Page 51 of Satanic Shadow

What did he say?

My hands fist at my sides.

Naturally everyone will find him hot. With the muscles and sweat and wet hair, it’s hard not to find him immensely attractive. I glance around the arena, and, of course, everyone’s looking at him.

But Valin is watching me, a warning in his eyes about the dark prince. I give him my own look that says to stay out of my way, then I glance over to see Dane heading to destroy Orsen again. He swears to himself and braces for impact.

His silence is annoying me.

Our deadline is tomorrow, and I need to somehow kiss him three more times. But he can’t even look at me.

What’s the deal if I’m not a human though? Why does it annoy him so much to think I’m not? It changes nothing. We still need to do these assignments, and when we both get off this island, we’ll be going our separate ways.

We’ll never see each other again.

Although I do think they’ll make a documentary about him. He’s going to try for world domination, and someone’s going to wrap him up and label him as a crazy person. For either trying to summon shadows when his card is declined, or for seeing a cat for the first time and attempting to strangle it.

Knowing Dane, neither are unlikely.

15

I’m the last one in the changing room. The twins tell me they’ll see me later. I’ve just put my uniform on when the door swings open. A gust of wind hits me, and the flames in the candelabras flicker until they snuff out.

I sigh as I’m drenched in darkness.

If I had power, and said power was fire, I’d burn him to a crisp. Instead, I huff and say, “I already said I don’t want to speak with you, Valin.”

“And it’ll stay that way, mortal.”

I freeze. Heavy steps echo, and a wave of excitement comes over me at the sound of his deep, threatening voice.

My skin tingles at the tone. The possessiveness of it. I swallow the tension down and pull my bag up my shoulder. “What’s with the dramatic entrance?”

Footsteps, and the air around me chills. I should shiver or rub my arms, but I stare blankly at the outline of Dane in the void of the room.

His head tilts. “I want to know who you are.”

I groan. “Someone who wants off this island. Are you going to stop acting like an idiot now?”

“Stop trying to insult me with your immature vocabulary.”

Dane comes into view in the form of a black mass. A true shadow in the darkness. Where he belongs. Where he thrives and rules and is the most powerful. He reaches out to touch my cheek, but something changes in the atmosphere—the excitement drains, replaced with an unsure, violent feeling.

He grabs my throat, pushing me into the wall instead. “Who are you?”

My satchel falls to the ground. Stuck between two immovable objects, I’m not sure which one I want to press myself into. Away from Dane and into the brick wall, or into Dane, somewhere I feel drawn to, like we’re two magnets fighting an unbearable force, and the only way I’ll ever feel happy again is to be joined to him.

I dismiss that thought. It must be the assignments. The professor must’ve put some sort of magic in them to make it easier for us to stomach each other’s presence.

I’ll tell myself that, because there is no chance in hell Dane is holding me by the throat and I’m liking it. It’s a firm hold, but not anywhere near enough to cut off the air supply to my lungs or to mark me. He’s keeping me in place.

For what reason, I don’t know.

I never know with him.

“Tell me the fucking truth,” he says lowly when I don’t respond. “Who are you?”

The need to rub my thighs together is sudden, and I almost do. A heat claws at me, building at the base of my spine. It’s as if my soul is getting excited by his closeness.