Chapter Six
Quill
The morning after I was laid off, I’d forgotten to turn off my alarm. When it blared at me, I forced myself into a hurried sitting position. My morning routines played through my brain before I realized I didn’t have to get up.
I lay back in the bed, closed my eyes, and focused on how comfortable I was. I didn’t want to move, and now I didn’t have to. I smiled to myself. How beautiful it was to lie in silence without anyone or anything needing my attention.
Then I chastised myself. I should get up immediately and start my job hunt.
We deserve at least a day off, my porcupine spoke firmly. I want to shift. Somewhere away from the city, please. Somewhere pretty.
“No job hunting today,” I said to the room. To my animal.
This was weird. Different in a good way. I was now free to explore sides of myself I’d ignored. Not slowing down became a habit that did not allow much leeway for me to have a more personal existence. When I wasn’t working, I went to the gym. I made schedules of new things to learn. On weekends, I took online classes in various things: foreign language, cooking, computer programming. I called all those things hobbies, but I didn’t fall in love with any of them. They were merely productive for me. While my coworkers went to the bars or the beach, I was studying. It was what I was good at. What I liked.
But did I really like it? Or was I taught to like it by my workaholic culture? Right now, my mind was at rest, yet I was awake. I wasn’t being productive. My bed wasn’t just a tool for rest. It was a comfortable nest of safety as well as pleasure. I stretched my legs. It felt so good.
Then I panicked and sat up again. “What if I like downtime too much and become a laze-about?”
My porcupine snorted. That will never happen.
And he was right. Within two days of so-called relaxing, letting my mind drift, eating bad-for-me takeout, watching TV, and driving to the woods to discreetly shift, I got restless.
I needed to at least look at what work-related possibilities were out there.
Not an office job!
“But it’s what I’m trained for.”
You can do lots of things where you can meet interesting people. Maybe find our mate.
I scrolled through job listings on various sites, including the shifter-net. Nothing intrigued me.
As I searched, ads sometimes popped up. One caught my eye. It was on the shifter-net, a vibrant ad for Animals. I’d heard of the place. It was a posh shifter nightclub on the outskirts of San Diego. For no reason at all, I clicked on it.
I didn’t like nightclubs. I didn’t like going to bars. I wasn’t that kind of guy. That sort of thing was too much for me: too busy, too noisy, too…drunk. My coworkers had always tried to lure me to bars at night. I knew some of them went every evening, coming to work sick and hungover the next day. It did not look fun. It wasn’t how I wanted to meet people.
So now, why was I clicking on this ad? Ridiculous. Just because I was taking a new path in my life didn’t mean I now wanted to hang out at bars.
But then an idea clicked. Maybe it would be a good way to meet new friends. I didn’t have to do it in the conventional way. What if I could work there?
I quickly looked up the website and clicked on their join our team icon. Surprisingly, there was an opening. Bartender. I’d actually taken an online bartending class for a few weeks. I knew how to make some drinks. The idea intrigued me.
I immediately called and got through, which surprised me. The person I talked to was very friendly and made me an appointment for an interview. Immediately.
That rarely happened as far as I knew. Maybe this was a sign for me? Meant to be?
I wasn’t superstitious, but this felt right. I showered and dressed immaculately, making sure every hair was in place.
When I pulled up to the building, the parking lot looked full. It was dusk. A long line curved outside the front doors.
I finally found a parking spot and walked to the front where a large bear shifter was guarding the door and another, smaller guy was slowly letting in a few people at a time.
“You have to go to the end of the line,” the bear said.
“Um, I’m not sure where to go. I have a job interview.”
“Oh, okay. With who?”
“Zevo?”
He put his hand to his ear and turned away, speaking softly. Then he turned back to me. “Quill?”
I nodded.
“Zevo is expecting you. Go in, then take a right. You’ll see a hall. If security is there, just tell them Zevo is expecting you. The offices are at the end of the hall. His name is marked on the door.”
As soon as I entered the establishment, the din of music and voices nearly overwhelmed me. The place was busy. Rocking, my coworkers would say. People were dancing on the big dance floor. Every booth overflowed with people drinking, eating, laughing. The bar had no free seats. Groups stood together, shouting at each other to be heard over the music.
It was not my thing. Yet I wanted to be there. Working behind the bar would be a safe, secure way to enter this community.
The air was tinged with a mix of alcohol and cologne scents. As I walked away from the bar and toward the hall, the scents thinned out. Now, I smelled a peachy sweetness that made my stomach rumble. Like cobbler, my favorite dessert. Maybe I was near the kitchens? Mixed in with that was a fresh woodsy scent, almost like Christmas, of pine, snow, and rain. It was lovely. The hall appeared before me, but I barely saw it. The air around me made my skin tingle, like a magic spell circling me.
My vision went hazy. I blinked. I was suddenly standing in front of a door marked ZEVO . I had no memory of walking down the hall.
I knocked.
“Come in.”
I opened the door and saw a large bear shifter sitting at a desk. He was handsome, relaxed, and smiled as I walked in. “Quill?”
I blinked hard, not sure if heard him. “Yes?”
He chuckled. “Have a seat.”
His cheery manner threw me. Everyone I’d ever worked for had been downright serious, if not glum. I sat and tried to remember why I was here, failing miserably.
“This place smells great. Especially out in the hall. Does your kitchen serve peach cobbler?”
Zevo’s eyes danced with light and mirth. “No. But that’s a fantastic idea. I’ll make a request.” He tapped a tablet in front of him. “So, you’re here for the bartending job.”
Was I? Oh yeah. I nodded, my skin still tingling, my lungs full of the sweet scents.
“Do you have experience?”
“Um. No.”
“No?”
“I mean, I took a class. I’ve never worked behind a bar, though. I worked downtown. I was in charge of client billing. I have a letter of recommendation.” I reached for my phone.
“I don’t have any openings in that area,” Zevo said.
“No, I know.”
“Are you all right?”
“It’s just…I love it here. The scents. They’re making me a little foggy, but I’ll get used to it. I really want to work here.” Did I sound desperate? Was I even making sense?
Inner laughter came from my porcupine, followed by, Don’t you realize? It’s mate scent. Our mate is here!
“What?”
Zevo tilted his head. “What?”
“Oh, I didn’t realize I spoke aloud. I’m sorry. My beast just informed me I have a mate. Here?” I sounded so pathetic, I knew I’d botched the entire interview.
Zevo simply smiled wider. Which was nice but also made me more confused.
“A peach cobbler mate. Mmm, sounds good.”
“I apologize. I didn’t expect this. I came with a whole resume and ready to work. I swear.”
“No apologies necessary. It happens. In fact, it happens a lot here. Animals is a magical place. I mean that literally. In fact, I met my mates here. People find themselves drawn here for no reason. But Fate has other plans. Fate is strong and powerful.”
“I-I never heard of that before.”
“You don’t even have to believe.” He chuckled again. “But it is what it is. Did your online class teach you how to mix the basic drinks?”
“Yes.”
“Then you’re hired. Now, go out there and find him or her. I’ve got your information here. I’ll email you a schedule. You’ll be training for a few days to see how it goes. We pay double minimum wage to start plus benefits.”
“I got the job?”
“You got the job. Now go find your mate.”
The woodsy scent was strongest when I left Zevo’s office. It led me like a man under a trance straight to the bar. Immediately, I saw him—brown hair, big dark eyes, chin up as he sniffed the air like I was—and I knew instantly. This wolf was my mate. An alpha wolf! My heart flipped in my chest. Who knew?
His gaze landed on me. He straightened up. His lips parted. Right then and there, I felt the ruffled beginnings of a bond that would not be ignored.
But what about the peach cobbler scent? Where was that? This meeting wasn’t complete. Something wasn’t right. I saw it in his eyes as well. We were both missing some important piece to this puzzle.