BREAKING SHADOWS (Shadows Book 1)

Chapter 4

I was still furious by the time I reached class. I slid into my seat and unpacked my things in a huff, my fingers drumming a tuneless rhythm on my desk. I hoped Fawn was okay, and made a mental note to check when I got back to Valestone. I supposed Mr Holloway was waiting to make a grand entrance. My teacher had the habit of showing up to class as a character from the book we were studying, and considering we were in the middle of Richard III, it wouldn't be surprising if he turned up clad head to toe in silver armour.

My classmates were still making their way into the room, Molly being one of them. From the attention several of them gave me it looked like my story was still making its rounds. Electricity crackled in the classroom, a blinding slither of white light erupting from a slit in the sheer fabric of the world.

Only I seemed to have noticed it.

"Now, how is my favourite witch?" Rafe stepped through the light and sheathed a small dagger on his denim-clad thigh. The hole he'd caused closed behind him until it was my ordinary English Literature classroom once more. Lowering himself into the seat next to me, he stretched out his long legs, crossing them at the ankle under my desk.

Ice-cold dread filled my veins. "Oh no. Not you." I looked around the room in animated panic. "You can't be here. This is not what we agreed."

"That's not exactly the warm welcome I expected to receive and I don't believe times or locations were mentioned in our agreement."

"Do you not have an elsewhere to be? Souls to reap, other people to annoy?"

Rafe leaned back, hands interlocked behind his head. Cocky. "Ah, but you're the only one who made a deal for my company."

"That's not what the deal was for and you know it."

Molly turned to look at me, brow arching into a V.

"You're invisible, aren't you?" I asked through gritted teeth.

Rafe nodded with a smirk.

Great, tomorrow the rumours about me will say I'm going mad. I pulled my notebook towards me, and scribbled a question across the page, angling it towards Rafe. What do you want?

He repeated the question. "That's quite a question, Miss Archer. What do I want? The chance to die would be a fine thing, but in lieu of that, I'll take your promise to help me." He pulled something out of his jacket, a rolled up piece of paper tied by string, and put it down on the table.

I went to pick it up, but he stopped me, his hand curling over mine. Something awakened inside me.

"Not now, not here. This scroll contains the ritual I need help with, but it's not for anyone's eyes but yours. I'm trusting you with this, little witch."

"You're trusting me with witch magic, my own magic, how gallant of you."

"This is no joke, Riley. I've been told what's in here," he tapped the top of the scroll. "Is dangerous. We need to proceed carefully."

"Dangerous. Got it." I tried not to let him know how seriously I'd taken his warning or that I'd started to worry about just what I'd gotten myself into.

Molly swivelled in her chair. "Are you talking to yourself?"

"Reading aloud."

She screwed her face up, flicking her hair over shoulder. "Weirdo."

Any other day, I'd let Molly's sneers fall like Autumn leaves, but with Rafe at my side, I was conscious of every syllable, of every off look that came my way.