Page 6 of Darkness Defined

I felt the darkness encircle me and draw my breath. The Daemon approached, the promise of death in its kiss. Words escaped me as the night stole the very breath from my lungs. My only mercy was that it didn’t speak.

A mercy short lived as words like that from a fallen angel poured forth and drew me close, wrapping around me, a lover’s embrace. My will was robbed, and I walked forward to fall into oblivion…

The rest of the passage was too obscure to make out. The creature described had all the makings of a terrifying monster and a timeless love. This was where the original owner of the manuscript and I had differed.

Notes in the margins declared the belief that this man was fighting for his immortal soul against some nameless demon and losing. I, on the other hand, believed that while the man had originally set out to slay the creature, he instead had found himself captivated, falling madly in love with his worst nightmare, that the reference to “a lover’s embrace” wasn’t a typo or poor translation. Even the illustration looked more like a man meeting a secret love than succumbing to pure evil.

I sighed and set the book down. It was pointless to speculate. As far as the rest of the supernatural world was concerned, wewereevil. Vera Scry had seen to that. I still wasn’t sure how I felt about going to a school she’d started. Just because she and the rest of her military unit, self-dubbed the Shadows, had switched allegiances, didn’t mean we could automatically trust them.

Who’s to say they won’t be just as bad or worse than the Regency?

It was a fact that Shadow Demons were rare, just like it was a fact that I’d never met another one, not even the infamous Vera herself. The prospect of meeting her now was simultaneously terrifying and exciting. Not just because of who she was, but because ofwhatshe was—a level two. Contrary to how most things in the human world were rated, demon classes followed more of a pyramid structure when it came to levels. The lower the number, the higher you were on the general power scale, with level ones, or originals, being right at the top.

I didn’t even think it was possible for someone like her to exist so far removed from a direct lineage of power. The stories said that her level was a freak accident, absolutely unprecedented. And yet, the existence of this class at all said that Shadow Demons were primed to make a comeback from the brink of extinction.

I held out my hand and called to the darkness with my essence. As thick fog pooled in my palm, I could feel it straining against my control. My mother had a point. I had no idea what I was really capable of beyond parlor tricks and half-baked theories. Whatcoulda trained Shadow Demon do?

I guided the substance by force of will across the room to turn off the lights. Instantly, my realm of influence extended. Controlling my tiny bubble of shadow at once became easier and infinitely more difficult. Without the light to destroy it, maintaining the shadow was a piece of cake. However, now that darkness was all around, it echoed my call, reaching for me as much as I reached for it.

It glided along my skin, intimate and gentle, like a lover’s caress. That was the main reason I believed the man in the book had been seduced. The night could be full of terrors, but it could also be full of passion. I released the shadow to join its essence—my essence.

I am the darkness, and the darkness is me.

The resonance inside of me intensified as I continued to extend my control. As I reached for the night, the night reached back for me, igniting a longing that went deeper than a mere need to be touched.

I let it go, sinking back to the normal realm of sensation. Someday, I’d find someone who could make me feel as alive as the darkness did, who would understand what I could never hope to explain. I shook off the romantic thought and sighed into the gloom, still struggling with my own mixed feelings. Whatwouldit be like to meet others like myself? If I was being honest, I was absolutely terrified at the prospect. It was too late to back out now, though. In eight days, I’d meet an entire class full of people just like me.

I smiled into the darkness.

Well, maybe not just like me.

Chapter 3

The Newcomer

M

Beneaththestrictsupervisionof Miss Mary Ann, I got cleaned up and into clothes that almost fit. Then I wandered around Superno House while I waited for dinner, doing my best to stay out of the way. The more I saw, the less I understood. Calling these kids different was a nice way to put it. And somehow, somewhere along the line, someone had gotten convinced that I was one of them. A supernatural.

I grabbed a tray and made my way to an empty table by an oil painting of a forest, determined to lie low. If I could stay out of trouble long enough, this place could be my last stop before I was finally free to decide about my own life. A girl sat down at the far end of my previously unoccupied table. I glanced over as she tucked her hair behind her ear. A light smile tipped my lips. She was pretty and there was no reason the wait had to be totally intolerable.

I was about to call over to her when I saw the horns poking up through her straight black hair. Air went down the wrong way and I struggled to cough through it without drawing attention to myself or dying. Thoroughly put off of pursuing anything with someone at Superno House, I focused my attention on my tray. Given how sporadic my meals had been the last few weeks, I didn’t care what the food looked like; it smelled edible, and that was good enough.

I took a bite of what I hoped was meatloaf and almost immediately had to smother a moan. Whatever it was, it was good. I fought the urge to shovel all of it into my mouth as fast as possible, already debating about trying to sneak back for a second helping. No amount of going slow would make it last, though. In record time, my plate was clean and the only thing I had left were my thoughts, and boy, did I have plenty of them. Most of the people I’d seen appeared normal enough, but like the girl at my table, I suspected they were all far from it. Even Oliver had looked like any other scruffy orphan and he’d shot fire out of his hand.

I looked down at my hand. He’d called himself a fire demon. I examined both sides of the appendage and imagined what it would be like to do what I’d seen earlier. Unsurprisingly, nothing happened. I scowled, disappointed in my juvenile fantasy, and let out a huff. The way everyone said “demon” made it sound like there was more than one kind. If that was the case, how many kinds were there? Had I met any before? Was it possible Smith was right, and I was a demon? But if I was, then how did he know? And why didn’t he know what kind?

I sagged beneath the weight of doubt. Per usual, I had more questions than answers. My stomach gave a small growl, drawing my attention to the more important question right now—could I snag another helping without getting caught? I was about to try my luck when the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

“I think we should give the new guy a proper Superno House welcome. What do you think, Rufus?” a voice that sounded suspiciously like Oliver said beside me. A quick glance without moving my head confirmed it.

“I think that’s perfect,” the guy who I assumed was Rufus responded. “Khima?” The girl with the horns looked over.

I blanched as I realized the rest of her was also sporting barbs.

“I’m game,” she responded without hesitation.

I swallowed hard. So much for not making waves. Another glance up showed that Rufus was practically on top of the table leering at me. His bug eyes wiggled incessantly, and he smiled, revealing alarmingly pointy teeth. My eyes widened slightly. Behind him, Oliver stood, holding a steady flame in his hand. There was no pretending anymore. These guys definitely weren’t human.