Page 61

“Okay, listen closely. Pancakes are sacred, and we’re not messing around,” I warn the smoky shadows swirling curiously above the makeshift stove Steo had reluctantly installed in our Evergloom burrow.

The shadows twist and pulse with excitement, their color rippling briefly into cheerful pink as they wait for instructions.

“Step one,” I say, brandishing the spatula like a sword. “Mix the batter. Carefully. Unlike last time.”

The shadows pause, drooping slightly in embarrassment. Last time had been… explosive. Flour and batter everywhere, even in places I didn’t think batter could reach.

“Pay attention.” I start to mix the flour, eggs, and buttermilk.

The shadows hover, gripping the whisk with shaky enthusiasm. They swirl awkwardly, mimicking me.

“That’s it,” I say. “Gentle. Cooking—like sex—is an art.”

Across the room, lounging casually in an oversized armchair Steo dragged from somewhere in the human realm, Rad snorts and amusement flares along the bond. “Cooking’s just edible shit you heat up, human. Sex—that’s the art.”

Steo’s shadows bristle, immediately defensive, flicking bits of batter in Rad’s direction.

Rad growls, wiping splatter from his snout. “Hey! Do you know how hard that is to clean from fur?”

“Serves you right for disrespecting pancakes,” I respond, flipping the first perfectly golden pancake. “Parker loves these, remember? Show some respect.”

Steo materializes mid-chaos, arms full of random human objects—an alarm clock, two mismatched socks, and a potted cactus.

Rad eyes him skeptically. “Still figuring out human shopping?”

Steo scowls slightly, setting his loot down. “I thought Parker might find these items… useful.”

I try to hide a grin as the shadows eagerly present their latest pancake attempt to Steo. It's lopsided, slightly burnt, and probably raw in the middle, but the shadows pulsate proudly, waiting for approval.

Somewhere along the way, Steo figured out that he could come and go independently from his shadows, no longer fully one with them, especially when they preferred to stick close to Parker.

Steo raises an eyebrow, then carefully takes the pancake from the smoky tendrils. He takes a cautious bite, chews thoughtfully, then nods. “Not terrible.”

The shadows practically glow with joy.

I feel, before I see, the all-consuming warmth and glow that announces Parker’s awakening, like the sun rising from darkness, making the entire burrow ripple with excited light. She finally wanders in, silver hair wild and messy from sleep, yawning and stretching, looking ridiculously sexy. She eyes the chaos with sleepy amusement. “What’s all this?”

“Breakfast,” I announce cheerfully, presenting a plate stacked high with fluffy pancakes. “Courtesy of me and your favorite shadow chefs.”

She laughs, pressing a kiss to my cheek, but I turn my face just in time to capture her lips. “My heroes.”

Steo’s shadows immediately cluster around her, pushing me out of the way and vying for her attention, proud tendrils showing off their pancake-flipping skills as they gleefully turn a few more pancakes onto her plate.

“Rad, you gonna join us?” Parker asks, her voice teasing.

Rad feigns disinterest but slides out of the chair anyway, grabbing a pancake directly from the stove. He chews slowly, expression carefully neutral, but the bond betrays him, always. I’m not sure why he keeps pretending, we can literally feel everything that’s going through him, and Parker can now even hear some of his thoughts. Something that we recently learned was one-sided before.

“Acceptable, but not as good as sandwiches,” he finally grunts, sneaking another when he thinks we aren’t watching.

I wrap an arm around Parker’s waist as shadows flip lopsided pancakes and Rad pretends he’s not enjoying himself.

Monsters. Domestic chaos. And the girl who made it all make sense.

It shouldn’t work.

But damn if it doesn’t feel like home.