Page 91 of Satanic Shadow

He ducks when I toss a pen at him.

I shriek as he grabs my ankle and tugs me across the bed. I kick him and move away, and he shakes his head. “Stop throwing shit at me.”

I roll my eyes and put distance between us again. “You said my voice was annoying.”

His shoulder raises lazily as he lifts his own notebook, probably full of stick men of him killing me. “Itisannoying.”

“Four inventors were involved in creating the first television,” I say, reading and making sure I have the correct names because I really don’t know the right answer. “It was first demonstrated in 1927.”

“Stupid,” he says with a scoff. “There isn’t a chance that all humans know that. Ask me something else. Something important.”

I smile to myself. “Who’s the better singer… Billie Eilish or Taylor Swift?”

“Who?”

I toss down my book. “I think it’s time for you to leave.”

Dane chews on his lip, pressing the tip of his pen to his temple. “Here’s a question for you then, mortal. What happened to the Shadow Realm?”

“This is for the mortal studies test.”

“Answer the question.”

I frown. “How am I supposed to know?”

“You’ve been studying me and my world enough—surely you have an idea.”

I try not to stare at his bottom lip, which he’s holding between his teeth, or the lone lock that’s fallen in his eyes. “It was destroyed.”

“When?”

I shrug. “I assume it was a while ago?”

“Five hundred and seventy years ago,” he says, leaning back on his elbows on the bed in front of me. “Give or take a year. I’ve lost track.”

“Why didn’t you just teleport to the Mortal Realm instead of doing this school thing?”

He stares at me for a second. “Jumping between realms is an extremely rare occurrence. Only the most powerful are capable. I’d die if I even attempted to do it.”

“There are immortals here that are more powerful than you?” I ask, tilting my head.

He scoffs. “Of course not.”

“How was I brought here then?”

Dane stares at me for a long moment. “Power linking. If we combine our powers, then it’s possible, but again, rare. Whoever took you must’ve linked. Unless they used a portal, which isn’t safe.”

I flatten my lips and think back to that day I was taken. “Whoever took me drew runes or something on my wall and a sort of hole opened. Is that not the same as jumping between realms?”

“No. Portals aren’t the same, but have the same outcome,” he replies, dropping his gaze for a second. “Is there a reason you’re asking all these questions?”

“Do you know who kidnapped me?”

“No.” Dane tilts his head, gesturing to my book. “Ask me the next question.”

“You’re just going to change the subject?”

“Yes. This is more important.” He sits up and leans forward, placing my book back in my hand. “You don’t want me to fail, do you?”