Page 184 of Shadowblood Souls
I guess it’d be a little too much to ask the demon if he could supply us with a rotation of chauffeurs on top of everything else, huh?
Although, who knows? If these shadowkind creatures can merge into any patch of darkness, we could already have been carrying around unknown passengers who’ve been spying on us this entire time.
The thought sends an uneasy prickle over my skin. We don’t really understand what we’re dealing with when it comes to these monsters.
At least,Idefinitely don’t.
Is Rollick helping us because he cares at all whether we survive? Or because he sees us as a potential hazard that he wants to contain?
Would he have already slit all our throats if he was sure he could get away with it unscathed by our powers?
Those are the kinds of questions I’d expect Jacob to have thought through the answers to. And Dominic.
Who still hasn’t emerged from the bedroom where he spent the whole night with Riva.
I wouldn’t say I’m the most sensitive guy ever when it comes to emotions, but I canfeelAndreas and Jacob’s awareness of that fact as we gather in the main room. The jolt of tension when the bedroom door opens seems to ripple through us all.
Riva strides out first, her chin high as if daring us to comment. But it’s the hint of a soft smile lingering on her lips that tugs at my heart the most.
Dominic emerges at her heels, his arrival more subdued. He looks remarkably unrumpled, his auburn waves smoothed back into their usual short ponytail.
I think that’s a different shirt from yesterday. Did he slip out sometime during the night to grab his backpack?
Did theyshowertogether?
My fangs itch at my gums. But it’s none of my business.
Jacob shifts on his feet and opens his mouth like he’s going to say something.
Before he can get any words out, Rollick’s languid voice reaches us through the door. “Are you all coming out, or did you see this as just a convenient parking spot?”
Jacob’s mouth flattens. He hits the control to open the door, and we tramp out into the dank air of the dim underground lot.
Rollick is waiting there, seemingly alone. I know not to trust appearances on that score, though.
“There we are,” he says in a satisfied tone. “Bright and early and ready for work. Such industrious students.”
Jacob glowers at him. “Youaskedus to come here at this time.”
“And I’m glad you showed up. Let’s get started.”
Rollick’s gaze slides over each of us in turn. “After giving the matter more thought after hearing your accounts of your first training session, I’ve decided my misguided colleague wasn’ttotally wrong in principle. We need to work on how you react when you’renotprepared.”
Riva sets her hands on her hips. “So you’re going to send us off to some other secluded part of town to get attacked?”
Rollick waves her sardonic suggestion off. “No, we can keep things much simpler. Those of you who have talents that come out reflexively in self-defense will take a stroll around this lot right here—separately—and my few associates who you currently can’t see will emerge and test your ability to restrain yourselves.”
He points at me, Jacob, and Riva. “That would be you three. Go take a hike.”
Jacob balks. “What about Dominic and Andreas?”
The demon narrows his eyes at Jake. “I’ve brought in a friend who’s particularly familiar with all things tentacle-y to take a look at Dominic’s situation. And I’d like to personally conduct some minor experiments to see how Andreas’s talent for disappearing might be related to our association with the shadows. Any more questions?”
His voice has stayed mild, but a slight edge underlies those last three words, more a warning than a legitimate offer. A prickling sensation courses through my limbs.
Experiments. Haven’t we had enough of those?
Andreas doesn’t look concerned, though. I guess it makes a difference when we have a choice.
