The Shadows Between Us By Tricia Levenseller «Legit · 2027»

"And I," Alessandra whispered, leaning into the freezing cold of his aura, "am the girl who is going to help you rule them. Or take them from you. I haven't quite decided yet."

That night, she didn't wait for an invitation. As the music swelled into a haunting cello melody, she stepped into his path. The shadows around him hissed, rising like cobras.

"I am a king of ghosts and secrets," he said, stepping closer, his eyes searching hers for the fear that usually greeted him. The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

"He touches nothing he doesn't intend to destroy," the guard replied.

Should Alessandra face a or an assassin first? "And I," Alessandra whispered, leaning into the freezing

"Perhaps your darkness just hasn't met the right kind of light," she countered, her hand hovering inches from the barrier of ink-black smoke. "Or perhaps you're just lonely up there on your pedestal of gloom."

The Shadow King, Kallias, moved through the crowd like a predator through tall grass. He was physically unreachable—swathed in a literal aura of shadows that kept everyone at a five-foot distance. To touch him was to die, or so the rumors claimed. To Alessandra, it was simply a puzzle to be solved. As the music swelled into a haunting cello

Alessandra didn't flinch. She turned to find the King's Master of Guard, a man whose eyes were as cold as the floorboards. "It’s hard not to stare at a man who wears darkness like a cloak. Tell me, does he ever actually touch the ground, or does the abyss carry him everywhere?"