by Celeste Raye
“Yeah, it's just me.”
“You look like you came from nowhere. I don't see any boxes with your things.”
“Yeah, I have some belongings coming in a moving truck. It might be a little while until I get my stuff. I don't mind it though. This is kind of relaxing, without having all the clutter around. The last place that I lived in had a lot of people and a lot of stuff. I think I rather like it this way.”
Every answer that he had for her just made her come up with more questions. This guy was not at all what she had envisioned when she conjured up a thought of a shifter. She did not know what type of shifter he was, but she had never met one that was so easy going and down to earth. Usually they were a bit unpredictable and hard to deal with.
When they got to the room, she saw the mattress on the floor and once again, it just gave her more questions, but she knew that she had asked enough. It wasn't like her to be so rude. Everything that she wanted to know; she didn't really need to know. She needed to get the potion and get out of there.
“This is different than what I remember. It has been a while though.”
He chuckled. “I bet. I would imagine that the house was done up a lot nicer than I've done so far. With some time, though, I'm sure I can get it looking like a real home again.”
“No, it's just strange to see the walls painted white. When I stayed in here before, there was a huge mural. It had birds and waterfalls. It was neat seeing my mother paint it. I always loved it.”
“I'm sorry that they painted over it. It sounds beautiful.”
Dahlia could feel mist going into her eyes, and she didn't want to lose herself again. It was rather embarrassing, especially in front of Justin. Why was she not able to control her emotions? Was it that she had just been through too much or was it because of the man in front of her?
“Did something happen to your parents?”
“Yeah, they died when I was younger. It was a long time ago.”
“Both of them?”
She agreed, but she didn't want to get into the details, and Dahlia was thankful that Justin didn’t ask. He never saw the distress on her face, or he just wasn't as nosy as she was.
“I lost both my parents when I was a few days old. I don't remember them at all, but I have a picture of them. It makes me feel a little bit closer to them when I look at it.”
She was taken aback by his honesty and the fact that he had been through something that was similar. She was about seven years old when it happened to her, but even then, she still had strong memories of them. Dahlia did not want to even think about how she would feel if she didn't at least have that reprieve. How would it feel not to even know them? It was a question that she didn’t expect to ask herself, and the answer was unsettling.
“I am sorry to hear that. That must have been horrible for you.”
He shrugged. “It’s kind of hard to be upset about it because you can't really know what you missed. Through the years, I saw everybody else’s parents, and I used to get jealous, but we can’t all have it perfect, right?”
She was surprised at how easily he seemed to accept his fate.
“You are a lot stronger than I am. I think that I would be quite upset about it all.”
“I used to get mad about it. I used to wish that things were different, but I can't change it, no amount of wishing will change anything, so I just stopped.”
There was a moment of pain in his eyes, and then it was covered up again. For a man that was at least six and a half feet tall, insurmountable even, it was easy to see that it had not staved off the hurt that was inside of him.
The next thing she knew, Dahlia was giving him a hug and telling him that everything was going to be okay. She was not sure if that were true or not, but she wanted to believe it.
Then it was like a bolt of lightning that she realized that he was touching her. The way his arms went around her, Dahlia knew that she had to put some distance between them. She wasn't supposed to feel this way, especially not about him. She wasn't supposed to feel that way about anyone.
“Well, thanks again for letting me do this. You really are a lifesaver, Justin.”
She put the distance between them that was needed, and Dahlia went to the false fireplace that was at one side of the room. It was easy enough to get to because there was nothing in the room anymore. Her bed used to be pushed up against it, and she had used the mantle for all of her little what-nots.
Dahlia noticed that someone had painted over the bricks, and that worried her a little bit. What she needed to get to was inside one of the bricks.
Justin must have noticed that she was bothered because he was quickly asking her what was wrong. It was like the man could read her, and to Dahlia, it was a bit unnerving.
“Well, I didn't realize that they were going to paint this room. The bricks have been painted over, and I actually need to get one of them out.”
“I was wondering where you had hidden it. Now you have me intrigued. Let me find a knife or something and cut along the brick that you need. It shouldn't be that hard to get it out.”
Dahlia smiled and tried to take a deep breath. She watched him go into the other side of the house. Dahlia knew that she didn't have long, but she also knew that she needed to get herself together. What was it about the guy that made her feel so out of it?
When he got back, he had a rather sharp knife in his hands, and for moment, she was worried. It reminded her that she did not even know him. All she knew about him was that he was a shifter. It's not like shifters were her mortal enemy or anything, but Dahlia knew the two species rarely got along. They stayed away from each other to avoid conflict.
“Do you think this will work?”
“I think that'll work perfectly, Justin, thank you.”
Chapter Five
Justin woke up with a headache and a sour mood, but that was quickly changing. He knew that it was because of the beautiful, strawberry-blonde woman in front of him. Not only was she very pretty and someone that held meaning in his dreams, but there was just something about her. The more he learned about Dahlia, the more he was sure he was supposed to buy the house just to meet her. Someone like Dahlia couldn’t just be a coincidence.
He watched her trying to cut one of the bricks loose and he finally he took it
“Let me do this. Shouldn’t take too long.”
She said something about being able to do it herself, but she didn’t argue about it too much. It was short work for Justin.
He started to yank on the brick to pull it out, and she stopped him.
“Please, you don't understand how this is. If it breaks, it will be all for nothing.”
Her reaction was a bit dramatic and now he was starting to wonder what in the world he had signed up for. This woman was serious about the importance of it, and he had to wonder why that was.
She took over trying to get the brick out, moving more carefully. She moved it so painstakingly slow that he got bored and asked her if she wanted some coffee. He realized then that he had just woke up and there was no caffeine in his system.
Out of all the things that he had gotten the night before, a coffee maker had been the first thing on the list. With caffeine, maybe he would be able to deal with the woman that showed up at his door.
Justin didn't like to feel out of control, and since he woke up in the woods the day before, nothing had seemed to go the way it was supposed to. He convinced himself that somehow a cup of coffee would change all of that. Anything to make him think that the crazy scenario would come to an end and he would be able to make sense of it then.
When he got back to the room, she was finally taking a brick out, and he couldn't believe that she had taken so long.
He watched her take a deep breath and say what he thought was a little prayer. His anticipation was high while he waited to see what it was. She was feeling around in the hole trying to find something.
Finally, her hand came out, and he was surprised to see that she w
as holding a bottle of some sort of liquid. The bottle was blue and rather small. It looked like it had been sitting there for decades untouched.
He wanted to ask her what it was, but he was more curious about the elation in her face. “I was so afraid that someone had found this or something had happened to it. I can't believe I found it.”
“I don't get it. What is it? It looks like a perfume bottle.”
“Let's just say that it is irreplaceable. The ingredients in this do not even exist anymore. And this is the last copy of it. There is no more in existence.”
“No more what?”
She stopped and smiled. “It's just a superstition that my family has. You wouldn’t understand. But I want to thank you again, for letting me come in here and get this. You have no idea what this means to me.”
Justin didn't understand why she was so happy about an old dusty bottle, but he got himself together enough to realize that he could use it to his advantage. She was grateful, and he liked her. All he had to do was use that to get what he wanted to out of the situation.
He was new to the area and considering she had made it into his dreams from only one meeting, Justin was convinced that there was a reason for that. He didn't know what the reason was, but he didn't even care. All he cared about was seeing her again. Just like he was drawn to the house, he was also drawn to the woman.
“I don't, but I'm hoping that it means enough to you that you will agree to go out with me. I'm new to the area, and I wouldn't mind some company for lunch. Are you willing?”
Justin could see that his offer threw her off for a moment and he couldn't understand why. As beautiful as she was, he would think that she would be used to being asked out.
Justin worried all of a sudden that he didn't know how to ask the question right. He certainly did not have much experience with women in general. He had spent most of his time doing things for his Aunts. Now he realized that all that time was going to waste, and he wanted to get something back for himself.
“Yeah, okay. It looks like you just got out of bed. Are you sure you don't want to go for breakfast?”
“Yeah, that sounds good too. I don’t usually sleep in this late. It's been a rough couple of days. Do you mind waiting a few minutes so that I can get ready?”
“Sure. I can make you something here as well, if you have anything here to cook with. It’s the least I can do.”
He said that he didn't have anything in the house, and she told him that it wasn't hard to imagine.
“You barely have something to sleep on. I can't see a bachelor like yourself having a full fridge. Are you really going to live here or are you just staying for a while?”
“This is my new home, so I guess the first one is the plan. Things might change, though. I don’t know.”
“Well, you get ready, and I'm going to wait here for you, if you don't take too long. You don't even have a TV.”
“Funny enough, I've never lived in a house that had a TV.”
His comment was made so easily but she couldn't even imagine it. How could somebody not have a TV? She was raised in the woods with a bunch of witches, and they at least had television.
“I have a feeling that there is a lot to learn about you, Justin.”
“I could say the same about you, Dahlia.”
Dahlia smiled his way and waited for him to leave before she took another breath. What was it about this guy that was messing with her so much?
Chapter Six
Dahlia didn’t know what to do with herself. She ended up sitting cross legged on the floor because the man did not even have a couch. It looked like he was squatting more than living in the house.
When he came out, she was ready to go, and since it wasn't quite time for lunch, she made another suggestion.
“It looks like what you really need, Justin, is some furniture. Why don't we go and I will help you pick something out? By the time we are done, it will be time for lunch at most of the restaurants. We can stop at one and have lunch then.”
“Really? You want to help me with that? I don’t even know where to start.”
“Sure. I am starting to get the hint that you are not much of a designer. I actually do that for a living, when I have time. I don't mind helping you out. You helped me out too, so it would be a way for me to return the favor.”
“I am happy with lunch, but I certainly would not turn down the help. I have no idea what to get, but I know I have to put something in here. It looks pretty damn lonely.”
“Well, first thing you should get is a couch and a TV. It is time to get with the modern world.”
He chuckled at her, and they got in his car. All of a sudden, he looked over at her and got a serious look on his face.
“I don't know where you came from, Dahlia, but I’m glad you did.”
She was kind of taken aback for a moment, and it was genuinely nice to hear. Dahlia had certainly not been wanted where she was last. It was good to hear that somebody still wanted her company.
It had been years since she lived in Turner. She did an Internet search on her phone, and before long, there they were at one of the furniture places. She helped him pick out several pieces for his house, and they planned to get it delivered after lunch.
What started as just a lunch date quickly turned into something more when she agreed to help him set things up. Next, they got a few groceries, and she even promised to make him dinner since he’d admitted that it had been a long time since he’d had a home-cooked meal.
Dahlia herself was surprised by the situation. She had very low expectations for the day. The only thing that had been important to her was getting her hands on the potion. She did not want to let it get in the wrong hands. Dahlia had dealt with a lot of torture to keep it safe.
“Why did you get quiet all of a sudden?”
Dahlia was in the kitchen and she was looking off into the woods from the window. This feeling came over her, and it took a minute for her to catch her breath. Dahlia felt like someone, or something, was coming. She didn't know what it was. Dahlia was sure that the people that she had gotten away from were coming back for her. Or rather, they were coming back for the potion that they’d tried so desperately to get their hands on.
“I was just thinking that maybe we should go out for a little while, instead of staying here.”
“I thought you wanted to have dinner here?”
She did, but that was until she got this strange feeling. Dahlia wasn't sure if it was just her being paranoid or not, but she didn't want to stick around. Justin agreed to go, and she instantly felt relief.
He had agreed to pretty much everything that she had suggested. It was like he had no idea what he wanted to do with the place. As hard as it was to believe, she was starting to think that Justin had more secrets than she did.
They got in the car and drove away from the house. She started to feel a little bit better; her stomach started to relax, and she was able to smile again.
“So, are you going to tell me what just happened back there?”
Dahlia was hoping that she would have hidden it better. It certainly wasn’t a feeling that she was able to put into words. Dahlia knew that she had to try though. She wanted Justin to understand that they could be in danger. It could also possibly give her information that she needed.
“I get this feeling sometimes, and I just had a bad one there. It was probably just because it's weird to be back in my old house you know?”
He didn't take it as easily as she thought he would. Dahlia was sure that he would tell her that there was nothing to worry about and make her feel better. She hadn’t been fishing for the serious look that came over him.
“Are you sure about that?”
“About what?”
“That you felt someone in the woods back there?”
“Um, that's the feeling I was getting, yes.”
Justin cursed and then she asked him what was wrong.
“Let's just say that I didn't come o
ut here for nothing. I came out here to get away from my past, and I don’t like the idea that it’s following me, that’s all.”
“What are you trying to get away from, Justin? I haven't known many shifters that live alone. They usually like to be in a pack. Where is the rest of your pack?”
“Shifters?”
It was then, that Dahlia started to understand the situation fully. She had wondered why Justin didn't seem to have all of his faculties about him. He didn't even seem to know that she was a witch. These were things that someone of his species would have figured out after meeting her for a few minutes. There was no way that he didn't know, unless he didn't know what he was. She had heard of paranormal creatures being raised in the human world and not being told, but he was rather old not to know. He must have shifted many times before. How could he not know about it?
“Yeah, you're a shifter, right?”
“I'm not sure what that means.”
Dahlia couldn't believe it, and if he wouldn't have been so convincing, she would’ve laughed, thinking it was a joke. It was too preposterous. There was no way for her to imagine that someone had gone through life, especially as long as he had, as one of the most powerful creatures on the planet, and not know it. How was that even possible?
“Are you being serious right now? If you’re joking, it’s not the time.”
“I am being serious, but you’re being strange. What do you mean when you say that I’m a shifter?”
“Do you seriously not know what you are?”
“What am I, Dahlia?”
Dahlia was afraid that she was the worst person to tell him such a thing. She barely even knew him. Why did he not know this already? The more she thought about it, the more concerned she was about the situation. If he did not know what he was, it was most likely for a reason. It was a reason that she couldn't even fathom though. To take away the very thing that a person was seemed incredibly cruel.
“You are a paranormal being, Justin. I knew it as soon as you opened the door. Actually, before that. I knew it when I ran into you at the market. That's why I was kind of freaked out. I hadn't expected to run into a shifter here. Not in daylight, like you were. Not alone.”
