I want to shout that he’s mine, but there’s no point because Dain gives her a friendly nod but ignores her otherwise. He follows me through the small entryway garden—my first projectwhen I joined the department—and through double doors into the main office.
A few folks look up when we come in. Dain gets lots of curious stares as I weave my way to my desk. I drop my bag off and wave around. “Hang out here for a sec, if you don’t mind. I’m just going to give my boss the report and we can be outta here in five.”
Except that twenty minutes later, my boss is grilling me about the report and I’m desperate to know if Dain is doing alright at my desk. Oh my gods this is taking forever. I glance surreptitiously at the clock. It’s almost five-thirty.
“Got somewhere to be, Shadow?” My boss runs a hand through his wavy locks, fluttering his wings at his back.
“I do, in fact.” I lift my chin and smile. “This was my last order of business for the day, but my boyfriend is in town and we’ve got reservations.” That part’s a lie, but I’m banking on my boss being willing to stop the question and answer session. Still, this project is important.
I point at the open planner on his desk. “To be honest, there’s a lot I’d love to cover with you about this project. Can we find time tomorrow for an hour? I made a lot of last minute changes and they’re worth going over before you make your final determination.”
He grins, pink lips pulling into an understanding smile. “Ahhh, young love is really something. Tell me, is this the male you met in Pine Gulch?”
I resist the urge to bite my lip as I nod.
My boss waves at the door. “Fine, get out of here. But let’s talk tomorrow morning when you get in. I’ll read your proposal in the meantime, alright?”
Excitement thrums through me, my fingers itching to touch Dain.
“Sounds great!” I head for the door and sail through it before my boss can think of any other dire questions.
Back at my desk, Dain is surrounded by a half dozen of my beloved coworkers, delivering the punch line of some joke or another. They burst out laughing but he’s only got eyes for me, smiling as my teammates double over with laughter.
Could he be any more perfect?
Dain
It takes us twenty minutes by subway to get to Shadow’s place on the top floor of an old, gothic building. She giggles as we walk up the stairs and her neighbors poke their heads out to look at us.
I move right up behind her on the top landing, bringing my mouth to her ear. “I guess folks in the city are just about as nosy as us country folk. Sound about right?”
She nods, slipping her key into her lock. “Maybe worse. The New York Yapper is basically an entire newspaper devoted to Rainbow gossip. Given that something like a million plus monsters live in this haven, that’s really saying something.” She halts in the doorway, lifting both arms to block my entry. “Listen, as thrilled as I am to see you, I’ll be hearing no judgment on how messy my place is. I was not expecting you to see it for the first time today.”
Laughing, I glance over her shoulder. Behind her, all I can see are giant leaves and what might be a doorway or a window. “I’m not gonna judge you, little witch. But I do want a tour of your place. I want to know what you surround yourself with, when you can pick it all.”
She smiles and disappears into a small, darkly lit hallway with floral wallpaper. “Well come on in, big guy.” Tossing herkeys into a flower shaped bowl, she drops her bag next to it, spinning around. Opening her arms wide, she flashes me a beautiful smile. “So, this is my place. It’s pretty small. Kitchen’s right behind me, open to the living room. Bedroom’s down this hall.” She points to the right.
I drop my bag next to her door. “If you show me the bedroom first, woman, we won’t make it through the rest of the tour and I want to see your home.”
She pulls her sweater off, tossing it on the entryway table. “Maybe that’s fine with me, Dain. I’ve missed you so much, after all.”
I pull my shirt off my chest, ripping the buttons so I can undo it from around my wings. Tossing it on top of her sweater, I flare my wings as much as I can in the small hallway.
“You don’t fit,” she says with a goofy laugh. “Of course. I didn’t get a wing accessible apartment.” The smile falls. “I…gods, you don’t fit in my damn apartment. I’ve got to do something about that, I?—”
“That isn’t a problem for today,” I say softly, walking toward her. When she’s close enough, I wrap both wings protectively around her, cocooning her in darkness. Reaching down, I pull her up into my arms and rest my forehead against hers. “We don’t have to figure outanythinglike that today. But we do need to figure outsomething, Shadow, because I can’t be without you.”
“I know,” she says, nuzzling my nose with hers. Her lips brush over mine, the touch soft. They’re so plump and her lipstick smells of raspberry just like she does.
“I give up,” I admit. “Tour later.”
She laughs as I stalk up the hallway and hook a left toward the bedroom. Right now it’s clear that we need to have a serious conversation about the thing that’s dancing between us, so clearly unsaid.
I nudge the bedroom door open with my foot, unsurprised to find the far back wall lined with plants of all types. The ceiling’s arched and covered in skylights, so the fading sun casts rays down on us. Dropping onto the room’s only bed, I roll onto my back and pull her into my lap, scooting against the headboard.
“Let’s talk.” I grab her dark hair and lay it over her shoulder, stroking it down her back as she stares at me, wide eyed as her heartbeat picks up pace.
Bringing the backs of my fingers to her chest, I admire the steady drumbeat.
