Light's retort hung in the air, a stubborn, gleaming thread in the tense silence. He saw a flicker of something unreadable in Shade's blood-red eyes—not anger, but... exasperation? It was a strange, almost human expression that made the other boy seem a little less like a mythical creature and a little more like a person who was having a very, very bad day.
The other library patrons were now openly staring, their quiet murmuring a low tide of curiosity. Light felt a familiar surge of defiance. He was so tired of people looking at him like he was a ticking time bomb, a walking disaster of wild energy and bad luck. He had an instinct, a strange sort of empathy, that told him this guy had a similar problem, just for entirely different reasons.
"Look," Light said, taking a step forward and accidentally kicking a book. It slid across the polished floor, landing perfectly at the toe of Shade's worn sneakers. "I don't know who you are, but you're giving off some serious 'leave me alone' vibes. I get it. But you're in my spot. So either you move, or you deal with me."
Shade's gaze shifted from Light to the book at his feet. A rare first-edition copy of Wuthering Heights. His lip curled into a silent sneer.
This boy was a walking contradiction.
A white panther-Light Fury hybrid, capable of immense power, and he was using it to complain about library seating.
A liability, Shade's brilliant mind concluded. A walking, talking, clumsy liability that just exposed my deepest, most guarded secret to the whole library.
He was just about to deliver a withering set of instructions on why Light should disappear from his sight forever, when a new sound cut through the air.
It was a sharp, electronic chirp from Shade's pocket. He instinctively froze, his body going rigid. The sound was distinct, the one he had programmed into his encrypted tracker to only go off when a hunter's device was in close proximity.
The chirp came again, louder this time.
Light, for his part, heard it too. He saw the subtle shift in Shade's posture, the way his knuckles went white where his hands were balled into fists in his pockets. The icy exterior cracked, replaced by something far more chilling: pure, unadulterated fear.
"What was that?" Light asked, his voice suddenly losing its bravado and becoming quiet and serious.
Shade didn't answer.
He was already scanning the room, his eyes moving with a practiced speed that betrayed years of training. He located the source of the ping: a burly man in the history section, casually browsing a shelf, his jacket looking far too heavy for a warm afternoon. A faint, red light blinked on the wrist of his watch.
Hunter.
And another one, over by the checkout desk, pretending to be on his phone.
The trap had been sprung.
They weren't looking for him.
They were looking for... a hybrid.
Us.
Shade grabbed Light by the wrist, the touch surprisingly cold. "We need to go. Now."
Light, startled by the sudden contact and the desperation in Shade's eyes, didn't argue. He allowed himself to be pulled through the aisles, leaving his books and their heated conversation scattered on the floor behind them.
The hunt had begun.
And for the first time, Shade realized he wasn't facing it alone.