5. Miranda

It had been a mere forty-eight hours since the market chaos unfolded. Forty-eight hours that felt like my entire world had flipped upside down. My little online shop was busier than ever, and for that, I had Savannah to thank. She was the one who’d pushed me into that booth, nudging my business into the light. You would think that would be all I could think about—the surplus of new orders, the praise and excitement about my products—but it wasn’t.

Instead, all I could think about was Ethan.

He’d made my panther feel something. I couldn’t explain it other than to say his mere presence had stirred her to life unlike anything ever before. This left me confused. While Ethan seemed like a nice guy—an attractive one at that!—I couldn’t figure out why he spoke to her so strongly.

Sure, he was a shifter, but what kind?

He wasn’t a panther. I knew that much. I’d have known right away. He was something, though. My instincts screamed that whatever creature he was, it was something big and powerful, which was why I’d thought he might be a bear.

None of that mattered, though.

The rules of the Ashen Tribe were clear when it came to mating. Actually, they’d been drilled into me. We only mated with humans, witches, or our own kind—panther shifters. Anything else wasn’t just taboo; it was forbidden.

Even so, my panther and I were drawn to Ethan.

I’d tried to rationalize what I felt toward him over the past two days, telling myself that the storm, stress, and excitement of the market were to blame for what my panther felt toward him.

Deep down, I knew it was a lie, though.

My panther felt a pull toward him, a connection, and she wouldn’t let me forget it. There was something exciting and terrifying about that. As I thought about it, another moment from the market filled my head—I could have sworn I’d seen Lucius.

Dread uncoiled through my core at the memory.

While Savannah had pulled away from the market, I thought I’d seen him lurking near the coffeeshop. However, so many people had been scurrying about, trying to get out of the storm, that I couldn’t be sure it was him.

My gut told me it was, though.

Even so, I hadn’t mentioned it to anyone. I knew I should, but everyone was getting back into the swing of things after Daxton’s run-in with Lucius when he gained his ability back and tried to force him to shift in front of Savannah. Things were good for us all right now, and I didn’t want to ruin it, especially if I was wrong and it wasn’t him.

Gathering my bag, I exited my camper and walked to my bike. My nerves were present, but so was my panther. Meeting Ethan at the coffeeshop excited her. It wasn’t because of the shelves he’d made, either. It was whatever it was drawing her to him.

Strapping my helmet on, I cranked my bike to life. The purr of her engine brought a smile to my face. I sped down the driveway and out onto the main road. As the wind whipped against me, I gave her more gas.

There was nothing better than a motorcycle ride on a warm, sunny day.

When I reached Main Street, I parked and started for the Caffeinated Fox. My panther stirred restlessly, more alive and alert than ever. However, I didn’t feel the same. Instead, my nerves were making me feel sick.

As I walked, I rehearsed potential conversations with Ethan in my head, playing out various scenarios of how this could go—from a mundane, casual business exchange to a flirty cup of coffee and an hour-long conversation.

What was wrong with me?

I’d never had this type of reaction to a man.

When I reached the coffeeshop, I pulled in a deep breath to steady my nerves and center myself before stepping inside. My heart raced while my panther’s restless, excited energy pulsed through my veins. It was a dizzying sensation.

“Here goes nothing,” I murmured, gripping the handle.

I spotted Ethan as soon as I entered. He stood off to the side, looking expectantly at the door. A wide smile spread across his face at the sight of me and I felt my panther purring. I brushed her away, knowing this wasn’t the time for her antics. I needed to focus if I planned on figuring out why I felt the way I did around him.

My gaze remained locked on him as I walked his way, noting how different he appeared under the cafe’s soft glow. My heart did an annoying fluttering thing, and my panther crept closer to the surface. I coerced her back into her corner again, reminding her this wasn’t the place.

“Hey, Ethan,” I said, aiming for a casual tone, but knowing there was a nervous edge to my words.

Could he pick up on it?

“Hey. It’s good to see you,” he replied, that warm smile of his lighting up his face, and doing funny things to my insides again.

There was an ease about him, a comfort that reached out and wrapped around me. My nerves faded because of it.

“Did you bring the shelves?” I asked, trying to steer my runaway thoughts back to the reason I was there.

“Yeah, they’re in the back of my truck. I thought we could grab a coffee first and then you could check them out to make sure they’re what you had in mind,” he suggested, nodding to Cassie, waiting to take our order.

“That sounds great.” I flashed him a smile before stepping toward the counter.

Once we both had a coffee in hand, we headed outside. I followed Ethan to his truck and glanced into the back. The shelves were perfect. However, they were larger than I thought they’d be. There was no way they would fit on my bike.

“Wow, these are amazing,” I admitted.

“Yeah?” he asked, an adorable, crooked grin forming.

I nodded. “They’re exactly how I pictured them. Although.” I wrinkled my nose. “They’re larger than I thought they’d be.”

His face fell. “Should I make them smaller?”

“No, I like them the way they are,” I said, after taking a sip from my coffee. “There’s just no way I’m getting them home on my bike.”

“Bike?”

His expression was adorable. Clearly, he’d thought I meant a bicycle.

“Yeah. My bike,” I said, pointing to my motorcycle parked a few spaces over.

“Oh.” His eyes widened. “That’s yours?”

“She sure is.” I smiled.

“I wasn’t expecting that. Cool.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Well, I can deliver them wherever you need me to.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it,” I said, loving I’d caught him off guard.

Then my mind dipped to thoughts of how everyone would feel with him showing up at our sanctuary, seeing as he was a shifter, but not a panther. I mean, our history with bear shifters in this town hadn’t been great—not that Neo remembered, but still.

“I’m glad you like them,” he said, pulling me from my thoughts. “I wanted to make sure they matched your vision.”

His attention was so focused and intense, it sent a wave of warmth through me. My panther purred in response, clearly as affected by his presence as I was. I tried to shake off the feeling, to concentrate on the shelves and not on the man who’d made them.

It was impossible.

“They do,” I said, sipping my coffee.

“We should probably talk about where you want them delivered,” he said, and I felt stupid for not having said already. “Do you have a shop somewhere in town?”

“That’s a goal, but I don’t know if I’ll ever meet it.”

“I have faith in you,” he said before taking a swig of his coffee, his gaze never wavering from mine.

There was such certainty in his words. It warmed me, while making me hyper-aware of his proximity.

“Thank you.”

“So, if these aren’t going to a shop, where am I dropping them?” Ethan asked, eyeing the shelves he’d made.

Their natural wood finish glowed in the sunlight.

“They’re for my place,” I said, before starting toward my bike. “Follow me there,” I called over my shoulder to him.

After tucking my coffee into one of my satchels, I slid my helmet on and cranked my bike to life. I eased out of my parking space and headed for home. Ethan followed me in his truck.

When we turned down my driveway and the campers came into view, I wondered what he thought of the place. While each camper was livable, none of us had done much work to them since we’d bought them.

I was okay with that, though.

The land was the real showstopper. Lush woods. A beautiful pond. This place was ours, and no one could take it from us.

That was what mattered.

As the Ashen Tribe, we’d put down roots here, and we wouldn’t stop digging them deeper into the ground until we felt settled in every way.

I parked my bike in front of my camper, noting none of the others were home. Not even Kiera. I imagined she’d gone to town for groceries or more witchy herbs to make tea.

Thank goodness it was a Monday.

Ethan whistled as he climbed out of his truck, his gaze sweeping around the woods. “You’ve got a cozy setup here,” he said, reaching into the back of his truck for the shelves.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” I opened the door to my camper and headed inside to clean up as best I could before he followed me in.

My place was a mess. In my defense, I hadn’t been expecting company and my online orders had gone through the roof.

“Where do you want these?” Ethan asked from where he stood at the door. His attention wasn’t focused on me or the inside of my camper. It was focused on my cinderblock step. “You need some actual steps here. This block isn’t even on flat ground.”

He kicked at it, and it wobbled.

I grinned. “I live dangerously and cheaply. What can I say?”

The quirk of a smile twisted his lips. “Right. Well, that’s a dangerously cheap fix.”

“Not if you’re not handy with carpentry tools,” I countered. “Which I’m not.”

“Good thing you know someone who is, then,” he insisted as he stepped inside.

While I’d thought having him here might make the space feel cramped because of his massive size, it didn’t. The man’s calm, comforting presence somehow made the space feel soothing. Even my panther agreed. She purred contently, loving him here.

What was her deal?

“Where do you want these?” Ethan asked, pulling me back to the reason he was here.

While space was limited, I’d cleared a spot for the shelves yesterday.

“By the window.” I pointed. “I thought they’d look good there, with the natural light and all.”

Ethan nodded and then moved to set them in place. They looked perfect there, almost as though they’d always belonged.

“Nice,” he said, stepping back to admire his handiwork.

“Thanks for making them for me,” I said. “How much do I owe you again?”

Had we even talked about a price? I couldn’t remember.

“Don’t worry about it. I made them from scrap pieces of wood I had lying around.”

“I have to pay you something,” I insisted. “These are amazing.”

“Honestly, it’s fine. They didn’t take long to piece together. I’m just glad you like them.”

I placed a hand on my hip and narrowed my eyes. “You’re seriously not going to let me pay for them?”

“Nope.” His expression changed then. He arched a brow and held my stare. “Have dinner with me instead.”

“Dinner?”

Wait. Had he asked me out on a date?

My panther grew excited by the prospect.

“Yeah. Nothing fancy. Just come by my place, and I’ll cook us dinner.”

Dinner at his place sounded intimate, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t sound perfect.

“I guess that would be okay,” I said, nonchalantly even though my panther purred loudly with approval of the idea. “After all, I didn’t have time to check out your creations at the market with all the chaos.”

Ethan’s eyes warmed. “Sounds good. I’ll give you a tour of my workshop.”

“When?”

“How’s tomorrow evening sound?”

My heart skipped a beat.

“Is this a date?” I asked, the question slipping out before I could stop it.

His sexy, crooked smirk was immediate, causing butterflies to flap through my stomach. “It can be whatever you want it to be.”

A challenge and an offering were present in his stare.

Did I want this to be a date?

It couldn’t be. It crossed too many lines when it came to the tribe. Dating—mating—outside of humans, witches, or panthers was forbidden. Agreeing to see him again—date or not—was reckless.

My panther released a noise that rattled my skull. It was her way of telling me to forget about the damn rules.

“It’s a date,” I said, holding his gaze.

My heart was beating too fast. I felt as though I’d stepped into the unknown, but I couldn’t deny the pull I felt to this man, regardless of what type of shifter he was.

He moved to the table to the left of him and grabbed my pen and paper I’d been using to check off the orders I’d already filled.

“Here’s my number and address. I’ll see you tomorrow at six,” he said with a sense of confidence I found sexy.

“I’ll see you then,” I said as I walked him out.

He climbed into his truck and pulled away, but the butterflies he’d created in my core remained. I moved to the cinderblock step he’d called dangerous and a grin sprang onto my face. It disappeared as the feel of someone staring at me slid across my skin. My panther drew close to the surface while I scanned the woods. At first, I didn’t see anyone, but then I noticed something slither through the foliage at the edge of the woods.

Lucius.

Giving way to my panther, I bolted after the snake. While she was strong and fast, going after the sneaky serpent felt like chasing a damn shadow. As we reached it, it would disappear into the thick foliage again.

Lucius wasn’t just a snake shifter; he was a freaking magician.

In the end, he slipped away. While I’d never laid eyes on him in his human form so I couldn’t be sure it was Lucius, I had a gut feeling the snake had been him. The thought sent a cold wave of fear spiraling through me. My earlier excitement about my date with Ethan was now overshadowed by a gnawing worry I couldn’t shake.

Lucius could have seen Ethan.

With as dangerous as Lucius was, especially to a shifter now that he’d regained his mind control ability, it wasn’t fair of me to not warn Ethan. However, it wasn’t right to not warn the tribe, either. They needed to know about Lucius as badly as Ethan did, even if it ruined the good vibes we had going.

I chewed my bottom lip, worried about how Neo and the others would handle the news. Not just of Lucius, but of Ethan, too. Maybe it was safer to start with Kiera first. Ethan needed an amulet, because this was about more than revealing secrets or breaking tribe rules—it was about safeguarding someone who’d unknowingly become important to me.

Tomorrow night, I’d warn Ethan about Lucius, and tonight I’d ask Kiera to help me protect him. Somewhere in there, I’d tell the others about Lucius, too.