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He sat down beside me. “I told you, I can travel through shadows.”
“You didn’t say you could teleport!” I whispered loudly. “I could’ve better prepared myself for that.”
A wicked grin pulled at the corners of his lips. “No amount of mental prep will ever have you ready for your first time."
We sat there for a moment, silence hanging around us like dense humidity after a heavy rain. Damien broke the silence, taking my hand and kissing my forehead tenderly. “You should try to get some rest.”
I stopped short at the thought of him leaving, clutching the sleeve of his shirt. I was a little afraid to be alone. “Please, don’t go yet.”
He looked down at my hand and then back at me before taking it into both of his, lifting it up to kiss my knuckles. “I’ll stay, but only for a little while. Don’t worry. We’re keeping a close watch over your house now. Nothing will hurt you here.” He lowered himself down onto the bed, and I nestled into his chest. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me close.
Time passed slowly, his heartbeat a steady, soothing rhythm in my ear, and I could almost feel myself starting to drift off to sleep. If I fell asleep, though, I knew he’d leave, and I didn’t want to miss a single moment with him. I didn’t care if I didn’t get a wink of sleep; it was worth it. Goosebumps pebbled across my skin at the feel of his fingertips tenderly stroking my arm, and I couldn’t resist the yawn.
“I’ve gotta report back to the guys. I won’t be far, I promise. Cole’s on watch outside to make sure you’re safe while you sleep. I’ll see you at school tomorrow. We’ll go out afterwards to continue our discussion.”
I sighed, disappointed, but the night hours were waning, and I needed my sleep if I was going to function even the slightest bit tomorrow. “Alright.”
I closed my eyes as he leaned over, gently pressing his lips to my forehead before standing to leave. The sensation sent butterflies dancing in my stomach. “Sleep well,mea luna.”
“What does that mean?” I asked before he disappeared.
He smiled back at me. “It means ‘my moon’.”
My heart leapt in my chest, and I smiled at him as he disappeared into the dark corner of my room. I sat there a moment, as if waiting for him to step back out into view to say, ‘just kidding’, but he never returned.
I pushed myself up to look out my window, watching him emerge on the street below. Cole was there with him, and they exchanged words for a moment before he disappeared into the shadows again. Cole glanced up to me, giving a light wave. I smiled, nodding my head in response.
My bed felt more comfortable than it had in a while, blankets welcoming me into cushiony arms. My heavy eyes started to flutter as I lowered onto my pillow. I closed my eyes, sighing in relief. I was safe now.
13
Iignored the normal hustle and bustle of the students around me. Their voices weren’t enough to pull my mind from the thoughts it so desperately clung to. My imagination was still reeling, as it had the entire morning. After what happened last night, I was impatient to speak with Damien. There were still so many questions, so much about his world he still had to tell me about, and I wanted to know everything.
My eyes searched for Damien as I reached the courtyard, stopping short when I found Barrett and the group sitting in their usual spot in front of the library. I hurried over to them, but as I came closer, I realized Damien wasn’t with them.
“Where’s Damien?” I asked, looking at Barrett.
He glanced my way before his eyes surveyed the area past me. “Not here yet.”
I frowned. Had something happened to him? Did the darklings attack after he left me?
Breathe, Cas. Damien had been fighting these creatures for God knows how long, long before he met me, and he’d fight them long after I was gone. I had to stop worrying. I couldn’t get worked up every time something out of the ordinary happened. He’d be ok. Everything would be fine.
I glanced over to where Kat and Cody usually sat. Kat was there, alone, working on her laptop.
“I’ll be back.” I set my bag down between Zephyr and Cole, and hurried over to her.
The courtyard was hectic this morning, filled with students going in every direction. I passed through a crowd of people, narrowly avoiding bumping into them as I approached Kat. The prickling of a strange sensation crawled across my skin, as if someone, or something, was watching me. It was pure paranoia. I wasn't surprised after what I’d learned last night that I was a little paranoid.
God, I was a mess. There was no way any darklings were here, where there were so many people around. My thoughts trailed back to what Damien had told me. At night, darklings took on their true, hideous appearance, but come daybreak, they disguised themselves as regular people, blending seamlessly into society. How could something so ravenous and savage at night act so normal during the day? The way they moved, still fresh in my mind made me cringe.
Kat looked up, as if sensing my approach, and smiled. “Hey.”
“Hey.” I sat down beside her, and she started telling me something, but I couldn’t seem to focus as my eyes darted across the faces of the students that surrounded us.
She did a double take, brows narrowing as she scrutinized me. “Are you ok?”
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and blinked, trying to get those thoughts out of my head. “Sorry, I’m still waking up.”
