Page 61 of Shadow's Claim

The enforcer near me hesitates, then turns away. "No signs of the omega here. Perhaps animal activity disturbed the grate."

They leave, continuing their search elsewhere, and I release the breath I've been holding. The shadow concealment dissipates as my concentration breaks, but it did its job—buying precious moments to avoid detection.

I slip through the service gate, emerging onto a narrow side street that runs along the Academy's western perimeter. The night curfew means few witnesses—mostly shadow demons going about official business, unlikely to question another figure moving through darkness.

But where to go? Without Kael, my original plan falls apart. I have no way to navigate shadow pathways, no knowledge of safe routes through the Shadow Dominion. The Yellowstone Anomaly might as well be on another planet.

The hybrid stirs inside me, its consciousness projecting a sense of patience—as though asking me to wait, to trust. For a moment, I hesitate. My resistance training screams at me to keep moving, to find cover, to never stay exposed. But something deeper—this new connection, this bond that's forming—tells me to wait.

I find an alcove between buildings where deeper shadows provide temporary concealment, and I settle in to wait. The irony isn't lost on me—months ago, I was desperate to escape Kael, and now I'm desperately waiting for him to find me.

Minutes pass. Then an hour. My back aches, my feet throb, and my nerves are frayed to breaking point. Just as I'm considering my increasingly limited options, I feel it—a pulse through the shadow patterns beneath my skin, like a beacon being activated.

Kael. He's free.

The sensation grows stronger, more directional. The hybrid's consciousness brightens with recognition, guiding my awareness toward a specific path through the darkness. I follow the feeling, moving away from the Academy through back streets and service alleys, always staying within the deepest shadows.

After another twenty minutes of careful navigation, I reach what appears to be an abandoned storage facility—a relic from pre-Conquest days now fallen into disrepair. The shadow-sense pulls me toward a particular entrance, half-concealed behind overgrown vegetation.

Inside, darkness reigns supreme—not simply absence of light but active darkness, shadows that move with purpose and intent. And at the center of this darkness stands Kael, his glowing eyes finding mine immediately as I enter.

"You escaped," I breathe, relief washing through me with unexpected intensity.

"Vex underestimated my territorial authority," he says, four arms creating patterns that strengthen the shadows around us. Despite his matter-of-fact tone, I sense something beneath it—satisfaction, perhaps even pride in outmaneuvering his rival. "His detention attempt lacked proper authorization."

"So you just...walked out?" I can't help the slight smile that forms despite our danger.

A rumble that might be laughter vibrates from his massive chest. "Shadow politics are complex. Obscura's direct command would bind me, but Vex overstepped his authority. The Academy's governance structure requires specific protocols for detaining territorial lords."

"Bureaucracy saved you," I summarize, finding dark humor in the situation.

"Temporarily," Kael acknowledges, his expression growing serious. "Obscura will issue direct orders once informed. We have hours at most before official containment protocols activate."

The hybrid shifts inside me, its consciousness pushing against my mind with renewed urgency. The Yellowstone Anomaly. It keeps returning to this destination, a place beyond Prime authority where we might find safety—or at least freedom from Obscura's experiments.

"We need to leave the Shadow Dominion," I say, the hybrid's determination strengthening my resolve. "Tonight."

Kael nods, shadows gathering around his massive form. "I've secured transportation to the territorial boundary. From there, we must cross neutral zones to reach the Anomaly."

"Cross multiple Prime territories with a heavily pregnant omega?" I can't keep the skepticism from my voice. "Seems slightly impossible."

"Not impossible. Merely improbable," he corrects, with what might be shadow demon humor. His upper right hand gestures toward a small bundle I hadn't noticed before—supplies he's gathered, showing foresight I wouldn't have expected from someone who's never had to run before. "And we have one advantage Obscura doesn't expect."

"What's that?"

He gestures to my abdomen, where shadow patterns pulse with purple light. "The hybrid's developing abilities. Already it can manipulate shadows, maintain psychic connections, even conceal your presence from standard detection."

I think about how the enforcers failed to spot me in the service area, how the hybrid guided me through the ventilation system, how it maintained our connection even when physically separated.

"It's helping us escape," I realize, placing my hand over my belly where the hybrid's consciousness brightens at the acknowledgment.

"It's protecting itself," Kael says, though something in his tone suggests he believes it's more than mere self-preservation. There's a note of wonder there, perhaps even pride—emotions I never expected from the cold enforcer who first claimed me. "And teaching you to protect it in turn."

Before I can respond, a deep rumble shakes the building around us. Not an earthquake—something more focused, more deliberate. The shadows near the entrance swirl with sudden agitation.

"Obscura," Kael says grimly, all four arms immediately moving to create defensive barriers of darkness. "The Sovereign has arrived personally."

My blood runs cold. "Here? Already?"

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