Page 38 of An Anomaly of Sunlight

“The top shelves are definitely a you problem,” I shrug innocently. With a soft chuckle he continues down the aisle, brushing his hand across my back as he goes. Vrynthis’s store may be big enough to swallow Tarot Lake’s, but the foot traffic is non-existent here. I can’t help feeling thankful for that as memories of last night flood my mind.

Just straightening shelves with the man who gave me three orgasms last night. No big deal, totally normal. A yawn interrupts my train of thought. We maybe slept two hours before Skyler’s alarm sounded.

Five more minutes. I’d begged. I could spend far more than five drinking down your desire, but then we’ll be late to open the store. His rumbly half-asleep voice had been exceptionally sexy. My eyes track his movements, and I find myself squeezing my thighs together.

He makes quick work of the rest of the aisle, and I watch his muscles ripple under his shirt. Glancing between him and the creams I’m still in front of, my mind wanders. “So,” his face turns my way, “what’s it like to shift? Painful?” I ask, gesturing to the muscle creams.

“Not necessarily,” he shakes his head. “The first time probably... sorry,” he winces. “But our bodies were made to support all of our —” Skyler clears his throat as pink stains his cheeks. I’ve never seen him at a loss for words before, and that’s both amusing and terrifying. “Canine anatomy,” he finishes while rubbing the back of his neck.

“What, like I’ll grow eight nipples?” Skyler’s laughter echoes through the empty store. A bundle of herbs falls off the shelf as he leans against it. “I’ve never investigated.” He snickers, retrieving the bundle off the floor and stealing a glimpse of my chest before placing it back on the shelf. “But the more the merrier.”

His voice breaks the silence as I’m pondering what other canine anatomy he could be referring to. “We can go for a run when we get home. The moon will be full and should help you tap into your feral side.” Has that much time passed since I’ve been home? Hell. “I’d love to frolic with you, Sky.” I wink, blowing him a kiss.

The bells hanging from the door chime as the first customer steps inside, three whole hours after opening. “Hi, welcome to Burrow’s!” I call out, adding as they walk past the aisle we are on, “Let us know if you need any help.”

A girl, surely no more than seventeen, stares back at me with a curled lip and raised brow. She huffs, walking away without a word. Fuck me, I guess. Skyler’s mouth curves up in amusement. “You get used to it after a while,” he whispers.

“As far as shifting goes, we are one with the animal we shift into, wolves in our case. Flex your fingers and imagine claws, bare your teeth picturing fangs, will your body to change.” Tilting his head up, my eyes widen as the sharp points of his canines elongate.

His eyes shine, casting a soft green sheen across his cheeks. I’m mesmerized by his beauty. But my mind can’t help itself, urging me to be afraid instead. I will not; I am not. This is Skyler.

My Skyler, my Angel. He will never harm me.

Not to mention, shifter fangs are clearly different from vampires. The memories of Enzo are thankfully becoming hazy, but I do remember his were shorter and more pointed. Whereas Skyler’s are longer, much longer, the tips reach his chin.

My chest heats as I run my tongue across the tips of my own teeth wondering what it’d feel like to lick the points of his fangs. Heartbeat racing, the warmth in my chest pulls me closer, and my hand reaches out with a mind of its own.

The pad of my thumb brushes across the tip of Skyler’s fang, both of us jerking back from the contact. A tense moment passes, both of us sucking in steadying breaths.

“Fangs are sensitive, especially if touched by a mate.”

Was his voice just… in my mind? I've heard his voice before without seeing his lips move. Is this a wolf thing?

I rest my hand on my chest, lips curving down. We’re mates, and I have no idea what that really means. That revelation is like a knife to the heart. “Tell me about the bo —”

The girl with the curled lip locks eyes with me. Still not speaking a word, she lifts her hands, shrugging as her gaze flicks between me and Skyler. “Ready,” she snips.

Right. Still a cashier. Goddess damn it.

Forcing a smile, I head her way. “I’ve got you, register two,” I mutter.

Swinging my feet aimlessly while perched on the counter, I take in Skyler’s words, committing them to memory. We’ve still only had one customer, and after hours of straightening shelves we decided to have lunch delivered.

While waiting for the food to arrive, I’d been getting a lesson in shifter history. Mate bonds are sacred. A gift from the Moon Goddess — formerly the Goddess of the Sea, and original shifter. Breaking the laws of the Gods to have a relationship with a human, her punishment was to be forever trapped in a prison of ice — the moon.

Before her imprisonment, she transferred her shifter magic to her lover. Not wanting her love to have to endure life alone she spread her gift to the other humans in the tribe and created mate bonds to allow everyone the happiness she never got to live.

Some say she is the reason for the tides. Forever reaching for her lover on the land.

Unfortunately, Skyler doesn’t know much about the affinity I’ve inherited from my family’s witch blood. I add a note to my mental checklist: ask the witch herself to explain once I get home. Mom and I need to talk, anyway.

I interrogate Skyler before I can stop myself. “How does this bond work, though? We’re just mates because we said so? There’s no... paperwork so to speak?” That dusty pink returns to his cheeks, and a boyish grin stretches across his face.

“There is a ceremony we must complete together. We will get our marks; silvery tattoos infused with moon magic. We will have one moon cycle to fully accept our bond. In which,” he scans our surroundings before finishing, “you will take my knot.”

My eyebrows shoot up as my own cheeks burn. He quickly adds, “Amethyst, I promise there is no pressure to do this. We can delay the ceremony, or not do it all. This is all up to you.”

“Does that... hurt?” Another, more important thought crosses my mind. “Wait, last night?”