2. An Entirely Decent Proposal

One moment, the warm, vibrant energy of the earth surrounds me. The next, I know I’m not alone and I open my eyes to find a massive wolf looming over me. I’m staring up at a towering figure, face to face with a snout and two gleaming rows of lethally sharp teeth.

My heart starts beating double time as I try to think through panic. I can’t outrun this creature. My grasp of defensive earth magic for a fight is woefully lacking.

The wolf huffs and backs up to give me room. A bushy tail ticks and tucks in behind him almost bashfully. Did he realize he startled me?

The new distance between us lets me evaluate him more clearly. He’s bigger than a regular wolf. It is unlikely this gated community and the carefully manicured lawns of the estates here were found by a wild wolf and mistaken for the forest. He must be a shapeshifter.

Hopefully, he’s a shapeshifter. Because I’m in serious trouble if the intelligent blue eyes watching me belong to an animal.

“H-hello there.” I manage to find my voice. “Where did you come from?”

Naturally, the wolf says nothing. He does seem to understand me. Definitely a shapeshifter.

“Thanks for dropping by.” I wince because I don’t know what else to say and I’ve switched to default politeness. “I mean, well, it’s nice to meet you?”

He huffs out a breath. Nice to meet you too, I imagine he responds as amusement sparkles in his eyes. This isn’t right. He’s the one who snuck up on me, he should feel foolish and caught, yet I’m the one being unbearably silly.

At least my life seems less in danger the more he watches me calmly. He isn’t acting like a cornered wild animal. I’m the one acting more cornered and off guard.

“Um, can I help you with something?” I wonder like an idiot while I stare.

Light blond fur covers his large form, and he isn’t quite as terrifying as he seemed a moment ago. I keep staring like I have no manners whatsoever and was never forced to attend etiquette classes. I can’t help myself. He’s mesmerizing. I’ve never been up close to a shapeshifter in their animal form before.

And then it gets better. His form ripples and starts changing.

The best casters allow magic to flow from them seamlessly, shaping an idea into reality like it’s the simplest thing in the world. Shapeshifting seems more complicated. It may be natural for shifters, but it still involves altering one’s anatomy and physical form, altering even your skeleton to twist into a new shape. The process always sounded painful to me, but this guy makes it look natural, a fluid transition between fur to skin. Even when the man is on his hands and knees for a moment, it doesn’t seem silly.

He rises gracefully, standing to his full height.

A man stands before me. Proud, unashamed… and totally naked. My eyes see him, see all of him, since I haven’t been able to look away since the wolf appeared. I get a very good look. It’s like I’m in a trance.

“Hey,” he says, casual and friendly like one of us—him—isn’t naked. “Thanks for the warm welcome.” He huffs a laugh. “Could have been a lot worse.”

His rough yet pleasant voice jolts me out of my daze. My eyes snap up to his, and there are those same blue eyes the wolf wore.

I blink furiously to get miles of smooth skin and the firm lines of his body out of my mind. It doesn”t quite work. An attractive naked man has just appeared in my yard. He seems steady, comfortable in his own skin, though maybe all wolves are? How is that possible right now? I wouldn’t be nearly as calm to find myself naked in an outdoor setting with a stranger. What the hell am I supposed to do?

Here’s one idea: stop staring at the nude man like a total idiot!

“What, what are you doing here?” I squawk as I rise from the altar and stand. “This is private property; you can’t just wander in and—”

“Yeah,” he says dryly. “This is more like the reaction I expected.”

“This is what happens when you drop by unannounced and scare people half to death!” I nearly shout, fixing my gaze on the hedge to his left.

Now he sounds concerned. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to freak you out.”

“A huge wolf appeared in my garden and turned into a” naked, naked, naked, “human trespasser who definitely knows that other people’s lawns are off-limits. My garden isn’t suited for carousing wolves! How am I supposed to react? Comment on the weather and invite you in for tea?”

“Oh no, I didn’t trample your plants, did I?” he comes closer to inspect the chamomile bush near him with concern.

Having a naked stranger get closer to me will not help me calm down and think clearly. A male stranger, too. Who looks like that. A naked woman would be doubly awkward but wouldn’t fry my braincells the same way.

Nakedness may be normal for shifters, but handsome naked people don’t stroll through my yard every day. My parents would faint if they saw him. Or start hurling icicles.

“The plants are alright,” I promise hurriedly. “Stay right there!”

“The wolf side doesn’t always care about private property,” he explains. “Usually, I steer it in the right direction to avoid things like this, but…” this time he’s the one to look away, almost bashful. “We caught a really amazing scent.”

“That’s why you’re here, you sniffed out the neighbor’s azalea bushes?”

“No, it was a scent but also sort of a feeling?” Even when unable to stare directly at him anymore, I feel him totally focused on me. “I think it was you.”

Now I might faint. An undressed stranger just said that to me. Handling this was not covered in any of the etiquette courses my parents forced me to attend as a child.

“Were you about to do magic?” he wonders. “Are you a wizard?”

“A novice wizard, yes.”

He nods like he expected that. “You were casting earth magic, right? I caught this warm, fresh scent that reminded me of our pack lands, back when…” He shakes his head. “The earth magic brought me here. Sorry if I startled you, but I think it’s a compliment.” He sounds so sweet and earnest as he says, “I just had to see what that magic was capable of.”

“Oh.” It’s all I can manage to say.

“Do you forgive me?”

“I-I…”

The man is much more polite and respectful than you’d expect for an unclothed trespasser. He clearly meant no harm and can’t even help being undressed since wolves don’t carry a change of pants with them when shifting.

But this is even more startling than his birthday suit. He came here because of me. And just when I thought I’d almost gotten used to carrying on a civil conversation with a buck-naked person in broad daylight, that sentiment is more than I can handle.

Ice types don’t like being caught off guard or unprepared. See, ice is either solid or it melts. You need firm control, or you’ll start slipping, drip by drip, until all that’s left is a puddle.

“I forgive you,” I manage. I force myself not to imagine an ice cube brushing across that strong collarbone, drops of water sliding down his chest to his abs… “For the love of god, can I please get you a pair of pants?”

He chuckles quietly. “That would be great, thanks.”

My hands grip my cellphone so tight I fear it will crack and my cheeks flame as I go about trying to ask Marty to send me some men’s clothes. I barely manage to keep my gaze on the screen when the barrage of questions begins, but it seems marginally safer than staring at him.

Many details are purposefully left out of the text messages. Marty still realizes the extra clothes aren’t for me. I’m surprised he doesn’t come to check out the view.

Instead, a paper airplane sails towards us. Magically enchanted, of course, because a bundle of clothes is tied under it and the paper carries the weight without strain.

“Whoa,” the man murmurs, finally focused elsewhere and giving me a moment to breathe.

“Elemental magic does come in handy.” I laugh weakly, still a touch breathless.

He picked up on the magic in the air, but he must not see magic too often because he looks so amazed. Our power is meager compared to branded wizards, but we do have more versatility. Us novices learn simple spells for a variety of elements in order to practice and understand magic as a whole, which can be fun and useful.

With a last gust of air magic, the clothes float into my hands. My face must be bright red as I hand them over. “Here, these are for you.”

I do avert my gaze, but my eyes keep sliding back towards him.

Just shy of six feet myself, he’s around my height. With him barefoot and his toes digging into the earth, he may be taller than me with his shoes on. He has a stockier build with both more meat and muscle than me. His animal side and him have some things in common. His short blond hair matches the wolf’s coat, and those clear blue eyes are about the same in both forms.

He has a peach complexion, not noticeably tan, but he spends enough time in the sun to earn a few faint tan lines—and that’s when I realize I’m staring too hard and trying to absorb every detail like there will be a pop quiz later.

I stare down at my shoes, afraid to look anywhere else until he steps towards me, thankfully clothed, and extends a hand. “Hey, I’m Ewan.”

“I’m Jack. Nice to meet you properly.”

We shake hands. Given that I just saw him completely undressed, shaking his hand feels much too intimate… not that I really mind as much as I should.

“So, am I too late?” He looks around and nods to the altar where he found me. “Did I miss the show?”

“Oh, you, you still want to see me cast?”

“If you don’t mind.” Ewan gives me a friendly smile.

I’m stammering and off guard again. “I-I’m afraid it won’t be very impressive. I wasn’t planning on an audience. I just came out here to take a break from…”

I cut off because I don’t know him and don’t need to dump my problems on him. Then I realize his borrowed slacks and pressed linen shirt aren’t mine. My clothes probably wouldn’t fit him.

Oh god, Marty stole clothes from my father.

My father, oh dear, he can never know. I’ll have to replace these clothes. I can’t put them back. Someone else, a stranger, wearing clothes that are his and then him wearing those same clothes again? Oh no. There’s something so waspy and proper inside me that bristles at the idea, it’s much too intimate.

“You need a break from?” he prompts when I trail off.

“From being inside,” I answer vaguely.

The man, Ewan, knows that isn’t what I was going to say yet only nods and doesn’t force the issue. “So, you needed a break and came out here to cast. Are you an earthbrand? Or an earthbrand in training?”

“No, not really. It’s funny,” I say. “Us wizards in training spend so much time preparing to become real wizards and take a brand. It’s excruciating, being so close to power, real power, and only having a little taste. We’re all impatient and desperate for the day we finally get our element. I feel so silly for suddenly thinking things are moving too fast.”

Almost as if I cast a magic spell, a weight lifts off my chest. Like all I really needed was to share my concerns with a sympathetic ear who listened without judgement.

Then my phone beeps with a text message and I realize I’ve been out here too long.

”Actually,” I say with some regret. “I should get back. I’ve probably spent too much time away as it is.”

Ewan gives me a strange look. “Or maybe not enough.”

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing’s wrong with taking a break.” He sends me a sly smile. “I’m just wondering if you need a longer one. I know I do, and it sounds like we’ve got a lot in common.”

“Really?” I enjoy the thought of that but I’m not so sure.

Ewan lays out his case. “We’re both supernatural, we’re both dealing with personal issues and need some time away from our troubles to relax. We both have a connection to the earth.”

“No, I’m not even formally studying the earth element,” I point out. Even as I protest, I find myself wondering about his side of things and what personal problems brought him to my backyard.

“If you’re casting earth magic during your much-needed break, it obviously means something to you.” He’s perceptive. It almost feels like I’m the one naked this time.

Then his even gaze turns teasing and a smile tugs at his lips. “And it seems like we get along, you know, when you’re done screaming about private property and nearly fainting at the sight of a naked man.”

“You startled me!” I defend instantly. “The reaction was entirely warranted! I wasn’t expecting a naked man to stroll into my yard, that’s all. Naked men don’t make me faint, I’ve seen plenty of—” His smile grows at that and I realize, “There is no good way to finish this sentence.”

“What if we spend the day together?” he asks. “Just get away from it all for a while and relax?

“W-what? Are you serious?” I can’t believe this. “We don’t even know each other.”

He shrugs. “Maybe that’s exactly what we need.”

The idea is crazy. Or it should be. There are so many reasons I shouldn’t entertain his suggestion that I don’t know where to begin. However… I’m not looking forward to the idea of saying no.

But I must decline. Because… because… all those reasons why I should say no suddenly disappear and I struggle to remember what the problem is.

Until one of those reasons comes to find me. A man calls out to me across the lawn.

“Jack, are you out here?”

My would-be suitor has arrived to collect me.

* * *

When I hear someone calling my name, I stiffen and wonder about the bizarre turn my usually orderly life has taken.

Ewan is little more than a handsome stranger I just met. There are a million reasons not to run off with the first handsome man who smiles at me and makes me forget my troubles for a bit. Was I really considering his proposal? And what am I supposed to do now that we’ve been interrupted?

The voice calls out for me again. “Jack? Are you out here?”

Ewan’s head turns towards the direction of my family’s home, tracking the person in the distance who I can only assume is heading this way. A row of hedges bracket us on both sides, my garden sectioned off between the edge of my family’s property and the neighboring one.

I can’t see the one-man search party, but given the reason I came out for a break, the unfamiliar male voice must belong to my would-be suitor Percy. He showed up for our lunch and my mother sent him out here to fetch me.

”Friend of yours?” Ewan wonders.

A nervous sound escapes my throat as I shake my head.

My parents invited Percy Brass over and now I need to play good host and impress him. I must look like a deer in the headlights as I stand there frozen, waiting for this man and all my obligations to catch up to me once more.

“Need a rescue?” Ewan asks.

“Yes please.”

He grabs my hand and darts across the edge of the garden, careful not to hurt the plants yet swift enough that I’m already running along behind him before I even realize what’s happening. Ewan weaves behind the other row of hedges that block off the neighboring property from ours.

It’s like a game of hide and seek. A laugh escapes me at the absurdity of the situation.

“Shh! We’re being sneaky here.”

I laugh again and he gives me a stern glare, only able to maintain it for a brief moment until he’s huffing out a laugh too. Then we’re basically giggling like idiots and huddling against a tree behind the hedge as we hunker down in our hiding spot.

We wait for a breathless moment. I use the base of the tree to lift up enough to see over the hedge. No one is in the garden on the other side—oh!

I duck back down when movement registers just beyond the hedges closest to my family’s side. We frantically try to stifle our fit of giggles and nudge each other to be quiet. Even looking at each other threatens to set us off again.

Ewan peeks up over the hedge next. I think he just wants to see who it is we’re hiding from. The view doesn’t impress him because he snorts and rolls his eyes. The second or so he spends with the top of his head over the hedge seems much longer to me and I drag him back down.

Ewan whispers, “He looks uptight.”

“That’s because he is.” That’s my bet anyway.

“And not the fun kind of uptight, like you.”

“Excuse me?” I demand in a heated whisper, and his lips quirk up.

“Jack?” Percy calls out. “Are you here?”

Oh frosty hell. We both fall still and quiet now that Percy wanders around in the garden. Neither of us move a muscle as we huddle together. I try not to count the seconds, silently begging Percy Brass to give up and turn around.

Peeking through a sparse area in the hedge allows me to glimpse the same stiff man whose picture stared up at me from a phone screen a short while ago. He turns in my direction and I lean back and stifle a gasp at nearly being caught.

“Are you out here?” Percy tries again, then mutters to himself. “Did he leave? Who does that? We have an appointment.”

He’s so huffy and put out. I bite my lip to avoid bursting into inappropriate laughter. Ewan’s shoulders tremble beside me as he shakes with silent amusement.

Percy obviously received the same etiquette lessons as me. I actually understand how he feels. A polite, professional adult would never be so rude as to break an agreed upon appointment without any warning. Except I didn’t agree to anything, my mother set everything up.

Only quiet greets my ears. Several seconds pass. I hear nothing from near my garden. Is the coast clear?

I raise my head and nearly clear the hedge as Ewan yanks me back. I remember too late I’m with a werewolf with more advanced senses who can tell me whether the coast is clear or not. The other man is still over there.

“Hello?” Percy asks.

Ewan pulls me away from the hedge and I fall back against the tree and—and everything else becomes an afterthought.

The bark of the tree digs into my lower back. My back presses against the tree and now Ewan presses up against me. Our front halves are touching from our shoulders down. So close I’d be able to feel him breathe, but he isn’t. Neither am I.

Our eyes are locked together, and we’re frozen in this intimate position. It’s strange to be this close to someone I barely know and yet I have no desire to pull away. It hits me that I don’t know the man on the other side of the hedge either. My parents know his parents, they know his reputation, and they think they know everything that matters.

From everything I’ve seen, there’s only one man I’m curious to learn more about. I’m staring into his clear blue eyes and already dreading the moment we’ll need to separate.

I don’t know Ewan well, but I know enough. Enough to want to know more. I know that I like how his body feels against mine.

Staring deep into his eyes, I can tell he feels it too. He’s as transfixed by the budding connection between us as me.

The sound of footsteps reaches my ears. I tense and close my eyes, and the moment ends. The steps become harder to hear. Oh, Percy is leaving and getting farther away since he thinks I’m not out here.

We wait for several breathless seconds, then Ewan nods and tells me the coast is clear.

”Who is that guy?” he wonders as we back away and untangle ourselves.

It takes me a moment to even remember. “A-a friend of the family.”

“Really? You don’t seem to like him.”

“I don’t know him. I don’t much want to.”

Ewan turns to me expectantly. “I guess this means you’re free for the day.”

“You seriously want to spend the rest of the day together?” I wonder. He proposed the same thing before Percy interrupted, that we escape our worries and relax.

“Why not? We can keep it simple.” He thinks it over and lays out the terms. “No last names, no identifying details, we don’t need to share anything unless we want to. Let’s just get out of here and do whatever we want. Hell, we can do nothing. One night, then we go our separate ways when we’re finished, no questions asked.”

It does sound strangely perfect. One night to forget everything else. And no expectations from the man with me. I won’t see him again so I can let loose.

Yes, it does cross my mind that he seems like the sort of person I might like to see more than once. But introducing a werewolf I just met into my life would come with its own set of headaches and questions. A temporary friendship like this is better.

“Do you really think this will work?” I shoot him a sly grin. “How anonymous are we if you already know where I live?”

“I’ll just pretend I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he says. “So, what do you say? Wanna play hooky with me?”

His smile is boyish and charming, though he really doesn’t have to convince me anymore. This time, I don’t give my answer too much thought. I just say exactly what I want to.

“I’m in.”

We both need a break. I have free time now that my afternoon is open, and Ewan already helped me out by hiding me. I’d like to return the favor. This may be crazy, but I’m excited to escape my regular life, even if only for a day.

Maybe a day off is exactly what I need.

My choice has nothing to do with how it felt when we were pressed together close, I promise myself. It’s a lie.