Page 13 of Hex and Scales

By the time she needed to leave for Witch’s Brew, every plant in her office had flourished with unprecedented vigor. Her essence hummed beneath her skin like a live current, anticipation building at the thought of seeing Ren again.

It’s just biology, she told herself during the walk to the café. Being unmarked and unmated, her feline side naturally responded to a powerful, available male. Pure instinct. Nothing to do with how his rare smiles made her pulse skip, or how his voice resonated through her bones, or how she longed to wrap herself around him and soothe away centuries of pain?—

She stumbled on air, caught in that mental image.

The café buzzed with mid-morning activity when she arrived. She chose a table near the window, immediately spotting Clover and Romi at a nearby booth. They weren’t even pretending to be subtle, phones raised like wildlife photographers documenting a rare species.

“Everything okay over there?” Romi called sweetly. “You seem a bit flushed.”

“Don’t you both have shops to run?”

“Nope!” Clover beamed. “Taking a very important coffee break. For... research purposes.”

“What kind of research could possibly?—”

“The scientific investigation of magical mate bonds, obviously.” Romi’s grin turned wicked. “Specifically, the effects of certain tigers’ presence on the local flora.”

“I’m disowning you both.”

“No, you’re not. You love us.” Clover’s expression gentled. “And we love you, which is why we’re here. You deserve this, Sabine. Whatever’s growing between you two... don’t resist it just because it’s unexpected.”

The bell above the door chimed before she could respond. Her pulse stuttered, then quickened.

Ren commanded the doorway like he was born to it, morning light casting blue highlights in his black hair. Today’s charcoal suit accentuated the strength of his shoulders, the lean cut of his waist. Each time she saw him, he seemed more striking than before.

Their gazes locked. Something molten flickered in his expression as his eyes dropped briefly to her midsection where her mark kindled. His brow furrowed slightly, nostrils flaring as though catching the shift in her essence.

“Miss Katz.” He inclined his head, claiming the chair across from her. Even that simple motion radiated contained power. “Thank you for meeting with me.”

“Sabine,” she corrected, forcing her attention away from his mouth. “Please.”

The corner of his lips quirked, revealing that damned dimple her fingers ached to trace. “Sabine.”

His voice sent warmth pooling low in her belly. She gripped her coffee cup to steady her hands. “So... magical disturbances?”

“Yes.” He studied her with an intensity that quickened her breath. “But first—your father. He was a full shifter?”

The abrupt question caught her off guard. “Yes. Tiger, like me. Though I never knew him. He died when I was a baby.”

“And your mother’s side?”

“She’s a tiger shifter, too, like the rest of our family.” She tilted her head. “Why?”

“Your essence is... unique.” His eyes darkened, pupils expanding. “Powerful. Much more than I would expect from just a shifter.”

Magic crackled between them, making them both start. The small potted plant on their table suddenly unfurled a single, perfect bloom.

“Sorry!” She wrapped her hands tighter around her cup, face warming. “That keeps happening lately. Things have been a bit... unpredictable.”

“Since when?”

“Since...” Since you walked in and upended my world. She swallowed the words. “Recently.”

His expression softened. “I lost someone, many years ago,” he said quietly. “Sometimes I think I see echoes of her in—” He broke off as the flower opened further, responding to the raw emotion in his voice.

Her chest tightened at the pain in his eyes. Without thinking, she reached across the table, fingertips brushing his wrist. Even that slight contact sent electricity racing up her arm. His skin radiated heat, his pulse thundering against her touch.

“I’ve been having dreams,” she admitted. “About?—”

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