3. Talia
3
Talia
T alia was tired so she decided to go to Howlers’ for dinner. Sean McCullum owned the place. He was a member of the same Nightshade Wolf Shifter Pack that Talia and Sebastian were.
The place was very busy, so she decided to sit at the counter. Jade Thomas’s eyes opened wide when she saw Talia.
“I heard that you were back,” the wolf shifter said as she handed Talia a menu. “How does it feel to be a small-town girl again?”
“I don’t know yet,” Talia said. “Give me a couple of weeks. If you see me haunting the place every night, you’ll know I miss Albuquerque’s nightlife.”
Jade laughed and said, “Every once in a while, me and some of the other girls talk Sean into doing a karaoke night.”
“I bet he loves that.” Talia laughed.
“So much that I bribe everyone with free beer if we can end it early,” Sean said. “Good to see you again, Talia. Have you heard from your folks?”
“They just dropped me a line to tell me they’re settling in. So far, they love the shifter world.”
“I’ve enjoyed it the few times I visited,” Sean said. “It’s a different culture.”
“That’s what Mom said.”
Jade looked Talia up and down and said, “Girl, you have changed. You don’t look anything like that shy teenage girl who went off to college.”
“I guess I grew into myself,” Talia said. She giggled. “Sebastian didn’t recognize me. He came over when I was unloading my car and introduced himself.”
Jade and Sean laughed.
“I heard that you are going to be the new science teacher at the high school since Mr. Vernon finally retired,” Sean said.
“Yep,” Talia said. “I’m excited.”
“You’ll be a breath of fresh air,” Jade said. “I don’t think that Mr. Vernon has taught anything in years. He either turns on a video and gives a worksheet or he just tells them to read from the book and do a worksheet while he sits at his desk, reads a newspaper, and drinks coffee.”
“That’s the truth,” a red-haired woman, sitting two stools down, said. “The principal and school board had been trying to replace him for ages, but he refused. He is one of the few teachers who didn’t exchange his tenure for a bonus.”
Talia stared at the woman who looked very familiar. “Sadie Andrews.”
The woman grinned and said, “Yep. That’s me.”
“Oh my goodness. I’ve thought about you over the years,” Talia said. “How have you been?”
Sadie and Talia had been good friends in high school. However, after graduation, they went their separate ways and lost touch.
“I’m great,” Sadie said.
“She’s the librarian at the high school,” Jade said.
“The official term is media coordinator,” Sadie said with a fake air of arrogance.
“We’ll be working together. That’s amazing,” Talia said. “How is Eric?”
“My big brother is off in some foreign country. He’s with a special unit of army rangers comprised of shifters. He can’t ever tell us where he is or what he’s doing,” Sadie said.
“Tell him I said ‘hi’ the next time you talk to him,” Talia said.
“I will. Is there anyone special in your life?” Sadie asked.
Talia briefly, wistfully thought of Sebastian but then shook her head. “No. I was seeing a guy in Albuquerque off and on, but he started to get the idea that he owned me. Like controlling asses, he started off great at first, and then gradually got worse. I told him we were done a few days ago, although I’d been avoiding him like the plague for a while.”
“How did he take it?”
“Just like most narcissists would,” Talia said, shaking her head. “How about you?”
“I’ve dated a couple of times, but no one seriously. My parents always talked about fated mates and how they knew immediately they were meant for each other. I guess I was always waiting for that feeling, but all I ever felt was ‘meh.’”
Talia and Sadie laughed.
“That fated mates feeling is true,” Jade said. “Marvin and I knew we were meant for each other as soon as we met, although we didn’t immediately go through the mating ceremony. We got to know each other and all that. Plus, he had to get permission from his alpha, Lucian, for us to go through the mating ceremony because dragon shifters are very particular about who they let in their clan.”
“What would Marvin have done if Lucian had said no?” Talia asked.
“He would have left his dragon pack and mated with me anyway. Zac loves having a dragon shifter married into our shifter pack,” Jade said.
“Are your babies puppies with wings and can blow fire?” Sadie asked.
“No, although that would have been cool.” Jade laughed. “One is a chimera and can decide which he wants to shift into. The other is a dragon shifter.”
“I bet that’s a hectic household since you can’t fly to catch them,” Talia said.
“No, but they know they better not try that,” Jade said. “Mama is nice until she isn’t.”
Talia and Sadie laughed.
After they talked for a while, Talia said, “I have to get going. I have a busy day tomorrow. It was so good to hang out with you guys tonight.”
“I know I’m always a pleasure to be around.” Sean grinned.
“Yes, you are,” Talia said.
Talia smiled as she drove home. It really did feel good to be back in Angel’s Creek. She figured that if she ever did start craving a night out at the club, she would give Jennifer a call and they would hang out.
The next morning, she grabbed a couple of breakfast bars and coffee and headed to the county office. The amount of paperwork she had to fill out was ridiculous considering the fact that there were computers. However, they had to have a paper copy of everything signed. She got her badge made and grimaced at the picture on it.
I always look like a serial killer in any official pictures, she thought.
She headed to the school where she had spent four years of her life. Somehow, it looked and felt different. She rang the bell and introduced herself so that she could be buzzed in. Talia entered the foyer and faced double wooden doors that were locked. Another buzzer sounded, which unlocked the office doors.
“Hi, Talia. I’m so glad to meet you in person,” Connie Jones said. “I guess you got everything squared away at the county office.”
“I did. I’m official,” Talia said.
Connie introduced her to the office staff, including the secretary of the school, Serena.
Talia smiled, shook Serena’s hand, and said, “I know it’s really the secretaries who run the school. I guess that makes you the head angel or the guardian angel.”
The school mascot was The Avenging Angels.
Serena grinned and said, “I guess so. Your badge will get you through all the doors to get into the school. This key will unlock the office, this key will unlock the supply closet, and this key will unlock your classroom. This key is for your file cabinets, and this key is to your closet that has all your science stuff.”
Talia stared at the keyring and raised her eyebrows. “Wow. I have only three keys on my personal key ring.”
Connie showed her around the school and introduced her to the school resource officer, who was a dragon shifter. “This is Deputy Max Stevens.”
“Nice to meet you,” Talia said. “Locked doors and an SRO. Times have changed.”
“Unfortunately, they have,” Connie said.
Talia met a couple of other teachers who were working in their classrooms. They technically weren’t required to be there, but some teachers wanted to get ahead. She also stopped by to say hi to Sadie. Talia had a little bit of time before she was supposed to meet the tech, so she did some shopping. She was excited about the new page in her life.
I’m just exchanging one form of school for another, but this is going to be great, Talia thought.
Talia got home about five minutes before the tech was due. She slid a potato and hamburger casserole she had prepared earlier into the oven. The doorbell rang just as she set the timer for forty-five minutes.
“Sebastian. I wasn’t expecting you,” Talia exclaimed as her heart skipped a beat.
“Everyone else was busy so I decided to do the installation myself,” he said. “Any boss worth his salt is willing to do any job that he asks his employees to do, even if that means mopping floors and cleaning bathrooms.”
“Do you mop floors and clean toilets?” Talia asked.
“I have, but I avoid it if possible. I have an amazing crew who comes in and takes care of everything for me. They also have a guy that comes in and cleans my house twice a week.”
Sebastian grabbed some equipment from his truck and got to work. There was a security pad that she could activate when she left the house and when she was home. A camera would record anyone who came up on her porch. It would also pick up activity in her yard and driveway.
“The system monitors will call you if there is any suspicious activity. If you say that you need help or if you don’t pick up, the police will be notified as will my company. Remember, though, it will only work if you activate it. A lot of people get security systems put in and then don’t use it.”
“Thanks. I promise that I’ll use it,” she said. “Do you want to come in for a drink?”
“Sure,” he said. “So, what happened to that little girl who left town?”
“I guess she grew into herself,” Talia said. “Brace came off, body filled in, hormones quit messing up my hair. You’ve changed, too. You’re bigger.”
Talia blushed and Sebastian grinned at her words. “I guess I am, but I’m still the fun-loving guy at heart.”
“I can’t see you being the frat boy kind of guy, wearing a cardigan, and going to keggers and chanting, ‘chug, chug, chug’ while his brothers drink beer from a funnel until they pass out.”
“You know my secret identity?” Sebastian asked, pretending to be shocked. “Actually, the only fraternity, so to speak, that I belong to is a biker club that Rory and I run together. Both men and women can join the Griffins. We like to hang out and ride our bikes.”
Just then her oven timer went off. “Do you want to stay for dinner?” she asked.
“Can you cook?” he asked.
“Relatively well. I don’t starve, as you can see.”
“Then I’ll be happy to stay for dinner.”
She told him where the plates and silverware were, and he set the table. He poured them some sweet iced tea and put a paper towel next to each plate. Talia put a trivet on the table and then put the casserole dish on the table.
He took a bite and said, “This is delicious.”
“Thank you. It’s one of my favorites,” Talia said.
It must have been good because he ate a lot of it. Talia was amused and thought, I guess I’m going to have to make something else for my lunches for the rest of the week.
While they ate, he told her some of the places that he and the Griffins had seen during their rides. “The mountains are my favorite, though. There is something spiritual about being on a mountain. Of course, it’s especially true when I shift and run in the mountains. It’s almost like I become one with the trees, animals, and the rest of nature.”
“I feel the same way,” Talia said.
After dinner, he thanked her and helped her load the dishwasher. He gave her a quick hug and said, “I have a big day tomorrow. I’ll see you.”
“Good night,” she said, closing the door behind him and setting the alarm.
She got out her construction paper and markers to create the mini-posters she would hang on her classroom walls. Her mind wasn’t on the quotes she wrote, though. Images of Sebastian danced in her mind. She could hear his voice and laughter and feel the touch from the brief hug. More than anything, his scent of cedar and his essence lingered in the air and seemed to permeate her entire body.
“I guess the old childhood crush just exploded,” she muttered to herself.