Magic, New Mexico: A Touch of Harmony (Kindle Worlds Novella)

by Evelyn Lederman

  “Would you like a beer now?” Chase asked her.

  Harmony looked questioning at the green colored glass bottle he handed her. “I have never had beer before.”

  “Try it,” Chase said. “If you don’t like it, we’ll give you something else to drink.”

  Chase grabbed the bottle opener and removed the cap. Harmony watched his every move. After he handed her the open bottle, Harmony sniffed the contents. Her head immediately jerked back in reaction. She then gave him a questioning look.

  Not altogether sure if she was reacting to the smell or the carbonation, Chase struggled to justify an explanation for what she may have experienced. “It tastes better than it smells and it’s quite refreshing. You may not be used to the carbonation that creates those bubbles.”

  She gave him a skeptical look. “It’s my experience that food or beverages that smell badly, taste worse.”

  Harmony took a tentative sip. Her nose wiggled at the impact of the carbonation. The fact she had not spit the beer in his face was a good sign. She then took a healthy gulp of the beer.

  “It’s interesting,” Harmony commented. “I assume it contains alcohol.”

  “Yup.” Chase took a healthy drag from his own bottle. “One beer on an empty stomach shouldn’t be a problem. We’ll eat as soon as the others get here.”

  He had no idea how a half-Glacierian and half-Titian metabolized alcohol. One beer could knock her out or have no impact on her entirely. If he was lucky, the beer would relax her, making first contact with Danyal go smoothly.

  Numerous voices were now audible from the living room, including the low timbre of two male voices. The hour of reckoning was upon them.

  “Take a large swig,” Chase said. “You are about to meet your boss and Danyal.” He didn’t feel it necessary to address his friend as a jaguar shifter. Harmony was fully aware of that fact.

  Chase offered his hand and Harmony readily accepted it. There was a slight tremor visible when she moved her hand. If she viewed him as a safety zone now, all the better.

  His eyes were glued to Harmony’s face as they entered the living room. Her glance first went to Dreyden and then to the tall black man next to Pati. He spared a glance at the jaguar shifter, humor depicted in his green eyes.

  “How are you doing, dog?” Danyal playfully asked.

  Pati immediately gave her mate a jab in the ribs. Danyal sent his mate a questioning look. Pati must not have done an adequate job of describing the situation to the jaguar shifter.

  Harmony didn’t react to the short interchange. Her attention was still locked on Danyal. Her grasp on his hand tightened.

  “This is my husband Danyal, Harmony,” Pati said in a smooth, melodic voice. “He comes from a parallel dimension. Members of his pride came to Earth centuries ago. They have been united here in peace. The shifters have been members of our community and many of them work in our mercantile store.”

  “Hello, Harmony,” Danyal purred. His friend didn’t extend his hand or make any other movement. “I promise not to shift into my animal form.”

  Harmony bit her lower lip. “Maybe if I saw your jaguar, I would be less worried.”

  “Do you fear me?” Pati asked. “I am one-quarter jaguar and can shift as well.”

  Harmony turned her head toward Pati in surprise. That tidbit of information had not been shared earlier because they had focused on saving the teenagers. Pati primarily considered herself a witch and had only recently been able to shift.

  “I would like to meet your cat, Pati,” Harmony said, fear causing her voice to quake. It was a courageous request.

  “I’ll be back in a second,” Pati said. “I have to get naked before I call upon the magic of my ancestors. This is my favorite shirt and I don’t want it ruined.”

  After Pati left the room, Dreyden came forward. He had yet to greet his employee. Dreyden removed his sunglasses that hid his glowing, light blue eyes. The corners of Harmony’s lips curved in the beginning of a smile. Her boss’s eyes must have reminded her of home.

  “Welcome to Earth, Space Ranger Neutron.” Dreyden leaned over and removed Harmony’s weapon from her holster. “We do not want you killing my Chosen One’s best friend. I will return your blaster after our guests have left.”

  Pati’s jaguar slowly entered the living room. She had been his best friend since high school. In those days, she had been ridiculed by the other jaguars because she could not shift. Chase still couldn’t believe how beautiful she was in her cat form.

  “May I pet your mate, Danyal?” Chase knew better than to approach Pati without her mate’s permission. Danyal was still working through his former world’s prejudices toward wolves.

  Danyal nodded his consent and Chase gently released Harmony’s hand. As Chase approached Pati, he continued to gauge Harmony’s breathing. She seemed to be doing all right. Pati fell onto her stomach when Chase was near, preparing to be petted.

  Chase ran his hand along Pati’s coat, stroking from her head down her back. The jaguar purred in response to his touch. He spared a glance toward Danyal to make sure he hadn’t stepped over any boundaries. He then shifted his gaze to where Harmony stood. Chase was surprised when she knelt by his side.

  “She is beautiful. May I pet her?” Harmony asked Danyal.

  At this point, Pati was resting her head on her front paws. Her claws were not visible. Never taking his eyes off Harmony, Chase heard Danyal give his permission.

  Harmony’s shaking hand slowly descended toward Pati’s powerful shoulders. Her beautiful hand ran down Pati’s soft coat while Chase’s hand remained close to hers. She smiled in reaction to the vibrations caused by the cat’s purring.

  A large black masculine hand came down upon Pati’s head. “Harmony, you have nothing to fear from shifters, witches, werewolves, or any creature living in Magic, New Mexico,” Danyal assured her. “The aliens you track and capture are more of a risk to you than we are. We run at dawn each morning through the desert in both our human and animal forms. You are welcome to join us. Our cats enjoy running in open spaces.”

  “How have you not been discovered?” Harmony inquired. “I understand there are tourists in town.”

  “There is a magical shield that protects us, as well as our spaceport,” Dreyden informed her. “We appear human to the tourists and the port appears to be a construction area. The spell extends into the desert where the jaguars and I run. Fortunately, your eyes do not shimmer like Frost and my eyes do, requiring we wear sunglasses.”

  Chase watched as Harmony’s hand inched toward Pati’s head. When it finally descended between the jaguar’s ears, they both sighed in relief. Now, they just had to introduce her to his wolf.

  Chapter 6

  Her wristband beeped, waking her from a deep sleep. Between the beer and the delicious pizza she consumed last night, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

  The reoccurring dream related to the ice weasel’s attack didn’t manifest itself last night. After meeting Pati’s jaguar, she was convinced she’d have a difficult night. The exact opposite was true. Harmony couldn’t remember having a better night’s sleep. What dreams she had were related to Chase and sexual in content. A slight smile crossed her face when she remembered a specific part of the dream.

  She turned to the window to see that the sun had not risen. Harmony couldn’t believe she agreed to run with the jaguars this morning. It must have been the alcohol in the beer that made her so daring. Now, she had to live with her careless decision. In addition, she was disappointed the subject of her dreams was not going to join them.

  “He likes to sleep in,” Pati explained Chase’s refusal.

  An instant pang of jealousy stabbed her knowing Pati possessed knowledge about the man she was so attracted to. Seeing no signs from Danyal all evening related to his own jealousy caused her to dismiss her initial reaction. She didn’t possess a close relationship with anyone, with the exception of maybe Flautron.

  It was part of
her routine to exercise every morning, unless she was on a hunt for a criminal. Space stations were well equipped with gyms and running tracks. Being unfamiliar with the area, running with acquaintances made sense, even if they were animal shifters. Who better to protect her against any indigenous wildlife in the desert?

  Spring in the desert resulted in cold nights, so Harmony put on her ranger uniform. Before she left her ship, all insignia was removed from the outfit. Although she could regulate her internal temperature, she didn’t want to stand out by being inappropriately clothed. After she was dressed, she quietly left the house. Being a guest, the last thing she wanted was to wake her hosts.

  Harmony walked the four blocks to meet the others. Magic was built on a grid, so she had no problems locating Pati and Danyal’s store. After all, she navigated galaxies. She headed for the back entrance as she was instructed to do last night.

  Pati exited the building dressed in leggings and a jacket. She was followed by eight jaguars. For an instant, Harmony’s heart raced and she reached for her weapon, but did not remove it from its holster. Pati’s smile and the cats not breaking formation caused her to relax a bit.

  “Oh, my God!” Pati reacted to something behind Harmony.

  In a panic, Harmony turned to see what had startled her new friend, this time she drew her weapon. There was Chase dressed for running and his eyes were glued to her blaster. Embarrassed, Harmony put away her gun and couldn’t stop the blush reddening her cheeks. A warm sensation flowed through her body in reaction to seeing Chase.

  “Don’t get all excited,” Chase growled. “I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to join you.”

  “Since you’re here, I’m going to let my jaguar run free,” Pati informed the group. “Start without us. Danyal and I will catch up.”

  Pati went back into the house and the jaguar in front of the other cats pulled back. The large cat must be Danyal, planning to wait for Pati. Harmony noted the shifter purposely went to his left to prevent crossing directly in front of her.

  The jaguars took off running. They were beautiful in motion. She had not expected such a large animal to be so graceful.

  Harmony and Chase jogged after them, slowly increasing their pace. She was not sure how fast humans could run, but Chase’s speed and agility surprised her. Increasing her pace, Chase matched her speed.

  “Are all humans as fast as you are?” Harmony projected her voice to her right, where Chase was several steps ahead of her.

  Chase took his time answering her. She noticed he had problems swallowing when she was running even with him. His reluctance to answer her was concerning. Harmony grabbed his arm and stopped running.

  He came to an abrupt halt and stood mute before her. It appeared he was just about to answer her question when he grabbed her shoulders and adhered his lips to hers.

  Her question was all but forgotten as sensations caused by the kiss swept through her body. She readily opened her mouth for his tongue’s welcome invasion. She grabbed ahold of his arms, afraid her legs would no longer bear her weight.

  What was happening to her? It was not as if she hadn’t been kissed before. But no kiss ever impacted her the way Chase’s did.

  Her hands caressed his hard muscles through the thick material covering his arms. She longed to touch his naked flesh, craving the heat it produced. With an unexplainable urgency, Harmony lifted his shirt and pulled at the second layer of clothing tucked into his pants.

  When her fingertips finally touched skin, it was burning hot. Her digits dug into his flesh, wanting more of the heat it produced. A groan came from Chase and he pulled her closer to his body.

  As suddenly as the kiss started, it ended. Their breathing had become erratic and it had nothing to do with the short run. Harmony cried out at the loss of the contact.

  “I am not unlike Danyal,” Chase said between breaths. “But I cannot shift at will into my wolf as Danyal can his cat.”

  “Dog…werewolf,” Harmony muttered. Bits of conversations played in her mind. She had heard what was said, but had not processed the meaning until now.

  “Yes,” Chase replied. “I am faster than a human due to my preternatural speed. The passion you just experienced is due to both the man and the wolf contained within me.”

  Harmony was still dealing with what Chase shared when two jaguars approached. The larger of the two roared, drawing her back into Chase’s arms. It was an immediate reaction to the enormous cats. She felt safe with Chase, regardless of what he told her.

  “It’s only Danyal inquiring if anything is wrong,” Chase said. He rubbed her back trying to calm her.

  “You understand him?” Harmony whispered in his ear.

  Being this close to him, she could not help taking in his scent. He smelled fresh. She liked the aroma of whatever soap and shampoo he used this morning. There was a tinge of menthol that caused her nose to burn slightly. It was not an unpleasant experience.

  “No,” Chase replied, “I inferred what he communicated. Although he has a telepathic channel to his pride members and a private link with Pati, I cannot communicate with his cat.”

  There was so much to learn about her temporary home. She had never encountered such creatures before. Her instincts told her there was nothing to fear, but her subconscious continued to push doubts forward.

  Harmony reminded herself about her experience of being changed into a bird. Her consciousness was with her the whole time. Although it was magic, she had to believe Pati and Danyal were still present when they were in their jaguar forms. Neither had made any aggressive moves toward her. Perhaps there was nothing to fear from the wolf within Chase, as well.

  “We should rejoin the run.” Harmony took off running knowing Chase would follow.

  She didn’t comment on Chase’s earlier words. Now wasn’t the time to discuss what he was or come to grips with her attraction to him. There was nothing ordinary about the passion she continued to experience when they kissed. Was it the man or the beast within who caused her unprecedented reaction to him?

  ***

  Chase concentrated on running, not his reaction to Harmony or her passionate response to physical contact with him. It was a good sign she didn’t start running in the opposite direction when he told her about his wolf. He half expected he’d be forced to run after her.

  His wolf made him feel unusually anxious. The beast within recognized his mate during their first kiss. Somehow, Chase had been able to control the wolf’s desire to claim her on the dry desert ground. The more time he spent with Harmony, the harder it became not to consummate their destiny together.

  Harmony now ran between two smaller cats. She must have realized they were the only females present among the runners. The Titian part of her allowed her to keep pace with the shifters. Chase ran at the back of the pride, while their alpha led them through the desert.

  The sun was rising, but Chase didn’t lift his eyes from Harmony’s back to enjoy the beautiful sky. Nothing could be more wondrous than the sight of her body in motion. She was as graceful as the cats.

  They ran for another half hour before the cats stopped and sniffed the ground. Chase picked up the scent as well. The smell of diesel fuel permeated the air. It had been hours, but still evident using their superior sense of smell.

  Danyal shifted into his human form. Harmony immediately turned toward him, away from the naked man. Shifters felt comfortable in their natural state, it obviously made Harmony uncomfortable.

  “Return to town, Chase,” Danyal ordered. “We will follow the trail. A large conveyance should not be out here. Alert Sheriff Theo.”

  Immediately after finishing giving him orders, Danyal shifted back into his cat and led the jaguars off to follow the scent. Chase didn’t take offense to Danyal giving him orders. It made sense for him to return to town and the others to follow the alpha they shared a telepathic link with. Harmony stayed behind.

  “What has happened?” Harmony asked in confusion.

  “I don’t
know.” Chase ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “We destroyed a rogue government base not far from here. It could be a large truck carrying off-road vehicles, planning on enjoying some recreational endeavors in the desert. But we should head back to town and let the sheriff know.”

  Harmony surveyed her surroundings. Chase could almost hear her mind struggling with what to do next. Even though he knew he should head for town, he would follow Harmony in whatever she decided to do. There was no way in hell he was going to let her go off on her own.

  “There is more at risk than just Magic,” Harmony finally shared with him. “I have our spaceport to consider. Earthlings outside your little town cannot know about its existence.”

  She raised her wrist to her luscious mouth. “Dreyden, Danyal has picked up the scent of a large conveyance in the desert. The cats are following the scent to investigate who left the tracks. Chase and I will follow and provide backup if needed. Message over.”

  “Message received.” Chase could hear Dreyden’s reply from where he stood. The little communication device had better speakers than Chase’s smart phone. “Do not engage in laser fire unless lives are at risk. I will advise Frost, the sheriff, and Topper. Message over.”

  “Who is Topper?” Harmony asked.

  “One of the most powerful witches in town,” Chase informed her. He didn’t mention Topper’s prediction that he wouldn’t be alone much longer. The old witch had an uncanny ability of knowing things before they occurred. “The witches will reinforce the spell shielding the town and the spaceport. They will arrive on their broomsticks if more assistance is required.”

  “Will the sheriff arrive in the same manner?”

  “No, he has his own means of transportation.” Chase decided to leave his explanation short and sweet. If Theo was going to join them, only then would he explain to Harmony what a dragon was. With her phobia related to animals, the last thing he wanted was to give her relevant information before it was absolutely necessary. The first time he saw Theo’s dragon, he nearly wet his pants. No sense having her freak out now.