Chapter 5 #4
The man squeaked in surprise as my shadow form surged up his body, wrapping around him. I solidified just enough to guide him into a gap between the end of the shelving unit and the wall.
The man was smaller than I’d first thought, so he fit where I put him. Unfortunately, he also smelled of makeup. I hoped the security guys wouldn’t notice the smell, or at least not associate it with anything worthy of investigating.
I plucked the earbud from his ear and powered off the device. The last thing we needed was to give the air mages another conversation to listen to.
“Who are you?” The man’s voice was barely audible.
I doubted I would have heard it if I hadn’t been up close and personal with him, but I also wasn’t a wolf shifter. Even that barely there whisper could jeopardize us both.
“Shh… Not now,” I said right against his ear as I covered his mouth with my shadow. He wouldn’t feel more than a featherlight touch, but hopefully it’d be enough to remind him to keep his mouth shut. He shivered, but thankfully he didn’t argue.
When I was sure he was obeying me, I assessed our options.
One of the great things about my shadow form was that it wasn’t defined by gravity. I could go anywhere a shadow could. And right now, the whole closet was dark, so I could do anything.
I swept up to the ceiling and solidified my form just enough to unscrew the lightbulb. The slippery bulb fell through my shadowy hand. I fumbled. I solidified more of my body and caught it before it smashed to the floor.
Fuck. That was close.
I set the bulb gently on a shelf, then returned to my cloaked colleague.
As soon as he felt me against him, he squeezed his eyes shut and held his body rigidly still. His pulse thundered under my touch. He was just scared of getting caught, right? He wouldn’t fear me, because Venus must have told him about me. She wouldn’t keep secrets from both of us, would she?
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?”