Page 20 of The Wolf and His Forbidden Witch
She peered at him and teased, “Are you sure that no one will be jealous of you spending another evening with me?”
He gave her a peculiar look. “Why do say that?”
“I’m just teasing, Grayson.” Or flirting was more like it. “Yes, I’d love to have dinner with you.”
That night,Grayson took her to Athena’s, a Greek restaurant. He greeted Mr. and Mrs. Pippos warmly, an older shifter couple who owned the restaurant. Grayson’s kind nature was one of the things she liked about him.
The scents of all the food surrounded them while Greek music played in the background. After they were seated, it didn’t take long for their table to be covered in plates of food, including a platter of hummus, tzatziki, and other appetizers, and another one with meats and rice.
“There’s so much great food here,” she noted after eating a delicious bite of spanakopita.
While they enjoyed their meal with glasses of chardonnay, Grayson asked her more about herself, watching her with captive attention as she revealed the details of what she thought was her boring life.
“What drew you into being a mediator?” Grayson asked.
She finished chewing and took a sip of wine. “I sort of fell into it.”
He appraised her with an amused expression. “How does that happen?”
She rubbed the stem of her wine glass. “My aunt is a key member. She took me on several assignments with her as I was a teenager. Eventually, I had enough confidence to go out on my own.” She leaned back in her armchair. “So when she asks me to help out, I naturally agree.”
“From your tone, it sounds like there’s something—strained, perhaps?”
Apparently, Aurora hadn’t kept her underlying reservations hidden. She glanced at the small candle on the table and then lifted her gaze to meet Grayson’s. “Lately, I’ve been thinking that this might not be the right path for me.”
“Mediation?”
She stared at him, questioning whether she should reveal her questioning to a client who had hired her to do a job. The way he searched her eyes encouraged her to confide in him. “The thing is, I enjoy working with people. Many patrons come into the shop seeking clarity on situations in their life. I love working with them during readings or visualizations to help them clarify what they want. But, yes, it’s the mediation role with the network. I’m not sure it’s right for me any longer.” Now that she’d revealed it, her reservations came bubbling forth. “I don’t know how people do it for decades. So much quarreling. It drains me.”
“Oh.” Grayson’s jaw twitched. “That does sound like it would take a toll.”
“Sorry.” She gave him a sheepish expression. “I know you’ve hired me, and it must undermine your confidence hearing me say this.”
He grunted. “A job I couldn’t manage myself so I had to outsource?” He arched his brows. “I think I’d be a hypocrite if I wasn’t understanding there.”
She exhaled with more ease. “I could ask my aunt to send someone up who might be more successful than I’ve been.”
“Nonsense.” He took her hand across the table and then stared down at them, as if surprised by his action. He released her hand. “Not at all. I realize who you’re dealing with and how stubborn they are. I’m grateful for the attempt to reason with them in trying to find an agreement we can all live with—without any more bloodshed.”
“Thank you, Grayson. I’ll do my best.”
* * *
After she’d revealed moreabout herself to him, it was difficult not to feel closer to him. It was even more of a struggle to ignore the tension that seemed to build each time they saw each other.
Snowflakes fell as they walked through the village after they left the restaurant. All the snow on the roofs and the tiny lights from the many storefronts made it look more like Christmas than February. The moon hung low and luminous amid the twinkling stars. The cool winter air brushed her cheek.
“What a beautiful night,” she remarked. “The moon looks golden.”
He glanced up at it and then at her. “Does the moon have any particular significance to you as a witch?”
She nodded. “It does indeed. Some spells work better if a witch casts it under a certain phase of the moon. When it’s waxing, like tonight, spells for growth and creation are a good fit.” She turned to him. “And for you, a shifter?”
He glanced up again. “My wolf feels the moon’s power growing and it invigorates us. Our urges grow stronger. To hunt. To fight. To—”
He left that sentence unfinished, although she was certain she could fill in the blank. As she pictured what he’d be like in bed, her cheeks warmed.
“I often run as a wolf for longer periods, enjoying the hunt,” Grayson said.
