149| OF SHADOWS AND PROMISES

Before Blue can respond, something prickles along the edges of my senses, an aura that’s both foreign and familiar to me. Blue narrows his eyes at the back door as the aura comes a little closer, followed by a light knock that’s way too cheerful for this time of night. Nervousness twists my guts into more painful knots as I glance between the door and my mate.

“Answer it,” Blue sighs, his silvery-grey eyes searching my face for a long moment before I even dare to move. “But,” Blue squeezes the hand still clasped in mine. “Don’t take too long.” I can fee the resolution in his words and know his answer to my request with absolute certainty.

The world around me spins as I hop off the chair and numbly opens the back door. There’s nothing and no one on the other side, but I step out anyway, sensing the presence of my visitor just a few feet away. I hesitate as I shut the door behind me, and take a few more steps out into the backyard.

“Princess,” The familiar voice nearly stops my heart. I turn to see my ex-shadow standing only a few feet away. Perfectly-kempt sandy hair combed back like he’s about to go to some black-tie event, the look complete with a suit.

“Well don’t you look…?” I manage to get out before all the air vacates my lungs, my eyes drinking him in. Mikyle gives me one of his easy grins, but his eyes are dim red, not the glowing embers I’m used to.

“Why, Alpha Scarlett, are you hitting on me?” He asks in mock horror. I roll my eyes, the remaining huff in my lungs escaping and rebooting my muscles to drag in air. “Now what would your precious mate think?” He adds with just the slightest bitter note in his voice. I immediately sober up and feel a lump lodge itself in my throat.

“Mica-”

“Its fine, princess.” Mikyle tells me before I can get more than his nickname out. The smile he’s flashing at me is hollow and empty of any real mirth. It tugs at my heart in a strange way, an old way that is more instinct than emotional connection. We’re trauma-bonded, me and my shadow. Trauma from months of dealing with Blooming and the fallout with the Reiniers back when everything was shit. Then all that happened with the Court. So how much of my reaction towards him are just reflex and how much are backed by real, solid emotion?

I open my mouth to speak, probably to say something I’m going to regret, but Mikyle moves. One second he’s a few feet away, the next just a few inches from me.

The gentle ember-like glow in his reddish eyes is visible under the darkness in them as he looks at me. This close-up, I can see the haggard edges of sleeplessness darkening the pale skin under his eyes and hollowing his cheeks. One of his gossamer-light touches traces the edges of my jaw, making my pained heart stutter in my chest.

“I’ve gotta go away for a while, princess.” Mikyle tells me after a long beat. I blink, confusion and worry rising in me as his words register. “The Court’s been struggling to reign in the new Guardians and Mina needs me for a bit, but I’ll be back.” His gentle words settle the worry in me and I frown at him, wondering why he’s even telling me if he plans to come back. “I’m telling you,” The not-mind-reader-vampire smirks at me knowingly as he explains. “Because I’m your…sponsor.” He mutters the last word like he means something else. I feel my frown deepen and narrow my eyes at him as his light touch becomes a caress, his fingers dancing along my jaw and making the odd little warmth in my chest get a little hotter. “And knowing you, my little trouble-magnet, something’s bound to happen while I’m away.”

“It’s been months since I’ve seen you, Mikyle,” I smack his hand away as annoyance sparks to life in me, overshadowing whatever the hell I was feeling before. “And it’s not like you were helping me out that much before.” I point out, wincing as the words come out harsher than I’d intended. Mikyle doesn’t flinch away at my words, however, his red eyes only burn a degree brighter.

“Just because you never saw me, princess, doesn’t mean I was never there.” Mikyle replies in the same warm, patient tone he used to use. My jaw tightens, teeth grinding together as I try to fight the initial urge to gape at him. I remind myself that I dubbed him ‘shadow’ for a reason, and force the inkling of surprise out from my expression. “In any case,” Mikyle’s smirk becomes a forced mask as the glow of his eyes dies out a little. “Though I’m doing better, not everything’s one-hundred percent up here.” He taps his temple, taking an almost imperceptible step away from me.

I frown at him, my eyes narrowing in suspicion as I study the dimness of his ember-like eyes. I can’t detect any of the crazed emptiness of control or even a hint of unusual expression. He looks almost exactly as he used to, if just a little more exhausted. I continue to study him for another second, and catch the barest flicker of something in his aura. Nothing too strong, I’d probably have missed it if I weren’t paying such close attention. There and gone in the blink of an eye, a flash of darkness prickles along my skin. A familiar feeling of corruption that has me mentally flashing back to the first time I met the King.

“That’s-” I gasp out, flinching back despite myself. Mikyle offers me a small, tired smile that’s mostly made up of sadness that real joy. “You’re going to get better soon.” I tell him firmly, setting my jaw and narrowing my eyes at him. It’s an order and we both know it. The usual light of mirth flickers to life behind my ex-shadow’s eyes, the hollow part of his expression fading away to be replaced with a cocky smirk. His usual swagger and confidence transforms the vampire a degree, just enough that I can see the real Mikyle for a moment.

“As you wish, princess.” Mikyle bows to me, but this time, it doesn’t feel like he’s mocking me. My insides squeeze, all of me wanting to cringe back away from the too-formal move this seems to be. The second his sandy blond head tips down, I’m mentally back to the first time we met. Even then, I thought this man was odd, not like the other kiss-ups of Hale’s Coven. I roll my eyes as he straightens, the old banter and casual smirk relaxing me. The glow in his eyes is more like it used to be, burning in and out of existence in a more dragon way than vampire way…but Mikyle has never been what I’d call a typical vampire.

“I’m sealing the bond with Blue.” I tell Mikyle, the words bursting out before I can stop them. Mikyle’s expression doesn’t shift even a degree, nor does the brightness of his eyes dim. Just one of his eyebrows arches up after a beat of awkward silence.

“Yes, I am aware.” Mikyle’s formal tone lasts only a second. “It’s about damn time. You two have been dancing around the issue for more than a year.” His added words both sting and soothe, but why- I’m not sure. Seeing my expression, my ex-shadow reaches out again to brush his fingers along my jaw. “I’ve told you before, princess,” He murmurs, his voice softening and warming as our eyes lock. “I’m not going anyway. I’m your shadow, after all. You can’t get rid of me so easily.” Mikyle taps my nose like I’m a child, the humor blooming in his eyes and expression as I try to smack his hand away. I snap my teeth at him, but motion is more reserved…almost like play-fighting. “We’ve got all the time in the world, Scarlett.” His voice is more serious as he reminds me of this, but his eyes leave mine to look up at the sky, a contented look on his face.

“I can’t tell if you’re joking or being serious.” I frown at him, even as my heart pounds a little harder in my chest, the beat a bit unsteady after his words. My shadow’s face remains pointed up to the sky, but he looks at me out of the corner of his eyes.

“Oh, I’m being serious,” Mikyle’s grin may be facing the sky, but I know it’s meant for me. My stupid heart does a funny little skip-and-trip. “We’re long-lived beings, princess.” He reminds me, eyes turning back to the sky. “There’s time yet.”