I probably wouldn’t have noticed the shadow if Alex and Emil hadn’t made me so paranoid lately—not that I’d ever admit that. As it was, I still didn’t get a really good look at it because in the blink of an eye, the shadow slid from the corner of an antique shop, over the sidewalk, and between two cars parked on the street. It wasn’t far from my car. Luckily, Jas’s car was parked only two spaces away from where we were standing. She could leave without a problem…I hoped. My martial arts self-defense skills wouldn’t be too helpful on something intangible.

I pursed my lips. I suspected Alex had seen the shadow too—if he’d been watching me the whole time. He’d once told me he could see me and my surrounding areas in the ring. So where was he? If I couldn’t get Jas in her car and on her way to Zach’s, she was about to get a paranormal education whether she was ready for it or not.

My stomach knotted. The yummy popcorn and ice cream now felt like lead weight. Trying not to draw too much attention to myself, I let my eyes wander around the cars, stores and street. I might be able to handle one shadow. I made a guess that if the shadows came from the same origins as the Daevos, my powers might work. They seemed to work the night in Denver with Emil, but the shadows hadn’t tried to test the snow barrier between us either.

I kept taking inventory of the area. Jasmine finally noticed my diligence. “What are you looking for?”

I smiled and waved my hand like my inspection of the street and sidewalk wasn’t a big deal. “Nothing. I was actually thinking I need some coffee. I have a big test to study for. I could use the caffeine. I’m going to run to the coffee shop, but I’ll talk to you tomorrow?”

She pressed the button on her keypad to unlock the door of her sporty, red Celica, disarming her alarm. “Sounds good,” she said, opening her door and putting her purse inside. She started to get in her car, but paused, half in, half out. She grinned. “Seriously. Think about what I said. You’ve already kissed them both in the last six months. They’re giving you permission. So, explore your options.”

I winced, wondering if Alex was now around and close enough to hear what she said. That brought another thought racing to the front of my mind: he’d probably heard our sex discussion earlier too. Dammit! I’d been caught up in the conversation with Jas instead of thinking about who might be eavesdropping. My face reddened at the thought. Jas laughed, not understanding why I was embarrassed, and got in her car. I waved, watching her drive off before I slowly made my way back down the street to where I’d seen the shadow.

I crept along the front of the buildings so I’d have something solid at my back as I continued to scan the area around me. Part of the problem was that, aside from my brief glimpses of them, I had no idea what the shadows were, or their strengths and weaknesses. The only thing I really knew was they were shadows, and according to Alex, they’d been seen right before Trackers were taken. That fact highlighted another issue Alex would undoubtedly get mad at me for later: that I was a Tracker, and shouldn’t be investigating shadows alone. But no one else was getting close enough to get any information. I had shadows stalking me! It seemed stupid not to take advantage and try to get some intel.

I’d made a mistake in not telling Alex and Emil about the shadow figures earlier, and other Trackers had suffered because of it. If investigating alone could help me get even one piece of information and save another Tracker, it would be worth it—even if it meant risking myself. I also knew that if things went bad, I could press the handy emergency orchid on my wrist, and Alex would be there in seconds.

As I got closer to the cars, I slowed. I wanted to know what they were, and why I kept seeing them. If something was going to kill me—or try—I wanted a good look at it first.

I crawled to the front of a red SUV and stayed crouched down in front of the car, peering under it. If the shadow wasn’t between the two cars, I knew there was a chance it would be under them, so I thought I should check there first before jumping between the cars.

I twisted the tiny purple and silver flashlight on my keychain that produced a surprising amount of light—a gift from my dad. When he’d given it to me, he’d said, “You never know when you’ll be stuck in the dark.” He was right. I used it so much the purple covering had started flaking off the flashlight. The beam shot over the pavement, under the SUV, as bright as sunlight. I saw no shadow. After a thorough scan, I shifted the beam across to the next car and saw nothing under it either. Just to be safe, I checked a couple of other cars on each side of the two I’d seen the shadow escape between.

Nothing.

I breathed out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding and stood, turning the flashlight off. I palmed the key ring. One at a time, I wedged each key between my fingers near my knuckles. Almost any object can be a weapon if you know how to use it. I wasn’t sure my version of “key brass knuckles” would work on my intangible shadow, but I felt better having a weapon ready.

I carefully stepped between the cars, standing with my legs shoulder-width apart, arms out, and ready to defend myself. Unfortunately, there was nothing to defend myself from. Part of me was relieved, the other part, upset. I wanted to know what these stupid shadows were. I dropped my head slightly, frustrated. I exhaled a deep breath, puffing my cheeks out, and straightened my neck. Wisps of inky darkness floated six feet in front of me; dark tendrils reached out from the form, slowly snaking toward me.

I gasped, taking an immediate step back. This would be the type of thing most people run from. But I reminded myself this was what I had wanted all along. A showdown with a shadow.

I’d had the forethought to check under the cars and between them, but not behind—which is obviously where the shadow had been hiding. Smart move, Evie. Really smart. Derrick, my karate instructor, would lecture me if he knew about it. It would be one of many lectures I’d get—if I survived. So, one thing was confirmed. The shadows weren’t mindless drones. They were intelligent in some way because this one had decided to play a game of hide-and-seek.

I stared at it, taking in as much detail as possible. I’d never been this close to one in my other shadow encounters. This one was slightly different than the other shadows I’d seen, though. It had no distinct shape, and was a mass of darkness so thick I couldn’t see through any part of it, including the tendrils heading my way. The texture made it seem solid, but it wasn’t. Its inky blackness elicited images of a black hole. The edges seemed to curl in wisps that moved up and down almost like something floating in water. If it hadn’t been so terrifying, it would have been graceful. It was different from the shadow I’d seen at my house last summer. That shadow had the outline of a human, and the platinum eyes that shined back at me from the dark figure would haunt me for the rest of my life—and probably lives to come.

We weren’t examining each other long before the shadow started to vibrate, moving closer to me. The shadow began to shift into a cohesive shape, the darkness compressing. A smell that reminded me of wet paint hit the air. As it started to change form, I had the strange notion that something about it seemed familiar.

I reached my arms out to my sides in an effort to gather strength, and focused all my attention on the shadow. My soulmark pulsed with the power I was drawing and in my thoughts, I said, freeze.

Except it didn’t. At least, not exactly. The form slowly stopped changing shape mid-form, then it froze. When I was certain it wasn’t going to move, I stepped closer to get a better a look. Not a lot closer, I’m not an idiot, but enough to try and make out more of the shadow’s details.

I’d only taken two steps before the figure started to shake violently. I instinctively stepped back, watching the form. I spared the thought that it might be in pain and I was the cause, but I didn’t dwell on it for long because before I knew it the violent shaking stopped. There was a five second pause—just long enough for me to consider moving toward it again—before the figure burst into glittering black and metallic dust. The particles were immediately swept into the cold night air.

I moved closer to look at the ground and see if anything remained. It didn’t. I ran my fingers lightly over the area. When I looked at them, the only grit left on my hand was from tiny broken rocks and dirt—not shadow ashes.

I sighed. I hadn’t learned a lot, but I was betting it was more than the Amaranthine knew. I’d tell Alex. He wouldn’t be happy, but at least I’d be able to contribute something. Speaking of Alex, where was he? I looked around, but I was alone on the street. He was supposed to be on ring-watch. Surely, he would have seen my quest to be a shadow huntress—and been angry about it. I frowned, wondering why he wasn’t here yet. It wasn’t like him to miss a chance to tell me how reckless I’d been.

I stopped gripping my keys between my knuckles as I readjusted my handbag strap. I glanced up in time to see Alex step out of the alley across from my car. The eyes that met mine were blazing angry green. His expression was even tighter than usual—quite a feat for him—and even I could feel the tension rolling off his chest and shoulders. There were a number of things I could have done tonight to elicit this reaction, but two things immediately came to mind: the shadow I’d attempted to fight, and the sex chat I’d had with Jasmine.

I waited to see if he’d mention the sex discussion. If he wasn’t going to, I certainly wasn’t. I’m pretty good at denial. Tonight was no exception. I imagined he’d be more upset about the shadow. “Hey,” I said softly, testing his testy level.

He nodded in acknowledgment. That was it. One. Slow. Nod. His eyes never leaving mine.

Okay.

So we weren’t having a discussion about my shadow-chasing recklessness or sex, because a discussion requires a minimum of two people, and Alex wasn’t participating. He just stood there, like a rock. A big, pissed off rock.

I decided to bring up the shadow, because I’d rather have that argument. “So…I ran into a shadow. Did you see it?”

Alex looked at me like I’d asked the dumbest question in the world. “I also saw you try to go after it.” He paused deliberately, meeting my eyes with a gaze even angrier than his expression and tone. “That was unwise.”

I shrugged. “I’m still here, and I’m fine. I needed to make sure Jasmine was safe and wouldn’t be attacked by it. I also wanted to find out what it was. The only way to do that was to confront it.”

He inhaled a fractured breath, took a minute to compose himself, and looked me straight in the eye. “Dangerous situations seem to find you, Evie. For most people, this wouldn’t be a problem. Their inherent instinct to survive keeps them out of harm’s way. You, however, come with a whole different set of senses—or lack thereof. You don’t run from danger, you walk into it arms swinging, ready to take on the world, even when it’s a world you don’t completely understand. You walk into it convinced you’ll walk out. What if one day you don’t?”

I hated when Alex decided to launch into one of his lectures. Over the past few months, they’d become a staple of our relationship. Him telling me what I should do, me telling him not to tell me what to do. It was a cycle. Because of my experience, I knew there were two ways I could respond: fight him, or let it go. I wasn’t a “let it go” kind of girl. “Then I’ll die knowing I tried and wasn’t a coward. No one else is getting information about the shadows. I had one right here. I took advantage of the situation. Maybe what I learned will save a Tracker.”

The muscles at Alex’s jaw worked. Hard. “I hope something eventually scares you enough that you’ll stop thinking you’re indestructible.”

I met his eyes. “I know I’m not immune, Alex. But I’m not willing to sit back and let other people fight my battles. I’m also not willing to have you tell me what you think I should know, instead of the whole truth.” I held his gaze. “I’m sick of being lied to. I have to look out for myself. I realize your inherent overprotectiveness is a problem in this respect, but too bad. I won’t be kept in the dark, and I won’t hope someone else will be there to save me. In the cave, I saved myself and you. I’ll do it again.”

Alex stared. I stared. We both knew we’d reached an impasse, so arguing was pointless.

“You know, sometimes I miss the days when I thought you were just crazy.” I moved on to another topic before he could respond. “What’s with all these shadows?” Alex walked across the sidewalk, meeting me in front of my Mustang. “This is the second one I’ve seen in the last few weeks. Have you seen any others?”

He pulled his lips back, giving an almost imperceptible nod.

“Emil too?”

He nodded again.

“Did you know they were here even before I told you about the one I saw when I slid into the snow bank?”

He put his hands in his pockets. “I need you to come with me,” he said instead of answering my question. He walked to the passenger side of my car. That alone made me nervous. Alex hates my Mustang, and hates it even more when I drive. I always thought it had to do with his inane need to control things. The fact that he was voluntarily riding shotgun without even the hint of a snarky remark about my driving abilities, and without opening my door for me—something he usually insisted on—was disconcerting.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“To my house.” He motioned for me to unlock the door.

I stared at him for a few beats before I got in the car, reaching over to unlock it. Alex got in immediately, buckled his seatbelt, and stared forward, impatiently waiting for me to start the engine. I narrowed my eyes, becoming even more suspicious.

“Why are we going to your house?” I rarely spent time at Alex’s or Emil’s homes. I wasn’t sure why. Maybe they were both trying to give me some sense of normalcy and thought hanging out at my own house, where I was comfortable, would help.

“Because I had an unexpected visitor right before you saw the shadow. I would have been here to take care of you a lot faster if he hadn’t shown up. I left him to help you, but he’s still at my house. I need to deal with the issues he’s causing.”

Issues? Someone besides me was giving Alex problems? That piqued my curiosity. “Who is this guy?” I asked, starting the car and pulling out of the parking spot.

“Another Protector. I’ve known him for a long time.”

“Why is he causing issues?”

Alex looked at me like I was asking a lot of questions he didn’t want to answer. He finally sighed and said, “I told you some Protectors were upset about the missing Trackers. They were restless before, now they’re restless and organized. He’s the leader of the group of Protectors who want to attack the Daevos.”

I turned onto the highway in the general direction of Alex’s ridiculous mountain-top mansion straight out of a Disney movie.

“I wasn’t aware anyone was planning to launch an attack.” I waited for Alex to respond. He didn’t. “So why is he talking to you?”

“Because I’m the person Protectors talk to when they have problems with the Amaranthine.”

I looked at him and laughed. “What? Were you elected “twenty-first century Protector class president”?”

“Funny, Evie.”

I’d been joking, but I kind of meant it. I had no idea how the Amaranthine hierarchy was organized, and didn’t know where Alex fit. “Seriously, what do you have to do with this?”

“I’m the intermediary right now between the Amaranthine leaders and the Rebel Protectors.”

I almost laughed again. Rebel seemed like such a silly description to be using for a group of people who, by training and job description, rarely broke the rules. I mean, obviously, they were breaking the rules now, but it still struck me as funny. I also thought it was hilarious that they considered him level-headed enough to be the intermediary.

“So you’re having clandestine meetings at your house?” I lifted my brow. Alex was usually the rule-book follower type. “That’s very rebellious of you. Next thing you know, you’ll be getting up to use the bathroom on an airplane even though the fasten seatbelt sign is still lit.”

Alex glared at me. “They aren’t clandestine. The Amaranthine leaders know about them. I keep both sides informed, and aid the negotiations.”

“Oh.” I was slightly disappointed. Something in me liked the thought of Alex breaking the rules. It made him feel…less perfect. Don’t get me wrong, Alex has faults—I had a journal full of them. But his arrogance somehow turned those faults—being overprotective because he wanted to take care of me; not respecting my opinions because he thought he knew more; and acting like he knew me better than I did even though he clearly didn’t understand this incarnation of me—into something that made him even more unattainable. If he’d done something even remotely against the rules, I’d feel more like he was normal and on my level in some way. Plus, there’s something inexplicably attractive about bad boys.

Alex caught my tone. “Why did you say “oh” like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you acted when you were five and got the pink and yellow country kitchen playset for Christmas instead of the black battery-powered two-seater kids Corvette you asked for.”

I stared at him for a second. I sometimes forget how long he’s been in my life watching me. It’s a bit unsettling. “How do you remember that?”

He shrugged. “You were also upset because you’d specifically asked for blue and red Wonder Woman pinstripes and the words “Wonder Evie” to be painted across the back of the car.” He laughed. “Your dad thought it was a great idea and lobbied for it. Your mom opted for the more traditional route.”

Huh. I didn’t know it had happened like that. It made sense though. My mom was ever hopeful I’d find and embrace my homemaking gene. I’d found the one fueled by Detroit instead.

“Seriously,” Alex said. “Why the disappointed tone?”

We were almost out of town so I increased my speed. “I just thought it would be nice if you broke the rules once in a while.”

He stared at me, eyes narrowed in thought. “I do break the rules. Remember me appearing to you in the mountains last summer and then dating you? That was definitely not in the Protector handbook. I was only supposed to be a presence in your life. A friend—not a love interest.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t really count. You did it because I was lost and needed to find a way back to my car. The Amaranthine told all the Protectors to be part of their Trackers lives. You had ulterior motives, but your main reason for the infraction was to keep me safe, which is in your handbook.” I paused. “Do you really have a handbook?”

He ignored the question. “You rationalize everything.” He stewed about it for a minute. “And there was your living room floor.” He paused deliberately; I could feel his eyes on me, burning. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat at the memory. “That,” he said, “was completely against the rules.”

“That,” I said, my tone clipped, “was also over before it really started. And you were the one to end it because it was against the rules. You don’t break rules; you make what you think are mistakes, and immediately rectify them.”

Alex pushed his brows together in frustration. “Trust me. I break plenty of rules.”

“Not that I’ve seen. You’re practically an angel. I’m surprised your Protector vows didn’t come with wings.”

I could tell by the muscle twitching at his temple that my assessment didn’t please him. “I’ve done plenty of things I’m not proud of. I am definitely not angelic.”

I lifted my shoulder. “Prove me wrong.”

He stared at me in reply.

“Seriously,” I said. “Prove it. Do something bad.”

A smirk formed at the corner of his lips. “You couldn’t handle bad.”

I snorted a laugh. “Oh, I’m pretty sure I could, since “bad” would consist of you eating a grape at the grocery store before you bought the whole bunch.”

As I turned into his driveway and started the climb to his house on the hill, I glanced over at him. His smirk held a hint of indignant anger now. He slowly unfolded his arms and pressed the button releasing his seatbelt. I was about to comment that prematurely unbuttoning his seatbelt when we were less than a thousand feet from his house didn’t count as bad when he leaned across his seat, tilting his head slightly, arrogantly. His eyes had darkened to a deep green, and his lips looked fuller than usual. His expression was the kind a man wore when they knew what they wanted and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I’d seen it in movies. “Stop the car.”

“What?” I was a little taken aback at his forceful tone. I usually only heard that voice from him when I was in big trouble. As I took in his flexed biceps and posture that looked ready to pounce, I realized I might be in big trouble right now.

“I said,” he slowed his voice, carefully enunciating each word, “Stop. The. Damn. Car.”

I leaned into my door. Alex leaned closer to me. Maybe it was the anger from me confronting the shadow alone; or the sex talk I’d had with Jasmine that he hadn’t discussed with me yet; or me basically calling him a pansy; or the sexual tension that, for me, had been building for months, and for Alex, centuries. Hell, maybe it was a combination of all of the above, but the atmosphere in the car had definitely shifted from static, to electric.

“We’re almost to your house,” I said, my elbow pushing into the narrow door handle. “I’ll stop when I get there.”

Truly though, I’d taken my foot off the gas pedal when Alex had started being commanding. I had it poised over the brake pedal in case he did something even more out of character and I needed to make a sudden stop. Alex glanced at where my foot was and pressed his left hand down on my knee, which made my foot push down until we came to a complete stop. Keeping one hand on my leg, he used the other to shove the gear shift into park. I didn’t take my eyes off him the whole time. Then the hand that had been resting around my knee started a slow climb up my thigh. And Alex leaned across the console, pushing even closer.

I managed a breathless, “What are you doing?”

He held my gaze as he leaned over, reached under my seat, and lifted the adjustor with one hand. His other hand went to the backrest behind my shoulder. With a powerful surge, the seat shifted back and I was horizontal. Alex was on top of me instantly, straddling me, his eyes blazing. “Proving it,” he said, then leaned down and took my mouth with his. The kiss was heady and hard, his large, solid chest pressed into mine.

I kissed him back, one hand holding the back of his neck while the other grasped at his shirt. His hand ran down my arm, over my stomach, and into the waistband of my jeans. I gasped, eyes wide. He looked at me in a way that was almost feral, and slowly lifted his lips as his hand moved toward my belly button. I felt a slight tug on the button and my jeans loosened. He looked at me like he’d won a dare before he claimed my mouth again. I responded immediately, my nails digging into his back. He inhaled a quick breath, kissing me harder, biting my bottom lip, as his hand teased the edge of my pants, threatening to go lower. I lifted the leg that wasn’t pinned between the door and steering wheel, wrapping it around him, and held him tighter. It didn’t matter that I’d forgotten to breathe long ago. I was completely lost in the moment.

He pressed into my mouth one last time before pushing up on his forearms, a proud smile curving his lips. Now that I’d remembered I needed air, I decided to inhale again, and lay beneath him, panting. That seemed to make him even more pleased with himself.

He reached to my left, unlocked the car door, and lifted the handle. Before he got out, he met my eyes and held them. “That definitely wasn’t in the handbook.”

I imagined it wasn’t.

He stepped out of the car, stretching his legs before bending down to look at me, his amused eyes sparkling. “Come inside,” he paused and smirked again, “when you’ve had some time to compose yourself.”

He shut the door, walking the rest of the distance to his house. I watched him go, taking long strides that didn’t hide the tight muscles of his legs, or powerful arms, back, and shoulders—all of which I’d just become intimately reacquainted with. That’s when the heat warmed my back and I started to fall.

I ran through the house, my head swiveling as I searched rooms while I moved. I almost collided with Sinclair. He’d been a servant with Alex’s family for as long as I could remember.

“Slow down, my lady!”

I paused to catch my breath. “Where’s Alex?”

“He is at the lake, my lady.”

I grinned and pushed past him, running out the back door and through the terraced gardens to the gate. I saw him in a little boat about twenty yards out. A fishing rod hung over the edge. His hair had lightened slightly from the summer sun, and his skin looked a bit darker. He must have been spending a lot of time outside at his boarding school. I hadn’t seen him for months! We wrote to each other, but I desperately missed my best friend.

“Alex!” I called, waving.

He looked in my direction, smiling wide. He stood and waved back. “There you are! I thought you must have forgotten I came home.”

“What a silly thing to say! Of course I didn’t forget.”

“Well, you know how women’s minds are,” he said with a smirk, “they fill up easily and the important things leak out. It makes them difficult to talk to.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Well, if that’s how you feel, I’ll go find an ass so you can converse with something that shares your level of intellect.”

He barked out a laugh. “No one challenges me quite like you, Cass.” He shifted his stance. The movement made the boat start to sway. Within seconds, Alex lost his balance and tumbled over the side.

Now it was my turn to laugh. He frowned as he resurfaced, his cheeks slightly flushed. “Perhaps the ass could save you from drowning as well,” I suggested.

He climbed back in the boat and rowed to shore. I watched him, keenly aware of how large his arms had become while he was away at school. He got out and tied the boat to the dock before turning toward me.

I tried to hide my gasp. Water clung to his body, creating rivulets along the sculpted lines of his chest, arms, and stomach. I should have looked away, but I was far too interested in this new Alex, a side of him I’d never really noticed—and wanted to see more of. My eyes traveled over him, taking in each curve of muscle. My cheeks grew hot when I reached his face and realized he was watching me too.

His gaze was dark, smoldering. He took four long, deliberate steps, coming to a stop inches from me. He reached out, cupping my face with both hands. My gaze was frozen to his as energy seemed to course between us. I took a deep breath, inhaling his cedar scent. He leaned his head down and kissed me, gently, coaxing my lips in a sweet tangle with his own. The kiss ended long before I wanted it to. He slowly pulled back, the energy still flowing between us. We stared at each other, neither of us finding words for several seconds. He reached out and caressed my hand. “I’ve missed you, Cassandra.” He pressed his lips to the top of my hand, looked at me once more, and walked toward the house.

I watched him leave, his sculpted back apparent through the wet, clingy fabric. Alex had given me something no one else could—my first kiss.

I ran my tongue lightly over my lips. I could still taste him.

I wanted to taste him again.