Page 27 of Those That Don’t Exist (Hidden Vampires #1)

“You’re a shadow wielder,” Aurora breathes out in astonishment.

“Correct,” I answer as I step further away from her, towards the door, crouching where the lamplight doesn’t reach as strongly. I pull on my magic more, rising the shadows from the floor, sinking myself into obsidian black.

I can see clearly through their inky embrace but to Red, I’ll be almost invisible. Like a black cat on a dark night, if it moves you’ll notice it but sitting still and your eyes lose focus on its form.

“Incredible.” Aurora’s gaze is fixated on me as I stand, bringing my upper body back into the light.

The damn shadows almost preen under her praise.

“Are they real? Are they sentient? How do you communicate with them?” She fires questions at me without pausing for me to answer in her enthusiasm, it's adorable.

I smile at her inquisitive mind, a small part of me had worried this would terrify her, showing her how true of a predator I am. Nope, she’s fully captivated.

“We don’t communicate through voice or language.

It's more of an instinct. I feel for them and they emerge. They seem able to know when I need protection, and I pick up on emotional tugs from them too. It's hard to explain, I can just tell.” I fumble for a good explanation. The shadows at my feet seem to know I’m struggling, however, and move over to Aurora’s legs.

They caress her, winding thickly around her bare calves and up to her knees.

They’ve never done that before.

I can hide others with me easily enough if I’m touching them but they’ve never formed their snake-like essences around anyone but me.

I watch two of them play up and down her legs as Red wiggles her toes. She’s positively enamoured by them. She leans down and tries to touch one as if she can pet it but her hand slides straight through.

“I can feel them against me, it's so strange. Wonderful but strange,” she muses as I stare on, lost at them acting this way. Another one flies up behind me, coating my back as if to reassure me they still fall to my command.

Aurora sits back up and looks at me. “You must be born then, not turned,” she says it as a statement but I answer like it was a question.

“Yes, both my parents were vampires. You’ve clearly been doing your research well.” I go to sit once again on the bed. Aurora joins me, although walks gingerly across the floor like she could step on a shadow now and hurt it. I huff out a laugh.

“Hey, they feel real!” She shoves me as she crosses her legs under her. It’s not hard so I quickly regain my balance.

“You won’t harm them. They move pretty fast when they wish too.” I watch as several recede into the darker spots in the room and settle.

“Your parents must’ve had powers too, did one of them pass the shadow wielding onto you?” Red swings the conversation back to my parents, and whilst the grief roils in my chest I want to try sharing this part of myself with her. These are details about their life, not their death.

“My mum was the shadow wielder. My father controlled light energy. They were a powerful couple. They both died in the war.” I take a deep slow breath as the guilt tries to overwhelm me.

“I can already tell you loved them fiercely.” She doesn’t offer her sympathy, she gets it, sorry isn’t enough in this situation.

“I did. I guess you can relate.”

She’s silent for a beat but then nods. “It’s a deep kind of ache isn’t it?”

“Indeed.” We’re both silent for a moment more.

The connection between us deepens a little more as we individually reflect on our grief.

Hers must still be so raw. I admire her ability to pull her life together so quickly and with such powerful force.

I spent decades allowing the sadness and anger to consume me.

“So it’s true? Shadow wielding is a hereditary power?”

“Yes it's true. I don’t know how many of us are left, but there aren't many. They targeted those of us with vampiric powers ferociously and far more fiercely.”

“It was believed you were more powerful?” Red’s eyes gleam like she’s getting the scoop of a lifetime. Which to be fair she is.

I’ve not talked much about the war with anyone.

However, I want Red armed with as much knowledge as I can give her.

It’ll help her navigate this new world she’s been thrust into.

So, I find myself opening up to her despite the tightness in my chest constricting further.

I’ve spent many years shoving those memories into a box locked up tight in my mind.

I drank and drugged myself nearly into oblivion to manage it.

Red clearly sees some of the turmoil in my gaze as she quickly adds, “Sorry, I don’t want to pry. I’m letting myself get carried away. You don’t have to talk about any of it.” She reaches for me, closes her hand over mine and gives it a small squeeze.

“It’s ok,” I reassure her as I close my eyes so I can’t see her.

I focus on the feel of our connected hands.

I turn mine over so our palms are touching.

“There are a lot of bad memories I’ve suppressed for a long time.

There’s a lot of rage I’ve locked down for a long time too.

” I take another deep inhale. “Indeed those pricks, those Fae, targeted the shadow wielders, walkers and mind readers first. Any vampire with those powers, those unique to our kind, was a sitting duck. Especially as citizens believed the bullshit being spouted and started reporting vampires to the authorities.”

“Was your mum included?” I knew Aurora was going to ask but her question still chokes the air from my lungs. She moves closer to me, to my side. She doesn’t break our connected hands, but at this angle she can entwine her fingers with mine.

“She survived until near the end. She wasn’t showy with her power like some others. My dad too, though his power was more generic. My parents also managed to maintain a lot of friends who stayed loyal. As you’ve probably read this Isle was one of the last to get swept by those murderous assholes.”

“How did you…” she pauses. “How did you escape?”

“I remained human for most of the war. I wasn’t turned until my parents were forced to,” I tell her, the memories pouring out of their locked box, flooding my mind. Red must notice something in my body language because she quickly responds.

“Ty, you don’t have to talk about this. Please just tell me to butt out,” she reassures me.

“No, it's ok. I want to tell you.” I look at her, face showing concern, but I can't help thinking about how beautiful she is like this.

Her eyes sparkle like emeralds, bright against her pale skin, contrasting the red framing her face.

Shadows creep towards us to surround us on the bed.

I sense their apprehension at the strong emotions pouring from me.

“For most of the war I was a spy. My parents initially wanted to turn me, I was old enough, but I refused. I knew I could play as an agent much better without the supernatural abilities - I had grown up amongst vampires, was one in my heart and soul, so knew exactly what I was looking for.

“I infiltrated the government army and for years went unnoticed, passing information back to our side. My parents worried about something dreadful happening to me but even then I think the shadows helped me. I got into and out of several sticky situations.

“That is until the active zones of fighting expanded. We started losing and I was sent to battle instead. Whilst fighting I injured my knee really badly, nearly tore every ligament. I had to return home to heal, it was at that point my parents turned me. It turned months of recovery into days.”

I pause as Aurora strokes my arm with her free hand, tethering me to the now. I take a moment to savour her touch, even through the fabric of my t-shirt.

“I think on some level they knew. Knew our pack was going to be targeted. They didn’t want to leave me defenceless and injured so they gave me my fangs.

“Once my leg had healed and I was settled with my new abilities I returned to the continent. My squadron needed me more than ever.” The tears start to fall then, my vision blurring. Aurora continues softly stroking my arm. She moves our joint hands to her lap, closing the gaps between us even more.

“I hadn’t been back undercover long when I learnt of the plans to eradicate the packs on the Isles and Froan.

I was too slow, however, to get the message to our side.

” I run my free hand over my face as an actual sob breaks free.

“By the time I landed here, they were all gone. Taken out in one fell swoop without much backup to help them fight.”

Aurora shifts further and her head lands on my shoulder. Her warmth seeping into me.

“How did you escape?” she asks quietly as she snuggles into my side and settles.

“After the attacks here, there was one last major push on the continent. You’ve probably read about the carnage on the eastern side where many of our kind were residing to try and form a retaliation battalion.”

“The massacre of Carnio?”

“Yes. As soon as word reached us we knew it was over. It was hide or die. I was in such a state over my pack I barely remember what came after. There were a few rebel Fae in my section who had returned to Froan with me. They saw me safe on a boat and I ended up in the southern lands. I was a wreck for a long time.”

“I can’t imagine living through that and not being destroyed. But I’m glad you’re here. That you survived.” Her whisper is barely audible but I hear it.

My breathing hitches at her words. Needing her closer than she already is I reach across and pull her to me.

She gasps in surprise as I wrap my arms around her but she’s quick to embrace me too, her arms coming around my neck, her thighs wrapping around my hips.

We sit, limbs tangled, and her weight on my lap.

I cling to her like the lifeline she’s becoming, burying my head into her shoulder as her hands stroke softly along my neck and back.

I can’t quite voice the words I want to say but my response swirls round my brain, words I never thought I’d feel let alone be tempted to say.

Me too.