Page 23
Chapter
Twenty-Three
A knock at the door startled Mandy from her writing. Bach and Mozart alerted, staring at the door with interest. She glanced at the clock as she pushed herself up from her desk chair - almost noon.
Her breath caught as she opened the door. The man standing there filled the entire doorframe, towering over her. His caramel-colored hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail, and despite his intimidating size, his green eyes crinkled warmly at the corners. He wore a red and black plaid button-up shirt over well-worn jeans, and his boots had seen better days.
"Hi there! Are you Mandy?" His voice boomed, deep and friendly.
Cautiously she admitted it, hoping whatever he wanted would be brief, so she could sit down before her back started hurting.
"Fabulous. I'm Dean. Jacinth asked us to stop by."
Mandy started to shift her weight automatically, preparing for the inevitable pain that would come from standing too long - then stopped as she remembered she didn't have to worry about that anymore. The habit was so ingrained after years of chronic pain that she'd momentarily forgotten. Her body was healed now, thanks to the Wish magic. She could stand here all day if she wanted to, pain-free.
The thought made her dizzy for a moment, and she gripped the doorframe to steady herself. Not from physical weakness this time, but from the overwhelming emotion that swept through her.
"You okay there?" Dean's concerned voice broke through her thoughts.
She blinked rapidly, forcing herself to focus on what he'd said earlier. Something about Jacinth sending him? Her mind scrambled to catch up as she processed both the lingering amazement at her healed body and this unexpected visitor's words.
"I'm sorry," she managed. "Did you say Jacinth sent you? I'm so sorry." She extended her hand. "It's nice to meet you."
Instead of shaking it, Dean swept her into an enormous bear hug. His strong arms wrapped around her, gentle despite their obvious power.
The embrace enveloped her completely, and something inside Mandy's chest loosened. She felt... safe. Protected. The sensation of absolute security and acceptance washed over her as Dean held her close, his presence solid and reassuring. The pendant she wore pulsed warmly between them, as if approving of this unexpected connection.
As Dean released her, Mandy stepped back, slightly dazed from the unexpected but comforting bear hug. Her eyes widened as she noticed the woman who'd been completely hidden behind Dean's massive frame. The newcomer was petite and plump, with blonde hair and warm brown Bambi eyes.
"Hi, I'm Lena," the woman said, extending her hand with a sweet smile that lit up her whole face. "We're so happy to meet you."
Mandy shook Lena's hand, noting how the couple's energy seemed to complement each other perfectly - Dean's booming presence balanced by Lena's gentle demeanor.
Standing to one side, Mandy gestured for them to enter. "Please, come in."
Bach and Mozart assessed the newcomers with typical feline wariness. But to Mandy's surprise, a minute later she was watching in amazement as both her typically standoffish cats wound around Dean's ankles, purring loudly. Even Bach, who usually took days to warm up to visitors, rubbed his face against Dean's boot with clear enthusiasm.
Mandy watched in bewilderment as her cats continued their enthusiastic greeting of Dean. With Kieran and Jacinth, she'd attributed their instant acceptance to some Djinn quality she couldn't perceive. But Dean and Lena felt completely human - no trace of that otherworldly energy that seemed to radiate from the Djinn.
Yet here were Bach and Mozart, practically climbing Dean's legs in their eagerness to get his attention. Even more surprising, the giant of a man had crouched down to their level, his huge hands surprisingly gentle as he scratched behind their ears, murmuring to them in that booming voice of his while they purred like motorcycle engines.
Lena shook her head, an amused smile playing across her face. "Cats just love Dean. You'd think they'd have the sense to recognize an apex predator when they see one, but no - they just fawn all over him."
It took a minute for her brain to catch up with Lena's words. "I'm sorry, what? Apex predator?"
"Oh!" Lena's eyes widened slightly. "Dean's a bear shifter. I thought Jacinth would have mentioned-"
"S-shifter?" Mandy felt her knees weaken… and no, not from pain… and she stumbled backward until her legs hit the recliner, thinking it better to collapse into its familiar comfort than onto the floor. She gaped at Dean's massive frame, seeing him in an entirely new light. A bear. An actual, real-life bear shifter. Here in her living room!
"Ut-oh," Dean rumbled, his deep voice carrying a note of concern. Despite his intimidating size, his green eyes sparkled with gentle amusement.
Lena's musical giggle filled the room. "I guess Jacinth never mentioned us?" She perched on the arm of the couch, her blonde hair catching the sunlight streaming through the window.
"Um, no," Mandy managed to squeak out, her voice barely above a whisper. "In fact, she definitely did not. Although, of course, I saw…" she broke off, waving her hand at the television.
Lena patted her hand sympathetically before rising with fluid grace. "Let me get you something to drink." She headed for the kitchen, her voice floating back as she opened the refrigerator. "Juice, Coke, or beer?"
"Beer," Mandy managed weakly, then remembered her manners. "Oh! And please, get something for yourself and Dean too." Her mother would be proud - even in the midst of realizing that shapeshifters were in her living room, she hadn't forgotten basic hospitality.
Lena returned from the kitchen balancing three bottles of beer.
"So, shifters," Dean said, pulling a multipurpose tool from his pocket. The metal gleamed as he popped the caps off each bottle with practiced ease. His massive frame made the tool look almost comically small in his hands. Lena handed one to Mandy, and took her own bottle from Dean before settling back on the couch.
Mandy tried to gather her scattered thoughts. Bach and Mozart had settled near Dean's feet, both cats still purring contentedly, completely at ease with the bear shifter in their midst.
"Jacinth didn't want you to feel like you'd been abandoned." Lena said.
"She figured you'd have questions," Dean said, his deep voice gentle despite its natural boom. He settled onto the couch, which creaked slightly under his substantial weight. "In fact, she thought you'd have lots of questions."
Lena nodded, perching on the couch arm beside her husband. Her small frame made the contrast between them even more striking.. "The shifter community where she lives is going to be in the forefront of shifters going public, and they're working out how to handle all this exposure."
"Jacinth told us about you having Kieran's Wish vessel," Dean continued, reaching down to scratch Bach behind the ears. The cat arched into his touch, purring even louder. "So she asked us to stop by, see how you're doing with everything."
"She thought you might appreciate having someone to talk to about it all," Lena said, her warm brown eyes twinkling. "Especially since you're already in on the big secret about magic being real."
"I don't even know where to start," Mandy admitted, watching as Mozart claimed Dean's other hand for attention. "There's so much I want to know. About shifters, about how all this stays hidden - well, stayed hidden until now. About how everything works..."
Dean chuckled, the sound rumbling through her small living room. "That's exactly what Jacinth said you'd say. That your curiosity would be burning you up inside by now."
"She's not wrong," Mandy said, snickering.
"I can't believe I'm actually discussing this with a real shifter," Mandy said, wonder creeping into her voice. "All these centuries, no one knowing about you, but you've been here all along, living right beside us."
Mandy's mind raced with questions, but one burst out before she could stop herself. "Do you only shift during the full moon?"
Dean and Lena exchanged glances before breaking into hearty laughter. The sound filled her small living room, warm and genuine. Dean's deep belly laugh seemed to make the windows vibrate.
"Nah, that's werewolves," Dean explained, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "We shifters can change any time we want. Full moon's got nothing to do with it."
Mandy's hand flew to her mouth as realization struck. "Oh wait, I knew that! The video from Yellowstone - it was still daylight when that woman shifted into a fox. The sun hadn't even set yet." She shook her head, embarrassed by her question.
"Easy mistake to make," Dean rumbled good-naturedly, his massive shoulders shrugging. "There's a lot of misinformation out there about shifters. Movies, books, TV shows - they all got their own take on it."
"That's natural, because then it was all fiction. But now with that video going viral..." Lena added, her warm brown eyes twinkling. "Everyone's going to have theories about how it all works."
"I keep thinking about that footage," she admitted, fingers absently tracing the pendant's warmth. "The way she just... changed. Right there in broad daylight." She shook her head in wonder. "And attacking that bear, so much bigger than her. To save that hiker."
"It's what we do," Dean said simply, his deep voice carrying absolute conviction. "Protecting others comes naturally to shifters. Secret or no secret, she couldn't just stand by and watch that bear attack someone. Although," he added, "admittedly, she had no idea there were people with cameras in the distance."
Mozart chose that moment to hop into Dean's lap, apparently deciding that Bach was getting too much attention. The cat's loud purring filled the brief silence as Dean's huge hands gently scratched behind his ears.
He took a long pull from his beer, his green eyes twinkling with amusement. "Common mistake though, about the werewolf thing. The movies have got everybody thinking all shape-changing creatures are ruled by the moon."
Mandy's jaw dropped as she stared at Dean, her mind struggling to process this new revelation. "Wait. You're saying, t-there are werewolves too? Like... actual dangerous ones? Different from shifters?" The words tumbled out in a breathless rush as her fingers tightened around her beer bottle.
Lena leaned forward, her warm brown eyes filled with understanding. "Yes, but don't worry." Her voice carried a soothing note that made some of the tension ease from Mandy's shoulders. "There aren't many of them, and we know where they all are."
Mandy stared at her. "That's oddly… not reassuring."
Dean chuckled as he drank more of his beer. "The shifter community keeps tabs on them. We help them during the full moon - make sure they're safe and contained so they can't hurt anyone, including themselves."
"So werewolves are real, but different? Different from shifters, I mean?" Mandy asked, her voice steadier now as curiosity began to override her initial shock.
"Completely different," Lena confirmed, settling back against the couch cushions. "Shifters are born, not made. They choose when to change, and they keep their human intellect, their sense of self, when they do. Werewolves..." She paused, choosing her words carefully. "They're created through infection, and the change isn't voluntary. During the full moon, they lose all control."
Mandy took a long swallow of her beer as her mind reeled. The movies had actually gotten something right? A nervous laugh bubbled up in her throat.
"So, it's really just like in the movies then?" She pictured poor Professor Lupin from Harry Potter, locked away during full moons, suffering through his transformations alone. "The whole losing control, dangerous transformation thing?"
Dean's massive shoulders shifted as he nodded, his expression growing serious. "Not too far off, actually. Though Hollywood gets plenty wrong, they weren't completely off base with werewolves."
"But there's good news," he added, his deep voice gentle despite its natural boom. "There aren't many left now. The magical community really stepped up - we take care of the existing ones, make sure they're safe during full moons. And most importantly, we've pretty much stopped new infections from happening, because they're not running around biting people, making more."
Mandy sipped her beer again, trying to process this latest piece of information. Her free hand absently stroked Bach, who had wandered over to settle in her lap. The familiar weight of her cat helped ground her as her mind spun with questions.
So many questions. About werewolves, about shifters, about the entire magical community she'd suddenly found herself part of. Where should she even begin? What should she ask first?
She took another steadying drink of beer, organizing her thoughts. The existence of an entire hidden magical world was overwhelming enough - finding out there were different categories of shape-changing beings was making her head spin.
Mandy turned to Lena, curiosity sparking in her eyes. "Are you a shifter too?" Remorse assailed her. "Is that rude to ask?"
"No, and no," Lena laughed, shaking her head. "I'm human, just like you." She reached over and squeezed Dean's massive hand, their fingers intertwining naturally. The love between them radiated like a tangible force as they exchanged warm glances.
"Finding out about shifters was quite the shock," Lena continued, her brown eyes twinkling with remembered amusement. "It was about as dramatic as your introduction to the magical world."
Dean's deep chuckle rumbled through the room. "Tell her how you found out, honey. It's a good story."
Lena's cheeks flushed pink as she settled more comfortably on the couch. "Well, I was working as a librarian at the time. Dean came in regularly to check out books on wilderness survival and camping."
"I was trying to impress her with my outdoorsy knowledge," Dean interjected, his green eyes dancing with mirth. "Didn't want her knowing I could just sniff out the best fishing spots and berry patches."
"Anyway," Lena continued, playfully swatting his arm, "we started dating, and one weekend he invited me camping. Everything was perfect - beautiful weather, gorgeous scenery. Until I woke up in the middle of the night to find a massive grizzly bear rummaging through our cooler!"
Mandy's hand flew to her mouth, but Lena was already giggling.
"I screamed bloody murder," Lena admitted. "And there's this enormous bear, frozen in place, holding my Tupperware container of potato salad, with this absolutely mortified look on its face. Then he drops the container, raises both paws like he's surrendering, and starts backing away while making these apologetic whuffling noises! I mean, he actually looked guilty, if that's possible for a bear."
Dean's booming laugh filled the room. "I panicked! I'd planned this whole romantic way to tell her, but there I was, caught red-handed stealing her potato salad. In bear form!"
"The best part," Lena wiped tears of laughter from her eyes, "was when he shifted back right there, stark naked, stammering apologies about how good my potato salad smelled and how he just couldn't resist sampling it!"
Mandy couldn't help laughing at the mental image of a guilty-looking bear with a Tupperware container.
"I thought I was hallucinating," Lena said, shaking her head. "One moment there's this enormous grizzly bear with his paws in my potato salad, and the next - poof! - there's Dean, completely naked and stammering apologies. I actually rubbed my eyes like they do in cartoons!"
Dean's deep chuckle vibrated through the room. "She stood there staring at me with her mouth open."
"Well, what else was I going to do?" Lena protested, her cheeks pink. "I mean, my brain was trying to process what I'd just seen. Bears don't turn into people! Except apparently they do, and this one had turned into my boyfriend."
"The worst part was," Lena continued, giggling, "I couldn't stop thinking about my potato salad. Of all the things to focus on! Here's this incredible, impossible thing happening - my boyfriend is a shapeshifter who can turn into a bear - and he's standing there naked as the day he was born - and all I could think was 'He ate my potato salad!'"
Dean reached over and squeezed her hand. "To be fair, it was really good potato salad."
"I actually told him, that was supposed to be tomorrow's lunch," Lena admitted, covering her face with her free hand. "Like that was the important part of what had just happened!"
Mandy found herself laughing along with them. There was something wonderfully ordinary about Lena's reaction to such an extraordinary revelation. It made her feel better about her own struggles to process all these magical revelations.
She took another swig of her beer. The comfortable atmosphere Dean and Lena had created made her feel safe sharing her own bizarre introduction to the magical world.
"If we're going to talk about unexpected revelations..." She touched the pendant at her throat. "I met Jacinth in the ER, where I'd landed because of back pain. She gave me this pendant - which turned out to be a magical Wish vessel belonging to a Djinn named Kieran. Apparently she felt like he needed to get out more, so she stole it from his home, and gave it to me."
Dean choked on his beer, spraying a fine mist across the coffee table. Lena's eyes went wide as saucers, her mouth dropping open.
"Wait," Dean's booming voice had dropped to a shocked whisper. His massive frame leaned forward, green eyes intense. "Jacinth stole his Wish vessel?"
"She didn't exactly steal it," Mandy protested weakly, though she wasn't entirely sure that was true. "Technically, she just... borrowed it? I mean, eventually he's going to get it back, right?"
Lena giggled again. "How did he take it when he was summoned the first time?"
"Well, when he first appeared in my living room, he was definitely furious," Mandy admitted. "The air practically crackled with his anger. My cats bolted for cover, and I swear, I kind of wanted to join them!"
She took another sip of beer, remembering that first startling encounter. "But when Jacinth showed up... it was strange. The moment she appeared, all that rage just... deflated. Like he wasn't really surprised she'd done something this outrageous." She chuckled as she recalled the interaction. "He seemed more resigned than anything else, like this was just Jacinth being Jacinth. Which," she added, having gotten to know Jacinth pretty well by now, "is very likely true."
"You know," Dean's deep voice rumbled thoughtfully, "it's still wild to think you've actually met him. Most folks in the magical community never even catch a glimpse of Kieran. He's this legendary figure - the Djinn representative on the High Council and all that - but he's as elusive as smoke in the wind." He shook his massive head, clearly impressed.
Lena nodded in agreement. "Dean's told me that even Djinn may go their entire lives without catching so much as a glimpse of him."
Mandy set her beer down on the side table, her mind spinning with this new revelation about Kieran's importance. But something else nagged at her.
"So, go back a minute. High Council of Others? "
Dean and Lena exchanged glances before Dean spoke, his deep voice thoughtful. "Others is what we call ourselves - both non-human beings as well as those not entirely human. It's kind of an umbrella term for anyone magical or supernatural."
"So that includes shifters like Dean, Djinn like Kieran and Jacinth..." Lena counted off on her fingers. "And, well, other beings."
Mandy noticed how carefully Lena avoided specifying what those other beings might be. Her writer's imagination immediately began spinning possibilities, but she focused on the matter at hand.
"And each group has their own Council?" she asked, remembering mentions of the Djinn Council.
"Exactly," Dean nodded, his massive frame shifting as he leaned forward. "The shifters have our Council, the Djinn have theirs, and so on. Each Council handles their own community's affairs."
"But sometimes issues affect multiple communities," Lena added. "That's where the High Council comes in. Each group sends representatives to address matters that concern everyone. Like what happened the other day," and her hand waved towards the television.
The structure suddenly clicked in Mandy's mind. "Oh! So it's like the United Nations?"
"Yes!" Dean's booming laugh filled the room. "That's actually a perfect comparison. Each group is like a different country, sending delegates to work together on bigger issues."
"Though the High Council's meetings are probably a lot more interesting than the UN's," Lena added with a mischievous smile.
Mandy chuckled, shaking her head as she imagined supernatural delegates arguing over magical policies. "Oh, to be a fly on the wall at one of those sessions!"
Dean's deep laugh rumbled through the room. "Trust me, it can get pretty wild. Though lately, with everything that's happened... "Speaking of which," he continued, his massive frame settling more comfortably on her couch, one arm slinging around Lena's shoulders, "shifters are actually the largest group of Others living among humans. We're everywhere, really - your neighbors, coworkers, the guy who fixes your car..."
Mandy's eyes widened. "Really? That many?"
"Oh yeah. See, shifters tend to have multiple births - twins, triplets, sometimes more. And since we're basically human with just a little something extra added on, it's easy for us to blend in."
"So when you say 'something extra added on'..." she began.
"We are human," he emphasized, "just with the ability to shift forms. We eat regular food, live normal lives, hold down jobs. Well, except for the occasional midnight run through the forest."
Lena's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Or raids on camping coolers full of potato salad. You know you're never going to live that down, right?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way," he said with a wide grin, pulling her close and dropping a kiss on her hair. "That potato salad changed my life."
Dean's gaze drifted to the clock on her wall, and he straightened with a regretful sigh. "Ah, we need to get going. My shop opens in an hour."
"Oh?" Mandy's curiosity peaked. "What kind of work do you do?"
"I restore porcelain dolls," Dean said, his deep voice matter-of-fact. "Been doing it for about fifteen years now."
Mandy's mouth fell open. She stared at his massive frame, trying to reconcile the image of this bear of a man - literally - with the delicate work of repairing fragile dolls. Her brain kept wanting to place him in a logging camp or on a construction site, somewhere his impressive size would seem more... appropriate.
Lena's musical laugh filled the room. "You should see your face! Everyone has that same reaction when they find out." She squeezed Dean's hand affectionately. "But he's got the steadiest hands I've ever seen. People ship their dolls to him from all over the country - family heirlooms, antiques, beloved childhood toys that need restoration."
"It's amazing work," Dean said, his green eyes lighting up with enthusiasm. "Each doll has its own story, its own significance to someone. When I can restore one that's been in a family for generations..." He spread his huge hands expressively. "There's nothing quite like seeing someone's face when they get back a treasured piece of their history, good as new."
Mandy tried to picture those enormous hands delicately painting tiny porcelain features or carefully reattaching miniature limbs. The mental image both amused and fascinated her.
"Plus," Lena added with a grin, "you should see how cute he looks wearing his magnifying glasses while he works on the really tiny details."
Mandy couldn't help giggling at the image of Dean hunched over a workbench with tiny magnifying glasses perched on his nose. The mental picture of his massive hands cradling delicate porcelain dolls would stay with her for a long time.
"Here," Lena pulled out her phone. "Let me get your number. We should definitely do lunch soon - I'd love to be friends, and I'm sure you have about a million more questions about everything."
They exchanged phones, typing in their contact information. Mandy's fingers trembled slightly as she entered her details into Lena's phone. Her first real-life - well, human - friend in years. The thought warmed her almost as much as the pendant against her skin.
"How about Tuesday?" Lena suggested, tucking her phone away. "There's this great little Mexican place in Old Tucson - they have the most amazing chile rellenos."
"Tuesday would be perfect," Mandy agreed, already looking forward to it. "Text me the address?"
Dean carefully extracted himself from beneath the cats, who had thoroughly claimed his lap during their visit. Bach and Mozart gave him reproachful looks as they were displaced, making him chuckle.
"Sorry, guys," his deep voice rumbled with genuine regret. "But those dolls won't fix themselves."
At the door, Lena surprised Mandy with a warm hug. "I'm so glad we met," she said softly. "It'll be nice having someone else to talk to about all this magical stuff."
Dean followed with another of his gentle bear hugs, and Mandy marveled again at how someone so massive could be so careful with his strength.
As she closed the door behind them, Mandy leaned against it, processing everything she'd learned. Bach and Mozart wound around her ankles, probably hoping for treats to make up for their new friend's departure.
"Well," she told her cats, pushing away from the door. "That was certainly an interesting afternoon."