Page 42 of Pretty Little Shadow
"He mostly just explained how mate bonds work for fae, and what your magic is like. He was surprisingly civil. No torture involved. Also, he told me he was behind the fangirl website that tracks you."
"I figured. Was Kat with him?"
"No. I feel like you're mad that I talked to him. He forced his way through the door, so it wasn't like I invited him. I was just?—"
"I'm not mad at you. I'm glad he was civil, and that you thought it went well."
"He said my shadows can help with your magic without us touching. Is he right?"
Dare's grip on my thigh tightened a little. "He had no business starting that conversation with you, but yeah. He's right."
"You should've told me that."
"I was waiting until you were ready."
"I'm never going to be ready. Not for this." I gestured between us. "I don't know a damn thing about relationships, and somehow, I ended up in one. With you. The most desirable man in the city."
"If it's any consolation, I know as much about relationships as you do."
I rolled my eyes. "You've been in a relationship before."
"No. I haven't. I don't even kiss the people I fuck. Never did."
"That doesn't make sense. You've been with a shitload of people, Darius. It's common knowledge."
"Sex was a way to pass the time, and nothing else. I never felt any way about it or the person I was fucking."
"You can't have sex with someone multiple times without feelingsomething."
"I could've, but I didn't. I never fucked someone more than once. They never fuckedme. My magic got them off. I didn't touch them more than I had to."
My forehead creased, and I took another sip of my drink. "That doesn't make sense."
"You've never had sex, Rae. It means more to you than it does to a lot of people because of that."
"I don't think that's true."
Darius lifted a hand to an escaped strand of hair at the back of my neck. The short pieces always broke off, and fell away. "I'll convince you eventually."
"That's unlikely."
He lifted an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge?"
"No. And we weren't talking about sex. Or relationships. We were talking about my shadows."
Darius shook his head. "Grayson told me that intentionally leaving your shadows with someone else requires constant effort. I don't want you to do that for me."
"I wasn't going to offer to. I was going to tell you that I can't."
"Good. You need your shadows to protect yourself."
"I actually need them to keep me alive."
Darius frowned.
My stomach growled loudly, but with my undescended fangs throbbing in my mouth, I knew it wasn't food I was hungry for.
"I tethered myself to my shadows when I was dying in the cellar," I explained. "I can't send them away from me the way most demons can, because of it. It would kill me. My shadows are my life force now."
