Chapter 414 – Not Yet

• “No, Jesse!” Midnight laughs, stumbling forward outside of her yurt and grabbing his shadow panther right out of the air, making it dissolve away to smoke and reeling it into herself. Jesse gasps as he loses control of it, letting it pass into Midnight’s capable hands. “Why do you keep making animal shapes? You don’t need to – that’s a crutch. It’s just a shadow – the edges are the only things that matter. The edges are the only things that exist.”
• Jesse scowls and frowns at his little mate as she very capably releases shadows from her own skin, sending them out in all directions, formless and yet powerful. “Well why can’t I make animal shapes?” he asks, crossing his arms. “If it helps me? And I like it? And it’s cool?”
• “Because then you’re limiting them, mentally,” Midnight says, tapping her temple as she sends the shadows streaking for him. Everywhere they touch Jesse the shadows buzz dangerously and he shudders, realizing that Midnight is of course obliging the shadows to go easy on him. Should she wish it, they could cut or burn or slice.