Both women nodded eagerly, and Tamera headed back to the kitchen, her red hair catching the sunlight as she moved.
Harper gazed around the charming deli, drinking in the Mediterranean atmosphere. "This is perfect. Exactly what I needed today."
"I thought you might like it here." Becca adjusted the napkin in her lap. "How are you settling in at the inn?"
"I love it." Harper's shoulders relaxed as she thought about her cozy turret room. "The whole place feels... safe. Protected. And Angus and Renee seem wonderful."
"They are." Becca leaned forward, her stormy eyes sparkling with intrigue. "Though none of us can figure out exactly what they are. Magically speaking, I mean."
Harper's eyebrows rose. "What do you mean?"
"Well, they're definitely magical beings of some kind. The protective wards around the inn are incredibly powerful." Becca traced a pattern on the tablecloth with her finger.
"But they're good, right?" Harper's fox stirred with curiosity.
"Oh, absolutely. They protect everyone who stays there. The magic in that place..." Becca shook her head in wonder. "The woods around the inn shift and change to confuse anyone meaning harm. Quicksand appears out of nowhere if threats approach. And somehow, Angus and Renee control it all."
"Have you ever asked them?"
"Jake tried once." Becca's lips quirked into a smile. "Angus just gave him that mysterious smile of his and said something cryptic about some mysteries being better left unsolved. And Renee just laughs and offers more pastries whenever anyone brings it up."
Tamera arrived with a plate of warm pita bread and creamy tzatziki sauce, pausing their conversation. The rich aroma of fresh-baked bread filled the air between them.
"I like that," Harper said after Tamera left, inhaling the fresh-baked scent wafting from the bread. "They're powerful but they use it to protect, not control. And that they don't feel a need explain themselves. That says a lot about them right there."
Becca tilted her head, her thick ebony hair sliding over her shoulder as she considered Harper's words. "I never thought about it like that before, but you're right. It does speak to who they are." She tore off a piece of warm pita bread, dragging it through the creamy tzatziki. "They could lord their power over everyone, but instead they just... serve. Make everyone feel welcome and safe."
Harper nodded, following Becca's example with the bread. The tzatziki was perfect - cool and garlicky with hints ofcucumber and dill. "Sometimes the most powerful people are the ones who don't need to prove anything."
Harper traced the rim of her water glass, gathering her thoughts. "Growing up, we learned about other paranormal beings - Djinn, witches, mages. But it was like learning about far-off countries you never expect to visit. Abstract, distant."
"What do you mean?" Becca leaned forward, her stormy eyes bright with interest.
"Well, take the Djinn for example. I knew they existed, of course. But the prospect of actually meeting Jacinth?" Harper shook her head in wonder. "That's completely different. Suddenly Djinn are real people, with Chosen, and children, and lives, not just characters from stories." Also," she leaned in to confide with a grin, "I cannotwaitto meet her!"
"Oh! Yes, I understand exactly what you mean." Becca's lips curved into a soft smile. "I never dreamed there could be a world inside a world, like this one, all these paranormal beings living among humans, in plain sight. I never imaged, not for one minute, that there were shapeshifters in the world, much less that I'd be engaged to one. Or that I'd be sitting here having lunch with a fox shifter."
"Exactly! And here, everyone just... works together. Djinn, shifters, witches - no one seems to care about the differences." Harper gestured around the deli. "Like Kester and Tamera. A house cat and caracal shifter running a restaurant together, married and happy, and friends with Djinn and witches, and mysterious innkeepers."
Becca's eyes sparkled as she grinned mischievously. "When I was meeting everyone, and trying to learn all the interpersonal connections, my head spun trying to keep track."
"I can imagine." Harper scooped up some more tzatziki with another wedge of pita. Waiting until she'd finished chewing, she continued. "Where I grew up, shifter families kept to themselves.We knew others existed, but stayed in our own circles. We're a fox shifter family, and we socialized with other fox shifters. Here, it's like everyone's simply one big family. Different kinds of beings working together, protecting each other."
"That's what reassured me about being here, right from the start," Becca admitted, her stormy eyes softening with emotion. "After everything in Salem..." She shuddered slightly, wrapping her arms around herself. "Finding a place where not only humans but paranormals support each other and work together, instead of fearing differences - it healed something in me I didn't know was broken. The way everyone welcomed me, no suspicion or hatred, no whispers behind closed doors." Her voice grew stronger, steadier. "For the first time in my whole life, I've been able to breathe freely."
Tamera approached with their salads, the fresh scent of oregano and olive oil wafting from the plates. "Your lunches will be ready in a few minutes," she said, setting down the colorful dishes. "I couldn't help overhearing - you're right about this community being special. Growing up, I felt so alone. Different. I thought I was crazy, literally. Finding this place, these people... it changed everything."
"That's what makes this place special." Becca's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, her smile brightening her entire face. "Everyone finds their place, their purpose."
Tamera smiled warmly and headed back to the kitchen, her red hair swaying as she walked.
Becca leaned forward across the table, her blue-grey eyes gleaming with a mysterious light. "So, Harper... do you know about the brownies?"
"Oh, I love brownies." Harper's mouth watered at the thought. "Especially the frosted ones. Though I have to be careful with chocolate - my fox gets a bit hyper if I have too much."
A soft laugh escaped Becca's lips as she shook her head. "No, not those kinds of brownies. I mean the ones from fairy tales. The little household spirits?"
Harper's fork paused halfway to her mouth, a chunk of feta cheese teetering precariously on the end. "Wait, those are real too?" Her eyes widened as she set her fork down. "Like the stories about tiny creatures who help around the house?"
