Chapter 8: Magic's Mate

She fumed all the way back to her cabin, the dust from the road kicking up with her passage. How dare he? I am not some weakling, some poor female needing a man to protect me. I'm a witch damn it! The words continued stewing a morass of anger in her mind until she reached her cabin. With a flick of her wrist, the door burst open, slamming back against the wall. She continued her rampaging pace into her home, using her hand, as well as her anger, to slam the door shut behind her, sealing out her frustration with Dimitri.

Entering the small kitchen area of the cabin, she pulled out a wine glass from the cabinet and then reached for the wine on the counter to pour herself a full glass. She downed half of the dark red liquid with one swallow, and then refilled the goblet as she took a deep breath. She couldn't believe how fast Dimitri went from sweet and understanding to an overprotective moron. It must be a record or something. She had already proved to him that she could take care of herself. Hell, she stood beside him and faced that behemoth of a man, Bane, ready to unleash her power in order to defend a land she just entered. What did Dimitri think? She was bluffing? She can handle her own, damn it.

Adira sighed as she turned and leaned back on the counter, one arm over her stomach, while the other held her wine glass in front of her. She couldn't deny how her sex stirred at the thought of being alone with Dimitri at his home; however, both of them snuggled tight together, his arms wrapped around her. There was definitely something about him that pulled at her, even though she arrived determined not to get involved with anyone again. Then the sexual heat, which flared up between her legs, was doused when his words struck a different chord within her. The embers of passion burst into flames of anger as she realized that he saw her as some weak female who needed to be protected. She couldn't stomach the notion. She didn't need a babysitter, and in no uncertain terms, told him just that.

She saw the confusion on his face, the disbelief that she didn't pounce at his words, his masculine superiority and strength. He was probably used to women falling for his macho bullshit. Oh, but Dimitri was a stubborn, stubborn man, refusing to give up. His persistence might even have won her over if he hadn't called her pigheaded. Even his friend, Josh, knew that was a mistake, as she saw his eyes widen as he turned away from his friend, distancing himself from Dimitri's stupidity. Now that was a smart man.

Dimitri's expression shifted to one of panic, knowing he screwed up. Good. He needed to panic. He was lucky she only pinned the beer bottle to his chest, instead of shoving it through him. She knew when she turned and stormed off that her anger caused shards of bright light to burst from her fingertips. She didn't care. She allowed them to spark, a warning to the shifter she left behind not to follow.

A knock came at the door, soft and feminine. Adira closed her eyes and checked her wards. Alanna. Adira blew out the breath she held, relieved it wasn't Mr. Macho come to berate her for her feminine hysterics.

Walking over to the door, she opened it and stared at the robust redhead on her doorstep. "If he sent you to try and calm the overreacting witch down, please, just go tell him to mount himself."

Alanna giggled at Adira's choice of words. "He didn't send me," she said. Then she pointed to the glass. "Got any more of that?"

Stop being rude and agitating your new neighbors, Adira scolded herself. She nodded and then moved out of the way so Alanna could enter. "Sorry. Come in. I just don't like the whole she's a woman and weak schtick."

"I don't blame you. It's how shifters get with someone they see as their mate, though. My guess is, Dimitri sees that in you."

Adira moved back into the kitchen and pulled out another wine glass, before filling it to a normal level for the other woman. "Mate? I just got here. He does know that's a little fast, right?" She handed the wine to Alanna.

The redhead cocked her head to the side. "Aren't you from Draven Falls? You have to be familiar with shifters."

Adira took a sip of her wine, her free arm wrapped around her waist, as she leaned back on the counter, visions of Jensen popping unwillingly into her mind. The truth was, she was all too familiar with shifters. More than she wanted to be if she was honest. She knew about their mating rituals, the mark they leave on their mates, and even how fast the animals are attracted to their mate. It was what should have warned her that Jensen was just a passing fling and never intended to be in a longterm relationship with her. He never even thought of marking her. Not even a little nibble. While the sex was great, it was never she's-my-mate great. Otherwise, she'd have his bite mark in her upper shoulder and be with him now, him being the one acting like Dimitri, all macho and overprotective. She hated macho and overprotective. "Yeah, I know all about shifters. Too much at times."

"Then you know that as soon as the animal scents the one they plan to be with forever, the human has little control over it. Dimitri is driven by his animal instincts to protect his mate, to protect you."

"I'm not his mate. I'm not marked. Hell, we've only had a beer and a hot dog together. That's it. Besides," she said with a sigh, "I'm just not ready."

Alanna shrugged. "The mark will come in time. The mating process doesn't happen in order all the time. His animal has already scented that you're his mate. It'll drive Dimitri crazy until the two of you are together. In the mind of his panther, you already are. You're his, and he's going to make sure everyone knows it, whether you're ready or not."

Adira poured them each another glass of wine, and then, they settled on the couches, legs folded as feet were tucked under their rumps. After another sip, Adira told Alanna how she threw Jensen into a wall back in Draven Falls. Adira knew everything Alanna said about shifters and their mating urges was accurate, which is why Adira felt even more foolish that she had allowed Jensen to strong her along. She wouldn't make that mistake again.

"And that's when Agatha offered me her cabin here in the guise of Dimitri needing help protecting the human populace from a rogue coyote pack that was trying to drive them from their land." Adira turned to Alanna, a weak smile on her face. "I'm going to be honest, Alanna, Jensen hurt me bad. Even my magic was affected by his betrayal. Instead of streams of magic now, my power comes out in shards. I really don't think Dimitri deserves a broken witch."

"Broken witch? Sweetie, you faced off against Bane, and he's a total bastard. You stood beside Dimitri, even when he tried to block you. Broken witch?" She laughed, shaking her head. "Sweetie, in my eyes, you're anything but a broken witch. You're a sassy woman, and deep down, I think you've already felt what Dimitri's felt."

"I was only doing what Agatha asked me to come here and do; I was protecting this community. I'm just lucky I didn't have to use my magic, not knowing if it would actually work or not."

Alanna lifted her wine to her lips, but before she sipped, she said, "Sweetie, you keep telling yourself that. If you were a shifter, your animal would already be telling you how wrong you are." She took a sip of her wine, as Adira thought on the woman's words, wondering if there was even a chance that Alanna was right.

Adira shifted on the couch, taking another sip of her wine. When she was done, she asked, "So, what is the deal with Bull Creek anyway? There seem to be quite a few residents for a town that doesn't even seem like a town. Does everyone live in cabins?"

Alanna laughed. "For the most part. Some actually live in tents. Bull Creek, itself, was formed in the early 1900s as a small logging area for its cypress, which fit in well with the loggers back in Draven Falls. When the area went through some issues, the Paranormal Council of Draven Falls turned it into a sanctuary of sorts. When people come here, they just want to escape some prejudice or injustice. They just want a simple life, to be able to be who they are without recrimination. As the place grew, they decided Bull Creek needed an alpha to help protect the residents and offer guidance, so about a year ago, the Paranormal Council selected Dimitri. So far, he's done a kick-ass job."

"And then Bane showed up." Adira took another sip of her wine, trying to recall how she knew the Everest name. If Dimitri was from Draven Falls, Adira just assumed she would have heard of his family but, if she did, the knowledge refused to make itself known. "How do people hear of Bull Creek? It's not like it even has a dot on any map."

"Same way you did, word of mouth. It gets talked about among the paranormal community and the darker underworld of the humans, those who aren't afraid of supernatural beings. Some come to see what we're about, while others come here to live, needing a new start on life.

"Is that why you're here? A new start in life?"

Alanna shuffled in her seat a little, looking a tad uncomfortable. "Let's just say family can be complicated at times."

Adira just nodded, deciding not to push the subject further. Everyone deserved their privacy, and she was the new girl in town after all.

They stayed up for three more hours, the conversation shifting to their hometowns, family, friends new and old. When Alanna finally left, the moon was high in the sky, and Adira was more than ready for bed. She washed the dishes, stripped down to her bare skin, and crawled between the cool sheets. Her sleep was restless, tossing and turning, as thoughts of the night replayed in her head. Her power came out in short blasts, mixed with visions of Jensen being thrown across her living room back in Draven Falls. She tried to shove the images out of her head, but nothing worked. Finally, she surrendered, jerking the covers from her body, and deciding to sit outside and let the cool night bathe her mind with fresh images.

She wrapped her robe around her and padded across the wood floor in her bare feet. As she opened the door and stepped out onto her front porch, a movement off to her right snapped her attention. Sleeping, snuggled against the front of her cabin, nestled up close to her front door, was the tawny panther she knew she almost hit with her car when she first arrived in Bull Creek.