Page 5 of Nico

"Oh my God,” he whispered.

I felt dread, pure and immediate.

“You're actually Logan Lawrence."

Logan grinned, because he was Logan, and he loved meeting fans. The stranger turned toward Cooper and Tony.

"He's actually here,” the guy whispered.

"Yes, Nico,” Tony said, then let out a polite cough.

"The Logan Lawrence,” Nico said. "The Shadowfall Logan Lawrence.”

Nico made a strangled noise. Then his attention shifted, and his gaze landed on me. The moment stretched. A strange flicker passed through his expression.

There was surprise, confusion, and something I couldn’t name. Then he smiled, bright and open. He appeared far too dangerously enthusiastic for my liking.

"Hi there, guy with Logan.”

My wolf stirred unexpectedly. I ignored it immediately, because absolutely not. Whatever nonsense my wolf thought it was sensing could stay quiet.

Nico shifted his backpack higher on one shoulder.

"I'm Nico Greene. IT specialist. Huge fan. Not of you," he said to me quickly. "Well, probably you too. You seem great. I meant Logan. Not that you're not great. You probably are. I just don't know you yet."

Silence. Tony closed his eyes briefly, like a man questioning every life decision that had led him here. Cooper pinched the bridge of his nose.

Logan looked delighted. I looked at Nico, and Nico looked back. He was still smiling, and I realised he was wearing a Shadowfall: Requiem T-shirt underneath an unzipped hoodie.

A Shadowfall lanyard around his neck, a Shadowfall keychain hanging from his backpack, and possibly Shadowfall socks. I wasn't sure, and I didn't want to know.

Only moments ago I'd been convinced Tony was handling security. Competent, experienced, and professional Tony. Then this man had burst through the door like a hurricane fueled entirely by caffeine and fandom.

A terrible feeling settled into my stomach. The kind of feeling I usually got five minutes before Logan created a problem. Slowly, I looked toward Cooper.

"Please tell me he's not assigned to us,” I said.

2

NICO

“I can’t possibly accept this.”

I said it with as much dignity as I could manage while immediately tearing open the clear plastic packaging.

Michael snorted. “Sure you can.”

The shirt came free with a satisfying crinkle of plastic. I unfolded it carefully, smoothing a hand over the embroidered Shadowfall logo on the front before turning it over.

I stopped breathing for a second. The back was even better.

The design was incredibly detailed, with artwork covering most of the shirt without making it look cluttered. I traced one of the finer embroidered details with my fingertip.

Then, because I had apparently lost what little self-control I had left, I lifted the shirt to my face and took a long sniff.

There was that faint, unmistakable scent of fresh fabric, a hint of chemicals from the printing and packaging, and the clean smell of cotton straight from the factory. It was divine.

Michael laughed.