Page 108 of Stubborn as a Shadow

“Are you okay?” Morgan asked when I didn’t jump at the chance to sit beside Jeremy. “Do you not what to be here?”

“I want you to meet… uh, everyone.” I almost saidmy family.I mean, I knew they were. Sort of. Re-classifying them as such, even in my head, would take some time. I guided my mate over to the table. The place was mobbed, so it’d probably take a bit for someone to come around to collect our orders. It’d be faster if I went up. “What do you want to drink?”

“I don’t know…” He glanced at the bar, as if hoping it’d have a big menu hanging over it like they had at fast food restaurants. “I don’t usually drink alcohol…”

“You don’t have to drink alcohol if you don’t want to. No one is going to care.”

He shook his head. “I think I want to try something. But nothing with bubbles. No pop or beer or champagne.”

I doubted the Willow Lake Pub had champagne, but I got his point. “How about I surprise you?”

I was rewarded with a huge smile as Morgan shimmied in his seat. “Thank you.”

“Are you okay here for a minute on your own?”

Morgan glanced around at the others seated at the table. “I’m not alone.”

“Okay. Well, I’ll be right back.”

I didn’t want to leave him—even to walk across the room to get drinks. It was ridiculous. But until I understood why so many people were after Morgan, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this little moment was the lull before the storm. We didn’t have all the answers yet, and that made us—Morgan—vulnerable.

Yes, I trusted my family to keep him safe, and I was only going as far as the bar, but…

I gritted my teeth and forced myself to move. The sooner I had our drinks, the faster I’d be back at Morgan’s side.

Even standing at the bar, I had to wait a moment for Alice to take my order. When it was my turn, I was at a loss as to what to get for Morgan. I drank dark ales, porters, and stouts. He would hate those. Alice poured mine without my even having to ask for it.

“And… something sweet that doesn’t have pop in it.” Alice cocked her head as if my words didn’t make sense to her, then her gaze darted to the table.

“Oh! For your mate. Of course.” The little brownie rubbed her hands together in excitement. “This is perfect. I’ve been waiting for someone to come along who wants something different. It seems like all anyone ever wants is beer or something spicy. But sweet… Now that’s fun.”

“So you can make something? It doesn’t have to be fancy. I guess a vodka and orange juice would do…”

“Pshaw,” she scoffed. “Leave it with me. I’ve got it all under control.”

Then without another word, she pulled out a tall curvy glass and proceeded to make what looked like a rainbow in a glass. As a brownie, Alice dressed in shades of brown and beige, so seeing her create something so colorful took me by surprise. I stared at it when she pushed it across the counter to me.

“What is that? It looks toxic.”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s a Rainbow Paradise. If he doesn’t like it, come back and I’ll make him something else. I have ideas. So many ideas.”

The drink could have been a neon sign, given the way everyone watched as I carried it across the room. It wasn’t every day someone ordered what appeared to be rainbow paint in a glass. If I was Adrian, I could growl at them all and make them look away. Unfortunately, shadow jumpers didn’t have that luxury.

But the discomfort was worth it when I set the glass in front of Morgan. His face lit up like I’d ripped a rainbow right out the sky and presented it to him.

“If you don’t like it, I’ll get you something else.”

He took a tentative sip and sighed in delight. Then he took a bigger sip. “This is amazing.”

“Don’t drink it too fast. I think there’s a bunch of alcohol in it.”

He shrugged.

“I thought alcohol didn’t affect supes unless it was magically enhanced.” Jeremy leaned forward so he could talk to me around Morgan.

“Usually it doesn’t,” I admitted.

But what if Morgan was different? I was sure he’d be cute when tipsy, but I didn’t want him to get a hangover. Besides, getting drunk wasn’t going to make everything that’d happened over the last several days better. It never did.