10. Amber

Chapter 10

Amber

T he next morning, I woke up around lunch time after a restless sleep, dreaming of Xavier's strong arms enfolding me, his firm body coming over me, his hard cock thrusting inside of me. I hadn't had a sex dream in years but this one was so realistic that I wondered if it had actually happened. Last night, I had been so close to asking him to take me to bed but then he ended our dance, the hints of pinks and oranges beginning to streak the morning sky. Fate cruelly ending our time together. But it was for the best. I needed some time to process everything that we discussed, especially the curse and the mating bond he'd shared with me.

Including the time limit, which terrified me. For the first time in months, I felt safe. Part of that was Beastly Falls itself. The town had a way of enfolding newcomers in and making you feel welcome. But the larger part was how Xavier made me feel. Safe, protected, loved. It was crazy that I had only known him for a few days. Could I really be considering staying?

My feelings for Xavier had come on so suddenly, so intensely. The safety I felt with him, the attraction, was unlike anything I'd experienced before. But doubt nagged at me. My track record with men wasn't exactly stellar, and Xavier's protective gaze as I slept, uncomfortably echoed Kevin's obsessive behavior.

Esme had left me some sandwiches and a note the previous evening, reminding me that she had been out with her wolf pack, and apologizing for not being available for my after-shift meal. And this morning, she was also absent, probably recovering from her romp through the forest. I preferred to think of her as playing with her fellow wolves and not chasing down cute little bunnies or baby deer. I was fine with her not having a meal for me. I wanted to explore the town further.

So I headed down the walkway and onto Main Street, going straight for the Growling Bean and the best cup of coffee I'd had in weeks. Wyn Trafiel, a faun, for that's what he was as I now knew, was working the counter. He wore a white button-down shirt, an embroidered hunter green vest, and shorts over his goat legs, all giving him a slightly Germanic look. It was adorable, though not quite what I expected from the slightly hipster feel the cafe had.

He gave me a broad smile when I came in, his tufted ears twitching in his curly honey blond hair. "Welcome, Amber. What can I get you today?"

I scanned the handwritten menu in chalk on the blackboard on the wall. "Everything looks delicious. I'm famished. What can you recommend?"

He studied me for a long moment, his head cocked to the side, his eyes narrowed, and I swear he was actually reading me in some weird way. "A cup of our soup of the day with a grilled five-cheese sandwich on the side, and some extra bergamot Earl Grey tea with local honey. I think that would be perfect for you," he declared.

He was right. It sounded like the perfect lunch. "Excellent. I'll grab a seat by the window again?"

He nodded, and I headed for the window seat where I had first joined this odd little town and could people watch while I ate. Customers bustled about, all greeting me and wishing me a good day. No one was rude or unpleasant. Everyone seemed happy and friendly. I loved it.

Wyn brought my tea and food, and I settled in to eat. It was delicious. The soup was creamy and just a hint of tart tomato. The grilled cheese was crispy on the special bread and gooey with the cheeses all complementing each other. I devoured the meal ridiculously fast. Once I finished eating and was sipping my tea, a couple approached my table.

"Mind if we join you?" the woman asked, her smile warm. "I'm Jenny Cortado. I'm new to Beastly Falls, too."

I glanced up and saw a pleasant young woman with a friendly smile. Behind her was Rook Mullein, the vampire who was friends with Xavier. I smiled and gestured to the seat across from me.

"Of course. Rook, am I right?" Then I frowned. I thought vampires couldn't walk in sunlight. But that would be rude to ask, so I kept my mouth shut.

Jenny slid into the chair with a cup of coffee. She was clearly human, with a streak of grease on her shirt, which made me wonder what she did for work. Rook dragged over a chair from another table and sat on it.

He smiled, revealing two fangs. "It's nice to see you again, Amber. I'm glad you stayed in our fair town."

Jenny shot him a look. "She's the one you met at the library? Of course she was. Who else would be new to town?" Jenny rolled her eyes and faced me. "Rook told me he met you but didn't say too much, only that Xavier was interested in you. How do you like Beastly Falls? It's pretty cool, right?"

She was a force of nature, in all the right ways. Fun and easy to talk to. I liked her. "It's adorable. A bit quirky, but I like it."

Jenny laughed. "Quirky is putting it mildly. More like a major culture shock for those of us not from here. I mean, no cell phones? How does that work? Though I like not being constantly pinged for stuff. It's oddly relaxing."

"It's definitely different. I miss some of the newer books in the library and researching some topics on the computer. I haven't used a card catalog in years and their shelving system is not exactly the Dewey Decimal system."

Jenny grinned and leaned into Rook, clearly a woman in love. "But they make up for it in other ways. I'm opening a garage in town, restoring older cars, which works out since most of the cars here are older models. I'm on my lunch break, after working on a Toyota most of the morning. Need any work done on your car?"

"Mate, don't drum up business now," Rook chided gently.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Habit, you know? I always talk about cars. Like you probably talk about books, right?" Jenny shrugged.

There was something about their dropping by that pinged my radar. I couldn't shake the feeling that this impromptu meeting wasn't coincidental, especially since I had seen Rook a couple of times now since I came to town. But I'd play along.

"What are you reading?" I gave her a sly look and Rook laughed .

Jenny grimaced. "Walked into that one." She bit her lower lip, then continued, "So, you and Xavier."

I tensed, braced for an uncomfortable conversation. I wondered if they would warn me off or support us. Did they know we were mates? Of course, they had to know. Others in town knew it. Rook was his friend and would have to know.

"We've been spending some time together," I said cautiously.

Rook nodded soberly. "I've been friends with Xavier for many years. I assume you know about the town's curse and its effect on him."

"He mentioned the town curse and how he is stone during the day as a result until he meets his mate," I said, confused by the direction of the conversation. I wanted to ask if he was affected by it too, but wasn't sure how to broach the subject.

"Yes, he is fated to remain stone during the day until he meets his mate. Then, he could walk as a human all the time," he confirmed. "I too was cursed to be a nightwalker until I met Jenny. She is my true mate and broke my curse."

He looked at Jenny, his gaze filled with so much love that my heart clenched. I wanted that, had been looking for that forever. Instead, I found Kevin and my life turned into a nightmare. Yet, maybe I had a second chance.

I turned to Jenny, curious about her decision to remain in Beastly Falls. "Did you ever question staying with Rook?"

She laughed again, her hand on Rook's arm. "Of course. I had a job interview in New York and was headed there when my car broke down here, trapping me here for a few days. Despite falling for Rook, I didn't believe in love at first sight or fated mates or anything like that."

"But you stayed," I persisted.

She nodded. "I stayed. Rook is worth staying for. I love him. I couldn't imagine living my life without him. Besides, if I had left, he would have died."

The implication hung heavy in the air, and my blood chilled in my body. "What do you mean, died?"

"Once we find our fated mate," Rook said. "We must complete the bond, or the curse takes us. In my case, I could not feed from anyone but my mate. I would slowly starve to death without her."

I sat back, absorbing this new information. Xavier could die without me? Why didn't he tell me this when he told me about the curse?

"We suspect you might be Xavier's mate," Jenny said. "But he won't tell you because he's worried about forcing you into something you're not ready for."

I stared at Jenny and Rook. "He told me about the curse and the mate bond, but not this. Could Xavier die?"

They exchanged a look. "We don't know for sure. The curse affects everyone differently," Jenny said. "But there have only been a couple of mate bonds so far, when there have been none in over two decades. The town's curse might be weakening, possibly even breaking. If you and Xavier are truly mates, you could free him—and potentially help to free the whole town."

"But," Rook added firmly, "only if it's what you truly want. If you're not sure, if you don't feel the same, it would be kinder to leave now, before the bond has fully formed. That would let him be free to find someone else."

I stared into my tea, my reflection rippling in the rapidly cooling liquid. The intensity of my feelings for Xavier suddenly made sense, but was I ready for this kind of commitment? This kind of responsibility? We had not made love. Maybe we had not formed the bond yet, leaving both of us free to be separate and free. But he lied to me about the curse, about the impact on him. Why?

"Take your time," Jenny said softly. "But be gentle with Xavier. He's waited a long time for this possibility."

As they stood to leave, I found myself at a crossroads. Stay and potentially change not just my life, but an entire town's fate? Or run, as I had been doing for so long?

I wandered the town for the rest of the afternoon, enjoying the shops, visiting some of the residents, and thinking about when Jenny and Rook had shared with me. I only had a few days left to decide what I wanted to do. Was I ready to commit to Xavier for life, or did I walk away and give up this chance forever?

One thing I knew for certain. Xavier, while protective and caring, was not overbearing and controlling like Kevin. Nor was he immature and useless. He respected me, considered me and my feelings. And I was beginning to care for him very much. A girl could do worse. I should know. I had done worse. Much worse.

But that wasn't a reason to stay with someone forever, nor was it a reason to sleep with someone. Xavier was incredibly sexy. A strong male, with a protective streak that turned me on like nothing I ever expected. He had muscles for days, but never used his power to intimidate or get his way. His kindness and thoughtfulness drew me in like nothing I had ever experienced.

But more than that, every time I was near him, I could feel my body responding. My pulse pounded in my throat. My stomach fluttered like a kaleidoscope of butterflies. And my whole body went molten at the thought of being in his arms again. All I wanted was his touch, his kiss, his body over mine. The dream I had last night, or this morning really, only made me want him more.

I had a few days to spend with him before I had to decide about the mating, and I wasn't going to waste it. Tonight, I wanted to spend it with Xavier, satisfying my curiosity about how we could be together. Anya had given me the evening off, saying we all had two nights in a seven-day period off. I thought it was awfully quick to have a night off, but I wasn't complaining. Not when I had a mission.

I was going to seduce Xavier Chauvre.