Chapter 10

"I'm sorry Rosetta is late," I say to Dela, glancing at the wall clock for what has to be the tenth time since she joined me at my table in Constantine's cozy-yet-hip coffee shop—right on time, which was half an hour ago. "You don't have to stay. I'm sure you'd rather not hang out in your workplace on your day off."

Dela, a semi-new-to-town human who is one of Constantine's full-time weekday employees here at The Brew, smiles while shaking her head. "I'm happy to wait. Constantine is a great boss, and my coworkers and the customers are so nice, being here never really feels like work. I often come in for coffee on the weekends."

"Ask her if that has anything to do with hoping to catch a glimpse of a certain red hell demon she has the hots for," a woman's voice says from behind me, then its owner turns one chair at the neighboring table toward us and sits.

Based on the full-face glowing blush on Dela's face, that comment hit the bullseye.

"Wait a sec," I say, looking back and forth between them. "There are hell demons here?"

"A few," the woman who's sort of sitting with us says, a playful smile curving her full, plum lips. "But the one Dela has a crush on won't be here today, because he knows she's not working."

Dela rolls her eyes, but there's a noticeable uptick in her expression. "He comes in for the coffee, Shay. Not because of me."

"You are in such denial." The woman's dark curly hair bounces with her light laughter, then she turns her attention to me. "I'm Shay, Dela's coworker slash self-appointed life coach."

"Shay's being gracious. It'd be more accurate to say I forced her into the position because I constantly need help." Warmth and sincerity fill Dela's voice, matched by an expression of genuine affection as she smiles at Shay. "I basically made Shay adopt me when I moved to town seven months ago."

"Girl, I'm only six years older than you." Shay crosses one high-booted leg over the other. "But I love you like a sister, and because of that, I get to tease you like one, too."

"You two sound a lot like Rosetta and me. We're cousins, but we've always been more like sisters. I'm Natalie, by the way." I offer my hand to shake, but Shay salutes me with her takeout cup instead.

"I make a point not to touch people," she says. "Everyone, not just you. It's a me thing." Her green-eyed gaze appraises me. "You and Rosetta being close explains how easily you're handling all the monster stuff." She tilts her head toward a naga and a goblin having coffee a couple tables over.

"Oh, I didn't know anything about the existence of non-humans until yesterday afternoon, when I got here, and met Constantine." Just saying his name stirs warmth in my chest. Between my legs. After being wrapped up in his arms all night, I woke up alone in bed this morning, my stomach growling at the aroma of the breakfast he was cooking in the kitchen. We kissed good morning—long enough that he had to remake the eggs that shriveled in the frying pan—then ate together like an old married couple. If old married couples have chemistry that feels like magnets being pulled together, that is. If I didn't have plans to meet Ro, I'm pretty sure Constantine and I would be naked in bed right now, working on those stretching exercises.

"Earth to Nat. You in there?" Ro snaps her fingers in front of my face.

My cheeks heat to inferno temperatures at the realization I've been caught daydreaming. "Oh good, you're finally here," I say, attempting to shift everyone's focus to my tardy cousin. Because they're currently all staring at me.

Ro, Dela, and Shay all sport smiles of various types. Shay's is pure amusement. Dela's smile is more of an "awe…" type of warm and friendly smile. Ro's is a total "gotcha" grin, her lips stretched to maximum width while her eyes twinkle with the torment she's undoubtedly planning to dish. Hopefully, she'll wait until we're alone.

"I don't have to ask where your mind was," Ro says, settling on the chair beside me. "The question is, how far did you and Constantine go last night?"

"Ro!"

"Because I drove past him, walking down the street a few blocks down," she continues, "and he looked like one very happy Minotaur. And he always looks happy, but this was next-level."

"Can confirm," Shay says, nodding and raising one hand. "Had a little chat with him in front of the bakery. That man is on cloud nine. Vastly different mood from the last time I talked to him, a few days ago."

"The day he stopped in here to talk to you?" Dela asks, leaning closer. "When things got kind of tense?"

"Mm-hmm." Shay nods, then settles her gaze on me. "Brief moment of tension, that's all. Something was weighing on his mind, and I'm going to take a guess you're the something, and that everything is working out the way fate intended."

"There's that word again," I semi-mutter. "Does everyone in this town believe in fate?"

All three women nod.

"And everyone's okay with having fate determine the course of their lives?" I ask, fiddling with the empty paper cup in front of me. "Because to me, fate sounds like lack of free will or the option to choose. Oh sure, you can choose, but going against fate will ruin someone else's life."

The women go silent, all traces of smiling, teasing, or good vibes snuffed out by my opinion.

Dela, sweetheart that she is, reaches across the table and squeezes my hand. "Sounds like your welcome packet included a lot of big stuff."

Ro's snort rips through the tension I unintentionally created. "And now we're back to my earlier question. Just how big was his stuff, and how welcoming was your packet?"

Raising both hands as if in surrender, Shay rises from her seat. "I'm out. I cannot be having work conversations with Constantine if I know about his sex life. Though, for the record, I'm happy he's happy, and hope you will be, too." She points her gloved hand at me before giving us all a wave and walking away.

"Is she germaphobic?" I ask, once the coffee shop's door closes behind her. "The no touching, sitting away from us, wearing leather gloves inside during the summer…"

Dela's lips turn down. "Nothing like that. She's a witch. A seer, specifically. When she touches someone, she sees their future and, well, she doesn't want to."

Beside me, even Ro looks serious.

"So, she never touches anybody? You know, even personally," I whisper, and they shake their heads. "Wow. That's rough."

"You know who else hadn't touched anyone in a hell of a long time?" One of Ro's ginger eyebrows rises. "Constantine." She nods as if to confirm her own story. "The day he told me you're his mate, he said that once fate has chosen a mate for a Minotaur, they literally cannot be attracted to anyone else, even if they haven't located their fated mate."

Uneasy as the constraints and repercussions of fate make me, my heart picks up speed, knowing I'm that one special person for him. Because there's no denying his attraction to me. Or mine to him. "Did he mention how long he's been waiting for me?" It's a question I should ask him directly, but I'm too curious to wait.

"He said it's been a decade and a half, Nat. That man has gone without for fifteen years."

"Holy shit!" I clap my hand over my mouth, but not before every head in the place turns in my direction.

Across from me, Dela giggles. "For once, it's not me blurting something out and turning red because of it."

"So, last night…?" Ro makes the gimme motion with both hands. "Did you put an end to his long-ass drought? Tell us everything."

Dela makes a lighthearted pouty sound while pushing her chair back from the table. "It's been forever since I've had girl time like this, but I think I have to take a page from Shay's book. I can't be blushing and averting my eyes every time my boss is around."

"Oh, don't go. Please? We'll talk about something else." I give Ro the stink-eye. "Right?"

A bubbly laugh rises from Dela's model-perfect, luscious lips. "That's sweet, but you two need to roll with this convo. Plus, I always call my mom on Saturdays, and I found out she has plans later, so I need to catch her before I miss a day. Believe me when I tell you that you never want to take a single day for granted." Coming around the table, she leans in and gives me a quick hug. "It was so nice to meet you. Text me anytime and no pressure, but I vote for you to stay in town after the wedding."

"Thanks, it was great meeting you, too." I smile until she leaves the coffee shop, then it's just me and Ro, finally. "Your friends seem nice."

"Everyone in town is nice. I'm probably the least nice person here," Ro says with a snort. "You're way better suited to the vibe than me."

Talk about a perfect segue. "Um, on the subject of vibes, is there a store here that sells them?"

"Heck yeah, there is." She's out of her chair before the last word has left her mouth, hauling me up along with her. "You are going to lose your freaking mind when you see the stuff Lexi sells."

I toss my empty cup in the trash on the way out of The Brew, the brilliant morning sun blinding me when we step out onto the sidewalk. I was more than a little distracted with Constantine on our walk over here. Now that I'm taking a good look at the downtown, I see all the things I didn't notice earlier.

The main street is a hub of bustling activity. No empty or rundown stores; everything is pristine and eye-catching. Manicured trees and raised flowerbeds dot the edge of wide, well-maintained sidewalks. Angled parking lines both sides of the street—hatred of parallel parking must be universal. In the center of it all, there's a large parkette with lush green grass, gardens, and benches. A beautiful fountain sits in the middle, and there's a large raised gazebo near one end, its wide stairs facing the length of the park.

I point at it, asking, "That's where the wedding's happening?"

"Yup. But we can talk about the wedding stuff later. Right now, I want to hear the Natalie stuff." Ro hooks her arm with mine, guiding me down the street. "Especially the parts that include you getting your mate bond on. Or not getting it on, since you want to buy a new vibrator."

"Why can't it be both? Are you telling me you haven't used a vibrator since moving out here to be with Dak?"

"Damn straight. He insists on being the giver of all orgasms. Literally, all." Grinning at me, she wiggles her eyebrows in a hubba-hubba motion. "Even those times when I just want a quick little release O, he takes care of it. The man knows his place, Nat, and that place is between my legs."

Well, I can't say that sounds horrible. And I wouldn't be surprised if Constantine offered for things the same way, though I think he'd be less intense about it than Ro's orc fiancé.

Ro halts in front of a small, green-and-purple shop with a gold window decal that reads Every Witch Way. "This is it."

"Are you sure? With a name like that, it sounds like an occult shop."

"Oh, there's magic stuff—for getting you magically stuffed," she says, tugging the door open and essentially shoving me inside.

One glance is all it takes for my eyes to feel as if they're going to pop out of my face. There are dildos everywhere. All kinds of sizes, shapes, and colors. "Holy—" I snap my lips closed before embarrassing myself. Again.

"Not so holy, though I do have an angel's cock model that I guarantee you'll find quite heavenly, and some incredibly realistic angel-wing feathers which are fantastic for sensual touch play." The response comes from behind a counter, then the voice's owner pops into view. "Oh! New girl alert! And Rosetta, hi!" The young, green-skinned woman hurries out to greet us up close, thrusting her hand forward. "I'm Lexi, the person to see for all things sexy and wonderfully bewitched."

My gaze drops to her green hand with slim fingers and long, purple nails, waiting for me to take it. "You don't mind shaking hands?"

"Of course not." She grabs hold of my fingers the instant I tentatively raise them. "Why in the realms would I mind shaking hands?"

"She met Shay this morning," Ro says.

"Ah. Well, Shay is a seer, and I'm not, so no visions for this witch." She gives up pumping my hand to gesture at her face, tilting it this way and that, the way a cosmetics model might. "Plus, this is Goodwin green, whereas Shay is a Winterlock. Totally separate covens. Different styles of magic. Mine is more fun." She winks. "What brings you ladies in this morning? Shopping for something magical to spice up the bedroom, or just touring around?"

"Just touring." I jump in before Ro can throw me under the embarrassment bus.

Lexi's ebony hair shimmers with her nod. "Take your time and check everything out. All my products are made from body-safe materials, so if you're wondering about insertion in any or all possible orifices, the answer is, yes, you can." Her laugh seems to bounce in the small shop. "If it fits, of course. Some of the models are rather large, after all!"

My gaze drifts to a massive, heavily ridged, dark-green dildo on a nearby shelf. It must be twelve inches high, and that's not including the big set of balls at its base. It makes Constantine's cock look average in size.

Following my focused stare, Lexi moves to the shelf and strokes the appendage lovingly. "Forest giant. Isn't he marvelous?" A blissful sigh leaves her lips. "Vern moved from Fate's Falls a few years ago, unfortunately. But his licensing agreement is indefinite, so at least we'll always have his majestic cock in stock."

Wait, what? I can't get any of the questions out because my bottom lip is hanging down.

"Show her what they do, Lexi." Ro gives me a shoulder bump. "This is the coolest."

Lexi gives up caressing the huge dildo to position her palms on either side. "The motions will vary, adapting to the user's physical responses during each use, so this is just for demonstration purposes." The next words she says are in another language. Then the big green dick begins rippling and moving side to side.

"There are no batteries," Ro says. "It's infused with magic."

"But…how? And I mean that in every sense of the word. How?"

A brief utterance later, the dildo stills, and Lexi smiles over at us. "All the models are anatomical replicas created from live volunteers who've entered into a licensing contract. Some people choose a set term, others go infinite, like Vern did. Forest giants live a long time, but by signing an endless agreement, his estate will receive the royalties as long as Every Witch Way is in business. It's all legally airtight, and the licensors are paid generously. A mold is made of whatever body part we'll be selling, then the products are individually hand-poured by moi, and imbued with a pleasure-giving spell."

"And you sell enough of them in a town as small as Fate's Falls to make a living?" The struggling artist in me can't wrap my head around how that's possible.

"Not even close!" Lexi laughs again. "The big money comes from the website. Humans can't get enough monster-inspired sex toys, but you probably know that, right?"

Once again, my cheeks heat. Thank god this particular witch doesn't read minds. Nobody, not even Ro, knows about the tentacle toy I bought last year, after reading a series of super-steamy Kraken romance books. That hunk of silicone went from box to bed to bin in a matter of one day. The definition of disappointment.

"How do you sell to humans outside the protected area without being discovered? And without you there to start them with a spell, how do the products know when to move? And when to stop?"

"The website uses a standard URL humans can access, and the Oracle's magic makes it impossible to track back. The outpost sits just outside the boundary area. It has a variety of valid shipping addresses. They process all the packages going in and out of Fate's Falls. There are lots of businesses here that do very well beyond the border. As for how the magic works… witchcraft doesn't have to be doom and gloom. Human customers believe they're cordlessly rechargeable on the dock provided with each unit, and activated by body heat. It's bullshit, but nobody questions it because the products always work perfectly. Lots of very satisfied customers out there!" she says with a wink. "I'll leave you to explore the goodies."

I wait for Lexi to return to whatever she was doing, ducked down behind the counter, then drag Ro to the farthest corner of the little store. "This is—" When words escape me, I throw my hands up.

"Wild, right? I was so tempted to send you something from here, but I could never decide what kind of monster dick you'd prefer." Again, Ro wiggles her eyebrows at me, then turns her head toward the counter, and calls out, "Lexi, do you have a Minotaur model?"

"Ro!"I hiss under my breath.

"Sure do, ladies!" One green arm shoots up, pointing toward a shelf on the opposite side of the shop. "It's one of the bestsellers!"

Ro drags me in the direction indicated by Lexi's finger. She scans the decorative placards sitting in front of each item, her lips moving as she silently reads the creature descriptions until she gets to the one I'm already staring at. "There it is, Nat. The Minotaur. That's pretty damn big."

"It is."

"There's no name on it—for privacy reasons, I'm sure—but maybe it's Constantine's."

"It's not." Shit!

Her head whips in my direction, her eyes popping wide open when she sees what I'm sure is a crimson blush on my face. "You've seen his cock! And had a good enough look to know it's not this one," she says, snorting, dodging when I try to cover her mouth with my hand. "No more withholding—did you fuck?"

"Can you please keep your voice down?" A pointless ask, I know. Rolling my eyes, I sigh. "None of this—" I make the hand gesture for intercourse. "But yes to other stuff. Good stuff. Really good."

The high-pitched squeal Ro makes has Lexi popping up behind the counter. "If there's celebrating happening, I want in!"

"Natalie and Constantine are mates!" Ro hugs me tight enough that I'm gasping for air within seconds.

"Not," I sputter, "officially." I take a deep breath when she pulls back, holding me at arm's length. "Don't get your hopes up for me to stay."

"Why wouldn't you stay? You hit it off before you'd even met. You've obviously got physical chemistry if you did ‘really good stuff' with him the first night, and you never get down with a guy on the first date. Hell, you rarely even get down with a guy."

"Thanks, Ro. Always nice to be reminded I'm uptight."

"Stop that." She gives me a mock slap on the face, complete with sound effects. "I bet it's because you're his mate. Part of you has been waiting for him all this time. And now you found each other. Just…fall in love, make adorable furry babies, and stay here forever. Please…"

"We'd have to have sex to make babies, and I'm not sure it's possible." I tilt my head toward the Minotaur dildo and whisper, "He's bigger than that."

Ro's eyes go round. "Oh my. Well, maybe Lexi has some training dildos you could practice with."

"I do," Lexi says, appearing at our sides, as if out of thin air. "But I don't think you'll need them. Not if fate has mated you to a Minotaur." She reaches for a jarred product on the shelf below the imposing dildo. "Minotaur semen is a known aphrodisiac. It's one of my fastest selling products."

Not much makes Ro pause, but even her mouth is hanging open as she points at the small container between Lexi's thumb and index finger. "Are you saying that's a jar of Minotaur jizz?"

"With a pinch of magic to maintain its shelf life. No artificial preservatives here!"

"It's a pretty small jar," I say, remembering the amount of cum Constantine produced, and the flow that continued afterward. I probably swallowed three times as much last night.

"Because Minotaur ejaculate is highly potent. Only a small amount is needed to achieve intense sexual results."

Oh shit."How is it, um…" I try clearing my throat, but there's no getting rid of the sensation there. The memory from last night is so vivid, I can almost taste Constantine's cum in my mouth, feel its silkiness sliding down my throat. "How do people use it?"

"Topically provides wonderful results. It's absorbed into the dermal layers immediately and heightens sensation instantly."

"Damn, Nat," Ro says, grinning widely. "You lucky bitch."

I shoot her the side-eye, then reach for the jar in Lexi's hand.

"You won't need this." Lexi draws her hand back. "Your mate's semen will prepare your vagina for penetration."

This is the wrong place to be getting turned on, but how can I not with images of Constantine smearing his cum onto my pussy running wild in my mind? "Oh, I was just wondering if there were any other directions or warnings on the label."

"The only risk is exhaustion from extreme pleasure!" Lexi laughs while returning it to the shelf, then leans in close enough to whisper in my ear. "Ingestion is completely safe and very exhilarating, but it won't help make his cock fit inside you—you'll need to massage it around down there for that."

"Thanks," I choke out.

"Anytime," she says, winking as she walks away.

I snag Ro by the arm and tug her toward the front of the shop. "Let's continue on the tour."

"What did she say to you back there? And I thought you wanted a vibrator?"

"Not a magically enhanced one that's molded from someone's actual cock," I say, low enough that I hope only Ro hears.

No such luck, if Lexi's laughter as we open the door is any indication.

This town is going to take some getting used to.