Page 7 of Secrets in the Shadow

His thoughts flickered back to last night and the guy he’d met in the woods. If it even happened. Cody was still doubting his sanity and wasn’t sure what to think. His memory of the encounter was too sharp to be a dream but too bizarre to feel real. And yet…

“Was it you?” he asked softly, glancing around the empty hallway like an idiot. “Are you here now?”

Silence answered him, as expected.

Cody snorted and shook his head, pushing off the doorframe. “Get a grip. Next, you’ll be asking your coffee mug for advice.”

Deciding to do the supply list later, he turned toward the clinic rooms, still needing to check on a young tabby they’d taken in yesterday. A scrawny thing with a meow loud enough to rattle glass and a name ridiculous enough to make him cringe.

“Okay, Mr. Puddlefuzz,” Cody muttered under his breath, his lips twitching as he entered the room. “Let’s see how you’re doing.”

The cat greeted him with an ear-piercing yowl, launching itself against the side of the cage like a furry missile.

“Whoa, okay!” He laughed quietly, opening the cage just enough to reach in. “Calm down, psycho cat. I’m not here to stage a jailbreak.”

The tabby immediately started batting at his fingers, claws sheathed but paw insistent. Cody wiggled his hand playfully, smirking as the little troublemaker leapt and pounced like he was fending off a dire threat.

“You’re ridiculous,” Cody murmured, grabbing a feathered toy from the nearby counter. “And your name is a crime against humanity.”

He dangled the toy in front of the cat, watching as Mr. Puddlefuzz swiped at it with gusto. For a moment, Cody forgot about the weirdness of last night. He even forgot about his own unease and about the way his hair made him stand out like a neon sign.

It wasn’t until the back of his neck prickled again that the moment shattered.

He froze, the toy still in his hand as his pulse picked up speed. Slowly, he turned his head, scanning the room.

There it was again. That feeling…

It had to be him. The guy. The…whatever he was.

Cody cleared his throat, speaking softly as if the words might draw someone, or something, out. “If you’re here, I’d really appreciate you not creeping around like some horror movie villain.”

Mr. Puddlefuzz batted the toy one last time before flopping dramatically onto his side, as if giving Cody his approval to confront his apparent insanity.

Setting the toy aside, he couldn’t shake the thought that maybe he wasn’t alone. And maybe, just maybe, that guy from last night wasn’t as imaginary as he wanted to believe.

You just want him to be real because he’s gorgeous.

No. He wanted the guy, whatever he was, to be real to prove to himself he wasn’t going completely insane.

* * * *

As hard as he tried, Raziel hadn’t been able to stay away. Not after last night, not after the rush of warmth in his arms. He leaned against the wall inside the veterinary clinic, his invisible form blending seamlessly with his surroundings. The faint hum of life within the building buzzed around him—chattering voices, the scrape of shoes on linoleum, and Cody’s laugh, its lightness cutting through the heavy weight in Raziel’s chest, even though he’d never admit that to anyone.

Cody was hunched over a wiry orange tabby with a mix of exasperation and humor. His mate’s nose—freckles scattered across the bridge of it like constellations on pale skin—wrinkled as the cat swatted at him like it had a vendetta.

Raziel was still puzzled at how Cody felt him whenever he was near. Just this morning, his mate had sensed him, had quietly called out to him a few times, but then mumbled about losing his mind when he received no response. Raziel shouldn’t have been here to begin with, had told himself for the hundredth time to flash away, but couldn’t bring himself to leave.

Observing the human from the shadows had become Raziel’s new addiction. Cody was his mate, even though the human didn’t know it, and he was fascinated by him. Raziel’s gaze was fixated on him, drawn to the way the fluorescent light caught his hair, turning the red strands into molten fire against the cool tones of the sterile room. His mate ran a hand through it, an unconscious action that stirred something profound within Raziel.

He’s beautiful.

The thought came unbidden, a quiet truth he couldn’t deny.

“Come here, Mr. Puddlefuzz,” his mate cooed, the ridiculous name making Raziel’s lips twitch. The feline hesitated before slinking forward, earning Cody’s quiet chuckle.

Each quiet gesture, every soft word, spoke of a tenderness Raziel couldn’t fully comprehend, leaving him to grapple with the realization of just how broken he really was.

The cat purred loudly as Cody tucked it into his arms, stroking its fur. “See? Not so scary when you let someone in.”

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