Page 3 of Charmed, I'm Sure
The newcomers’ log cabin is just past the bakery, Twisted in Fate, that always smells of sin and poor decisions. I half-expected the home to have an unfamiliar smell to it. As if the outside world had tainted it or something.
It didn’t.
But I did nearly trip over the pumpkin on the steps up to their log cabin.
“Really,” I mutter as I twist my fingers, lifting the pumpkin out of my way before placing it back on the soil where it belongs. “Clearly, they don’t know that pumpkins rot faster on the wood than in their natural soil.”
Nyx sniffs the air beside me. “He smells of fresh pine, dewy rain, and dark nights.”
I freeze. “That’s not—nope. Absolutely not.”
Nyx looks up at me. Waiting for me to elaborate. But I can’t. That scent is the scent of something I want nothing to do with. Now I know why my sister bailed on her duties.
And when the front door opens and out steps a tall, golden-haired man with brown eyes flaked in gold and a soft, stupid smile on his face, holding a tool belt and wearing a shirt that says “Hello, I’m New Here”...
…I knew I was doomed.
Chapter Two
You Smell Like Trouble
Bellamy
Of course, the new guy in town is hot. Why wouldn’t fate screw me over like this? I’m going to kick Elora’s ass when I see her later. I know for a fact she had some sort of vision about this, which is why she conveniently had stuff to do. We all agreed a long time ago that I should never be on the welcoming committee of anything. I don’t have exactly the warmest face to see when, you know, coming somewhere new.
He is just standing there with this goofy, wide-eyed expression. Sigh. The sooner I get this over, the sooner I can get back to my house. Nyx snorts next to me as he looks between the guy smiling at me and my scrunched nose.
“You know, I believe I’m going to leave this one to you,”Nyx’s words gleefully whisper into my mind. Stupid bonded familiar luxury. He can hear my thoughts and talk to me, but I can only speak back to him.
“Don’t you dare leave. If I’m stuck with this, so are you,” I hiss back at him.
His only response is a full belly laugh in my mind as he poofs out of existence. The guy blinks as he slowly turns his head towards where Nyx just was. Staring at the spot as if he can’t believe that happened.
“Did that…” His words trail off as he points to where Nyx disappeared and looks between me and the spot.
My hip pops out as I put my hand on it. One eyebrow hooks up as I just stare at him, waiting for him to stop freaking out over a familiar leaving.
Bored already, I say, “Haven’t you seen a familiar before?”
“A what?”
“A fa-mil-iar?”
He scratches the back of his neck as he clears his throat. “I heard what you said. I’m just not sure what a familiar is. I definitely can say that I’ve never seen one before.”
He’s kinda cute, in a puppy dog kind of way. His golden-brown hair is practically shimmering in the morning sun. A soft breeze picks up, carrying his scent back to me again, you know, in case I didn’t smell it already . Something about it is calling to me and I’m doing everything I can to not breathe it in.
“A familiar is a witch’s pet, sort of. At birth, our ancestors send a soul to guide us, protect us, and with Nyx, annoy us.” I wave my hand nonchalantly.
“Ah, okay. So not your typical pet. I was wondering why you had a fox next to you. Makes sense now.” His face lights up with a beautiful, broad smile as he steps fully onto his front porch extending his hand towards me.
I take a small step back, glaring at his hand like it might infect me with polio. He hesitates, pulling his hand back slightly, but his face is still beaming like the summer sun.
“Uh, my name is Miles. Miles Everhart. I’m assuming since you had a familiar that you are a witch?”
I blow a raspberry as I cross my arms over my chest. “Yeah, and?”
“Noth…nothing. Witches are great. I’m a wolf shifter.”