Page 106 of Veil of Death and Shadow

“Okay.” I hated how small and broken my voice sounded in the space between us.

“Okay,” he said. He opened the book back up and pointed. “I think you were here?”

When I nodded, he started to read.

And though I fought the tug of sleep for as long as I could, and though my mind occasionally drifted away from the story and started to spiral, the lull of his voice always brought me back—until his smooth lilt finally pulled me under into one of the deepest sleeps I’d had in years.

18

MAREENA

Approximately Nine Years Ago, Three Years Before The Undoing

"So," Sora bumped her hip against mine before dropping a five-pound bag of ice into the sink, "party started an hour ago. When is he coming?"

"Who?" I asked, playing dumb as I took a sip of her latest party drink. It tasted like lemonade mixed with rubbing alcohol and something distinctly herbal, and it was a true mark of our friendship that I managed to mask how bad the concoction was.

She scrunched up her nose. “That bad?”

“Um,” I said, searching for a description. Apparently, my masking wasn’t so great. “Strong.”

“Good.” She grinned, then slammed the bag down, breaking the ice up into smaller chips for her next batch. I'd be sticking with my classic vodka and soda for the rest of the night. "And what do you mean ‘who’? You know who. Your friend." I shot her a glare, but she shrugged it off. “What? It’s not every day that you bring home a friendunprovoked. Usually, I have to beg you to help me fill out these nights.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I glanced down at my phone, like I was checking the time, though I knew damn well what time it was, and that Levi said he'd be here around now. "I bring people over all the time."

We both knew that was a bald-faced lie, but it was the sort of thing you were supposed to say to an accusation like that.

She pinched my cheek with her freshly painted manicure. “Of course you do, pookie.”

A knock sounded at the door, and her mocking smile turned into a legitimate one. "Never mind, I’ll bet that’s him.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me. “So, heisreal then."

The urge to roll my eyes was powerful, but I held strong. “Dick.”

She winked, then took to stirring her mixture in a bowl that was half the size that she was.

Jen, one of Sora’s friends from cosmetology school, opened the door. I could tell from Levi's smug expression, that she was giving him one of those appreciative, head-to-toe appraising sorts of looks.

Honestly, I didn’t blame her. Levi was the kind of hot you had to actively try not to notice. Part of me deeply wished he wasn’t.

"Hi, uh," he held up a bottle of something, "is Mareena here?"

"Go save that poor boy," Sora whisper-shouted, "before Jen runs him off."

Propelling myself with a deep chug of Sora's glorified jungle juice, I made my way back into the crowded living room. It wasn't crowded in the traditional sense one might think a party could get. There were only ten or so people here, mostly Sora's friends, though, at her insistence, I'd also invited two people from Mac’s Tavern.

When Levi’s gaze landed on me, his face stretched into a grin—one wide enough to showcase that damn dimple of his. Ipractically saw Jen swoon when it made its appearance. Again, a very understandable response. "Hey."

"Hey," I said back, ushering him in and away from Jen’s hungry stare that was not-so-discreetly lasered in on his ass, as he made his way into the cramped living room.

He glanced around, nodding at everyone as they ran through their names in the way people always did in these situations—as if Levi, or anyone really, could be expected to remember a dozen new names, let alone correctly attribute them to the right faces.

"I can take your coat," I said, holding my hand out as he tugged it from his long frame. "There's not much room, but we're keeping people's stuff in Sora’s bedroom for now."

We'd been living with Becca for more than six months, but it still felt so strange to think that Sora had her own room. ThatIhad my own room. I'd taken ownership of the small office space. There was enough room for a full-sized bed and desk, and even a small bookshelf. No closet, but I made do with the one in the hallway just fine. My favorite part was the large sliding door that led to the small balcony and let in a gentle swath of the sunlight that was so rare this time of year.

As far as bedrooms went, they were pretty tight quarters, but compared to what we dealt with in Oleg’s studio, it felt like a damn penthouse suite in comparison.

"Can't believe I've actually been invited into the famous new apartment," Levi said, his voice low against my ear, so that only I could hear. "Honestly, I half expected you to text me the address of some nearby intersection before blindfolding me and walking here."

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