Page 2

10 days later…

Harper marched through the crowded hallway, tracking the directions toward the luggage carousel. She fidgeted anxiously with the brim of her baseball cap, though there was little chance anyone would spot her. The temporary brown dye she'd applied to her hair, combined with its tight plait hidden beneath her oversized plaid button-down over worn denim and simple navy tee, made her unremarkable. She'd decided against dark shades - that would draw more attention than it deflected. The chunky reading glasses balanced on her face completed her wholesome, bookish appearance, the type that people's eyes naturally skimmed past. Just another face in the crowd, nothing worth noting. Keep moving along.

She prayed she'd spot Katerina among the waiting crowd. The Northeast Warden, Maroulla Kazakis, had forwarded an image showing a petite young woman with wild, short black hair and wide golden eyes. Jake, who had worked with her in San Francisco before moving back to the Hudson Valley last year, had filled her in on Katerina's tale - about Beatrice, the deranged female shifter who'd staked a claim in the Hudson Valley region above NYC and embarked on a mission to eliminate any other female shifters from what she considered her domain. The unstable shifter had targeted a local animal doctor named Troy Shelton, who happened to be Katerina's Chosen mate. A Djinn…. Djinn! She still had difficulty wrapping her head around that… had finally apprehended the violent rogue during Beatrice's attempt to murder both Katerina and Troy.

A chill crept down Harper's spine at the thought. How horrifying that must have been! That had been last year, however, and Katerina and Troy were married now, Jake had found his Chosen in Becca, and from what she’d heard, shifters were flocking to the Hudson Valley region. Including, as fate would have it, herself.

A wave of melancholy washed over Harper. The vast expanse of northern California had captured her heart - those towering redwoods, the majestic vistas of Yosemite, and countless other wild spaces where a fox could dash and frolic without care. Back then, spotting a fox in such terrain hadn't raised any eyebrows, because who would think a fox there remarkable? Except, well… now, everyone.

Arriving at baggage claim, Harper scanned the digital display until she spotted her flight number. She hovered near the carousel, shifting her weight from foot to foot while checking her phone. The belt remained motionless, though a mechanical whir in the distance promised action soon. Her carry-on dug into her shoulder as she waited.

“Harper!”

The sound of her name made her spin around. A woman - surely Katerina - was enthusiastically waving from the terminal's opposite side, moving in her direction. Behind her loomed a familiar stocky figure with a shock of reddish brown hair, and Harper's feet carried her forward before her mind could catch up.

"Jake!"

She threw herself against his chest and burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. His embrace was half-hearted - one arm wrapped around while the other patted her back uncertainly, a typical male discomfort with female tears on full display. A soft laugh sounded nearby, followed by the appearance of a pristine white tissue hovering at the edge of her vision.

"Good thing I came prepared. I'm Katerina." The woman's voice carried a musical lilt, warm and friendly as she offered the tissue. Her short dark hair bounced in playful wisps around her heart-shaped face, and her golden eyes sparkled with an understanding which made Harper's tears slow.

Drawing away from Jake's awkward hold, Harper accepted the proffered tissue, dabbing at her face before clearing her sinuses.

"Sorry," she whispered, feeling heat rise to her face.

The luggage carousel whirred to life with a harsh electronic buzz.

"Let me handle the luggage," Jake offered, stepping closer to the conveyor. "Tell me which ones belong to you."

"They're navy hardside suitcases, a matching pair," she explained. "Wait - those are mine!"

"Whoa. That’s a lot of daisies," Jake commented, hauling the sticker-bedazzled luggage from the carousel.

When he returned with her suitcases, Harper murmured quietly enough for just their small group to catch her words. "They were originally foxes," she admitted with a defeated gesture. "I couldn't remove them completely, so I plastered daisies over top. I didn’t want to… you know… draw any attention"

“No, I get it,” Katerina assured her, gripping the smaller suitcase's handle and wheeling it as she guided them toward the terminal doors. "Smart thinking, actually."

"Folks are obsessed with foxes these days," Harper exhaled wearily, scanning the area to confirm they were alone as their group headed into the concrete structure. "Over in the national park, tourists have been attempting to trap them, or at least track them down and point their lenses at them, praying they'll witness one transform. Some are genuinely curious, others just want their chance to go viral, too."

Katerina rolled her eyes. “Good luck to them with that.” Snickering, she paused behind a metallic blue Chevy Silverado, while Jake pushed the buttons on a key fob, unlocking the doors. “You think Yosemite is nuts, you should see the animal shelters! It’s crazy.”

Harper stopped in the act of tossing her heavy backpack into the back of the truck, to pause and stare at Katerina. The statement caught her so off guard she almost dropped the bag onto her toes. "Animal shelters?"

"Yeah. People are adopting cats like crazy, plus any dogs who might possibly be mistaken for a wolf... wolf hybrids, huskies, those sorts of breeds..." Katerina shook her head in frustration, her wild dark hair bouncing with the motion. "All in hopes of adopting themselves a shifter. The shelters can't keep up with the demand, which would be great if these people wanted actual pets instead of supernatural creatures."

Unbelievable. “I’m sorry, but can I facepalm now?” Harper asked.

Katerina grinned at her in sympathy. “You can even head-bang if you just feel you have to.”

"Just keep it away from my vehicle," Jake chimed in, after loading the baggage and moving to the driver's side. "You'll mess up the paint job."

“God forbid,” Katerina muttered, climbing into the rear seat, giving Harper no choice but the front passenger spot.

Harper climbed into the pickup, clicked her safety belt into place, and rested her head against the cushioned support, experiencing her first moment of security since this nightmare began.

“Thank you for having me here,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do… everyone looking for me, and all…”

"You understand that nobody could really tell it was you in that footage, don't you?" Jake said, shooting her a brief glance while steering through the parking structure. "They never got a clear view of your face. Plus, everyone's searching for someone who's lying low and sneaking around, not the nice bank lady who helps them with their investment planning."

“True,” Harper had to admit. “But when you’re the bank lady - and the fox - in question, it’s a frightening position to be in, thinking the next person to come sit across from you is going to point their finger and shout, ‘You’re the one on that video!’ so everyone can hear.”

Katerina, seated behind Jake, winced. “Ouch. I can see your point.”

The quiet descended around them as Jake handled the parking payment and carefully merged into traffic.

"What's your start date at the new bank?" Katerina inquired.

"Next week, on Monday." Harper rotated in her position to face her companions in front and back. "It's amazing how you located an available position exactly when one was required, Jake! I'm truly in your debt, and I won't forget it."

"Oh, that wasn't me," he replied, waving it off. "Talk about the craziest timing - you know the night your incident got filmed? The new president of the bank and his sister happened to be staying at the West Side Inn we're taking you to. They'd landed from London just a few hours earlier, and stumbled into the common room where everyone was watching your story playing over and over on the news."

Gasping, Harper stared at first Jake, then Katerina in disbelief. Katerina nodded, her golden eyes sparkling with amusement. "I was there. It was wild."

"And they aren't Other?" Harper's voice cracked on the question, her mind racing through what this might mean for their community's security.

"Nope. Not a clue," Jake responded with a casual shrug. "I believe whiskey was involved at some point. The good stuff, from what I heard - though apparently not good enough to blur out what they saw on TV."

“I can imagine!”

A laugh bubbled from Katerina's throat. "It was Troy who had the foresight to show up with some aged Caribbean scotch. First he arrives as Jacinth pops out to go, then he's still wrapping his head around that when she comes back with Douglas in tow. Then while the poor guy is still reeling from watching the video that's being played on a loop on the news, here comes her mother, teleporting into the lounge in front of us."

Harper pondered the details, attempting to match the quick summary Maroulla had emailed her earlier. "So Jacinth - she's the one who's a Djinn, right? She was nanny to Douglas’s children, and they’re married now? And you're saying there's also her mom who shows up?" She couldn't help but be absolutely fascinated.

“Yes, Zahra,” Katerina answered her. “You’ll totally be jealous when you see her. She’s all gorgeous and sultry, with this flaming dark red hair and slanted green eyes. I swear, the men practically drool the instant they lay eyes on her.”

"Totally," Jake agreed, nodding with a grin spreading across his face. "That woman is sex on a stick."

Katerina leaned forward to smack him on the shoulder, making Harper wince in sympathy. "You're not allowed to say that!"

"Ow!" He rubbed his shoulder, scowling at her in the rear-view mirror. "Why not? You were talking about how gorgeous and sultry she is! I was agreeing with you!"

Harper pressed her lips together to suppress a smile, amused by their bickering. "We women are allowed to talk about other women like that," she informed him, her voice taking on a teasing lilt. "Men aren't."

"Especially not engaged men," Katerina concurred.

"Not fair," he grumbled, slumping in his seat like a scolded puppy.

But that made Harper remember, and she turned an eager gaze on Jake. “I forgot! You said in your email that you’ve met your Chosen, but then you never said anything more. Tell me about her! And how did it happen? I mean, how did you know she was your Chosen?”

“Ah, yes. Becca." Jake smiled, and she could see the instant change which came over him, the warm glow in his eyes transforming his entire expression into one of pure adoration. "She's a witch, a Djinn brought her here from 17th century Salem."

"What!" Harper shrieked, jerking to sit straight up in her seat, turning to look at him. A real witch from Salem?

"Jake!" Katerina chastised. "You could have broken that news more gently. Though he's telling the truth," she added. "They were going to put her on trial for being a witch, so she used an ancient family heirloom - a Djinn talisman of some kind - to make a wish. It called Remi, a Djinn friend of Jacinth's, who transported her to our time. We recruited Jake because he specialized in American history, figuring he could help bridge the gap between her colonial life and the present day."

“I knew instantly,” Jake reminisced, a small smile curving his lips. “I took one look at her, and my wolf sat up and said mine! ”

“According to Becca, the first words Jake said to her were ‘oh, my God, you’re beautiful,’” Katerina teased.

To Harper's complete astonishment, Jake actually blushed, the red spreading across his cheeks and up to his ears. His gaze focused on the road before him, as his grip on the steering wheel tightened. "She's right, I did say that. I felt like such an idiot." The sight of this big, confident wolf shifter turning shy over his first encounter with Becca warmed Harper's heart.

“Well, obviously it worked out,” Harper pointed out with a laugh.

“Yeah. She’s amazing. She'd have come with us to pick you up, but she's at Katerina's and Troy's, teaching a class on milking a cow and churning butter.”

"Churning butter? Oh, wow! We don't see that in this day and age," Harper pointed out with a laugh. The image of someone actually making butter the old-fashioned way tickled her imagination.

"Yeah. She loved this century right away. It was something else, to see how quickly she would absorb everything thrown at her. Everything was different, changed, new, but she embraced it all." Jake's face lit up with pride as he spoke about his fiancée, his blue eyes sparkling. Harper noticed how his entire demeanor shifted whenever he mentioned Becca, radiating pure joy and devotion.

From the back seat, Katerina made a pointed cough. "We've wandered away from our earlier topic," she noted.

"Right! The redcoats," Jake said with a snicker. "The bottom line is, that evening Kelly and Ethan received a quick education about shapeshifters and supernatural beings. Naturally, they were stunned..."

"The scotch made it easier," Katerina commented with a sardonic tone.

Harper let out a soft chuckle. "I bet it did."

Jake glanced at Katerina in the rearview mirror, his expression brightening.

"Hey, did you know Carter's Bank is where I work security?"

Katerina's golden eyes went wide. Harper's mouth dropped open as she stared at Jake, her mind struggling to process this new connection. The coincidences were starting to feel almost supernatural in their convergence.

"You're joking," Katerina breathed from the back seat, leaning forward between them. "How did none of us realize this before?"

Harper's gaze darted between them, her heart racing with a mixture of anxiety and hope. Not only would she have a familiar face at her new workplace, but a fellow shifter - one who could watch her back if needed. The tight knot of tension in her chest loosened slightly.

"So I'll be working at the same bank as you?" Her voice came out higher than intended, squeaking with surprise.

Jake nodded, a grin spreading across his face as he navigated through traffic. "Looks like it. I'm usually stationed in the main lobby, but I patrol all floors throughout my shift. We'll probably cross paths pretty often. In fact, I figured I can give you a lift to and from the bank until you get a new car. I don't live that far from the inn, it's no big deal to swing by there."

The revelation settled over them, and Harper sank back against her seat, processing this latest development. First the perfectly-timed job opening, then discovering the bank's new president already knew about shifters, and now learning Jake worked there too? It felt almost too perfect, like pieces of a puzzle clicking into place.

"The universe works in mysterious ways," Katerina mused from the back seat, echoing Harper's thoughts.

"It does. I ran into them when I was picking up Becca at the inn the other day, and they recognized me from seeing me at the bank, and we got talking. Carter's Bank has apparently been in their family since before the Civil War," Jake explained, navigating through a series of traffic lights. "Their great-great-grandfather founded it. Their dad's been running it for decades now, but he's ready to step down."

Harper absorbed this information, her mind automatically calculating the historical significance. A family-owned bank surviving that long was impressive.

"Ethan was supposed to take over last year," Jake continued, "but some big merger kept him in London longer than planned. Their father wasn't happy about the delay. He's staying on as chairman of the board, but Ethan will handle day-to-day operations." Jake drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "Kelly came with him to help smooth the transition. She's got a marketing background."

“And they are staying at the West Side Inn, where I'm told lots of shifters stay?” Harper inquired. “Isn’t that… well, I mean. The coincidence factor is…” She hesitated seeking the right word.

"Off the charts," Katerina finished for her. She raised a single digit. "Consider this - Jake was working at the same bank as you in San Francisco, and moves to the East Coast before the shifter revelation. Second, this British guy comes to take over at the bank where Jake is a security guard. Third, they are staying in a bed and breakfast in the heart of the shifter community, an inn not only owned by wielders of magic, but where any number of shifters are staying at any given time. And here's the kicker - they land in America and check into that specific inn the exact same night the world learns about shifters."

Katerina pressed on. "Actually, the string of coincidences was so bizarre, I suspected Angus and Renee might have orchestrated the whole thing - their arrival time and their choice of lodging. So I asked Angus about it a few days after."

Harper furrowed her brow, trying to place the name. "Angus… that's the owner of the bed and breakfast, correct?"

"Yes, Angus and Renee, his wife. Angus manages the inn, Renee is in charge of the kitchen and dining."

"So, what did he say?" Harper asked, intrigued.

"Would you believe it? He just gave me a wink!" Katerina exclaimed. "A wink!"

Harper and Jake both started laughing.

"Well, there's your answer then," Jake said, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement. "Honestly, I wouldn't put much past their abilities… even if no one knows what they are, exactly."

Startled, Harper stared at him, her amber eyes widening. She'd assumed Angus and Renee were some type of supernatural being she hadn't encountered yet - perhaps something rare or exotic. But to learn they were a complete mystery? "No one knows what they are?"

"No, but they have magic powers beyond anything I've known or heard of," Jake said. "And considering my family's been around shapeshifters and other paranormals for generations, that's saying something."

"Me, too," Katerina admitted, her golden eyes alight with enthusiasm. "When that bad Djinn came after Becca, however, they said the ward they'd put around the inn and its property would repel anyone short of a minor deity."

“You’ll meet Becca when we get there,” Jake said, smiling. “She’s staying in the pack house for now. We’re both Catholic, and she’s from the 17th century, besides. She won’t be moving in with me until we’re married. At first, we were going to have her move in, but she was so uncomfortable with it, we decided to wait. We were going to get married sooner than later but then… well… there was this video popped up, and things got put on hold.”

“Oh, that’s great, blame it on me,” Harper grumbled. “Blame it instead on that great, lumbering lunk of grizzly. Did you know he was just a kid?”

“No, really?” Katerina asked from the back seat.

"Yeah, a teenager. Which accounts for his bad judgment… but not for mine," Harper sighed, rubbing her forehead in frustration. "I didn't sense he was shifter until it was too late… as soon as I latched onto the bear's ear, I knew, and by then we were already in public view. But you can believe," she said, her voice taking on a sharper edge as she remembered her fury, "I was giving him hell the whole time I was drawing him off into the trees. My inner fox wanted to teach him a very harsh lesson about avoiding humans and keeping our existence secret."

“We got off track again,” Katerina pushed at Jake’s shoulder. “Stop it! Keep on about the Carters.”

“Oh, that.” He shrugged. “There’s really not much to tell, aside from the whole coincidence/serendipity thing.”

Harper's shoulders sagged with an enormous sense of relief. "At least they already know I'm a shifter."

“Absolutely,” Jake confirmed. “And they are totally supportive. They’re aware you have no plans to come out, and they’re fine with that. Although,” he added in a warning tone, “not surprisingly, given their introduction to shifters and Others, they’re firmly in the pro-shifter camp, and have expressed their willingness to go public as a shifter-friendly business. I’m not able to come out, as that would put Becca too much in the spotlight. But Lydia's Chosen works on the local bobcat construction crew, and they’re coming forward sometime soon, so there will be some focus on the bank once she goes public. She’s working with the owners, and our PR folks, on that.”

Harper nodded. "I know Lydia's the bank manager. She interviewed me on Zoom before hiring me, and we've talked a few times on the phone since."

"But the most attention will be on the veterinary clinic," Katerina said, her golden eyes dark with mingled pride and concern. "What with me coming out, and being married to Troy, and Tamera, who's a receptionist there, engaged to my brother, Kester, and he's coming out, too, with me."

“Oh, my God,” Harper facepalmed. “I’m going to need a scorecard.”

“That’s no joke,” Jake says. “It’s fine for Katerina, she’s been living here all along as people arrived and paired up. But for us, coming new into the community, the who’s who and who’s engaged, or married, and to whom, will make your head spin.”

"Good grief," Harper groaned, pressing her palm against her forehead. "I think I need a spreadsheet."

"You can say that again," Jake said. "Trying to figure out all these relationships and engagements is enough to give you whiplash."

They were on the freeway now… highway, or whatever the fast roads were called in this part of the country. Tired as she was, she sat forward, eagerly taking in the New York skyline as it whizzed past. “How far away are we from the city?”

“Not that far. It’s an hour by train, a bit less by car. Although,” Katerina added, “that depends on traffic. You’ll want to avoid rush hour at all costs.”

The trip out of the city went by fast. As they exited the highway and began making their way through a small town, Harper felt her apprehension returning, welling up inside her. Katerina had been surprisingly easy to warm up to, and she hadn’t felt the least awkwardness, but now it returned all in a rush. She clasped her hands tightly in her lap, and turned her head to look out the window at the passing scenery. Jake wasn’t fooled, apparently, because a warm hand closed over hers, and he gave her fingers a reassuring squeeze.

"It's okay, Harper. You're just going to meet the innkeepers now, and my fiancée."

That didn't sound so bad. She'd already conquered the first hurdle of meeting Katerina, whose warm welcome had soothed her initial fears. Still, the prospect of meeting more new people made her heart flutter like a caged bird against her ribs.

“I’m definitely looking forward to meeting Becca? Why haven’t we heard about her? There’s been nothing about her in the shifter forums.”

"Traveling through time is absolutely prohibited," Katerina clarified. "The Djinn who saved her and transported her to this era would face severe consequences if anyone found out."

"Besides," Jake explained, "we decided to keep time travel under wraps. The fewer people who are aware it's even a possibility, the better. It's preferable if everyone continues thinking it belongs in fantasy novels, Victorian-era fiction, and British sci-fi shows. Even shifters."

Harper mulled it around in her mind. "That makes sense," she replied thoughtfully.

They'd left the town and were now winding their way through what seemed to be back roads, with large properties and thickly clustered trees. Some of the homes had barns, and she gaped at the sight of several large horses, their coats and long, curling manes and tails gleaming black in the sunlight, reaching over a neat white fence to lip at some greens growing tall. Harper's heart skipped a beat at their magnificence. The horses moved with a fluid grace she'd never witnessed before, their muscles rippling beneath glossy black coats.

"Those are Friesians! Like in the movie LadyHawke!" Her inner fox quivered with excitement at the sight of such majestic creatures. She'd always dreamed of seeing these particular horses up close, but had never expected the opportunity.

Katerina laughed. "That's our home... mine and Troy's. He raises Friesians for dressage."

"Please say I can come riding!" Harper begged. That would be so awesome!

Katerina grinned at her. “Of course! Becca exercises the mares for Troy in the afternoons. One day the three of us can go out riding.”

"Yes!" Harper exclaimed, grinning back at Katerina.

They went around a couple more curves, and the woods gave way to a wide, spreading green lawn, from which a lovely Victorian home arose, all mint green and white gingerbread. Harper caught her breath at the sight. The house seemed to glow in the afternoon sunlight, its ornate trim work casting delicate shadows across the clapboard siding. Four majestic turrets soared skyward, their weathered copper finials gleaming against the azure sky. A wraparound porch beckoned invitingly, with white rockers and low Adirondack chairs facing the smooth lawn.

“Oh, that’s so lovely.”

Jake smiled, switching on his turn signal. “That’s where we’re headed. Welcome to the West Side Inn.”