Page 14 of Smoke and Mirrors
“Hey, um.” I chewed my lip nervously as he led me off the platform and down the rusted metal steps, his fingers firmly laced through mine. “Do you want to do this again?”
“Are you kidding?”
His smile was electric as he lifted our connected hands and twirled me. I spun in place, feeling like a princess as I finished the twirl with my back pressed to his chest and his arm around my waist.
He kissed me tenderly, smiling against my lips. “I’d like nothing more.” Somehow my jello legs didn’t give out from underneath me as he unwrapped his arms and we resumed walking like normal people. “Maybe I’ll take you dancing, though. I’m feeling a little sick of carnivals at this point.”
I swung our hands back and forth between us as I gathered my nerves for the next question.
“Are you going to say anything to Roo and Rinna?”
“I’m not sure,” he answered after a moment of thinking. “Maybe not in a super serious, obvious way. They know you and like you. They knowIlike you.” He brought the back of my palm to his lips and placed a kiss there. “If this keeps going well, I think they’ll figure it out naturally just from seeing us together.”
“What if they ask questions?” I pulled his arm back over my shoulders.
“Then we answer them,” he said lightly. “I don’t lie to them about anything and you don’t have to either.” He stopped abruptly in his tracks and took a deep inhale. “There’s a shifter nearby. Can you sense him?”
I looked around, only seeing a sea of carnival-goers.
“Not with your eyes. He’s near but is staying out of sight. Can you tell he’s here?” He spoke low and close to my ear, giving the illusion of whispering sweet nothings to those passing by.
“No,” I sighed in frustration. “I don’t know how to sense them like you do.”
“Remember what Thembi told you,” he encouraged gently. “Quiet everything else and focus on your deeper instincts.”
“How do I do that?”
“Close your eyes and tune everything out. Listen to the animal part of you. Not the human.”
I felt stupid but did as he suggested anyway, taking a deep breath as I closed my eyes. Focusing on the weight of his arm on my shoulders like an anchor, all the voices and music of the carnival faded to a dull white noise.
The air seemed to shift direction as I tuned out the distractions. The smell of popcorn and deep-fried sugar faded away, replaced by… smoke?
A sense of comfort passed over me as I picked up the smoky smell, like I was in a cozy cabin with a roaring fireplace. A chill tried to nip at my skin but the heat of the fire chased it away. This wasn’t the swampy, humid forests of Mississippi anymore. This place felt much colder, cleaner. It also felt… unusual in a way I couldn’t explain. Almost unreal and magical, like a place out of a fairytale.
Something hot and scaly brushed against my back, then a hard, sharp point like a knife dragged down my cheek. Both touches floated across me gently like a caress. I didn’t fear them, despite sensing the burning heat and power of this shifter. Whoever it was only wanted to protect me. This person cared about me.
My eyes snapped open, the recognition hitting me like a brick wall.
“Razvan,” I breathed. “It’s Raz. He’s here.”
8
MELODY
Raz stepped out from behind a food cart, his inked skin and all black clothing giving him an ominous, dark presence over the bright, colorful carnival decor. He wore an apprehensive look on his face as he approached me and Hunter, like he might go back on this decision at any moment.
“Hey, Mel,” he greeted dryly, hands shoved in his pockets casually but the tension in his shoulders cut through the air like swords as he walked closer to us.
My heart clenched uncomfortably. I’d almost forgotten the smooth, dark honey of his voice, clipped with that lilting Romanian accent. The type of voice that every woman fantasized about whispering dirty things into her ears.
Still, I couldn’t find my voice to answer. Thankfully, he focused on Hunter for a moment and stuck out a tattooed hand.
“I don’t think we’ve formally met. I’m Razvan. Call me Raz.”
“Evening, Raz. I’m Hunter.” He accepted the dragon’s handshake. “What are you up to tonight?”
Raz’s steel-grey eyes flicked over to me. I clamped my mouth shut, biting the inside of my cheek. I said my piece to him already. There was nothing left to say and no reason for him to approach us.
