They had spent a fair amount of time in the bookstore, Maktov not buying a single thing whereas Thalia selected two more items; both novels, one for Taryn and one for herself. Browsing a couple more stores aroused no other purchases. Around two in the afternoon, they found themselves back under the pier.

Dallying between the pier's support legs, Maktov and Thalia made their way closer to the water. Barnacles and green plants coated portions of the wood, memories of a higher tide. She took a seat in the sand, legs crossed and back to a support structure. Even through her jeans, the sands felt cold. Leaning against one of the thick wood poles himself, Maktov didn't sit but watched her.

She'd taken out the blasted book he suggested, idly flipping through the pages. He looked out over the water, trying to distract himself. Overhead, the sky was a brilliant blue and speckled with an odd cloud or two. The sun gleamed off all the waves, making it hard for him to stare long. Gulls cried overhead and fish occasionally breached the water for a treat on the surface.

A gentle breeze had begun blowing in, spraying the two with flecks of water when Maktov sighed, "I don't usually come here during the day."

"Yeah?" Thalia inclined her head up toward him, marking something of interest with her receipt before closing her book. "Is it nicer at night?"

Maktov shrugged one shoulder. His mind overlaid the familiar nighttime scene. Dark sky and dark waters, sometimes frothing white and sometimes deathly serene. The lights of the over-pier pushing through the tarp, casting odd hues into the night rather than illumination. The bird cries replaced with loud music overhead and bustling crowds.

"It's just more familiar at night." And that's really all it was. Neither time was worse or better. Though, at night, the place was a bit livelier with shadowfolk. There was more to do and, occasionally, a bazaar out beneath the pier.

"Maybe you should bring me at night, sometime." Thalia couldn't keep from smiling, cheekily. It was a suggestive, but innocent, thing to say. They were just classmates, doing a project together, and probably would never speak again when they got their final grade. But if that were true, where should the line be drawn? At getting meals together? Going shopping? It seemed, to her, this was edging into a friendlier territory than simply peers working together.

Her words made him turn to look at her. She wasn't looking at him anymore. Instead, her gaze turned toward the horizon, eyes half-lidded almost sleepily. Still, a smile tilted at her lips. Maktov stared at her, trying to discern if she was truly interested in returning here with him or simply being polite.

It had to be the latter, surely. Maktov's heart hitched a little as even his logical side bristled. Was she just "being polite" when she grabbed his arm in the market or when she bought a book to learn about his people? Had she just been humoring his questions about her fears at the diner?

No, she was comfortable with him in a way he wasn't familiar with. He'd kept others at an arm's length, easily, for a long time. Too many friendships, too many relationships, ended with pain when he first ventured out from under the mountain. It had been safer to be distant and, eventually, it became a comfortable norm. Occasionally, he'd wonder if he should get a social life; go to a club, put himself out there, find something to bond with others.

And he never had. No time, no energy, no desire to. Or so he convinced himself.

Then he ended up in this art class with this lady that always stared at him. But it was easy to ignore her and, in a way, it was nice to know one person paid attention when he spoke in class. When they'd been put into the same group, his stomach lurched. Maybe part of him was overly-prepared to find out her reasons for staring caused him pain.

"We should probably get back to my place," Thalia interrupted his thoughts as she shifted from her spot on the sand, placing the book in her bag. "I like to be home when Taryn gets off of school."

He made a non-committal sound, holding out his hand out to her, wordlessly offering to help her to her feet. A quick smile of appreciation from her and her hand clasping his sent a tingle through his body. Without much thought, Maktov heard himself asking, "Want to know something, Thalia?"

"What?"

She gasped as Maktov hauled her easily to her feet, then crushed her against him. One hand clasped to the back of her neck, the other to the small of her back. Her hands braced against his chest and she thought she could feel his heart fluttering erratically under her palm. Maktov bent close, lips grazing her ear and his shadow aura brushed against her cheek, soft like down. Her eyes clenched shut, her own heart shuddering as the heat of his body and the barely there caress of his aura.

"You're making me want to show you what's beneath my shadows," he spoke, low and breathless, as if it was a struggle to say those words. The words became more difficult as he realized she didn't push away and merely remained still against him, her hands creating a burning sensation at his chest. "And, honestly, that terrifies me."

Thalia didn't have time to think before Maktov released her. He began walking away, quickly, hands in his pockets and shoulders hunched. She blinked, suddenly feeling very warm and slightly disoriented. Taking off after him, Thalia slowly considered what his words meant.

It sounded like a confession, but she couldn't decide what kind. Chewing on her bottom lip, she glanced up at his dark form. Under the sun, his shadows pulled tight to his body. Not for the first time, she wondered about his corporeal body beneath the sheet of dark.

Judging from his sudden silence, and refusal to look her way, Thalia decided not to push the topic. He'd sounded vulnerable and she knew how raw that could leave a person. Before stepping off the beach, Thalia threw one look to the waterscape. A smile curled at the corners of her lips, considering what it did look like in the dark, before turning to follow Maktov.

---

When they finally returned to Thalia's house, Taryn had seated themselves at the table. A cloud of seriousness hung about them as they cocked an eyebrow and asked, as soon as the door opened, "And where have you been little lady? Out with a boy?"

"Oh, however did you know that, child of mine?" Thalia retorted, an amused smile on her lips as she placed her books on the dining room able. Behind her, Maktov shuffled in, shoulders not quite as hunched as when he left the beach. The heat that had seared up his body had died down during the drive.

"I saw Mr. Toothy's stuff." Taryn nodded to the abandoned laptop and screen tablet. "So, when'd he get here?"

"I had computer troubles after you left," explained Thalia, already feeling a flush burn at her ears as Taryn cocked an eyebrow. "I texted him and, since it was his day off, he came to help me."

Taryn was all skeptical eyebrows and smirks. "And that help included going out shopping?"

Maktov turned to his equipment. He didn't need to participate in this conversation between mother and child. As he pulled out his laptop and tablet, he noticed something missing. "Shit,"

"What?" Both Taryn and Thalia turned to him, their playful conversation interrupted by his curse.

"I forgot the HDMI cable for my tablet." Maktov ran a hand through his hair, sighing heavily. Though he felt fine earlier, now the day's events came back to sap him of energy. "I'll head back to my place to get it, so we can get started."

"Oh, you're staying?"

"I thought we were going to work on the project." Maktov shifted, suddenly feeling like a presumptive ass. They'd already spent most of the day together. Besides, Thalia had responsibilities as a mother, didn't she? He was probably in the way. But, they still needed to work on the project. "Am I mistaken?"

"Oh, no, that's fine!" Thalia laughed awkwardly, fiddling with her hair. Behind her, Taryn rolled their eyes. "I just thought you'd want a break from me."

Relieved, Maktov shrugged his shoulders. "We have to make up for lost time, don't we?"

"Yes," Thalia gave him a look, as if there was a level of innuendo to her words. "I suppose you're right."

Within moments, Maktov made his way back outside again. He took a deep breath as a flurry of thoughts swarmed him. Now that he was away from Thalia, he could feel his body heat cool. While he sought a suitable shade to shadow walk through, he turned over the situation and his recent actions in his head.

---

It had been about twenty minutes since Maktov left. Thalia had muddled about in the kitchen, considering what they had for dinner. She pored over potential ingredients, trying to factor in how much Maktov might eat. It wasn't even five, yet, so there was still time to decide. Hopefully, he'd come back soon, so she could ask what he'd like. It wouldn't hurt to have some ideas, though.

"So, are you and Mr. Toothy dating?"

Taryn's voice behind Thalia made her jump, making her crack her head on the refrigerator roof. Ruefully rubbing at the point of impact, Thalia pulled out of the fridge and closed the door. "What makes you say that?"

Turning to address her child, Thalia cocked her head to the side. Taryn stood a few feet away in the small kitchen, hip leaned against a cabinet. Arms crossed and a slight crease between their brows, she wondered if Taryn had concerns.

"I don't know. You seem to like him." They shrugged, trying a little too hard to give off a nonchalant air. "And you two hung out today. Alone."

"We were alone last time, too." Thalia smiled, stepping closer to Taryn. "You went to see a movie, remember?"

"Yeah, but you two were much more..." Taryn waved a hand, searching for the right word, "Snipey with each other."

That was true. They were a bit antagonistic with each other. Teenagers could have gone either way, though. Either they held lifelong grudges or the transgression was forgiven in a few days. Of course, Taryn wouldn't see it like that. "We got off to a rough start. It happens."

Judging from Taryn's frown, there was a level of uncertainty in their thoughts. They worried at the inside of their cheek, eyes shifting away in thought.

Coming up to Taryn, Thalia put her hands on their shoulders and gently asked, "Is something wrong?"

Their shoulders and face scrunched, unable to look at their mom. A flush of embarrassment colored their cheeks as they stumbled over their words. "I want you to be happy and get out more, but you're my mom and..."

"And thinking of me dating someone upsets you?" Thalia grinned. It had been just the two of them for a long time, so Taryn's possessiveness seemed on point. It was certainly a bit of relief, after having them nearly push her out the door for her first day of college classes.

"Upset might be too strong a word," returned Taryn, sticking their tongue out.

Shaking her head, Thalia patted Taryn's shoulders, before stepping away. She moved toward a cabinet, taking inventory on their pasta ingredients. "I don't think you have anything to worry about, between Maktov and I."

She did her best to keep a tinge of sadness from her voice. Inside, unhappiness still clenched at her stomach with a slimy chill.

No matter how good she was at hiding her feelings, Taryn still perked in curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"We have a project to do together. That's it." A neutral laugh fell from her lips. She dallied at the cabinet longer than necessary, unable to face Taryn. "I don't know if he'll still want to hang out after we get our grade."

He might just be making the best of a tedious situation. That's what being an adult meant, sometimes. Power through, until the end, then return to your normalcy. It was depressing, but that's what Thalia was used to. There was no point in thinking they were anything more than temporary acquaintances. No matter how much they might've opened up today.

The doorbell ringing cut through her internal nihilism. Thalia closed the cabinet, heading for the door as she said aloud, "He must be back."

When Thalia opened the door and laid eyes on Maktov, her heart jumped to her throat.

The shadows crackled around him. Dark wisps whipped into a frenzy, terrified and erratic. It wasn't the unusual appearance of the aura, though, that made Thalia gasp.

It was the blood.