Johanna heard the restaurant before she saw it, but then the two-story establishment covered in chipped blue paint came into view. It felt homey, with its waves of patrons, clinks of utensils, and laughter bouncing off the walls.
The staff smiled at her and Luke and welcomed them both warmly, but none more so than two of Luke’s friends. Tommy, a werewolf, and Loe, a faerie, slid into their booth with them. Luke kept Johanna by his side and slung an arm over her shoulders while he introduced her as his mate. There was no hesitation in his voice, no hint of question. Even she caught the pride in his words, and she noticed his friends saw it too.
After hearing her darkest secrets, living with her for over a month, taking care of her, providing for her, and spending time with her, Luke seemed overjoyed about her being his mate. He’d said as much so many times she’d lost count, but it was one thing to say it behind closed doors and another to show it publicly. The weight of his conviction shocked her. It forced Johanna to finally question why she couldn’t let go of her own self-doubt, and the answer was because she feared what would happen when she did.
But now, in this moment, she didn’t want to be scared. She didn’t want to have any of the fear, doubt, shame, or self-criticism she fought with daily. No, now she just wanted to be Johanna, Luke’s mate. She wanted to listen to the way his friends made fun of him and the stories they told. She wanted to hear him laugh, let the warmth of his body seep into her pores … so she did.
Eventually Tommy and Loe left to give Johanna and Luke privacy, and the evening gave way to eating, talking, laughing and teasing. Later, when she was full of good food and company, Luke twirled her in his arms in a darkened corner of the room and danced with her. Johanna couldn’t remember the last time she danced, and she was grateful that Luke had made sure to keep the moment private between them. Like normal, he seemed to just sense her, to know her without her saying a word or sharing her thoughts with him. It felt so good to be so in tune with someone.
Luke’s eyes flickered away from hers for a moment before he said, “The sun’s setting. Why don’t we go out to the pier and watch it together before we head home?”
Johanna nodded. The sun had been a long way from setting when they had stepped into the bar, but it was easy to lose track of time when she was with him.
“Let me go use the restroom,” she said, squeezing his hand before separating from him.
“I’ll wait for you at the entrance.”
Johanna stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, taking in the person she saw. Her cheeks were rounder and fuller than she remembered, but high. Smile lines had started to form around her mouth, and her eyes twinkled back at her with joy and mirth. She looked younger, more at ease, as if life had been good to her.
It hadn’t, she knew that, but when she tried, she couldn’t recall all the moments she used to hold on to with a vice grip becausesomelife was better thannone.Now she felt grateful, because the person staring back at her was someone she’d always hoped she could be but had lost faith would ever appear. For the first time in her life, Johanna was starting to love herself, to care more about who she was and to believe she could do anything she put her mind to.
She awoke each day with an open heart, and at the core of it were the feelings she kept for Luke. Maybe tonight she’d be honest and tell him. He deserved to know, after not only helping her to start the chain reaction that was guiding her down the path of who she wanted to be, but for also nurturing and protecting her while she traveled it.
With new resolve, she dried her hands and opened the bathroom door. She was on her way to the entrance when a rowdy man tumbled into her path, causing her to jump backward to avoid running into him.
“Fuck off, all of ya!” he said, his voice slurring as he mumbled.
“Excuse me,” Johanna said as he blocked her own path to the outside.
“Ah, look what we have here.” He tried to smile but it came out crooked. “Come on, pretty lady, dance with me.”
“No, thank you. Excuse me, I’d like to leave.”
His laughter was interrupted by a hiccup. He stepped closer to her, so Johanna stepped away.
“Like to leave with me, huh?” he said with a drunken wink.
Johanna had to restrain her temper. She was utterly disgusted by his words, but this man was clearly an angry drunk and she didn’t want to make him more upset or cause an issue, so she forced herself to be polite. “No. Please get out of my way.”
“Oh!” he said in a sing-song voice. “She thinks she’s too good for me, huh? Now listen here, you fat bitch—”
“Is there a reason,” a voice started behind her, low and deadly, “that you’re harassing my wife?”
Luke’s arm wrapped around her, and Johanna’s back straightened against his chest.
“Hey, m-man,” he stuttered, slurring his words as he held up his hands. “I’m n-not causing any trouble. But this broad here—”
“My wife, you mean?” Luke snarled, the rumble in his chest vibrating against her back.
“Yeah, yeah, your girl or whatever—”
“Luke,”Johanna said to him telepathically, but he didn’t answer her. She wanted to turn to look at him, to see if that would make him refocus onto her, but something in her told her not to. Luke wasn’t thinking with the mind of a human right now; he was solely a predator protecting what was his.
“Luke,”she tried again, ignoring the man’s voice.
When Luke still didn’t respond, Johanna ran her palm down the arm around her waist. She clasped his fingers, and he squeezed her stomach, hard. It was a warning, but she didn’t care. If she didn’t stop him, he’d do something that would get him in trouble with The Council. There were too many humans here for him to become violent, and as she looked around the restaurant, she could see people on their cell phones. If Luke didanythingsupernatural, those devices would turn on them in a heartbeat.
“Luke! You can’t. Please, let it go!”
