Page 18 of Witch's Rebirth
"Hello," I said quietly, knowing those sharp ears would hear me. "My name's Deja." I held out a hand to offer my scent.
It continued to approach me slowly, cautiously, until its wet nose barely touched my open palm. This wolf was smaller than Orion, most likely a female. She was a classically beautiful gray wolf with a white underside and shades of grey, black, and red ticked across her back, ears and tail.
"I can tell you're a shifter," I said, hoping to put her at ease. "It's okay, I've met your kind before. If you'd like to talk as humans, I won't get freaked out."
The wolf huffed, followed by a sound somewhere between a whine and a growl. She backed up a few steps and turned around in a circle as if conflicted. I pulled my hand back and wondered if I offended her.
I watched as she sat back on her haunches and tilted her head back to let out one bone-chilling howl at the full moon. Then she began to shift.
My mouth dropped open as the wolf took on the form of a young woman. My hands shook so badly I had to set down my mug as I recognized this woman. I thought I was done crying for the day but tears sprang to my eyes once again as I choked out her name in disbelief.
"...Nona?"
8
DEJA
Ihad to be hallucinating. There was no way in Hell or Earth this could be real.
My former employee at the tea shop I owned in San Francisco, my loyal friend and the first person I met when I moved to that city, was standing in front of me. And seconds earlier, she had been a wolf.
"Hey Deja," she said quietly.
I couldn't speak. My mouth refused to work. It felt like weeks since we said our tearful goodbye over the phone, when I had to leave town immediately and left her with my shop and a ton of shitty excuses. She was the one friend I could lean on and I left her with no warning, expecting to never see her again. Naturally, I never told her I was a witch either.
Tears clouded my vision and I blinked them away. She was still there.
"Is it really you?" I asked timidly, too afraid to speak any louder and shatter the illusion.
She gave a hesitant smile, walking slowly toward me. "Yeah, boss. It's really me."
I steeled myself, taking a deep breath. "Then what's the proper brewing temperature for first flush Darjeeling?"
"Between 180 and 190 degrees," she answered without hesitation. "Unlike most black teas which can be brewed at boiling temperature."
That was all the proof I needed.
I stood, approached the woman standing before me and wrapped her in a tight hug. Nona hugged me back just as tightly.
"Holy shit, I can't believe it's you!" I declared. My heart lifted with joy. Having another person here I could trust wholeheartedly made taking on Diana feel a little less daunting.
"It's so good to see you again, D," Nona smiled. "I'm sure you have questions, though."
"Um, yeah." I ran my shaking fingers through my hair, unsure where to begin. "So you're a shifter? Like, you have been the whole time?"
"Yeah," she said with a small nod, looking toward the house. "Should we sit down over a cup like old times?"
My tea selection out here left much to be desired, so I told Nona to help herself to the guys’ beer stash while I prepared another cup of grocery store chamomile.
“Are you suddenly straight-edge?” she teased, cracking one open.
“Nope.” I couldn’t hold back my grin. “Just pregnant.”
“WHAT!” She stared agape at me. “Oh my god, congratulations! Clearly, we have lots to catch up on.”
“Indeed.” I pulled out a chair at the table and offered her to sit down.
"I knew you were a witch almost immediately after you found out," she explained. "It was like a switch flipped. One day you smelled like an ordinary human, the next day your magic was overpowering."
