by Vella Day
“Like what?”
“Why didn’t I find your wallet, or any evidence of clothes in the cave? Surely, you didn’t walk from this so-called realm naked?”
“My realm is called Cargonia.”
“I know. Did you really come through a portal?”
“Yes. I was knocked unconscious and then shoved through, only to land in your Silver Lake cave. I believe I mentioned that before.”
She leaned back and let out a breath. “I’m sorry; I’m just trying to wrap my mind around all this.”
“What’s bothering you?”
“A lot of things, but for starters, why did you say you could drive a car when it is obvious you never have before?”
“I never said I’d driven a car.”
Huffing out a breath, she leaned forward. “What are you hiding from me?”
He hadn’t meant to be so round about, but she kept twisting his words—or maybe he was the one who was changing them to avoid detection. “Okay, the truth. The reason why I seem so inept at doing everything is because I’ve been hibernating for one hundred years.”
Missy leaned back her head and laughed. “Really now.”
While Zane could let her think it was a lie, it would only lead to misunderstandings later. “It’s the truth. It was why I asked you what year it was.”
“For real?”
“Why do you think a seemingly young man like me doesn’t own a cell phone, can’t fathom what a computer does, or drive a car? Hell, I haven’t figured out how to turn on the monitor.”
“Monitor?”
He nodded to it. “The monitor.”
“Ah, the television.”
“You see? Everything is different here. The men at the station are always talking about some sports game they’d watched or what happened on the news channel. I’m floundering in my own ignorance.”
“Why were you asleep for so long?”
“The demon that did this to me had a witch put a curse on me, which was supposed to cause me to sleep forever.”
“I won’t even comment about the existence of demons. That’s really scary. As for the curse, I’ve never heard of one that lasts forever. It obviously didn’t work because you woke up.”
That was because she’d entered the cave and broken the spell. “I know, but I did hibernate for what seemed like forever.”
“That does explain why you don’t know a lot of the basic things.” She placed a hand over her heart and sucked in a breath. “Don’t tell me you haven’t been eating because you can’t turn on the stove.”
“The stove I kind of figured out. I got lucky since the icebox is like the one I had on Cargonia only with this one, I don’t have to add ice to it.”
Missy reached over and picked up a rectangular device that had a ton of buttons on them. She pressed one, and the monitor on the table against the wall sprang to life. Zane jumped at the intrusion. “How did you do that?”
She stood, moved next to him, and bent over. His bear wanted to rejoice. Her delicious scent, coupled with the provocative view of her breasts, nearly short-circuited his brain. Zane had to force himself to focus on the item in her hand.
“See this button with the red circle on it? Press it to turn the TV on then press it again when you want to turn it off. Try it.”
Zane pressed the button, and sure enough, the noise quieted. “That’s good.”
She slipped the slim box from his hands. “To change channels, press this up arrow or down arrow. Eventually, you’ll learn where your favorite channels are located.”
Zane tried it and like magic, people appeared in his set. “I’m impressed. How about showing me how to use a cell phone then?”
“You’re serious?”
This wasn’t going as planned. “Yes, I’m serious. I’ve been hibernating for one hundred years. I’ve missed out on a few things in all that time.”
Missy’s brows rose as she pulled out her cell, but she didn’t comment, clearly not wanting to address the issue further. “To turn it on, you have to swipe the screen then you either place your finger across this button, or type in a code.”
“To prevent others from using it?”
She smiled. “Precisely.” She demonstrated and then showed him how to make a call.
What the other designs were for, he had no idea. Calling seemed to be the most important function. “Show me more.”
For the next few minutes Missy patiently told him about some other features. “You should join Facebook too if you want to know what’s happening in the world.
He’d never heard of this Facebook. “Why is that?”
“It connects people via the computer to people all around the world. You can meet friends.”
“I can meet friends by going to McKinnon’s Pub.”
She laughed. “I meant virtual friends.”
Perhaps he wasn’t ready for learning so much at one time. “Virtual friends, as in people who don’t exist?”
“Kind of. I’m a virtual friend to a lot of people because I don’t see them face-to-face, but they are very real.”
“I don’t see the need.”
She took several deep breaths. “Suppose at some point you decide to take up your metal work art business again, or you just want to shoe horses. You need to be able to let people know how they can contact you.”
“They’d find me at my shop.”
She smiled. “Silver Lake isn’t a very big town, so that might work here, but the few people here who would buy from you might not be enough to support you. For the sake of argument, suppose you want more people to learn of your great talent. You’ll want to reach people who live farther away.”
In his land, people shifted, ran through the woods, and then shifted back if they wanted to see someone. That or they rode a horse. “I suppose you have a point.”
“Thank you.”
Missy was clearly concerned about him making a good living. For that reason alone, he might have to buy one of these computers. “Where would I get one of these devices so I can do this Facebook thing? And how much would one cost?”
She sucked in a breath through her teeth. “They can be very expensive. It could take months for you to be able to afford one. However, the library has computers you could use.”
She was a treasure trove of information. “Would you be willing to help me figure it out?”
“Sure, if you tell me more about Cargonia.”
That was a trade he’d be willing to make. “Deal.”
Chapter Twelve
‡
At first Missy thought Zane was pulling her leg about not knowing something as simple as how to turn on a television. Zane was such a strong man who seemed capable of doing anything. Had it not been for his profound curiosity about how things worked, she might not have believed him.
As far as volunteering to help teach him how to use the computer, it might be fun. She was no expert either, so perhaps they could learn a few things together. Hopefully, she wouldn’t lose her patience. Izzy had told her that when she was in front of the classroom teaching chemistry, their eager faces were enough to give her the patience of Job.
Trying to put herself in his shoes, Missy attempted to imagine what the world might be like one hundred years into the future. Disease might be eradicated, making people virtually immortal; artificial intelligence might have taken over the running of the world; and wars might be a thing of the past—that or the people of Earth would have blown themselves up by then, and the few who remained would be forced to live on far away planets. Oceans would have become a huge resource, not only in terms of supplying the large population with food, but also in helping to feed the farm animals. She literally shuddered at how fast the world could change.
“Is something wrong?” Zane asked, his tone laced with concern.
“I was just thinking about what the Earth might be like in one hundred years from now. I’m not sure I’d want to live then.”
He laughed. “Me either. It’s a big enough shock to se
e the changes from the last one hundred years let alone consider what might happen in the next century.”
“I hope man will learn from his mistakes, but I doubt it.”
Zane nodded. “So where would you like to begin my education?”
Somehow, between the time she’d first walked into his house and now, she was leaning toward believing that he really had come from Cargonia, and that he’d been in hibernation for one hundred years.
Her stomach grumbled, and she planted a hand on her stomach. “Sorry.”
Zane glanced over at the kitchen clock. “I hadn’t realized we’d talked so much. Are you up for some lunch?”
“I’d love some. Do you cook?”
“Maybe not in the way you think of cooking. I really haven’t mastered the stove even though I can turn it on.” He laughed. “After I burned myself the first time, I decided I should stick with cooking outside.”
“That might work in the short run, but when winter comes, it won’t be practical. What do you usually eat for lunch?”
“A steak.”
Steaks were better cooked over a fire outside anyway, but it would take a long time to build one and then cook them. “Do you have any eggs?”
“I do.”
“Milk?”
He shook his head. “Sorry.”
This wasn’t going to be easy. “How about coming over to my place? I can teach you some simple meals to prepare.”
“I’d like that.” Zane stood and headed toward the door.
“Ah, Zane,” she said standing. “You might want to consider putting on some shoes and a shirt.” Missy was having a hard enough time focusing on the conversation while trying not to stare at his magnificent chest.
“Oh, sure, but just so you know, in my realm I’m usually naked when I’m on my own property or in my home. When I am working, I have to be dressed. As you can imagine, playing around fire with no protection could be dangerous.”
She laughed. “You’re making that up.”
“No. Cargonia is mostly shifters, people of magic, and gods and goddesses. We shifters are not self-conscious about our bodies since we often change into our animal form. For the most part, clothes are merely a hindrance. Right after I came through the portal, I shifted. I think. It was why I didn’t have any clothes when I arrived here. They must have disintegrated in the portal.”
There had to be a better explanation for why he had no clothes. She might believe someone put a spell on him so that he’d sleep for one hundred years, but she was having a hard time with this whole portal thing.
Maybe Ophelia, Silver Lake’s powerful witch, would know about how these worked. She also might be able to shed some light on Zane’s claim. As much as Missy didn’t want to involve Izzy or her mom, it might be the only way to find her.
Zane Barons was unlike any man she’d ever met, which was probably why he intrigued her. Not only was he kind, he was hot. The innocence he exuded also appealed to her.
A blue spark tripped up her arm, and she immediately placed her hands behind her back. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Isn’t that what you’ve been doing?” He had a bit too much cheer in his voice.
Heat raced up her face. “You say you’re a shifter, and Rye confirmed it, but why don’t you have a marking on your back?”
“A marking?” He smiled. “Oh, you mean like a paw print? I spotted Rye’s when he was changing.”
“Yes.”
“On Cargonia, only after a man and woman mate does the imprint appear. I guess it’s like what happens when you humans wear wedding bands.”
“Kind of, I guess.” She explained that when a shifter mated with a Wendayan, their stamps blended. “So if I mate with a shifter, my vine will have a paw print underneath it and his will have a vine.”
His eyes lightened. “Our worlds are so very similar, yet so very unique.”
The fact he didn’t have an image of a paw on his back, yet he was a shifter, implied he was telling the truth.
As they walked out to her car, she dangled the car keys, in part to test his theory that he had only lived in this century for about a week. “Do you want to drive?”
His brows furrowed. “Only if you don’t mind me crashing your car.”
“Then I’ll drive. At some point, you’ll have to learn even if you won’t own a vehicle for a while.”
“I’d like that. It would suck if I asked you out on a date, and you had to drive.”
“At least my father wouldn’t be driving us.” Missy smiled in part because of the image of the two of them sitting in the back seat while her dad dropped them off at a restaurant, but also because of his use of the word suck. Working at a firehouse would teach him all sorts of words, many unacceptable at times.
They both piled into her car. “Why would your father come along?”
She kept forgetting that he didn’t have the same reference points as she did. “Before I turned sixteen, neither my date nor I owned a car, so my dad had to drive us. It was the only way to get anywhere.”
“I see. No, I would not like that. I don’t mean any disrespect to your father since I’ve not met him.”
“None taken.”
When they arrived at her house, Zane stepped out and scanned the small two-bedroom brick home. “You own this?” He sounded impressed.
“Yes. It’s a little small, but it’s all I can afford.”
“I think it’s wonderful. I’m lucky the McKinnon’s are very generous people and let me stay in their guesthouse, but I don’t want to take advantage of their hospitality forever. I’ll have to find other accommodations soon.”
She hadn’t asked if Zane paid rent, but apparently he didn’t. Starting a life with no money had to be hard. “Do you earn enough money to buy food?”
“Yes, though I catch most of what I need.”
“You hunt?”
He grinned. “Well of course, I am a bear.”
One flirty response deserved another. “You’re definitely built like one. You’re very large…everywhere.” The last word she had said under her breath as she remembered back to when she had first seen him naked at the cave.
Zane had obviously caught what she had said since he gave her a sexy wink and grinned. “I like you Missy Berta.”
Blushing, Missy smiled and turned toward the kitchen. “Thank you. Come on; your cooking lesson begins.”
Missy thought it would be easy to show him what to do, but Zane hovered so close that her hormones went crazy. “The stove is hot, so stand back a little.”
“Sorry.”
She glanced behind her. “I trust you’ve used a frying pan before?”
“On a gas stove. The first time I used an electric stove, I almost caught my beard on fire trying to figure out why the flame wasn’t shooting up.”
Missy laughed. “You poor thing. Electric isn’t much different. We’ll cook the eggs on the stove, but making bacon is faster and easier in the microwave.” She tapped the microwave that was mounted above the stove.
“Is that what that is called? You say it’s fast?”
“Very.”
He leaned closer. “How does it work?”
It occurred to her that she wasn’t really sure. “I think it stimulates the molecules in the food. The food cooks, but the plate doesn’t heat, except by the food.”
His mouth opened. “I’m stunned.”
“I’ll show you.” Missy placed the bacon on a glass tray then covered it with a paper towel. “It will be ready in just a few minutes. Meanwhile, we’ll cook the eggs.”
Zane asked to do it in order to learn, so she instructed him while he did the actual stirring. The only part he really needed help with was figuring out which setting to use when cooking the eggs. When the food was ready, they took the meal over to the table.
“You’re a fast learner,” she said.
“I have a great teacher.” His eyes sparkled and pride swelled inside her. Zane dug into the eggs and groaned. “I can’t
believe I made these. They’re really good.”
She tried them and thought so too. “Taste the bacon.”
He shoved a piece into his mouth. When he closed his eyes and groaned, her thoughts shot to what the man would be like in bed.
Stop it!
He had enough to worry about without having some human witch trying to seduce him. On the other hand, if he’d been asleep for one hundred years, he probably could use a release.
She jumped up. “I forgot the toast.”
Zane pushed back his chair. “I’ll help. Will you place the bread on the stove burner to brown it? Or just put it in the microwave?”
“You’re almost on the right track.” Nobody would think of those things unless he truly didn’t know. “We use a toaster.”
“Why didn’t I think of that? A toaster for toast.” His brows furrowed. “But you don’t call a stove an egger for cooking eggs now do you?”
Zane was so delightful. “Of course not.”
“You do know I was only kidding. Toasters were just coming into existence when I left Cargonia.”
“Good to know your realm isn’t far behind.” Missy grabbed two slices of bread. “Just plug in the toaster, drop the bread in the slot, and press this lever. Then we wait.”
“This is a far better design than what we had. I had to place the bread in a pan and cooked it over the fire. It did a good job though.”
“Assuming you had a fire going.” A minute later the toast popped up. “Butter or jam?” she asked.
“Jam, please.”
Once she gathered the food, she returned to the table and sat down. After she spread the jam on her toast, Zane did the same. In fact, he once more watched her every move before preparing his toast. She thought that was cute. “How are you doing for money? I don’t imagine a janitor makes much.”
“Compared to a hundred years ago where I lived, I make a lot more now, but unfortunately, prices have also skyrocketed. But don’t worry about me. Rye made sure I was paid a few days early so I could buy some staples. As for clothes, the firehouse has a ton of extra T-shirts, so I was given a few. All’s good.”
“If nothing else, you could always survive as a bear.”
He nodded. “However, I’ve heard enough about Earth to know you people like to hunt us.”