Romance in Moonspell

by Jesica Coulter Smith

  The next day found Reika at work. She owned Fairy Kista, a new age shop that catered to the wiccans, witches and fairies in Moonspell, carrying everything from healing crystals to cauldrons to pagan bumper stickers. She stayed fairly busy for such a small town and even had two employees, one fae and one a witch. Reika couldn’t have asked for better workers than Blossom and Kady.

  After brewing some herbal tea and placing it on the table near the front window, along with a stack of paper cups, she flipped the sign on the door to “open” and went to perch on her stool behind the counter. She pulled a pad of paper over and began drawing in the margin. Mornings could be slow, but she was hoping it would be a good day overall. Her store had done well since she’d opened it a little over a year ago. She wasn’t rich, by any means, but she could live comfortably off the earnings from Fairy Kista and what little she made on the side from her various charms and potions, when they worked.

  The bell over the door jingled. She looked up from her doodling and her breath froze in her lungs. It was him! Jax had found her. Had he been looking for her or was this merely a coincidence? He looked good. September was still warm enough for short-sleeves. He had on a red tee that hugged his biceps and chest, revealing a tattoo that ran down his left arm all the way to his wrist. She wondered how far up it went. He wasn’t close enough for her to have a good look at it, but it appeared oriental. There was just something about ink on a man that made her lick her lips.

  He gave her an engaging smile when he spotted her behind the counter and he moved toward her with more grace than a man should possess, his movements loose and easy, his legs eating up the ground in a long-legged stride. She watched the denim lovingly caress his thighs with each step and she found she was jealous of the fabric, wishing it were her fingers stroking that warm, firm skin, feeling those muscles bunch as he progressed through the store.

  With a shake of her head, she tried to snap herself out of it.

  “Good morning,” she said, trying not to wince at the husky tone of her voice. “Is there something I can help you with?”

  “I’m hoping so. You see, I met the most delightful woman yesterday, and through a bit of investigating, I discovered that she works here.”

  Reika grinned. “Is that so?”

  “I wanted to thank her in person for the treats she left at the fire station yesterday. I ate more than my share of the cake. It was so damn good I couldn’t keep away from it.”

  She felt a blush suffuse her cheeks. “I’m glad you liked it. Since you like coconut, maybe next time I can make you a coconut cream pie.”

  His gaze caressed her, she could feel the heat like a stroke against her skin. “Next time?”

  “I mean…” Well, hell. He hadn’t exactly said he wanted to see her again, merely that he wanted to thank her for the treats. She’d really stepped in it this time. Her and her big mouth!

  “I was sort of thinking that next time dessert would be on me,” he said.

  Jax naked, staked out, with whipped cream and chocolate sauce dribbled over him came to mind. But she somehow didn’t think that’s what he meant. Although, she would certainly be delighted to lap up that tasty treat!

  “I don’t understand,” she said.

  He raked a hand through his hair, ruffling the ebony locks. “I’m not doing this very well. I’m usually a bit more… smooth, I guess you could say. I’ve never had trouble with my words before.” He frowned. “I’ve certainly had enough practice this should be a walk in the park,” he muttered.

  Okay, so he asked out a lot of women. No big deal, right? It wasn’t like she was a nun. She’d had her fair share of… well, sort of dates. All right, so she hadn’t really dated that much. She’d felt it was safe to assume she’d be out of her element with a man who looked like Jax. Someone that hot had to have a string of women in his past. Didn’t stop it from hurting, though.

  “You’re doing okay,” she told him.

  “What I was trying to say is… will you have dinner with me? I know it’s rather sudden, but I was hoping we could go out tonight. I only get three days off, then I’m due back at the station for three days.”

  “You sleep there?”

  He nodded. “There are bunks in the back and everyone is assigned a locker. We work three days straight, no breaks or anything, and then have three days off. It makes it hard to make plans because you never have the same days off week to week, but I can’t complain. I love my job.”

  “I’d love to have dinner with you tonight. I have someone coming in to the shop this afternoon to close up for me, so I can meet you anytime.”

  “Pick you up at six?”

  She nodded. “How should I dress?”

  “Nothing too fancy. I thought we’d grab dinner at the Big Bear Diner.”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  He gave her another smile before backing out of the store, his eyes never leaving hers until the door closed between them. She wasn’t sure what to make of his rather surprising request. Had she hoped he’d ask her out? Yes. Did she think it would actually happen? Not so much. It had been months since she’d tried to date anyone. What if something horrible happened? She’d never forgive herself if she jinxed Jax in some way.

  Reika fingered the amulet around her neck. Maybe her new lucky charm would keep her from harming him. She’d never know if she didn’t try, though. And if something did happen, well, then she’d just have to tell Jax she couldn’t see him anymore. Assuming he didn’t run screaming from her. Men tended to do that when they lost hair or turned girly colors.

  * * *

  The rest of the day flew by and before she knew it, she was home and prepping for her date. She’d taken another shower and dried her hair with magick so that it hung in long sleek curls. Reika had reapplied her make-up, enhancing her eyes, which she’d often been told was her best feature. She’d just pulled on a teal sundress with bright pink poppy-like flowers across the hem when the doorbell rang. Slipping on a cute pair of white sandals, she rushed to answer the door.

  As an afterthought, she tucked her wings away and used a glamour to make her appear human. Jax hadn’t commented on her wings one way or the other, but maybe he would prefer her this way. She’d found that most men did. The wings seemed to unnerve them for some reason.

  She opened the door with a smile, her eyes taking in his blue pinstriped button down shirt, neatly tucked into a pair of dark blue jeans. His hair was still damp from his shower and the musky scent of his body spray was making her mouth water. His green eyes flared as they took in her appearance, and then he frowned.

  “What happened to your wings?”

  “Oh, I thought I’d use a glamour for tonight.”

  He crossed the threshold and ran a hand down her arm, leaving goose bumps in its wake. “I didn’t ask out Reika the human. I asked out Reika the fairy. Your wings are beautiful, as are you. You shouldn’t be ashamed of them.”

  Warmed by his words, she let her glamour drop and spread her wings. She’d been out with more than one guy who would’ve been happy she’d hidden her wings. Jax’s acceptance of who she was, and his delight in her uniqueness, just made him that much more perfect.

  “Never hide who you are,” he told her. “Not from me.”

  “You might feel differently when people stare. I don’t normally go out in public with them showing.”

  He grinned. “They won’t be staring because of your wings. They’ll be staring because I’m with a beautiful woman. Now, if you’re ready, let’s go eat.”

  Tucking her wings against her back, she followed him out the door. After locking up, she allowed him to guide her to his SUV and she climbed inside. Jax walked around to the driver’s side as she fastened her seatbelt. She was both nervous and excited about their date. So far, everything seemed fine. But then, she usually made it this far without incident. It was during the course of dinner, or in the middle of a movie that tragedy would strike.

  It didn’t take long to arrive at the Big B
ear Diner. They grabbed a seat at a table in the middle, as all of the window booths were already taken. Reika didn’t care where they sat, as long as she got to be with Jax. A young raven shifter named Josie waited on them.

  “Hi, Reika,” she said with a smile.

  “Hi, Josie. How’s that charm working out for you?”

  The young girl blushed. “It’s working just fine.”

  “Good.” Reika smiled. Just a few days before, she’d sold Josie a love charm. It seemed the sweet raven was in love with a hawk.

  “What can I get you to drink?” Josie asked.

  “Sweet tea for me,” Reika said.

  Jax smiled. “Same for me.”

  Josie made a notation on her order pad and nodded. After they ordered their food, she turned and walked away. Left alone with Jax, Reika wasn’t sure what to do or say. Other than the fact that he was a werewolf and worked for the fire department, she really didn’t know anything about him.

  “So,” he said. “What does Fairy Kista mean?”

  “Kista is fae for charm.”

  “I’ve passed by your store I don’t know how many times, but I never knew what you sold. I just figured it was all fairy stuff and passed it by.”

  “We carry a lot of things fairies use, but we also cater to the wiccans and witches in the community. And, anyone who is looking for a special charm or potion knows they can find it in my shop. Or if I don’t carry it, I can get them in touch with someone who can help them, assuming I can’t do it myself.”

  “That’s right. You mix potions.” He grinned. “With some rather smoky results if I remember right.”

  She felt her cheeks warm. “That doesn’t always happen.”

  “So what do you do other than make potions?”

  “I can make charms for people, mostly love charms, and I do a bit of magick.” She frowned. “But my magick doesn’t ever turn out the way it’s supposed to.”

  “I know it seems impossible, what with Moonspell being so small and all, but I’ve never been around a fairy before. I mean, I’ve met one, of course, but it was just a brief how-do-you-do type of thing.”

  She winced. “I’m probably not the best representative of my kind. Maybe I should introduce you to my friend Maya. She’s everything a fairy should be.”

  His gaze softened. “I don’t know. I think you’re a wonderful fairy, and a very beautiful woman.”

  She gave him a small smile and lowered her lashes in embarrassment. She wasn’t used to receiving compliments and wasn’t sure how to respond. Sure, men had called her pretty before, but no one had ever called her beautiful.

  Their food arrived and their conversation hit a lull. It didn’t make things uncomfortable or awkward between them, though. Reika felt at ease with Jax, well, as at ease as she could be as she waited to see if her magick would backfire. She figured it was only a matter of time before something happened, something horrible. She could almost feel the magick rippling under her skin.

  After learning more about Jax and his two brothers, Beau and Greer, that his parents had moved to a pack in Mississippi to be closer to his aunt and uncle, and that he was two years older than her, she told him a bit about herself. While she was a fairy, she was still young, only twenty-three, compared to her parents who were closer to two hundred. She’d had an older brother, who had died fifty years ago, when a mage cursed him for falling in love with the wrong woman. Her parents lived in Fairy, so she seldom saw them now that she was of an age to take care of herself.

  As their date was winding down, her worst fears were realized. Jax stood to pay their ticket when his eyes suddenly widened. He barely had time to remove his shirt before he shifted into a beautiful black wolf. Reika somehow doubted the shift had been intentional and chalked it up to her faulty magick. Gathering his clothes, she did her best to ignore the stares of the other patrons.

  Josie hurried over. “Is everything okay, Reika?”

  “No, it’s happening again. I’m sorry, Josie, but we need to leave. Is there any way I can pay the tab later?”

  Josie nodded. “You take care of Jax and don’t worry about paying. Consider this one on the house.”

  Reika thanked her once more and looked down at Jax, who looked as confused as a wolf could. She bit her lip and wondered what to do. Patting his pants, she retrieved his keys and backed toward the door.

  “Jax, you’re going to have to come with me. I swear I’ll fix this.”

  He slowly padded after her, looking uncertain. She wished she could explain what happened, but she wasn’t sure where to begin. Once they were in the SUV, she decided to start at the beginning.

  “Something happened over the past year. My magick has never been what one would call trustworthy, but for some reason it started targeting my dates. I should’ve warned you when you asked me out, but I’d hoped this time would be different.”

  She sighed and headed for home, not knowing what else to do. At least there, she had supplies and could possibly figure out a way to reverse whatever magick had changed him.

  “I’ll fix this, Jax. I don’t know how, but I promise I’ll change you back.”

  He gave her a look that she could only describe as trusting. She hoped she was worthy of that trust. What if she couldn’t change him back? The other spells had worn off, well, except for that whole hair loss thing. Poor man had had to wait until it grew back in. Maybe this one would wear off, too.

  When they reached her house, she ushered him in through the front door and quickly locked up. Moving swiftly through the house, she approached the kitchen. She supposed she could try magick first, but something told her that would only make matters worse. With her luck, she’d just shift him into something else. At least this was a natural state for him. No, her best bet would be a potion.

  Pulling out a book she’d created when she first started mixing potions, she consulted every combination she’d ever tried. None of them had resulted in changing a shifter back into a man. Probably because she’d never changed a man into a wolf before. After flipping through the pages a few more times, she decided to try combining three of the potions, hoping it would work.

  She pulled out a rainbow potion bottle filled with purple liquid, a blue one containing a thicker silvery gel-like substance, and a clear one with a bubbling red fluid. The last one made Jax’s eyes widen with an alarmed expression. She gave him a reassuring smile and began mixing the three together. First the silver, filling the tube halfway. Then about 3 ml of the purple. And last but not least, a dash of the red. The mixture frothed and turned a dark, dark blue, nearly black.

  “This should do the trick,” she told Jax with a smile. He didn’t look so certain, though.

  “Come on. I promise it won’t hurt you. Now, open wide.”

  Jax tilted his head back and opened his mouth. Reika quickly poured the liquid down his throat before he could change his mind. He made an “ick” face and snorted, his tongue lapping at the roof of his mouth, much like a dog trying to eat peanut butter. With a shake of his head, he sat and waited. And waited. And waited. And still nothing happened.

  Reika frowned. “I don’t understand. It should’ve worked. Maybe if I --”

  Jax emphatically began shaking his head. It was obvious he didn’t wish to try another potion, but Reika didn’t know what else to do. She’d sworn to change him back and she doubted a charm was going to do anything. Maybe if she’d given him one before their date, but she hadn’t thought about it.

  “Jax, I don’t know what else to do. Our only other hope is that it will eventually wear off, but that could take days.”

  He looked fairly alarmed, and she couldn’t really blame him. She should’ve just stayed away from him, should’ve known this would happen. But she’d really wanted this time to be different. She felt drawn to Jax, more so than anyone before him. It was almost like they were meant to be together. But how could she doom him to a life of magick that backfired, causing him harm? All right, so he wasn’t harmed per se, but he
wasn’t untouched by it, either. It wouldn’t be fair to him to stay with him, not after this. No, once he was human again, she’d have to tell him goodbye and mean it, not just a temporary goodbye-I’ll-see-you-soon, but a goodbye-we-shouldn’t-ever-see-one-another-again. It would be the hardest thing she’d ever done. Even after one date, she knew that she wanted to spend more time with him. Possibly forever. Call it fairy instinct.

  “Well, I guess you’re staying here. Since you’re a wolf and all, I don’t see any harm in you staying in my room with me. I mean, it hardly seems fair to make you sleep on the couch, or on the floor. This is all my fault. It’s still early though. Why don’t we watch a movie until bedtime?”

  He left the kitchen and headed into the living room, with Reika on his tail, pun intended. They settled on the sofa, Jax stretched out beside her and her with her feet curled under her. She wouldn’t think about the wolf hair getting on her furniture. It could always be vacuumed later, right?

  By the time the movie ended, it was nine o’clock, but Reika still wasn’t tired. She knew she should get ready for bed, but she was still wide-awake. Probably because the star of her fantasies was still in canine form beside her. It was weighing heavy on her mind.

  “What do you say we watch the next one in the bedroom?” she asked. “I’m not sleepy yet, but I wouldn’t mind getting a little more comfortable.”

  He raised his head and his ears twitched. She wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, but she was going to assume he was agreeing with her. She narrowed her eyes at him.

  “You may be in wolf form, but you’re not coming into the bedroom until I’ve changed into my PJ’s.”

  He sighed and laid his head back down again.

  With a shake of her head, she got up and went to the bedroom. Pushing the door closed, just in case a certain wolf got a little nosy, she pulled out her sleep shorts and tank top. She really didn’t have a problem with him sleeping with her in his current form. It wasn’t like he could do anything other than sleep. Sex was most definitely out of the question. She changed quickly then opened her bedroom door. Calling out to Jax, she waited until he came into the room to settle herself in bed. He stood beside the bed giving her a questioning look, at least, that’s how she interpreted it.