As the orange and pink sun slid down behind the corn field on the Logan’s farm, Imara thought about the way she felt when Ben touched her. Her fingertips still tingled with the thrill of his skin on hers and she pressed them to her lips as she smiled. It was like he opened the windows of all the stale lonely places in her heart and she ached for another taste of it.

Ben consumed all her thoughts and even going to sleep at night wasn’t an escape from the  budding desire smoldering beneath the surface. Even though she’d never know a man’s love, Imara imagined all the things Ben would do with her and it only made the longing for him worse.

“It sure is a pretty night. That little rainstorm certainly cooled it off right nice, didn’t it?” Sofia asked as she braided Imara’s hair. 

“Mmm-hmm,” hummed Imara as something caught her eye out in the distance. As the wolf slowly approached her, she lifted her head then smiled. “Look Thorin, it’s my sweetheart. He came back to me.”

Shaw sat up and looked out in the yard then curled his lip when he didn’t see anything. “Are you crazy? I don’t see anything at all.”

“Well, you are a human, so your vision is shit,” said Thorin as he leaned forward to catch a glimpse of the canine. “There he is on the edge of the lawn.”

Imara stood up and patted her leg for the wolf to come closer. “Come here, sweetheart. It’s alright. Don’t be afraid of the big scary man.”

Shaw huffed through his nose as the animal approached Imara then he leaned back in his chair. “He should be afraid. If it bites you, I’ll tear him apart, Imara.”

Imara rolled her eyes as she sat down and scratched under the wolf’s chin. “Don’t be ridiculous, he’s not going to bite me. He’s my little ole lover boy, isn’t he? Here, sweetheart, come sit beside me.”

The wolf hopped up on the porch and laid down with his head on Imara’s thigh. She stroked his coat gently as Sofia continued to plat her hair. “You should ask Ben if he wants to come over here and sit with you some evening. You two can hardly get to know each other when he’s working.”

Shaw took a draw from his pipe and groaned before he said, “Don’t go putting ideas into her head. She doesn’t need to be getting close to that boy.”

Thomas stretched out in his chair and ran his hands through his blonde hair. “Imara’s an adult. It’s really none of your business Shaw, besides he seems like a decent man.”

Shaw blew smoke rings out through his mouth and glared at the butler. “He does seem like a decent man, but we’ll be moving along eventually and Imara’s heart will be broken. None of us need that kind of headache, most especially her.”

Shaw may be just a familiar, but he took his job of protecting Imara and Thorin’s secrets seriously. He wouldn’t think twice about killing Ben and his parents; he's done far worse in his time with the Parker family over the years. 

As she pushed her quivering lips together, Imara fought to choke back the pain rising in her throat. “You don’t need to worry Shaw. I won’t get involved with him.”

As tears started to run down her face, Imara licked her lips and looked down to the wolf. He looked up in her eyes and whimpered as he put his leg over hers. “Oh, aren’t you just the biggest flirt,” she said as she smiled at him and wiped her tears away. 

Shaw heard Imara sniffling back her tears and it tugged at his heartstrings. Above it all, Imara was the closest thing he ever had to a child of his own. The Parkers had always treated him like family and trusted him with Imara’s safety. He wore that like a badge of honor, and it was the single focus of his life. 

Taking another pull of his pipe, Shaw softened his stance. Imara was a kind natured person and he didn’t enjoy hurting her. “I’m not saying anything’s wrong with the boy, Imara. He seems like good people, but you don’t know what he’d do if he found out about the two of you. If you really like him, you’ll shove that down deep where it won’t hurt either of you. If he’s like you, he’s dangerous and if he’s human, you won’t be able to take him with you when you go anyway. You’re just setting yourself up for a heap of pain that’s unnecessary.”

“I said I won’t get involved with him Shaw,” Imara said louder. “Now, please leave it alone. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

As the evening went on, everyone left the porch except for Thorin and Imara. Thorin sat beside her on the edge of the porch and sighed as he looked out into the darkness. “I suppose you really do like him, don’t you?”

Imara scratched between the wolf’s ears and pushed her tears away with her other hand. “It doesn’t really matter, does it? It’s not like you or Shaw would ever let anything happen between us anyway.”

Thorin took her hand and said, “It does matter, my dear. He’s a human. Shaw was right, they can’t live in our world. I’ve never heard of a single human ever being allowed into the Realm. They don’t belong there.”

As she huffed through her nose at the irony of it, Imara said, “We don’t seem to be doing so well, either.”

Thorin laughed as he kicked the dust off the steps. “You might be right about that. I know life’s not been easy since Momma and Daddy died. Once we track down Uncle Haldir, we’ll pop off to the Realm and put all this nonsense behind us, Imara.”

Imara’s lip quivered. “But I don’t want to leave, Thorin. I just want to stay in one place for more than a minute. We’re witches for Pete’s sake. Why can’t we just stay and…”

Cutting her off from that train of thought, Thorin shook his head. “You’re not that kind of witch, Imara. You’re a witch that heals. What the ancients used to call a white lighter. You’re a rare and precious creature. You’re not a killer. You can’t protect yourself from death dealers, honey.”

She swallowed back her tears and said, “The Order let us leave on our own, Thorin. Why would they come after us after all this time?”

Thorin sighed as he looked out at the darkness. “I’m not worried about the Order, Imara. Our parents were ancient and had lots of enemies from all over the place. It could be anyone.”

Wiping her tear stained face on the shoulder of her dress, Imara asked, “But why would they care about a couple of nothings like us? You’re not much of a warlock and I can’t do any proper magic at all.”

Thorin pushed her hair off her shoulder. “Because sometimes people are just cruel, Imara. They have mean, ugly hearts and a darkness that lives right in the center of them that can’t ever be lit up again. They don’t need a reason to do what they do, they’re just evil. When we get to the Realm, we can finally settle down. We can find our right mates and you can have a hundred children if you like.”

Imara shook her head. “What if our mates are here, Thorin. What if...what if I met my mate here in this little town? Would you still make me leave?”

Thorin sighed and scratched his head. “No, of course not, Imara. But I would strongly encourage you both to leave as soon as possible. Mate or not, you’re still in danger.”

Imara thought about something for a second then took a deep breath. She knew she wouldn’t be able to take it back once it left her lips. “If I tell you something, will you promise me you won’t tell Shaw?”

That got Thorin’s attention. He sat up straight as he prepared for what came next. Imara didn’t have a deceitful bone in her body, keeping secrets from Shaw was out of character for her so it must be something important. “Well, I can’t promise, but I’ll try my best.”

Imara swallowed the lump in her throat then looked at Thorin. “Ben asked me if I was a healer and he knew where we were from. He knows we’re hiding from someone.”

Thorin’s eyes widened and he nodded as he curled his lips under. “Well, shit. I suppose at least we know now they’re not humans.” He pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. They weren’t even finished unpacking yet and the thought off finding another safe house was testing the limits of his patience.

Shaking her head, Imara knew she’d made a mistake telling her brother. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Thorin rubbed the back of his neck. “No, no, Imara. I don’t want you to start keeping things from me now. Look, the good news is that these folks aren’t strangers here. They’ve lived here a long time and have a business. But the bad news is that if they’re supernaturals like us, they sure as hell don’t want anyone knowing it. They’re probably in the same boat we are and that makes them even more dangerous. We don’t need to get caught up in whatever they’re hiding from too.”

The wolf raised its head and groaned as he listened to them talk about him. Imara chuckled at Ben then looked back to Thorin. “I think he’s my mate, Thorin. I know he is.  I’ve never felt anything like this before. He’s on my mind constantly. Please don’t make me leave him.”

Thorin blew out through his mouth. “Damn it all to hell. Let me think about all this for a while, Imara. It’s not something to be taken lightly. Now, say good night to your friend and get to bed.” Thorin leaned over and kissed her forehead then put his hands on his knees and pushed himself up. As he walked inside, Thorin looked back at his sister. He’d kept her running for so long, that he never considered that she might actually run into her mate along the way. He knew the religion as well as anyone and if Ben was Imara’s mate, there was little he could do to keep them apart.

Imara sighed as she rubbed the wolf’s head. “Well, at least that wasn’t a no, was it? Ok, sweetheart. I’ll see you tomorrow night, alright?”

The wolf pushed itself up to its feet then nuzzled its snout into Imara’s neck. He inhaled deeply as she wrapped her arm around him. Ben savored the scent of apples and cinnamon he had been craving since he first smelled her. 

She chuckled as his fur tickled the soft, delicate skin of her neck. “Awe, I’m going to miss you too. Maybe I can convince them to let you stay with us from now on. You seem meek enough. Alright, go on. I need my beauty rest.”

The wolf licked Imara’s cheek as she giggled then jumped off the porch and ran off into the darkness. Imara yelled out, “Goodnight, sweetheart. Be careful out there.”