Page 32 of Shifting Tides

It was Max’s turn to blush. I smiled as I watched him falter. I’d spent so much time in Shallow Grave that I’d forgotten notallguys are idiots. Max seemed pretty sharp. Okay, and yes, he was kinda cute. In a vanilla sort of way.

Could he be a shifter? He didn’t have near the sheer animal magnetism that Caesar had radiated, but there was something about him. Heck, there had to be because I’d struggled to get Caesar off my mind for the last twenty-four hours, and I realized now that this guy had just about wiped my mental slate clean.

Damn, I really needed to get out more if all it took was a run-in with any random hot guy to make me drool.

“So, why exactly are you on and off the subs all day?” I asked, flicking my hair over my shoulder.

He braided his fingers to hang his hands in the space between his legs and bit his bottom lip as he seemed to consider my question. “Uh, would you believe I’m a courier?”

I shrugged, masking my intrigue. “Sure.”

“Yeah, well, I run errands for people, deliver messages and stuff,” he said, and I couldn’t tell if he was being vague intentionally.

I arched a brow, swaying slightly as the train sped along the track. “You know there are such things as cellphones and computers, right? Wouldn’t texts and emails be faster than you running all over town?”

Max laughed, scratching at the short brown hair at the back of his neck. “Yeah. But believe it or not, some things still require a personal touch.”

“I’m sure.”

The overhead speaker rattled off information, and the train slowed.

Max stood and stretched, his white shirt lifting to expose a glimpse of the V-shaped muscle that peeked over the top of his jeans. My mouth actually watered, and it was all I could do to halt my gaze from exploring the rest of his body as he looked over his shoulder at me.

“End of the line for me. You getting off at the next stop?”

Okay, so he wasn’t a shifter. I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or disappointed by that.

“Maybe,” I replied elusively.

“It’s the last one on the green line,” he deadpanned, a playful glint in his green eyes.

I folded my arms, a stubborn smirk on my face.

He smirked back. “Ah, I see how it is. Well, maybe I’ll see you around.”

“Assuming you can remember my face,” I teased.

Max grinned, a challenge flaring his pupils. “Oh, trust me. That won’t be a problem.”

“Goodbye, Max.” My eyes slid suggestively to where the doors were hissing closed behind him.

Max snaked through the narrowing opening just in time. He rapped on the window and waved as the train took off for its next destination.

I waved, feeling the tiniest bit of regret. It wasn’t often a hot guy popped into my life, and here two had in as many days. Maybe this was the universe’s way of saying, “Open your eyes, Shea!” But I had more important things to worry about.

I patted my bag again and waited for my stop. It didn’t take long.

My phone still said I wasn’t close enough—not nearly in, under, or over Lake Michigan. I took one last look at the few remaining passengers as they unloaded. None of them looked like shifters.And still no tingling feeling.

I hesitated, then darted off the train before the doors could close on me.

I looked around at the platform as the passengers dissipated, leaving me alone at the end of the line with my growingdoubts. There had to be something else. Something I was missing. Was there a ferry nearby?

I passed by a closet door before stopping and turning back for a double take. Something about the lock on it caught my attention. I peered at it, then snapped my fingers. It was an electronic lock. Way too high-tech for janitorial supplies. It wasn’t like anyone would be desperate enough to steal toilet paper.

I looked around the emptied platform. There would be more people stopping here in a bit, and others might be looking to get on as the train headed in the other direction. I had to work quickly. I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans and took a deep breath.

Unlocking spells were fairly basic, and I’d managed to figure out at least that much magic on my own, but I had no idea if they worked on electronic locks. They definitely didn’t work on computer passwords. I tried that once, in a failed attempt to learn more about the world my Gram was a part of—the world my mom had been a part of…

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