I rubbed the back of my neck, staring out my apartment window. "So, uh… I keep seeing things."

  Elly, perched on the arm of my couch with her usual feline grace, raised an eyebrow. "Things?"

  "Shadows," I clarified. "Weird little shapes. Watching me. I’ll turn my head, and they scurry off, like cockroaches when you flick on a light."

  Lily, sprawled out with a bag of chips, didn’t even look up. "Probably just paranoia, Danny. You are being hunted."

  "Thanks," I said flatly. "That’s real reassuring, but you got a peek at one when you were trying to touch my thigh."

  The other two eyed Lily, who shrugged.

  Euryale frowned from her spot against the kitchen counter, arms crossed. "Possessed rats? Familiars? Should we set up cameras?"

  I shook my head. "No, this is different. I know it sounds crazy, but I feel them watching. It’s not an animal, I don’t think. If I focus—really focus—I can just barely see them. Like... something under a layer of static."

  That got Elly’s attention. She sat up, golden eyes narrowing.

  "You shouldn’t be able to see them."

  I frowned. "Yeah, well, I do. What are they?"

  Elly exhaled, leaning forward slightly. "Common spies. Messengers. Things that slip through the cracks. They're part of the Eidolon—the world behind the world."

  I blinked. "The what now?"

  "The Eidolon," she repeated. "It’s not another world exactly, more like… the unseen machinery of this world. Like the inside of a wall—you know something’s there, pipes, wires, but you don’t normally see it. That’s the Eidolon. The hidden layer where supernatural beings operate freely, unseen by normal people."

  I digested that for a moment. "Okay, but why am I seeing through the wall?"

  Elly tilted her head, studying me. "That’s what’s strange. The Eidolon works through the Veil, a kind of barrier that keeps the supernatural out of sight. Even we can’t always see these creatures unless we’re actively looking. But you? You’re not just seeing through the Veil—you’re breaking it. It’s malfunctioning around you."

  I let out a nervous laugh. "So what? I’m some kind of supernatural signal jammer?"

  Elly nodded, her expression serious. "Oil and water. That’s you and the Eidolon. You don’t mix with the supernatural—you reject it. The Veil can’t process you, so it starts to fray. Things that should stay hidden get exposed."

  I exhaled. "Well, that’s annoying."

  Lily grinned. "Not as annoying as us moving in to guard your helpless butt."

  "Helpless?" I scoffed. "I’ve been fending for myself just fine!"

  Euryale smirked. "Sure. Tell that to the guy who got tackled by a cursed delivery bag."

  I groaned. "Can we not bring that up?"

  Lily popped another chip in her mouth. "Oh, we will. Forever."

  Elly cleared her throat, bringing the conversation back. "It gets worse, Daniel."

  I raised an eyebrow. "Worse than being a walking supernatural bug zapper?"

  She hesitated, then sighed. "Yes. Because you don’t just mess with the Eidolon. You mess with us."

  Something about her tone sent a strange chill through me. "Uh… Define mess with?"

  Euryale chuckled darkly. "You really wanna know?"

  "Not anymore," I muttered.

  Elly exhaled sharply. "Your presence weakens supernatural abilities. Just being around us gradually saps our power. The closer we are, the worse it gets. And intimacy…"

  I swallowed. "Intimacy?"

  Lily grinned wickedly. "Smooching, Danny. The devil’s tango. A little bump and grind."

  Elly shot her a look before turning back to me. "According to all research, if a supernatural being were to, say, kiss you, their abilities would drain instantly. If things got more… involved, they’d be effectively mortal for at least a full day. Maybe longer."

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  I blinked. "You’re telling me I’m a supernatural sedative?"

  Lily cackled. "More like an anti-aphrodisiac for magic folk."

  I rubbed my temples. "Great. Perfect. So now, not only am I undateable, but I’m also a walking magical power outage. What a fantastic deal I got in the genetic lottery."

  Euryale grinned. "Oh, it gets better."

  Elly sighed, standing up. "You won’t believe us unless you see it. So, let’s test it."

  Euryale nodded. “It’s important to understand the limitations of your powers.”

  Lily nodded also, sitting up very straight.

  I frowned. "Test what?"

  Elly pulled a small rubber ball from her pocket and tossed it in the air. Then another. And another. Soon, three balls were moving in an intricate pattern, weaving through her fingers like liquid motion. Her hands were impossibly fast—inhuman reflexes at work.

  Then she stopped, holding one ball between her fingers. "Come here, Daniel."

  I hesitated. "Uh… you want me to…?"

  She nodded and tapped next to her mouth with a forefinger. “Proof.”

  Elly had always been touchy in a casual way—she’d slung an arm around my shoulders a hundred times, pulled me into quick side hugs, even pressed a cheek against mine once or twice when she’d been tipsy and laughing at one of my dumb jokes. But never anything like this.

  Never on the lips.

  Even drunk, even in moments where things might have leaned into something more, she had never crossed that line. And now, as she stared at me, expression as unreadable as stone, I finally realized why.

  She hadn't wanted me to see.

  Not just her claws, her ears, the telltale shimmer of the things she usually kept hidden—but to see her, the real her, without the subtle warping of whatever supernatural tricks she used to blend in.

  The others didn’t get it.

  Lily was snickering, already assuming this was a hilarious inside joke waiting to happen. Euryale was watching like a cat with a canary, amused but skeptical.

  "You’re telling me nothing has ever happened between you two?" she asked, arching a perfect eyebrow.

  Elly’s jaw twitched. "No."

  Lily grinned. "Not even when drunk?"

  Elly crossed her arms. "I don’t get that drunk."

  I coughed, shifting in place. "And I’m right here, guys. Thanks for the interrogation."

  Euryale gave a lazy smirk. "Just making sure we’re not about to witness something repressed finally bursting out into the open."

  Elly rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. This is science."

  Then she stepped in close, looking at me with a no-nonsense intensity that made my stomach flip.

  "Kiss me," she said flatly.

  Lily made an exaggerated gasp. "Ooooh, first base for science?"

  Elly ignored her, watching me expectantly.

  I swallowed hard. My brain scrambled for a response, something clever to break the tension, but all I could do was stare at her.

  Was she really just going to do this?

  This was Elly—Elly, who didn’t get flustered, who never hesitated. But there was something beneath the deadpan expression now. A tightness in her posture, a flicker of something in her eyes.

  She was bracing herself.

  For me.

  That shouldn’t have made my heart beat any faster, but it did.

  My throat went dry. I shifted slightly, trying to find something normal to hold onto, but everything in the room had shrunk down to just the space between us.

  She wasn’t moving.

  Waiting.

  I forced myself to breathe and leaned in.

  Her lips were warm, firm, lingering just long enough for a strange, static hum to buzz through my skull like white noise before she pulled back with a sudden sharp inhale.

  The air around us shimmered.

  It was like watching a mirage dissolve—the faintest ripple of distortion around her, like heat waves rising off pavement. And then everything about her shifted.

  Her ears sharpened, long and pointed. Her nails darkened, curving ever so slightly at the tips. Every hint of magic she had apparently still been wearing was gone, like an Instagram filter turned off. The perfect, effortless balance she always had? Gone. She wobbled on her feet for half a second, a fraction of a stumble she normally never would’ve made.

  But more than that—the room smelled different, earthy, like fresh rain on moss.

  Euryale wrinkled her nose immediately. "Oh, gross."

  Elly turned to glare at her. "What?"

  Euryale fanned the air. "Gods, I can smell the Elf now. That was hidden before."

  Lily snickered, her cheeks dimpling cutely. "Wow, Danny, you kissed the muting perfume off her. They use it to mask their presence, making fae into tricky, sneaky sorts."

  Elly clenched her jaw, flexing her hands like she was resisting the urge to deck them both. Instead, she tried the juggling act again. She bit her lip, concentrated, and started with one ball, adding the next one, only to lose it on the third pass. She never even got the third, fourth, and fifth ball moving. She stared in shock at her hands, as if they were not her own. I think her chin started to quiver.

  I, meanwhile, was still processing the fact that Elly looked different. It was more natural, in a feral, wild way. I’d seen her, supposedly stripped of magic before, but she’d still never shown her completely true self to me. This was like seeing a girl with all of her makeup removed for the first time, and it was because of me. My best friend had just had her magic turned off in front of me, and I had done that to her.

  "Well," I croaked. "That’s new."

  Elly exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples, glaring at the juggling balls that had betrayed her. "Yeah. Fantastic. I’m useless now."

  Lily howled with laughter. "Oh my god. The Elly, legendary huntress, taken down by one little kiss? Danny, you’re an absolute menace."

  Euryale smirked. "Congratulations, Dan. You’re officially the biggest mood killer in the supernatural world."

  I groaned. "Oh, that’s just wonderful."

  Elly shook out her hands, still looking frustrated. "At least we confirmed it. I wonder how long it will last… it was just a quick smooch."

  I slumped back into the couch. "Yeah. Great. So… what now?"

  Euryale chuckled. "Now? This is why we divvied up the watch schedule. Until we figure out what’s hunting you, you’re stuck with us, magic sponge, but usually just one of us at a time… and NO KISSING. We’ve got to be on our toes, girls, not on our backs."

  “Or knees?” Lily winked at me, enjoying watching me squirm.

  “Heavy petting might still be an option, if you’re so inclined.” Euryale suggested, earning a growl from Elly. “Just saying, since you’ve already lost your magic…” She muttered in response to the growl.

  I was never going to live this down. I snuck a glance at Elly, who wouldn’t meet my eyes, whose cheeks were still reddened beneath freckles and sunspots I’d never noticed before.