Page 82 of Splintered Shadow
“What is that?” he asked, unimpressed.
“Calling my shadow.”
“No, that was… I do not know what that was. Watch me.”
“I’m watching.” She folded her arms over her chest and cocked a hip dramatically to one side.
Petulant. He knew a distraction when he saw one.
“No, you are looking, but you are not watching. See my marks,” he said. He removed the overcoat and tossed it to the ground. Stripped down to his waistcoat and shirt, he rolled up the sleeve.
Lines of black ink shifted under his skin.
With his index finger, he touched his forearm. “Feel it,” he said.
“I can see just fine.”
Huffing, he placed her hand over the mark. This was a child’s lesson. He needed to remind himself that she did not spend the first years of her life anticipating a bond with a karu.
“Feel,” he repeated. “The parasite moves in clusters.”
Her eyes went wide, but she did not remove her hand. “I feel…that’s so gross. That’s in me?”
“The lump that you feel under my skin is an illusion, nothing more than a phantom. Your eyes witness the clusters moving, so your brain fills in the sensory gap of feeling the cluster. Being able to feel the shadow within makes it easier to manipulate. It is a trick used by novices,” he said.
“Okay. Mind over matter.” She flexed her fingers and closed her eyes. “Seize the adventure.”
While she muttered motivational phrases to herself, he studied her. Her hair was an offense to good taste and nature, but he had grown fond of the outlandish color. It suited her.
He liked how her plain beige skin displayed the royal mark on her arm. The fine details did not fade at the edges. They were crisp and sharp.
Shadow marks rose on the hand touching him. They were faint but present.
Shadows surged, wanting to envelop them, to protect his female, who was all at once a complication, both a captive and a gift.
His mate.
She cracked open an eye. “What? I did it wrong.”
He swallowed. “No. You did well.”
“Then what’s that look for?”
“I enjoy looking at you.”
She rolled her eyes—still a disturbing sight, but he resisted the urge to shudder. “This is pointless. I can’t do it.”
“You have the strength of will to bond a void beast. What is a shadow? You will do this,” he said.
“I suppose,” she said, sounding unconvinced. She moved into his blind spot, her features blurring into a mass of color. “Isn’t everyone’s ability unique? Maybe mine isn’t summoning shadows?”
“Everyone has a unique voice, but we all must breathe to speak.” It was an old maxim, but true.
“Oh.” Recognition rang in her voice.
“Again.” He motioned to her to stand at his side, where he could observe.
She stood with her legs apart, one foot in front of another, as if she was expecting an attack. Shaking out her hands, she took a deep breath.
