“Maggie has him. It was an insta-love situation between them. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Not at all. He needs friends of his own,” Nick laughed. “But seriously, I’m worried about what that asshole did to you while he had you,” Nick said.
“He was a little rough when he grabbed me at the gas station. Oh, God! My car.” Gina grabbed her phone and opened her OnStar app.
“Can you track it from your phone?” he asked.
“Yep. It’s out in the bayou. Son of a bitch!”
“We’ll call a tow truck and have it picked up. I don’t want you going out there to get it.”
“Okay.” She agreed, not wanting to get anywhere near those assholes again.
“What else happened?” Nick asked.
“Nothing, really. He kept saying that I was nothing more than bear bait. I figured he was talking about you, but what I don’t understand is why he kept referring to me as your mate.”
Nick sighed audibly. “You are my mate.”
His eyes met hers. Her heart skipped a beat because she knew he was telling the truth or what he thought to be the truth. Images of what their future could be flashed through her mind once again.
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“It means that my life is yours. I blamed you for bringing me here, and who knows, maybe your spell had something to do with me moving to Misfit Bay. But it has nothing to do with the way that I feel for you or the fact that I know you’re my mate.”
“Does that mean you’re going to bite me?” she squeaked.
Nick laughed. “Let me guess, you’ve been talking to your friends?”
“The whole mating bite thing may have come up in conversation.” She shrugged, trying to act as if it were no big deal. All the while, Clara’s comments flittered through her mind.
“I’m sorry for freaking out on you when I found out you were a witch,” he said.
“About that. I don’t think I’m a witch. I don’t think the love spell I did even worked. I seem to have more premonitions than actual powers. It’s all so new to me.”
“Come here,” Nick pulled her into his arms. “I’ve missed you,” he said, kissing her forehead.
“I’ve missed you too. I hated fighting with you, and I wanted to call and explain, but I didn’t know if you would even take my call. I wanted to give you space,” she said. It was the truth. What she didn’t say out loud was that she needed time as well to think about everything. The whole dating-a-bear thing was a bit to wrap her head around. She also needed her friends’ perspectives. Talking it out with Annie and Clara helped when it came to figuring out what she was comfortable with and what she wanted. She quickly came to the realization that she wanted Nick in her life.
“Are you okay with the fact that I’m a bear?”
And that was the burning question. Was she okay with Nick being a bear and with the violence that seemed to come along with shifters? There was no doubt Gavin and his band of hooligans had scared the fuck out of her. She had never experienced anything like what she had with him in her life. Was that what she was signing up for by accepting Nick into her life?
“Honestly, I don’t know.”
She heard Nick suck in a breath. She felt his heartbeat speed up.
“What I do know is that I missed you. That I want you in my life. I also know that I’ve never been so scared.” Gina wanted to be honest with Nick about where she stood, but it was hard when she barely knew where that was herself.
“Are you afraid of me?” he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.
“No.” Her answer flew quickly from her mouth. “I’m not afraid of you. I’m afraid of the violence that seems to be a normal occurrence in your world.”
“I’d like to say that was a one-time thing, but I don’t think we’ve heard the last of Gavin and his people. He’s not the type to let things go. As for violence being a normal thing … it really isn’t. There are good shifters and bad shifters. Just like there are good humans and bad humans. The only difference is in the shifter world, things seem worse because we are more powerful, so the damage we inflict can be tough to see. But I’m not sure it’s any different than a human going on a rampage with a gun. It all sucks. That’s why I’ve chosen to be a loner. I don’t want to live like that … the life Gavin and his people live. I just want to have a quiet existence with my mate. I don’t think that’s too much to ask. Do you?”
“No. It isn’t too much to ask. At least, I don’t think it is. When I moved here, it was like a breath of fresh air for me, getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city. I love the relaxed atmosphere in this sleepy little town. Though I hate to admit, I’m still not used to this hellish heat.”
“Right. The heat here is off the charts insane. And the humidity. Don’t even get me started on that. I guess, for us northerners, it’s going to take a bit to acclimate.”