Page 34 of Zodiac Monsters

“So when is your date?” He walked around the checkout counter and came up with some cleaning supplies. He tossed me a rag, and we both got to work at cleaning up any fingerprints or dust on the displays.

“Tomorrow night.”

“The full moon.” He lowered his volume when he added, “How interesting.”

I flushed, though there was no reason he would have understood why that was so embarrassing.

“Oh, is it?” I feigned ignorance.

Ceto, who was straightening out the manikin in the athletic wear section, patted a pile of tennis skirts. “Maybe you should consider an outfit that pairs well with running shoes.”

He always spoke with so little emotion that I could never tell if he was joking, offering advice, or making a general statement.

“He said it’s a nice restaurant. I don’t think they’ll let me in with gym clothes.”

“He’s a shifter, correct?” Ceto confirmed. I nodded. “An Alpha?”

I nodded again, having already gotten that confirmation.

My coworker and friend looked me over like he was sizing me up. I didn’t know where all of this was coming from. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as though he was the one stressed about this ordeal more than I was, then he walked into the backroom. When he returned, he was holding a beautiful, delicate bracelet with black gemstones that matched the belt he’d given me. He approached me, took my hand, then clasped the jewelry around my wrist.

“Don’t take that off,” he whispered before he stepped away. With that, he returned to his work like nothing had happened, and I just gaped at the beautiful jewels on my wrist.

“Is it special?” It would be par for the course for this to be a magical artifact of some sort. He tipped his chin without words, and I wrapped my hand around the metal links. “What does it do?”

Ceto pulled his collar to the side, revealing a necklace of the same design that he kept hidden under his shirt. I’d never noticed it before, but he was always wearing collared uniforms, so that wasn’t surprising. “It’s a weapon against Alphas.” He said, clearly without any intention to clarify. He returned to his work in silence, and I stared into the black gems.

“Thank you.” I said, and I didn’t probe further.