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Their power was passed down through the female line and the men had always tapped into that source marrying for access to the power often at the sacrifice of love or as Jade and witnessed over the years even at the expense of happiness.
Jade rejected that fate and suppressed her natural abilities to escape most people’s notice so that she wouldn’t end up bound to a man who didn’t love her and was only with her for the benefit of her magic.
She left her house and made her way into the surrounding woods to collect the herbs needed for the spell to cloak her skills. It would leave her weak and feeling ill but was a trade-off that she was willing to make.
Once in the wooded area at the back of her home Jade took a deep cleansing breath the air held an earthy note that was calming. The light was defused through the leaves of the trees overhead dropping the temperature by several degrees. Jade pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders securing the pin that held it together over her chest.
She hurried to gather the herbs and roots she was seeking thanking nature for providing the materials for her spell as she left an offering of food and seeds for the wildlife before watering the area where she had cut her supplies from. Once everything was tucked safely in the bag that she carried with her she sat back on her heels resting her hands on the soil. Jade kept her breathing deep and even while she enjoyed the connection that she felt to nature.
It would be a day or two until the conditions would be ideal for the spell. She could only hope that the disturbance wouldn’t grow any stronger while she waited.
Once she was back inside she hid her supplies away locking the box she kept stashed under her bed before cloaking the whole area with a concealment spell.
She made sure to keep her weaving light, her touch delicate so that if any of her family came poking around there wouldn’t be a magical footprint for them to follow. All magic left it’s mark and was tied to the caster. If you knew how you could trace a spell back to the person who cast it.
Jade sighed hating that she needed to be so secretive. She was filled with bitterness because of her family’s outdated traditions and angry that those beliefs kept her from forming any lasting or meaningful relationships with her family or coven.
Although since she was hiding her magic from everyone she wasn’t considered a member of the coven, she remained on the fringe aware of their activities so that she could better protect and shield herself.
She pushed her dark brown hair off her forehead feeling the familiar headache that plagued her when her thoughts dwelled too long on her family and the use of her magic.
Jade could have cut ties with them all together but other than the antiquated notion that she should tie herself to a man for the sole purpose of providing him with a deeper, stronger powerbase they weren’t bad people. They did love her. They just conveniently ignored the fact that most women in her lineage were miserable when it came to their marriages.
She poured a glass of water and swallowed an aspirin whispering a quick prayer that it would work quicker as she dressed for work.
The diner where she was employed wasn’t very big but the town where she lived wasn’t very large either, but since there wasn’t much in the way of take-out or other restaurants in town they were usually busy. They also received a lot of traffic passing through so it wasn’t uncommon to see new faces each shift.
Jade was lifting a slice of key lime pie out of the display case when a wave of uneasiness had bile rising in her throat. It was the same disturbance, but stronger than she’d felt earlier. The bell over the door jingled. Jade looked up unable to help herself.
The man filled out the doorway with his muscular frame. Clad in dark blue jeans and a leather jacket he gave off bad-boy vibes that clashed with his otherwise boy-next-door good looks. Backlit by the afternoon sun he had an otherworldly glow and when he removed his sunglasses to look around the diner Jade’s heart pounded and her breath caught in her throat. The man had blue eyes so light they were like ice, but seeing them made her anything but cold.
Desire hit her hard making her flush. She ducked down deeper hoping that the dessert case hid her from view. All the while hoping that he wouldn’t sit in the section of the diner that she was responsible for today.
CLAY WASN’T SURE what he was going to do in town until he got a good look at the pack records. He was anxious to get home and since Martin had told him he would need to take supreme caution to hide what he was from the humans in town the trip had become even more tedious.
When his stomach rumbled and the Alpha hadn’t offered any hospitality Clay figured he was on his own and had gone in search of something to eat.
Figuring he’d take Jon’s suggestion we went looking for the dinner. It was a quaint throwback to something he would have expected to see in the fifties with its black and white checkered flooring and red vinyl seats and melamine tabletops right down to the miniature jukeboxes in a few of the booths. Tin pop culture décor filled the walls and the row of stools at the long counter completed the look.
He took a booth near the back wanting to stretch his legs after the long hours on his bike. He set his helmet down across from him before glancing around the room for a server.
The place was busy but not full and yet he couldn’t find any available staff. Not wanting to seem rude or impatient he tried to appear casual as he looked around again.
“What can I get started for you?” The question was asked softly and a menu was placed on the table in front of him.
“Coffee black, and a few minutes with the menu.” The words were out of his mouth almost automatically and then an alluring scent reached him as the server reached across the table to set down a glass of water.
Clay lifted his gaze from the menu and was snared by the greenest pair of eyes he’d ever seen. They were a deep shade of nearly emerald but lightened to a shade similar to moss as the color neared her pupils
Mate!The revelation slammed into his awareness his animal suddenly clamoring as it recognized their other half. He knew he was staring but he couldn’t seem to make himself look away. Then under the soft scent of her skin, he caught a whiff of her arousal but it was tainted by fear.
Having delivered the menu she moved away from the table and Clay had to fight the compelling urge to reach for her. He’d been so distracted by her sudden appearance and the unique look of her eyes that he hadn’t noticed her nametag.
He watched her behind the counter pour coffee into a white mug wincing when the hot liquid sloshed over the rim and splashed the skin between her thumb and index finger.
Clay saw as she squared her shoulders as if gathering strength before coming back to his table.
“Are you alright?” he asked, gesturing to her hand which now bore a red mark where the coffee had burned her.
