by V. Vaughn
I shrug with what I hope comes off as ease, even though I'm mangling the sugar packet in my hand. "What do you have in mind?"
He leans forward and speaks softly, "Seth, the guy who finds you the most attractive woman he's ever met. Go out with me."
My heart doesn't just flip. It hops up and does an Irish jig as the packet of sugar in my hand tears open and spills on the table. I stare at it as so many emotions rush through me I might vomit.
"I really freak you out, don't I?" asks Seth, and when I look at him, I find he's concerned.
"No." I let out a sigh of frustration. "Yes. But it's not you. I'm just not very good in new situations and"—I look down at the sugar strewn all over the table—"usually make a mess of things."
Seth reaches over and takes my hand. My jaw drops in surprise as the unusual warmth of his skin sinks into mine. "I don't think you can mess this up, Nina. Say yes."
I realize if I don't shut my mouth soon, I'm going to drool, so I force my jaw closed as I try to determine if this guy is for real. When he continues to look at me with a hopeful expression, I give in. "Okay." I have no idea why Seth likes me, considering I haven't done anything normal since we met, but I sit up a little taller and add, "Yes. I'd love to go out with you." And when he rewards me with a grin, I can’t help but smile too.
3
Seth wants to take me out for pizza tomorrow night, and he gets my number to text me details before I return to my table with Sammy and Elise. I sit down. "We have to leave."
"Why?" asks Sammy. "From here, it looked your conversation went well."
"It did," I say with a proud smile. "Guess who has a date with Seth." I lean in close, and my friends do the same. "But I'm going to screw this up if I sit here and try not to look at him. Because I'll either stare at him like a stalker or —"
"We could switch seats," offers Sammy.
"No, he'll think I don't want to look at him. Or that I'm—"
Elise cuts me off instead of trying to sort out a solution. "Got it. Let's go."
I breathe a sigh of relief that she gets me and ask a waitress near us for our check.
"Where are you going on your date?" asks Sammy.
"Out for pizza." I frown, but I don't need to worry, because Sammy answers my next question before I can ask it.
"Jeans and your green blouse that crisscrosses at the waist."
Elise nods in agreement as our waitress thumps the check folder down on our table. "And go hungry. Werebear like a woman who eats."
I chuckle as I pull bills out of my wallet, because I'm not one to miss a meal. "That, I can do."
As we begin to walk out of the café, Sammy whispers in my ear, "Glance at him and wave casually."
Seth is on my left, and my friends are on my right, so I turn to look at him, and as I lift my hand to wave, I slam into a table. Sharp pain radiates through my hip as silverware crashes to the floor, and like a fart you just can't keep in when you cough, my magic zaps out of my fingers to make the chair beside it topple over too. Oh god.
And right on cue, two sizzles almost in unison come from Sammy and Elise. The cutlery flies back up to the table and is set right again while the chair is put back in place.
Sammy whispers, "Nobody saw a thing. Just keep walking."
I look back at Seth, who is standing with a puzzled look on his face, and this time, I stop moving to give him a quick wave. He grins at me and waves back before I turn around and manage to walk out without causing any more damage.
The moment we're outside, I lift my shirt to see the red welt. “Ouch.”
"That's going to be a nasty bruise," says Elise. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." I look at my friends with gratitude as I lower my shirt. "You guys really are the best. Thanks for putting up with me."
Elise puts an arm around my shoulders. "Stop. You always have our backs too."
"She's right," says Sammy. "Besides, you’re the best roomie ever. You have great clothes and never complain when I borrow them."
I laugh. My mother owns a clothing boutique, and when I phased out of my black era, she hopped on it like white on rice. She taught me about classic style. And even now that I'm gone, I get a care package every month with a few new outfits. I have so many clothes that I could never wear them all more than a handful of times, and Sammy takes full advantage of it.
When we get to Sammy and Elise's cars, the reality of what just happened hits me. While I've had a few dates in the past, they've been few and far between. I did better with random drunk hookups in college because I could pretend my awkward actions had to do with alcohol. But something about this one feels very real, and even though I'm nervous, I really want to go. I squeal. "Oh my god! I have a date!"
"That you do, honey," says Elise, and she gives me a hug goodbye. "A super-hot one, and he could be your soul mate."
"Elise," warns Sammy. When we first arrived in Maine, Elise told us she was excited to have us here, because werebear clans recently discovered children like Elise's, who have both a witch and a werebear parent, get both sets of abilities. It makes the clan stronger, and they believe it will be what saves them in the future from the human hunters who want to eradicate werebear forever.
So of course, Elise, as the next in line to be her clan's medicine woman, wants to bring as many witches into the clans of the Northeast Kingdom as possible. She's been trying to find us mates since the day we got here. But fortunately, Sammy put her foot down and saved us from a multitude of blind dates and setups.
I get why Elise would want us to be as happy, though, so I say, "I hope he is. Because they can't help but love you. Right?"
Sammy rolls her eyes at me. "That is not where you're supposed to go with this. All I need is for you to find a soul mate, too, and then you guys will gang up on me." She uses her teacher voice to say, "Get in the car."
Elise and I laugh as I tug my door open to go home.
I should have known Sammy saw through my comment about soul mates having no choice in love, because once she pulls out onto the main road, she gives me a sideways glance. "What's this self-deprecating talk about a man only loving you because he has no choice?"
"I know. I'm worthy and all that. It was a joke."
She lets out a small noise of disbelief. "The hottest guy in the cafe just asked you out. Let that sink in for a moment."
I cringe a little as I recall the sugar packet tearing open and how awkward I was. "Maybe he is my soul mate, because I was so not cool."
"You do realize that plenty of people understand what it's like to be nervous. Besides, he was smiling and laughing the whole time you were talking to him. You're definitely as cool as you need to be in his eyes."
Maybe I am. Seth didn't have to insist I sit down and talk. And even after I was my odd self, he still asked me out. "So the guy is attracted to dorks. I suppose it does happen."
"You are not a dork." Sammy reaches over and touches my arm. "You're one of the best friends a girl could have. Nina, you're an incredibly empathetic person and can talk to animals. Who wouldn't want you in their life?"
I think about all the dogs I've helped in the past, and how, besides Pixie, I've helped dozens of other dogs with behavioral problems in the few months I've been here. I do have a gift. "Actually," I say, "he's damn lucky I like him."
Sammy gives me a huge smile. "I can't wait to hear every last detail about your date. I have a good feeling about this guy for you."
I smile back because I do too.
4
The pizza place Seth wants to go to is a block away from my apartment, so I told him I'd meet him there. I step into a restaurant that has the tattered look of a good college hangout. It's a popular spot most of the time, but especially late at night for the partiers who want a slice before they go back to the dorm. Laughter carries toward me, and I turn to find a group of guys at a table with Seth standing by them. He sees me and smiles as he waves me over. As I get closer, it occurs to me these guys are not only werebear, b
ut possibly an extreme athletic team of some sort, because they're huge and built of solid muscle.
"Nina," says Seth, "these are a few of my friends."
He goes on to list a bunch of names I'll forget, and I smile at them before I pull out my standard, "Nice to meet you."
Seth and I leave them to go find a booth of our own, and I slide over a wooden bench to be across from him. "Are those guys some special forces unit?"
"Warriors," Seth says, and when I frown, he asks, "You know what I am, don't you?"
A warrior? My insides clench up with anxiety because I'm way, way out of my league. Warriors are the werebear who protect the clan, meaning this guy could probably kill anyone who wanted to hurt me with a single swipe of his bear paw, and it's scary that I find it hot as hell. I say, "Well, that explains the size." I let out a small growl.
He bursts out laughing at me, and I smile, happy my joke didn't fall flat.
"My god, Nina. Where did you come from?"
"New Jersey," I say before I realize he was being rhetorical. I go with it anyway. "I moved here a couple months ago. Have you always lived here?"
"Yes. I even went to Orono."
"Warriors go to college?" I ask.
He frowns for a moment, and it hits me that my genuinely curious question could be taken as an insult, but his expression quickly changes to a smile. "They do. And sometimes they graduate."
I chuckle with relief. "Well, now I'm very impressed." I take the menu he hands me.
Seth asks, "Have you eaten here before?"
"Just delivery."
"What do you like on your pizza?"
I'm not sure how to answer the question. Is he asking because he wants to split one or because he's making conversation? I deflect. "What do you like?"
"I'm a straight pepperoni guy."
"Me too!" I exclaim, even though I really like just cheese.
"We really were meant to be."
I think about how Elise thought we might be soul mates, so I reach out and touch his arm to see if maybe I can feel a connection. "Really?" He flexes immediately under my fingers, and what I feel is an arm that is as hard as a rock. It's nice, but I'm not sure that makes it a soul-mate connection.
"The last girl I dated wanted a veggie pizza without the bread or cheese."
I frown, trying to sort it out, and then laugh when I get it. He's talking about the kind of girl who worries about having a flat stomach or a thigh gap. And since Elise told me werebear like women who eat, I say, "Yeah, I'm the furthest from a cheerleader as you can get. Bring it on!" I flinch at the volume of my last statement, and I don't have to glance around to know people are looking at me.
I have to give Seth credit, though, because this is the point when he should want to bail, and he doesn't. He blinks once and then jumps into my crazy. "Bring it!" he says just as loudly as I did.
I laugh. I'm not sure if I conjured him up or unconsciously spelled him to like me, and I squint to scan him for any magical residue. When I don’t find any, it makes me think I've found a guy who doesn't think my dorkiness is something to be embarrassed about. I relax a little because he seems to enjoy it.
Our boisterous voices bring the waitress over, and we order beers and a large pepperoni pizza.
When she leaves, Seth asks, "Tell me about what you train dogs to do."
"I work mostly with troubled ones."
"Troubled?"
"Yeah. The ones who are exhibiting negative behaviors like aggression, or they suffer from anxiety about something." Two drafts thud down before us, and I lift mine to take a sip.
"It must be hard to know what the problem is."
Seth's easy acceptance so far has relaxed me, and I know this is when I should tell him I'm a witch and how I can communicate with animals. But a lifetime of being judged for my magic makes me want to keep my powers secret a little longer. "Not if you pay close attention to the clues they give. People often don't see little things dogs do, or don't understand what the signals mean."
Seth licks foam off his lips. "I get it. Small children aren't as subtle as animals, but they often exhibit behaviors that give us a message not everyone can see too."
I think about how Elise's kids cry often, and it can be for a variety of reasons. Elise claims she can tell from the sound of the cry what the problem is. "Yeah. It's kind of like that." I find it sweet that a strong warrior knows about kids and imagine he's got nieces and nephews.
"Tell me what it's like to be a warrior." I look over at his friends. "I have to admit I'm a bit in awe."
Seth frowns. “I’m not—” He glances over my shoulder, and his expression relaxes. "Our pizza’s here, and I'm starving. How about you?"
I lean back to make room for the sizzling-hot pizza that the waitress sets down before us, and my mouth waters at the sight of gooey cheese. "Me too. This looks so good." I tug on a slice.
"Mm-hm," Seth says with a mouthful of food.
His slice flops, and a blob of cheese falls off. Even though he tries to catch it, it splats onto his plate. And I find it adorable, because I bet he’s not judging me for the way I knock over the red-pepper container when I reach for a napkin. The two of us are quiet as we take time to eat.
When I've finished a piece, I reach for more and ask, "So how hard do you have to train to be a warrior? You must be hungry all the time."
Seth is chewing, and he holds up a finger for me to wait. But I never get my answer, because a girl near us lets out a squeal, and I notice a bird fly by.
"Whoa," says Seth as the bird flies back and forth and bounces off a wall and a window as it frantically searches for a way out. "Poor thing is trapped."
I hone in on the small bird, which I think is a chickadee, and her panic fills me. I immediately send a message. "I can help. Stop flying around and breathe. I'll get you out of here."
I stand up with the intention of going to the door so the bird can come to me and be let out, but a guy moves toward the chickadee and reaches out with his bare hand as if he's going to grab it. A move that could damage her in a way that would eventually kill her.
I yell, "No! Don't touch her!"
Everyone is staring at me now, but the bird is more important than my embarrassment, and I make my way to the door by walking backward. I wave my hands in a come-here motion. "This way, little bird. Follow me."
The chickadee flies over toward me, and when I hold out my finger, she lands on it. I don't hear words, but her energy tells me she's still scared.
"I'm taking you outside." As soon as I get out the door, she flies up and hovers in the air for a moment, and telepathically, I sense her version of thanks as I feel her relief.
I smile, pleased with my good deed, before I turn back, and as I walk toward my table, people clap.
Someone calls out, "Bird whisperer!"
It's followed by laughter, but when I sit, Seth's expression isn't a happy one.
I'm not sure what he's thinking, so I ask, "What?"
"You're a witch, aren't you?"
My chest tightens, because here it comes. Elise told me that while the alphas of clans do want witches and werebear to mate, many werebear are prejudiced about magicals. For such large, powerful animals, they seem to be afraid of our power.
I let out a sigh. "I am." I stand up again. "Thanks for dinner."
"Where are you going?"
"I—you don't want me to leave?"
"No." Seth scowls in confusion. "I'm just surprised you didn't tell me when I asked about how you manage to help troubled dogs. Sit." I plop down again, and he leans forward to speak in a softer voice. "Were you afraid to tell me you're a witch?"
I shrug. "My magical status isn't usually a selling point, and I know some werebear are freaked out about our powers."
"Not this one." He smiles. "I'm impressed. You talked to that bird, didn't you?"
"Kind of."
"He landed on your finger!"
"She." I smile because I think Seth does believe what I did w
as cool. "And yeah, she did."
Seth sits back. "That's amazing. Huh." He reaches for another piece of pizza. "Were you the one that put the silverware back on the table after you bumped into it?"
I let out a groan. "You saw that. No, Sammy and Elise cleaned up my mess for me." I bite into my pizza, and the salty flavor of pepperoni fills my mouth.
Seth says, "You being a witch is going to get me some major points with my alpha when she finds out." I must make a face in response because Seth catches himself. "Oh. Sorry. I'm assuming you'll be my girlfriend." His eyes fill with hope. "Will you?"
I'm glad I have a mouthful of pizza, because if I didn't, I probably would have squealed. Instead, I nod. But on the inside? I bet every bird around just heard me let out a scream of joy.
5
After we leave the pizza place, Seth wants to walk me home. "So," he says. "When you talk to animals, is it like you speak their language?"
I chuckle because I'm not used to being the object of curiosity in a good way.
"Sorry. I've never dated a witch before. Especially one with such cool powers."
"That's okay. I've never dated a werebear. Especially one with such a dangerous job."
"Nina." Seth reaches over and takes my hand. I inhale sharply at the heat of his touch. "My job isn't actually dangerous," he says. "I—"
"Well, my powers aren't that cool," I blurt out before I realize I cut him off. But I'm so nervous that he's touching me I can't stop the words that rush out of my mouth like water spilling out of a glass. "Elise can hide things. Like really big things. She hid a building once from this guy as a joke. It's not as bad as you think, though. He was a jerk, and he was trying to find this girl who didn't like him and—" I shake my head when I realize I'm butchering the story. "Anyway, there's a reason Elise is a medicine woman. And Sammy. She can move stuff. Like she did at the cafe when she picked up the things I knocked off the table. She's a wiz with fireballs too."