Shadow’s hand sliding down Gray’s thigh was yet another reminder of the thin ice they were walking on with their secret not-exactly-affair. If Rev found out he would have been pissed-off. Not that Gray cared, but he wouldn’t hear the end of it, so it wasn’t worth Rev knowing.
“I don’t want to watch it on my own. It’s too sad.”
Shadow’s touch sent a stab of heat along Gray’s leg, all the way to the toes, which reflexively curled inside his boot. It was becoming painfully clear to Gray at this point that were Shadow to stay indefinitely, the almost-affair would have crossed the boundaries Gray put on it. Everything about Shadow called out to him, but if there was an expiration date for any relationship they might have had, why would Gray put himself up for heartbreak?
“What about The Shape of Water?”
Shadow’s eyes glistened with excitement. No wonder, it was his favorite, and he’d watched it three times already. “Yes…”
Gray smiled at him and eventually drove onto the main road, heading toward the woodland close to town where one of the trees from the Other Side was growing taller each day. “Well, you can see that one. Maybe I’ll be back by the time you finish.”
Shadow’s shoulders sagged, as if even parting for those few hours was a big deal. Earlier that day he’d gone off to the woods with Jake, so Gray wasn’t sure what this was about.
“Can’t your trip wait?”
Gray glanced at him with a slight frown. “It’s tonight. I can’t put it off.”
Shadow sighed deeply, looking out the window. “If you have to.”
Gray knew Shadow wanted to spend as much time with him as possible, but it was healthy for them to part from time to time. Shadow enjoyed watching the same movies as Gray, and he had a never-ending collection of DVDs to choose from, plus there were always other people in the clubhouse Shadow could hang out with. And Gray needed time alone if he wanted to keep cool when they were together.
But by the time Gray approached the area where he intended to park, on the side of the asphalt road under a tall poplar, he felt a pang of regret that he’d committed to doing the run. “Your hair looks nice. What did you do to it?”
Shadow instantly lit up. “Nao straightened it for me.”
Darkness was thick where Gray parked, as if the tree was extending its greedy tentacles farther each time they drove by. Or maybe it was just the moon losing its size in the past few days.
Gray left the car with a heavy heart, and a part of him wished Knight could have been the one to take Shadow here after all. Just so that he wouldn’t have to deal with the sense of loss that in recent days had become a permanent fixture. Maybe it was selfish of him to protect his own feelings above Shadow’s. But within a month, Shadow would be back where he belonged and he… he would be alone again.
When the lights of the car dimmed, Gray’s world sank into near-perfect darkness. He sought out Shadow without thinking, and when his fingers slid around the firm arm, he couldn’t lie to himself that it was only because of Shadow seeing well in the dark. They stood close, their hips almost touching, and Gray took his time before leading the way up a small sandy slope by the road.
Beyond the dark expanse of grass and woodlands, the lights of Brecon illuminated the sky. The town’s borders were sharply defined by the nature around it, and he couldn’t help being somewhat moved by the view. Their feet sank into the undergrowth as if it were a thick carpet, and he tried to relax by smelling the fragrant air. It was all plants and spring flowers, but when, from time to time, the breeze came from the direction of the ocean the sweet and fresh scents were enriched by the addition of salt.
The tree was right in front of them—hidden in plain sight and yet somehow drawing Gray’s gaze as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. His brain was hot mush, and as they stepped closer and sensed the heat in the air, the corners of Gray’s vision dimmed once more, consumed by the night.
His heart thumped as if an invisible hand squeezed it dry each time, making blood rush through him much faster while the way ahead turned that bit brighter, creating an nonmaterial tunnel to the demon tree. The odd scent that reminded him of fruit that was just about to go from overripe to rotting invaded his senses next, pulsing like the blood in Gray’s feet as he strode toward the unholy plant that whispered its greetings.
No, this was insane. It must have been the wind that made the strange rustling sound, but Gray still felt invisible eyes tracking his every move. His heart slowly sank when the heat grew stronger, as if they’d just entered the den of a bear. He’d heard from Knight that the trees that had grown from the black stones developed at an unnatural pace, but when he saw branches on the background of the night sky, he couldn’t tear his eyes away. They hadn’t been nearly so long and thick a month back, and this visual reminder of the encroaching danger made everything inside Gray twist. It was so dark, and yet the bark was even more so, making it stand out, even to his human eyes.