Chapter 6 A Shadow Appears

Kaelith

I felt her eyes on me the moment we stepped into the room.

I took my time, scanning the space and fighting the urge to stare. What I saw stole my breath. This wasn’t a hideout—it was a home. Thoughtful. Lived in.

Stranger still, there were only two scents.

The cat—hissing and growling from atop a train car—and the other.

Small. Sharp. Like smoke and shadow.

She moved fast. One blink she was behind the table, the next she was gone, swallowed by darkness as if it welcomed her. There was surprisingly little dust down here. She’d cared for this place.

“My name is Kaelith,” I called, pitching my voice low and calm. “We’re not here to hurt you. We heard you playing from the air. I’ve never heard anything like it.”

A head appeared just above the table’s edge.

Her eyes caught the light—one the blue of a clear sea, the other a deep honey brown. I’d never seen mismatched eyes like that before.

Slowly, I raised my hands and took a step closer. I had no doubt she could shoot me. I just didn’t think she would.

“I don’t care who you are,” she snapped. “Leave. Now. And don’t come back.”

Even angry, her voice carried music.

“I could jump the table and grab her,” Jakob murmured through the link.

No, I replied immediately. I don’t want to scare her.

“We’re not leaving,” I said aloud, keeping my tone even, “and you’re not going to shoot us. It wouldn’t help you. You’d be lucky to hit us—and if you did, we’d heal in minutes.”

Her breath hitched.

“Fuck,” she muttered. “Fuck, fuck, and double fuck.”

I almost smiled.

Such sharp language for such a small shadow.

I took another careful step forward as Jakob and Asher shifted wider, spreading out without pressing in.

A small hand darted out, grabbing something from a nearby chair. She shuffled, then stood fully, swallowed by an oversized jacket and hat pulled low.

The gun never wavered.

“I don’t have anything of value,” she said tightly. “Not to you. So if you won’t leave—what do you want?”

I laughed before I could stop myself.

She bristled instantly. Fire. Spine. Pride.

“What’s your name?” I asked, trying to slow the moment.

“Shadow,” she growled. “Now answer the question.”

“Simple,” I said. “I want you.”

The world exploded.

I dove as shots rang out, bullets cracking against stone. Jakob and Asher cursed as they scrambled for cover.

My dragon surged.

Protect her. Family.

Stay back, I ordered it fiercely. Do not hurt her.

“Stop shooting, Shadow!” I shouted from behind a pillar. “You’re only aggravating the dragons. Please—just listen.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” she yelled back. “Leave or I start shooting again.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” I said quickly. “I want to invite you to Ashcliff. My home. You’d be safe there—as my guest. I’ve never heard anyone play like you.”

“So you can lock me in a cage?” she snapped. “No thank you.”

This was going terribly.

Jakob, left. Asher, circle the cars to the right, I sent. Do not hurt her.

I stood again, forcing her focus back to me. “I’m trying to help you. It’s dangerous living down here alone.”

“I’m not alone,” she lied instantly. “My family’s out shopping. My dad. My brothers. And they’re going to be really pissed if you’re still here.”

I watched Jakob inch closer. Heard Asher’s careful movement behind the cars.

“Shadow,” I said gently, “there’s no one here but you and the cat. And what you’ve built down here—it’s incredible. How did you even—”

“That’s none of your business!” she shouted. “Leave!”

Her chin was up now, mismatched eyes blazing.

One more moment.

“I’m sorry,” I said honestly. “I can’t do that.”

Asher hit her from the side. The gun skidded across the floor.