Page 20 of Stubborn as a Shadow

Yeah. Fuck. She probably would.

“Trust me,” I whispered as quietly as I could as I wrapped my shadow around him.

It was awkward. I wasn’t a natural hugger, unlike some of the other Willow Lakers—Jeremy, in particular. But I could do it when pressed. Hugs were soothing, right? Unless he thought I was copping a feel.

Shit. I pulled back a little.

“No. Stay.” The words were little more than an exhale, but it was enough to have me moving back to him again.

I molded my shadow around him. Beneath the heavy stink of his makeup, I caught a sugary aroma. It was like fruit or candy or something equally sweet. The doorknob on the closet door jiggled.

“Key! Get me a key to this room,” someone shouted on the other side of the door.

The cloaked man inhaled sharply. His body trembled, not a lot, but enough that I noticed. I didn’t think anyone would see him moving behind my shadow, but what if I was wrong? I tested the edges of my form, confirming I had every bit of him covered, right down to the tips of his cloak.

I was between him and whoever might come through that door, but was it enough? I hoped so, because I doubted this guy would be much help in a fight. He clearly wasn’t ready for fieldwork yet. Venus had really messed this up.

In the quiet, I could hear the guard in the hallway muttering about incompetence. The man in my arms trembled even more when the guard jiggled the doorknob again.

Shit. He was going to get us caught. I had to calm him down.

I slowly stroked his dark hair. It felt strange and coarse under my touch, so I moved down to his cheek, which was velvety soft.I wasn’t sure if that was because of his skin or the makeup he was wearing.

Without words, I tried to say, “You aren’t alone. I’m here with you. It’ll be okay.”

A few tears slipped from the man’s tightly closed eyes and trailed down his cheek. I whisked them away.

The sound of metal scraping against metal screamed through the room as a key was inserted into the lock. He shook even more. I squeezed him, remembering how comforting that had been when my human mom had tucked me in at night when I was a kid. I’d never stayed in that tight cocoon for long, fading into my shadow form when I needed to move. But for those first few minutes after she did it, it’d been wonderful, even when my father had said I was weak, and no shadow should ever want to be contained like that.

The man’s body relaxed under my hold. The door swung open. Neither of us breathed.

Someone’s hand fumbled along the wall beside the door.

“Where the fuck is the light switch?” the guard mumbled. He flicked the switch. Nothing happened. “Son of a… The damn light is burned out.”

He pushed the door open wider and peered inside. The female wolf shifter peered over his shoulder.

“There’s nothing there,” she said. “Move on.”

The door slammed shut, and we were alone again.

Neither of us moved for a long time. Finally, when I was sure the guards were gone, I eased back. The cloaked man sagged. He squinted into the darkness. Nervous laughter erupted from him. In the sliver of light seeping in around the edges of the door, I swore bubbles popped up in front of his face.

It had to be a trick of the shadows.

The man slapped his hand over his mouth. He blinked at me. When he pulled his hand away, he revealed a wide, toothy smile.

“Holy crap, that was incredible. Who are you?”

6

ALLY? POSSIBLE LOVE INTEREST? FUTURE SIDEKICK?

MORGAN

“Stay here a minute,” the shadow man, who was still more shadow than man, said as he slid through the darkness away from me.

“Wait! Don’t prance off.” It was super weird talking to a disembodied voice, but maybe if I pretended it was like Violet in the earbud that’d make it easier.