Ella blinked, caught off guard by the question, but not in a bad way. Her grin faltered for half a second, replaced by something softer, more curious. She tilted her head, eyes narrowing just enough to show she was thinking about it.
“Depends,” she said, voice low and playful. “Does the real date come with dessert?”
“We’ve got dessert today too. Frozen brownies and whipped cream.”
She laughed, but there was a flicker of something else in her eyes: interest. She was tentative for sure, like she was afraid to trust.
“I’d love to take you out on an official date. There are all types of restaurants in Darlington, any type of cuisine you like, they’d have it.” I reached over to grab a piece of the toasty bread to sop up the sauce at the bottom of my plate.
“Really? I’ve actually never been.” She swirled her glass of wine. The Merlot was the only bottle I had on hand. I wasn’t a big wine drinker, preferring a good rum myself.
She’d hesitated when I first poured her a glass, but once she realized I was having a drink myself, she’d relaxed.
“Oh, you’re missing out! Darlington’s great. Very diverse. I guess it must be since it drew creatures of all sorts even before the fall of The Wall.”
“Yeah, it’s crazy what The Wall hid. I can’t believe I’ve lived right next to it most of my life and never knew about it. We must’ve driven past that turnoff a thousand times.” She took another sip of her wine. “Is that why you’re here? Because you are... other?”
So, she’d noticed the tells after all. Or was that a lucky guess simply because I lived outside of the magical city? From what I could tell, Ella was human in every way. I couldn’t detect any magic on her at all. Usually, those who aren’t used to spotting the differences had trouble telling me apart from a regular human meathead type when I camouflaged myself in human guise.
Despite what some people thought, we weren’t shifters; we didn’t have another form. Instead, we had something akin to magical camouflage. It was why so many witnesses claimed we looked invisible in the trees, or believed that we used shadowing techniques, or whatever the newest theory was.
There was no technique; it was magic pure and simple. But it wasn’t a glamour spell or anything like that. Sure, I could turn it on at will, but that was about it. On or off. Sometimes it makes me blend into the snow-covered hills. But most of the time, it just makes me look human. I mean, fully human. I guess technically we are a type of human after all.
If she could see through the magic, even a little, chances were she’d been around supernaturals, more commonly known as monsters, before. That could be a good or a bad thing, depending on her experience with them.
I wanted her to get to know me more first, and I meant me as a person, before she found out what I was. I didn’t want the potential problem of navigating our differences to come between us before I even had a chance to win her. And win her I would because she was my mate.
“Yeah. It helps. And I enjoy being able to head into town any time I like. There’s a great Tibetan restaurant with amazing momos if you want to go.”
For a moment, it looked like she was going to turn me down, maybe out of habit, as a way to protect herself after her divorce. A host of emotions crossed her face until finally, resolve.
“I do,” she said firmly. Then she paused. “But can I take a raincheck for after the holidays? I’m spending it with my family. Then I’m driving back this way. We can meet up again.”
I didn’t want her to leave. But I knew I couldn’t say that out loud. We’d just met, and Ella was human; she couldn’t feel the mate bond. So seeing her again would have to be the best option.
“That means I’m going to need your number.”
“It’s yours. Gimme your phone.”
We swapped phones and exchanged digits. It felt good knowing I had a way to get a hold of her now, even if she had to leave.
I ended up putting the frozen brownies in the oven anyway, and I poured Ella another glass. We were just getting comfy on the couch to wait for our dessert when a loud rapping at my front door interrupted us.
Ella stiffened immediately, and I instinctively put an arm around her to let her know it was okay.
“It’s the middle of a snowstorm, and no one’s getting out here unless they’ve got a beast to protect them. My cabin borders on pack territory. Every big storm, the local wolf shifter pack sends someone out to make sure everyone’s okay.”
I expected that to ease her nerves. Instead, Ella’s posture shifted. Her shoulders drew in, her arms wrapped around herself, and the spark in her eyes dimmed. She didn’t speak, but her silence said plenty.
The mention of the pack had unsettled her.
I watched her carefully, every protective instinct in me rising.
“Have you had a bad experience with the wolf shifters here?” I asked.
She’d mentioned that her family lived nearby. The wolf pack in the area hadn’t always been good neighbors. It used to be run by a mean and ruthless alpha. But the pack was a lot more mellow now that they’d changed leadership and gotten rid of the troublemakers.
She shook her head.
