Page 34 of Shadows of Change

But I know better. The crawling sensation, the tug on my magic—it wasn’t mine. And the way Darian avoids meeting my gaze tells me he knows it too.

"That's enough." Thorne cuts through the tension with practiced ease, his voice carrying over the murmurs of the group. "This session is concluded. Kaia, remember what we discussed about control. The rest of you... I'm sure you have other matters to attend to."

As the group disperses, I feel the weight of unspoken words pressing in. Torric looks ready to argue, his hands twitching like they’re itching for a fight, but Aspen steers him away with quiet murmurs, his calm demeanor masking something stormy beneath. Malrik vanishes into the shadows without a backward glance, but the chill he leaves behind lingers, settling uneasily in my chest.

Finn lingers, though. Of course he does.

"Hey." His hand catches my arm, his touch grounding me when I feel like I might float away on the tide of unease. His green eyes meet mine, searching. "Just... be careful, okay? Some shadows hide sharper teeth than others."

His voice is low, meant for me alone, but there’s something in his tone—a warning, a plea—that makes my heart stutter. He's gone before I can ask what he means, vanishing in a blur of fire and mischief, leaving me with nothing but questions and the unsettling feeling that I’m missing something vital.

Darian appears at my side, smooth as ever, his smile soft, almost apologetic. "They’re just protective. It’s sweet, really."

"Yeah," I mutter, my gaze fixed on the space Finn just vacated. "Sweet."

But as I look down, my shadows twist restlessly around my ankles, their movements jagged, uneasy. Bob brushes against my calf, his form flickering with something like agitation. Even Patricia, usually preoccupied with her endless shadow tasks, hovers close, almost wary.

Darian notices, of course he does. "Your shadows have a life of their own," he says, his tone casual, but his eyes sharp, watching every flicker and curl. "It's fascinating, really. You don’t see that level of instinctive magic very often."

I force a smile, but it feels thin. "I guess they like to keep things interesting."

"They certainly do," he agrees, his gaze lingering on the amethyst pendant at my throat. "You’re full of surprises, Kaia."

There’s something in the way he says my name that makes my shadows ripple—not in the usual playful way, but like they’re bristling. I take a step back, creating just enough space to feel like I can breathe again.

"Well, I should get to class," I say, my tone clipped. "Thanks for the, uh... guidance."

Darian’s smile doesn’t falter, but there’s a flicker of something in his expression—disappointment, maybe? Annoyance?—that I catch before he schools it into something more polite. "Of course. We’ll continue tomorrow. Usual time."

I nod, but as I walk away, I can feel his eyes on my back, and I don’t know what to make of it. My shadows tighten around me like a protective shield, and I clutch the amethyst pendant against my chest, its warmth a small comfort against the growing cold in my gut.

My insides feel at war with each other. My feelings a jumbled mess right up there with Finn’s chaos. And don’t even get me started on that mage. I’ve got too much to worry about without these men getting into my head.

22. Kaia

The corridors of Arcanum whisper with secrets as I make my way to class. It's been a week since Darian's magic wrapped around mine, since his touch left me feeling both thrilled and wrong in ways I can't explain. My shadows have clung closer than usual, agitated and skittish, when a familiar voice cuts through my brooding.

"Kaia! Hold up!"

A flash of lavender hair bobs through the crowd like an exotic bird. Seren practically bounces to my side, her mismatched earrings—one a tiny dragon, the other a crescent moon—jangling merrily. The sight of her loosens something in my chest.

"Where have you been?" I ask, relief flooding through me. "I was starting to think one of your experimental portals had finally swallowed you whole."

"Family drama." Seren rolls her eyes, falling into step beside me. Her satchel clinks with what I’m sure are dubiously legal magical ingredients. "I’ve been gone for a week dealing with Gran's divination mirror. It cracked, and you know how she gets about omens. I had to talk her down from sealing the entire house in protective runes. Even the outhouse, Kaia. The outhouse."

I can't help but laugh, picturing Seren's eccentric grandmother frantically scrawling symbols on every available surface. "Please tell me you at least brought back some of her chaos cookies you’ve told me so much about."

"As if I'd dare return without them." She pats her bag, which emits a faint purring sound. "Though I'm starting to regret ever mentioning them, since now I have to share. But enough about my domestic disasters." Her eyes glitter with mischief. "How's your smorgasbord of sexy treating you?"

Heat creeps into my cheeks. "Is that what we're calling it now?"

"Well, what would you call it? Because from where I’m standing, you’ve got yourself quite the collection of drool-worthy specimens circling." She waggles her eyebrows suggestively. "Come on, spill. I want all the juicy details I missed."

"It's..." I hesitate as my shadows coil tighter. "Complicated. There's been some tension lately. And then there's Darian—"

Seren stops dead in her tracks, nearly causing a pile-up in the hallway. "Darian? As in Darian Luthar? Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Magically-Delicious himself?"

"You know him?"

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