The Shadow Stealer

by Melissa Giorgio

  “Rafe!” Ignoring the pain, I scrambled over to him, my heart stopping when I saw him clutching his side, where his old wound was. No. No, no, no, not again, no—

  Evan and Alexandra appeared, their weapons drawn as they put themselves between us and the sorcerers. “Stay back!” Evan snapped, one hand holding a knife while the other one clutched a blue fireball. “That’s right, bitches, you’re not the only ones who can use magic. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t hurl this in your faces!”

  “Who hit Fitz?” Alexandra demanded.

  The girl who had struck first stepped forward, more magic in her hands. “It was me. What are you going to do about it, you stupid hunter?”

  Alexandra matched her cruel smile with one of her own. “Kill you, of course.” She and Evan launched themselves into the fray, and suddenly the world was filled with flashes of light and grunts of pain as the two hunters and the group of sorcerers fought.

  Rafe moaned as he struggled into a sitting position. I carefully helped him up, then unzipped his jacket and pulled up his shirt to inspect the damage. He wasn’t bleeding—thank god—but the skin where Nina had hit him with the parasite spell was dark red and swollen, like it was infected. That’s not good, I thought worriedly. Why hasn’t it healed yet? I wasn’t a doctor, but even I knew the wound should have scabbed up or something by now.

  No wonder Rafe hadn’t let me see it.

  “I’m okay,” Rafe said, pushing down his shirt before I could say anything. “How about you?”

  I decided to let the state of his injury drop—for now. “Fine. Scared, but fine.” We stood up slowly, and Rafe summoned his sword. He tried to step forward, so he was shielding me, but I was having none of that. “Don’t scowl at me like that, Rafe,” I said. “You already got hurt protecting me once. I’m not going to let you do that again.” As I spoke, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent Philip a quick text, letting him know we’d found Kain. The English hunter was sprawled on the ground, unmoving, which worried me. While I didn’t see any blood, his face was chalky white. I had to get over to him, to see if he needed to be healed, but the five sorcerers who weren’t fighting Evan and Alexandra didn’t look like they would move out of the way if I asked them nicely.

  “How many of them can you take down your with trusty sword?” I asked Rafe.

  He shrugged. “Enough.”

  I pulled my knife out of my purse, the blade a comforting weight in my hands. “Then let’s go save Kain.”

  It only took me about twenty seconds to realize sorcerers had a completely different type of fighting style. While Silver Moon hunters loved to throw themselves—literally—into the middle of a battle, the sorcerers hung back, relying on the spells they flung in our direction to do the work for them.

  And they didn’t all fight at the same time. There were five of them, and only two of us (well, probably one and half. I didn’t really count as a fighter), so you would think they would attack in unison, but they didn’t. Two, one a girl, the other a guy, stepped forward, while the other three hung back, guarding Kain. The guy, who looked a little older than Rafe, lifted his hands, but before he could summon the magic, Rafe dashed forward and knocked him out with the hilt of his sword. The girl blinked in surprise and took a step back, eyeing me nervously.

  I gave her a fierce grin as I waved my knife in the air, trying to intimidate her, but when she saw I wasn’t going to attack her, she went on the offensive. Magic shot out of her fingers and I yelped, jumping out of the way. Rafe was busy fighting two of the three guys who guarded Kain (ah, they had learned to attack in teams), so it was up to me to stop Miss Flashy Fingers.

  (Gee, and here I thought I was the only one with special glowing fingers. How disappointing!)

  I took a step forward, and she stepped back. Hmm. Another step forward, another step back. She really didn’t want to face me head on. Interesting. Shrugging my shoulders, I let out a war cry, swinging my knife like a crazy person. The sorcerer shrieked and ran away. I halted, my mouth dropping open in surprise. I can’t believe that worked!

  So now it was just me and the remaining sorcerer. This guy was in his mid-twenties, dressed in jeans and a tattered brown hoodie, and the scowl on his face told me screaming wouldn’t scare him away.

  “Hey,” I said, pointing at Kain’s prone form. “That’s my friend. Can I have him back, please?”

  The sorcerer continued to stare at me.

  “You should say yes, you know. You really don’t want to face me and my friends.”

  “You’re not a hunter,” he said, pushing his messy blond hair out of his eyes. “I could wave my hand and send you flying across the street.”

  Having already experienced that once in my life, I definitely had no desire for a repeat performance. Gritting my teeth in frustration, I asked, “What do you want with him, anyway?”

  Before he could answer, Philip raced past me, bellowing Kain’s name.

  The sorcerer snapped to attention, calling forth magic and aiming it in my brother’s direction. Seeing—or maybe sensing—the magic, Philip stumbled, and, without thinking, I threw myself in front of him with my arms outstretched.

  I would not see him harmed by magic again.

  The air shimmered as the magic closed in on us, and I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the pain.

  Chapter Twenty

  “No! Jared, stop!”

  That voice, I thought, my heart tripping over itself. No. It couldn’t be.

  There was a whoosh of air against my face as it blew my hair back, and I opened my eyes to see the magic fly up and over us, toward the sky. My knees were shaking, but Philip reached out and steadied me. He was trembling too, with his skin chalky white and sweaty. Even though the magic hadn’t hit him, it had still affected him. What would have happened if he’d been hit? I wanted to fling my arms around his neck, but there wasn’t any time. The newcomer approached us.

  “All of you, stop!” It was a woman who spoke, her hood drawn over her face as she walked past Kain and stood next to the sorcerer—Jared—who’d nearly fried us with magic. The sorcerers stopped fighting, falling back so they flanked her. Rafe and the others quickly joined us; I was relieved to see no one was bleeding or appeared hurt. When Rafe gently pushed my arm down, I realized that I was still standing there with my arms outstretched. Shivering, I let my hands drop and took a step closer to Rafe.

  “You okay?” he murmured in my ear.

  My eyes were glued to the woman, watching her whisper with her associates. “I don’t know. Rafe, that woman—”

  “Get away from him,” Philip growled. Honestly, I was surprised he’d stayed quiet for so long, with Kain still out cold on the pavement.

  “Phil, wait,” I said.

  He directed his anger at me. “Wait for what?”

  I held up my hand, the one not holding the knife in a sweaty death grip, and pointed. “Show us your face,” I said to the woman.

  She hesitated, and the sorcerers glared at me, like they didn’t like the way I was talking to their leader. Well, tough. She let out a sigh before she reached up, flipping the hood back to reveal a woman in her late thirties and a face so familiar it made my heart ache.

  “Mom.” One single word that would forever change my life.

  “Mom?” Philip demanded, while Rafe cursed softly in surprise. My brother’s head shot back and forth, from me to Mom and back to me again, his face a mixture of confusion and disbelief. “Are you—”

  Was I sure? Of course I was sure. It may have been seven years, and Dad may have thrown out nearly all traces of her, but I knew my own mother. I would always know my own mother. I remembered those soft brown eyes, the same shade as mine, and Philip’s, and Chloe’s. I remembered her straight golden-brown hair (how could I have forgotten that shade, even for a moment?), longer now than it used to be, and how I used to spend hours brushing and braiding it. And that voice. That voice that would read me bedtime stories, or explain how to take care of th
e plants in her garden. I could never, ever forget that voice.

  But what I wasn’t sure about was what she was doing here, inches from me and very much alive. Hadn’t I just mourned her death the day before? Was that really only yesterday? Sitting in Bryant Park, hearing Charles’s story—it felt like a million years ago. Crying in Rafe’s arms, telling Dad Mom was dead… Had that really happened?

  Was this really happening?

  “Am I dreaming?” I whispered to no one in particular, but it was Mom who answered.

  “No, honey, you’re not.”

  “You’re dead,” Philip said, his voice shaking. “You’re dead, he said you were dead, and now you’re here, with HQ on fire and my boyfriend hurt—what the hell is going on?” Philip looked like he was moments away from a complete mental breakdown, and I didn’t blame him.

  Mom’s—it was so weird calling her that, but that’s who she was, who she would always be—gaze landed on Kain. “Boyfriend?”

  “Yes, and can you please tell your lackeys to get out of the way so we can see if he’s all right?” I demanded, not caring about how rude I sounded. (Although I had said “please.”)

  She nodded, much to the annoyance of the other sorcerers, and as soon as they stepped aside, Philip rushed forward. He fell to the ground and shook Kain gently. When there was no response, Philip glared at Mom. “What did you do to him?”

  “I saved his life.”

  A pause.

  And then Philip and I started speaking at the same time.

  “You saved his life?” That was Philip.

  “Wait, I thought you blew up HQ!” That was me.

  “How can you possibly expect us to believe you saved him?” Philip demanded.

  “Yeah!” I added hotly. “Your friends just attacked us!”

  “No, you attacked us first,” said the girl who threw the magic at Rafe. Her bottom lip was split and bleeding, and she looked like she wanted nothing more than to start fighting us again.

  “Are you kidding me?” Alexandra asked. “You hit Fitz first!”

  As everyone started talking, Mom shouted, “Enough!” We fell silent, waiting for her to explain herself.

  But before she could, Kain moaned softly and his eyes fluttered open. “Philip.”

  “Can you stand?” Philip asked, looking relieved. He hooked an arm around Kain’s shoulders and helped him to his feet. Kain wobbled for a moment, his face tight with pain.

  Then he surprised everyone by swiping the knife from Philip’s free hand and whirling to face Jared. Slamming him against the trunk of a tree, Kain pressed Philip’s knife against Jared’s throat. Mom made a sound of protest as a thin line of blood dribbled down the knife’s sharp blade.

  “Kain!” Philip shouted.

  “Listen to me, you son of a bitch,” Kain snarled, his accent so thick it was almost impossible to understand him. “If you ever even think about using magic against my boyfriend again, I will slice you open and gut you like a fish with a rusty, dull blade.” He shoved Jared against the tree again. “Do you understand me?” When Jared didn’t answer, Kain pressed the knife harder against his neck. “I said, do you understand me?”

  “Kain, he probably can’t answer you with a knife shoved into his throat,” Philip said weakly. His eyes were wide with shock as he watched his usually calm boyfriend completely lose it. I felt more or less the same way Philip looked; I never thought I’d ever see Kain mad.

  “Oh. Right.” Kain blinked and released Jared, who slumped to the ground, one of his hands clutching his throat. “Do you understand me now?”

  “Y-Yes,” Jared rasped.

  Kain smiled. “Good.” He swayed, and Philip caught him.

  “You’re hurt, you idiot!”

  “It appears you’re right,” Kain said, pulling up his jacket and shirt to reveal a cut on his chest. “When did that happen?” He touched the back of his head, wincing. “And this?” His fingers were stained red.

  “Probably when the building you were in blew up!” Philip’s face was tight with stress. “I need a first aid kit!”

  No, he didn’t. I stepped forward, fully intent on helping them, when Mom grabbed my arm, yanking me backward. An electric pulse surged through my body and I yelped. “What are you doing?” I demanded, furious. She was using magic on me?

  “Don’t you dare,” she said. “He doesn’t need you; it’s a small wound.”

  And that’s when I realized: she knew.

  Mom knew what I could do.

  Rafe pushed in front of me, his sword drawn. “Stay away from her. I don’t care who you are, or if you supposedly saved Kain’s life. You hurt her, and I won’t hesitate to attack you.” His voice was cold, but his eyes were flashing hotly.

  The tension in the air was thick as the hunters and the sorcerers had a stare-down. “Enough,” Mom said, softly but firmly. “We won’t get anywhere by threatening each other.”

  “Uh, maybe you should have thought of that before you blew up HQ,” Evan said. “Although thanks for knocking Kain around a bit. I’ve wanted to do that for years.”

  “Keep talking, Underwood,” Kain said, flashing his teeth, “and you’ll be the next one to feel the sting of my knife.”

  “Whatever.” Evan rolled his eyes. “You can barely stand. What are you going to do, bleed on me?”

  “Come over here and I’ll show you—”

  “Guys,” I interrupted, rubbing my still-stinging elbow.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Philip said. “You can walk, right?” He directed that question to Kain, who took one step and nearly toppled over. “Kain!”

  “Ouch,” he said. “Maybe I’ll just sit for a moment…”

  Mom pulled out a phone and typed a quick text. “I have first aid kits back at my office.”

  “So what?” Philip asked. “That’s not going to help us. We need one right now.”

  “Which is why I just texted for a car to come pick us up,” Mom said. “We’re going to go back to my office, where I will explain everything.” She gave me a pointed look, and I knew what she meant.

  My powers.

  I was finally going to get some answers.

  “Okay,” I said, speaking for everyone. They stared at me in surprise.

  “Remember when I told you about walking away?” Alexandra started.

  “This is crazy,” Evan said at the same time. “These are sorcerers. You know, our mortal enemies? The people who just tried to kill us? And you want to go with them?”

  I nodded.

  Evan raised his eyes to the sky and muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like, “Crazy girl.”

  Rafe touched me lightly on the arm. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. She knows things about me. And besides that, I want to know why she left.

  “And why,” I said, staring hard at Mom, “she summoned a demon seven years ago.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  This is so weird, I thought as I sat in a limo (yes, a limo) with my friends and my mom. My mom, who, over the course of two days I’d gone from thinking was alive but gone, then dead and really gone, to alive and here. Here. She was here, sitting adjacent to me as the limo took us through the city, to her office building. (Why did the sorcerers have an office building?) Sitting next to Mom was Jared, their heads bent together as they spoke in hushed whispers, causing me to feel a sharp sting of jealously that I tried unsuccessfully to ignore. I wished she would stop talking to him and start speaking to me. So many questions swirled in my head, but I kept quiet, watching the others.

  Kain was stretched out on the back seat of the limo, his head resting on Philip’s lap as my brother pressed his balled up jacket against the cut on Kain’s chest. Kain was awake and alert, murmuring softly to Philip, who nodded every now and then. Once or twice, Philip would look up and our eyes would meet, but he would quickly turn his attention back to Kain. I didn’t blame him. If our positions were reversed, and it was Rafe who was lying in my lap, I wouldn’t have tim
e to deal with anyone else.

  Speaking of Rafe… I snuck another glance at my boyfriend. He seemed fine, but I knew better. With everything that was going on, Rafe would hide his pain and focus all of his attention on me. As usual. My eyes burned with sudden tears, and I rubbed at them tiredly before staring at my fingers. They hadn’t reacted at all, not to Rafe’s injury nor to Kain’s. What did that mean? They weren’t hurt enough? I didn’t have the ability anymore? Or had Mom done something to me when she zapped me?

  Evan and Alexandra sat across from us, their bodies angled away from one another so they weren’t touching. Although I was sure Evan wanted to touch her—the glances he kept sending her way were totally obvious. She refused to acknowledge him, but her clenched fists told me she wasn’t as unaffected by his presence as she seemed to be.

  The limo came to a stop, and Mom opened the door, stepping out first.

  We were somewhere in Midtown, and office buildings towered over us, so different from the low-lying apartments that surrounded HQ. I didn’t have a chance to gawk; as soon as we exited the limo, Mom ushered us into a tall, tan-colored skyscraper. There was a security guard and receptionists in the front lobby, and Mom had to wave a pass over a scanner before we were allowed in. I exchanged an astonished glance with Rafe. Silver Moon’s HQ seemed so unsophisticated compared to this. Anyone could just walk into HQ!

  We piled into the elevator, Kain leaning most of his weight on Philip. I sidled over to them and aimed my fingers in Kain’s direction, but nothing happened. Letting out a sigh (of relief? Disappointment?), I slumped against the wall and watched the numbers count up. And up. My stomach flipped nervously, and I forced myself to take deep, slow breaths. To say I was overwhelmed would be the biggest understatement of the year. Too much was happening in a short period of time, and I was surprised I was still hanging on to my sanity. It was frayed, ready to snap at any moment, but I hoped I could keep it together long enough to get some answers out of Mom first.