by Lola Gabriel
“You just saw it,” he said. “I can do that at will. A lot of us here in Sitka can.”
“Okay,” Easton said, again feeling almost like she was having an out of body experience. “So there are just people who can turn into bears?”
“No,” Ash answered. He looked a little confused himself. “I mean, yes, only we’re not so much people. I mean, we are, we are, but we aren’t human people, I guess?”
Easton stared again. No words. He sounded utterly insane, and yet she had just seen him do it. And if it had been a magic trick, it had been a damn good one.
“What I mean,” Ash went on, “is that we have a separate society, sort of. We have an ancient system. We, um… Well, we live a lot longer than you guys, so we have to.” What did a lot longer mean? Easton’s heart felt like it was smacking against her ribcage.
“How long?”
Ash shifted uncomfortably. “Uh…”
“Wait, this is what last night was about? How old are you, Ash?” He took a visible gulp of air, put his head in his hands, and then peeked out at her.
“I’m three hundred and twenty-seven,” he said. “I mean, I think. It’s kind of easy to—”
“To lose track?” Easton was almost shouting. She stood up, her arms crossed. “Yeah, it would be! But that cannot be true. You look—”
Ash was looking up at her like a ridiculously cute puppy. He looked scared, like he needed her to validate him.
“We age very slowly,” he said. “Most of us look pretty much twenty to forty in human years. We tend to die in battle or clashing with… uh, with other things that will freak you out. If we don’t, we can live a thousand years, but that’s rare.”
Easton had both hands over her face now. They both kept hiding from one another.
“Your wife?” she asked through her palms. “And Pen?”
“Yeah,” Ash said, quietly, almost regretfully. “We don’t start… We don’t shift for the first time until we’re fifteen, so Penelope is, for all intents and purposes, human until then.”
Suddenly, Easton laughed. She couldn’t keep it in. She laughed so hard she could barely breathe, then thought she might vomit. Ash looked shocked. He leaned away from her.
“Are you okay?” he finally asked as Easton wiped tears from her hot cheeks.
“I’m fine.” She nodded. “Sorry, I laugh at funerals. I mean, I laugh at inappropriate moments. And this is just so weird. My brain keeps trying to tell me it isn’t happening.”
Ash put a hand on Easton’s arm and turned to look at her.
“I know this is a lot,” he said. “You’re dealing with it better than I could have imagined…” Easton felt a wash of fear, maybe shame.
“Well,” she said, “I already slept with you. Assuming you were human, I might add. Obviously. I kind of have to deal with it. I thought we might be… I thought this was important. It felt important, Ash.” Now, far from laughing, Easton had tears prickling against her eyelids, gathering in her lashes.
Ash gripped her arm harder.
“No,” he said, “It is. I don’t… I shouldn’t be telling you this. I can’t tell you this. Well, I’m in charge, but no one will be happy that I’ve revealed the secret to a human.”
Easton shook him off. “You make it sound so awful to be human.”
Ash closed his eyes for a second, then opened them and met hers.
“Look,” he said, “we have a long and checkered history with humans. So we stay out of their… your way, mostly. We blend in. But I couldn’t do that with you. I needed to know you. I wanted to know you the moment I had a conversation with you, and once I’d properly met you, it was like a runaway train.” This was making Easton’s mouth dry.
“Me too,” she managed. Ash smiled a little, though he still looked earnest overall.
“Good,” he said. “I hoped so.” Easton smiled back, but hers wasn’t full, either, and it dropped quickly.
“I’m a drop in the ocean for you, Ash. All I want is to touch you, to kiss you, to talk to you as much as I can. But I’m just this short-lived creature…”
At this, Ash grabbed Easton and pulled her to him. He kissed her deeply, and when they broke apart, he put his forehead to hers.
“No,” he said, “you’re so much more than that, Easton. You are so much more than I’ve ever experienced or ever thought possible.” Their breath was coming in unison, their eyes locked. “Look,” Ash continued, “this is going to sound like a lot. It’s going to sound insane, but I figure we’ve passed a few barriers this afternoon.”
Easton smiled, encouraging him to continue. Ash leaned back and held both her hands. He looked down, awkward, and then up at her.
“I love you,” he said quietly. “I just do. So… so there, I guess.”
Again, Easton laughed, but this time, it was a sweet giggle. “Me too, Ash. I mean, I love you, too. It’s insane, yeah, but it’s happening.”
They looked at one another for a moment before they kissed again, Easton letting herself be pushed lightly back into the sofa. Soon, Ash once more broke away.
“This might also sound mad, but in for a penny,” he said. “We—I mean, shifters—we imprint…”
“What does that mean?” Easton was holding herself rigid, ready to be hit by more wild news.
“It means,” Ash said, playing with his fingers, cracking his knuckles one by one, “it means… well… that we have partners, predetermined by biology or fate or who knows. Pheromones, maybe. But we have partners, and when we meet them, we know. It’s a love at first or second or third sight. Or first conversation. It differs, but it’s quick. And we’re supposed to be together.”
“Oh,” Easton said, chewing at her bottom lip slightly. “So, you mean, again, this can’t happen, you’re waiting for—”
“No!” Ash cried. “You just told me how much you feel, right? Isn’t that unusual? Isn’t that almost magic?”
Easton couldn’t help but shake her head. All the same, she said, “Sure it is, I guess.”
It was Ash’s turn to look down; maybe embarrassed, maybe thinking. “Okay, but what I’m saying is, I think we’re… um… well, I think we’re supposed to be together.”
Easton was fighting another urge to laugh—to push Ash away, continue with her life, and forget about this oddness. But this had all felt so good and so right. Surely, she would be denying herself something? She had learned a lot about the world so far today, how much weirder could it get?
“Okay,” she said. “So, we’re supposed to be together?”
Ash nodded. “I talked to a friend. A witch, actually, and she said the imprinting can happen for anyone.”
“Even a human and a… a shifter, you said?” Easton was trying the words out in her mouth, getting used to their heft. Ash pulled her a little closer.
“Yes,” he said, “a shifter.”
“Wait.” Easton started a little. “A while ago, you said… you’re in charge? What does that mean?” Ash lifted a hand to bite a fingernail, but Easton grabbed it. “Bad habit, Ash,” she said, “Pen will copy you!” Ash dropped his hand to his side.
“You’re right,” he said. “And as to being in charge, I’m the alpha of the pack. That means I’m kind of the boss. I make a lot of decisions. It’s passed down through a family. My dad was, and now I am. Mostly, it’s administrative these days.”
“Kind of like a mayor?” Easton asked, shaking her head slightly at the half-lie she had swallowed.
“Right,” Ash confirmed. “Kind of like that.”
“So why are people mad if you’re in charge?” she asked, sounding genuinely confused. And she was confused, of course. She had been hit by a psychological ton of bricks today.
Ash paused. “Well, I suppose they expect certain things from me. The upholding of certain traditions, for one. And not only are you not a shifter, but I have a child with another woman. That’s not okay, Rebecca should have been my mate.” What kind of language was this? Easton laughed a little.
“Not what I mean.” Ash shook his head. “You know I mean… I should have been with the person I imprinted on. I shouldn’t have gotten a girlfriend pregnant and then shacked up with her. I hate to say it, but her dying was—”
“Woah!” Easton jumped in. “Don’t go there. She’s the mother of your child.”
“I wasn’t going to say it was a good thing! Just, the only way out of the mess we’d made. I loved her. I miss her. I wish Penelope could know her. Of course. But we were stuck with each other, and if I’d met you…”
“We have enough to contend with,” Easton said. “I don’t want to imagine you in a rocky marriage on top of all that. The situation is hard enough.” For some reason, this made Ash smile. It crept across his lips, slowly at first, until it was a big goofy grin. Easton raised her eyebrows. “Excuse me?”
“So, we’re contending with it?” Ash asked through his ridiculous grin. Easton shrugged, but she was smiling now as well. “This is going to be really hard.” Ash took both her hands in his. “Like, really hard. But… I love you, Easton.”
Her heart was doing back flips, and her palms were sweaty in Ash’s hands.
“I love you too, Ash,” she said. “I don’t think I would be okay without you, honestly. And I know that’s a lot, and it hasn’t been long, and this is all insane, and you’re a bear man, and nobody's happy about us, and even Hannah is annoyed… wait—”
But Easton’s rant was cut off by a kiss. Ash pulled her to his warm naked chest and kissed her deeply, as if she could quench some thirst deep within him. When he let her go again, she said, “Okay. So what do we do?”
Ash bit his bottom lip. “We go to my place, firstly. Come and stay? I don’t know if you’re totally safe alone. I think maybe we can assume someone has your cat, for example. A warning of some kind to me…”
“Pickles? Oh, god, am I going to find him somewhere awful…?”
“No,” Ash replied quickly. “No, he’s probably okay. My guess is that they just wanted me to know they could come in here and take him.”
“Great. Well, you’ve got the message, so can I have him back?” Ash stood up and began pulling the rest of his clothes on. They’d had this whole conversation with him just in his jeans. It was a wonder Easton had been able to concentrate at all.
“Well,” he said. “Unfortunately, I don’t think me shifting in front of you and us making this decision to try and be together was exactly what they wanted to nudge into happening.”
Easton smiled when he referenced them being together. It was stupid, maybe, but the thought of her and Ash, or her, Ash, and Penelope, filled her with a bright warmth. She stood, stretched, and stroked Ash’s arm.
“Okay,” she said. “Should I bring my stuff? And I should write a note for Hannah. Or call her. If Pickles does come back, she’ll need to… Wait. You know Hannah. Is she… is she like you?”
Ash nodded. “I was wondering if you’d make that connection. Yes, Hannah is part of my pack.”
Easton couldn’t help but be annoyed. “She’s like, my best friend. And she has a whole other life…”
“How would you have reacted to her telling you she could turn into a bear at will?”
Easton struggled to answer. “I… I’m doing okay with the information, all things considered. I could handle it.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Ash nodded slowly. “Maybe we assume the worst of humans. We’ve just had bad experiences in the past.”
Easton was wondering what she might need. Changes of clothes, underwear, and socks, obviously. But what else? She grabbed her notebook, a couple of necklaces, and a stack of postcards from her mother. What was this, was it emergency packing? Was she moving? Spending a few days with her… with Ash? She stopped, her hands full of her own stuff. “So, like, what’s the deal? How long am I packing for?”
Ash looked up and down. Then his eyes jumped from her eyes to her mouth and back again. Finally, he admitted, “I don’t know, Easton. It could be days, or months, or… well, forever. But I’ll wait here while you gather what you need, okay?”
15
Ash
The drive back to Ash’s place was quiet, but they kept touching one another. There was no way, really, to express what they needed to in words, but a constant physical connection almost got it across. Easton had her hand on his thigh as they came into the driveway. Although it was getting dark, the lights inside the house were on.
“So,” Ash said. “Guess you’re about to meet my sister, if you’re okay with that?”
“Sure,” Easton said after a moment’s pause. “It has to happen sometime, right?” Ash smiled, put his hand over hers, and squeezed.
“Right,” he said, “but tell me if you’re uncomfortable, okay?” Easton nodded, a little awkward, and opened her door. He followed suit. Standing, Easton cleared her throat, as if she were preparing for something awful. Then she nodded again.
“Ready?” she said, more question than statement. Ash took her hand. At the door, he knocked once and then let himself in. The light was on at the end of the hall, in the kitchen.
“Avery?” he called. She answered from the other side of the house.
“Hey, bro! We’re just finishing up dinner.”
Ash looked at his watch. He was about to complain about it being late before he remembered he had landed Avery with this child care at the last minute, and she’d kept his daughter alive and happy, and in the long run, that made it all okay. Instead, he walked with Easton down the hall. Despite themselves, each was clutching the hand of the other.
“Hi!” Ash greeted as he came into the kitchen. “Hi, sweet girl,” he said, directing his words at Penelope. “How was your day?”
“Park!” Penelope said.
“Ooh,” Ash allowed himself, and he looked at his sister. “My daughter persuaded you to take her to the park, did she? Weren’t afraid of a muddy hem?” Avery was gathering her stuff, dropping it into her handbag.
“Very funny, big brother. We had a very nice time. And Pen respected my mud-boundaries. She’s going to be very respectful, soon enough.” Easton let out a laugh at this, and Avery looked up far enough to see her and started. “Damn,” she said, “announce yourself next time!”
“Sorry,” Easton apologized. “I’m not used to this. Avery waved a hand.
“I’m joking!” she said. “I startle easy. Years of torture by this one.” She nodded at Ash. “I mean, when we were kids. He’s mostly nice now. So!” Avery looked back at Ash. “This was your emergency? She’s very pretty.”
Easton let out an embarrassed cough. Ash glanced at her, then back at his sister. “Don’t be spiky, Ave. You’re the one with a trail of broken hearts behind you.”
“What can I say?” Avery shrugged. “I’m a lady killer. Reformed, though!”
Ash laughed and picked Penelope up out of her high chair.
“Sure, reformed. Penelope,” he said, talking softly into his daughter's ear. “When you want some relationship advice, come to me, okay? Not your auntie Avery.”
Avery stuck her tongue out at her brother. In the way of most siblings, he supposed, they fell into childish patterns when they were together.
“Well,” Easton said, “hi, I guess. I’m Easton.”
Avery looked back in her direction, put her tongue away, and smiled. “Sorry. I’m Avery, obviously. And I’m not as terrible as I made myself seem just— Wait, you’re Easton? Pen’s new nanny?”
“That’s me.” Easton nodded. Avery looked from Easton to Ash and back again.
“But Easton’s… Ash, are you…?”
“Yep,” Ash said, “Easton is human. We’ve been through it all. In fact, it’s kind of a thing.”
Avery’s eyes were wide. “You told her? Showed her? Ash, imagine how mad the old-guards are going to be!”
Ash shrugged the shoulder that didn’t have his daughter’s sleepy head re
sting against it.
“They already were,” he said. “We think they have Easton’s cat. And they’re going to be up in arms when they find out we’ve imprinted.”
“You’ve what?!” Avery exclaimed loudly enough that Penelope opened her eyes and made a little cat-like noise. Easton reached across Ash to stroke Penelope’s hair. Ash couldn’t help but smile at this, and at how quickly Penelope settled at Easton’s touch.
“Helena says it’s happened before,” he said. “Not often, but it’s not unheard of.”
“Right!” Avery said. “Helena, that little witch who works at the hospital?” Ash nodded. “And how did things go then?” Ash twisted his mouth up, chewing his bottom lip again.
“Mixed bag,” he finally let out. Avery shook her head.
“I want to trust you, Ash, and you too, I suppose, Easton, but this is going to be wild. Mrs. Higgins will have gotten her boys on this, you know she will. And who knows who else. There’s going to be full on civil unrest if you aren’t careful.”
“Well,” Ash said, “I suppose we’ll be. I’m going to call a meeting to discuss things in a few days, okay? Just don’t make it too public until then. Think you can manage that, blabbermouth?” Avery was trying to look haughty and disaffected, but she wasn’t hiding her embarrassment at the old nickname well.
“I’m an adult,” she said. “I can keep a secret.” Ash smiled at her.
“That’s the spirit, Blabbers.” Avery lightly hit him.
“I’m going now. I will keep my mouth shut, I promise.” Both Ash and Easton walked Avery to the door, Ash holding the now sleeping Penelope. “Really,” Avery said to Easton at the door. “It was good to meet you. I hope we get to spend more time together.” To Ash, she said, “You’re an idiot, and I love you.” Then she kissed Penelope on the cheek and headed to her car.
After she drove off, they headed back inside.
“Wow,” Easton said once the front door was closed. “She’s… a lot.”
Ash laughed. “I know, right? But believe me, this is my sister toned way down. You should have seen her when we were younger. Definitely the wildcard in my family.”