5. Angela

CHAPTER 5

Angela

I stare at myself in the mirror attached to the door of my apartment upstairs from the bakery. My hair sparkles with glitter hairspray, poofed up into a glorious spray of reddish blond that falls down my shoulders in loose spiraling curls.

My eyes are shadowed with a golden eyeshadow that darkens them to deep emerald green. I lift my hands up and playfully twirl in a circle, watching the layers of peach tulle, ribbon and sequins float around me in an arc of shimmering pastel fabric.

I clasp a London blue topaz necklace around my throat, my eyes turning inward. The color is the exact color of Granite's eyes. I gently rub the cool stone but I'm not seeing that cool gem. Instead I'm seeing the warmth and want in Granite's eyes.

My core tightens and I can feel that insane pull to him again. Why? Is he telling me the truth? Is he my…mate? What the hell does that even mean?

I'm not afraid of him. I should be but even though he's about two feet taller than me and so much stronger and wider than me, I just can't find it in myself to be afraid of him.

I feel his soul and there's so much there to wonder about. But there's nothing bad. At least not that I can see.

He wants to protect me. I can see it all around him. He's big and fearless and he wants to keep me safe.

But he looks so damned scary and fearsome that I'm worried that my overactive hormones are leading me astray.

I mean, am I wrong and he's just what he looks like? A beast of prey looking to make a meal out of the silly little virgin he's trying to snooker?

My heart tells me no. My head says, "Hold on there, sister. Keep your heart intact and stay the hell away from him."

I sigh and slip my feet into a pair of glittering sequined gold sandals. I smile as I put the last touch into place. My heart pitter-patters nervously.

It's time.

I grab a tiny gold clutch and slip out the door, closing and locking it behind me.

I carefully trip down the steps and set foot on the ground, a sudden uneasiness hitting me right in the gut. My head swivels back and forth and I can't help the shiver that runs down my spine.

My mind turns to what Granite told me about the unusual life and creatures in the area and then back to Magic. I really wish that my friend had gotten ahold of me after any of the dozen phone calls and messages that I left her but it's like she's fallen off the face of the earth. That's one of the reasons I moved out here so close to Magic. I've tried to contact her over and over again for the last five months and nothing.

I gather up my long skirts in my hand and hold the little clutch and a fabulous peach sequined lace mask that glitters in the soft moonlight. A skitter of unease ghosts across my bare shoulders and my eyes dart back and forth, searching the dark shadows all around me. The air is cool and scented with fire and cinnamon, the scent of decaying leaves and the crispness of autumn merging into winter. Faint moonlight dances across this part of the back of my store and my eyes can't quite penetrate the dark shadows.

And yet….I swear I see a bright flash of red behind the dumpster. My eyes sharpen and I delicately tiptoe closer.

"What are you doing, mate?"

Squeaking, I jerk around and grasp the bosom of my dress. "Shit! What the hell, Granite? You're supposed to meet me at the dance."

I totter on my gold heels and fight to stay upright. With a swoop that I barely see in the dark, he wraps his bulging arms around me and my head swims. I see the glint of his bright blue eyes in the shimmering moonlight and my heart flips in my chest.

"Granite?"

"Why are you standing around out here, mate? It's dangerous out at night when you have no idea what could be waiting for you. I would never have left you to walk alone."

"I thought I saw something behind the dumpster."

His head jerks back and his eyes gleam with crystal fire. "And you were going to go over there and check it out? Why the hell would you do something so foolish, mate?"

I shiver and then frown fiercely. "I'm not a child, Granite. I am fully capable of looking into weird things in the night outside of my own place."

"That's not a good enough argument, little one. You should be more careful of your…". His crystal eyes glint down my body and this time when I shiver it's because I want him. A lot.

His head lifts and the glint in his blue eyes sharpens, his nostrils flaring and I flush, wondering if he can scent the pull, the attraction I feel towards him.

His voice is deep and rough. "I can almost taste your hunger, sweet one. You want me as much as I want you. Don't let your fears hold you back from something amazing. Something right."

I shake my head and back away, my fingers reaching out even as I back away. My heart and my head are being torn in two.

"I don't want this. Not like this. It's too soon. Too much."

He sighs and turns away from me sadly. "If you won't even give us a chance, I might as well leave you now, Angela. Because if you won't love me the way we are fated to, the way I love you, then I will have to go. Perhaps in the future I will find you and maybe then you'll want to pursue what is right in front of you. But just taking that chance and walking away…it fucking terrifies me. Love is a magical thing. Maybe even more magical than anything else out there."

I shake my head. "What about unicorns?"

His lips quirk. "Oh, my heart. I swear I already know you so well. You would gladly argue every damn thing I say and do it with a smile. So pretty. So perfectly lovely and with that little bite that I can't resist."

I move closer, drawn by something that I can't deny. Something otherworldly. Magical, like he says.

I reach out a hand and touch his warm chest tentatively. His blue eyes light up like glowing lasers in the darkness. He barely breathes and I swear I'm holding my own breath. I thought his chiseled skin would be cold and dry.

But he's warm and so damn muscular that my fingers tiptoe down the ladder of his abs. I suck in a breath, my eyes widening.

What the hell is going on with me? I've never been this forward in my life.

His big hand grips my smaller one and he paces closer until his body dwarfs mine. My breath comes uneven, choppy, and chills dance up and down my bare skin.

His head dips down, his long dark hair caressing my cheek as he breathes in deep. His eyes roll back and he growls under his breath, like an animal in heat.

"You're mine, mate. Let me win you over. Let me show you what we can be."

I nod my head. What can I say? I can't walk away from him and I can't let him walk away from me.

Not yet. Not when it feels like some overwhelming higher power is in control and it's more than I ever dreamt of when I longed for something more. Something better in my life.

This might be my one and only chance at happiness. Should I really just blow it off and give it away?

I don't think so. But I need to protect my heart until I know it's safe with him.

Until I know that this is real. Lasting. Love.