Manhattan Moon

by Jae

  When Nyla pushed back the desk chair to get up, Shelby stood and took a step back, giving Nyla room to stand too.

  “Thank you, Dr. Carson.” The intense gaze of Nyla’s dark eyes conveyed her gratitude even better than her words could.

  “You’re very welcome. I’m glad I could help. And since we’re both no longer on duty, please, call me Shelby.” She had wanted to make that suggestion for months now, but since nurses didn’t usually call doctors by their first names, she hadn’t known how to suggest a more informal greeting.

  Nyla hesitated but then nodded. “Shelby.”

  A pleasant shiver raced through Shelby at the sound of her name on Nyla’s lips.

  With one more nod and smile, Nyla turned and walked to the door.

  This is your chance. Ask her now! Her thoughts ping-ponged through her mind, and she desperately searched for the right words. Come on. Emergency psychiatrists are supposed to be so good at persuading others, chatting people up, improvising to get people to do what they want.

  But when it came to Nyla, her professional skills meant nothing.

  Nyla reached out for the doorknob. She opened the door.

  “Nyla,” Shelby called just as Nyla crossed the threshold.

  “Yes?” One foot already out the door, Nyla looked back over her shoulder.

  Shelby said the next best thing that came to mind. “You really should relax more, take more time away from work.”

  One dark eyebrow crept up Nyla’s forehead. “I think the pot is calling the kettle black. Aren’t you the one who volunteered to work Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas?” She didn’t sound accusing, just amused.

  “Guess we both need to have some fun away from work.” Shelby clutched her hands behind her back. “We could go for a coffee sometime. Together, I mean.”

  “You don’t drink coffee.”

  Damn. Caught. She blinked, but then a pleased smile darted across her face. She noticed that I don’t drink coffee! Quickly, she thought of something else humans usually considered fun and relaxing. “Then maybe we could go see a movie or something.”

  Nyla tilted her head and studied her. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

  Shelby straightened to her full five feet six inches. Now or never. “Yes, I am.”

  “Just when I thought nothing else could surprise me on a night like this,” Nyla mumbled.

  “I know it might not be such a good idea,” Shelby said. “I mean, we work together. I’m a doctor, and you’re a nurse.” Not to mention I’m a Wrasa and you are an unsuspecting human. “I know theoretically I’m your boss, above you in the hospital hierarchy, and our bosses frown on that kind of relationship.” She knew she was rambling, but she couldn’t stop herself, too afraid that Nyla would clearly voice a “no” should silence descend on them. “Chances are you’re not even gay, and you’re free to tell me to take a hike, but —”

  Nyla took a step back into the room. “Yes.”

  Shelby froze, mouth half open. “You want me to take a hike?”

  “I mean yes, I’ll go out on a date with you.” A broad smile brought out Nyla’s dimples. “With Shelby, not Dr. Carson.”

  Suddenly, Shelby felt like a manic person on meth. She wanted to shout out her joy but instead simply asked, “When?”

  Nyla laughed. “Not today. I need eight hours of sleep, or I’m afraid I’ll see you turn into a frog should I kiss you goodnight.” A touch of red colored her olive complexion at her daring words.

  Heat pulsed through Shelby at the mention of kissing. “How about tomorrow?” Her voice was trembling with eagerness.

  “On one condition,” Nyla said and lifted her index finger.

  Anything. Shelby gave an enthusiastic nod, prompting Nyla to state her condition.

  “Let’s make the movie we see a romance, nothing with vampires or werewolves.”

  Shelby grabbed her jacket and followed Nyla to the door. “No werewolves,” she promised. “A good romance is just what I want too.”

  Chapter 2

  Shelby waited until her cousin had finally caught her up on what was happening with all the cousins, uncles, and aunts. She switched the phone to the other side, scratched behind her free ear, and said, “Um, Jocelyn?”

  “Yes?”

  “Let’s assume for a moment that someone wanted to go on a date with a human ...” Since she couldn’t tell Jocelyn that she was planning on going out with a human, she would use a hypothetical situation, as Nyla had. Maybe Jocelyn could give her some advice on what to bring on a date. She was a psychologist who had studied human behavior after all. Shelby was pretty sure a human woman wouldn’t find a few pounds of roast very romantic.

  “Are you out of your mind?” Jocelyn’s voice roared through the phone.

  Coyote shit. Shelby lifted her shoulders to protect her sensitive ears from her cousin’s howling. It seemed hypothetical situations didn’t work any better for her than they had for Nyla. “What makes you think I’m talking about myself?”

  Jocelyn snorted. “Oh, I don’t know. Probably because every time I ask about your work, you start going on and on about that nurse.”

  Shelby furrowed her brow. She had always thought she had successfully avoided mentioning Nyla too often.

  “Be careful, Shelby. If the pack finds out that your wonderful nurse is human and not a Wrasa ...”

  Shelby wasn’t afraid. Not for herself at least. But if she imagined the council members setting their sights on Nyla ... She shivered. As a pup, she had heard stories about what happened to humans who found out about the Wrasa’s secret existence. In the past, the council had killed humans to silence them. Shelby swallowed. Maybe it wasn’t such a bright idea after all to go out with Nyla. “She’s not my nurse,” she protested weakly.

  “Even if no one finds out,” Jocelyn said, ignoring Shelby’s objection, “what do you want with a human?” She made the word sound as if she had just spat out a foul-tasting bite of food. “It has no future.”

  “Why not? Griffin Westmore and Jorie Price are very happy together,” Shelby said.

  Jocelyn snorted. “They’re the exception. You can’t compare that nurse to a dreamseer like Ms. Price. She will never really know you. She’ll never understand what it means to be part of a pack or what it’s like to live as a hidden minority. And she’ll never be able to share the magic of a transformation with you.”

  Now it was Shelby’s turn to snort. “Do you know how long it’s been since I last shifted shape? You know for me it’s not an effortless, joyful thing that I can share with a mate at the drop of a hat.”

  Silence spread between them, as if Jocelyn was searching for comforting words or a logical retort but couldn’t find any. “Still,” she finally said, “you’re one of us. Not one of them.”

  Us. Them. Shelby stared at the floor. Why did everything have to be so complicated? Why couldn’t she just go out with this enchanting woman with the beautiful smile without it turning into a political act?

  “I have an idea. I’ll bring one of my colleagues to our next family gathering. She’s a lesbian. And a Wrasa. Okay?”

  “Sure,” Shelby said without enthusiasm.

  Jocelyn started singing the colleague’s praises, but Shelby hardly listened. Even though she was a Wrasa, this woman couldn’t understand her any better than Nyla. No one could. For other Wrasa, shifting shape was as effortless and natural as breathing. And Jocelyn’s colleague wouldn’t smell half as good as Nyla. Shelby was sure of that. She bit her lip until she tasted blood. “Ouch.”

  “Hmm?”

  “Nothing. Please don’t tell my parents about the stupid thing I almost did, okay?” She didn’t want to disappoint her family again.

  “Don’t worry. You never told anyone about what happened to the neighbor’s rabbit, and I won’t tell anyone that you are tail over claws in love with a human.”

  Not even the memory of Mrs. Gaines’s rabbit could make Shelby smile right now. Her thoughts were elsewhere. Oh, Grea
t Hunter, how will I tell Nyla that going out isn’t such a good idea without hurting her?

  * * *

  Shelby lifted her nose and deeply breathed in the scent of jasmine. She remembered too late that she had wanted to avoid Nyla and the conversation they needed to have.

  “Hey.” Nyla leaned her hip against the table next to Shelby and reached for a paper cup.

  Despite her sadness, Shelby had to smile as she saw the posture that was so typical for Nyla. “Hi.”

  Nyla poured herself a coffee and dropped a lump of sugar into the cup. Then another one. And finally a third one. With apparent fascination, she stared at the whirlpool her stirring created.

  Shelby watched her out of the corner of her eye. Was Nyla deep in thought, or was she just as nervous as Shelby and had trouble looking her in the eyes?

  Tell her now that you can’t go see the movie with her. Don’t string her along. Shelby gave herself a mental kick. “Nyla?”

  “Yes?” Nyla looked up. The expression in her dark eyes was as open as that of a pup that rolled on her back in front of the pack’s alpha, trusting that her defenselessness wouldn’t be exploited.

  Shelby’s tongue seemed to stick to the roof of her mouth. She stared at the paper cup so she wouldn’t have to look into Nyla’s eyes.

  “A bit too much sugar. I know,” Nyla said. “But it’s three more hours until the end of the shift, and I have to stay awake somehow. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

  Shelby furrowed her brow. The thought that Nyla had tossed and turned the whole night made her wish she had been there to hold her. “I hope you’re not still worried about losing your mind.” A growl rose up in her chest as she thought about the Wrasa who had turned into a wolf or a coyote in front of Nyla.

  “Oh, no. No, that’s not it. I was just …”

  The scent of jasmine got stronger and mixed with a hint of salt.

  Shelby looked up as Nyla hesitated. Even though she was about to cancel their date, she suddenly felt queasy. “You changed your mind and don’t want to go out with me?”

  “No, no. No, really. That’s not it. I’m … really nervous.” Nyla straightened her shoulders. “It’s been a while since I dated. But I wouldn’t cancel our date for the world.”

  Shelby beamed. “Me neith…” She stopped and bit her tongue. Then she sighed and said, “Me neither.” The heck with it. It’s only one date, and the council will never find out. It’s not as if I wanted to drag her to my den and raise a litter of pups with her. One date, and that’s it.

  * * *

  Shelby’s senses were working overtime as she got out of the car and crossed the street. Nyla’s neighborhood in Brooklyn smelled better than a steakhouse. Someone was frying lamb meat. Shelby’s mouth watered.

  She followed her nose to the driveway of a small house that looked as if it had seen better days. The once probably yellow color had weathered to a grayish beige, and the gutters had gotten rusty. Well-groomed flower beds lined the path, though, and a comfortable-looking bench invited visitors to sit on the small porch.

  Shelby craned her neck to check the street number, which was half covered by ivy. Number twenty-one. The heavenly scents were definitely coming from Nyla’s house.

  Had Nyla made dinner even though they wanted to go out? Or did she live with someone? The thought made her frown.

  She paused in front of the door and breathed in through her nose. In addition to the enchanting scents of lamb, coriander, garlic, and mint, she caught a whiff of jasmine. Her heart beat faster.

  Then her nose identified another smell. Dog hair.

  Oh, no. Please let that be the neighbor’s dog.

  Before she finished the thought, a dog started barking inside the house. It barked and growled as if a dangerous predator had entered its territory.

  Strictly speaking, that was exactly what had happened. The dog couldn’t know that Shelby was a harmless member of her species.

  Before Shelby could work up the courage to ring the bell, the door was opened.

  Nyla stood in the doorframe, a barking black-and-brown rat in her arms.

  Shelby blinked and stared. Wow.

  So far, she had seen Nyla only at work, where she wore her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Now her hair was down and fell in wild waves onto her back. A hint of eyeliner emphasized her eyes and made them look even bigger and darker. The shapeless hospital scrubs Nyla usually wore to work definitely didn’t do Nyla’s sensuous build justice. The jeans and tight sweater she wore now showed off every curve.

  It took some effort not to slobber—and this time it had nothing to do with the scent of the lamb meat.

  The dog’s barking ripped Shelby from her thoughts.

  Nyla stood without moving and stared back.

  “Uh, here.” She handed Nyla a bouquet of red roses. In all the books about human mating behavior that she had read, the date always brought flowers, never meat, as it was custom with the Wrasa. Shelby didn’t understand what was so romantic about slowly wilting flowers, but for Nyla’s sake, she had adapted to human traditions.

  The dog tried to bite Shelby’s hand.

  Only Shelby’s fast Wrasa reactions saved her from being bitten.

  The overgrown rat growled.

  Shelby nearly bared her teeth and growled back.

  “Goliath!” Nyla gave the dog an admonishing tap on the nose. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s going on with him today. He’s usually the friendliest dog on earth.”

  Shelby grinned. “Must be the effects of the full moon.”

  The appearance of Nyla’s dimples when she smiled made Shelby’s knees weaken. “Would you like to come in while I bring Goliath upstairs and put the flowers in water?”

  “I’d love to.” Truth be told, she had offered to pick Nyla up because she was curious about her den ... her house.

  Goliath’s growling filled the silence between them as Nyla led her into the house.

  “Goliath, stop it!” Nyla said.

  The rat shut up but continued to stare at Shelby.

  They walked past furniture, oil paintings, and a fireplace, but Shelby ignored the visual impressions and focused on the scents surrounding her. They told their own stories.

  On a bookshelf, a bottle filled with sand smelled of salt water and ocean breeze. The smell of old paper wafted up from a chest of drawers, as if it held letters and photo albums. The scents of half a dozen herbs clung to the cozy breakfast nook. Everything was permeated by the warm scent of jasmine.

  Nyla’s house smelled like a home. A sudden longing for her mother’s kitchen filled Shelby, but she shoved back that feeling. It had been a long time since she had felt at home in her parents’ house—if it had ever really been a true home for her.

  While Shelby waited in the living room, Nyla brought the yapping rat upstairs and then went to the room where all the enticing scents were coming from.

  “Red roses?” asked a female voice. Thanks to her Wrasa hearing, Shelby could hear her through the closed door. “I thought this was your first date?”

  “It is,” Nyla said.

  Uh-oh. Maybe she shouldn’t have taken advice about human courtship from romance novels. She had forgotten that the color of roses held a meaning to humans. She sighed. Bringing roast to a date was definitely less complicated.

  “Be careful, dear, or you’ll end up like me. Your grandfather proposed even before we finished our first date.”

  A sound indicated that Nyla kissed her grandmother’s cheek. “And you said yes.”

  “Of course I did. I couldn’t pass up a tasty morsel like your grandfather.”

  Shelby started coughing as she tried to suppress her laughter.

  “Will you introduce me to your date?” Nyla’s grandmother asked.

  “And get a remake of ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ that ends with you shoving food down her throat until she pukes?” Nyla snorted. “No, thanks.”

  “Nonsense,” the old lady said. “It’s not my f
ault if you bring home anorexic young things with sensitive stomachs. Come on. Introduce us.”

  That answered one of Shelby’s questions. Nyla was out to her family, and they accepted her sexual orientation. Shelby knew that wasn’t a given with humans.

  The kitchen door opened.

  Shelby straightened, expecting to face a silver-haired Greek matriarch in a head scarf and a black dress. Instead, Nyla’s grandmother wiped her hands on her jeans and tugged on her pink T-shirt before she shook Shelby’s hand. “You must be Shelby. Nice to meet you. I’m Katerina Rozakis, Nyla’s grandmother.”

  Behind her grandmother’s back, Nyla pointed at the door and mouthed, “Let’s go.”

  But her grandmother had already taken Shelby’s arm and was pulling her toward the couch.

  Shelby sent Nyla a helpless glance over her shoulder.

  “Tell me a little about yourself,” Mrs. Rozakis said. “You’re a doctor, right?”

  “She’s a doctor who will be late for the movie if we don’t get going,” Nyla said. She bent and kissed her grandmother’s forehead. Then she pulled Shelby up from the couch and dragged her to the door.

  Shelby’s fingers tingled where Nyla touched her. She waved in Mrs. Rozakis’s direction before the door closed behind them.

  “Oh my God.” Nyla covered her eyes with her free hand. “I’m so sorry.”

  Gently, Shelby pulled Nyla’s hand from her face and looked into her eyes. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry for.”

  “Believe me, if we stayed for two more minutes, you’d change your mind. My grandmother would have force-fed you while she questioned you about your finances, potential STDs, and your intentions toward me.”

  Shelby chuckled. A Greek grandmother didn’t scare her. Whenever she had gone out with a Wrasa woman, she had been sniffed out by the woman’s whole pack. And they hadn’t offered her food. “No problem,” Shelby said. “I have nothing to hide.” At least not when it came to her finances, STDs, and her intentions toward Nyla. She sighed.