Shadows and Light by Melissa Haag

Author:Melissa Haag
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: angelwerewolfshifterfantasyurban
Publisher: Melissa Haag

Chapter 6

We walked down the road while we ate our burgers. They were delicious and worth the work. Declan kept pace with me; his easy stride matched my measured steps through the heavy mist.

I finished the last bite and reached into my bag for a bottle of water. I passed one to Declan, and unscrewed the cap of mine.

“Why did you do it?” The words slipped from my mouth as I raised the bottle to my lips.

“Do what?” he said after he finished his drink.

“Nothing.” I didn’t want to talk about it. I hadn’t meant to say anything.

“Do what, Ema?” he asked again. His light tone was gone, replaced by the serious one that made me wary, especially after...

“That man. Why did you attack him like that?”

Declan snorted. “I didn’t attack him. I just helped him realize he was sitting in the wrong spot.”

“How was that the wrong spot? It was a public bar.”

Declan stopped walking and gave me an exasperated look.

“Like a stubbed toe, you’ve bruised your brain against a huge wall of analytical thinking. Stop using it and let the rest of your body take over for a while.”

I blinked at him, unsure what to say to that. Was he hinting I was overthinking his reasons and should try to...what? Feel his reasons? I was lost.

“You’re still doing it,” he said with a shake of his head.

“Doing what?” I said. The frustration I felt had crept into my tone.

He gave me a one-sided grin.

“Thinking. Stop.”

I shook my head at him. He wasn’t making any sense.

* * * *

We stopped before dusk when the mist turned to a full downpour. Snug in another tree home, we set our shoes just inside the door and walked up the spiral stairs. A damp chill permeated the air, and I shivered as I pulled off my wet outer layers. From my bag, I pulled a thick, dry sweater, jeans, the pillows, and our blanket.

“If I brought a rock in here, could you make it into a fireplace,” Declan said, still standing at the top of the steps. Water dripped from the cuffs of his pants.

I gave it a thought and nodded. It would be just like the tree. Maybe.

He carried in a boulder so large his arms didn’t even wrap around it, set the stone against the wall adjacent to the foot of the bed, and stepped back.

“I’ll see if I can find some dry wood,” he said and left again.

His faith in my abilities was...humbling.

The stone proved more difficult to manipulate than wood, but I managed. As I lengthened a section for a chimney, I opened a hole in the tree-wall, weaving the two materials together to keep out the wind and rain.

When Declan returned, the fireplace was waiting as were two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He placed the wood in the stone opening and held out his hand. I looked at his palm with a frown.

“You don’t have matches?” I said.

He gave a frustrated growl and stood.

“No. I thought you did.

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