Page 126 of Stubborn as a Shadow

Nelson’s arms tightened around me, as if by reflex. I twisted around to kiss his cheek.

“Go on,” Nelson said, loosening his hold. “As long as you’re sure you feel up for it.”

I bit my bottom lip. I really did want to dance, but…

“You want to dance,” Nelson said, as if reading my thoughts. “I know you do.”

“You could come with me.”

Nelson shook his head. “I’m not much of a dancer. Besides, I want you to have friends here. Connections beyond just me. People you can turn to. People who’ll always be there for you. And that all starts somewhere. Maybe it starts by dancing to a song.”

“Friends that feel like family,” I said, because I wasn’t blind to their group dynamic. Friend wasn’t a big enough word to describe how these people were together.

“Yeah,” Nelson agreed. “Friends that feel like family.”

I kissed him again, this time on his lips, then I made my way to the small spot where tables had been pushed aside to open an area for dancing. Jeremy had dragged up his friend Ash and a few other people too. They hugged me when I joined them.

As one song bled into the next, more people crowded into the tight space. Even Violet. Her smiles weren’t as big as normal, but whatever Edie and Davie had said to her had eased her worries. She slipped her hand in mine when I offered it to her, then I spun her around in circles like we used to do in my uncle’s living room when we were kids.

My cloak swirled around us perfectly. More than one person eyed it, and I knew they were wishing they had one of their own, which was excellent. It was about time cloaks came back into style.

In the meantime, I danced. And I spun. And I shimmied.

And if my eyes strayed to my mate over and over again, well, who could blame me? He would say he was the moon, all darkness and shadows, but to me, he was the sun. My whole world revolved around him, and I knew he felt the same about me.

We were going to be okay. We were going to be perfect. No matter what.

47

WE ARE MAGIC

MORGAN

Moonbeams bounced across the fresh snow, making it glisten. I hadn’t expected to be in the wintery landscape again so soon, but a run under the full moon with my new Willow Lake friends was a temptation I couldn’t resist. People of every supernatural description showed up, and a few humans were here too.

Trepidation curled through my stomach. I’d never shifted in front of so many people. Strangers. Logically, I knew I had nothing to fear in this place with these people, but some lessons were hard to forget. Nelson put his arms around my shoulders and pressed a kiss to my head.

“We don’t have to stay.”

“I want to,” I said, huddling closer to his warmth.

“Okay. Then remember, I’ll be with you every minute.”

I nodded.

“So, a demon, a minotaur, a centaur, a dragon, and a unicorn walk into a clearing,” Isaac the centaur said, like he was setting up a joke. “And the demon says…”

“Are you going to shift or just stand there?” the demon grumbled.

“Perfect.” Isaac laughed and clapped his hand to his leg. “Why are you here anyway, boss man?”

Gage scowled and pulled his mate to his chest and wrapped his arms around the smaller man. “Hayden asked the pack to come, even non-shifters.”

I’d never been part of a pack before. It’d always just been Uncle Fraser, Violet, and me. I wasn’t sure what to think of this growingsomething—sense of connection, maybe, if that was the right way to describe it—that I felt for the Willow Lake alpha. But I didn’t want to fight it either. Nelson said it’d been the same for him in the beginning. But the pack bond had formed almost without his knowing what was happening. At least I had the benefit of knowing what this feeling was because Nelson had explained it to me.

Hayden stepped into the center of the group. “Look, I didn’t want to make a big speech, but Ryley told me I had to.”

He looked at his mate with love in his eyes, despite the gruff tone of his words.