A Magical Shift: A Hot Paranormal Fantasy Saga with Witches, Werewolves, and Werebears (Weres and Witches of Silver Lake Book 1) (5 page)

Elana leaned on her elbows, her brows raised. “There’s always afterward. You live in your own little cottage and he lives in a place by himself too. I say, let whatever happens, happen. There’s nothing wrong with having heart pounding, to die for sex. And after you two decide to have the fun escapade, I want every detail.”

Oh, boy. Izzy was in for a tongue-lashing tomorrow regardless of the outcome.

‡

R
ye tossed the
old newspaper in the trash then picked up his scattered clothes from the living room. As he dropped them into the laundry basket, his mind raced. He could use someone to talk some sense into him, but Kalan wouldn’t be off work for another hour, and he needed to leave soon for his date. Even if his folks weren’t on a cruise, he probably would have been too embarrassed to speak with his dad about what it was like to be with a mate. It wasn’t just the sexual attraction that made him think Izzy was the one, though it had been his first clue. Hell, any man would want to make love with her, but there was something else going on. He’d be damned if he understood it though. Being around her twisted his stomach into knots, and her scent drove him wild and made his inner wolf howl.

For the last few hours, he’d been debating the issue of her being his mate. He’d gone back and forth so many times that he might as well have plucked the petals of a daisy in a love-me, love-me-not fashion.

Rye stepped into the bathroom one more time to make sure he looked okay. He ran his fingers through his slightly shaggy hair. He’d need to have it cut soon, especially with the Alpha ceremony approaching, but waiting another week wouldn’t hurt. He could shave again, but many women said they liked the scruffy beard look.

Good to go.

The faded jeans and plain white button-down shirt was a little dressed up for the Pub, but Izzy deserved better than some ratty, slogan T-shirt he usually wore when he shot pool.

His goal for tonight was all about assessing the situation. If Izzy wasn’t interested in going out again, he’d pull back. In a week or so, he’d conveniently run into her and perhaps ask her out again. He wanted to understand what excited her, and then plan from there.

Time to go.

The drive along the river had to be one of the prettiest in Tennessee. When the leaves changed in the fall, he loved to head into the Appalachian Mountains to run or ride his bike, confirming he didn’t want to live anywhere else but in Silver Lake.

At two minutes past seven, Rye pulled into her driveway. Perfect. He didn’t want her to think he was anxious, yet he wasn’t the type to keep a woman waiting. Whatever happened tonight, he had to keep his cock in his pants. That much was a given. Rushing her might ruin the chance of her wanting to see him again.

As he walked up the pathway and spotted the flowerbeds, it was clear a classy, world-traveling woman like Izzy was probably used to having a man bring her a gift when they went out. Shit. He hadn’t even thought about that. The men from Europe were probably experts on how to treat a lady too. He hadn’t been on a real date in so long that he’d forgotten what it was like to be with someone sophisticated.

Well, hell. If there was any chance she wanted to be with him for any length of time, she’d have to take him exactly as is—someone who kicked his feet up on the coffee table, drank bear out of a bottle, and left his crap all over the place. If she couldn’t handle that, then it wasn’t meant to be.

He rang the bell, shuffling his feet for a few seconds before forcing himself to still. A future Alpha had no reason to be nervous. He had a good job, money in the bank, and was about to be in a role of authority.

When Izzy opened the door, all those thoughts evaporated, and every cell in his body exploded. He immediately tossed out all the reasons why she wasn’t his mate. She was his. She had to be. He couldn’t help but stare at her black silky top that hugged every curve. Wow. Hot and sexy didn’t come close to describing her. While her beige shorts were of modest length, the platform shoes made her legs look a mile long. If she’d pulled her hair back instead of letting it hang loose, he might have been able to keep his eyes in their sockets. And her lily scent woke up his wolf. He hoped to hell she didn’t glance down and see the bulge in his pants. Goddess in heaven. This might have been a mistake. How had he forgotten what being around her did to him?

Rye instantly glanced behind her in the hopes he could keep his body from transforming in front of her.

“You want to come in?” she asked.

It would have been polite to say yes, but if he did, no telling what he might say or do. “Could I take a rain check? I forgot to eat lunch so I’m rather hungry.” That was a blatant lie, but nothing else came to mind.

Her mouth parted in sympathy, and the urge to kiss those luscious lips nearly tossed him over the edge. Rye glanced down for a moment, disgusted at his lack of control.

“Let me get my purse then.”

Izzy appeared so cool and calm. Hell, even if she were his mate, he didn’t deserve her. A moment later, she came out then locked up. He thought it strange she’d take such precaution since he’d never heard of any crime in the Wendayan Cove area before, but he didn’t want to embarrass her by asking. Perhaps after living in Europe, she’d learned to be wary.

Without thinking, he placed a hand on her back as he led her down the pathway, and sizzling sparks shot straight through him. Fuck. “Are you happy to be home?” he asked, needing something to take his mind off his traitorous body.

“I am. I missed my family so very much.”

He opened the passenger side door for her and watched her slide in, her long legs stirring the wolf in him once more. Rye jogged over to the other side and hopped in. “I heard you planned on staying longer.”

Kalan had found out from Mrs. Berta that Izzy wasn’t to return for another month or so, which meant there had to be a reason why her studies were cut short.

Firing up the SUV, he backed out of her driveway then headed into town. Rye glanced over at her, but she was staring out the window. “What is it? You can tell me.” He thought about the flying papers this morning. “Did someone get hurt when you used your powers? Is that why you rushed home?”

“No! It’s nothing like that.”

He waited for her to elaborate, but her lips remained in a thin line. Clearly, this was a sore subject. Just as he was about to drill her again, she twisted in her seat toward him. “Naliana summoned me home.”

His grip firmed on the wheel, and his pulse soared. “You spoke to the moon goddess?”

Had it been the white moon, he would have understood. His father had taken him to visit Naliana and her husband, James, a few times, but she had never communicated with him or his father when she wasn’t on earth.

“Yes, but our conversation was short. She asked I go home, and when I asked her why, she told me to just obey.”

“That sounds like something she’d say. When you returned, did you find out what was wrong?” Both the bears and wolves looked out for the Wendayans.

“No, and that’s what puzzles me.”

Rye tried to think back about Naliana’s other requests while she was in her human form, but he couldn’t remember her asking any member of his Clan to do anything like that. “How did she sound?”

“What do you mean?”

“Was her tone urgent? Or did she seem upset with something?” Rye made a left onto High Point Street.

What sounded like a snort came out. “I didn’t think about it. I was in shock when she spoke.”

“I would have been, too. What were you doing at the time?”

She stilled for a moment and then said, “Oh, my.”

“What?”

“It hadn’t occurred to me there might be a connection between my unease during my last few days in Scotland and Naliana’s contacting me.”

Rye didn’t like the way this sounded. He pulled into the parking lot of his uncle’s bar, cut the engine, and then faced her. “Back up a minute. Tell me what made you worry.” His tone might have come out too demanding, but his protective nature had kicked into high gear.

She ran a hand down her top and his thoughts short-circuited for a moment. When his nails extended due to his lurid thoughts, he dug them into his pants leg to distract himself, but it didn’t work as well as he would have hoped.

“I went to Europe to learn from other Wendayans who are well-versed in manipulating air, wind, fire, and earth.”

He whistled. “I saw what you did with those papers. Are you saying you can do other things too?” He’d been aware that her cousin Teagan had premonitions, and her sister could help heal injuries, but he wasn’t aware of any Wendayan who possessed multiple talents.

Her face turned pink. “Yes, but it’s not something I brag about.”

Now he felt bad and cupped her hand. “I didn’t mean to pry. Are you hungry?” He would finish the conversation inside.

She smiled. “I know you are.”

Rye slid out of his seat and rushed to the other side. This time when he placed a hand on her shoulder to help her out, his libido didn’t explode though it did flare. Perhaps his concern for her had interrupted the mating call for a moment.

He led her inside and the aroma of beer and peanuts assaulted him. Rye should have given more thought as to whether this was a good place to bring a woman like Izzy.

Separated into two rooms, the poolroom was in the back and contained five tables. The large, noisy front area had a long, polished wooden bar against the east wall, a stage on the north side with a small dance floor in front, and booths along the other two walls with some scattered tables on the south side.

“It’s a bit loud,” he said. “If you want to go to the Lake Steakhouse, we can head on over there.”

Her eyes sparkled. “What? Are you afraid you might lose at pool?”

He remembered her comment about being able to move the balls around. “I won’t unless you cheat.”

She grinned, looking like a mischievous imp. “I promise to behave.”

He waved to his little brother, Finn, who was managing the bar. “Let’s sit at a booth in the back,” Rye said.

Wanting as quiet a spot as possible, he led her to the south side, away from the noise. His cousin Molly rushed over. Oh, boy. Every one of his brothers would hear about his date in a matter of minutes.

“Hey, Rye.” Molly glanced over at Izzy. “Welcome back. Long time no see.” She gave her a hug.

“Four years to be exact.”

“Wow, it didn’t seem that long.”

As nice as it was for the girls to catch up, this was his date. “I’d like a Heineken.” He looked over at Izzy. “What would you like?”

“A Cabernet.”

Molly winked, understanding the hint that he wanted to be left alone. “You got it.”

As soon as his cousin disappeared, and before other well-wishers arrived, Rye wanted to finish their conversation. “I want to get back to what happened overseas.”

“You aren’t going to let that topic drop, are you?”

“Not a chance.”

She waved a hand. “Okay, it was probably my imagination, but I thought someone was following me.”

He didn’t like that one bit. “Animal, mineral, or vegetable?” He didn’t want her to think he wasn’t capable of some levity.

That brought a smile to her lips. “I don’t know, but from his ability to disappear at will, I’m thinking it could be
your
kind.”

“You make that sound bad.”

“Not all are good.”

His first thought was a Changeling. “What made you suspicious?”

She lifted one shoulder. “Just a feeling. I wish I were like Teagan, as she would have known what it was. I can’t sense one, but right before
you-know-who
contacted me, I was at an inlet practicing my skills when I felt the hairs on my neck rise—literally. I turned around and spotted a gray wolf with a distinctive white patch on his forehead just standing there.”

His gut churned. “What did he do?”

“He ran away. At first, I wasn’t sure what to think, but when I reached my car, I noticed fresh tire tracks next to a set of paw prints.”

“That’s what made you think he might be like me. If he shifted into his wolf form, he might have returned to his car then shifted back into his human form, which would explain the paw prints.”

“That was what I was thinking. I should have looked at the spot where he’d been hiding. I might have seen some discarded clothes, but I just wanted to get out of there. Before I even reached my car, I was contacted by
her
.” Izzy glanced upward.

“Her timing could have been coincidental or she might have been watching out for you.” The members of his Clan believed Naliana was aware of everything that went on in their lives. “Regardless of the reason, I’m glad you’re back in the States.”

“Me too,” she said with a smile that seemed more than just someone who was happy to be home.

Molly returned with their drinks. “You know what you want?” She glanced between them.

“Give us a minute, please,” Rye said.

“Sure.”

Izzy picked up her menu. “Will you get ribbed for being out with me?”

That came out of left field. “Why should I be?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because I’m not your kind.”