By Tricia Levenseller: The Shadows Between Us

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.

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?" The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

"You're staring again," a voice like shifting gravel whispered near her ear. That night, she didn't wait for an invitation

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. Alessandra didn't flinch