Bella left just moments before Magnus strode back into the coffee shop. Kat had seen him coming from across the street, his long strides eating up the distance as if he couldn't wait to be with her again. She of course tried to shake off those thoughts, telling herself that he didn't know that she was his mate and the instant attraction thing was probably all just in her head. He was a cop and alpha all the way to the bone and he was just worried about her…
Not that thought like that helped her nerves much. When he entered the café her stomach was tied into knots and her heart started to disco in her chest. Hell, it would be a miracle if he didn't hear the loud beating with his heightened senses…
"Hi," she said, suddenly feeling more nervous than at her first prom, and gave him a nervous wave.
"Hi," he replied, giving her that pantie-melting smile of his, before sitting down on the other side of her table. She'd been waiting by her favorite seat by the window and now she regretted that decision. The table was so small that when Magnus tried to sit, his legs stuck out awkwardly in all angles.
"Do you want to sit somewhere else?" she quickly asked, looking around for a better seat. There was a corner couch in the other end of the shop, where people could relax with a book, and on some occasions, there were live performances, especially during tourist season and closer to Christmas. Right now, it was quiet with only some college students typing away on their computers.
"I think we're good here," he said, giving her another smile. Good, she thought. Despite the city being almost overrun with shifters, she liked the illusion of the somewhat privacy the small corner provided for them.
"So," Magnus continued and leaned back. "You're new in town? Where did you come from?"
"Around," she admitted with a nervous chuckle. "It's not a pretty story and I'd rather just leave it in the past."
"I completely understand," was his reply, but she didn't miss the way his fists clenched momentarily before he forcefully released them. Wow! He didn't like the idea of her discomfort. Which meant that he felt the connection between them a lot stronger than she or Bella anticipated. Shifters were borderline crazy protective of their mates and alphas even more so. That realization made her stomach flutter even more than it had the first time they met – that morning that is…
"You're a Marshal," Kat said, hoping to keep him from sprouting fur in the middle of a coffee shop. Rush hour was long over and the place was just open for another hour or so, but it was perfect for her. She didn't have much time left on her pendant so no matter how much she wanted to spend the rest of the night with her mate, she couldn't.
Magnus smiled and told her all about the job he loved doing. She knew it was a dangerous affair and like all women about to fall in love – because she was already halfway there – she didn't like the thought of him in any kind of danger. But she wouldn't want him to change, just like someone dating a doctor or a lawyer wouldn't want their mates to change. Hell, his job was part of what she liked the most about him. He didn't just go selflessly after some of the most dangerous criminals in the world, but he also did it for his best friend. Because Bjorn didn't want a rank in his pack – ensuring that he'd never have to deal with any of the people who'd abandoned him, when he needed them the most – he'd gotten them this job, making sure that everyone knew that Bjorn's place was by the alpha's side.
With or without a rank.
She loved how he always put others before himself. Even letting Milla stay at their office and play secretary all day just so she'd have a safe place away from her tormentors, said everything Kat needed to know about her mate.
And talking to him proved that he had a wicked sense of humor too. She guessed he needed that to cope with what he saw as a part of his job, but he still had her doubling over the small table.
"I supposed that's one way to put it," Kat laughed, not really realizing that her time was almost up. Magnus grinned sheepishly and shrugged.
"It's part of the job," he said and suddenly leaned forward. "But enough about me. What do you do for a living?"
"Promise you won't laugh?" she asked in a challenge. Something he ate up almost instantly. "I work at a voodoo shop."
"Voodoo?!" he echoed, sprouting slight concern. "Like--- magic and stuff?"
A slight tremor raked Kat's back. Bella had always said that the best lies were those closest to the truth, but had she just said too much? But nobody knew that Bella was a REAL witch. Just that a lot of the stuff she sold worked. Ok, it always worked and Bella was good for her word through and through. But a lot of people practiced "voodoo" and "magic" without having an inkling about the real deal. And hell, there was a whole "Wicca" culture out there dedicated to that stuff, yet all they'd ever amount to in the supernatural realm was an eye roll.
She was safe talking about it, right?
"Like magic and stuff," she confirmed, hoping he hadn't realized the shudder she'd suppressed. "But don't worry. I'm not into any Wicca stuff or anything; only my roommate is. It's her shop and I help out."
That was the truth – and a lie…
Of course, she had debated on telling him the truth straight off the bat, but seriously? What sane person would believe her? She was barely wrapping her head around it five years later…
"That's good," he said, unashamedly. "I don't know about you, but I could do with a little less magic in my life."
She believed that!
But---
"Not everybody who does magic is into sacrificing young virgins and shit like that, you know," she replied, a little harsher than she realized. Why she suddenly felt like she needed to defend Bella's supernatural abilities was nothing short of obvious!
She owed all of this to her!
Sure, Bella sometimes inspired her to pull out her own hair – or fur as it sometimes may be – but deep down the witch was the kindest, sweetest, and the most considerate person she knew. Blunt to the point where she'd give even Bjorn a run for his money, and yeah, some of her emotional wires were a little twisted. But evil or cruel she was not…
"Most of what Bella sells are just remedies for broken hearts, crystals, and teas. Stuff like that and she's really good at it," she continued, as surprise flickered across Magnus's face.
Then a hint of suspicion.
Shit!
Had she said too much?
Because while that WAS mostly what her witch friend sold, it was also REAL magic. Crystals and herbs were natural remedies for a lot of things but infused with a little magic and they were, what some people considered "the real deal".
She'd nearly opened her mouth to say, that it wasn't real, but strangely didn't have it in her heart to say that about her best friend. And if Bella ever found out, she'd suffered the wrath of one witch already – no need to tempt fate twice…
"But I'm considering going to college next year," Kat blatantly lied. She really hadn't. And even if she did, she'd have no idea what to study. When she was younger she wanted to be a vet but having spent the last five years stuck as a cat she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to set eyes on another animal--- and just see an animal.
Trauma could do that to a person!
"Really?" he mused, seeming genuinely interested. "What are you going to study?"
More lies or did she go with the truth? Considering how many half-lies and half-truths already separated them, Kat opted for the truth.
"No idea yet," she said and shrugged. "But I figured that if I'm going to do it, I'd better do it soon. I'm 25, going on 26 soon; if I don't figure it out now, then when?"
"I didn't realize you were pressed for time," he replied a tiny smirk on his lips.
"What do you mean?" Kat frowned, slightly confused. But Magnus gently leaned over and took her hand in his, warm currents of electricity sizzling up her arm. Briefly, she wondered if he felt it too. But then he continued talking in that rich, whisky voice of his.
"It might sound cliché, but I don't believe that life is a game you win at," he said with an air of honesty and sincerity that captured me wholeheartedly. "And if it is, I'm pretty sure that nobody's ever read the instruction manual." I chuckled at that, and he relaxed as he continued. His golden eyes bore into hers. "Life is life, and you do the best you can with whatever means you have. Life changes all the time and so do you. What you like today, you might despise tomorrow, so not knowing what you want in your future is suddenly less important than knowing yourself."
"Wow," Kat sighed, suddenly feeling a hell of a lot less guilty about not having her whole entire future planned out for her. "I didn't know you were a philosopher."
Because that was damn good advice! Hell, had anybody told her that back in high school, then perhaps she wouldn't have suffered from anxiety and low self-esteem back then.
At that Magnus laughed and let go of her hand, leaning back in his seat.
"No, it's just some advice my dad gave me and my brothers when we were younger," he said and shrugged. "There were four of us and because---" He paused, probably wondering how to best explain pack dynamics without explaining the "pack" part. Kat had it on the tip of her tongue to tell him that she knew all about shifters and he didn't have to lie. But that would lead to a whole onslaught of questions that she wasn't quite ready for yet.
"Well, we sort of run a business and while it wasn't in our family, we were still expected to take care of it," he continued. "But because of circumstances, we all realized that we--- or I, had to take over anyway and it--- It sucked!"
Kat frowned. She knew some pits and pieces about Magnus's family, but now that she thought about it, it was ridiculously little. He was the third son of the old Head Enforcer but won the right to become alpha when it was obvious that the alpha's son didn't have it in him to lead the pack. He was now the pack's accountant and Magnus the alpha.
"It's not what you wanted to do?" Kat asked carefully. He always seemed so relaxed in his role and ruled the pack with such confidence and ease, that he looked like a natural at this.
He didn't want to be alpha?
"I guess I was more worried about what everybody else would think," he replied with a wistful smile. "I thought my dad would want me to be more like him and follow in his footsteps. So, I felt bad for wanting something that I thought my family didn't want me to want." He chuckled lightly. "Turns out I was worried for nothing."
"I'm glad you figured it out," she said – and added just to tease him. "Being a Marshal suits you, but I didn't know it was like a company---"
He choked on air and it was just about all she could do not to laugh out loud.
"It's-it's not," he quickly amended. "I mean, it's something I do also, but-but the company is my, erm, my primary work. No, that's not quite right either, erm---!"
Kat couldn't help the smile that spread across her lips. Yeah, she knew what he meant. But that blush looked so damn cute on him, she wanted to go over there and trace it with her tongue. And then do some other and less publicly appropriate things…
"You don't have to explain," she helped him out since she was the one who put him in that situation. "Family dynamics can be a bitch, trust me. But at least I'm glad that not everybody will judge me for not having everything figured out yet." She gave him one last grin and leaned back. "Who knows, perhaps I'll find a rich, secret millionaire and run away with him."
"I'd rather you stayed here," Magnus quickly replied, the heat in his eyes felt like a physical caress on her skin. "No millionaires around, but I'd like to see you again."
"I'd like that too," she replied, while her heart was doing the foxtrot in her chest and her whole body vibrated with--- wait! Confused, she looked around. Why was she vibrating? There were clearly small trembles emanating from her right pants pocket that made her whole body shake. What---?
And that's when realization dawned on her!
"Shit," she hissed and quickly plucked out her phone. It was her timer, reminding her that she only had 30 minutes of being human left. She wanted to scream at the time, wishing with all her might that whoever the bitch had been that put this blasted curse on her, would rot in hell.
"Everything alright?" Magnus asked with a worried frown.
"Yeah, it's---," she said as she was trying to make up something that could be used as an excuse. But came up blank. "I have to go!"
Brilliant, she thought sarcastically and mentally rolled her eyes at herself. Why not just hold up a neon sign, you idiot!
She wasn't the type to try and play mysterious or hard to get in order to get a guy. What you saw was what you got, Kat had always told herself – no matter her self-esteem levels. But with her bolting off like this sure indicated something else.
She already hated it!
"Is everything alright?" Magnus asked again, but he stood as she did.
"It's fine," she tried to reassure him with what she hoped was a placating smile. And then to change the topic: "You want my number?"
They exchanged numbers and he promised to contact her. He even offered to drive her home, but she insisted that she could walk. And yeah, there was no way in hell she was going to lead the man who was currently looking for her best friend – and accomplice – straight to her door.
Not while Bella was there anyway…
"I'm looking forward to seeing you again," Kat said and while everything inside of her protested, she had to go.
"You'll hear from me soon," Magnus promised but didn't make a move to walk away. And suddenly filled with foreign boldness, Kat stepped closer and kissed his cheek. The sizzling buzz that sparked between them was almost too good to leave it at that, but she had to go.
Oh, sweet, sweet goodbye…
"See you then, Marshal," she mused, her voice strangely husky and low. And when she pulled away and she saw the look of utter possessiveness and lust that burned in his gaze, warmth spread all over her body and settled low in his abdomen. His hands clenched and she bet, it was taking everything he had, not to pull her into him and hold her.
Kiss her…
Spinning around, Kat suddenly felt a light bounce in her step…
*
Bjorn waited until nightfall before he returned to the ally where the human that had captured his alpha's attention was. She was pretty, he'd give her that. His partner had good taste, but she wasn't his type. Nope! Apparently, his type was the type that came with a warrant for arrest by the freaking MBI!
Figures!
He hadn't said anything, but he was sure – or at least somewhere between 80-90% sure – that the witch that the MBI was looking for and the witch that had escaped them, was the same women he'd run into at the grocery store the other day. And today, he'd caught her scent once again in that ally.
Sweet and bitter at the same time.
It was definitely her!
But like when he had tried to chase her down, her scent had disappeared into thin air, almost without a trace. That usually meant that he had to circle back and track his foe a little closer to the ground, letting some of his shifter nature take the reins. But this wasn't an ordinary case, and his bear would most likely not give him control back until he had that little blond vixen under him.
Why of all things did it have to be another woman?!
Bjorn liked women – in his bed. In his life, however? Not so much. After his mate had rejected him he'd let go of any pretenses that any woman would ever want him. And it had become easy to live life that way. No strings attached and his heart would remain unbroken. Or at least less broken than he already was.
Until…
He remembered how his bear had growled at seeing the unknown female tied up in Colten's bed. At first, he'd thought he'd just been pissed at seeing anyone weaker being abused by a bully like that would-be magician. He hadn't picked up her scent, but he realized that his bear had been transfixed by her. He'd pushed the motions aside and refused to think about it. Hell, it was a problem and since he couldn't punch it, he didn't think about it.
Problem solved!
But now his bear had her scent and was roaring to life inside him. After countless women and the first to stir his animal side was a possible time-traveling witch, that – for all he knew – was trying to summon hell on earth. Well, he'd give hie bear one thing: he sure knew how to pick the unattainable ones!
With an annoyed scowl, he followed the scent that had caught his attention that morning. He hadn't followed it back then, because he didn't want to risk running into anyone who might wonder why he was sniffing around an ally in broad daylight…
He followed the scent a couple of blocks but didn't really get anywhere. Or rather, he got somewhere that didn't make sense. He came to the side of a building, but where he'd sworn there should have been a fire escape---
Was nothing!
Nothing, but a red brick wall. Yet this was where the scent stopped. He looked up and noticed that there were lights in some of the windows on all the levels above him.
And still, something seemed off…
Come to think of it, didn't this house use to have just three stories? Why did he count four all of a sudden? Looking around confirmed that all the other houses – this being a mostly industrial area, with shops, banks, and offices – they were all built in the same manner. Except for this one?
Odd…
He began walking again, intending to circle the area to see what he'd find.
That's when he saw it!
A silhouette of a person was lurking in the shadows, watching him. Wearily Bjorn took a step forward--- and the shape bolted out of there. Growling Bjorn sprinted into action. The person ran like a bat out of hell, but it didn't take Bjorn long to catch up to him. The figure was cloaked in a long back trench coat. His hair looked black and definitely male. But even with his shifter's vision, he couldn't make out the person's face, but he'd just take a better look when he got him.
But that scent!
Bjorn's bear growled and he tried to breathe only through his mouth to avoid the stench. It was acrid, like smelling a mixture of benzene and battery acid. So potent it singed the hairs of his nose and liquid blurred his vision. Memory returned to the horrible ritual sight back in the mountains and a sliver of fear trickled down his spine.
Who was he chasing?!
Soon he'd find out. His long strides were catching up with the man faster than the man could outrun him. So close…
He rounded a corner with Bjorn just a heartbeat behind him. Rounding the corner so quickly, he nearly stumbled---
He came to a dead-end!
And no man in sight!
Panting Bjorn spun, more or less expecting someone to attack from behind. But the street remained eerily quiet. And empty. The acrid scent that had burned his nose was gone just as swiftly and abruptly as it had appeared. And the man he'd been chasing was nowhere to be seen. Hell, it was as if it hadn't even been there in the first place.
The only thing surrounding him were shadows…