A Walk Amongst Shadows (Book 2)
Chapter 18

All morning I could tell something was off. Rose is not one to keep secrets, but she seemed to have had something on her mind ever since our time together in the clearing a few weeks ago. She had been spending more and more time studying, hiding herself away in that library and cleverly evading any of my inquiries. I knew her well enough at this point to know that nothing was wrong. She seemed almost to revel in this new secret of hers, smiling coyly anytime I brought up her newfound habits before changing the topic. I found it all to be rather amusing. So, I played her game, letting her take control and following her lead. But something was different today. She seemed so preoccupied that she could hardly contain herself. I had intended to ask her about it directly, but she beat me to it.

“So…” she said tentatively as she brushed out her long hair, “I’ve been working on something over the last few weeks.” She glanced sideways at me and grinned.

“Have you?” I asked. “Is that why you’ve been so secretive lately?”

She shrugged her shoulders and grinned. “Maybe.” She was a terrible liar, but still, she remained endearing all the same. “Come on,” she said whipping around and heading towards the stairs, “I’ll show you.”

I nodded and played along. I followed her into the woods. She took me to Nadia’s spot before she finally stopped and spun around to face me, her eyes sparkling.

“Remember the first time you took me here to practice sensing?”

I nodded, my interest now thoroughly piqued.

“Okay, this time I want you to stay here and sense me.”

“Um, alright.” What on earth could she possibly be planning here?

“Close your eyes.” she commanded.

I smiled and did as I was told. It is not like Rose to give orders.

“You know I can sense you without trying, right?”

“Mhm, just hear me out, okay?”

I sighed. “Okay.”

I heard her take off. I sensed it, too. Rose was incredibly easy to track. Her magic was so strong, she was essentially a lighthouse. Any mage worth a damn could find her with minimal effort. But I humored her. She clearly had something she was desperate to share with me. She walked for a little while and then, out of nowhere, vanished completely. I opened my eyes and scanned the area around me. No sign of her. Then just as quickly as her life force vanished, it appeared again. But she felt significantly further from me. How could she have moved that quickly? With another flash, she vanished from the place I had sensed her and was suddenly behind me.

“Rose?” I called. I was at a loss at how she was pulling this off. It was as if she were travelling through the shadow realm itself.

“Come find me!” I heard her yell from the opposite direction of where I had sensed her.

I smiled. She was playing with me. Alright, then. If she was going to use tricks, then so would I. I traveled through the shadow realm to appear at each location the instant I sensed her magic. But no matter where I went, I couldn’t find her. I laughed despite myself. I continued pursuing her for a little while longer until I finally sensed her magic lingering in one place. I travelled over to where she was and found her waiting for me. She was beaming with pride.

“What do you think?” she asked as she walked over to where I had appeared.

“I think you’ve been doing some serious practice out here,” I answered. “How did you do it?”

She grinned coyly. “Well, I’ve been reading about a mage named Leander who discovered a way to send up magical signals as a way to deter attention from himself when he was trying to escape imprisonment. He sent magical signals further and further from himself, leading his captors away from him while he quietly went the other way.”

I nodded. The story was one I had heard before, but typically regarded as a legend, not fact.

“Well, I’ve been working on sending magical signals that resemble my own signature. At first all I did was focus on diminishing the magic I put out naturally. But then I ended up with all this energy and nowhere to put it.”

I leaned in closer, enraptured by what she was saying.

“So, I just started attaching it to whatever I could find.”

“So, that’s how you were able to travel so fast,” I concluded. She hadn’t been travelling at all, just sending her magic to different places.

“Mhm. I walked to this spot and then just started sending out signals for you to chase.”

“You were in one spot the whole time then?” I was stunned. Not only did she discover a new way to use magic, but she had done it completely on her own. She nodded.

“Yup…” She searched my expression, “so, what do you think?” She put her hands out, displaying herself proudly to me.

“I think you are incredible,” I said in earnest, putting my hands around her waist. “This is seriously impressive, Rose. I’ve never heard of a mage being able to do something like this.”

She was practically giddy with excitement. She pulled herself up on her toes and kissed me. I leaned down and tightened my grip around her and pulled her off her feet. She giggled sweetly, and I set her back down as we broke apart.

“Thanks, Aris.” I love the way she says my name. “I was hoping I’d be able to pull it off.” She moved her fingers up and over my chest and shoulders, lacing them together behind my neck. The traces of magic on her fingertips sent chills down my spine. She was still playing with me. Pushing herself into me, she met my lips once more. I indulged her. Since the first time we had slept together, Rose has always been incredibly responsive to me. Every kiss, every touch, every breath. But it would seem she has been studying me just as closely, a level of reciprocity foreign to me. Typically, I have found myself in these sorts of intimate encounters with fellow shadow walkers in need of someone to help pass the time or mortal girls with something to prove. Either way, I have always been a means to an end, but not with Rose. She seemed to savor each moment of our time together. I shifted my hands to her lower back as our kiss deepened. She moved to pull away but lingered, lightly biting my lip. Perhaps she had been paying closer attention than I thought.

“Come,” I spoke softly, “let’s continue this at home.”

She grinned and flipped her hair behind her back. “Or maybe,” she placed her hand on my chest, “let’s continue it here.”

I raised my eyebrows in surprise as she pushed my back against a tree. She really was full of surprises today. It isn’t quite like her to be this forward, not that I minded. Mirroring her energy, I met her full force. I picked her up as she wrapped her legs around me. I spun her around so she was supported more comfortably between me and the tree.

“Wait…” she gasped breathlessly.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, pulling back.

She gestured over to her left where a large knot jutted out from the trunk. I winked at her and shifted her over slightly.

“Better?” I asked.

“Better,” she nodded, leaning back into me. I heard her moan softly as my lips met her neck. I reached down and found the bottom of her dress and slid it slowly up her legs. In one swift motion, she removed her undergarments and tossed them carelessly to the side. We locked eyes for a moment, and I froze. After all the magic we had been using, there was no doubt my eyes would be totally blacked out by this point. I normally make a point of averting my eyes, but out in broad daylight it was a bit harder to conceal. I moved to turn my face from her, remembering how much it had frightened her the last time she saw me this way, but she stopped me. Cupping the side of my face with her hand, she held me so that our gazes remained fixed. A smile spread across her face.

“I love you, Aris,” she whispered, stroking the side of my face lightly before pulling me back towards her. Gods, she had a way of melting me. I slid my hand up her inner thigh and slowly pushed her legs apart. She tilted her head back and exhaled. I heard her utter my name softly as we moved closer together. I was at her mercy for the rest of our time together in the woods.

Despite concerns she has voiced, there is nothing about being with Rose that I find mundane. Her enthusiasm, her passion, made our time together special. On top of everything else, she has never regarded the stigma attached to consorting with a shadow walker. I had been fearful that the longer she resided near the city, the more she would come to regret the nature of our relationship. But, so far, this has not been the case. I truly believe that she forgets I am a shadow walker the majority of the time. She is the only one who looks at me without the slightest trace of fear or concern in her eyes. She is certainly the only one who cares about me. Since the day I was turned, I had only ever been summoned to complete various jobs. Even other shadow walkers, likeable though some may be, only seem to come around when they need something. Rose seemed to genuinely enjoy my company. It’s been a refreshing change, almost enough to make me feel mortal again.

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