Aiden takes a deep breath and holds my gaze. "So, Derek's our, um, leader here. And his power's growing. The way the Shades work, when you prove you've got what it takes, you move up. Take the next step. Like a promotion. You can learn more, grow stronger every time.
"But every time a leader takes a step up, the people below them do, too. And I'm Derek's . . . well, when he moves, I get his spot, if I'm strong enough. The thing is, where he is now, anyone at that level has rules. I'll get a lot stronger. But I can't share that with just anyone. I can't have a Passive close at all. Even initiates would have to stay away from certain meetings and stuff. But if you initiated, we could be together without any problems. And you're so strong, I know you wouldn't stay an initiate for long. You'd pass the tests and get your power, your training really fast. As soon as you're a Shade you could share it with me—the position. We could . . . be together. With everything."
