Page 28 of Shadow

“When you mate with one of our kind, the hormones are even worse. Her body is adjusting to the baby’s rapid growth. She goes between her usual hot Cuban temper and tears within seconds.”

I blinked, absorbing his words.Nope. Definitely shouldn’t have known this.The Federation would turn this information into some sort of twisted child-production scheme if they ever found out. I was on the Federation’s side, but that didn’t mean I didn’t understand what they were capable of.

“Your secret’s safe with me. Promise.”

The hard frown he gave me made it clear how much faith he put in those words.

“We’ve heard those promises before,” he muttered.

“Not from me,” I said earnestly.

His reply was the usual grunt, but at least it didn’t sound hostile. Boot strode toward the dreaded ball and pointed at it.

“Please no,” I begged, eyeing the half-ball like it was a death sentence.

“I know how to make this easier. You stayed on the ball when you weren’t thinking about your balance,” Boot said. He gestured for me to get back up, and I reluctantly placed one hand on his shoulder and the other on the wall for support.

“Tell me about your family,” he prompted as soon as I was upright.

“They’re dead,” I replied bluntly, the familiar pang of loss brushing inside my chest.

“Most humans are,” he acknowledged without emotion. “Tell me about them when they were alive.”

It took a moment to gather myself. Talking about them felt like peeling off a scab, but somehow, I wasn’t wobblinganymore. Maybe he was onto something. “My mom was amazing,” I began. “Her name was Dinah. My name rhymes with hers,” I added with a small smile. “I take after her in height, if not grace. She would’ve been rock solid on this ball.”

“Talking helps you with balance,” he observed.

“She was in the military,” I continued. “That’s where she met my dad.”

“She was a warrior?” he asked, genuine curiosity lacing his voice.

I took a deep breath. “No, not really. She would’ve died for her country or her family, but she had a gentle soul. The military was her way out of a bad home situation. She never talked about it much.”

“Could she fight?”

I shrugged, feeling a slight wobble in my stance. I steadied myself before answering. “I never saw her fight, not really. But she had a sharp tongue, and with her height, people didn’t challenge her. I remember one of my teachers caught the brunt of her temper. After that, he tiptoed around me like I would unleash her fury.”

“Go to one foot,” he said, and before I realized it, I lifted one foot and balanced effortlessly.

No one had asked me about my mom in years. At work, it was an unspoken rule not to bring up the dead. We’d all lost too much. But now, talking about her felt oddly comforting.

“She loved books,” I continued, my voice softening. “She collected them and always said she’d be a writer one day. I knew she would have entertained the world with her stories.”

“Switch feet,” Boot instructed, and I did it without hesitation.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” I said, glancing at him with amazement. For the first time, I felt like I might actually succeed.

“You worry about your height too much,” he said, his eyes thoughtful.

“It’s driven me crazy my entire life,” I admitted, wobbling slightly but regaining my footing. “I was always tall for my age, but when I turned ten, I shot up several inches. That Halloween, my dad took me trick-or-treating, and an adult answering the door told me I was too old to be out with the kids. I never went again. It sounds silly now, but back then, I still believed in Santa. Their cruelty took Halloween away from me.”

I shrugged, feeling the sting of the memory more than I wanted to admit. “People can be mean. If we had Halloween now, I’d let costumed adults come to my door for candy if they wanted to.”

I glanced down at my feet and instantly lost my balance. Boot steadied me.

“You know,” I said, looking up at him, “you’re not such a bad guy after all. But putting me in that hot room? That was bullshit.”

For the first time, I saw a flicker of guilt in his expression. “I’m sorry,” he said, his ears turning a shade pinker. “My wife needed to lie down, and I was entertaining Che. I forgot about you.”

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