Aerian

Six Year Later

I huffed out a breath as another one of our servers came hurrying through the door. It was a particularly busy night here at the restaurant. Then again that should not surprise me. Summer had ended and fall was in full swing. It was only a matter of time before the snow started falling here in Maine. I moved here three months ago after landing this amazing job. I had graduated high school when I was 16 which was just a few months before Delphynia had stormed into my room that night and told me to hurry and pack. I had just shoved most of my shit into my two bags before I ran out the back door of the house. I tried to get her to come with me, but she shook her head as the door shut behind me. I heard the front door being what I guessed was kicked in slamming against the wall as Delphynia screamed right before a bright light consumed the house. I ran into the woods as she unleased her magic on whoever had broken into the house. I had come to the small pond before I made myself teleport to a safe house in Florida. Delphynia had a few across the country. They were not listed under her which meant it was harder for whoever broke into the house to track me. 

“Aerian, hey, are you okay?” Tarryn asked.

“Yes, sorry I was lost in thought there for second. Something tells me this is just the start of being busier than fuck for the next few months.” I groaned.

“That is a fact. It will not slow down until next March or April, basically when the snow stops falling and melts for good. We did warn you.” he replied.

“The only thing that will slow us down will be the weather itself meaning a severe storm.” Tarryn added.

That was not what I wanted to hear, but I was also not surprised to hear this. I stared at him as he moved back down to his spot on the prep table and returned to what he was doing. Tarryn is my sous-chef and an amazing one at that. I had landed the head chef position here which was both surprising and amazing. I had to wait a year to start culinary school. They would not let me start until I had turned 17 which was fine. I focused on my other job. I made jewelry and sold it online. I had a fair amount of back stock by the time I began culinary school, and my online shop was selling well. I really did not need to work. Delphynia had put me as sole proprietor in her will if anything were to happen to her. She somehow rigged to where it was under the name Rian De’Vorecchi. So far everything she had done to protect me had worked. I had bought a small shop close to the restaurant and started up a jewelry shop. Both were on the main street so foot traffic in my shop was great. It has done well so far. I work here on the weekends. My friend Wallace ran my shop for me. I was there a few days a week. I have a decent sized office in the back where I design and make all the jewelry in my shop. I still made jewelry at the small house that I had. It was another one of Delphynia’s safe houses which was under one of her many fake names.

“Damn that was harsh.” Laveena sighed. 

“Yes, it was. I knew it was going to get busy, but I was not expecting it to be like that. Yes, you two warned me but I still was not expecting that.” I admitted.

“It will only get worse when all the ski lodges open for the season. That will be soon with how the weather has changed in the last week. It cooled down a lot faster than it usually does.” Tarryn pointed out.

“I need to go shopping. I have not lived anywhere that it got this cold.” I admitted.

I had moved around a lot, but I tended to stick to the warmer States. I had thought about going overseas but for some reason I could never make myself go. I had always lived on the east coast. I gradually moved more north over the years. I swear it was like something was pulling me here. I still felt the pull, but it was not as strong. I had a feeling that it meant my mate was near, but I had been ignoring it. I had decided long ago that I did not want to meet my mate. I had come across too many men and women who were power hungry and would use and abuse anyone who they considered powerful. Plus, I knew I was being hunted, and I would not risk putting others in danger. I was not about to bring danger to my mate or his family. I had stumbled into a shop not long after I had moved here and when I had walked in, I had inhaled the most delicious scent. It was a mixture of butterscotch and smokey hazelnut. It was intoxicating. I had managed to avoid coming across the source, which was my mate. I was not against having a mate, but for both of our safety it would be better if we never met. I doubt he and his pack or whatever he might be would want me as one of their leaders. I had a strong suspicion that he was some species of shifter. I was an angel and not a regular one at that. I was a rare black angel. I doubt his kind would want a non-shifter as his mate. Hell, he might not want a non-shifter as his mate.

“Do you need a ride home?” I asked.

“No, my brother is coming to get me. He should be here any second.” Laveena told me.

“Okay, I will see you two next weekend. Bring your roller skates. Something tells me we are going to need them.” I commented.

They both laughed as I got into my car. Niven had come in tonight. He was the manager of the restaurant. He had heard that it was busy and wanted to see how busy it was. He was shocked to see that we were full, and we had a waitlist. There was a minimum two hour wait for a table which was crazy. He had left about an hour or so before we had closed. I knew he was a wolf, and I could also sense he was one of the ranked members. I was not sure which one of the ranked members he was. The only thing I was sure of was that he was not the alpha. Niven had a strong aura, but he did not have the aura of an alpha. I shut the garage door as I turned off my car. I had set a magic barrier up as an early warning system to let me know if anyone was lurking around. I had also grown every fucking plant that was known to be poisonous to every supernatural species. I was not taking a chance after what happened that night. 

“I see they are out once again. I wonder who or what they are looking for.” I said to myself.

I could see a few of the pack running through the thick forest close to my back porch. It was dark, but with my enhanced vision I was able to see them. They tended to do this every night. It was as if they were looking for something or someone. I was sitting in the dark so I knew they could not see me. I looked up to see the most stunning pair of dark sapphire blue eyes looked right at me. I knew between the barrier and the fact that I was in the shadows that he was unable to see me, but it felt as if he knew I was there and was looking at me. I watched as he lifted his huge head and let out a howl laced with so much frustration and sadness that it hurt my heart. I watched as another wolf came to stand next to him. The second wolf was big but the other wolf, was the palest strawberry blond I had ever seen, was gigantic. It was close to double the size of the second wolf. I knew he had to be the alpha. I walked back into my house once they had run off. I was too stunned to move. I was lying in bed tonight listening to the howls as I tried to sleep. As I finally succumbed to sleep all I saw were those dark sapphire blue eyes.

“Fuck it is freezing in here.” I hissed.

I had woken up to my house feeling like a fucking ice box. I had turned off the heat since it did not seem to be that cold last night when I went to bed. Yeah, that was a huge mistake that I will not make again. I staggered out of my room and into the living room turning on the heat as I headed for the kitchen. I let out a gasp when I looked out the window to find a thin layer of snow on the ground. 

“Well, that explains why it is so damn cold in here. Looks like I will be leaving the heat on overnight from here on out.” I mumbled.

I took a sip of my coffee as I started out the window. The sky was dark, and I fully expect us to receive more snow. Guess I will be going shopping today for winter clothing. I knew it could happen at any time, and everyone had told me that it was a matter of time before it snowed. I just did not think it would be the next damn day. I made my way back to my room heading into the bathroom turning on the shower. I had dressed in the warmest clothes I had, which at the moment would suffice. As I pulled out of the garage, I noticed a few huge paw prints on the ground. I knew they had to be from that large pale strawberry blond wolf. I am not sure how he was able to get through the barrier without it warning me or why he would be sniffing around my house in the first place. 

“I hope you found everything you needed.” the woman said.

“Thank you, and yes, I did. I should have done this weeks ago.” I replied.

“The weather around here can be a bit unpredictable which makes anyone not from here have a false sense of security. When the temperature drops it surprises everyone.” she told me.

She was telling the truth as I smiled at her before I left the store. I had a trunk full of winter clothes now. My stomach decided that it needed to remind me that all I had before I left the house was coffee. I locked my car up and walked across the street to a small cafe. As I sat there the scent of butterscotch and smokey hazelnut assaulted my senses. Standing across the street was the source of that tantalizing scent. He was gorgeous! Fuck he was tall. I was tall for woman, standing 5’9”, but he had nine or so inches on me. His long strawberry blond hair fell around his ears. I could barely see the undercut since his hair almost covered it. When he turned his head, I saw those stunning dark sapphire blue eyes which stood out against his lightly sun-tanned skin. The guy was huge. His broad shoulders and thickly muscled arms tapered down to a narrowed waist. I could feel the aura wafting off him. I had sunk down hiding behind the pillar that my table sat next to. Shit he was my fucking mate! The alpha of the fucking pack was my mate. Using the shadows I was able to make it to my car without him seeing me. I needed to get home, and I needed to get home now!