"Kalen, won't you tell me what you really are?" I asked one night, sprawled out on my bed with my phone in my hands.
He cracked an eye open to look at me from where he was sitting at the other end of my bed, back against the wall. "Does it matter?"
"Yes, I'm curiousss," I said, trying to keep the whiny tone out of my voice.
He sighed, eyes closed. "You're too curious."
"Let me take a guess. You're definitely not human. You don't even hide that from me." I pondered aloud. "You can't be a ghost. I can feel you and your warmth. I once thought you were a shadow person. That sounded like the best fit, but doesn't make much sense now."
"They are my people."
"Wait what?" I blinked.
"Shadow people - they are my people." he shrugged.
I tried not to gawk at him. "Does that mean you are their king?"
"I supposed, in a way, yes."
"But you're not one of them?"
"No."
I bit my lip in contemplation. "What about your powers? You can summon shadows and teleport. You seem to have the body of a human. What supernatural creature are you?" I asked, reaching over to poke his cheek playfully with one index finger. I knew enough that he'd just tolerate my antics, so I took all my chances.
He rolled his eyes. "It's called shadow travel. That's different from teleportation."
I stared at him blankly, and he continued. "Where I seem to appear and disappear, I'm actually shifting into another dimension. I can travel through the shadow realm and reappear at another location back in this realm provided there are shadows at the intended destination," he explained.
He paused, tactfully waiting for my reaction as I took in all this information. "Yo that's way too convenient." I gaped. "Whereever there's light, there's bound to be shadows cast."
He nodded. "Certainly."
"What about what you do? Surely you have more responsibilities outside being the king of shadow people." Now that I'd wriggled this bit of information rom him, my curiosity intensified. He seemed to be strangely more talkative tonight. However, I was about to be met with disappointment.
"Don't ask questions you don't really want answered, Avery." His reply was short, curt. I tried to stem the sparks that flew inside me at the sound of my name rolling off his tongue so casually.
I shifted closer to him, widened my eyes at him in an attempt to make a cute pleading face. "Tell me."
He glanced at me indifferently. "You should fear me, human. I have had blood on my hands. That is all I will disclose to you."
"Always so formal and arrogant", I huffed, trying to shove him with an arm. "Why won't you tell me? I really want to know."
What came next took me off guard. In one smooth movement, he caught my arm and turned, flipping me against the wall. I found myself caught between him and the wall in a kabedon. He held my wrist against the wall above my head, face a breath away from mine as he leaned against the wall with the other hand, his body caging me in place.
His eyes smouldered with an intensity I'd never seen before, and there was a darkness within that hinted at his true nature. "Do you still really want to know?" His voice was barely a whisper, but I heard the tint of malice in it.
I fumbled for something witty to say but my words caught in my throat. His aura had done a three sixty degree turn, and it felt like the temperature of the room had dipped a few degrees. My heart pounded as I began to break out in cold sweat, a small voice in my head reminding me that he had once tried to kill me in my sleep.
"Avery," he rumbled. His voice was dangerously low. "If you knew, you'd have to die."
I drew in a sharp breath and stiffened as he leaned in closer. I could feel his cool breath fanning my face as he spoke. "I won't tell you. I don't want your blood on my hands."
His forehead was pressed against mine. I could see the silhouette of his features dimly lit by the night lights wafting in from the gaps in my curtains. For a moment, the night was still as time seemed to freeze.
And then he leaned in closer still, brushing his lips against mine.
I felt dizzy. Had the adrenaline rush muddled my ability to reason? In that moment, it didn't matter. In the quiet of the night, I could hear the blood roaring in my ears and the voice in my head screaming at me to keep my distance as I reached up to cup his face with both hands.
"I don't care what you are," I whispered back. "I'd love you anyway."
And I kissed him back for all I was worth.