Page 45 of Charmed, I'm Sure

Bellamy

There are exactly two types of mornings I hate.

The first is the one where I wake up to Nyx yowling as if he’s a starved creature because I didn’t fill his food bowl in a timely manner. The second is when my coffee is decaf, as if I would ever order that. Yes, it’s happened, and yes, I hexed Clarissa for the day.

And now it looks like I can officially add a third morning.

I enter my living room, the air still, and see my familiar, a black blur on the worn rug. He lies there, a fox prince, his fur catching the light. Beside him, Lady Bandit, sleek and black, is a tight, curled knot, nestled close, as if this bizarre pair were the most natural thing in the world. She’s not only purring (wait, do raccoons purr?) but Nyx is grooming her foot in slow, deliberate licks causing me to wonder what’s about to happen in the middle of the living room and if I want to be part of it.

His message is loud and clear: she’s staying.

This. This is Miles’s fault, and he should be the one tending to the fluffy ball of trouble. Lady Bandit looks up at me as if she heard my thoughts, chitters, and like the criminal she is, steals one of my shiny hairpins from the coffee table. Damn it, I’m going to have to hide all my crystals now.

My phone vibrates in my hand. Speaking of the man who made this a normal part of my morning. I lift my phone tofind a text message from Miles.

Dog Boy: Morning, Trouble. How’s Lady Bandit settling in? Has she stolen your heart yet or is she still working her way in? Also…please confirm that she hasn’t stolen any of your coffee? I read that it’s really bad for raccoons.

Shaking my head, I click the text box to respond, my fingers hovering over the keys. I want to respond; I want to show that I’m laughing at them. But a part of me still doesn’t believe that he will want me if he knows that eventually (sooner rather than later) I’ll die some tragic death.

Pocketing my phone, I stick with never replying. It’s better to save him the later heartbreak from my death. As much as I would like to have someone to love and be loved by, I won’t force someone to deal with that. Better to stay alone than to ensure someone’s suffering.

He’s sweet, almost too sweet with his gifts, constant flow of text messages, and showing up each day with a coffee and a pastry. Elora’s words play in my mind, I know she thinks he’s my destiny, but how could I be his fate too? Maybe her visions are wrong? There’s no way that The Weaver would give someone as sweet as him to someone like me? That is a cruel twist of fate. He deserves far more than someone who will leave him, not by choice, but by the very fate that brought us together.

He’s better off finding a wolf that he can grow old with, not me.

I’m in the middle of sipping my coffee when I hear my front door bang open. I swear, for such a dainty woman, Elora really makes the most noise when coming in. You’d think she would be quiet as a mouse with her ethereal beauty.

Her white-blonde hair is glowing in the early morning light, only enhancing my theory that she is really a high priestess given a mortal form. She says I’m crazy. I say she’s in denial.

As she stands in the opening to my kitchen, confusion crumples her face. Her thumb is hooked over her shoulder as she opens and closes her mouth like a fish out of water.

“Good morning, sister,” I say as I take a sip of my coffee.

“Why is there a raccoon lying on the floor with Nyx as he runs his paws down her? I’m not even sure what I witnessed, but I rushed away out of fear.”

I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. She freezes, staring at me as if I’m suddenly growing a horn out of my forehead. She is blinking slowly, her mouth agape, and she’s as still as a statue.

“What is happening on your face right now? Is that a smile?” She rushes over and slides into the chair across from me.

A low chuckle leaves me. “You know I do smile from time to time.”

She points her finger at me. “I can literally count and name the last five times that you’ve smiled, and almost all of them have been recently with the arrival of a certain wolf.”

“He’s not the reason I’m smiling.”

“Who are you trying to convince right now? Me or you?”

Exasperated, I say, “You, obviously. I’ve clearly smiled more than that.”

Nyx decides at that exact moment to make his appearance. He smirks at me, knowing that I’m lying to myself more than anyone else.

“Elora, you should see her face when she’s reading one of the many texts from Dog Boy. It’s nauseating to watch.”

I flick his tail. “You know you’re supposed to be on my side here.”

If a fox could shrug his shoulders, I’m positive that he would have by now.

“Bells, it’s okay to like him back, even if you are scared.”