Chapter 10

Katsuro came forward and stepped to my other side, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Hannah, let’s go to the back and we can discuss it. Davin, please join us for a bit.”

Davin nodded curtly.

“Jaz, dearest, a drink for all of us, please, and water and a treat for the nimbus.”

“Yes, sir.” She dipped her head in a bow and turned to her work while I let Davin and Katsuro lead me toward the back.

By the time we got to a comfortable sitting room in the back that must have been overflow for the coffee shop, I had managed to get my breathing under control. The room was cute. It had a few tables with chairs and a couch and loveseat with a coffee table by a gas fireplace and looked well used, but in a homey sort of way.

Katsuro sat me down on the couch. Nimbus jumped into my lap and Davin sat next to me, putting his arm around my shoulders. I leaned against his solid warmth, grateful for the support. Our host shut the door before joining us. He sat on the coffee table and put a cool hand on my knee.

It was certainly more familiar than I would have expected from someone I barely knew, but the contact comforted me, and I didn’t pull away.

“Davin, why were you bleeding earlier?”

My date had a spare shirt in his car, and he’d changed after the fight. How on earth did Katsuro know?

Davin tightened his lips for a moment before he sighed.

There was clearly a power dynamic here that I didn’t understand, and I didn’t think Davin was completely happy about it. Yet he had encouraged me to, at the very least, make friends with Katsuro.

“I was giving Hannah a tour of our town. I pulled over at one point near the edge of our forest and a shade slashed my tire, though I didn’t know it was a shade until I got out and was attacked. We drove it off.”

Katsuro’s eyes narrowed and his hand tightened on my knee. “A shade?”

“Not our shade,” Davin clarified. Well, at least the other man seemed to understand what he meant. I was still lost.

Nimbus pushed his head up under my chin and rooed softly.

Before I could ask for any further information, we were interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

“Come in,” Katsuro said without raising his voice.

I was impressed that Jaz heard. She opened the door and pushed in a small cart with drinks, a few pastries, and a water bowl for Nimbus, along with a small bowl with some dog treats.

Once Jaz left, after she gave Nimbus a quick scratch under his chin, Davin took a breath.

“Are they after Nimbus, or are they after Hannah?”

“I’d say that it is one and the same, at this point,” Katsuro answered.

“Wait, why would they be after a puppy? He’s cute, and obviously special, but he’s a dog.”

Both Davin and Katsuro shared a look before fixing their gazes on me.

“Hannah, you’ve found a nimbus, or a cloud puppy. He’s not a dog but a supernatural being. They are typically full of good humor and occasionally mischief. They’re rare, but if they choose a person, they’re quite loyal.” Katsuro took his hand from my knee and petted Nimbus.

“What the fuck?” I buried my fingers in my puppy’s fluffy fur and tried to process what they were saying.

Nimbus rooed and turned his big brown eyes on me, widening them and flattening his ears in concern.

“Hey buddy, it’s okay, I’m just confused.”

He wagged his tail and gave me a soft nose kiss before settling back onto my lap, apparently satisfied.

“How do I take care of a supernatural puppy?”

Davin ran his finger along my cheek and wiped away a tear.

“And why is a shade after me? And what is going on?”

Katsuro smiled, and this time the emotion reached his eyes. “It says a lot about you, Hannah, that your first thought is how you care for the creature you’ve rescued. As to the rest, we’ll do our best to explain. This is not how I had hoped to spend the evening, but I feel you need this information.”

“First off, Davin is a werewolf.” Katsuro smirked at the man sitting next to me, who growled softly in response.

I was grateful I hadn’t picked up my drink yet because they would have been performing the Heimlich after that statement.

“And I am a vampire.”

“Right—” I gasped, trying to catch a breath.

“And no, we do not normally tell a human we’ve just met any of this. You would not have been chosen by a nimbus if you weren’t worthy of this information. Please do not share it.”

“Gah.” I cleared my throat and tried again. “You’re serious?”

Katsuro inclined his head. Damn, but the man was elegance incarnate.

“So, is like, Clare from the bookstore some sort of gnome because…”

Davin laughed. “Clare is actually human, though I can see why you might think so. She is psychic though.”

“Well, that explains how she knew what I was going to ask before I even opened my mouth.” I was managing to not panic or hyperventilate, but only barely, and only because I’d already faced terrible men and these two men were clearly not evil.

“Beechworth is a sanctuary of sorts for those of us who wish for a relatively peaceful existence. For the most part, we werewolves and vampires maintain our boundaries and keep those within as safe as we possibly can from outside influences that might try to bring danger to our small town.”

“Davin said things were relatively peaceful here.”

Katsuro nodded and Davin tightened his arm around my shoulders, probably meaning to offer comfort.

“And then I show up and throw everything into chaos.”

“Arguably, Nimbus did that,” Katsuro said. “Your friend is magical and rare, and they are often captured and sold. When you found him, how was he secured to the lamppost?”

“A golden lead that somehow got lost at the vet clinic. I wasn’t worried about it, though. I didn’t like it.”

“Yes, that is one method of capturing them. How he ended up tied to a lamppost, well, that may be something we will never know. You rescued him and I’m sure the people who captured him would like to recover him. We must devise a plan to keep you and Nimbus safe until he comes fully into his powers, and then they will not be able to contain him, and he will no longer be useful. The magic they use to contain these creatures keeps them young and undeveloped. Once he grows to adulthood, he will be safe.”

“How long will that take?”

“They grow quickly. A few months to a year,” Katsuro explained. “I do not know much more, and I only know this much because I’ve done a bit of research since I met him.”

I took a deep breath, absurdly grateful that whatever was going on, it wasn’t related to my past. Though, how it could have been, I had no idea. The people I’d put behind bars were human. Well, I assumed they were, anyway.

“Okay, can we back up to the part where the supernatural is real and you two are a werewolf and a vampire, because that’s nuts.” I held up my hand at Katsuro’s look of protest. “The whole thing is nuts, but, clearly, I have to try to believe all this. I think I met the other shade in town, too.”

“Yes, it’s likely you caught his interest.” A bit of heat entered Katsuro’s expression as he locked eyes with me. “You have certainly caught mine.”

I licked my lips and tried not to react to the intensity in his gaze, but my heart was racing again and not from fear this time. Hell, I should be afraid. He’d literally told me I was on the menu, but if he wanted to hurt me, I felt we’d be having a different conversation, or I’d already be lunch. Or dinner, or whatever.

“Not too many single women in town?” I tried to deflect.

Katsuro smiled. “No. Not many we’d be interested in, either.”

I laughed nervously. “Um, did Jaz tell you about what happened earlier, too?”

“She did.” Katsuro leaned back, taking some of the pressure off me.

“Katsuro, we need to protect her,” Davin growled, his arm still tight around me.

“Yes, Davin. I agree. If she’s going to be leaving Beechworth and going to Mayday Hills on a regular basis, we must claim her so she is safe.”

“This, uh, claiming, what does that…entail?” I cleared my throat again.

Katsuro smiled, and it was impossible to miss the predatory glint in his eyes this time.

“One or more of us needs to put our mark upon you, to declare to the supernatural world that you are under our protection. Both Davin and I are powerful enough that our mark alone should keep you safe from anyone in Mayday Hills. This will also help protect Nimbus, though we will need to take additional measures for his safety.”

I blinked, then blinked some more, at a loss for words.

“But, I barely know you,” I finally protested.

Katsuro touched my leg again, gently but with a touch of ownership. “You don’t have to decide right now, Hannah, and we will protect you to the best of our abilities without this step, but you should consider it.”

I bit my lower lip and Katsuro’s gaze fixed there for a moment before he met my stare again.

“While you decide, you must promise you won’t share anything we’ve told you with anyone. Most of the people in town know all of this, but a few don’t. None of them should know of your situation.”

“Don’t want more competition?” My heart was racing again as I was trapped by his intense stare.

Katsuro reached forward, brushing delicate fingers along my cheekbone before tucking some hair behind my ear and lightly running his fingers down my neck. His touch sent jolts of electricity through my nerves, to settle in my core and leave a warm, needy feeling there.

“No.” He smiled and leaned back.

“It’s more than that,” Davin said with a grumble. “Katsuro and his vampires, as well as I and my pack, can protect you.”

“And I have to choose between vampires and werewolves?” My voice squeaked and I didn’t like it.

“No,” Katsuro replied. “You simply have to choose to allow us to protect you to the fullness of our abilities.”

My hands trembled, and Davin cleared his throat. Katsuro finally looked away, a hint of amusement in the faint smile on his lips.

“I think I need a minute.”

“Of course. We’re keeping you from your coffee.” The vampire got up from the coffee table he was sitting on and handed me a drink. “Decaf latte.”

He handed Davin something before he took a drink. Davin took his arm from around me and grabbed a pastry, too. Nimbus got up and hopped onto the coffee table, taking a drink and selecting a treat from his bowl. I didn’t have the energy to tell him to get on the floor, but if he was a supernatural being, should I be making him eat on the floor? I didn’t know.

“Wow, this is… so much.” I gulped a long drink of the latte before leaning back on the couch.

“Why did you come to Beechworth, anyway?” Katsuro asked.

Suddenly, I wanted to tell him absolutely everything. Nimbus grumbled and gave the vampire a dirty look before he hopped back on my lap. The feeling eased slightly, but they had trusted me, and I wanted to trust them. Still, this was my new life and there shouldn’t be any need to bring up the past. The past was dead or behind bars.

“Wait, did you just use some sort of vampire mind power on me?” I glared at Katsuro.

He winked but didn’t answer.

Shaking my head, I took another drink before answering. “Yeah, so, I came here because the rumors about this place caught my interest. I wasn’t sure what I thought I’d find, but this is certainly not it.”

Davin laughed, but whatever he was going to say was interrupted by another sharp knock on the door.

Jaz entered. “You have an urgent visitor, m’lord,” she said stiffly, bowing and stepping aside.

My blood ran cold as I recognized the man I’d almost run into earlier today. His hawk-nosed profile was unmistakable.

Nimbus growled, teeth bared, and his little claws dug into my thighs as if he was getting ready to launch himself at the newcomer.

I clutched at my mug and prepared to use it as a weapon.