Twinned Shadow (The Shadow Series Book 1) by Candice Bundy (win 10 ebook reader .txt) 📗

forth from his mouth, but Tesse couldn’t make sense of it. Couldn’t focus long enough to work her magic. Her pain was all consuming.

His was no magic she recognized. With every syllable he uttered, she felt further separated from her body until her spirit ripped free from her dying flesh.

Chapter 2

Becka hesitated to knock on Dr. Traut’s office door despite his receptionist’s assurance that he was awaiting her arrival. Her stomach flipped, and she had to take a deep breath to steady her nerves. She gripped the strap to her coffee-colored leather backpack like a lifeline. If she didn’t get this job, she knew her prospects of finding another place open to a fae-touched employee would be slim.

Or none.

This rare opportunity with the Institute of World Politics could be the stepping-stone she needed to open the doors for diplomatic roles down the road, her dream position. But all fae were held to impossibly high standards, especially in fields like academia. She didn’t have her hopes set high.

Just then, an all-human group passed by her in the hallway, muttering under their breaths and casting her sideways glances. She caught a low “doesn’t she know they lost the war?” whispered deliberately too loud. “She should go back home before someone reminds her,” another added.

Becka felt the question like a hit to her solar plexus. We know. No human ever lets us forget.

The Great War harkened back to the time of her great-grandparents. Humans won. Fae lost. Shifters were the conscientious objectors. The history she’d learned in both fae and human classes had been fuzzy on the details. Since then, all fae, upon being declared guilded, were conscripted for two years of civil service to whichever human government oversaw their territory. After that time humans required them to live on fae lands, entering human cities only with the proper visas and work permits.

The students disdain to her fae-touched presence only emboldened Becka. She had a mission: become a part of fixing the future. If that didn’t work, she’d at least connect with other like-minded souls along the journey. She clenched her jaw, the tension running down her neck and shoulders, and rapped on the door. A quick, muffled voice from within beckoned her to enter.

She entered the small office where Dr. Traut, the Director of the Interspecies Department, sat talking on the phone in excited tones. The entirety of his wizened, willowy frame seemed to vibrate in excitement. His tweed suit hung one size too large for his frame. He nodded at her arrival, his smile contagious. He held up a finger to her showing he’d only be a moment and then motioned for Becka to take a seat.

“I’m so honored you‘ve accepted one of my staff for this fellowship with your house,” Traut said, the creases around his cheeks and eyes deepening. “Yes, I’ll shoot you over the paperwork immediately. Thank you again for this opportunity, Elder Elian of House Blackthorn.”

He hung up the phone and then sprung from his chair, punching his fist towards the sky. “Yes!” His unkempt crown of wiry white hair undulated as if underwater.

Becka forced a pleasant smile past her building nerves. “Good news, I take it?”

“The best!” He sat back down, leaning forward on the edge of his seat and adjusting his horn-rimmed glasses. “I’ve been in negotiations with Blackthorn to accept a fellowship for years. They vet every candidate with excruciating detail, often disqualifying them on a whim. Finally, I matched them with one they do not find distasteful.”

Could Dr. Traut hear how offensive his comment was to a fae-born? Becka widened her smile. “Congratulations on your accomplishment, Dr. Traut.”

“Thank you, Becka, but we’re here to discuss your opportunities, yes?”

“Yes, and I apologize for being a few minutes late.”

“It’s no bother.” He waved her off and searched around his desk for something. “I have been on the phone all afternoon pinning down that fellowship, so your delay was fortuitous.” Dr. Traut pulled open the left-hand drawer and located a manila folder stuffed haphazardly with papers. He opened it and thumbed through the paperwork. “Oh, yes! Here we are, your internship application.” He scanned it, shooting her a polite smile.

“Have you reviewed my application status?”

“I have, that I have.” He laid the paperwork out on his desk and leaned back in his chair, looking at her over the frame of his glasses. “As you can guess, your application caused quite a stir.”

Becka frowned. “How many times has a fae-touched applied to your department?”

He guffawed, pointing a finger at her. “Oh, never! And not only within the department, but organization-wide.”

“I didn‘t know.” She braced for a letdown, feeling her shoulders sag forward. If she couldn’t make this work, how could she ever achieve her goal? This felt like her one chance to become a part of something, and the possibility was hanging by a thread. “It sounds like my proposal was more progressive than I’d realized.”

“Yes, it was. But, as they say, fortune favors the bold.” He raised an eyebrow, leaning forward in his chair to rest his elbows on the desk. “I and others felt your focus on improving cross-species understanding might bring us gains within the fae community not currently within our grasp. Also, your continuing focus on mainstreaming within human culture was seen as a strong mark in your favor.”

“You don’t mean?” Becka leaned forward in her seat, fingertips resting on the edge of his desk.

“Yes, you got into the program.” He beamed at her and Becka let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. “It’s provisional, but you’re in. I’m proud to call this a veritable milestone in human-fae relations.”

“That’s fantastic, thank you so much.” A momentary euphoric dopamine rush shot through her veins. An image of herself working with respected peers hovered just at the outer range of her internal vision. Might she finally find a fellowship where she belonged? Where they wanted her?  She shook the dreams out of her head and focused on the moment. “But