“Not as exciting as you’d think,” I muttered.
Jas snorted. “I bet. Who’s the better kisser?”
I tried to hide my amusement. Jas was probably the only person in the world who could ask a question like that and get an honest answer instead of a snarky one. “I can’t even really compare them. They’re both completely different.” I paused for a minute, staring out the window into the dark night, thinking. “Kissing Alex is hot, intense, and passionate. But kissing Emil is consuming, unpredictable, and things tend to move fast.” I shook my head to come out of the memory and found Jas staring at me, a combination of curiosity, annoyance, and…anger?
She sat up straighter. “So help me, Evangeline Starling! If you’ve slept with them and not told me about it, I will be so freaking mad!”
My mouth fell open. Had sex? We hadn’t even come close! Well…I wrinkled my brow as I amended the thought. So I’d hit some bases with them both, but there definitely wasn’t a home run involved. And considering how fast my make-out sessions with each guy had ended, they’d really been more in foul ball territory. “I haven’t had sex yet, Jas. You would have been the third person to know about it. Trust me.”
She eyed me warily at first, then shrugged and leaned back in her chair, sufficiently satisfied that my virgin status was still intact. “The real question is: how much experience have they had?”
My eyes widened. I hadn’t really given that question much thought—on purpose. Every time my mind went there, I wanted to kick something.
“Because a guy who knows what he’s doing makes all the difference in the world. Hopefully they’ve taken a class or read some books. It would help if they know what you like. Maybe you should talk to them about it first.”
My mouth fell again. “I’m not going to sleep with both of them, let alone call a what-Evie-wants-from-sex meeting!”
Jas was indignant. “Why not?”
“Because that would be wrong!”
She lifted a shoulder like it wasn’t a big deal. “You’re already kissing both of them.”
“Sex with two guys I have feelings for takes wrong to a whole new level!”
She pointed her spoon at me. I knew I was about to get a lecture. “I thought you said the point of this little date-two-guys experiment was because they wanted to make sure you had all the information possible to make a well-informed choice between them with no regrets?” I stared at her, she stared back. “Just kissing is not ‘well-informed.’”
I couldn’t stop staring, and couldn’t think of what to say. She was kind of right, though it didn’t mean I was going to act on her suggestion. But it did make me wonder if Alex and Emil had covered sex in their share-Evie discussion. Were they waiting for me to make a move? I snorted to myself. That wasn’t going to happen. I had enough to worry about. I didn’t need to add “seductress 101” to that list as well. Besides, considering the no-overnight rule, and Alex’s super pissy reaction to Emil kissing me on the porch, I was pretty sure sex was not on Alex and Emil’s list of acceptable dating activities.
“We need to get you a subscription to Cosmo,” Jas said with a thoughtful expression. “I got one by accident last year. It was delivered to the wrong house. I took it to the neighbors of course—after I’d read it. Changed my life.” She smiled.
I thinned my eyes. “I’m not having sex. With either of them. At least not right now,” I said, trying to convince Jasmine, and, if I was being honest, myself.
She moved her head back and forth like she knew better than I did. “The problem here is guilt. You’re feeling bad about wanting to be with both of them. You shouldn’t. They knew what they were getting into. Hell, you said they discussed it. Pretend you’re on one of those reality shows looking for the love of your life and you’re down to the final two guys.”
“Yeah, because those relationships always work out so well.” I picked at my ice cream for a few seconds. “I’m not sleeping with both of them.”
Jasmine scooped up her last bite of ice cream. “Then you’re probably missing out. Alex and Emil look like they probably excel in that category. Too bad you don’t know any of their ex-girlfriends. You could ask them about it.”
I laughed. I did know one of their ex-girlfriends, but unfortunately, my Cassandra sex flashbacks were still MIA. When I figured out how to conjure them up, those would absolutely be the first memories I tapped. And Jasmine’s experience guess was pretty accurate. At least one of them did have experience, and it had been with me, when we were married. That thought led me to another: would I like the same things I’d liked as Cassandra? I immediately shook myself out of the thought, focusing on Jasmine instead. “I’ll choose between them before I have sex.”
Now that her mountain of ice cream was gone, Jas tipped the gum from the bowl back into her mouth and started to chew. I’d watched her excavating the pieces and knew there were at least thirty. I didn’t know how she fit them all in her mouth, let alone chewed them into gum. When she could talk, she said, “Your loss. Regardless of how I feel about them personally, they’re both super hot. They basically gave you permission! What are the chances you’ll ever get an opportunity like this again? I’d take it if I were you.”
I shook my head with a slight smile. Jasmine certainly wasn’t helping me make this decision; if anything, she was lobbying for more complications.
We threw away our plastic ice cream bowls on top of a bunch of empty energy drink containers in the recycle bin, and I followed Jasmine outside. A group followed us, a couple of them looking the worse for wear. “I bet they had too much ice cream,” I said. I’d made the same delicious mistake many times. The group passed us, stumbling as they went. On second thought, maybe they were just drunk.
“If they fall, I’ll laugh,” Jas said. “I won’t be able to help it. Nothing is funnier than people tripping.”
I laughed, genuinely happy and relaxed for the first time in months. I was so glad to have my friend back, even if I hadn’t told her the whole truth yet. “Thanks for coming out with me tonight, Jas. I needed that.”
She grinned, blowing a bubble—something I’d never been able to accomplish with ice cream gum, but Jas had serious abilities. “Me too.” She paused, glancing down like she was trying to decide what to say. “I’m glad we’re talking again. I missed it. I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” I said. “I’m sorry I cut you out of my life. It won’t happen again.” I meant it. I needed her too much.
“Are you coming back to the house?” I asked.
“Nope. Zach’s. I did circuit training at the gym yesterday so I’m pretty sore. Zach offered to give me a massage.”
“That’s nice of him.”
She smiled. “Yeah, it is. I’m sure it’s not entirely selfless on his part, but that’s okay.”
I tilted my head and laughed. As I did, I saw a quick movement out of the corner of my eye. It was a movement I’d seen before, and not one I wanted to see again. A shadow figure.
I probably wouldn’t have noticed the shadow if Alex and Emil hadn’t made me so paranoid lately—not that I’d ever admit that. As it was, I still didn’t get a really good look at it because in the blink of an eye, the shadow slid from the corner of an antique shop, over the sidewalk, and between two cars parked on the street. It wasn’t far from my car. Luckily, Jas’s car was parked only two spaces away from where we were standing. She could leave without a problem…I hoped. My martial arts self-defense skills wouldn’t be too helpful on something intangible.
I pursed my lips. I suspected Alex had seen the shadow too—if he’d been watching me the whole time. He’d once told me he could see me and my surrounding areas in the ring. So where was he? If I couldn’t get Jas in her car and on her way to Zach’s, she was about to get a paranormal education whether she was ready for it or not.
My stomach knotted. The yummy popcorn and ice cream now felt like lead weight. Trying not to draw too much attention to myself, I let my eyes wander around the ca
rs, stores and street. I might be able to handle one shadow. I made a guess that if the shadows came from the same origins as the Daevos, my powers might work. They seemed to work the night in Denver with Emil, but the shadows hadn’t tried to test the snow barrier between us either.
I kept taking inventory of the area. Jasmine finally noticed my diligence. “What are you looking for?”
I smiled and waved my hand like my inspection of the street and sidewalk wasn’t a big deal. “Nothing. I was actually thinking I need some coffee. I have a big test to study for. I could use the caffeine. I’m going to run to the coffee shop, but I’ll talk to you tomorrow?”
She pressed the button on her keypad to unlock the door of her sporty, red Celica, disarming her alarm. “Sounds good,” she said, opening her door and putting her purse inside. She started to get in her car, but paused, half in, half out. She grinned. “Seriously. Think about what I said. You’ve already kissed them both in the last six months. They’re giving you permission. So, explore your options.”
I winced, wondering if Alex was now around and close enough to hear what she said. That brought another thought racing to the front of my mind: he’d probably heard our sex discussion earlier too. Dammit! I’d been caught up in the conversation with Jas instead of thinking about who might be eavesdropping. My face reddened at the thought. Jas laughed, not understanding why I was embarrassed, and got in her car. I waved, watching her drive off before I slowly made my way back down the street to where I’d seen the shadow.
I crept along the front of the buildings so I’d have something solid at my back as I continued to scan the area around me. Part of the problem was that, aside from my brief glimpses of them, I had no idea what the shadows were, or their strengths and weaknesses. The only thing I really knew was they were shadows, and according to Alex, they’d been seen right before Trackers were taken. That fact highlighted another issue Alex would undoubtedly get mad at me for later: that I was a Tracker, and shouldn’t be investigating shadows alone. But no one else was getting close enough to get any information. I had shadows stalking me! It seemed stupid not to take advantage and try to get some intel.
I’d made a mistake in not telling Alex and Emil about the shadow figures earlier, and other Trackers had suffered because of it. If investigating alone could help me get even one piece of information and save another Tracker, it would be worth it—even if it meant risking myself. I also knew that if things went bad, I could press the handy emergency orchid on my wrist, and Alex would be there in seconds.
As I got closer to the cars, I slowed. I wanted to know what they were, and why I kept seeing them. If something was going to kill me—or try—I wanted a good look at it first.
I crawled to the front of a red SUV and stayed crouched down in front of the car, peering under it. If the shadow wasn’t between the two cars, I knew there was a chance it would be under them, so I thought I should check there first before jumping between the cars.
I twisted the tiny purple and silver flashlight on my keychain that produced a surprising amount of light—a gift from my dad. When he’d given it to me, he’d said, “You never know when you’ll be stuck in the dark.” He was right. I used it so much the purple covering had started flaking off the flashlight. The beam shot over the pavement, under the SUV, as bright as sunlight. I saw no shadow. After a thorough scan, I shifted the beam across to the next car and saw nothing under it either. Just to be safe, I checked a couple of other cars on each side of the two I’d seen the shadow escape between.
Nothing.
I breathed out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding and stood, turning the flashlight off. I palmed the key ring. One at a time, I wedged each key between my fingers near my knuckles. Almost any object can be a weapon if you know how to use it. I wasn’t sure my version of “key brass knuckles” would work on my intangible shadow, but I felt better having a weapon ready.
I carefully stepped between the cars, standing with my legs shoulder-width apart, arms out, and ready to defend myself. Unfortunately, there was nothing to defend myself from. Part of me was relieved, the other part, upset. I wanted to know what these stupid shadows were. I dropped my head slightly, frustrated. I exhaled a deep breath, puffing my cheeks out, and straightened my neck. Wisps of inky darkness floated six feet in front of me; dark tendrils reached out from the form, slowly snaking toward me.
I gasped, taking an immediate step back. This would be the type of thing most people run from. But I reminded myself this was what I had wanted all along. A showdown with a shadow.
I’d had the forethought to check under the cars and between them, but not behind—which is obviously where the shadow had been hiding. Smart move, Evie. Really smart. Derrick, my karate instructor, would lecture me if he knew about it. It would be one of many lectures I’d get—if I survived. So, one thing was confirmed. The shadows weren’t mindless drones. They were intelligent in some way because this one had decided to play a game of hide-and-seek.
I stared at it, taking in as much detail as possible. I’d never been this close to one in my other shadow encounters. This one was slightly different than the other shadows I’d seen, though. It had no distinct shape, and was a mass of darkness so thick I couldn’t see through any part of it, including the tendrils heading my way. The texture made it seem solid, but it wasn’t. Its inky blackness elicited images of a black hole. The edges seemed to curl in wisps that moved up and down almost like something floating in water. If it hadn’t been so terrifying, it would have been graceful. It was different from the shadow I’d seen at my house last summer. That shadow had the outline of a human, and the platinum eyes that shined back at me from the dark figure would haunt me for the rest of my life—and probably lives to come.
We weren’t examining each other long before the shadow started to vibrate, moving closer to me. The shadow began to shift into a cohesive shape, the darkness compressing. A smell that reminded me of wet paint hit the air. As it started to change form, I had the strange notion that something about it seemed familiar.
I reached my arms out to my sides in an effort to gather strength, and focused all my attention on the shadow. My soulmark pulsed with the power I was drawing and in my thoughts, I said, freeze.
Except it didn’t. At least, not exactly. The form slowly stopped changing shape mid-form, then it froze. When I was certain it wasn’t going to move, I stepped closer to get a better a look. Not a lot closer, I’m not an idiot, but enough to try and make out more of the shadow’s details.
I’d only taken two steps before the figure started to shake violently. I instinctively stepped back, watching the form. I spared the thought that it might be in pain and I was the cause, but I didn’t dwell on it for long because before I knew it the violent shaking stopped. There was a five second pause—just long enough for me to consider moving toward it again—before the figure burst into glittering black and metallic dust. The particles were immediately swept into the cold night air.
I moved closer to look at the ground and see if anything remained. It didn’t. I ran my fingers lightly over the area. When I looked at them, the only grit left on my hand was from tiny broken rocks and dirt—not shadow ashes.
I sighed. I hadn’t learned a lot, but I was betting it was more than the Amaranthine knew. I’d tell Alex. He wouldn’t be happy, but at least I’d be able to contribute something. Speaking of Alex, where was he? I looked around, but I was alone on the street. He was supposed to be on ring-watch. Surely, he would have seen my quest to be a shadow huntress—and been angry about it. I frowned, wondering why he wasn’t here yet. It wasn’t like him to miss a chance to tell me how reckless I’d been.
I stopped gripping my keys between my knuckles as I readjusted my handbag strap. I glanced up in time to see Alex step out of the alley across from my car. The eyes that met mine were blazing angry green. His expression was even tighter than usual—quite a feat for him—and even I could feel the tension rolling off his chest and shoulders.
There were a number of things I could have done tonight to elicit this reaction, but two things immediately came to mind: the shadow I’d attempted to fight, and the sex chat I’d had with Jasmine.
I waited to see if he’d mention the sex discussion. If he wasn’t going to, I certainly wasn’t. I’m pretty good at denial. Tonight was no exception. I imagined he’d be more upset about the shadow. “Hey,” I said softly, testing his testy level.
He nodded in acknowledgment. That was it. One. Slow. Nod. His eyes never leaving mine.
Okay.
So we weren’t having a discussion about my shadow-chasing recklessness or sex, because a discussion requires a minimum of two people, and Alex wasn’t participating. He just stood there, like a rock. A big, pissed off rock.
I decided to bring up the shadow, because I’d rather have that argument. “So…I ran into a shadow. Did you see it?”
Alex looked at me like I’d asked the dumbest question in the world. “I also saw you try to go after it.” He paused deliberately, meeting my eyes with a gaze even angrier than his expression and tone. “That was unwise.”
I shrugged. “I’m still here, and I’m fine. I needed to make sure Jasmine was safe and wouldn’t be attacked by it. I also wanted to find out what it was. The only way to do that was to confront it.”
He inhaled a fractured breath, took a minute to compose himself, and looked me straight in the eye. “Dangerous situations seem to find you, Evie. For most people, this wouldn’t be a problem. Their inherent instinct to survive keeps them out of harm’s way. You, however, come with a whole different set of senses—or lack thereof. You don’t run from danger, you walk into it arms swinging, ready to take on the world, even when it’s a world you don’t completely understand. You walk into it convinced you’ll walk out. What if one day you don’t?”
I hated when Alex decided to launch into one of his lectures. Over the past few months, they’d become a staple of our relationship. Him telling me what I should do, me telling him not to tell me what to do. It was a cycle. Because of my experience, I knew there were two ways I could respond: fight him, or let it go. I wasn’t a “let it go” kind of girl. “Then I’ll die knowing I tried and wasn’t a coward. No one else is getting information about the shadows. I had one right here. I took advantage of the situation. Maybe what I learned will save a Tracker.”
Eternal Echoes, Emblem of Eternity Trilogy Book 2 Page 12