I stared into my glass of beer before revealing more. “I grew up thinking I was human and didn’t know anything about the supernatural world. It wasn’t until I was twenty-one, and I was threatened in a robbery. Anger took over, and my body started to change. I’d never experienced it before, and it terrified me.”
She made a sound of disbelief. “You must’ve scared the burglar, too.”
I let out a mirthless laugh. “Yes, indeed. I don’t know if he was on drugs, but I’m sure that he thought he was after he saw the man he was attempting to rob morph into a growling bear covered with fur. He dropped everything and ran.”
“You had no idea you had bear blood?”
“No.” I grunted. “And I freaked out. When I told my mother what happened, she appeared stunned but not completely surprised, if that makes any sense. She admitted that my father, who I’d never met, was a bear shifter. She never mentioned it because she didn’t feel the need to. Since I never showed any signs of shifting before, she thought it was better to leave it out.”
“I can see that.” She tipped her head. “Somewhat.”
“Right, I did too. But not at the time. I was angry, terrified, pretty much every emotion you might imagine when you suddenly discover you’re not who you think you are, and your entire upbringing was a lie. I was bitter for a long time. I moved around a lot, trying to learn more about what this meant. My mom helped me find my father’s family, and I lived with them. They taught me about being a bear, but I only stayed for six months. Their lifestyle was so different from what I was used to. They grew up in touch with their bear side. I was acutely aware that I was different.”
I’d been searching for a place where I fit ever since. Even now as I approached the milestone of turning thirty, I was still haunted by the question of where I belonged. Where would a half-bear shifter like me fit in? Not with humans who had no clue that supernaturals existed and not with full bear shifters who didn’t quite get someone who lived as a clueless human for many years.
“There’s a feeling of being in two worlds and not fitting in either,” I added.
“That’s totally understandable,” Pandora replied with a sympathetic tone. “What a shock that must’ve been to discover such a big part of yourself that your loved ones kept from you.” She gestured toward me. “I’m glad you came here, Austin. The Network can help you get settled. There are others with both human and shifter blood who have made Salem their home.”
I glanced at her with a hopeful expectation. “That’s good. I have the sublet for three months. I figure that’s long enough to see if it’s a good fit, and if not, I’ll move on.” I grimaced. “Again.”
What was wrong with me for going down this tragic lane? This was too intense for a first-date conversation. Added to the bizarre compulsion my bear felt for Pandora, it was too much. My body started to overheat, and I felt unsteady.
I reached for my glass of beer with a shaky hand but knocked it over. Beer rolled across the table. Pandora leaned back to avoid the impending deluge, but it was too late. It tumbled onto her lap, and she gasped.
“I’m so sorry.” I grabbed my napkin and reached to dab the spilled drink, but then almost upended the table.
I turned to see where I could get more napkins, half-climbing out of my seat. Only our server was walking toward our table at that moment with our desserts. When I slammed into him, the plates crashed onto our table or the floor.
What a nightmare. “Sorry, sorry,” I announced to everyone in the sudden quiet of the restaurant. Surely, everyone had stopped to see where the crash has originated. Me and my clumsy bear paws.
The next few minutes rushed by in an awkward parade.
Although I apologized to Pandora profusely, she brushed it off. “Don’t worry about it, accidents happen.”
Still, I felt like the world’s clumsiest oaf. “I’m so sorry,” I repeated. I shouldn’t have let my angst about my past creep into our conversation and turn me into this wreck.
“It’s fine,” Pandora insisted and placed her hand across the table on mine.
My bear instantly calmed at her touch. I took a deep breath. If I wanted to salvage this awful night, I had to remain calm.
Somehow, we got through the cleanup, and I paid the bill without another incident. But I shouldn’t have jinxed it.
Once we drove away from the restaurant, I turned to her and said, “How about ice cream to make up for dessert?”
“Sure.”
I turned back just in time to see a rabbit running across the road.
“Watch out!” Pandora warned.
I slammed on the breaks and turned to the right to avoid crushing it. The screech of my tires eerily echoed with slow motion. But I hadn’t hit anything.
The crash of metal on metal pierced my ears and slammed us forward.
PANDORA
The sudden crash jolted us both. Heart still pounding, I turned to Austin.
