Chapter 18
Jared
Huxley watches me with keen eyes from where he leans against the low wall that separates my back patio and garden lawn.
I stand a few paces away, doing my best to ignore him.
I take a few slow, even breaths to centre myself, then close my eyes.
It’s easier this way. I tune out the distant rustle of dry leaves and the cool sting of the wind against my face, focusing on my magic instead.
Got it. Following the tugging sensation in my chest, I walk to the end of the garden and pluck Huxley’s keys from a rosemary bush.
“Found them.” I hold the keys high, letting them jangle together.
I’ve been practicing tapping into my tracking abilities for the past week, and I think I’ve finally got the hang of it.
This time, I used Huxley’s now-familiar magical signature to locate where he’d hidden his keys, but he’s had me searching for all kinds of household items to test my skills.
“Excellent work,” Hux praises. “Seriously, Jared, great job. I think you’re ready to take off your training wheels.”
My hand flies up to the amulet around my neck. “Really? You think it’s safe for me to take it off?”
Hux nods. “I do. Though I recommend we get Selene to cast a ward for us again, just to be safe.” Catching onto my uncertainty, he continues, “You’re ready, Jared. You’ve worked incredibly hard these past few weeks. It’s time.”
“What about the uh, other form? You said my shift tried to take over last time I took off the dampener. What if that happens again?”
“In this case, I think it’s best to let the shift happen if it comes. It’ll be less painful than holding it back, and your first shift will help you use up any excess power that tries to surge.”
“Does shifting hurt?”
“No.” He looks up in thought. “The best way I can think to describe it is like the tension in an elastic band before it snaps back into place.”
I perch on the low garden wall next to him. “Now that you know what kind of demon I am, do you have any ideas what my shifted form will be like?”
“Sorry, without knowing your family history, it’s impossible to guess what traits you might have—even then there’d be no guarantees.”
Yet another mystery my birth parents left me to solve.
“That’s OK. I’ll find out soon enough. Could I…
” I wet my lips, then try again. “Would you mind showing me your shifted form? Is that weird to ask? I’ve not seen a demon in fully shifted form around town yet, and I think I’ll be less nervous if I’ve seen the process and have some idea what to expect. ”
Hux waves away my concerns. “It’s fine. Under normal circumstances, it’s considered impolite to ask to see a supe’s shifted form, but this is different. I’m your teacher—it’s my job to prepare you.”
Springing to his feet, Hux shrugs out of his wool coat and drapes it over the wall.
At my questioning look, he shrugs. “Most supes with wings have enchanted clothing that will change with them to accommodate their shift, but I didn’t think I’d need mine today.
” His t-shirt comes off next, revealing his lithe but muscular physique. Then his skin… ripples.
Huxley grows almost a foot, black, leathery wings sprout from his back, and a long, thin tail swishes behind him. He’s also purple. It’s a good job I’m already sitting down. Damn. I knew he’d look different, but this is something else.
“Hot, right?” He grins, flashing me a glimpse of sharp fangs. His voice is deeper too, but he’s still the same old Huxley. Even his irises have changed colour. They’re amethyst-purple, matching the skin of his demon form, and they’re… glowing?
Rolling my eyes, I reply, “Sorry, you’re not my type.”
“Believe me, I know. You’ve only got eyes for a certain moon witch.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Not at all,” he agrees, then his skin ripples, and he’s back to his human form in the blink of an eye. “So, you ready to try taking that thing off again on Sunday?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I shrug, then hand Hux his t-shirt. “Thanks for showing me your transformation and shifted form, I’m still nervous but at least now I know it really doesn’t hurt.”
He bumps my shoulder with his. “You’re welcome,” he replies, standing and putting his charcoal-grey coat back on. “Fancy grabbing a beer?”
“Not tonight, I’m having dinner with Selene.”
Hux grins. “Say no more. You two have a good night. I’ll see you on Sunday.”
SELENE
“I can’t believe it. First my baby sister and now my baby girl.
When did she get old enough to date? I swear she was only just taking her first steps.
” Gwyn’s handling the situation better than I expected given how protective she is of her daughter.
Eve stopped by the shop after school to talk to her mum about going to the Halloween dance with Michael.
As promised, I was ready to jump in as the voice of reason if needed.
Luckily, Gwyn kept her ‘my little girl’s growing up’ panic inside until after Eve left.
“You and Brooks have done a great job raising her, but she’s sixteen now.
It’s not unusual for someone her age to be interested in dating.
At some point you’ve got to let her go out and make her own choices and trust that when she makes a mistake, you’ve given her the tools she needs to deal with that. ”
Gwyn looks up from where she’s laid her head on her arms atop the sales counter. “When did you get so wise?”
“I’m a moon witch, we know things,” I joke.
Gwyn perks up. “Do you think you could—”
“No.”
She straightens, putting her hands on her hips. “You don’t even know what I was going to ask.”
I laugh. “Oh, I so do—and the answer is no. I will not peek into the future to spy on my niece’s love life for you, so stop giving me the ‘mum’ stance.”
Gwyn drops her arms to her sides with a sigh. “You’re annoying when you’re right.”
“Mmm hmm.” I go back to sticking prices on the bowl of individually wrapped plastic vampire fangs.
“Am I doing the right thing? Letting Eve go to the dance, I mean.”
Lowering the price gun, I meet Gwyn’s eyes, doing my best to ease her concerns. “I think so. She’s got a good head on her shoulders, and Michael’s a sweet kid. She’ll be OK.”
Her shoulders slump on her exhale, and she walks over, wrapping me in a long hug. “Thank you.”
“Any time.” I give her one last squeeze, then step back. “Are you going to be alright here?”
“I’ll be fine. Brooks is only a call away if I find myself having another meltdown. You go. Enjoy your date with Jared.”
No matter how much time I’ve spent with Jared over the past few weeks, excited butterflies still dance in my stomach like it’s a first date while I walk through town to meet him at Hunter’s Moon for dinner.
The town is decked out in its finest Halloween decorations, ready for the opening night of the festival next Friday.
We’ve switched over the usual stock at Threads of Magic for the human-safe costumes and nick-nacks at the beginning of this week.
The black cat plushies Jared found so amusing when he helped me organise our delivery a while back sit in a pet bed on a shelf near the front of the shop—I’m looking forward to seeing his reaction.
Making my serious mate smile has become a new hobby of mine.
Speaking of, the secret of our mate bond continues to weigh on my heart.
Dove, Cordelia, and even Huxley, all think I should just tell him, but they’re not thinking about this from a human perspective.
While Jared’s really come into his own thanks to his demon lessons from Huxley, occasionally assisted by me, he’s still only had a month to adjust to his new life here.
I was about to tell him last night before Eve’s call interrupted.
Maybe I can tell him after tonight’s dinner instead.
It shouldn’t be this difficult, but every time I think about telling him, I remember the look on his face when he asked me if we could take things slowly—he seemed so lost. I could tell he was afraid hitting the brakes would mean losing me and, while the mate bond would offer reassurance I’m not going anywhere, it’s also a lot of pressure, especially for someone who wasn’t brought up hearing about fated mates.
I can make sure Jared feels secure in our relationship all on my own—I don’t need to risk making him feel trapped by the mate bond.
He wanted to take things slowly, so we have been.
Is it driving me up the wall having my mate so close without being able to go beyond some heavy making out?
Of course. Jared’s smart, kind, and fucking hot.
But we’ll have a lifetime to enjoy each other physically.
We only get one chance to build our relationship from the ground up and I’m more than happy to take the time to make sure our foundation is solid before we go any further.
Leaning against the wall of the bar, Jared waits for me looking sinfully good in dark-blue jeans, boots, a forest-green shirt, and his brown leather jacket.
His tortoiseshell glasses complete the ensemble and, when he nudges them up the bridge of his nose, I’m reminded of the way he looked putting them back on last night with glassy eyes and kiss-swollen lips after we hit pause once again.
I tug my lower lip between my teeth. Spotting me, Jared stops propping up the wall and smiles in a way that tells me he knows exactly what I’m thinking about.