Page 34 of Moody as a Minotaur

“Can we talk about what just happened?”

He cleared his throat. “Uh… I couldn’t seem to catch my breath for a minute there.”

I lifted one of my eyebrows. I wasn’t as good at that asmy grandmother, but it made my point. Levi squirmed and rubbed the back of his neck as I stared at him.

“Not about that. About the talking cats.”

His gaze darted around the room like he was looking for an escape. But I knew for certain he wouldn’t be able to climb through the cat flap, and I was between him and the office door. I wasn’t moving until I had some answers.

“Were those two cats Clive and Warren?”

I felt ridiculous suggesting such a thing, but this moment was a lot like lining up for a shot in pool. Balls reacted in predictable ways. If you wanted to make your shot, you had to evaluate the whole table. Sometimes there were other balls in the way, and you had to find a new route to the result you wanted. In this case, I’d wanted to discover Willow Lake’s secrets for eons now. And my biggest obstacle was apparently that until a few minutes ago I had no idea cats could talk. And if I found a way around that, I’d be closer to my goal. But I figured there were a few more unknowns lurking out there before I got to the pocket.

Levi rubbed his hands over his face, then he nodded ever so slightly.

“Use your words, Levi. Let’s talk about this.” I put my hand on his knee again. It felt right to have that connection with him. It might be all in my imagination, but I swore he relaxed a bit when I touched him too.

Levi sucked in a deep, shuddering breath. “Magic is real. Shifters are real. Please don’t tell the hunters.” He gripped my hand tightly. “Please, Parker. Please don’t betray us. Please don’t let them kill us.”

I leaned back, pulling my hand away from him. “What are you talking about?”

“Your cousin and his friends… They hunt supernatural beings.” Levi pushed the heels of his palms into his eyes like he couldn’t bear the thought of Fin and his friends.

My jaw dropped. “My cousin? Finley? That cousin? He isn’t a hunter. He doesn’t even eat meat.”

“But that woman and that other guy… I think… I think they’re paranormal hunters. I’ve run into their kind before.” His whole body shuddered at whatever memory his words had dredged up.

I wanted to refute what he was saying. But how could I? I didn’t know anything about anything, apparently. If talking cats existed, what else didn’t I know? Jesus. Was I wrong about my grandmother too? Was that why she’d arrived with that tactical case?

My stomach twisted.

“I need to know more.”

Levi nodded and pushed a shaky hand through his hair. “I’ve thought about telling you… But I always thought it’d be better if you didn’t know.”

“Better for who? You?”

Levi averted his gaze.

“Something happened, didn’t it? In your past. Is that why you pull back every time I think we might be getting closer? Did hunters come after you before?”

Levi squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. When he opened them again, he sat up straighter. “I don’t want to talk about the past.”

“Okay…” That was fair. This was a lot to take in. I didn’t need all his secrets today. He was obviously uncomfortable enough already. “So, what do you want to talk about?”

“Supernatural beings live alongside humans,” Levi blurted.

I waited for him to continue. I could have peppered him with questions, but I knew Levi well enough to know that would make him clam up. He needed to get to things at his own pace. My patience worked.

“We always have. We try to keep our magic a secret though, because humans don’t react well to knowing there are people around who are more powerful than they are. Willow Lake has a higher supe population than most places. I think the Eternal Magic is attracting the people here that she wants to bless, but no one really knows for sure.”

“The pub,” I said, piecing things together. “That’s where the—what do you call yourselves?”

“Supes. Short for supernatural beings.”

“Okay.” I nodded. “Is that where they hang out? Is that why the place makes my skin tingle sometimes?”

“Whenever there’s a high concentration of magic, like when a bunch of supes gather in one place, humans usually steer clear. But you seem to be the exception.”