Page 3

Chapter three

Hayley

“I think we may have a raccoon problem.”

Freddie, by far the most chatty of his siblings, perks up as I approach, looking up from the gossip magazine he’s reading from his stool behind the checkout counter. “Hey Hayley! Did you see the article about how that pop star says she got abducted by aliens? She says that they probed her. Can you believe it?”

I did see it because I’m subscribed to a bunch of UFO newsletters, but Freddie’s tone makes it clear he thinks the whole thing is ridiculous, so I shake my head. I don’t want to get a reputation as the weird human that believes in aliens. Even though they’re for sure real and the pop star’s story has been corroborated with multiple witnesses and similar experiences from other abductees. “I didn’t. Did you hear what I said?”

Freddie shakes his head and sets the magazine down to focus fully on me. “No, sorry. What’s the issue, boss?”

“Raccoons. I saw one digging through our dumpster last night. It made a mess of the crates out there, too.”

The teen smiles like I’ve told him a joke and not reported a potential pest situation. “Yeah, that happens sometimes.”

I frown at his response. “Should we, like, report it to animal control or something? What if it’s rabid?”

“Nah, there’s no need. If it’s really bugging you, you could go talk to Jake.”

Bettie, the third of the wolf shifter triplets, rounds the corner from where she was directing Mrs. Franco to snack cakes. “Yeah, if there’s a problem with raccoons, Jake is your guy.”

“Oh okay, great!” I say cheerily, happy that there’s apparently a town raccoon expert. I really didn’t like the prospect of calling animal control. The furball was pretty adorable in the brief moments I saw it, if I ignore the fact that it was running off with my panties. Still have no clue what that was about, but it’s more than a little embarrassing to think that my underwear was stinky enough to attract a wild animal. “Uh, who is Jake, and where can I find him?”

“You haven’t met Jake yet?” Freddie asks, cocking his head. His sister’s head tilts in an identical way and suddenly I’m thinking about how damn cute they must’ve been as little kids. My ovaries would explode if I had a trio of adorable shifter babies looking at me like that.

“No? Should I have?” I ask, shaking away the image.

“He runs Trash to Treasure,” Bettie clarifies .

“Oh!” Now I understand why they’re suggesting I talk to him. If I have a raccoon problem, then so does he, since we share a dumpster. “I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet. Or introduce myself. Crap, I should probably go introduce myself. Will he be upset that I haven’t?”

Bettie shakes her head, patting me on my shoulder. “He won’t care. Jake is nice! Weird, but nice.”

“Weird how?” I’m not sure what these nineteen-year-olds’ definition of weird is and don’t want to sound too out of touch by venturing a guess.

Freddie snorts. “Uh, it’s kinda hard to describe. Better to go in and see for yourself.”

I grimace slightly at the thought of meeting someone who is a “see for yourself” level of weird. I have my quirks, which I try to keep to myself, but this sounds like he’s over there telling everyone who comes into the shop that the government controls the weather.

Freddie drops his magazine, brows raising at my reaction. “But he’s totally harmless!”

“Yeah, he’s cool,” Bettie adds.

“Really weird, but cool. Sounds kinda like me,” I say with a self-deprecating laugh.

The siblings tilt their head again, but this time to the other side.

“Which part of that is confusing you? Please say it’s the weird part… You know what? I don’t need to know,” I say, waving a hand at the teens dismissively before they can reply and crush me. “If you’re good here, I’m going to go talk to this guy. The last thing I need is my aunts coming ba ck to a raccoon infestation after they trusted me to take care of this place.”

The wolf shifters laugh like I said something funny, but I don’t want to ask and seem even less cool by not getting the joke.

I head out the front of the bodega, waving to the cute human woman, Gwen, as she’s opening up the game shop across the street. I keep wanting to go over and talk to her for longer than a passing hello, but I chicken out every time because I’m worried I don’t have enough nerdy knowledge to keep up with someone who runs a gaming shop.

Right now, talking to Gwen sounds a lot less scary than going into the weird dude’s thrift shop, but I resist the urge to stall, making a beeline for the entrance to Trash to Treasure.

The front of the shop has a large display window, and every week there’s a new, strange tableau that probably should’ve already clued me in to the eccentricity of its owner. This week’s display has a headless mannequin in a hot pink and orange jumpsuit lying on the floor next to an old rocking horse like it was bucked off the side, and another mannequin in a flowing black dress and hooded cloak looming over them like a grim reaper. All while a disco ball rotates above, scattering shimmering light across the bizarre scene.

I step in through the frosted glass door, and a bell rattles as it shuts behind me, announcing my arrival. It’s a good thing, because this place is so packed that I doubt anyone could see me enter if they’re toward the back of the shop.

I stand next to the door, frozen in place as I take in the chaotic array of clothing racks, furniture, knickknacks, and more. There’s barely room to move through the cramped aisles, if you can even call the spaces between the overstuffed racks and shelves that. I hug my arms to my sides, careful not to knock into anything with my hips as I press further into the store.

“Hello?” I call out, not really expecting a reply.

A moment later, a well-dressed human woman with cropped dark hair peeks from behind a huge stack of what looks like old magazines and comic books. I think her name is Sydney, and she’s mated to that hot satyr farmer, but she’s intimidatingly pretty so I haven’t worked up the nerve to introduce myself when I’ve seen her in passing.

“Are you looking for Jake?” she asks.

Seeing the possibility of making a potential new friend flash before my eyes, I smile broadly. “Hi! Uh, yeah, I am. You’re Sydney, right? I’m Hayley! I’m new in town. It’s so cool to meet you. There aren’t many humans in Hallow’s Cove, so I’ve noticed you around. I’m not like, watching you or anything, just uh, saw you…” I laugh nervously as I trail off, wishing I’d stopped talking after saying my name.

She nods, though I catch a slight flicker of her placid expression at my bubbly, weird demeanor. Crap, I’m coming on way too strong. This is why I’m bad at making friends. I have no chill .

“Hi, yeah, I’m Sydney. Nice to meet you, Hayley. Jake’s in the back.”

“Oh okay. Thanks!” I stand there with an awkward smile for a beat too long, and when she goes back to perusing the comics, I know I missed the window of opportunity for chatting more.

Flustered, I move to the other side of the store, where an elderly woman with fox ears and a long silver braid is examining a stack of side tables. I pretend to look at the selection of novelty t-shirts, but when a few minutes pass and there’s no sign of the man in question, I clear my throat to get the older fox woman’s attention. “Hi! Sorry to bother you, but do you know if Jake will come out at some point?”

She shrugs, not bothering to look up from the table she has her eye on. “Not sure. If you find something and don’t want to wait for him to pay, you can put the money over by the register.” She gestures absently with a hand over to the cluttered jewelry counter with an old-fashioned cash register sitting atop it and a sign that says “Pay here. Don’t steal.”

“Huh. Okay, thanks.”

Another five minutes or so pass as I wander around the labyrinthine shop, marveling at the selection and at how much he’s crammed into a shop not much larger than the bodega. It should feel claustrophobic, but once I get over the sheer volume of stuff, I can see there is a method to the madness. An unusual one, but it’s there. Formal dresses and suits are by the glassware and dining tables. Luggage is next to the shoes and jackets .

I’m looking through the collection of vintage bodice ripper novels next to the sleepwear when someone clears their throat behind me. I startle and drop the book with the pirate king and a busty wench on the cover with a curse.

I bend down to grab it, only for the stranger to do the same, and our foreheads collide in a painful smack.

“Shit, sorry!” I pull back, clutching at my smarting forehead.

“Whoops, my bad,” he says, shaking his head as he grabs the book, then turns to look up at me from his kneeling position.

Damn, he’s cute .

The man on the floor takes up most of the aisle with the bulk of his thick body. He pushes a strand of his dark brown, shaggy hair off of his forehead, a hint of a flush peeking up from beneath his thick beard, burnishing his beige skin.

I only have a moment to drink in his bright, lopsided smile before it drops as he takes me in and his expression morphs into a look of horror.

I snap out of my reverie. “What? Am I bleeding?” I ask, voice panicked as I swipe at my forehead and look at my fingers.

The man shakes his head and a hint of his smile returns, this time seeming apologetic. “Sorry, you just, uh, startled me.”

He stands, and now that he’s upright, I realize how tall he is. Tall and broad beneath his boxy Hawaiian shirt that’s unbuttoned down far enough that a hint of his gray-brown chest hair peeks out. There’s something about him that gives me monster vibes, despite him looking completely human. Maybe he’s a shifter.

I snap my gaze up to his face before he catches me blatantly checking him out. There’s a slightly gold sheen to his eyes, confirming my guess.

“You’re the one who snuck up on me,” I say with a soft laugh, rubbing my forehead.

He lets out a slightly strangled laugh, like he’s forcing it. “Sorry about that.”

He stares down into my eyes for a long moment, neither one of us saying anything. My heartbeat speeds up as he reaches out towards me and for a second, I think he’s going to grab me and pull me into a kiss.

Is this it? Am I having my fated mates moment? I am pretty attracted to this guy…

I close my eyes and embrace the butterflies bursting in my stomach as I await the kiss that will change my life.

No kiss comes. My eyes flutter open and I realize he’s placing the book back on the shelf behind me. A furious blush spreads across my cheeks as he gives me a quizzical look.

“Don’t worry, I don’t bite,” he says, sounding like he’s seriously worried I’m scared of him and that’s why I shut my eyes.

“Oh, I’m not worried! You can bite me if you want,” I blurt.

His thick brows shoot up and I shake my head and smile like I didn’t say something super weird and inappropriate.

I clear my throat. “Are you uh, Jake? ”

“Yep. And you’re… Betsy’s niece?” His eyes narrow like he’s trying to search my face for any resemblance to my aunt. “You have her nose,” he concludes after a moment.

“Uh, yeah. I’m Hayley.” I reach my hand out to him with a smile. “Nice to meet you, Jake. Sorry it took me so long to come introduce myself.”

He takes my hand and gives it a quick shake before releasing it and wiping his palm on his pants.

Ouch, okay. Maybe not my mate.

“It’s, uh, nice…” Jake fades off, breathing in deeply for a moment, and letting out a small sound of discomfort.

Shit, do I smell bad? I took a shower last night, but maybe I forgot to put on deodorant. I wrap my arms around myself, fighting off the urge to flee.

“So, um, I’m here because I wanted to ask you about something,” I say, trying to get this back on track before I spontaneously combust from embarrassment.

“I didn’t do it,” he says immediately.

“Uh, what?”

He crosses his arms over his chest, sputtering at my confusion. “N-nothing!”

What the hell is this conversation? I’m so lost.

“If you’re not able to talk right now, I can come back later,” I offer.

Jake shakes his head. “No, no, it’s fine. Don’t come back later.”

Yikes, he doesn’t have to sound so adamant about not seeing me again. “There was a raccoon digging out in our shared dumpster last night. Freddie and Bettie said to talk to you about it, so here I am, talking to you.”

His eyes go wide. “A raccoon? Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I’m sure. I saw it run off with my…” I flush, realizing I probably shouldn’t tell my neighbor who clearly dislikes me for god knows what reason, that a raccoon stole my lucky panties. “With some trash.”

“Uhh, okay,” Jake says with a shrug. “Raccoons do that sometimes. Was it something valuable?”

“N-no! Nothing… It doesn’t really matter what it was. It also knocked over some crates. I guess I wanted to let you know, in case you thought we should do something about it.”

Jake’s eyes narrow. “What would we do about it? It’s not hurting anything. Clearly, whatever it was digging around for wasn’t wanted anymore—it was trash. Which is fair game.” He clears his throat. “For a raccoon, that is.”

I’m starting to understand why the triplets said this guy is weird. He sounds like he’s deeply concerned about raccoon rummaging rights.

I nod. “Sure, but I don’t want my aunts to come home to a raccoon infestation in their dumpster because I did nothing about it.”

“That won’t happen,” Jake says dismissively.

“How can you be certain?” I’m getting frustrated with this dude. He might not like the way I look or smell, but he doesn’t have to be rude.

He pinches his brow and lets out a heavy sigh. “I… I can talk to them.”

“To the raccoon?” My brow furrows. Is that something that shifters can do? I know better than to ask and sound like a super ignorant human .

His eyes fly open and he looks alarmed, like I caught him saying something he shouldn’t. Oh damn, is talking to animals some kind of secret shifter power they’re not supposed to talk about?

“I meant it metaphorically!” He lets out a forced laugh and a smile finally returns to his face. “I’ll deal with it. The raccoon won’t bother you again.”

I’m thoroughly confused by this entire interaction, so I decide it’s better to just go with it. “Oh. Okay. Well, thanks!”

“Of course. I’m here for anything you need.” Jake’s eyes lock onto mine, gleaming gold for an intense moment that makes me feel off balance. I reach out to grab the bookshelf to steady myself and accidentally knock a few books over.

“Crap! Sorry!” I say, scrambling to pick it up. At least this time, he doesn’t try to help.

“You can have them, if you want,” he says, gesturing to the worn books in my hand.

“I don’t…” I trail off as I start to decline, realizing that this weird man offering to give me some old romance novels is probably the best possible outcome of this conversation. I don’t want to offend him by not taking them. “Sure, thanks!”

He nods, holding my gaze for a quick moment. “Okay, bye,” he says, and hurries away, back through the racks of clothes and out of sight.

I stare in his direction for a dazed moment, trying to make sense of what happened, then glance down at the books. That was bizarre, but at least now I have something to read to keep me entertained at night, since I’m apparently repulsive to attractive monsters like Jake.

I head out the front door, replaying our conversation to try to figure out what I did that made Jake so uncomfortable. Maybe he’s always like that. God, I hope that’s what it is, because I don’t know if my ego can handle it otherwise.

I’m thinking about his horrified look when he saw me, and not where I’m going, when I collide with something solid, my books tumbling to the ground for the third time today.

“Whoa!” Strong hands grab my arms to steady me.

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry!” I exclaim to the poor person I walked into. “I didn’t see…”

My words fall away when I look at their face. A horned person with dusky red skin grins down at me with sharp teeth.

“And here I thought stumbling into a pretty woman was an unrealistic meet cute,” the demon says, voice teasing and warm as they scoop up the books I dropped with their tail.

“P-pretty?” I ask, stunned that someone finally seems interested in me.

“Sorry, I meant stunning,” they say, giving me a devilish smile.

I’m sure my cheeks are turning the same color as their skin as they pass my books back. “You’re not so bad yourself,” I say with a flustered smile.

“I’ll take it.” The demon takes a small step back and blatantly gives me a once over. It’s a little forward for my taste, but maybe that’s just a cultural difference. “What’s your name, beautiful?” they ask when their gaze returns to my face.

“Hayley.” I grin at their flirtation. Finally, something is happening! I don’t feel the crazy butterflies or connection, but I don’t think demons have fated mates, so that’s okay. “A pleasure to meet you, Hayley. I’m Tryzx.” They extend a hand and this handshake goes a lot better than the one with Jake, though the scrape of their long nails against my wrist as they draw their hand back makes me shiver a bit. “This may sound super forward, but would you like to grab some coffee with me? I was headed down to the cafe to meet a friend, but they had to cancel. You walking into me feels far too much like fate to not at least ask.”

My heart leaps. Is this what I’ve been waiting for? A life filled with this hot stranger and a bunch of horned babies flashes before my eyes before I can stop my ridiculous fantasizing.

“Sure,” I say, turning away from the thrift shop. “Who am I to deny fate?”