Chapter Three

Bessi

Baking is what sets me at ease. What calms my racing thoughts. It is how I bonded with my mother, and how I remember her since we lost her. Today I am baking muffins because I need an excuse to go back out to the woods.

Going on zero sleep, I am zooming around the kitchen, a woman on a mission. I am dusted in flour, sugar, and my fingers are sticky with chocolate. My cat Fuzzball weaves through my feet, doing her damndest to trip me up so I give her treats out of guilt. This tactic has worked no less than four times today.

"Go on, Fuzz, stop making mama give you goodies. These were not made for us. They were made for.... for him."

Him . The steel gray eyed, hulking, beautiful piece of man I have not been able to get out of my head. Last night my dreams were filled with thoughts of him. Him coming through my window in the dark, telling me he had to have me, that I was his other half.

I was up most of the night trying to shake those dreams. I opened my bakery a half hour late, not that anyone noticed. It's still new here in Moon Haven so I am finding my niche as it were. Still, I love to bake and create sweet treats, so I don't mind slow sales.

"Hope he likes his sweets," I murmur as I fill a basket with several different types of muffins.

It is almost dark out and I am exhausted from lack of sleep and spending the entire day baking. Once I step outside with my basket of treats, I am alert, excited. Who needs sleep? I march back towards the meadow I found last night, my heart galloping in my chest.

"Am I about to make a fool of myself?" I wonder, foot raised to step into the thickest part of the woods, where he was last night.

For a moment, I hesitate. I got lost last night. He was there to help me, to keep me from going too far. His gentle warnings kept me from going further and winding up so lost I couldn't find my way out. How can I know that he will be here tonight to make sure I don't wind up in the middle of a place I do not belong.

"I will come for you, sunshine."

Something inside of my chest twists up at the growled warning. At the very idea he might not want me here. That I might not belong here. I start to back up when I see movement on either side of me. It is too dark to see anything, but I can feel that I have indeed acted a fool.

Stumbling backwards, my fight or flight instinct tells me to get flying. Even being unable to see anything I know I am being watched. It is not the same as last night. Last night I knew I was safe. Even without a clue who—or what—was watching me, I knew I was in no danger.

Danger seems to rise up on all sides of me at once now.

"Such a pretty thing," a voice growls, followed by a low hiss.

Frowning at the darkness, I cock my head. I am both flattered by the compliment and frightened by whoever gave it. I back up faster, still clutching my basket of muffins. What was I thinking, coming out here as if I am little red riding hood?

"Smells delicious, too," another deeper, rougher voice bites out.

"Oh, the muffins? Here, I brought these for...well, for whoever was out here that might want some muffins. Have them. Enjoy them."

Setting the basket down, I try to back up fast. Before I take a step, I sense something moving on either side of me. Caging me in. My heart is thundering against my ribs, my breath rattling in my lungs. I am not safe here. There is something here that wants to hurt me.

Stumbling back, I blink back the tears in my eyes. Why am I crying? Because I am in danger or because I never got to find him? Am I upset because I am scared or because I am tired of being scared?

"Be calm, sunshine," that warm voice that filled my dreams all night calls out to me. Just like that, I am calm. My tears still slip down my cheeks, but I stop moving. I stop panicking. I close my eyes and wait. I am unsure what I am waiting for, but I know I need to be still.

"Out of borders, boys. Get gone. Don't make me shift, I rather not show my bad side tonight."

His words roar in the darkness, a warning of some kind. There is a hiss of discontent from either side of us. Again, there is movement I feel but cannot see. I am struggling to breathe, to be still, to wait for whatever it is that will come next.

There is a warmth at my back, an all-encompassing warmth. I am warmed right down to my toes. With my eyes still closed tight, I take a step back. Closer to this warmth. A soft little purr hums against my back as I hit the firm wall of man standing behind me.

"Good girl, sunshine. Better at trusting an instinct than most. Were those muffins for them, sweetheart? Or did you make them for me?"

"For you. I wanted to see you again. It might not have been safe for me to come now but...I am safe, with you here, right?"

"Yes, sweetheart. No one and nothing can hurt you with me at your side. You know I mean that, don't you? If you know nothing else about me, you know that, yes?"

"Y-yes. I do. You won't hurt me. Let anyone hurt me. Last night I....I knew it. How can I know that? Who are you?"

A soft, low chuckle hums behind me and sends a fork of heat through me. I shudder and move back more, pressing closer to him. Big, heavy hands come to my hips. I expect him to stop me, but he doesn't. No, he pulls me back tight against his chest.

Sighing, I let myself fall back against his warmth, a shudder running through me. I gasp when I feel his lips on my neck, brushing softly against my skin. His teeth nip at my thrumming pulse, and I let out a little moan as something inside of me claws to get out.

"Who do you want me to be, sunshine?" His voice is hot as it pours over me, his hands tightening on my hips.

"Well, I did make you muffins. So, someone who likes muffins."

"Hmm, I would devour anything you fed me, sweetheart," he growls the words, his mouth hot against my skin. I am trembling against him, my back to his front, my eyes still closed tight.

"Why did you just have to save me? And last night too. You said there were dangerous things out here. But you're not one of them?"

"Oh, yes, I am one of them. I am just no danger to you ."

"I... I dreamt about you all night. What did you do to me? Is it...is it magic? They talk about the magic in Moon Haven. Is that what this is? Was I called here again because of some sort of magic?"

"No, sweetheart, it is not magic. It is fate. We were fated to find one another. Neither of us had a clue before last night, but we both know it now. Don't you, sweetheart? Don't you feel what I am feeling?"

Whimpering, my head falls back on his shoulder. He snakes a hand up to wrap it around my throat, his mouth working at my skin. I welcome the pressure of his strong hands at my throat, the warmth of his lips at my skin. I am shaking as my body presses back against his, seeking something.

"Answer me," he commands, his fingers closing tight on my throat. It ought to scare me, this aggressive move. No, it turns me on until I am aching in his embrace.

"Yes. Yes, I feel it. What is it ? Why do we feel this way?"

"We're mates, sunshine. You.... are.... mine ."

Chapter Four

Edon

Finding my mate is the purest thing I have ever known. Holding her in my arms, feeling her heartbeat, tasting her sweet skin, I am vibrating with joy. My wolf is whining inside of me, barking his own joy, so thrilled we have found her at last.

This soft, sweet, gentle little creature is mine. As I am hers. Once I tell her everything, once I explain who I am, who my wolf is, I will have to mate her. Not just take her as mine, but mate her with my mark. I must put a mark on her neck that brands her as mine.

"Lord you smell so good," I moan the words as I scent her, smelling her skin, her sweet blood, even her wetness between her thighs. I want to taste it. To lick it up and swallow it down. I want to eat her whole, taste every inch of her glorious skin.

"Like muffins?" she mutters, tilting her head so I can kiss her throat, bite at her flesh, my fingers closing on her slender throat.

"No, sweetheart you smell like you. Like mine. You're going to smell so good once we mate. I'm going to have your sweet scent on me for days."

"Do you mean...mate as in... have babies?"

I almost laugh. Because yes, we're going to have babies. As many pups as my sweet girl can carry. I've thought about nothing but her since last night. I never should have let her go. I cannot stand the idea of her not being close, not being where I can protect her.

If she had not come back tonight, I would have gone to her. I would have been able to follow her sweet scent. It has intoxicated me since last night. I almost left my campers to go to her, to be sure she was safe before I found her today. I am pleased my mate came to me.

"Yes, babies. But I mean everything else you think I do, sweetheart. Am I scaring you yet?"

Humming the words against her throat, her pulse jumps against my lips. I smile, squeezing her tighter to me. No, she is not scared. Hell, part of me thinks she ought to be. It was scary for me to find out about this other world, one living right alongside the rest of the world.

"No. Is this you trying to scare me?" Her voice hitches with humor and I swear my heart flutters as if she just gave it wings. How could I have gotten this lucky?

"Never. Just want to prepare you. Lots of change is coming our way. First things first, don't you ever bring sweets out here for anyone else but me, sunshine," I tease her, pressing a kiss to her jaw.

Turning in my arms, she smirks at me. My chest swells because goddess above, she is beautiful. Those eyes of hers, they're a color unlike I've ever seen. Mossy green, but clear, warm. They crinkle at the edges as she smiles, and I decide I want to keep her smiling for the rest of my damn life.

"Who said I was bringing them to anyone else?"

Growling, I almost claim her mouth in a kiss. Not yet. I am excited, my wolf is wild inside of me, but she is lying. Well, not about those muffins—she brought those just for me, I can tell. No, she is scared. Not that I will hurt her or that I would ever let anyone else hurt her. My sweet baker girl is afraid of what she is feeling.

Letting my arms drop, I take a step back. I almost laugh again. That move does not sit right with her. We both prefer her nestled against my chest. Soon. Reaching out, I cup the side of her face, our gaze locked as I take a calming breath.

"Tell me your name, sunshine."

"Bessi. You said this is not magic. I think magic exists," she lowers her voice, as if we're sharing a secret. I guess in a way, we are. "Luci found some magic with someone. I love all the stories about magic here in Moon Haven. Witches or wizards. Wild animals. You said this is not magic.... why does it feel as if it is?"

Cupping her face in gentle hands, I note the shimmer in her eyes. Those beautiful eyes show everything. Bessi believes in magic. Because she can sense it inside of me. Inside of herself. There is a reason she was drawn out here. It was not her getting lost, as I said to her just last night. No, it was her finding her way to me.

"It is a little magic. You will understand soon. Bessi, let me take you home. I do not want you out here in the wild."

"I like it out here in the wild," she shoots back as she beams up at me.

"So do I. Be a good girl and let me take you home, yeah?"

"Yes," she answers before I even finish asking. I smile and rub my thumb softly over her soft lips. Praising her with touch. "What do I call you? I told you my name now tell me yours."

"You may call me whatever you wish. Edon is what the rest of the world calls me."

Bessi's face flushes warm beneath my touch, the prettiest pink touching her cheeks. God, she's beautiful. How am I just finding her? How has she hidden somewhere right here in the open? Moon Haven is small enough I should know of her, of this other woman she calls Luci—her sister, I sense from the fondness of her tone—and yet I have never seen her. I would have known the moment I laid eyes on her that she was what I've been searching for all my life.

"Edon," she tests it out, squinting her eyes as if checking her own reaction to the ancient name. Smiling up at me, she nods. Yes, she likes it. I celebrate a little inside, not that I got to choose my name. "It is an old name, yes?"

"Yes, it is indeed. One good thing my mother gave me. Come on, let me try one of those muffins while I walk you home."

"Why don't you want me out here? That meadow I found last night...you don't want me to know about that place."

Shaking my head as I take her basket, folding her arm around my bicep, I let out a little sigh. "At first yes, I did not want you to know. It is a private place, sweetheart. I will explain it all very soon. I won't hide anything from you. There is nothing you won't know about me. We're mates, after all, we will know everything about each other."

"You said this is not magic. You're not magic. Yet you talk the way Gareth does. He is my sister Luci's husband. Did you know they got married two months after meeting? It was so romantic. He is older than her," her voice trails off as her eyes circle the clearing before she lowers her voice to share another of her secrets with me. "I would bet he is hundreds of years old. Magic."

Bessi says this so matter-of-factly, so without concern I have to pause on the dirt path leading from the woods. Could it be so simple? Can I just tell her that I am a shifter, and she will be too, once we mate properly? Will she accept it as truth, the way she seems to accept the witch she speaks of?

Inside me, my wolf is going mad. He wants me to mate her. To bind her to us in the ceremony we will share that unites us forever. And the dirty dog wants his chance to mate her wolf, once she shifts. He is roaring inside my head, drowning out any clear thoughts.

"I am an old soul, sweetheart," I answer at last, starting us on the path again.

Taking one of her muffins, I take a huge bite, not even trying to suppress my moan as it melts in my mouth. It's chocolate and fluffy and so damn good, I demolish it in just a few bites. Glancing her way as I grab another, I grin at her as I take another big bite.

"Yeah, you don't make these for anyone else."

Bessi laughs and my heart sings along. We walk quietly, her steps matching mine, her body leaning against me the further we go. We do not talk but we don't need to. I hold her close as I finish off two more muffins. I would share them with my campers but no, these are just for me.

We slow down as we reach an overgrown yard fenced in by wrought iron fence. I hesitate for a moment. That silver bullet thing is a myth, but iron can hurt like a bitch. Bessi leads the way through the fence, ducking beneath flowers and shrubs I suspect she has nurtured.

Guess my little spot of sunshine does love the wild.

"I am home. Safe and sound, Edon," she whispers as she turns to face me, beaming a beautiful smile up at me.

Behind her, the moon shines down in a silver halo. In this light, hell I think in any light, she is breathtaking. Reaching out, I brush her dark hair back from her face, tangling a curl in my fingers. Bending my head, I scent her, inhaling her sweetness. I need to keep it with me, to calm my beast for just a little while longer.

"Even if you feel the need to come back to that clearing, don't. I could not stand it if someone hurt you. I will come here, Bessi. Where it is safe. Can you promise me that?"

"Yes," she breathes, nodding her head as I move closer.

"Good girl," I husk, rubbing my nose against hers. Then, at last, I brush my mouth over hers, tasting her sigh, savoring her little moan. I lick her mouth before I pull back as my beast roars inside of me.

We both have to wait—she and her little wolf will be ours soon.