Page 58 of Two Thousand Shadows

“Nah. Nothing I couldn’t talk my way out of.”

“I believe that.”

Leo winked at him. “The fangs and claws were gone when my parents found me, but it took another day for me to get rid of the tail. They ended up homeschooling me that entire year until I could fully control my shifting. We couldn’t afford another accident. When I returned to finish schooling, we’d moved to a different district.”

Junjie hesitated, but finally pushed the question out. “Your parents? They’re both cat shifters?”

Leo nodded. “Yep. I grew up in a kind of weird household. My parents weren’t married and if an adult asked them, they’d say they were just friends with benefits.” That last part, Leo leaned toward Junjie to whisper, as if Erik could understand that term. “But I was their third kid together, and a late-in-life baby, too. My siblings are way older than me. They lived together, but then they’d also take turns disappearing for a few days, claiming they ‘just needed a break from this family thing.’” Leo even made the quote signs with his fingers while rolling his eyes. “It was all bullshiii—hogwash. They loved each other and enjoyed having afamily together, but they’d also been raised to be independent, free spirits.”

“They panicked at the idea of being tied down but secretly loved it,” Junjie supplied.

“Yes! Exactly.” Leo groaned and rolled his eyes again. “But they loved me and taught me how to be a cat, even if it was a little demented at times.”

“Are they…” Junjie’s words drifted off, not wanting to stir up old pain for Leo.

“They’re still alive and kickin’. Last I heard, they were up in Canada. I haven’t seen them since I left the house at nineteen, which was a year later than they wanted.” Leo shrugged and grinned. “But I’m a lazy cat. They were excellent teachers, though. Made a lot of the cat things feel easy.”

“Was it hard to learn to shift?”

“Nope. Not at all. When your body is ready for the shift, instincts kick in. Mine was already getting close when I had that partial shift. The fight kicked my teenage hormones and survival instincts into overdrive. Later, safe in my own home, my dad spent a lot of time with me, shifting back and forth. My mom didn’t shift as much, but she has the prettiest tortoiseshell coat. My dad is a tuxedo black and white cat.”

“Neither of your parents was orange and white like you?”

Leo shook his head. “Nah. I was just grateful I didn’t end up an all-black cat. There are still some people that have some crazy superstitions about black cats.”

There was a crash on the other side of the room as Erik pulled two large plastic cars out of his bin and dropped them on the floor. He seemed happily lost in his own world, playing with his toys and content to have Leo and Junjie nearby.

“We won’t know what color Erik’s cat will be until he changes for the first time, right?” Junjie inquired.

“Pretty much.” Leo glanced over his shoulder at Erik, and his smile softened. “I think he’d be an adorable calico, but he could be a sleek black cat or even one of those with the leopard-like spots.”

“He’s going to be perfect no matter what his cat looks like when he shifts,” Junjie announced with complete confidence. “I…just worry.”

“About?”

“What if we’re not enough when it comes time for him to shift? I don’t want him to be frustrated or get hurt trying to shift too early. What if?—”

Leo’s low chuckles cut off Junjie’s sentence and drew his gaze away from the child to the shifter’s handsome face. A piece of hair had fallen in front of his eyes and Junjie had to twist his fingers together in his lap to keep from reaching out to move it.

“You’re so cute and sweet sometimes, it’s a wonder that I don’t get a cavity from being near you,” Leo purred. “All you need to do is tell him that he’s a cat shifter and remind him that one day he’s going to shift. When the time is right, his body will know what to do.”

But that didn’t feel like enough. The words balanced on the tip of his tongue.

Come to China with us. Be there to guide Erik as he grows into a young man.

Don’t leave me…

He couldn’t say any of that. They barely knew each other. Sure, Leo knew far more about him after spending months spying on him in his cat form, but that didn’t count. There was no way he could ask Leo to move away from the place he called home.

Besides, deep down, he knew his desire to have Leo accompany them wasn’t purely for Erik’s sake. He wasn’t ready to let the cat go. He wanted to show him his home and his world.There were so many things he wanted to discover about Leo. They needed more time together. Years. Decades. Centuries, if possible.

Leo sat up straight, his legs bent in front of him and his body moving a tad closer to Junjie. “I wouldn’t worry too much. You’ve got Huli with you. I’m sure shifting is shifting. I wouldn’t be surprised if seeing the fox spirit change from fox to human helps Erik along when he gets older.”

That earned a frown. He’d forgotten about the huli jing.

“While I don’t have a problem with Huli, I don’t know that he’s the best influence and teacher for a young boy,” Junjie hedged.

In return, Leo leaned in closer, the arm he was partially supporting his weight on bumping into Junjie’s and staying pressed against his. Leo tipped his face up toward Junjie, and the most wicked grin spread across those soft, plush lips. His voice dipped so very low, seeming to caress the inside of his ears in the most tantalizing manner. “Are you saying that I’m a good influence?”

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