Spin Me ‘Round (Misfit Park #1)

Chapter 1

Rafael

Up. Down.

Up. Down.

Round.

And round.

And round.

Lights flashed in a timely fashion. The same booth passed by his vision as he spun in circles. Rafael snoozed as the ride did its rounds. Slowing, starting, spinning. It was the easiest part of his day. Probably why many considered him a night owl at the park.

Misfit Park was a place where oddities and unique individuals came together to form one big family.

It was more than just a park. More than any of them ever dreamed of. A place of acceptance. A place to be themselves and be protected, safe, and maybe one day loved. Home.

Rafael always figured love would happen for his friends–his family–more than it would for him. He was an oddity. And while oddities fit in their circus of freaks best, it didn't make loving him easy. Even if he had been told otherwise once.

He was a rare and unique enough oddity that even his best friends thought him strange. Hell, Rafael thought himself strange. But wasn't the circus the place to go for one-of-a-kind curiosities?

Not that people actually got to see him as his oddity.

Rafael slept during the day on his ride and worked overnight with the dark happenings of the carnival.

When the sun set, the brightly colored lights of the fair illuminated the sky in return. Magic filled the air even thicker at night. The best time to be awake was at night, even if his ride barely stopped. But he wasn't made to sit and spin for eternity.

Not that he knew whether he had eternity or not.

Having no idea how he came to be, Rafael enjoyed each day as if it were his last. Their local fortune teller couldn't even give him insight into how he came to be.

He never held Yvonne accountable for her inability to read him.

It was probably why his family was even more protective of him than the rest. Or more so.

There were times when he'd wake up in random places within the park over the years. Yvonne had tasked several other witches to add to their protective barrier to at least keep him contained and safe.

Rafael never knew if he slept-walked while not in his shifted form, or if it were part of his shifted magic, but his oddity needed protection.

He owed so much to his family. They were everything he had. They provided him with everything he needed. All he lacked was a mate.

Might he be fortunate enough to receive a mate? Much like his shifter brethren? Was he even considered a shifter? Being so different from his family Rafael never considered himself a shifter. He had no knowledge about his oddity to give any indication of what the future held.

The music changed as he spun round and round. Up and down. The new tune felt like a lullaby with a slight lyrical beat. It amazed him that he didn't despise the music of his ride.

Over and over and over the music played.

Hour by hour. Day by day. Year by year.

But for some reason it soothed him. Soothed him right to sleep.

He barely felt the warm rays of the sun as he made his way in circles. Forever moving but going nowhere.

A jolt of awareness zapped through his being as someone touched him like never before.

His person!

His person touched him, and Rafael couldn't move, already spinning once more.

Yvonne! Rafael shouted in his mind. Another uncanny ability his family seemed to possess. Mate!

We're on our way.

Which meant she sent out a signal to the entire Misfit Park family. His ride slowed abruptly. He heard shouts and apologies made as he came to a stop.

Waiting until he was told to move, Rafael felt nervous energy spark every nerve ending. Anxiousness prevailed at the loss of a moment; what if he was too late?

“You're safe,” a voice whispered. Not Yvonne. Cherry. Why wasn't Cherry in her position in the Big Top with her fire performance? “Calm. I'm on break. Yvonne thought a close friend would be better. I can get Steve too.”

Fellow oddity shifters. Shape shifters. When his friends first found him years ago, bonds instantly formed. Cherry had been the first to coax him out of his hibernation attempt.

“The wall’s up,” she declared, reassuring him once more. “You can shift now. We have the replacement ready to go.”

How odd was it that he needed a replacement when he wasn't working?

The shift, or magic, flowed through him, causing him to wobble as he stood, thankfully clothed. While he was alert, he wasn't exactly awake. His muscles needed a jump-start after a shift.

“Mate,” he croaked out, his voice raspy and rough. Rafael ran his hands through his hair, tugging on individual dreads; his palms scraped his shaved section, informing him he needed a touch-up.

“Here.” He squinted at Cherry, who held his sunglasses and hoodie, a grin on her lips.

He nodded his thanks as he shrugged into his hoodie and haphazardly put on his sunglasses.

It was so much brighter during the day. And it kept nosy busybodies from spying his unique pupils.

At least Steve could convince people his eyes were contacts, whereas Rafael didn't have that option.

Horses' pupils on humans were not natural.

Glasses on, Rafael ducked out of the makeshift canopy block and dashed into the crowd. He had no idea which way he needed to go, but he felt in his mind's eye that he headed in the correct direction.

Sending out his awareness, he connected with nearby people, not through physical touch, but in a way that was more mental than physical. Another quirk of his that just was. Even after all his years, he still didn't have a manual for what or who he was.

Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. He kept coming up empty.

There. Instantly he felt him. The same man that touched him as his stationary object. Shift? Rafael never knew what to call himself, never quite fitting into a square, yet feeling right at home in his circle of oddities.

Rafael fixed his gaze on the man, who appeared to sense his presence and reacted with surprise. Looking back, Rafael realized he shouldn't have pursued the man. But what else was he expected to do?

Chasing through a crowd was not conducive. Rafael shouted for the man to stop, but that just drew unwanted attention.

No. He couldn't let his mate get away.

“Stop right there!” A man in a police uniform blocked Rafael's trajectory. Rafael wanted to fight, lash out and leave the police officer lying in the dirt.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” the fancy-pants cop held up his hands, instantly grabbing Rafael’s biceps. “I think you need to calm down. Stalking is an offense we take seriously.”

“Let go of me,” Rafael tried to twist away. He could easily evade the cops but didn’t want to draw more of a crowd than he already had.

Yelling and chasing his mate through the throng of park goers did not make the best first impression. He tried looking around the arrogant prick to spy which way his mate went and saw nothing except his family closing in on him.

“Release him!” A voice called on the wind nanoseconds before Yvonne appeared, forcing the cop to step back from Rafael. He stumbled, not realizing how much he relied on the man to support his weight as he struggled.

The cop opened his mouth, but no words came out. His face morphed into confusion where it had been angry moments before.

“This is my park.” Yvonne waved a hand towards the moron. “You hold no jurisdiction here.”

“He was chasing a civilian.”

“You. Hold. No jurisdiction,” she demanded once more with another wave of her hand. The tips of her hair began turning pink the more she used her magic. She was breathtaking, a gorgeous woman to behold. Tall, curvy, dark mocha skin with curly hair. Gorgeous, just not his type.

“Be gone. You shouldn’t be here, anyway.”

The cop sputtered, knowing he was in the wrong, and wandered off. Cops were not allowed within the park's territory, unless off duty.

“Dude,” Rafael heard a few snickers from family behind him. “She just Jedi’d his ass.”

“Who let them in?” Yvonne snapped. Her eyes blazed with magic and vexation as she scanned the crowd.

“Your mate is by the pretzel stand,” she said in a calmer voice once she circled back around to him. “Approach with caution.” She nodded to him and headed towards the front of the park.

Rafael did not want to be on the receiving end of Yvonne's ire. He almost pitied whomever she was after. Almost. He had a mate to track down.

Shaking himself physically, he brushed off his hoodie and jeans, hoping he looked decent enough. What would his mate think of him? Would it be easy to convince him to stay? Regardless, Rafael had to try.

Here I go.