Page 123 of Stubborn as a Shadow

The fears I hadn’t allowed myself to acknowledge since we’d walked through the hospital doors were all there, clinging to me, even though this was one of the happiest moments of my life.

Violet fell to her knees by my side and wrapped her arms around me.

“Nelson?” Morgan’s sweet voice called to me.

I looked up and found him staggering toward me. His hospital gown flapped around him, and I wondered if it reminded him of his cape.

“What happened?” He looked so worried.

I scrambled to my feet and pulled him into my arms. I wanted to squeeze, but I didn’t want to hurt him. I pushed my face into his neck and sobbed. His arms came up around me. Then I felt Violet’s arms around us too.

“You can’t leave me, Morgan,” I whispered. “You can’t.”

“I’m okay,” he said.

I closed my eyes and breathed him in. I never wanted to let him go. Never again.

46

MY ADORABLE PEAHEN

MORGAN

This time when I walked into the busy Willow Lake Pub, I was wearing my cape and some new rainbow-colored clothes I’d paid to have rush delivered. I needed to go back to the home I’d shared with Violet soon and pack up my belongings, but I didn’t want to leave Willow Lake yet. I felt safe here, safer than I had in years.

In the meantime, I’d been buying new clothes like virtual shopping carts had been designed especially for me. So far, I hadn’t been disappointed. I wasn’t sure what I loved more: the way my new cloak swayed with each step, making the dark smoky rainbow pattern undulate behind me, or how my spectacular, silky rainbow shirt slid against my skin. They were both amazingly, beautifully brilliant.

I also loved having Nelson at my side, even if he was dressed in blah and boring black again. I’d even kept my black cloak, just because of him. Some days, I just wanted to be wrapped in black, because it made me feel safe. It was like Nelson was hugging me, even when we were apart.

But today, it was like we were a mated pair of birds: me as the showy peacock and he, the drab peahen. I snorted, imagining the look on his face if I told him that. Hmm… That might be one of those things I should keep to myself.

“What?” Nelson shouted over the loud music. We were just inside the door, which happened to be beneath one of the speakers.

I shook my head as I shimmied enough to make my cloak dance around me. “We should boogie.”

My delightful shadow-loving mate blanched. He leaned over to put his mouth close to my ear. “You haven’t been out of the hospital long. You shouldn’t be dancing. What if you jostle…things?”Thingsbeing the bullets still lodged inside my chest.

“I’m fine. The doctor said I was good as new.” Well, as good as new as I could be with two bullets still inside me, but he knew what I meant.

I’d been sent for test after test, and it appeared all evidence of my injuries had disappeared. Well, except for those bullets. I could have them removed, but that’d mean surgery and more time in the hospital and… nope. I just couldn’t do it. Two days had been long enough. I refused to stay in the hospital any longer. It felt too much like that cage I’d been trapped in when I’d first met Ogden.

Xander and Teague said that my magic would stop the bullets from doing any harm inside me, so they were my new little companions. I’d named them Pip and Pop, because they reminded me of grapefruit pips when I saw the x-ray, and they’d almost popped me off. Nelson hadn’t been amused.

I was also happy to let Pip and Pop hang out for a while because Xander had questioned what the vampire blood might do to me in the long-term. And, it turned out, no one really knew. Teague had suggested it should be fine, but… yeah. Noneof us were keen to experiment by having me lose a bunch more blood during surgery.

But how badass would a vampire-unicorn be, am I right?

“Morgan! Nelson! Over here!” Ogden shouted across the noisy pub.

He waved us over to the same table on the far side of the room that we’d occupied the last time we were here. Violet was sitting with them too, looking terribly uncomfortable. She hadn’t been punished for Gary’s actions, but I knew she felt guilty anyway.

Nelson groaned quietly at Ogden’s invitation.

“Do you not want to join them?” I asked, trying to keep my voice low enough that any shifter standing close wouldn’t hear.

He considered my question and rubbed the back of his head. “No… that’s not it… I think it’s just been a habit to wish I was alone in the shadows.”

I slipped my hand in his and squeezed. “You can still go all shadow man. Or we can leave. That’s okay too.”