Page 8 of Spies without a Face
“Long walk,” she quipped.
“My legs are still cramping,” I teased. “I don’t know much about which restaurants are good around here.” I named a few that I’d found online. “Any preferences?”
“There’s a pub nearby that has great food. The vibe is good, too, with an old jukebox type feel.”
“Perfect,” I said. “Show me the way.”
On the drive to the restaurant, my leg twitched. I babbled small talk. “It’s cool compared to the humidity yesterday. I’m still getting used to the erratic New England weather patterns.” I wanted to smack myself. Talking about weather—could I be any blander? Fortunately, the restaurant was only a few minutes away, so the palpable silences in between my awkward comments were of short duration.
In the pub, my nerves subsided. The place had a relaxed feel with dark panels and music playing low. After we placed our order, we talked a bit about ourselves and where we were from, and I loosened up.
“How did you end up in Salem?” Pandora asked me.
“Looking for a new start.”
“Anything in particular that brought you here?”
How much should I tell her about my past? We didn’t know each other well, and I was wary about who I trusted with such personal information. But she was a witch, so it might be okay to talk openly with her. “I heard it was a good place for supernaturals.”
“And what are you exactly? I get a sense but I’m not sure.”
“Bear shifter.”
“Ah, bear. I guessed shifter but wasn’t sure which type.”
“Well, half. My father was a bear shifter, and my mother was human. The only problem was that I didn’t know him or that shifters even existed. Not until I found out I was one as an adult.”
She put her hand on her heart. “You didn’t know?”
“No.” I rubbed the seam on the side of my jeans.
Our server arrived with our drinks, white wine for Pandora and a beer for me.
After she left, Pandora said, “That must have been a shock.” Her tone was sympathetic.
“It was indeed. I grew up in the outskirts of the city. To find out I was part shifter at twenty-one was rough. I’ve been moving around since then.”
“And now you’re here.”
“And now I’m here,” I repeated.
Pandora took a sip of her wine. When she put the glass down, my gaze lowered to the gloss on her lips.
“I’m not aware of any bear shifters in Salem,” she said. “In the mountains up north, yes, but not that I know of in the city itself. We do have other shifters living here, though.”
I tried not to let the lack of others like me deflate me. I didn’t want Salem to be yet another pin point on my map of where I’d lived.
“What about you, Pandora? Tell me about yourself.”
“You seemed to know a little about me since you came knocking on my back door with a cat,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.
“True, I noticed you,” I admitted without embarrassment. “It hasn’t told me too much though.”
“What would you like to know?”
“Why don’t we start with where you grew up?”
“Up in New Hampshire,” she said. “I went to a private academy for supernaturals. I moved to Salem after graduating and have been here ever since.”
