Page 12 of Secrets and Shadows

A shiver runs through her, as if my warm breath has sparked a stray current of electricity against her skin. Despite her attempts to resist, she shifts slightly, pressing her body against my knee as if trying to chase away the involuntary reaction to my touch.

“But not you.”

“Not me,” I confirm, looking her up and down slowly and deliberately. “And apparently not you either.”

Finally, she wriggles out of my grasp and I let her put some space between us.

“Care to explain why you were following me?” she asks.

“No.” I stoop down to retrieve the cigarette I dropped; while my morals may be questionable, littering isn’t one of them. “I was simply minding my own business when I happened to find you wandering around. So tell me, what exactly were you looking for? Maybe I can help.”

Lilith scoffs at my offer. “You? I highly doubt it. The most assistance I could get from you is for you to stay as far away from me as possible. That would please me greatly. So if you really want to do me a favor...” Her eyes lock onto mine, a challenge in her gaze.

I tilt my head, scrutinizing her every movement and expression. While Simon may have a reputation for reading people, I’ve picked up a thing or two about provoking reactions. Everyone has their tells, and my new toy reveals hers through a subtle shift in her weight and the stubborn tilt of her chin. She hides her secrets behind a façade of bravado.

There’s something she’s not telling me.

“I might consider doing you a favor,” I finally say, playing along with her little game. “But only if you tell me what you’re really doing wandering around the Predators’ dorms at this hour.”

She hesitates for a moment but quickly regains her composure. “Nothing. I was simply taking a walk to clear my head. I didn’t realize that was against the rules.”

It’s not—at least, not usually. But something in my gut tells me she’s not being entirely truthful. Those gray eyes staring back at me hold a tantalizing mystery just waiting to be unraveled.

“Very well, then. A late-night stroll, nothing more.” I pause, locking eyes with her in a silent battle of wills before I continue, “I hope you won’t mind if I join you.”

Her gaze sharpens at my suggestion, and her slender frame tenses, poised like a snake ready to strike. She’s already showing Predator-like tendencies. I send up a silent prayer to whatever gods there may be that the Balance puts her with us.

“Actually,” she replies curtly, “I’d prefer it if you didn’t.”

As expected.

“Oh, but I insist,” I counter, matching her tone. I step around her and continue down the corridor. “After all, we wouldn’t want you getting lost in the dark, would we?”

She doesn’t respond right away; instead, she sighs in exasperation. When she finally speaks, there’s an edge to her voice that wasn’t there before.

“Funny,” she snorts, her footsteps echoing mine as she matches my pace. “I was doing just fine before you showed up.”

“Really?” I raise an eyebrow, keeping my tone casual. “It seems you got yourself into quite the predicament back there.”

She scoffs, rolling those magnificent eyes of hers. “That was different.”

“Oh? How so?”

“You caught me by surprise. I won’t let that happen again.”

“So defiant.” I chuckle low in my throat at her assertion. “I admire your spirit, Miss Knight.”

She gives me a disapproving glare but doesn’t say anything else. We continue walking in silence, the sound of our shoesagainst the cold stone echoing through the dimly lit corridor. I take the opportunity to study her fully, not even being discreet about it. She walks like a Predator does, all lethal grace and coiled power, but you can tell she’s ready to strike at any moment. I should have noticed before she pulled a blade on me, but I had assumed she would have been like any other first-year, weak and clueless.

Definitely not the case with this little spitfire. It’s going to make teasing her way more fun. Finally a worthy adversary.

A few moments pass in silence before I ask, “So, where exactly are we headed? You seemed to have a clear destination in mind before our…encounter.”

Her gaze flicks to mine. “Why do you want to know so badly?”

“I’m merely curious,” I reply, a faint smile betraying my amusement.

“Curiosity is a dangerous thing,” she shoots back, her eyes darting away and returning to the path ahead. “It has a way of getting people into trouble.”

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