Chapter 25
LET’S PRANCE
MORGAN
Something was bothering Nelson.
Ever since he’d returned from his candy heist, he’d refused to meet my eyes. I popped a couple of raspberry candies in my mouth while I considered the problem.
We were currently sitting at opposite ends of the blanket I’d laid out in front of the fire. I really, really wanted to slide closer to him, but I’d made a promise to behave.
But my mind kept circling back to how he’d stared at me when I’d been shirtless. His eyes had gone all black and smoky. It was sexy as hell. I had to believe he wouldn’t have looked at me like that if he found me unattractive.
Gary once said that all bodies were the same when the lights were off, which I’d thought was a terribly callous thing to say in front of his girlfriend and her family. But was he right? Would I even want to be with someone who thought that?
Nope. I wouldn’t.
I’d always suspected being physically attracted to someone—and therefore wanting to leave the lights on—would be the biggest part of having sex with someone.
After that, did anything else matter? I mean, sex looked like a lot of fun.
Who wouldn’t want to taste all the colors in the rainbow if given the chance?
But suddenly I found myself wanting my first lover to want to be with me, not just some random body with a cock and a hole.
I sighed and bit down on the candy.
“Don’t do that,” Nelson said. “You’ll break your teeth.”
“Fine.” I sighed.
He was probably right. I’d never broken a tooth, so I didn’t know if my magic would heal it or not. As a shifter, I could heal from most injuries, but magical dental work might be asking too much. It was probably better not to risk it.
I went back to sucking on the candy, rolling it around in my mouth, slurping on it… Hard candies were kind of boring to eat, they took so long to dissolve, but the sugar was a nice boost to my magic, so I didn’t mind too much.
Nelson made a strange noise. I glanced over to find him staring at my mouth. He looked away when he realized I’d caught him. I wished I knew why he was acting like that.
Maybe he was feeling a surge of magic after eating the mushroom soup earlier. I knew I was. This influx of sugar sent my magic tingling along my skin. It wanted to roll around in it, revel in it.
The sun was down now. The landscape beyond the window was dark and quiet. It had been for a while. I doubted anyone would come out here at night. We were all alone.
Could I shift?
“What are you thinking?”
Nelson’s question drew my gaze away from the window. “Why?”
“Your skin has a rainbow sheen. Your hair and eyes always have an iridescent glow, but this is the first time I’ve seen it on your skin. Unless it’s a trick of the fire?”
I rubbed my arms. Sometimes I hated how my body exposed my unicorn-ness. “I was wondering if it would be safe to shift. We’re alone out here and it’s dark, so I don’t think anyone will see. It’s just been so long…” I cut myself off. That just sounded like I was whining.
Gary was a whiner. He always whined about wanting money or not getting enough respect or how Violet should be grateful he wanted her back. I hated whiners.
Nelson met my gaze. “How long has it been since you shifted?”
“Two years,” I whispered.
Nelson sucked in a sharp breath. “That long?”
“I haven’t shifted since my uncle died.”
“You were caged for two years?” He frowned. His hand clenched and unclenched at his side. “Why haven’t you shifted since you escaped?”
“Violet thought the people who trapped me might sense my magic or something. You know, because it’s so unusual.” I jiggled my foot.
Nelson took my hand in his. “It isn’t healthy for you to go so long without shifting.”
I stared at the way his fingers rubbed circles over my skin. I loved the gentle way he cradled my hand in his. I swallowed. What were we talking about again?
“I know,” I said eventually. “I just couldn’t put Violet in danger, because if she was right…”
“Ogden had a tracker embedded under his skin,” Nelson said. “Did you have something like that too?”
I nodded. “I got rid of it right away.”
Nelson nodded. “Right. So, if they put a tracker on you, they probably can’t trace you any other way.”
I turned my hand in his and squeezed his fingers. “You really think so?”
“I do.” He squeezed back.
“So I could shift?” I whispered, punctuating my question with a shaky exhale.
“I think it’s been too long since you did. At this point, waiting another day or two probably won’t make that much of a difference, but I’m not sure you should risk it.”
Bubbles of joy and excitement blossomed within me. I laughed, and the bubbles sprang out of my mouth and filled the space between us. I bounced. “I want to. I want to right now. If I go outside, will you come with me?”
“Of course.” Nelson brushed away one of the bubbles that’d landed on my cheek. “But are you sure you want to go outside? It’s freezing out there.”
“Yes. Outside.” I nodded eagerly. I wanted to lean in to his touch, but my unicorn was bucking at the prison I’d been holding him in. “The cold doesn’t bother me when I’m shifted.”
“Okay. Let’s go.” He smiled at me, and I almost swooned. Or maybe that was just my excitement making me light-headed.
I jumped to my feet, then I grabbed Nelson’s hand to haul him up too. He laughed as I bounded to the door like an excitable puppy. And his laughter made me feel even lighter and happier.
“You need to stay away from the highway. It might still stay closed for the night, but we shouldn’t risk it. Would you be okay with just walking around the loop road through the cabins?”
“Yes. Anything.”
Nelson stopped me before I leaped into the snow. He cupped the side of my face again. “When we get to Willow Lake, there are places where you can shift safely. And there are people who will run with you, if you want. Now that we have an alpha, the pack goes out regularly.”
“That sounds amazing,” I said as I tugged him out the door. “But right now, I just want to prance.”