Us By Tricia Levenseller — The Shadows Between
Should Alessandra face a or an assassin first?
"I don't do 'safe,'" she smiled, her eyes bright with the thrill of the hunt. "It's far too boring." To help me tailor the next part of this story, tell me:
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. The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
"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."
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?" Should Alessandra face a or an assassin first
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.
A flicker of genuine surprise crossed his handsome, pale features. The shadows recoiled slightly, reacting to his internal shift. For a second, the barrier thinned. He was physically unreachable—swathed in a literal aura
The shadows in the Slytherin-esque court of the Shadow King didn't just flicker; they breathed. Alessandra Stathos stood at the edge of the ballroom, her gown a midnight silk that felt like armor. She didn't want the King’s heart because she loved him—she wanted it because he was the only thing standing between her and a crown of her own.
