Shadow walking?

Still floating a few feet from the ground, my body turned slowly. Denise's words rang through my brain with a jarring impact. I didn't remember learning about it from everything that I'd come across or had been taught by Denise, and somehow I knew it was a big no-no. Her tone, alone, sent a shiver through me and I worried that I had stumbled upon some form of restricted traveling.

The snarky sarcastic response came out as, "I haven't the slightest clue how I got here... or my apartment... or the ally near that coffee shop I like."

My eyes widened as her head tilted. My confession was not what I intended to say. Somewhere between my brain and my mouth, something had gone terribly wrong.

"Coming here, to my home, this isn't the first time?" Denise asked.

"No," pushed through my lips and I sagged in frustration. Hoping to regain my composure, I pushed my hair out of my face and added, "Was that what I was doing, shadow walking? What's that? I've never—" I bit down hard on my tongue in hopes to slow the gush of curiosity.

She sat straighter and her leg lowered, "While you're in a... mood, care to tell me what it is you are hiding?"

"No," I said quickly before biting my lips together. It felt like my lies were being uber-filtered and I wasn't able to resist telling her the actual answer to each of her questions.

Had this been something Amara had done to me? She had never been one to mess with potions or elixirs, but with as much as we'd gone through in our past, I wouldn't have blamed her. If it hadn't been for our interruption, I would have been asking her about the stones.

Regan's face flashed in my head as Denise stood to better assess me. I had no idea how powerful Regan was, but all those I'd come in contact with who had sovereign ties usually had more than triple a normal caster.

"Is that right? Then tell me what you took, the other night, from your sore loser." Denise had rephrased the question into a demand.

Hanging my head, my blood rushed loudly in my ears, head spinning, as my vision blurred. The feeling of my tongue swelling made me more than uncomfortable. What was worse was that I wanted to tell her what I had in my possession. I knew she could tell me more about them.

Instead, my mind went to my childhood and I repeated a saying I'd learned when I was young.

"What are you mumbling, Sadie? Speak up."

"...weepers. Finders keepers, losers weepers." I enunciated the words before letting my emotions take the rest. "I found it. I chose to keep it. They lost it. Now, they come crying for it." My anger bubbled beneath the surface, and I knew she heard it in my voice as I finished speaking.

"Fine," she said smoothly.

I was dropped to the ground, landing on my ass.

Heading for the door, Denise ordered, "Follow."

I didn't have a great feeling about this, but there wasn't much choice. Following her, she led me to her room.

Several steps ahead of me, she had already gotten a small bag and laid it on her bed.

"Come here."

"What are you planning to do?" I watched her as she took out a short sharp blade and waited for me.

Unmoving from her doorway, I was nervous. Denise had never hurt me intentionally before and her look told me I wasn't going to enjoy what happened next.

"Come of your own free will or—"

"Okay, okay." I followed her directions as soon as I felt my muscles strain under her threat.

"You've been linked," she said so calmly that I wondered if I had heard her correctly.

"What? I don't know what that means."

She arched a brow as she took my hand in hers. Watching her closely as she lightly trailed the blade along my skin and began to murmur. Her eyes turned white, and I felt her calming energy as she took my other hand and did the same. Starting at my inner elbow, I enjoyed the tickle until the blade skimmed my wrist.

Discomfort shot through my arm and the blade hadn't even cut me.

It was internal like it had been in the bistro. Attempting to pull away from her, I knew she'd found her target. Denise imitated a curse in Latin.

"What's the ma—" I started to ask.

White hot pain radiated up my arm as the blade sunk into my wrist. Tip digging deep, agony was crippling, and I sank further into the bed. I hadn't even registered the scream that was breaking from my lungs. All the while, the rest of my body was unable to move or struggle or stop Denise.

My eyes darted from her face to what she was doing. Watching as she leveled the hilt with my arm and leveraged something out of my flesh.

What the fuck?

"There..." Denise's focus was on something that was beneath my skin.

Whatever it was, snapped. Only after it had broken did I feel the pressure release in my chest. I hadn't even realized it had been there. This was not from a potion or elixir.

I'm not sure what I had expected... No... I did know what I expected. I readied myself for something alive, wiggling, and squirming, potentially clawing itself from my arm.

Instead, Denise pulled a pair of tweezers and yanked whatever she had found, out of me. I watched as she extracted a thin black band, similar to the line that I'd seen earlier on the same wrist earlier.

It almost looked like a broken rubber-band made up of long hairs. A few seconds after being removed, the band dispersed in a swirl of darkness.

Definitely not Amara. More likely the tall, dark, and delicious shadow prince.

Denise huffed and kept her silence as she wrapped my wrist in medical gauze from the bag. Although there wasn't usually a need for first aid, I realized the bag was probably her med kit she traveled with.

"Can't you just heal me?" I asked. After my words were out, I heard how bratty I sounded but didn't care. I was in fucking pain!

Pausing, she said sharply, "Can't you?"

The answer was yes. Yes, I could heal my own damn self, but that's not what came out of my mouth.

Irritation overflowed as the air around me felt heavy. "You're better at it and you're the one who stabbed me. Just get it done."

All movements in the room stopped and I immediately regretted my demand.

The blood that had been dripping from my arm slowed to a stop.

Looking at Denise, her eyes had started their eerie glow, but the power in the air, wasn't hers.

Then I smelled the change; firewood and whiskey. Shadows projected a tall figure from the corner of her room and my eyes locked onto him.

"Interesting choice in location," Regan spoke as his steps drifted through darkness at his feet.

For a moment, I couldn't respond and he took the opportunity to poke me further by adding, "Beast got your tongue?"

"Oh no, I was just thinking," I said confidently before dipping my voice lower, "Fancy that... Meeting a shadow prince in a heavily warded home that one of us shouldn't be in."

The wicked smile that graced his mouth as I had reused his own words from our night in the office.

"Problem is, I'm not really here, little witch. I am only a projection."

I lifted my arm as I finished pulling the wrappings more securely into place. "Interesting that I can still smell you, without you physically here. As for your projection, am I to assume that you had something to do with my shadow souvenir?"

"I did," he confirmed.

"I'm all into a little pain, but you seem to have taken it to the next level."

"All I did was create the link. You and your teacher were the ones who wanted to slash it out." He stepped closer, eyeing my arm before sniffing the air with a brief scowl. "Or burning it out. Whatever works."

I realized he truly wasn't physically in our home. Looking at him so close to me, I could make out the other side of the room, behind him.

"You're so sweet for wanting to give me something to remember you by, but next time I'd happily settle for jewelry."

"What more do you want, you already have my father's stones."

"Ew," I said without thought. Squeezing my eyes shut in hopes it would push an uninvited image from my one-track-mind.

"Ew?"

"Family jewels... Know what? Never mind. What do you want?"

With a smirk he said, "A deal."

"I'm listening."

"Let me help you. Free yourself and give the stones to me."

"The stones? And?"

"That's it," he said with a side smile that turned my stomach.

I laughed. "What's in it for me?"

"You will live longer."

"Seems these stones are worth a lot if the price is my life. I think I'm doing alright on my own, but thanks."

I'd been distracting myself by playing with the bandage, but when I looked up, he was as close as he could get without touching me.

Could he touch me in this form?

"Had a feeling you'd turn me down. Think about it anyway, and in the meantime, feel free to visit me tonight while you sleep. See you soon, little witch."

I rolled my eyes involuntarily and he was gone the next moment. His words flowed in and out of my mind.

Regan had pulled me into a moment of playful banter where I had forgotten that time had nearly stopped.

Fiery stinging sliced through the incision in my wrist. The bandage burned away like tissue paper set alight.

"Need I teach you manners on top of honing the skills of magical wielding, Sadie Monroe?" Denise bit out in irritation.

"Fuck! I'm sor—" My apology died in a scream.

Words can't begin to describe the pain. She sent the heat... No it wasn't just heat, it was flames. They traveled along the path the band had been, inside my wrist. Encircling my arm, affecting my tendons and nerves as she cleansed with fire.

When she withdrew from my body, her eyes slowly returned to their natural color.

I rubbed at my arm as an angry, fresh, scar welled where her flames had been.

"What did you take, Sadie?" Denise's question didn't affect me in the same way it had a moment before.

There was no overwhelming compulsion to tell her the truth, but I needed to. Maybe she would be in a better mood once I told her.

I know, I know... Wishful thinking.

"I found stones," I tried to ease into the conversation about the stones.

"What stones?" The tone she took hadn't changed and I immediately realized how bad of an idea it was to tell her, but I straightened and continued.

"Stones. Gems. Not really jewels, but magical and similar to opal."

Her brows knit and she asked, "But not opals?"

"I don't think so. They glow."

Her gaze that had been wandering the bed skirt, shot to my face. "What colors?"

"I've seen it blue, green, and," I realized that if the red glow was from someone tracking them, I had put her home in a precarious spot.

"And?"

"They glowed red," I admitted.

She closed her eyes. It seemed she knew exactly what I'd gotten a hold of. She stood and put the kit away as she said, "I need to see them to be sure, but if they are what I believe them to be, they cannot go back to their previous owner."

"They aren't here," I lied.

Before she could speak, there was a soft knock at the door that drew our attention.

Saved by the fucking knock!

The small girl I'd seen Denise tending to the night before, peered through the door.

Denise threw me a warning look, saying, "Don't go anywhere, let me get her sorted."

With the little one, Denise took on a softer and more caring tone than she had with me. They talked about food and what the little one maybe hungry for.

As I turned to watch them walk towards the kitchen, I realized the small girl hadn't actually spoken. She must have, though. Denise had asked questions and sounded a part of conversation.

How odd...

With an internal shake, I realized I needed to leave. I had plans with Amara and I had divulged too much to Denise.

I gathered my things carelessly as I shoved belongings into a large backpack. The stones in the middle of clothes, in case they flared their red-flag-warning again.

Slipping through the back gardens, I had a few spots I'd found that were easy to portal from. My stomach revolted at the thought of another portal jump, but I had one night and a full day before I was supposed to meet with Amara.

The next 24 hours would be hell. I needed to keep moving, to keep out of trouble, and until I met up with Amara. I had places that I'd be safe, but I couldn't think too long about it. My movements had to seem sporadic and unpredictable.

The thought of shadow walking crossed my mind again, but when I focused on my destination, nothing happened. Maybe I'd used up all the juice to move that way or maybe the band in my wrist had allowed me to move in the shadow.

Shadow magic = shadow walking?

I'd gotten the damn thing from Regan... He had to be connected to this form of transportation, somehow.

If I could find a safe place to sleep, I would seek Regan out and ask him myself.

With another failed attempt to shadow walk, I opened the eather. My destination was clear in my mind as I stepped through and felt the familiar sensation roll through my gut. I was about to purge everything I'd eaten at the bistro.

My apartment's stale smell pushed the nausea through my system, and I retched into the sink.

"Gross," I groaned and wiped my mouth.

Although my apartment would be the first place Denise would look for me, I wouldn't be around long enough for her to catch me. Something told me that her little house guest would keep her occupied.

Dropping my bag in the kitchen, I showered with shit pressure and lukewarm water. Pulling my toothbrush into the shower with me, I cleaned up my mouth and attempted to keep my hair dry.

My cabinets were mostly empty and my fridge had nearly nothing. I could grab food at my next stop.

I grabbed a bottle of water and slung the backpack onto my back. I headed for my closet. There was a necklace hidden in hoodies that I snagged. Made by a pixie friend, one of my favorite effects of it was that it helped with minor ailments, including the urge to puke my brains out.

I transported myself three more times. Finding food along the way and ended up in an empty loft that had belonged to one of Denise's friends. I'd been there once. They had talked at length about how infrequently they were there and the need to sell the property. I also knew the wards that were up were meant to keep the property neutral. This meant no fights or magic allowed without the owner's consent.

I flung myself onto the bed, thankful for the minimal security this place had to offer. I also knew that Denise wouldn't think I'd come here.

Sleep didn't take long. Although I had cleared my thoughts as I slipped into REM, my mind had one direction.

Regan leaned seductively on the bed he had shifted us to in our last dream. One muscled hand supporting his head as the other flipped a page of the book he was reading. Only his eyes moved to greet me and the smirk he had meant nothing but trouble.

"For someone who doesn't like me, you sure like to visit my bed chamber, little witch." His voice was a deep rumble that I felt to my core.

"Stop calling me that."

"Little witch? But it suits you."

"I have a name. You could use it instead. You may even like it."

"And what fun would that be?" His mocking tone made me smile.

Furthering my observation of the dream, he barely wore anything. His long, lean torso was bare and his lower half had sleep pants that looked soft and comfortable. The material was thin enough that it hid very little.

Something inside me wondered what he was reading and the other part of me wanted to be the book beneath him.

Shit!

The fluidity of the dream shifted me and I was no longer standing at the side of his bed.

I was beneath him. Where his fucking book had been!

"I. Don't. Like. You," I glowered up at him, more mad at my body for betraying me. Maybe I'd been mad at my subconscious, too.

"Reading you is much better than reading a book," Regan purred. "I bet you hated that part of the link I formed with you."

I stilled, watching his amusement play across his face. "Being linked to you wasn't the experience I expected," especially the pain.

"How'd it feel?" he asked.

"Fucking fantastic. Tongue selling, dizzy spells, and all kinds of shadow shit."

"You didn't know?"

"Know what?" I asked.

He rolled off the bed laughing, and I shot up, sitting in a cloud of frustration and confusion.

He cleared his throat and said, "Royal fae and demons, alike, can't lie. We get fancy with our wording but are always truthful."

Stunned into silence, I couldn't react. Shit! 

When I regained my thoughts, I asked, "Any other perks?"

"Some have said that the two linked beings can share powers and abilities. Personally, I've never seen it happen."

"Even shadow walking?"

His eyes narrowed and his smile faded into a curious stare. "I didn't think the bond would be that good. You shadow walked?"

"Yeah, three times."

"Three?"

Was he impressed?

"Once when I left my friend at the bistro, then when—" He cut me off.

"Friend?" His handsome face tilted slightly.

"Yes, are you having trouble keeping up with the conversation?"

"No. I guess I'm surprised you would befriend humans."

"I would be surprised too."

"I didn't sense any allies of yours in that bistro. All the magic users were members of the shadow court."

My mind froze at the thought. Nothing was connecting correctly. Amara had been there with me. Was Regan just that bad at using his senses? Or had I...

"The woman with turquoise hair, she is a seer," I said in an attempt to unravel the knot forming in my head.

"Yes," he emphasized with a nod. "She has been known to be very helpful."

My body jolted from the dream. Waking in a cold sweat and suddenly very awake.

Amara worked for Octavion?

The time spent in the Bistro snapped back to me. It had seemed marginally odd that she didn't push me on my ulterior motive for our get together.

She had been oddly calm. And what the fuck had been up with her delay!? Sitting outside, waiting for me to notice her.

Flustered and angry, Amara was going to need to explain herself. I'd get my answers at the club and she would determine her own ending.