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  “Max and Ēostre should be here soon. When you told me you were coming, we called everyone to join us for dinner.”

  “You didn’t have to do that, Mom.”

  “I wanted to. You’re so busy with your new life in San Diego that we never see you anymore.”

  “I’m sorry,” Astrid said, chastened.

  “That wasn’t a complaint,” Chloe said. She smiled warmly. “I’m glad you’ve been happy there. Come on. Help me out in the kitchen and tell me about what you’ve been up to.”

  A conversational hour passed while they prepared dinner together, during which Astrid considered the encounter with Nate. She didn’t feel ready to share that bomb with her parents, not when she still wasn’t certain about it herself. So she focused on other things, telling her mom about her recent sales in the shop and her latest girls’ night out with her former college roommate.

  “No boys?” her mother asked. While she lacked magical powers, she’d always been intuitive to her child’s needs.

  “Nothing serious, no.”

  “Nothing serious means there’s something,” Chloe pointed out.

  She rolled her eyes. “I have a movie date with a guy I ran into at the coffee shop. That’s it.”

  “Is he cute? What’s his name?” Her mother shifted away to wipe the counters, cleaning their mess.

  “Seriously, Mom, if you start with an inquisition in here, I’m gonna have Mahasti poof me home.”

  “What? Can’t I be curious? You haven’t dated anyone since that Jasper fellow.”

  “Jason, Mom, not Jasper. That’s what Dad kept calling him.”

  Chloe giggled into one hand. “I know. Your father only did that because the boy was such an asshole, you know.”

  “He was,” Astrid agreed sadly. “I don’t think he cared about me aside from wanting to have a tour around Drakenstone Studios.”

  Her mother paused. “Does this one know who you are, or are you using my name?” Her lips pursed before she asked, “What does he do for a living?”

  Despite her intentions to keep both parents in the dark, she found herself growing eager to discuss him. Warmth blossomed in her chest as the memory of his smile flit through her mind. “I’m using your name for now. He’s in the Navy. An officer. He did one of those pay-it-forward things at the cafe, and so we ended up talking while waiting for our drinks.”

  “Better than how you met Jasper.”

  “Mom.”

  Chloe grinned impishly. “I promise I won’t tell your father a thing. Keep me updated.”

  “No promises. I’m not in any rush.” It was a lie, and it wasn’t. Until her startling encounter with Nate, she hadn’t been in a rush. Now she had no idea what to think.

  “He is cute, though,” she admitted. “No, not cute. Handsome and—”

  A tremble seemed to reverberate through the house, a palpable sense of magic adding a charge to the air.

  “And what, sweetie?”

  “Grandma is here!”

  Astrid abandoned the kale and spinach salad she was tossing and hurried toward the large family room. A shimmering portal hung in the middle of the door between the living room and the hallway. Astrid looked through it into the family wing of the White House.

  A tall, rangy man with black hair stepped through first then reached through and signaled for the others to follow. Andrew Connelly had been one of Max’s bodyguards since he ran for the presidency. The werewolf was practically family by this point.

  “Astrid!”

  Her little brother barreled through the portal after Andrew, nearly knocking him aside in his haste to reach Astrid. He collided into her, hugging her legs. “You came home!”

  “Sure did, kiddo.”

  “I missed you,” he gushed. “I built my Legos and put a T-rex in the Nether.”

  “That sounds awesome. You can show me after dinner, okay?”

  “Okay!”

  Her grandfather stepped through the portal next. Max was a handsome man, and as a human, he appeared to be in his forties. In his arms, a red-haired toddler wriggled for freedom. “Branwen, please. A moment, little one.”

  “Down! Papa, Papa, want down!”

  “In a moment,” he told her again.

  Ēostre entered last with a boy clinging to her. He resembled his mother, with curls of pale blond atop his head and expressive, liquid silver eyes.

  “Astrid, you look lovely.” Ēostre waited patiently to receive her embrace, Max beside her after Chloe relieved him of his daughter. The portal behind them closed.

  “Thanks, Grandma.”

  Over dinner, Max regaled them with his plans for retirement from the White House and they all took turns asking Astrid about each facet of her life in the city, from her new shop to her plans for the weekend. Chloe chuckled when she replied with a vague comment about possibly seeing a new movie with a friend.

  “Oh! Grandpa Max, can I still have those green opals you offered last time we visited your hoard?”

  “Of course,” he replied charitably. “I set them aside for you.” His brows raised. “I couldn’t convince you to take them last time.”

  Astrid cleared her throat and had a sip of wine. “Thank you. Um, I finally have an idea for a piece that they’d be perfect for. That’s all.”

  After more family bonding, she returned to her apartment with enough leftover spiced lamb to carry her through the weekend. Once she’d stowed her food in the fridge, she settled at her computer desk.

  Isis curled around her ankle then a kitten bounded over to plop beside them and reveal her belly. Of the three she’d chosen to foster, Cleopatra struck her as the one with the most personality. She’d been tempted to apply to keep her.

  Maybe. She had enough love for two cats and one man, didn’t she? A smile curved her lips as she logged onto Facebook and found a new message on her shop’s page.

  Nathaniel Kirkpatrick. The profile photo featured a stern-faced Nate in his uniform.

  “We forgot to exchange numbers at your store, so I found you here to confirm our night out. I hope this isn’t too presumptuous of me and that I haven’t offended. Feel free to ignore this and assume I’m a weirdo if I have,” she read aloud.

  Offended? She clicked his name, went to his profile, and sent a friend request. As soon as the page registered with his acceptance, she tapped out her number to his personal message box and hit send. Seconds later, she received a beep on her phone with an unrecognizable number. The body of the message simply asked, “Astrid?”

  Astrid: Yup, it’s me. Your FB pic is super serious. Doesn’t the Navy believe in smiles?

  Nate: LOL Smiles? What are those?

  Astrid: You know what those are. You gave me a stunner in the shop.

  Nate: You gave me a reason to smile.

  Her cheeks warmed. For a moment, she stared down at the phone, trying to think up a witty response.

  Astrid: Hopefully I’ll manage it a second time.

  Nate: I’m looking forward to it. See you tomorrow around six?

  A nervous tremble made it difficult to tap out an answer. Yes, she replied, only to rethink her answer and tell him to pick her up at five instead.

  They ended their text exchange after parting wellwishes for a good sleep, and then Astrid rose from her computer. The sword scabbard tapped her thigh. Somehow, she’d forgotten it was there, and wearing it felt more natural than she wanted to admit.

  “Well, you certainly aren’t going along with me on my date. I don’t care what Mom says.”

  She unfastened it and set it on the dresser.

  Chapter 3

  “C’mon, Astrid, hang out with us tonight. The others are at the bar up the street, and Phil’s band is playing.”

  On any other day, her best friend, Toni, would have made a compelling argument to drag her away from her shop for an evening of fun with their mutual circle of friends, but Astrid had plans of attending a movie with a hot sailor from the nearby base.

  “I can’t. I al
ready made plans.”

  “What plans?” Toni blew her purple-streaked bangs out of her face. “Staying here all night painting? You can do that anytime.”

  “No, I’m meeting up with someone to go to a movie.”

  “Bullshit.” Her friend crossed her arms and stared her down. Her lips pursed. “When I asked about it last week, you said there wasn’t anything you wanted to see. And if you had a date, I’d know about it because you would have called me.”

  A brief flicker of guilt brought heat to her neck and cheeks. She and Toni shared everything, especially when it came to guys. They’d been roommates in college and were as close as sisters.

  “I’m telling you about it now?” She said the words like a question, uncertainty wavering her voice.

  “Astrid, honey, you don’t have to make up a story if you don’t wanna come out and drink—”

  The bell over the door chimed. Both women swiveled toward the entrance, and while Toni gaped, Astrid smiled. All at once, that same rush of giddiness swept through her and chased the anxiety away.

  “Nate, I almost didn’t recognize you out of uniform.”

  “Heh. Despite what the guys on base would tell you, I have a life outside my uniform.”

  Her gaze crept up his jeans and untucked, buttoned shirt. The vertical, blue stripes intensified his green eyes, making the slow grin spreading over his face even more brilliant.

  “Oh, hey, sorry. If you’re not finished with your buyer, I can disappear for a few and come back.”

  Shaken from her stupor, Toni barked out a laugh and shook her head. “Are you kidding? I wait for birthday gifts if I want something from Astrid’s hoard. And I was just leaving anyway, so you two kids have fun.”

  At the door, behind Nate’s back, Toni mouthed the words “wow” and “call me,” gave Astrid a thumb’s up, and then took off.

  “Let me lock up. Then we can head down to Horton Plaza. Did you find parking okay or did you take the trolley from the base?”

  “Nah, I found a spot in the garage up the way. I don’t live on base.”

  As they started down the street, Nate’s hand engulfed hers, his warm skin calloused and firm. Reveling in the security of his grip, she beamed up at him then turned her eyes toward the crossing ahead of them.

  “I’m glad we could do this today,” she told him. “What should we see?”

  “Let’s pick when we get there.”

  They scanned the movie posters, and an amicable debate ended with a confident decision. Of the three movies they were willing to see, only one had a showing within the next twenty minutes. Astrid unfastened her purse and reached inside to approach the ticket window, but Nate touched her arm and shook his head. Between his fingers, he held two evening passes.

  “They passed these out to some of us on base. It’s on me tonight. Snacks are on me too,” Nate decided. “I get a military discount.”

  Astrid laughed. “Fine. You get to feed my sweet craving.”

  Before Nate’s invitation to the theater, she’d had no interest in any of the movies currently showing. She still lacked interest in the flick they’d chosen as a tentative compromise between romance and action, but once they settled in their seats with a bevy of showtime snacks, he made the movie interesting. She giggled at his occasional quips and swatted his shoulder. He even let her steal some of his nachos, and then they shared a pack of Red Vines.

  About an hour into the movie, she lowered her cheek to his shoulder. She breathed in the scent of his skin and closed her eyes, relishing the moment when his arm surrounded her. He was solid muscle beneath her, built like a lean swimmer.

  He smelled divine, his skin infused with the scent of sandalwood and bergamot. She could have breathed in his cologne all night along with the natural musk she associated with him.

  “Not a bad movie. Ready to go?” The movie had ended, but he hadn’t moved. She stirred at the sound of his voice but didn’t lift her cheek from his shoulder.

  “There’s an end credits scene,” she told him.

  “You sure? Everyone’s leaving.”

  Astrid chuckled. “Yeah, trust me.”

  True to her word, a brief clip came on at the end, a promising teaser for the next installment of the franchise. Only a few other couples had remained in the theater.

  “The mall is closing up, but if you aren’t in a rush to be rid of me, we could walk around a bit. Maybe grab a drink?” she suggested as they stepped out of the theater.

  “Trust me, I’m not in a rush to get anywhere.” He slanted another of his heart-melting grins down at her. “Come on. We can cut through down this way. A buddy told me about a place if you’re game.”

  “Sure.”

  Shops in the open-air mall were closing their doors and flipping their signs for the night. Nate and Astrid cut through the center and meandered toward the parking garage exit. The stench of old, stale urine assaulted her nose as they took the stairwell down to the road level. She knew the area well and sometimes brought clean blankets for the homeless men who cycled in and out for shelter.

  “Hand over your purse.”

  A man shambled out of the shadows beneath a broken streetlight and stepped into their path. Beside her, Nate tensed and drew her back. The stranger drew a gun from his pocket and aimed at Astrid.

  “Look, we don’t want any trouble.” Nate angled his body in front of her.

  “Shut the fuck up, man, and gimme your wallet. You, Blondie, the purse. Now.”

  Although the gun looked legitimate, the subtle traces of gunpowder were absent from the weapon. It smelled like cheap plastic. And juice. Like someone had spilled fruit punch on it and hastily wiped it clean.

  A kid’s toy, she wondered? Was anyone stupid enough to rob a couple using a replica?

  “Look, you can give me the purse, or I can pump some holes in your boyfriend here. You make your mind up.” He swept the gun from her toward Nate.

  Astrid’s eyes narrowed. A surge of rage tightened her fingers on the handle of her clutch, and she held it out in offering toward the robber. He’d threatened Nate. Not her. Four years of school and dealing with university boys had hardened her enough to weather threats from men with the appropriate recourse.

  Leiv had always taught her to use the least amount of force necessary when facing a human opponent. Never kill when a wound would suffice.

  With that in mind, Astrid, under the guise of passing over her purse, slammed the leather satchel against his wrist in a sharp, overhand blow. Before the gun clattered to the ground out of his grip, she stepped in and hooked both hands behind his neck and slammed his face toward her rising knee.

  Growing up with a Russian uncle with a fondness for wrestling and a penchant for doing it in his bear form had given Astrid an advantage. She took their assailant down to the ground as Nate rushed for the handgun.

  Astrid pressed the gunman’s face into the cool, wet ground. A light, five-minute shower of rainfall during the movie had kissed the concrete with moisture.

  Nate turned the gun over in his hands a few times. “This isn’t even real. What the hell?”

  “Look, I’m sorry!”

  Her date dropped the imitation handgun on the ground and stood back with his arms crossed. He shook his head. “I’m calling the cops.”

  “Don’t bother,” Astrid said. She didn’t weigh as much as the man trapped beneath her, but she had leverage and supernatural strength. She could always blame his helplessness on the former.

  “What?”

  “I don’t want the police involved.”

  “Astrid, this asshole had a gun in your face. You’re seriously going to let him go?” Nate demanded.

  “It wasn’t a real gun, so he didn’t actually break a law.”

  “It’s still attempted robbery.” Nate glanced at the man on the ground. He scowled, while the would-be-thief gazed up at him with startled eyes. “We need to—”

  The man on the ground had eased one hand beneath him and pushed up wi
th surprising strength. He didn’t smell like a shifter to Astrid, but raw power emanated from him, and it stunned her. A flash filled the space between them in ivory radiance. Dazzled, she stumbled off of him, only to become vaguely aware of Nate shielding her with his body.

  “Nate? Nate!” she cried, feeling for him with both hands. “I can’t see!”

  “Neither can I,” he called back.

  Astrid felt blindly with her hands, and they found one another by voice. It was like a flashbang grenade without the auditory effect. Blinded, she clung to her date with both hands and waited for her vision to return, certain at first that it never would.

  “I can’t see!”

  “Shh… Give it a moment, okay? Don’t panic yet. I’m already getting my sight back.”

  Nate was right. Astrid blinked and spots formed in front of her eyes, but the vague, blurry shape of the street swam into her view.

  “Can you see now?”

  “Some,” she replied shakily.

  “He must have been some kind of witch or warlock. Whatever they call them,” Nate concluded after a moment of stony silence passed between them.

  “Maybe… but I know witches, and I’ve never seen one of them do anything like that,” Astrid said. “Most of them don’t want any trouble. If he were a sorcerer, why would he rob anyone?”

  “Does it matter? Let’s talk about that stunt you pulled. What the hell, Astrid? Attacking a man with a gun was a foolish thing to do.”

  An uncomfortable flush crept up her neck. “We’re alive, and that’s all that matters. I don’t want to spend hours in a police station.”

  It pissed her off that he doubted her. The rational part of her forced her to acknowledge she’d kept her true identity secret from him. Would Nate have protected her like a damsel in distress if he knew she was a dragon?

  “I’m walking you home in case that creep is still around,” Nate muttered darkly.

  “I’ll be fine.” The stubborn part of her wanted to call an end to their fiasco of a date, still raw about his chastisement even though she knew he was right. From his viewpoint, knowing nothing about her, she had been foolish. Her mother and grandmother, women who had battled angry dragons, would have agreed.