My heartstrings were pulled one by one as Austin rushed through his reasoning to protect the kitten. “There are no-kill shelters.”
“Okay, I’ll look into those later.” He adjusted his weight from one foot to the other. “Please, can he stay with you for a bit? It should be half-an-hour, an hour tops.”
I exhaled with a whoosh. “You’re asking me to conspire with you to conceal a cat? I don’t want to have trouble with my neighbors.”
He widened his eyes. “I’m desperate. I saw cats on your porch and hoped…” His voice trailed off.
I glanced from him to the cat carrier and bit my lower lip. White whiskers peered out from the caged door. Should I get involved in this situation?
What else was the alternative? I didn’t owe this stranger anything, but if I turned him away, what would happen to the poor cat?
And was Austin the reason I’d felt eyes on me earlier? “How long have you been back here, Austin?”
“What do you mean? I just walked over.”
“Were you in my backyard?”
“What?” His voice sounded perplexed. “No. Why would I be? Michael texted me a few minutes ago, and I hurried to figure out what to do.”
Once again, I reminded myself about the protection spells on my property. I could be cautious but didn’t need to be paranoid and unneighborly, especially with a new neighbor asking for help with a cat.
“Come in.” I stepped aside for him to enter the kitchen.
Water dripped off him and the carrier onto the tile floor. “Sorry about that.” He glanced down. “If you have a towel, I can clean it up.”
When he met my gaze, his brown eyes were warm and grateful.
“It’s okay. I’ll take care of it.”
Austin took in a sharp inhale, and his eyes widened. He stared at me with a surprised expression, mouth agape. Then he stumbled although he’d been standing still.
I smoothed my hair, immediately self-conscious. Why was he staring at me like that? “What’s wrong?”
It might have nothing to do with my appearance. Maybe I’d misjudged him after all, and he was, indeed, a threat.
AUSTIN
She was even more beautiful up close. Her hair was so dark, it was almost black and so shiny, I wanted to touch it. She had bangs cut straight across and smoky-lined blue eyes, reminding me of a 50s pin-up model like Bettie Paige.
And she was tall. I was so used to glancing down at the women in my family, none of whom were over 5’ 4”. They didn’t have shifter blood like I did.
But when I inhaled her scent, I almost dropped the carrier. S rumbled, pushing himself to the surface. I’d heard about this happening to shifters, but never thought it would happen tome. First, because I was only half-bear shifter and had only shifted the first time at twenty-one. Discovering I had another side of me in the form of a bear with deadly claws and covered with fur wasn’t something I ever thought possible—for anyone. Second, even when I’d attempted to live with full bear shifters in the Rocky Mountains to learn more about that side of me, I’d still felt different—caught between two worlds.
I didn’t fit in with humans or bear shifters. I’d moved from place to place for almost a decade, trying to find a place to call home, but it always felt like I was trying to squish a size twelve foot into a size ten boot. It might be possible with a lot of force and sweat but would never fit comfortably. Although I didn’t know if any other half-bear shifters lived in Salem, I’d heard many supernaturals lived here so figured I’d try a city that might be more welcome to a misfit like me.
What I didn’t expect was the bizarre way my body reacted to my neighbor in her kitchen. My instincts heightened, and body systems fueled on overdrive. My head felt both fuzzy and clear at the same time. Every inch of me was hot and filled with a sudden burst of longing. My bear was going near feral in an attempt to get closer to this woman.
Mate, he declared.Our mate.
The bear shifters I’d once lived with had tried to explain the concept of fated mates to me. It sounded like soul mates, which also seemed like a made-up fantasy.
Calm down, I countered.She’s just the witch next door.
Wrong. Mate.
He was definitely mistaken. No way could a late-blooming half shifter have a mate.
“Austin?”
