Page 133 of Mama Si's Paradise

Why the hell did I wear a blue shirt again today?Why, why, whyhad I gone into the stupid closet this morning searching for every blue item I could find?!

“Thank you,” I finally choked, feeling as if I was in someone else’s skin. “Why, uh….why aren’t you limping? Are you…is that…” I pointed at his torn shirt, at the scars on his arm, but I couldn’t produce enough words to speak properly.

Because I was too busy wearing blue.

“My leg healed after you cleaned it up. It barely hurts now. And, no, this wasn’t the cougar. This is…” he looked down at himself for a moment, as if he were suddenly shy. “Something else,” he concluded.

“Oh.”What? What’s something else?!

And why the hell does blood and grime look so good on you? What’s your secret?

I bit my tongue harder.

“Are you coming in?” Grey stepped to the side, waving behind him at Romin’s office.

Holy shit, I was in his way. I’d stopped in the middle of thedoorway, and he couldn’t walk out. That’s probably why he’d stopped there to talk to me.

Move it!I shouted at myself in my head again, and I finally did. “Yep—sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m glad I caught you,” Grey said, and he sounded like that again—different,like last night.

“You sure you’re okay?” Because all that blood he’d lost was no joke. And also his arm really looked like it needed some cleaning and some bandages.

In fact, I wouldn’t mind doing the work myself if he wanted…

The way Grey looked at me you’d think I had suddenly turned pink.

“I am,” he finally whispered, a look in his eyes I couldn’t quite decipher.

“And, uh…and the cougar?”

“Healing nicely.”

The way he said that word. So…nicely.

I nodded, unable to reply, so he said, “I’ll see you soon.”

Grey walked out of the door, still not limping, and I could have sworn on all the stars that he was smiling again as he did.

“Fall, you honor me with your presence.”

Romin’s voice rang in my ears. I turned to find both Emil and Tristian coming toward me, toward the door, while Romin waved for me to approach him.

“Good evening, beautiful Fall,” Tristian and Emil said in unison as they passed me by.

“Good evening,” I said with a forced smile and a nod, still feeling like I was in a dream.

“Lovethe makeup, but you look better without it, I promise,” Tristian whispered as he walked out the door, earning a slap on the back of the head from Emil. Then they both laughed before the guard pulled the door closed, cutting offthe sound of them.

I let go of a long breath.

“Come closer,” Romin said. “And please excuse my brothers. We had sort of an…emergency, so to speak.”

Swallowing hard, I started walking toward the table.

“What kind of an emergency?” I couldn’t help but ask, not after seeing Grey with a bloody lip. Had he gottenanothercougar or something? Maybe some other animal?

Romin shook his head, reaching out his hands for me. I reluctantly put mine between his, and he held it tightly. A miracle I didn’t flinch. “Just my brothers being silly, as always. Grey went too close to the borders on the shore today. The magic of the curse did a number on him—I’m sure you saw.”

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