Page 11 of Hitched to the Shadow Creature (Monster Matchmaking #3)

V arkolak

The sun had almost risen by the time we reached Nia's dwelling. Nestled deep within the mountain shadows, her home was barely visible against the dark rock face, exactly how we shadow creatures preferred it.

"Are you sure about this?" Aya whispered, her hand firmly clasped in mine. The bruise on her face had darkened, making my chest tighten with renewed anger.

"Nia is different. She'll help us." I squeezed her hand, feeling the soft warmth of her human skin against my cooler touch.

Nia's door swung open before we could knock. Her fluid shadow form solidified into a striking female figure with silver eyes that cut through the darkness.

"Took you long enough," she said, stepping aside. "The Council's dogs have been scouring the mountains for hours."

Inside, her home stunned me. Unlike the austere dwellings most of our kind preferred, Nia's space held color. Cushions in deep purples and blues. Glowing crystals that cast soft light. Most shocking, photographs of shadow creatures alongside humans.

Aya noticed them too. "Who are they?"

Nia's expression softened. "Family. Friends. Allies."

"Allies?" I echoed.

"Sit down, both of you." Nia gestured to a seating area. "You're not the first to challenge the old ways, Varkolak."

As we settled, Nia brought a steaming mug to Aya. "Willow bark tea. For the pain."

My eyes narrowed. "You know human remedies?"

"I know many things our Council would prefer I didn't." Her shadow form rippled with something like amusement. "Including that there's a faction of us who believe integration with humans isn't just possible but necessary for our survival."

Aya's eyes widened. "There are more like you? Like Varkolak?"

"More than the Council would care to admit." Nia leaned forward. "We call ourselves the Penumbra. We've existed for generations, working in secret to build connections with sympathetic humans."

My mind raced. "How have I never heard of you?"

"Because the Council has been very effective at silencing us. Why do you think so many 'accidents' happen to those who speak out?" Her silver eyes fixed on me. "Like what happened to your father."

The world stopped.

"My father?" The words felt hollow leaving my mouth.

Nia shook her head. "Eikon was one of our strongest voices."

"Wait." I stood, my shadow form churning. "My father was part of this... Penumbra?"

"One of its founders." She moved to a hidden compartment in the wall, retrieving a small wooden box. "He knew the risks, but he believed so strongly that our future lay in cooperation, not isolation."

Inside the box was a medallion, obsidian carved with intricate symbols, symbols I recognized from my childhood. My father had worn this.

"He left this with me before your mother died. Said you'd come looking for answers someday."

My fingers traced the cool stone. Memories flooded back—my father's hushed conversations, unexpected human visitors who disappeared before dawn, books he'd quickly hide when others approached.

"He never told me." My voice sounded strange, distant.

Aya's hand found mine. "Maybe he was protecting you."

Nia nodded. "The Council watches the children of suspected sympathizers closely. He wouldn't risk your safety."

I felt Aya watching me, her eyes filled with concern. "I'm okay," I told her, though I wasn't sure if it was true.

"You're more like him than you know," Nia said softly. "Especially in your choice of mate."

Aya blushed at the word, and despite everything, something warm unfurled in my chest.

"Which brings me to why you're really here." Nia turned to Aya. "You want to know why you matched with him. Why your blood called to his."

"The Council said it was impossible," I added.

Nia's laugh was sharp. "The Council says many things. Most of them lies." She held out her hand to Aya. "May I?"

Hesitantly, Aya extended her arm. Nia's fingers hovered above her skin, her shadow essence extending in thin tendrils.

"There's an ancient technique, one the elders have forbidden, that allows us to read bloodlines through shadow resonance."

The tendrils of shadow sank gently into Aya's skin. She gasped, but didn't pull away.

"It won't hurt," Nia assured her. "Just feel strange."

I watched, fascinated and terrified, as Nia's shadow mixed with Aya's blood beneath her skin, creating shifting patterns like dark rivers.

"Fascinating," Nia murmured. "Varkolak, come. See for yourself."

I didn't understand, but instinct guided me. My shadow form extended, joining with Nia's tendrils. The moment I connected with Aya's blood, I felt a familiar resonance, an echo of home.

"What am I feeling?" I whispered.

Nia's eyes gleamed. "Her blood carries shadow essence. Diluted, dormant, but unmistakable. Your Aya has shadow creature ancestry."

Aya's eyes widened. "That's impossible. My parents were from the northern colonies."

"Before that," Nia explained. "Perhaps five, six generations back. When humans first settled these lands, some formed alliances, and relationships, with our kind. Children were born. Most showed no signs of their mixed heritage, but the shadow essence remained, buried in their bloodline."

"The matching system..." I began.

"Recognized what was already there." Nia withdrew her shadow, releasing Aya's arm. "You weren't matched by mistake. You were matched because, in some small way, she is already one of us."

Aya stared at her hands as if seeing them for the first time. "Is that why I've always felt different? Out of place?"

"Perhaps." Nia stood. "You should rest now. You're safe here until morning."

After Nia left us alone in a small room lined with soft blankets, I held Aya close, feeling her tremble against me.

"Does it change how you feel?" she asked, voice small. "Knowing I'm not fully human?"

I tilted her face to mine. "It explains why I felt drawn to you from the first moment. But it changes nothing." I kissed her gently. "You're still Aya. My Aya."

Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "And you're still processing about your father."

"I am." I couldn't lie to her. "But knowing he fought for this, for the possibility of us, makes me proud to be his son."

She nestled against my chest, her warmth seeping into me. "We should sleep."

But sleep was the furthest thing from my mind. The knowledge that Aya carried shadow essence in her blood awakened something primal in me. The shadow within me stirred, reaching for its kin buried deep within her.

Her breathing changed. I knew she felt it too.

"Varkolak," she whispered, her voice thick with desire. "I feel strange. Like shadows are moving under my skin."

"It's the awakening," I murmured, running my fingers along her arm, watching as her skin responded, darkening slightly under my touch. "Your shadow essence recognizing mine."

Her lips found mine, hungry and demanding. This wasn't like our first time, hesitant, careful. This was a necessity, two parts of a whole seeking completion.

My shadow form spread, enveloping us both in darkness. Aya gasped as it touched her bare skin, her back arching.

"It feels alive," she breathed against my mouth.

"It is alive. I am alive. We are alive," I growled, pulling her against me.

Our clothing dissolved beneath eager hands. I traced every curve, every hollow of her body, memorizing her with touch. Her skin glowed faintly in the darkness, luminous against my shadow.

"I need you," she demanded, her nails digging into my shoulders.

I positioned myself above her, watching her eyes darken with desire. As I entered her, my shadow essence enveloped us, cocooning us in darkness.

Aya cried out, but not in pain. Her eyes flew open, now ringed with silver—like mine, like all shadow creatures.

"What's happening?" she gasped, moving against me.

"We're bonding," I managed, feeling my control slipping. "Truly bonding."

With each movement, the boundary between us blurred. My shadow essence swirled around and through her, while something bright and warm from her core reached for me. Where our bodies joined, light and shadow danced together.

Her fingers traced patterns on my chest, leaving trails of light that didn't fade. My shadow caressed her inner thighs, leaving marks like delicate tattoos that shimmered with darkness.

"I can feel you," she whispered in wonder. "Not just your body—you. Your thoughts, your feelings."

I could feel her too, her pleasure spiraling higher, her love wrapping around my consciousness, her very essence merging with mine.

"Don't fight it," I urged, increasing our pace. "Surrender to it. To us."

She did. We both did.

When release came, it wasn't just physical. Our combined energies exploded outward, shadow and light intertwining in a blinding fusion. I felt myself pouring into her, and her essence flowing into me.

For a moment, we weren't two beings, but one entity of perfect balance.

When awareness returned, we lay tangled together, breathing hard. My shadow had retreated, but not completely. Thin lines of darkness remained on Aya's skin, forming beautiful patterns across her shoulders and down her spine.

And on my chest, over my heart, a small point of light glowed steadily.

"What did we just do?" Aya whispered, touching the light embedded in my skin.

"Something ancient. Something forbidden." I traced the shadow patterns on her back. "Something perfect."

We fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms, changed in ways we didn't yet understand.

Morning came too soon. Sunlight filtered through the small window, and I instinctively recoiled, then froze in shock.

The beam of light crossing my arm didn't burn.

"Aya," I whispered, staring in disbelief. "Aya, wake up."

She stirred, her eyes opening slowly. They still held flecks of silver among the brown.

"Look." I held my arm in the sunbeam.

Her eyes widened. "How...?"

Before I could answer, she gasped, holding her hand up. The shadow from the window frame seemed to bend toward her fingers, stretching unnaturally.

"Are you doing that?" I asked.

She concentrated, and the shadow moved, curling around her wrist like a bracelet.

"I think I am," she said, wonder and fear mixing in her voice.

The door opened, and Nia stood there, her eyes taking in everything. The light on my skin, the shadow wrapped around Aya's wrist, the marks we now bore.

"I thought I felt a power surge last night." Her voice was carefully neutral. "You've completed a soul-bond."

"Is that bad?" Aya asked.

"It's unprecedented." Nia approached, examining us both. "A true merging of shadow and human essence hasn't happened in centuries. The Council believed it impossible."

I pulled Aya closer, suddenly protective. "Will it harm her?"

Nia shook her head. "No. But it changes everything. You've proven what the Penumbra has always believed, that humans and shadow creatures are compatible on the deepest level."

She touched the light in my chest. "You carry part of her now. It gives you limited resistance to sunlight."

"And I carry part of him," Aya said, making the shadow dance between her fingers.

"This makes you both incredibly valuable," Nia warned. "And in terrible danger. The Council will see you as either a miracle or an abomination."

"They already wanted me dead," I reminded her.

"Now they'll want you both," Nia said grimly. "You need to leave these mountains. Head east, to the Twilight Forests. There's a Penumbra sanctuary there."

As we quickly gathered our things, I caught Aya staring at her reflection, tracing the shadow patterns that now adorned her skin.

"Do you regret it?" I asked softly.

She turned to me, her eyes steady. "Not for a second. This is who we were meant to be." Her fingers found the light in my chest.

I kissed her, feeling the now-familiar surge of connection.

The path ahead was uncertain, but one thing wasn't, whatever came next, we would face it as neither fully shadow nor fully human, but something new. Something powerful.

Something the world wasn't ready for.