as I breathe and I’m taken back in a memory from when I was a child. I would fog the mirror in the bathroom and draw hearts and symbols inside it. I thought I was being clever. My mom would yell across the house, “Teagan, why did you put your fingers on the mirror again!”
I close my eyes and hold onto the memory of my mother. She wasn’t my birth mom, but she wasmymom. I miss her voice, her perfume, everything about her. I mostly miss the feel of her hug when life would get hard. The way she squeezed away the fears of the day made everything so much better.
A tear seeps from my eyes and trickles down my cheek. I don’t dare wipe it away. The dampness is real and it’s that constant reminder she’s gone.
“Teagan?”
I yelp and whirl around, not expecting anyone to be behind me. In the shadows, I can see a form moving like a mist, but I’m not sure where it came from.
“Who’s there,” I call out. The voice did not sound familiar. It was a male’s voice, but the tone was soft, almost like a whisper.
Then a hand grabs my arm and I scream, falling back on my bottom.
“Shit,” Shayde groans and steps out of the shadows. “I didn’t mean,” he starts and shakes his head. “I’m sorry. Here, let me help you—”
“Why are you trying to scare me?” I slap his hand away. “You hide in the shadows, call my name like it’s a sick fucking game, then grab my arm so I’ll scream like a girl?”
He crosses his thick, strong arms over his chest. “In my defense, youarea girl.”
“Not my point,” I say getting to my feet. He tries to help me again, but I smack his hands away once more. “I’m in a darkened corridor. You sneaking up on me like that is not funny.”
He steps closer and takes my books, then my bag from my grasp. He twirls his free hand and Shayde conjures black mist from nowhere.
I start to step back, unsure what he’s about to do.
“Don’t worry,” he reassures me.
“What are you doing with—” I gasp and stop speaking when I witness him drop one of my books into the shadow and it disappears. He does the same with the next and holds the backpack over the darkness.
“Wait,” I almost yell. “What’s happening with my stuff?”
He grins. “I’m sending it to your room.”
“Oh,” is all I can manage. And the blush. Queue heated face. I’m almost happy we’re in the dark, now.
Ahh, fuck me. He’s a dark elf. He lives in the darkness. He can see me without even trying.
It was my turn to cross my arms over my chest. “Are you showing off now?”
“Huh?” He tilts his head for a moment, then says, “Oh, the shadows thing. It’s what I do. Being part dark elf, I can travel in the shadows and command them at my will. Traveling through the darkness for me is like walking for you. Being an obscurity has its benefits,” he says with a mischievous grin.
He reaches for my hands. I tentatively lower my arms and place my hands in his. He tugs me closer until our bodies press against one another. He brings my arms up to wind around his shoulders and in doing so, manages to tower over me.
His large, calloused hands slide down my arms to my waist. My back arches and Shayde supports me with one hand behind my neck, the other at my lower back. I feel like the women on the cover of romance novels.
“Are you still scared,” he whispers through a growl.
My skin pebbles all over my body and a rush of delight snakes down my spine. “No,” I squeak out.
“Liar,” he hisses through a smirk. Before I can say anything else, his mouth is on mine.
CHAPTER7
The airin the dimly lit chamber crackles with tension as Shayde withdraws from our kiss. He stares into my eyes, his burning flames of ember glowing brighter than before. We stand face to face; the weight of our unspoken desires hangs heavily in the air.