She turned her back on him, facing the wall.
Shan squeezed his eyes shut for a moment behind his sunglasses. She had no idea that it was hard enough justbeing in the same room with her, breathing her scent. She wasn’ttryingto torment him.
“A little more privacy,” he grated out. “Please.”
He couldn’t see her face, yet he had the distinct impression that she’d rolled her eyes. “Agent Zhao, I’m the head counselor. At any given moment, there’s at least six people with urgent problems only I can solve. The moment I step out that door, I’m going to get swarmed. That won’t make it any easier to smuggle you out without anyone asking awkward questions. So stop being a prude and get changed. I promise I won’t peek.”
She was clearly not about to leave unless he picked her up and bodily moved her. Tempting as that prospect was, it was not an option. Shan had no choice but to retreat as much as he was able in the limited space, taking cover behind a rack of cleaning supplies.
Dealing with his clothes was hard even at the best of times. He stripped off as fast as he could, fumbling at the buttons with gloved hands.
Even with his back to her, he was acutely aware of Leonie’s presence. When he pulled off his shirt, the brush of air on his back felt like her breath whispering against his bare skin. His stomach clenched with a hunger so intense, a wave of dizziness swept over him. He doubled over, hands fisting in cloth.
Behind him, Leonie shifted position. “Did you say something?”
Shan couldn’t reply, biting his tongue. Every word she spoke was sweet and honest, creamy on his tongue. How much better would it be to tasteher...
“Agent Zhao?” A hint of concern entered her voice, adding the warm spiciness of gingerbread to the delicious flavors filling his mouth. “Are you okay back there?”
“Fine,” he got out through gritted teeth, praying she wouldn’t turn around. “One moment.”
The jeans were about three inches too short in the leg, and far too tight around his hips—especially right now. He brutally stuffed himself into them anyway, welcoming the distracting twinge of discomfort. Getting the shirt over his head without removing his sunglasses was a challenge, but he managed. While he was at Camp Thunderbird, he wasn’t going to risk taking them off for even a single second.
He adjusted the strap around his head, making sure it was still securely fastened. “Done.”
Leonie turned to inspect him. She frowned. “Do you have to wear the gloves?”
“Yes.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Is that some kind of Shifter Affairs regulation?”
“No.” He added, with total honesty, “I have a medical condition.”
“Oh,” Leonie said, sounding a little taken aback. “Is that the reason for the sunglasses, too?”
Shan hesitated. While hecouldlie—he couldn’t taste his own words, after all—he always tried to avoid doing so. His control over his monster was tenuous enough as it was. The last thing he needed was to be any more like his father.
“I prefer to keep my eyes covered,” he said instead, which was true enough. “I hope that is not a problem.”
“No, of course not.” Leonie’s gaze dropped to the logo stretched across his chest, and her lips quirked. “In that shirt, not many people are going to be looking at your face, anyway. So, what’s the plan?”
He adjusted his gloves. “I will need to speak with the children. The ones who claim to have seen this ghost.”
Leonie’s eyes narrowed. “They’re just kids, Agent Zhao. Idon’t know how you normally approach your work, but I won’t allow you to treat them like suspects.”
“I will not. You have my word. I will only ask them to describe what they saw.”
She gave him a skeptical look. “You think you’ll be able to determine the truth, just from that?”
“Yes,” he said, simply.
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because that is what I do.” She was going to have to find out sooner or later. Might as well get it over with. “I am able to detect whether people are lying. Due to my…nature.”
He waited in resignation for the inevitable reaction; the sudden wariness, the brief pause as she mentally reviewed their conversation so far, trying to work out if she’d let any of her secrets slip out. Everyone always drew back from him when they learned about his ability.
Yet instead, Leonie’s belligerent stance softened. When she spoke, there was no fear in her voice; only odd understanding. “That must be very hard for you.”
