Page 59 of Secrets and Shadows

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.

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