The Shadow Stealer

by Melissa Giorgio

  Evan nodded. “You’re right. I did do that. I kept pretending that maybe Charles hadn’t believed me, that maybe he thought I was being an ass and playing a trick on him, but then, right before Christmas, I’m told the Chens are moving Alex to HQ in preparation for the Soul Healer’s visit.” His blue eyes were glassy as he locked gazes with me. “And suddenly everything went to hell.”

  “But you continued with the plan,” Rafe pointed out. “You abducted her—”

  “I know! I know what I did! Do you think there’s been a moment during these past two months where I haven’t thought about the shit I put her through? Put you both through,” Evan corrected himself. “I betrayed my best friend and nearly got him killed in the process. And for what?” He laughed humorlessly. “Everyone hates me now.”

  “I don’t,” I said quietly. Rafe frowned, but I ignored him.

  And, in a way, I understood why he’d done what he did. I still wish he’d asked me to heal Alexandra, rather than going behind my back, but if I were in his place and found someone who could help Rafe heal the wound in his side, wouldn’t I do whatever it took to fix him?

  Wouldn’t Rafe do the same thing for me?

  “I get that you hate me,” Evan said. “But I’m an idiot, right? That’s what you’re always telling me. And since I’m such a dumbass, I refuse to believe this is it for us, Rafe. I’m not giving up on this friendship, and I don’t care if you think you are. I am going to make you like me again.”

  My mouth dropped open. “I don’t think that’s how it works—”

  “You are an absolute moron,” Rafe said. “We could be ninety and living in the same retirement home and I would still hate you.”

  Not to my surprise, Evan grinned. “No, I don’t think so. No one can resist my superpower: Evan Charm.”

  “What the hell is ‘Evan Charm’?” Rafe made a face when Evan started laughing.

  “See, it’s already working! No one can resist it. No one!”

  Rafe turned to me, a pained look on his face. “Why did you do this to me?”

  “Because,” I said, “you needed this. You need him, Rafe. You can’t keep doing this alone.”

  “I’m not alone. I have you.”

  I patted his arm. “As sweet as that is, we both know you’re wrong. You need Evan in your life.”

  “What does that say about me, if I need this idiot around?” He hooked a thumb toward the blond.

  “Don’t you know?” I asked. “Having him around just makes you look even smarter!”

  “You guys, I’m sitting right here and can hear every word you say. Why do you always do this? Say mean things about me when I’m still in earshot?”

  “Because we’re hoping one day you’ll get a clue and change,” Rafe replied.

  Evan arched a brow. “Me? Change? Where would the fun in that be?”

  “And you wonder why I hate you.” Rafe groaned when he saw the huge, stupid grin I was wearing. “What is with that look?”

  “Nothing. I’m just really happy for you.”

  “Why? Nothing’s changed—”

  “Keep telling yourself that,” Evan said. “I’ll move back in today, okay?”

  “No, it’s not okay! I don’t want you back!” Rafe protested feebly. When Evan and I kept grinning, he gave up, burying his face in his hands. “This doesn’t mean things are back to normal. You did a horrible thing, Evan—”

  “And I’ve been working on fixing it ever since,” Evan said. “Starting with saving your girl from being impaled by a giant spike.”

  My boyfriend, still covering his face with his hands, began shaking his head. “You threw her into a wall!” His words came out muffled. “You gave her a concussion!”

  Evan winced. “I don’t think I ever apologized for that, did I, Gabi?”

  “Maybe?” I shrugged. “I had a concussion, so everything from that moment is a little bit fuzzy.”

  “You’re doing this on purpose,” Evan complained. “Making me feel bad.”

  “Is it working?” Rafe asked, almost eagerly.

  “You wish. And don’t forget,” Evan said, pointing a finger at Rafe, “I saved your ass from that spell Nina stabbed you with. You’re welcome!”

  “Actually, you helped me save him,” a new voice said. The three of us turned our heads in unison to see Kain, with Philip right behind him, standing in the doorway wearing a smug smile.

  Chapter Eight

  “Oh, great,” Evan muttered. “It’s Sherlock bloody Holmes.”

  “Hey, Kain,” Rafe said, with a wave and a bright smile, like Kain was his favorite person ever.

  Evan’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What, you’re friends with him now?”

  Rafe shrugged. “People change. Which you should know better than all of us,” he added under his breath.

  Kain’s grin widened. “I think the better question is, Underwood, who invited you?”

  “Gabi, it was Gabi!” Evan pointed frantically at me, as if he wanted to pin the blame on me.

  I scowled. “Yeah, I did. I invited you over to my house, where I expect you to behave, Evan. No flaming blue fireballs, got it?” I squinted at Kain. “That goes for you too, Kain.”

  “I would never set your house ablaze,” Kain said as he took off his coat. “Underwood’s face, yes. Your house, no.”

  “Kain,” Philip said before I could. “Remember what we talked about earlier?”

  “What is with those two?” Evan asked me.

  Dating, I mouthed.

  Evan’s eyes widened with disbelief. “You have got to be kidding me. What the hell is wrong with Phil?”

  “Nothing, because I am quite the catch,” Kain answered before I could. He made a show of looking around. “Where is Dad?”

  Philip winced. “Will you stop calling him that? It sounds super creepy.”

  “He’s at the office. It’s almost tax time, so he has to get ready and do all that fun accounting stuff that I don’t understand,” I explained.

  “Do tell him I said hello?” Kain asked, crestfallen.

  I reassured him yes, I would tell Dad that, and then exchanged a look with Philip once Kain’s back was turned.

  “Don’t even say it, because I already know,” Philip said.

  “Again,” Evan said, “what is wrong with you?”

  Before Philip could answer, the doorbell rang, and Evan went through a complete transformation. He’d finally started to relax, but now he paled noticeably, and his hands began to shake. When he swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

  “You bolt,” I hissed as I rose from the couch, “and I will kill you. You hear me, Evan?”

  “I can’t do this. I can’t, I can’t—”

  “Holy shit, Evan,” Rafe said, surprising us all. “Since when are you such a coward?”

  “I can answer that!” Kain raised his hand gleefully and Philip elbowed him in the side.

  Beads of sweat coated Evan’s forehead as he rose and began backing away toward the kitchen. “You don’t understand, Rafe—”

  Rafe folded his arms over his chest. “I understand perfectly. You’re afraid of Alex.”

  The doorbell rang again, followed by the sound of hard knocks on the door. “Don’t let him run,” I told Rafe before rushing to answer the door.

  Alexandra Chen stood on the porch, peering through the glass. She relaxed when she saw me approach. “I thought you were going to leave me out here to freeze.”

  “Sorry about that.” I opened the door, gesturing for her to come in. We stared at one another, her with a curious gleam in her dark-brown eyes. She was short, only coming up to my chin, with long, stick-straight midnight black hair that nearly reached her waist. It was currently loose, but she had one section done up in a small braid, reminding me with a painful pang of Nina. All of her clothes, from her gray pea coat to her thigh-high boots, screamed money, but she flashed me a friendly smile when our eyes met. She held out her hand. “Hi. I’m Alex.”

 
“Gabi,” I said, taking her hand. It was so weird, finally meeting her after hearing so much about her.

  “Am I the only one who thinks this is strange?”

  I laughed. “You just read my mind!”

  “It’s not every day you meet the person responsible for bringing you back from the dead, right? Or, nearly dead, I should say.” Alexandra laughed as well, her nose scrunching up adorably. She reminded me of a doll, and I could totally see why Evan had fallen so hard for her. “Would it be lame if I said thanks?”

  I shrugged. “Thanks is okay with me.”

  “Cool. Oh, and thanks for inviting me over. I really missed everyone…” Alexandra trailed off as she turned around to see the four guys staring at her. Yep, four. Evan had stuck around, although he looked like he was going to puke at any moment. Alexandra let out a low whistle. “Oh, boy. This is going to be a fun day. I can tell already.”

  Without waiting for me to answer, she marched straight up to Rafe, her boots stomping loudly against the wood floor. Even though she didn’t even reach Rafe’s shoulders, he still looked…afraid? That wasn’t an expression I normally saw on Rafe’s face, and it puzzled me. “You stupid, stubborn idiot. For two months, you couldn’t even bother to pick up your phone?” Before anyone could react, Alexandra slapped him across the face.

  Holy crap!

  While Rafe stood there, looking mildly stunned, Kain began laughing. “Still a little spitfire, I see. Alexandra, let me give you my number. If you are ever lonely—”

  “Not interested,” Alexandra said without looking away from Rafe.

  Kain deflated visibly while Philip shook his head in exasperation.

  I took a deep breath, wringing my hands together as a red mark began blooming on Rafe’s cheek. “Um,” I said. “It’s great that you’re here and everything, Alexandra—”

  “Alex,” she interrupted.

  “Okay, Alex. I called you here to help Rafe and not, you know, beat the crap out of him.”

  Alexandra shook her head, her black hair fanning back and forth like an obsidian wave. “As long as he stops acting like a moron, I promise I won’t hit him again.” She stepped closer to Rafe and he flinched. “Got it, Fitz?”

  Fitz? I thought. Was that her nickname for him? I felt a stab of jealously and instantly hated myself for it. Wrong thing to be feeling right now, Gabi! Something told me I needed to stop being stupid before Alexandra realized what I was feeling and hit me next.

  “I got it, Alex,” Rafe mumbled.

  “What was that?” She cupped a hand to her ear, glaring at my boyfriend.

  “I said I got it!”

  “Good.” Alexandra nodded brightly. “My work here is done. Is there anything to eat?”

  “I figured we could just get some takeout,” I said. “There are menus in the kitchen; Rafe, can you show her?” He nodded and led Alexandra to the back of the house, while I remained in the front room with the other three.

  Kain was busy chuckling to himself. “She completely ignored you two.”

  “Sadly, I’m used to it,” Philip said. “She hates my guts, remember?”

  “Yours and Underwood’s, apparently.”

  Evan made a face. “Why are you even talking to him, Phil? He just tried to pick her up!” I wondered if I was the only one who noticed Evan’s deliberate avoidance of saying Alexandra’s name. “Aren’t you two dating?”

  “If by dating,” Kain said, “you mean going out for a meal and a movie, then no, we are not dating. But if you mean skipping all of that and going straight to the bedroom, then yes, we are dating. Very much so and every night—”

  “Kain.” Philip was speaking through clenched teeth, his entire face flushed red. “Shut the hell up right now.”

  “Ugh,” Evan said. “Again, Phil, I ask: What the hell is wrong with you?”

  Kain brushed some invisible dust off of his shoulder. “I have many redeeming qualities, Underwood. If you ever manage to get your giant head out of your arse, you’d understand why I caught Philip’s eye.”

  “And what, fall in love with you?” Evan shuddered. “I think I just threw up a little in my mouth. No offense, Phil.”

  “You guys,” I said, making a “time-out” sign with my hands. “Enough. Do I need to remind you again that we’re here for Rafe?”

  “Hey, Rafe and I are okay now,” Evan said.

  “I don’t know if ‘okay’ is the right word, but yeah, I guess I’ll take what I can get.” I took a quick peek at the doorway to make sure Rafe wasn’t coming back before lowering my voice and adding, “I’m talking about the stuff with his parents.”

  Instantly, all three hunters turned serious. I felt a rush of gratitude that they could put aside their differences to help Rafe. “You mean the shit about Silver Moon killing them,” Evan said. “Is that true?” He directed his question to Philip.

  Philip looked highly uncomfortable as he pulled at the collar of his shirt. “That’s what my dad thinks. He’s been digging for information since the day of the attack at HQ, but he has to be very careful. If the ones who ordered this find out Dad is snooping around…” He trailed off, but we all knew what he meant.

  Despite everything Charles had done to me, I was still worried about him. When I’d voiced those fears, he’d laughed and told me he knew how to take care of himself. His voice had been warm, though, as if he was grateful for my concern. Our little truce was so weird, and I barely understood it myself half the time. I wasn’t used to changing my opinions about people, and going from hating someone to being concerned for their well-being. I told myself it was because I didn’t want Philip to lose his dad and become an orphan like Rafe, but I was kidding myself.

  I just can’t stand the thought of Silver Moon killing someone else and getting away with it, I told myself, squeezing my hands into fists. No, not Silver Moon. Collins. I opened my mouth to share with them what Rafe had told me, but Evan spoke first.

  “You know, normally I’d be surprised Rafe hasn’t murdered everyone inside HQ,” Evan said, “but after seeing him still hurting from the spell, I can’t blame him. How can he go after Silver Moon if he’s not at full strength?”

  “No.” Philip shook his head. “That’s not why he’s holding back. It’s because of Gabi.”

  Chapter Nine

  Everyone stared at me, and my stomach twisted painfully when I realized Philip was right. I was the reason Rafe hadn’t done anything. I know I’d said I was with him no matter what he chose to do, but I hated the idea of being in the way of him finally finding some closure. When my eyes started stinging, I rubbed them with the palms of my hands. “I keep screwing everything up, don’t I?”

  “What are you talking about?” Philip asked. “Gabi, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him.” Kain and Evan nodded their agreement. “You—” He broke off at the sound of approaching footsteps.

  Rafe paused in the doorway. Seeing my red eyes, he frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  “Hey, who wants Chinese?” Alexandra asked, following Rafe into the room. “And don’t you dare make a joke about the Chinese girl wanting Chinese food or I will kick your ass.” When no one said anything, her smile faded. “What’s going on?”

  “I guess they’re having the meeting about me without me,” Rafe said. He looked away when he said that, so I couldn’t tell if he was angry with me or not.

  “No, Rafe—” I started, desperate to keep things right between us.

  “Food first!” Alexandra declared. “Tell me what you want so I can go order it. And then we can sit around and eat before we kill one another, okay?”

  “She’s almost as bad as you are with dessert,” Philip muttered, wincing when I jabbed him in the side with my elbow.

  While everyone told Alexandra what they wanted, I mumbled under my breath that I wasn’t hungry and drifted away to the kitchen. Standing in front of the window, I stared out at my snow-covered garden, deeply wishing my mom was here. But why? It wasn’t like I could tell her my
problems—my real problems, anyway.

  But it still would have been nice to have her around.

  Philip stepped into the kitchen and came over to stand next to me. Our reflections in the window stared back at us, and I leaned my head against his shoulder, sighing deeply.

  “The thing I said about Rafe—I shouldn’t have been so blunt,” Philip said. “I’m sorry.”

  “But it was the truth. Do you think…” I broke off, hesitating. “Do you think Rafe would be better off without me around?”

  “What? No!” Philip shook his head. “Didn’t you hear me? You really are the best thing that’s ever happened to him. Maybe you don’t notice it, because you’ve only known him for a short time, but there’s such a…warmth in his gaze when he looks at you. He’s hurting, yes, because of his injury and what he found out about his parents, but when you’re around, he forgets all of that. I can tell by the look in his eyes.”

  “But don’t I remind him of the bad things?” I insisted despite myself. Even after all this time, I still expected to wake up one morning and find out this wonderful thing I had with Rafe was all a dream. “Doesn’t he look at me and see all the things that have caused him pain in his life? If it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t have that injury. He wouldn’t know the truth about his parents. He’d have a nice, quiet life.”

  “Without you,” Philip gently reminded me. “He’d have that life, but you wouldn’t be a part of it. And how do you know he wouldn’t have found out the truth about his parents on his own? Maybe it’s not right for me to speak for him, to assume what he’s thinking and feeling, but I’m pretty sure he would trade that quietness for a life with you in a heartbeat.”

  I wiped at my eyes and gave him a weak smile. “When did you get so wise?”

  “I think Kain has something to do with it.” Philip’s eyes lit up, and I wondered if he realized he displayed that same warmth toward Kain that he said Rafe had for me. “He’s a giant pain, but he’s good for me. Just like you’re good for Rafe.” Slinging an arm around my shoulder, he pulled me in for a hug. “Besides, if you’d never met Rafe, then we wouldn’t have met, either. And think of how boring your life would be without me in it.”