Page 10 of Of Shadow and Moonlight

“Barrett, you know Damien’s gonna be pissed that you’re pickin’ on her. You should stop.” I lifted my eyes as I saw another member of their group appear. He pulled his hood down, his curly black hair rustling free, his black eyes locked on Barrett.

Barrett glanced back over his shoulder. “Oh, come on, Cole. It’s just a little fun, no harm.”

“Doesn’t matter. You should leave her alone.”

There was a moment of silence as Barrett rolled his eyes but turned back to look down at me, opening his mouth again to speak.

“Knock it off, Barrett.” Damien’s voice, full of warning, came from the top of the stairs behind them. He stepped down toward us, eyes set on Barrett.

Barrett clicked his teeth, and his entire demeanor changed. “Awe, man, you know I’m just havin’ some fun with her.”

“Yeah, but she doesn’t know that, idiot,” Damien said, stepping between us. I barely knew him, yet for some reason, my anxiety settled the moment he stood in front of me, like a shield.

“Whatever man, damn. You always gotta ruin the fun.” Barrett huffed an annoyed breath and walked past us down the stairs. The shorter one on the ledge leapt down from the wall, landing smoothly on the sidewalk below, and Zephyr briefly met my eyes as he passed. They both followed behind Barrett, leaving Damien and I on the stairway. I let out a sigh of relief once they were gone.

Cole, the one who’d stood up for me, walked down the stairs past us, and Damien stopped him. “Thanks, Cole.”

He shrugged casually as he continued walking, brushing it off. “Don’t mention it.”

Damien turned back to me. “Sorry about that. They’re really not bad once you get to know them.” He paused. “Actually, I take that back. They’re total menaces.” He laughed softly, but his laugh quickly faded when he noticed I hadn’t joined in his humor. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be laughing.”

“No, it’s ok, really. It just caught me off guard is all,” I said, trying to make up for my awkward silence. “I’m a bit awkward around people, if that wasn’t obvious already.”

His warm eyes settled on me again, and I caught myself falling into them. I blinked, averting my gaze.Say something, Cas, geez.

“Did your friend leave already?” he asked, looking around for Kat in the clearing.

“Oh, yeah. Kat had to go get some new scrubs for work.” I nodded toward the parking lot in the distance, and we began to walk that way. “So, his name’s Barrett?”

Damien nodded. “Yeah. He just likes to pick on people. He’s really better once you get to know him.”

“I can see that. I’ll bet you guys get into a lot of trouble.”

A devious grin lifted the corner of his mouth. “What if we do?”

An odd thrill ran through me, and I smiled. “There’s no turning back now, I guess. Might as well join in, right?” We both laughed lowly before we awkwardly composed ourselves.

Damien cleared his throat. “Did you go to high school here in Johnstown? Or did you move here for the university?”

I hesitated at his question.

Oh, well I’ve been homeschooled most of my life because of a heart condition that I’m probably going to die from probably in the next few years, and I wanted to get some life experiences before I croaked. So, I decided to go to college.

Yeah, right. That would have been a real interesting conversation.

“I was actually homeschooled here most of my life, so I didn’t go to any of the schools in town.” Yeah, that sufficed.

“Ah, that’s got to be cool. You didn’t miss out on anything, trust me.”

If only he knew how much I wished I could attend school with other kids my age, how badly I wanted to just be normal for once.

Despite the disappointment his words sparked, I couldn’t help but smile. Aside from Kat, I’d never felt so comfortable talking with someone, let alone someone I barely knew. Yet, here I was, longing for the conversation to never end.

He turned to me. “Again, I’m sorry about Barrett and the guys. He likes to get under people’s skin, especially women. You’ll learn it the longer you know him. He’s all talk; don’t let him scare you.”

“I guess I can give him one more chance,” I said with a smile.

Damien’s mouth parted to respond, but his phone went off in his pocket. He grabbed it and lifted it to his ear. “What is it?”