Page 17

Yien

P anic.

It was the first thing I felt when I came back to my realm and realized that Xira was there.

I let the shadows engulf me, taking me directly to her.

When I saw Xira and Iris together, my heart stopped and rage filled me.

“ What are you doing? ” I asked, unable to stop the venom from filling my voice.

Xira had come from the same shadows I had. I had known her all her life and most of mine. I knew she had impeccable bloodlust control when it came to humans. I had seen her exercise it time and time again. I had no reason to worry about her… but still, as soon as I saw them together, my mind went into overdrive.

All I could think of was wrapping my shadows around Iris and pulling her to me and as far away from the demon as I could.

I stopped just short of that, commanding my shadows to wrap around Iris’s ankles and waist, ready to pull her back as soon as I needed, but paused when Iris looked back at me, her smile wide.

No one had ever looked at me like that. No one had ever been excited to see me, their entire body radiating with joy at just the sight of me. But there she was, right as I was ready to pounce on my sibling from the shadows, smiling at me .

Images of her on the bed yesterday flooded my mind. It was breathtaking, the way she reacted to my shadows, and refreshing to meet someone who could feel them and see them the way I could.

Xira was ignorant of the fact that I had my little human wrapped tightly and was ready to protect her, but she didn't need to see the shadows to understand the look on my face and know how much I wanted to end her.

“I came because I have news,” she said. Her eyes shifted to Iris. “Human, you may want to leave for this.”

“She stays,” I spat before Iris could speak. “She's my companion. She can hear whatever it is you have to say.”

Xira’s face changed in that moment. It dropped and allowed her true emotions to filter across her face. I knew what she had come to say before she said it.

I took a step back, the realization hitting me like a slap to the face.

Allura. The youngest of us. The one whose spirit was the most kind, the most playful… somehow, she had been the one to leave us first.

No. Something hard hit my chest. An emotion I barely had time to process.

Why her? Hadn’t there been enough deaths from the Shadow Realm?

“I didn't feel her,” I whispered.

“I suspected as much,” she replied. “Which is why I came.”

I could feel Iris’s eyes on me, but I couldn’t meet her gaze. How could I begin to explain?

“It happened a few days ago,” Xira continued. “Just like you warned, she was caught sneaking into the borders of other realms.”

“The royals?” I asked, but she shook her head.

“I’m not sure,” she whispered. “We were due to meet at the edges of this realm. She never missed a meeting before. I waited for three days and nothing.”

A light burst of hope sprouted in me.

“You don't know, though,” I said quickly. “I would have felt her. She would have joined the others?—”

“You and I both know demon souls do not always join the shadow.”

She was right. I knew she was right, but I didn't want to believe her. I couldn’t; something in me refused to believe that Allura , the brightest, happiest of us all, was no longer with us.

“Thank you for telling me,” I said. “Feel free to stay here as long as you'd like.”

She nodded and stood.

“I’ll leave you two, I'm sure your human pet has a lot of questions.”

I nodded at her words but didn't say anything as she got up and left. I didn’t have it in me to watch her. I was stuck there, frozen and disbelieving.

Iris looked at me and then stood slowly. My shadows tightened around her as she came closer. She stopped right in front of me, her chest brushing mine.

I looked down at her as she looked up at me, and then she stood on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around my shoulders.

I froze, unsure what to do. My shadows were still wrapped around her, but my hands twitched. My first instinct was to touch her. My arms were begging me to wrap around her like she was wrapped around me.

Why? I wanted to ask, but I couldn't force it out through my tightened throat.

Her hand came up to run gentle strokes along my hair.

“Let me help you,” she whispered, holding me tighter. “Just let me help you, okay?”

I could do nothing but nod.