Analie sounded a little different, but Mouse wrote that off as worry and concern. After all, it wasn’t every day that someone in the building got so badly hurt. It was truly worrisome because it meant that, despite her best efforts, Mouse wouldn’t always be able to save her friends from the dangers inherent in being around the vampires.
Analie wondered what could possibly have this woman so upset. Even though her usual senses of smell, sight, and hearing were dulled, the body language was clear enough. She inched toward the couch.
“Are you okay?”
Mouse nodded, then reached out to the table to grab a pad and pencil, writing a short message.
Worried about Thad.
Only then did it occur to Analie that the woman she saw was Mouse. No one else in the building had her problem or such impeccably neat handwriting.
Instead of a red-eyed, vaguely-human-shaped shadow monster, she was faced with a careworn, all-too-human-looking woman. There were hints of circles under her eyes, mostly from not having taken a full day’s rest. Her long brown hair, shot through with a few streaks of gray, was tied up in a loose ponytail. That revealed skin bronzed by sun it hadn’t seen in centuries, sharp cheekbones, and wide, dark brown eyes that were dulled from fatigue. She hardly looked the part of the beasts of Goliath’s legends.
Analie took the note and read it, then blinked and slowly looked up at Mouse.
“You’re Mouse!” Analie all but screamed. She danced excitedly on the spot. “I pictured you completely different! I couldn’t make heads or tails of your shadows probably because of your hair and—” She paused, staring at Mouse. “And you’re pretty!”
All the Goliath scripture Gavin had allowed her to see showed illustrations of skeletal humanoid creatures with red eyes and needle-like fangs descending upon snarling Weres. She had expected nothing like what she saw before her.
Mouse’s mouth dropped open. Then she recalled that younger Goliaths could only see vampires as shadows. Obviously, that wasn’t the case for Analie anymore.
She ducked her head, her smile embarrassed. She didn’t know what Analie must have thought she looked like before, but she could guess. Analie had probably thought she was rooming with some hellish monster.
Running her fingers nervously through her hair, Mouse dislodged her ponytail and promptly busied herself with fixing it so she wouldn’t have to write a response. God, and she’d thought sneaking a peek at Christoph’s package was embarrassing!
Analie had never felt so relieved and excited at the same time. Though she had stopped bristling every time she passed a shadow in the hall, she was never totally comfortable here. Even with Mouse helping her cope early on and how much Analie liked the vampire, there was still that wheedling little horror that she was chatting with a living nightmare.
That meant the other Shadowmen might look like normal people as well. What did Angus look like? Or Sebastian?
What did Royce look like?
Mouse chewed on her lower lip, trying to think of something to write that wouldn’t sound ridiculous or cruel. It was harder than she thought.
Does this mean you don’t know what any of the others look like? You haven’t been able to see any of us before now?
Analie shook her head vigorously. “No, no one. I can usually guess where faces are, but if there’s too much light you’re barely an outline. I had no idea you looked like... like...”
'A totally normal person bereft of the demonic qualities I had previously believed you possessed.'
“—like this. I thought you were, you know, scary-looking.”
Mouse made a faint snorting sound of mixed disbelief and laughter.
We would not have been able to hide what we are from humanity for so long if that were the case.
Mouse smiled wryly. This building housed some of the most attractive vampires she’d ever seen in her terrifically long lifespan. Mouse was downright homely compared to Lisa and Clarisse.
Analie flopped on the couch next to Mouse. “This is so cool. I have to get Freddy to bring his camera so I can take your picture. You so need to be in our photo album.”
* * *
The day was waning, and vampires were rising from their beds.
For some, this would be cause for concern. Analie was about ready to vibrate out of her own skin with excitement.
Mouse was thoroughly amused. She led the search for anyone up and about so Analie could start placing faces to the names and shadows she’d become so familiar with.