into, so he doesn’t somehow get away from Shya. Or, perhaps so he doesn’t get picked off by someone else.” I nodded, as a sinking sensation settled in my gut. “I get it.”
It was disturbing to me on so many levels, most of all, because I knew the same thing had been done to me. Maybe Shya had no reason to have me followed now or maybe he had just changed his methods of doing so. Regardless, I was still very much under his thumb, and as I stared at this innocent kid’s house, it was devastatingly undeniable. Shya was the puppet master pulling our strings. What would he do if we cut the ties that held us?
“So what makes this kid special enough to be worth watching?” I asked, my tone thick with skepticism. “Can he kill people in their dreams? Control them? What?”
“Yes, all of that and more. The potential is there. Whether or not he knows how to use it remains to be seen.” Kale met my eyes then, his gaze heavy and intense. “There are incredible downfalls to being a dreamwalker. He can never sleep without entering a dream that belongs to someone else. What he chooses to do there is in his hands for the most part. You want to talk about spying, what better way to sneak a peek at an enemy than by taking a walk through his subconscious?”
And, that right there was exactly why Shya wanted this kid. The poor bastard. Seventeen years old, and his life was already over. And, he didn’t even know it yet.
“Poor kid,” I muttered. “He has no idea what’s in store for him. I don’t like being on the opposite side of this, the one watching.”
I went cold inside. I acted like I had some control in my partnership with Shya, but that was merely an illusion he allowed me. A sinking sensation threatened to swallow me. Every moment I spent watching the silhouette of the teenager inside playing videogames made it worse.
“I don’t think I can do this anymore,” I blurted, weariness in my voice. “I just want to hunt some scumbag vampire that gets off on killing kids or something. You know? I don’t want to watch people get sucked into the dark by a demon. I can’t help Shya do to others what he’s done to me. And, to think of how many years I never knew that he was always there, behind the scenes.”
For the first time since Kale and I had met several years ago, I wondered if he had ever watched me like this. How close was he to Shya? I didn’t really know. Over the years, I had often had Kale at my side during a hunt, a constant shadow.
I visibly shuddered. Goosebumps rose on my arms, and I rubbed them uselessly. It had to be the paranoia talking. Kale would never do something so shady. Our friendship was authentic, not based on a lie.
After several minutes passed, Kale broke the strained silence. “You have your own role to play, Alexa. Only you can decide what that is. Being associated with Shya doesn’t make you anything like him. He’s not a silent force in your life anymore. You’re not a caged animal. Don’t let him make you think you are.”
“You’re right, I know that. The past month has been overwhelming. I’m still adjusting.” I blew a lock of hair out of my face. “But, thank you. You always know what I need to hear.”
Kale was quiet for a moment, contemplative. “Hey, thanks for getting Jez to see me. I know you had something to do with that.”
I shrugged as if it was no big deal. In actuality, I’d had to beg, threaten and cajole Jez endlessly before she’d agreed to meet him. “It was easy. She just needed a push.”
A few minutes passed in silence. It was a comfortable quiet though. I was relieved. It was starting to feel the way it used to with Kale, easy-going and relaxed. No need for strange tension and awkward moments. I was starting to think we could get past the events of last month.
I hesitated for just a second before deciding I had to share this. “The FPA is investigating the death of Abigail Irving. My sister is one of their agents. Not only did
It was disturbing to me on so many levels, most of all, because I knew the same thing had been done to me. Maybe Shya had no reason to have me followed now or maybe he had just changed his methods of doing so. Regardless, I was still very much under his thumb, and as I stared at this innocent kid’s house, it was devastatingly undeniable. Shya was the puppet master pulling our strings. What would he do if we cut the ties that held us?
“So what makes this kid special enough to be worth watching?” I asked, my tone thick with skepticism. “Can he kill people in their dreams? Control them? What?”
“Yes, all of that and more. The potential is there. Whether or not he knows how to use it remains to be seen.” Kale met my eyes then, his gaze heavy and intense. “There are incredible downfalls to being a dreamwalker. He can never sleep without entering a dream that belongs to someone else. What he chooses to do there is in his hands for the most part. You want to talk about spying, what better way to sneak a peek at an enemy than by taking a walk through his subconscious?”
And, that right there was exactly why Shya wanted this kid. The poor bastard. Seventeen years old, and his life was already over. And, he didn’t even know it yet.
“Poor kid,” I muttered. “He has no idea what’s in store for him. I don’t like being on the opposite side of this, the one watching.”
I went cold inside. I acted like I had some control in my partnership with Shya, but that was merely an illusion he allowed me. A sinking sensation threatened to swallow me. Every moment I spent watching the silhouette of the teenager inside playing videogames made it worse.
“I don’t think I can do this anymore,” I blurted, weariness in my voice. “I just want to hunt some scumbag vampire that gets off on killing kids or something. You know? I don’t want to watch people get sucked into the dark by a demon. I can’t help Shya do to others what he’s done to me. And, to think of how many years I never knew that he was always there, behind the scenes.”
For the first time since Kale and I had met several years ago, I wondered if he had ever watched me like this. How close was he to Shya? I didn’t really know. Over the years, I had often had Kale at my side during a hunt, a constant shadow.
I visibly shuddered. Goosebumps rose on my arms, and I rubbed them uselessly. It had to be the paranoia talking. Kale would never do something so shady. Our friendship was authentic, not based on a lie.
After several minutes passed, Kale broke the strained silence. “You have your own role to play, Alexa. Only you can decide what that is. Being associated with Shya doesn’t make you anything like him. He’s not a silent force in your life anymore. You’re not a caged animal. Don’t let him make you think you are.”
“You’re right, I know that. The past month has been overwhelming. I’m still adjusting.” I blew a lock of hair out of my face. “But, thank you. You always know what I need to hear.”
Kale was quiet for a moment, contemplative. “Hey, thanks for getting Jez to see me. I know you had something to do with that.”
I shrugged as if it was no big deal. In actuality, I’d had to beg, threaten and cajole Jez endlessly before she’d agreed to meet him. “It was easy. She just needed a push.”
A few minutes passed in silence. It was a comfortable quiet though. I was relieved. It was starting to feel the way it used to with Kale, easy-going and relaxed. No need for strange tension and awkward moments. I was starting to think we could get past the events of last month.
I hesitated for just a second before deciding I had to share this. “The FPA is investigating the death of Abigail Irving. My sister is one of their agents. Not only did
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