Chapter 2

Roosevelt

The first thing I noticed about the woman who ' d literally run into me was that she was absolutely breathtaking. Her dark raven hair shone under the fluorescent lighting and her blue eyes were so breathtaking I could lose myself in them for hours. The second was that everything about her from her clothing to the way she stood, standing tall and regal, perhaps six inches shorter than my 6 ' 4, screamed prestige and money. The third and most important was that she was the woman who fate had sent to be my fated mate.

From the moment I ' d become trapped in this place I ' d been praying for this moment, but despite her beauty nothing about the way she presented herself appealed to me. This must be fate playing a cruel trick indeed. Looking over her shoulder, I spotted her vehicle immediately, a large flashy Mercedes SUV. Of course it was.

My heart sank. Even if we did connect there ' s no way she ' d want to live here.

Well, this was going to be interesting.

" Allow me to introduce myself, I ' m Roosevelt Savage. " Extending my hand to her, I waited for her to accept it.

She nodded, accepting my hand, giving it a gentle shake. " Sophia Flint. I ' m here because …" A confused expression came over her pretty features. " I don ' t know why I ' m here if I ' m honest."

" You just felt the need to come here. It was easy to ignore at first, but as the days turned to weeks and weeks to months the urge to come here became undeniable. This town … Me… It all became too much to ignore so you hopped into your vehicle and followed the path your heart led you on. And here you are."

Surprise replaced her confused expression. " Yes. That ' s exactly it. How did you know? "

" It happens to all of the people who find themselves here. "

She looked me up and down. " You were in my dreams. "

" As you were in mine. " It was typical that the yearning to find this place was accompanied with flashes of your mate in your dreams. She wasn ' t telling me anything I didn ' t already know.

Grabbing her arm at the elbow, I led her from the dining area past the bar and into the kitchen, away from prying eyes. A newcomer was always cause for excitement in Beastly Falls. A newcomer meant a new chance at breaking whatever hold this town held on us. At least that ' s the theory.

" What am I doing here? Who are all these people? " she asked when I dropped her arm and turned to look at her.

" We have a lot to go over. " I ran a hand through my hair. My anxiety was getting the best of me and with anxiety came the shift. My fingers began to elongate, nails becoming claws. I quickly stuffed my hands into my chef ' s jacket pockets before she could see what was happening. The last thing I wanted to do was scare her by wolfing out when she already had so many questions.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath in and slowly released it. As my pulse slowed my fingers and nails returned to human form. Crisis averted.

" I close the diner in less than an hour. How about I whip you up something to eat, I ' m sure you 're starving. Once the diner closes, I ' ll explain everything." At the back of the kitchen was a two-person table and chair set. With a hand at the small of her back, I led her to it and sat her down.

Sophia

I watched the man in my dreams work quickly and efficiently as he prepared meals and got them out to hungry patrons. Between his orders he found the time to prepare me a burger and fries which I gratefully accepted. Normally, I wouldn ' t touch anything with a high grease or fat content, but in this situation, I took what I could get.

I could hear the people in the restaurant talking about the new arrival, speculating who I was and if I was indeed here for Chef Savage. They were really playing this whole monster thing up as well. They were talking as if vampires and werewolves really existed. Maybe this whole place was some sort of elaborate roleplay. I ' d taken a peek a few times into the dining room and the costumes were indeed elaborate. Amazingly realistic. These people could make some mad cash working in the movie business.

Once the final customer left, Roosevelt locked the door, shut off the neon "Open" sign, and flicked on the one that said "Closed." He was handsome, I ' d give him that much. And he looked familiar. Familiar beyond just the dreams. But why …

" Did you enjoy your meal? " he asked, gathering my plates and placing them into the nearly full dishwasher. He turned the machine on, and it began its cycle.

I nodded. " I don ' t usually eat red meat, but it was delicious. Thank you."

" You ' re welcome. " Coming back to the table, he took a seat across from me. " So, I guess you have questions. "

I nodded.

" Well, this is Beastly Falls. This place is special. "

" Special how? Are you having a cosplay or larping event right now? "

He chuckled, his amber eyes gleaming with amusement. " No. We don ' t cosplay. "

I frowned. " Then what ' s with the costumes? "

" They aren ' t costumes. "

I blinked, staring hard at him for a minute. " What do you mean they aren ' t costumes? Are the people here mentally ill? "

He grinned. " Depends on who you ' re asking about. But no, they ' re not." He shrugged. " At least not the majority of them."

" Then what are you telling me? They ' re real? " Maybe he was the mentally ill person. What had I gotten myself into? Leaping to my feet, I attempted to exit only to have him reach out and grab my arm.

" Please. Hold on a minute. It ' ll make more sense when you get used to the place."

" Listen, I …" I attempted to pull away, only to see that his hand was no longer a hand, but longer, with sharp black nails. Looking up, I gasped. His eyes had gone brighter, his canine teeth beginning to elongate and sharpen.

" Fuck, sorry. I didn ' t mean …" Releasing me, he turned away. A moment later, he turned back and the fangs and claws were gone. What the fuck…?

My pulse was racing so badly I could hear it thumping. I ' d seen what I ' d seen. My first instinct was to scream and run away, but my desire to figure out what was going on was too great.

" What is this place? What are you? "

He nodded towards the table. " Come. Sit back down. Please. I wouldn ' t ever hurt you. "

Going against my better judgment, I nodded and made my way back to the table. Sitting back down, he sat down across from me.

" Where do you think all of the folklore comes from? "

" People ' s overactive imagination s."

" Maybe some, but not all. What you saw a moment ago is real. " He reached out and took my hand in his. " I ' m a werewolf. Tonight ' s a full moon so it ' s much harder for me to hold back my transformations today. "

" A werewolf? " He was insane. That was the only thing that made sense. It was a hell of a lot more likely than him being a werewolf.

But the claws. The eyes…

He nodded. " Yes. There ' s vampires, elves, gargoyles–"

" Gargoyles? There ' s gargoyles? Seriously?" It sounded like a fairytale. Or a horror show. I wasn ' t sure which . I ' d have thought my reaction would be to run screaming to my vehicle and get the hell out of here – that had been my initial thought – but instead I found myself intrigued.

" Yes. No one here will hurt you. I promise. By the time you leave the restaurant word will have gotten out that you are mine. "

Sitting back in my chair and holding up my palm, I laughed in disbelief. " Hold on a moment , buddy. Who said I was yours? I ' m no one ' s possession. "

" Whoa. Just … That ' s not what I meant. " He groaned, sitting back in his chair. It squeaked under his weight. " Think in terms of a fated mate. Those fated for each other find their way here. You found your way to me. You ' ve had dreams of me as I have of you. You are the one who's meant for me."

That was one hell of a pick-up line. " Okay, so say I buy this story you ' re telling me. What happens now?"

" Well, we have a week to decide that we ' re meant to be together. "

" A week? " I crinkled my nose up at him. " Who says a week? I mean that ' s not much time. How are you expected to get to know someone in a week? "

He winked, " Guess we ' ll have to wait and see."

He was a charmer, I ' d give him that much . Somehow he put me at ease when common sense would tell me to leave. Spending a few days with him didn ' t seem like a bad thing. This town was cute. A nice little vacay before heading back to my real life. As far as soul mates were concerned, well, can ' t say I was sold on that front. He didn ' t seem like the kind of guy that would seamlessly fit in my world and I sure as hell wasn ' t giving my lifestyle up. " Then, what happens now? Is there a hotel I can stay at? Maybe we can go on a date tomorrow night?"

" There is, but the innkeeper is in the middle of renovations. "

" So, where do I stay? I can ' t sleep in my car! "

" Guess you can bunk with me. I have a spare room you can use. "

I curled my nose up at him. Dude worked quick. But if what he said was true, and the inn wasn ' t available , then what choice did I have?

Our gazes locked and I finally sighed. " Okay, fine. But just in case you ' re getting any funny ideas, I ' m always packing and I'm an amazing shot."

With a smirk on his lips he replied, " No need to worry, I have zero intention of making any sort of move on you. "