Chapter 3: Magic's Mate

Adira could not believe she agreed to this move into hell. What in the world was she thinking? No seasons, one-hundred-degree weather, and palm trees. Who in their right mind liked palm trees? They didn't even have real branches. They were basically long sticks with floppy leaves at the tip. They provided no actual shade, and no child ever built a tree fort in one. Squirrels didn't even like them. Palm trees didn't even deserve the classification of a tree. Why was she doing this?

She took the exit off the Turnpike and onto Highway 192, heading east, eager to reach the end of her journey and the beginning of her escape from a nightmare that still sent anger pulsing through her and from the humiliation of being a man's toy while he waited for another. She drove through Kissimmee and St. Cloud, hating every minute of it, as tourist traffic brought everything practically to a standstill. People either made their way to the house of the mouse or left it, clogging up the lanes. She just wanted through the damn city. This place was nothing like home.

Her cell phone rang, providing her with the distraction she needed to survive the bumper-to-bumper traffic of a tourist town. She didn't check to see who called, not wanting to take her eyes off the road and the drivers who insisted on riding their damn brakes. Swiping the green button to answer the call, and then hitting the speaker button, she said, "Hello. This is Adira."

"Well, of course, it is, sweetie," Agatha Rochester chuckled into the phone. "That's who I called, after all."

Adira shook her head. She should have expected the woman to call and check on her. After all, Agatha was the main reason Adira was out here. "Sorry, Agatha, I didn't look to see who was calling. How are things in Draven Falls?"

"A veritable morass of paranormal politics, but what else is new? I hear the wind around you, so I take it you haven't reached Bull Creek yet. How much longer until you get there?"

"Depending on this asinine traffic, probably about forty-five minutes. These people down here are crazy behind the wheel. Did you send me out here to get me killed? I thought it was just to get me away from Jensen."

"Now, Adira, don't be bitter," Agatha said with that tone that told Adira the matriarch witch of Draven Falls thought Adira was being childish. "We both know you weren't Jensen's mate, and you being near him would only stir up trouble neither of us wanted. Besides, Bull Creek could use a witch of your talents. I told you what Dimitri was up against. We've dealt with prejudice and hatred enough in Draven Falls. That's why our town was founded after all. Coyotes are as vile as hyenas and jackals. No sense of honor or respect. Rude buggers, who would rather see Dimitri's land turned into something foul, as opposed to the safe haven he envisions. I think you just could be the help he needs."

Adira shook her head, knowing Agatha always knew more than anyone else ever did. She always tried to move people toward specific goals as if she had her fingers on the pulse of the world around her. She also seemed to think she knew what people needed, even if they didn't. "Agatha, I hope you're not pushing me toward another relationship. I don't even want a fling at the moment. Things are still too raw after that row with Jensen."

"Dear, who said anything about a relationship?" Agatha's tone, however, failed to be convincing. "Dimitri needs help, that's all. Who you permit in your bed while you're down there is totally up to you. I would never try to impose someone on you."

"Uh huh, right." Adira took a deep breath. "I'll see what I can do to help out, Agatha, but that's it. Don't get your hopes up."

"Whatever you say, dear. Have a safe trip." As she hung up the phone, Adira knew the matriarch already had her hopes up. However, the woman would be sorely disappointed.

As soon as she hit the outskirts of St. Cloud, Adira rolled her window down, turning off the car's air-conditioning to allow the Florida air to clean out her cluttered mind. That was a mistake. She kept the window down, but turned the air-conditioning back on to battle the stifling heat that flooded through the window. As much as she hated this move, Adira knew she needed the new adventure, a break from the past and her old life, a new place away from Draven Falls and what she left behind. Or rather, who she left behind. Bull Creek would be that break. She laughed, as she stuck her hand out the window, allowing it to ride on the wind, like a surfer on a wave. Okay, I'm still dealing with shifters and their drama, but it's still a new start.

She drove through Celebration and Holopaw on her way to Bull Creek and the new cabin that waited for her. Deer lined the road, some squirrels darted across the asphalt, and a giant hawk flew overhead, almost as if it paced her car. She wondered if any of them were part of the local packs or tribes that inhabited the area. She continued to scan the woods as she passed them. She wasn't sure if she wanted to meet the local shifters. Not after losing her heart to that wolf, Jensen. She sighed. If only her magic allowed her to take away her memories of him and his taut muscles as he pinned her to the bed. She needed the distance. At least, until she came across the spell that would take her pain away. She understood the mating urges of shifters, how it made the pack determine who were the right matches for mates or not, compatible in both human and animal form. She was a witch. She didn't fit in that world. She glanced around at the passing oaks and pines. She would create a world where she did fit, and it would happen right here in Bull Creek.

Two panthers darted across the road, forcing her to slam on her brakes, the car skidding to a stop, as she watched the tawny brown beasts dodge her vehicle, their pale gray underbellies stretched out as they leaped off the asphalt and back onto the soft grass and into the woods. She sat there, her breathing ragged, her hands trembling, as she followed them with her gaze until they vanished among the trees. What the hell? Unbelievable! She took a deep breath, doing her best to calm her nerves, as she released the brake and pushed gingerly on the gas, fighting the urge to send a bolt of power after the insensitive creatures. Instead, she continued toward her goal.

And peace and quiet.

None of the roads in Bull Creek were paved, making each one bumpy as hell, the rain having washed out parts of the road. She slowed to a snail's pace, her car jerking, rocking with each hole and divot in the streets. She rolled her window back up, the air-conditioning cranked high, to keep the road dust as well as the Florida heat outside. Her cabin was in the middle of what would be classified as her yard, with just enough clear space for her to park her car and shove the door open against the high grass and squeeze her way out. She could use her powers to clear the area, pull back the foliage that grew up around her new home, but she looked forward to working with her hands, sweating the nagging thoughts of what she left behind out of her head.

She shut her car door and turned to the porch on the front of her cabin… And stopped. He was tall, his thick arms crossed over his stocky chest, as he stared at her with eyes that penetrated her. As she allowed her gaze to travel down the rest of him, soaking in his powerful legs, she found a bulge in his pants that she suddenly wished was penetrating her as hard as his gaze was. If this was Bull Creek's idea of a welcome reception, she was glad she chose to move here. Maybe she had found a spell that would help her forget Jensen after all. She put a smile on her face, swung her purse over her shoulder, and started toward the porch. "Well, hello there," she said. "Shouldn't there be a fruit basket or pound cake or something as a welcome basket in your hands? I didn't even know anyone knew I was arriving today."

His smile dazzled her, as it pushed his cheeks up and made his eyes sparkle. "I actually saw you pull into the neighborhood," he said, his baritone voice making her sex quiver. She glanced around the area, grass overgrown everywhere, trees with moss hanging from their limbs, shrubs growing up between the trees around her cabin, around every cabin. If this were his idea of a neighborhood, she'd hate to see what he thought of as a slum. "So, I thought I'd stop by and say hello. See if there was anything you needed."

She took a deep breath. There was something she needed all right, but she didn't think now was the right time. Besides, she just told Agatha she didn't want a fling, no matter how enticing the fling appeared at the moment. "Thanks, but unless you're willing to mow the lawn and pull weeds, I think I'm doing all right."

He chuckled as he looked around her yard. "Yeah, people don't really take great care of empty cabins around here. Perhaps your law firm should have sent someone out ahead of you to clean it up." He continued smiling, even though his words seemed cold, filled with a meaning she didn't even understand.

"I wish I had a law firm then, if that's the type of things they do," she said. "I work alone, so I guess that means I'll be cleaning all this up by myself." She stopped before she reached the porch, crossing her arms over her chest, her purse dangling from the middle of her arms. "Just why do you think I came from a law firm?"

He didn't answer her. "You work alone? An investigator?"

She cocked her head to the side. "You really are curious about my line of work for someone I just met. Do you interrogate everyone who moves into the area like this?"

He shrugged. "Just until I get to know them. I'm kind of protective of Bull Creek, you could say."

"Founding family? Mayor?" She glanced around at the woods surrounding her cabin. "Smokey, the Bear?" She assumed the gorgeous specimen in front of her was Dimitri Everest, the man Agatha and the Paranormal Council sent her to help, but since he seemed standoffish, she wasn't volunteering any information.

He grinned. "Protector of these lands," he said. He looked off into the distance. "Several of us are having a bonfire later tonight to celebrate the weekend. It's kind of a ritual around here." He turned back to her, his eyes still sparkling. "You're welcome to join us, meet some of your other neighbors. Let them meet you."

"Inspection time, huh?" She nodded. "Thanks. I'll think about it." Like hell, I will. Being put out for inspection is not my idea of a first night in town. "For now, I need to open up the house. You know, air it out and all. Unpack."

He nodded, uncrossing his arms, as he stepped off her porch. "Just be careful at night," he said. "Coyotes are prowling around that we normally don't see in these parts. Until we get them under control, you might want to carry a bat or stay indoors."

"I don't even own a bat and staying indoors would kind of make it hard to attend the bonfire, don't you think?" She smirked, as she moved to her own front porch, keeping her eyes on him, as he walked around her car and to the edge of her drive. "Did you really want me to go or not?"

He turned, his hands in his back pockets, as he continued walking. "Well then, maybe I should pop back by and escort you. You know, sort of protect you and all. Would be the neighborly thing to do."

She grinned. "Oh, it would, especially me without my baseball bat and all."

"See you later then…" He waited to see if she would give him her name or not.

She just smiled, giving a soft wave with her fingers. "Bye," she said. "For now." She turned, knowing he still watched her and entered her dusty cabin. The moldy air assaulted her as soon as she crossed the threshold. It's definitely time to use magic. She lifted her hand as power pulsed from her fingers, sputtering at first before sending the damp air out the door. Glancing around the dust-covered furnishings in the cabin, she took a deep breath. Looks like it's going to be a very magical day. I just hope my magic holds up.