Shadow spent the first hour or so after everyone else had gone to sleep staring up at the slats underneath Finch’s bed, just thinking and waiting. Luther hadn’t said much about his plans over the phone, but Shadow had been able to tell from the tone of his voice that he still didn’t know what they were going to do about the whole situation.

At least they would be together, though. Or… hopefully, anyway. Shadow didn’t think the two of them together stood much chance of beating Katrina in a fight, but if it came down to it, he didn’t want Luther to face her alone. Was that selfish, since Luther would probably actually prefer to? Maybe, but he couldn’t think of anything worse than one day just finding out that Luther was gone forever. Most people had to live with the knowledge that they would some day lose their parents, but not Shadow. Luther was supposed to always be there.

Shadow sighed and wriggled his way out from under the bed. He needed a distraction. He wasn’t supposed to leave the room, but there was a shelf above Adin’s desk right next to the door to Finch’s bedroom with some books on it. The house was silent. Nothing bad could happen in the thirty seconds it would take Shadow to duck out of the room, grab a book, and return. Especially not if he pushed all attention away from himself.

Shadow crept to the door, silently opened it, and slipped outside. He walked over to Adin’s desk and glanced over his book collection. Most of them seemed much too academic for Shadow’s frazzled mind. His eyes slid over Spectral Horizons: A Comparative Study of Ghosts, Spirits, and Gods Across Planar Boundaries and Unexplained Worldly Resonances and landed on The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Beasts, Vol 1. Shadow could definitely manage a picture book.

Just as Shadow was reaching out his hand to take the book, the sound of shattering glass stunned him into stillness. He pushed attention away from himself with renewed determination, though he couldn’t feel any on him, and took a step backwards towards Finch’s room.

Blinding light whited out Shadow’s vision, followed by a screech and a blast of heat. Shadow felt his breathing quicken, his heart pounding in his chest. 

Had he been running? 

Yes, he’d run so far, separated from his family and pursued by a tireless monster. The first glow of dawn had sent the creature running to hide itself away in whatever tunnel or cave it could find, but Shadow was left lost, alone, and so very, very young. He crouched down and wrapped his arms around his head to protect himself from the heat and the light, but he knew it wouldn’t be enough. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, and already he felt like his skin might blister from its scorching rays.

Something grabbed Shadow’s arm and jerked him up and backwards and for a second he thought the monster had returned and he was a little relieved that he wouldn’t have to die to the light. But no, it was a hand, and he was inside, and though his vision was nothing but glare, he could tell he was in darkness after a door was slammed in front of him.

A hand squeezed down on his shoulder and gave it a shake, and Shadow knew it was Finch. He wasn’t a little boy anymore and that light wasn’t the sun. Was the house on fire? He could smell smoke.

Finch left Shadow’s side, and Shadow blinked enough of the glare out of his eyes to make out him sliding open his window and then knocking the screen out with a single, swift kick.

Finch and Adin helped Malyn out first, and then Finch picked Shadow up and all but tossed him through the window. Malyn was coughing viciously as he helped Tyla through from their side, and then… nothing. Adin and Finch didn’t follow.

Shadow followed as Tyla pulled Malyn back from the house, his eyes stinging from the smoke and the bright light of fire coming through a broken window at the front of the house. Every now and then the cry of a strange animal could be heard from within, but it sounded more angry than distressed. Shadow did his best to control his breathing as the heat coming from the house pressed down on him.

Just when he was sure Finch wasn’t coming out, Shadow’s bag was tossed through the window, followed by a pile of heavy black clothing and then a safe. Finally, Finch climbed through the window.

“Idiot,” Malyn said as he rushed forward to hug him. He walked Finch backwards with his arms still around him to put distance between themselves and the house. “Where’s Adin?”

Finch hesitated. “I don’t know. He went into the house.”

Malyn was overtaken by a fit of coughing. When he finally got through it, he stared up at the burning house with a look of pure dread on his face. “Maybe he went out the back door…”

“I can survive the burns,” Finch said. “I can go look.”

Finch made it one step back towards the house before Malyn grabbed him and wrapped his arms around him as tight as he could. “No.”

“He’s right,” Tyla told Finch, placing a hand on his back as he stared up at the burning house. “I don’t know any magic to put out fires. I could have learnt, but I never thought…”

Malyn let go of Finch with one arm and wrapped it around Tyla, turning the restraint into a group hug.

That was when Shadow heard it, a rattle that broke away from the pattern of the rest of the sound. He squinted his eyes against the light of the fire. The garage door was slowly opening.

“Finch!” Shadow shouted, the only time in his life he ever had, and he pointed to the garage door.

Finch ducked out of Malyn’s embrace and ran. Malyn drew in a shaky breath as Finch slid under the gap that had been made, into the garage.

Seconds later, the door started opening more quickly and then two figures appeared out of the billowing smoke. It was Adin and Finch, and they were pushing Malyn’s motorcycle.

As soon as they were clear of the house, Malyn’s arms were around Adin. “Thank you. Don’t ever do that again.”

Now that everyone was out, they moved back onto the other side of the road and Finch called the fire department. They were all coughing a bit, but Malyn was doing it so much that he was struggling to breathe. Tyla helped him sit down on the side of the road and rubbed circles on his back.

That was when Shadow felt it. That predatory gaze. He looked up to see Katrina approaching through the smoke that filled the street.

He wanted to run. Instead, he grabbed Finch’s elbow and nodded in her direction.

Finch dragged Malyn to his feet and they clustered together.

Katrina stopped in front of them, her hands on her hips. Adin’s injuries were healing well, but his body still showed clear signs of last night’s fight. Katrina’s didn’t. If Shadow hadn’t known Adin had hurt her, he wouldn’t have guessed. “If you give me Shadow now, this ends here. I won’t bother any of you again. But if you don’t…”

Shadow tried to step forward, but Finch had a firm hold on his arm.

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Finch said. “We don’t like bullies.”

“And us bullies don’t care if you like us or not,” Katrina said. “Last chance. You have no idea how much I can hurt you.”

“Don’t act like you’re being generous. You’d just take him from us right now if you thought it’d be easy.”

“Yes, good job, you figured out why I’d rather not fight you for him. That doesn’t mean I won’t grab your soft little human friend there the second he’s alone and do some terrible things to him.”

Tyla’s arm tightened around Malyn.

“Your strategy could use some work,” Adin interjected. “How smart do you think it is to put people in situations where they’ll feel compelled to find some way to defeat you?”

Katrina looked unimpressed. “I’m not forcing you to be in that situation. You have a choice. You’re making it.”

“You have a choice here too,” Adin said. “But it’s not one we’re going to be able to talk you out of, and you can’t talk us out of ours, either. It seems we’re at an impasse.”

Finch released his grip on Shadow and draped his arm over his shoulders instead. “So you might as well fuck off is what he’s too polite to say.”

“Hm.” She turned her head and was silent for a moment. “I hear sirens, so I think I’ll do that. Enjoy the rest of your night, gentlemen.”

With that, she turned and walked off back down the street.