Page 87 of Every Shade of Shadow

But something else occurs to me in this moment that should have been blatantly obvious from the start.

He is probably the one behind this. He’s admitted as much before, hasn’t he?

This could all be part of his dark games—another test.

"Yes, Professor," Lily says. "We will leave the matter to you."

The tension in Darkwood's frame eases at our compliance. "Very well. Return to your classes."

Dismissed, we file out of the classroom. But I know this is far from the end of the matter.

Whatever the Professor’s really cooking up, it ain’t an apple pie. It’s something dark and much more intricate than any of the others dare to believe. They don’t know him like I do, even if I’ve only scratched the surface.

*

We convene in an empty classroom after dinner, the only illumination coming from a few candles Lily has set up. My skin prickles as I glance at the shadows flickering against the walls, as if they might peel themselves free at any moment. I know it’s far-fetched, but after last night’s events I think my fear is warranted.

"We can't just leave this alone," Lily says in a hushed tone. "This shit is dangerous, and if Darkwood won't do anything to stop it—"

"We don't have a choice," Ava interrupts. "You heard him. He was clear we are to stay out of it."

Anger flares inside me at her willingness to back down. "And if we're attacked again? What then?"

You weren’t there, I consider adding.

Lily places a hand on my arm, her saucer eyes wide in the candlelight. "Ana's right. This is about our safety, and Darkwood has given us no reassurance he can contain any of this."

"So what do you propose?" Leo asks. "That we go against his orders and continue investigating?” He shakes his head in disapproval. “Fuck that."

I glance between them. "Yes. That’s exactly what I’m proposing."

Ava scowls. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Those shadows are hunting us," I insist. "And until Darkwood proves he has the situation under control, I'm not going to sit back and wait to become their next victim."

But what I really need is to speak to the Professor alone, to dig deeper into why these shadows are here at all and if our sexual rendezvous have anything to do with it.

Lily and Leo share a look, a silent exchange passing between them. At last, Leo nods.

"Alright, fuck it. I'm with Ana on this."

Ava throws up her hands. "You're all mad." But there's resignation in her tone that tells me I've won them over.

A fierce grin tugs at my lips. “So, who’s up for a trip to the library?”

*

The hallway is eerily silent, the only sound our hushed whispers. My senses are hyperalert for any sign of movement. But the shadows remain still, lurking within the portraits and statues as we follow the running lights to the library.

Once inside, we light candles and get to work. There are ancient tomes of magic lining the shelves, texts on summoning and binding spells that may hold clues to defeating these creatures, though this time I intend to leave things in their place.

"Here," Lily says, pulling a large leather-bound book from the stacks. "This discusses methods for controlling autonomous entities and malignant spirits."

“Are they really spirits, though?” Leo asks.

Lily shrugs. “To-may-to, to-ma-to.”

We gather around as she opens it, the parchment pages crackling. A diagram depicts a complex magical symbol, lines and circles intersecting in a delicate web.

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