Page 128 of Veil of Death and Shadow

“Exactly. And after a while, hugs just felt so . . . heavy, I guess.” I glanced out the window and swore. “This is us.”

The trip had flown by so much faster than it usually did. Talking to Levi always had a way of making time feel like it was warped.

He pulled the string, requesting the stop, and I nudged Sora awake.

She jumped up, disoriented, but it took her less than a moment to realize where we were—and when she did, she grabbed mine and Levi’s hands, tugging us eagerly towards the exit.

I laughed, allowing her to pull me along, her excitement contagious.

The bus let off at a seemingly unremarkable park, and Levi shot me a confused, this-is-supposed-to-be-the-most-magical-place-in-Seattle look.

“Just wait,” Sora said, catching onto his doubt. “We’re not there yet.”

She led the way, then spun around when the trail opened up to the main event, so she could soak in his reaction.

Loud barks echoed around the parking lot, as we made our way through the gates.

Four giant dogs greeted us when we entered, a Great Dane leaving a trail of drool along Levi’s thigh.

“Isn’t it great?” Sora bent over to pet a pug who sounded like he was snoring, despite being wide awake.

“Your favorite place in the entire city is a dog park?” Levi tried to keep his expression flat and critical, but I could tell from the teasing tug at his lips that he was deeply amused by the turn of events.

“It gets better,” Sora said, with a squeal. She waved us towards her, an assortment of dogs following along after her as if she was the leader of their pack.

I scratched behind the pug’s left ear. He’d found a spot in the shade, and I had a feeling he wouldn’t be joining for the next leg of our journey.

“It’s kind of hard not to love this place,” I said, soaking in the warmth of the sun on my face. It was the first week of May, and the weather was just starting to get good. Another month or two, and it’d hopefully be hot enough to go for a non-arctic swim in the lake.

A large gray dog slid between us, and when I reached down to pet him, I accidentally found myself running my hand over the back of Levi’s.

I shifted quickly, patting the dog awkwardly on the head instead.

“Yeah.” Levi cleared his throat, then smiled, his dimple out in all its glory. “Yeah, I get that.”

We didn’t speak for a few minutes, and I was suddenly aware of how, even here, surrounded by dozens of dogs and their literal shit, my brain still seemed to find and focus on the scent that I was beginning to think of as distinctly Levi—woodsy and spicy, with just a touch of citrus.

The dog park opened out into a long trail, and we followed it, making friends with each of the dogs along the way, their zoomies taking them in every direction imaginable—some even carving paths directlythroughtheir humans. At least one guy’s ass was covered in dirt from a fall.

No one minded though. This place belonged to the dogs; we were just lucky enough to be a part of it for the afternoon.

Levi’s excitement dipped when he checked his phone, the line of concern between his brows deepening a bit before he slid it back in his pocket. This was the most I’d ever seen him use it before.

“Um,” I glanced over at him, trying not to be nosy, “everything okay?”

He nodded, his lips pressed in a tight line. “Yeah. Work stuff.”

He seemed to carry a peculiarly heavy load of work stress for someone his age. Part of me felt like that sort of adulting wasn’t supposed to come into play for another decade or so. But I also knew that his life outside of our . . . diet friendship was kept locked down pretty tight, so I nodded and let it drop. His life was truly none of my business, and I needed to keep reminding myself that I was the one who wanted it that way.

“This is the best part,” I said, not bothering to hold back my smile when we reached another set of gates.

The trail opened to a small beach, and there were at least ten dogs hopping and swimming in the lake. One had even gone so far as to greet a kayaker passing through the area.

Levi laughed, any visible tension he still carried shedding away instantly. “Dogsandthe water?” The corner of his mouth twitched. “I can see why you love this place.”

When we reached the gravelly shoreline, I kicked off my shoes, peeled off my socks, and rolled my jeans up as high as they would go. Sora tossed her shoes on mine, and we waded into the water up to our mid-calves. Neither of us minded the biting chill of the water as a black retriever of some sort dropped a ball in front of us, begging Sora to toss it farther out.

Levi joined us, and we stayed out there watching the water and dogs frolic against the mountain line in the distance,soaking in the chaos of the scene for as long as we could stand—until well after we’d lost all sensation in our feet.

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