Ah, there was the Lord of the Otherworld, piping up with riddles instead of useful information.
You don't want answers. You want mysteries and adventure. You want to figure it out for yourself. Be a clever boy.
Ricky shot Arawn a mental middle finger, and he swore he heard a chuckle, like from an indulgent grandparent. Which was weird, all things considered, but Ricky had already decided he wasn't going to fuss with considering all things, working out the exact logistics and implications and complications of his relationship to Arawn. Ricky was Arawn, and yet he was not. He acknowledged the connection, as much as he might prefer not to be connected to the arrogant son of a bitch who'd wanted Matilda so badly he had let her die rather than be with the man she chose.
That's a bit harsh, don't you think?
Nope, not at all. Now since you can't say something useful? Shut the fuck up.
"Ricky?"
"Sorry. Bickering with Arawn."
She let out a choked laugh. "Is he being helpful?"
"Of course not. That's why we're arguing." Ricky hunkered back on his haunches and looked around. "There's somet
hing about the shadows."
"The shadows?" She frowned as she studied them.
"See it?" he asked.
"No . . ."
"What do you see?"
"Just shadows. Cast by . . ." She waggled her fingers, throwing a shadow of her own on the rocky wall. "Yep, definitely cast by the freaky glowing light."
"And they're stationary?"
"They aren't for you?"
No, they were not. They moved, like the fog shrouding that distant light. Shifting shadows. Ricky moved toward a shadow hugging a crevice. When he drew near, it pulled back.
"Okay, that I saw." Liv crawled toward a wall and reached out. Ricky jumped, his hand wrapping around her ankle.
"Don't."
"Bad vibes?"
He analyzed before answering. "Not bad. Just . . ." He moved up alongside her. "Stay close and don't . . ."
"Reach into the weird shadows?"
"Yes, please."
The shadows continued to shift, seeming to move faster when he turned away, a blur caught out of the corner of his eye.
Moving around them. Encircling them.
"Liv?"
"Mmm-hmm." She was inching toward the wall, her gaze caught on something.
"Stop."
She did, even before he could add a please. His heart pounded, breath coming harsh enough to echo in the small space. He caught a motion out of the corner of his eye and looked to see a tendril of shadow creeping toward Liv's leg. Before he could react, it wound around it. He yanked her away, saying, "No!" and then, "I'm sorry. Just don't . . ." He inhaled.