Page 48 of Marked By Shadows

“Was that English?” Lukas asked, sounding a lot like Alex in that moment. “What is that?”

“It’s the final top stitching to a quilt,” I said. “The part that makes the swirls or lines on the fabric. Ask Sky and she’ll explain it better with one of the ones I’ve made you.”

“There is this machine in the craft room that is perfect for it,” Alex continued. “It moves like a dream.”

“It’s a mid-arm machine,” I said. “And Alex is pretty good. Amazing, really. He has a genuine talent for it.”

Alex looked at me sideways. I knew he still thought the talent wasn’t his. I wasn’t sure that was the truth. Perhaps the skill, with the added years of muscle memory wasn’t his, but the vision, that was. I didn’t think you could gift someone with creativity. Memories perhaps, but not vision.

“What the fuck is a mid-arm?” Lukas grumbled. I heard Sky again. “A fancy sewing machine, fine. Whatever.” He let out a long breath, a sort of frustrated sigh. “Just be safe, okay?”

“That’s the plan,” Alex said. “We are in the car right now, but Micah hasn’t even started it. We are going to head out for food, but I wanted to call you first. Everything is okay there? Jet is okay?”

“The cat is fine. Grumpy as ever.”

Jet was never grumpy with Lukas. He loved Lukas. “Is he not cuddling with you?” I asked. Was something wrong with my cat?

“He won’t stop. He’s on my lap or my chest all the time. And the second I come in, he’s crying for my attention. He’s a big attention whore. He has food and water. I don’t know why he’s so clingy.”

He wasn’t an attention whore, or normally clingy. Not really. Not unless Lukas was there. My catreallyliked Lukas. “My cat is crazy about you,” I told him.

“Your cat is crazy.”

“Aw,” Alex said, “Jetwuvesyou.”

“Asshole,” Lukas said, though he sounded much calmer now than when we had first started the call. “Both of you are assholes. I hate you both.”

“You don’t,” Alex said.

“I don’t, but I wish I could sometimes.”

“Sounds like something you need to talk to your therapist about.”

“Fuck you.”

“Exactly my point,” Alex grinned into the phone.

“Stop sounding so damn happy,” Lukas complained. “This was supposed to be a boring trip for you.”

“Boring how?” Alex wanted to know. “You told me to find a hobby.”

“Sewing?”

“Lots of guys sew. Micah sews amazing stuff. A lot of which you own and use.”

“Micah’s crafty that way.”

“And I’m not? Didn’t you tell me I was the craftier of the two of us?”

“Asshole,” Lukas grumbled again.

“Stop being so pissy. Go kiss Sky and leave Micah and I to our fun.”

“You’re really enjoying this?”

“Fabric shopping is great. Just wait until you see the dragon panel we found.”

“I don’t even know what that means,” Lukas said. “Dragon what?”