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Like a laser-guided missile we headed towards where Nora was staying. In this form I could run twenty-five to thirty miles an hour if I tried, but I took my time on the way over, trying to figure out the best way to approach Nora. As it turned out she was outside on the grounds of Rosewater Manor. At first I thought she’d somehow known I was coming and was waiting for me, but as I eased closer I realized she was practicing her magic.

My mate sat on a circle made of stones, a meditation cushion underneath her as she focused on whatever she was trying to do. Her eyes were closed and her hair was loose around her shoulders, blowing every which way. She looked beautiful, like an ancient goddess. Nora held out one hand, mumbling something in what sounded like Latin. The air began to shimmer in front of her and then a large leaf several yards away lifted and floated towards her as if she’d summoned it, which I supposed she had. The leaf settled on the stone in front of her, then Nora said something else and it regenerated, turning green and supple.

Nora opened her eyes and squealed as she saw what she’d done. I eased back into the woods as quietly as I could, then shifted back to my human form before approaching her again. I didn’t want to freak her out with my bear yet.

She won’t be freaked out, my bear protested. Our mate will see that we are strong and capable. I suppressed a laugh as he sent me an image of us bringing her a giant fish, the perfect gift in the bear world.

“Nice work,” I called. “Your magic is getting stronger.”

“Hey Ollie.”

She didn’t look surprised to see me there, telling me that she’d likely sensed my presence, the same way I could sense hers. After spending time together at Murphy’s the other day the first tendrils of the mate bond were forming between us. It was faint but it was there. The more time we spent together, the stronger it would become until I marked her and claimed her as mine, connecting us for the rest of our lives.

“May I join you?” I asked.

“Okay.”

I tried not to be disappointed at the distinct lack of enthusiasm in her voice. I was a few feet away from her when her eyes widened in shock.

“Where are your clothes?” she squeaked, holding her hand in front of her eyes.

I’d almost forgotten that I was nude. Shifters lacked modesty. Being in skin or fur didn’t matter to us.

“I came over in my bear form. I wasn’t expecting to see anyone, otherwise I would have brought clothes.”

She picked up the cloth she’d laid in front of her as a makeshift altar and tossed it in my direction. “Cover yourself please.”

I caught the cloth, smirking as I lowered myself to the stones about three feet in front of her, covering my junk with the cloth. I couldn’t help but notice that despite her protests she was peeking between her fingers, which made me puff out my chest a little. Between all my years in the military and being a shifter I was super fit, with the muscular body of a much younger male. Shifter genes had many benefits including natural muscle tone.

“Looks like your lessons are working well,” I said.

She lowered her hand, eyes dipping to study my chest and abs before she realized what she was doing. Her face turned the cutest shade of pink, and she snapped her eyes back to my face.

“Yes, I’m trying to get ready for Samhain, I’m going to join the coven at their moonlight ritual.”

“Already? Wow.”

“Sage says I’m making good progress and can learn a lot by attending. And Pepper said I’m learning faster than she did a couple of years ago.”

“Pepper didn’t seem to have any magic when we were younger,” I said. “People used to talk about how somehow all three of the Rosewater girls were way less powerful than people expected.”

“When Pepper was young she was in the same room as our cousin Jane,” she started.

“That’s Gabriel’s mate, right?” I asked, trying to place her. She wasn’t from Greysden originally.

“Yeah. Jane’s mom didn’t want her daughter to do magic, so she put a suppression spell on Jane, but somehow it also caught Pepper who was nearby. No one had any idea what was going on, they just thought she didn’t have power.”

“How’d she find out?” I asked.

“Jane turned forty and her mother moved away and stopped re-binding the suppression spell, so it started to fade. Jane came here to see Sage and they all figured out what happened. Eventually both Jane and Pepper’s powers were restored, but they needed lessons to learn how to control it.”

“Damn, that’s crazy.”

We sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before Nora spoke again. “Why are you here, Ollie?”

“I didn’t intend to come here, not yet,” I said honestly. “But my bear wanted to see you and here we are.”

She nodded but didn’t respond.