by Meg Ripley
“Just because you and Holden found each other doesn’t mean you need to go around setting everyone else up,” Summer replied, grabbing a stick of celery from a tray. “I can’t imagine anyone in this town wanting to be with me anyway. They all know I’m a witch. That means the men either think I dance naked in the moonlight and they’re disappointed when I don’t, or they’re terrified of me.”
“Then this is the perfect opportunity for them to start getting to know the real you a little better,” Leah pointed out. She snagged a napkin from a nearby stack and wiped the corner of her mouth. “The SBA gets together all the time for meetings and incubators, but this picnic is a completely different environment. Besides, Autumn isn’t here to run the show.”
“I’ll tell her you said that,” Summer warned with a smile.
“Go ahead. If there’s anything Autumn wouldn’t take as an insult, it’s being called bossy.”
“Yes, but even she hasn’t harassed me into dating recently.” Summer remembered when the three of them were in college, and how they were constantly on the lookout for a date every weekend. She’d had her share, but she’d found that none of them shared the sense of the world that she did. Summer was a free spirit, and she wasn’t caught up in the hubbub of modern life like everyone else was. Besides, she was much happier just being herself than worrying about making someone else happy. It was going to take a very special man to not only make her interested, but to be interested in her.
“Then at least come and meet the new owners of the print shop. I’ve used them a couple of times for my business cards and flyers, and they didn’t run for the back room when they saw what I do for a living. They’re an older couple, so you don’t have to worry about me setting you up with anyone, but they might at least turn into friends.”
“That sounds like something I can handle.” Summer grabbed another celery stick and followed her friend across the crowded turf.
3
From the moment he and Holden pulled up next to the park, Xander’s body began acting up. His skin itched so badly on its underside that he wished he could scratch it off, and his chest was tight. He loosened his tie as he unbuckled his seatbelt.
“You okay?” Holden asked, studying him with one eyebrow raised. “You look like you’re choking on air.”
“And I feel like it.” Xander tried to reach around behind him to his shoulder blades, which were burning with the need to release his wings. While it had often felt restrictive to be in his human form, it had never quite felt like this. “What the hell is wrong with me?”
Holden was grinning from the driver’s seat. “I have an idea.”
Xander started to ask him what he meant, but he suddenly understood. He and Holden had talked about the way Holden’s body had reacted when he’d met Leah, and Xander had taken extensive mental notes. He had wanted to know exactly what symptoms to look for when he met the right woman. Hope surged in him, but it was quickly squashed by skepticism. “It might not be that.”
“I’m surprised to see someone like you in denial,” Holden said. “I think you’ve been more determined than any of us to find your mate. We already know from my experience what happens to us when we’re around the right woman.”
“Yeah, but it could be anything. Maybe it’s a virus or something.” The world outside the window spun around Xander, and he closed his eyes to regain his composure. “Okay, maybe not. I’ve got to get out of this car, or I’m going to shift and tear the roof off it.”
“Hey.” Holden clamped his hand around Xander’s arm and looked him in the eye. “Keep yourself together. I know it’s going to be difficult, but if you come into this park looking like a dragon, you’ll have people running for the hills. And judging by the scales around your eyes right now, I’d say that would include your mate, too.”
Xander slapped down the sunshade and looked at himself in the mirror. Sure enough, tiny copper scales had emerged on and around his eyelids. He blinked and rubbed at his skin, but he knew none of that would get them to go away. Instead, he took a deep breath and tried to calm the inner beast that was fighting so hard to get out. “Just tell me that it gets easier.”
Holden gave him a sardonic smile. “It does. Eventually. Come on, let’s go.”
The two men got out of the car, grabbed the food dishes from the trunk, and headed across the street for the park. Xander found himself staring at every woman he laid his eyes on, wondering if she was the one. Most of them didn’t seem to notice him, but he knew that didn’t mean anything. He felt the reptile inside him, surging and writhing, and that would be the tell-tale sign. It wasn’t easy to control it, and it was ironic that he couldn’t simply shift and let nature take over, but he had to do his best.
“I just thought of something,” he whispered to Holden as they passed two couples chatting. “What if the woman who’s supposed to be my mate is already married to someone else?”
Holden tipped his head, thinking. “Why would you say that?”
“Well, we know that humans don’t have the same kind of instincts that we do. They often marry for money or convenience, even when they think they’re marrying for love. And sometimes when it is love, it still doesn’t work out. So, who’s to say that the woman I’m meant to be with isn’t already with another man?” He gaged himself carefully as a couple passed them, hoping he wouldn’t feel the need to rip the woman out of her husband’s arms and fly off with her. She gave him no more of a reaction than anyone else did, and he let out a sigh of relief.
“I guess it’s entirely possible,” Holden agreed after a long moment. “Leah was married before. I’ve talked to her about it now and then, when she was in the mood to discuss it. But she was divorced before I met her, so we didn’t have to worry about that. Maybe you won’t, either. Maybe whatever fates are on this planet won’t be so cruel.”
“I hope you’re right.” Xander didn’t like the way this whole process was making him feel. He was usually very confident and calm, but he had a deep sense of being unsettled, like someone had shoved his heart to the wrong side of his body.
“If I’m not, then we’ll deal with it. We’ve come a long way from home, and I’d like to think we’ve done alright when it comes to the children. We can handle something as simple as a marriage contract.”
“Aren’t you Holden? Leah’s boyfriend?” A woman with short black hair stepped in front of them and held out her hand. “Do you remember me? I did the catering at the reopening of Leah’s shop last month.”
“Yes, of course. Lynn, right?” Holden shook her outstretched hand. “This is my friend, Xander.”
Lynn had milky-white skin that shone brightly in the sunlight. Her eyes were tipped up at the corners, giving her an exotic look. She eagerly reached out to shake Xander’s hand. “How very nice to meet you, Xander. I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”
Before he said anything, Xander took careful stock of himself. He still had that same stinging feeling under his skin as his scales threatened to pop out, but he was in control. This woman was beautiful, but she wasn’t the one he was looking for. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“You as well.” Lynn tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and didn’t hide the fact that she was looking him up and down. “What do you do for a living?”
Xander had never really had trouble talking to humans before. He had been fascinated by them from the moment he and his fellow shifters had arrived on Earth, and he had been eager to get to know them as much as possible. But the subject of what one did for a living seemed to come up far too often, and he had now recited his fake credentials so many times, he was starting to believe them. “I’m an anthropologist.”
“Oh, that sounds fancy.” Lynn’s eyes flashed, looking impressed. She still hadn’t let go of his hand. “What would a man like you be doing at an SBA picnic?”
Grinning, Xander replied, “Why, studying humans, of course.” He knew that Lynn wouldn’t get the joke, but he still appreciated it.
>
“Well, you can study me any time you want to,” she said, removing a business card from her pocket and slipping it into his hand. “I’ve got to go, but I’ll be around.”
“I take it she wasn’t the one,” Holden said quietly once Lynn was out of earshot.
“Nope.” Xander casually flicked the business card into a nearby trash can. “Not at all.”
“Nice one on the job, by the way. I’ve started telling everyone I’m a research analyst. Turns out most people don’t really know what that entails, so they just nod blankly accept it. It’s a much better explanation than telling them about living off the sacks of gold we brought here from Charok.”
Xander had to laugh at that, even though the reaction sent one of his claws shooting out the tip of his finger. He stuffed his hand in his pocket while he got it under control again. “She must be getting closer.” He could no longer deny the excitement that was building inside him. They had been on this world for a few years now, and he was finally going to meet the woman he was supposed to be with.
“Look, there’s Leah.”
The dark-haired woman waved from across the grass. She had another woman at her side, and the two of them were heading toward the pavilion. Xander had come to know Leah a little bit since she had become a part of the dragons’ lives, but he didn’t recognize her friend.
“There you are,” Leah said as she stepped into the shade. She wrapped her arms around Holden’s waist and pressed her lips to his. “You’ve just missed meeting David and Lisa Rochester who run the print shop. They’re great people, and they’ve invited us to dinner.”
Holden looked slightly uncomfortable, but he nodded and smiled. “That sounds very nice.”
But Xander’s attention wasn’t on the couple. He stood just on the other side of a picnic table from Leah’s friend, and he couldn’t stop looking at her. Blonde waves fell around her shoulders, picking up elements of the sunshine and reflecting them back in colors of blue, gold, and purple. Even once she stepped into the shade, she seemed to shimmer with light. The rest of the world had completely fallen away, relegated to blurs and shadows. Her eyes came up to meet his, catlike, green, and entrancing.
“Oh, how rude of me!” Leah said. Her voice seemed too loud, breaking into the vibrations that were bouncing back and forth between Xander and the blonde woman. “I almost forgot to introduce you two. Summer, this is Xander. He’s one of Holden’s friends. Xander, this is Summer. She and her sister run The Enchanted Elm, and we’ve been friends since college.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Summer said, her pink lips parting into a luscious smile.
“It’s nice to meet you, too.” Xander extended his hand to shake hers, knowing just how dangerous it was. The two versions of himself jolted against each other, each fighting for space on this planet. He blinked to clear his vision, but it wasn’t working. He had little doubt this was the woman who had triggered his reaction from the moment they had arrived, and there was no telling what might happen if he actually touched her, but he couldn’t help himself. He was vaguely aware of Holden and Leah watching them, but he didn’t care. Let the whole world watch if it meant he would finally get to know who he was meant to be with.
Electricity zapped through his fingertips and palms as she took his hand, but not the kind of impulse that made one jump back and shake out the pain. It was pleasant, intriguing, and erotic as it shot bolts throughout his body. His tongue ran over the backs of his teeth, expecting them to turn sharp and dangerous at any time, and he almost wanted them to. Xander wanted to give in to the dragon side of himself that he had worked so hard to suppress, letting his wings out for everyone at the picnic to see. She had set him on fire, the flames inextinguishable. He was meant to be with her, and he would be. Whatever he had to do, he would do it. Summer was his.
On the outside, he did his best to keep his calm. He clamped his teeth together and curled his toes inside his shoes, every muscle in his body tensing as it fought the battle between reptilian and humanoid. He didn’t want to let go of her hand, but it he knew it was the polite thing to do. “I’m afraid I haven’t been to The Enchanted Elm before. What do you do there?”
“We’re a new age shop,” she explained, her smile widening slightly. There was something alluring even about the curve of her cheek and the tiny mole along her jawline. “We sell everything from incense and oils to customized talismans.”
“How very interesting.” Xander was aware of how dry and aloof he sounded, but there wasn’t any other way for him to be in that moment. It was either that or do exactly what he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to avoid, which was to shift, grab Summer, and swoop off with her to claim her as his.
“You don’t have to say that for my sake,” Summer replied. “Most people in town think we’re trouble, but they secretly come to us when their spouses and friends aren’t looking.” She giggled to herself, a pleasant sound that made his wings poke at his shoulder blades.
“Let’s go find a place to sit down and eat,” Leah said, gathering up a stack of paper plates and handing them each one. “All the good shady spots are going to be taken, otherwise.”
Xander did as he was told, serving himself random bits of food without paying any attention to what he was putting on his plate. It no longer mattered that he ate, but he knew it was a good thing that he would be eating alongside Summer. The human bonding rituals he had read about heavily emphasized eating together, putting it right up on the list with going through a traumatic experience. He didn’t want their lunch to be traumatic, though, and he did his best not to sit too close to her on the blanket Leah spread over the grass.
The foursome tucked into their meal, with Leah and Holden giving occasional comments on the weather and the food. “Sue Reynolds brought the fried chicken again this year,” Leah said, a drumstick in hand. “She always does an amazing job with it.”
A group of young women in suits walked by, dressed inappropriately for a day in the park. One of them slowed as she glared at Summer. “I thought witches only came out at night,” she said sharply.
Summer gave her a dazzling smile. “Sorry to disappoint you.”
“You might as well tell me what dish you brought so I can be sure not to eat it. I’m allergic to eye of newt.” The woman put a manicured hand on her hip and looked down her nose at Summer.
Though he didn’t quite understand all the references, Xander easily recognized what was going on. He stood up, leaving his plate on the blanket, and stepped around so that he was between the hateful woman and Summer. “I think it’s time you moved along and found something better to do.”
“Oooh, looks like she’s bewitched a man to take care of things for her,” the woman replied, holding up her fingers and wiggling them in the air as though casting a spell. “Guess we’d better get going before she raises some zombies from the dead and sends them after us.” She and the other women left, laughing loudly, and headed off to presumably harass someone else.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Summer said as he had a seat. Her face was turned down toward her food as she poked at her coleslaw with a fork.
“I don’t mind.” And he didn’t. Granted, they weren’t causing Summer any bodily harm, but he still couldn’t stand the way they talked to her. “What’s their problem, anyway?” He could see no reason for them to try to tear her down like that.
She shrugged. “It’s the same as anyone else. They don’t like me because I’m a witch. I’m used to it.”
Xander bit his tongue against explaining that on his world, anyone who was capable of sorcery was highly revered. He didn’t know how much of the truth about the dragons’ past Holden had revealed to Leah, or in turn, how much she might have revealed to Summer. “They’re grown women, and I take it their presence here means they’re business owners. You would think they would be more mature than that.”
“People rarely fall into the predefined categories that society has set for them.” Summer was looking at him now, a sp
ark of something almost like anger in her eyes. “You can’t really expect them to do what they’re supposed to.”
“I can expect them to at least be respectful of others,” Xander countered. He had been so sure of what he was doing when he had intervened, but Summer’s reaction was suddenly making him feel less certain.
“But you can’t enforce it. People are weird creatures. Now that Joanna thinks I’m bothered by her little antics, she’ll probably start ranting about me on her blog again. I don’t really care what anyone says about me, but she has the power to hurt my reputation and my business in this town.”
Xander felt anger welling up inside his chest, but he wasn’t sure why. It might have been anger at this Joanna woman for doing whatever it was she had done to Summer in the past, or it might have been as simple as his animalistic urge to protect her. Then again, it was equally likely to be frustration at the effort of carrying on an intelligent conversation while retaining his human form. “Clearly, I’m missing part of the puzzle.”
“Joanna Cox works for the paper,” Leah explained. “As a journalist, she can’t just come right out and say what she thinks about Summer and her sister without good reason, but she can say whatever the hell she wants to on her personal blog. A lot of people in town follow her, so it’s best to stay on her good side.”
“That’s no reason to cower down to her,” Xander said, disturbed at the news that someone could control the citizens with her threats. “Maybe if people start standing up to her, she’ll back down.”
“Autumn already tried that.” Summer looked sad now, the corners of her mouth turned down. It pulled at Xander’s heart to see her that way, and it only made him all the more eager to find this woman again and give her a piece of his mind. “You haven’t met my twin sister, but she’s not the kind to back down from a fight. When Joanna started spreading lies about us on her blog, Autumn went after her. Unfortunately, people were more inclined to believe a journalist they trusted instead of a witch. We almost had to close the store. Finally, once Autumn backed off, so did Joanna.”
