CHAPTER THREE #2
It’s so loud and infectious, a chuckle bursts from me.
I slap a hand over my mouth, but it’s too late.
Bending over, I laugh so hard my stomach muscles start to hurt as loud hiccupping noises escape between gasps for breath.
I haven’t laughed like this in years, and now that I’ve started, I can’t seem to stop.
After several long minutes, I finally slow down enough to straighten.
Victoria spells out, “Was it something I said?”
And I start laughing again, but softer this time. Less out of control, thank god.
“I love your laugh. You should do it more.” Shadow grins at me, flashing his fangs, his eyes full of warm approval.
I have no idea how to handle that and hurry to change the subject. “So, magic. You can do something else, right? Like when you took me and Skye to the dress shop really quickly?” His help allowed my friend to get ready for a romantic date on Valentine’s Day.
“Yes, cat sith are the only fae to walk the shadow roads. We can cross large distances in a fraction of the normal travel time. In times past, we were the messengers of Faerie, and now that the doors between the realms have reopened, we will be again.” His shoulders straighten. “I’m the messenger for Earth.”
My mouth drops open. “You mean you’re constantly visiting Faerie?”
“Of course.” Amusement glitters in his green eyes.
Oh, god. Faerie! I press a hand over my racing heart. The game I’m trying to write is set in a made-up version of Faerie, and—not gonna lie—I’ve been a bit stuck on how to finish it. Seeing the real thing would be flipping amazing.
“I could take you sometime.” The werepanther pivots to face the picture wall and raises his voice. “Once I regain access to the shadow roads, that is.”
“Oops. My bad.” Magic ripples through the air, and the front door creaks open.
He takes a quick step to the side, disappearing before popping back into view. “Thank you, Victoria.”
Smugness fills the air. “You agreed to the fine print.”
“So we did.” Shadow shoots me a cocky grin. “I need to move in. Wouldn’t want to violate the terms of the agreement on the very first day.”
“Right.” He’s moving in now.
“I picked out your room,” Victoria spells out as the sound of a door swinging open comes from the second floor.
We hurry upstairs to discover she chose the bedroom right beside mine, because of course she did. It’s not like there are two other options she could have picked instead or anything.
It’s as large as mine and overlooks the back garden with the wisteria-draped arbor, which I’ll admit is a very pretty view.
Like the rest of the house, it has lovely hardwood floors and trim, and the dark-stained furniture is solid wood of the kind it’s hard to find today without spending a fortune.
A deep green comforter covers the bed, and a couple of oil paintings of forest landscapes decorate the walls.
“I love it, Victoria.” Shadow pats the wall. “Thank you.”
As if in answer, the wall shivers, and one section of it starts to bow outward.
I yelp and leap backward when a section of drywall falls away to expose a large, rectangular hole in the wall that shows a matching piece of fallen drywall splattered across my bedroom floor.
“What a perfect view,” Shadow says from right behind me.
My gaze jolts up from the mess on the floor to see… A groan escapes me. The view through the uncovered doorway is a straight shot to my bed.
“Victoria!” I yell, turning to race back down the stairs. I slide to a halt in the foyer and jab a finger at the ceiling. “Why the hell did you create a hole between our bedrooms?”
“I didn’t create it. That doorway has always been there. It’s so a married couple can join their rooms.” The pictures slide. “And you’re a married couple.”
“Yeah, well, I think the key word in that sentence is ‘doorway.’” There’s no point arguing the married thing, so I try for what I can get. “It’s not really a doorway if there’s not a door! The rooms are wide open to each other!”
“Perfectly fine with me.” Shadow smirks.
“Not helping,” I mutter.
“The door was removed and placed in the attic. Once it’s fixed, it can be rehung.”
“I’ll fix it tomorrow,” Shadow says. “It’s only one night.”
His words continue to echo hours later as I slide into bed, wearing an oversized T-shirt and a pair of flannel boxers. Normally, I’d read for a while to wind down, but there’s no way in hell I’m pulling out The Werepanther’s Princess with Shadow watching.
When I click off my bedside lamp, the view into his lighted room becomes the only thing I can see.
The werepanther’s so cocky I don’t know what I expected of his decoration scheme, but it wouldn’t have surprised me if he covered everything in leopard print and hung multiple disco balls.
Instead, the bed visible through the door doesn’t look any different than it did when I made up the room a week ago, hoping for a roommate.
“See. No big deal,” I whisper to myself. “You got this.”
Then a naked Shadow walks across the opening. I get a clear impression of his profile, from the thickness of his shoulder to the leanness of his waist to the strength of his muscular thigh.
I suck in a shocked breath, my heart galloping.
He flicks the sheet back and climbs into bed, showing off his very, very fine ass. Once he’s settled, his green eyes meet mine, and he smirks.
Oh, god! Exactly how good is fae eyesight? Can he see me watching him in the dark?
“Goodnight, Kayla.” He turns off the light.
I remain quiet and still, too mortified to move, my body hyperaware of how close he is, of how quickly he can cover the fifteen feet between us.
Every tiny rustle of his sheets sets my pulse racing.
He better get that door up and fast. I have no idea how to survive one night like this, let alone a whole flipping month!
The longer I lie awake, the more one thing becomes painfully clear.
I so very don’t got this.