Chapter Fourteen – Nadine

"Thank you again for taking the time to drive me to work." They were in Mia's car, driving along the highway, heading towards her latest patient, a little boy who was having bear problems. "You can drop me off; I'll catch the bus home."

"I'll wait," Kurt said, looking relaxed, normal even, if she could ever use that phrase to describe the six feet of lean man sitting next to her. She could see he had been exercising, and had got some fresh air since she had seen him last; he looked tanned and toned. Her stomach curled itself in knots, her longing almost too much to bear. If it wasn’t for the little boy who desperately needed her help, she would have called in sick. Because a day in bed with this man would be just heavenly.

"Penny for them," he said grinning.

"Sorry," she said turning pink as she blushed, the colour spreading across her cheeks. "I was daydreaming."

"If your dreams are anything like mine, we will be making them reality as soon as you get off work." He pulled into the road she had directed him to. "Not a hospital?"

"No, he's at home. Are you sure about waiting?"

"I am. So go on, work your magic and I'll be waiting right here for you."

Leaning across the seats, she kissed him and said, "Are you sure? Shouldn't you be painting, or something?"

"Possibly, but I decided this was a special occasion and I would give myself the day off."

"I'll see you in a couple of hours, then," she said, getting out of the car. He waved to her and then smiled as he sunk down in the seat and closed his eyes. "Tiring night, was it?"

"Don't you know it," he said, opening one eye and looking her up and down. "I'll be thinking of you and what I want to do to you every second you're away."

"Promises," she teased.

"One I intend to keep," he retorted and she shut the car door and made her way to the front door of her latest patient, six-year-old Gibb.

"Hi, Nadine," Gibb’s mom, Caroline, opened the door.

"How is he today?" Nadine asked, taking off her coat.

"Good, well, great actually. We haven't had another incident."

Gibb's incidents were a little bit difficult to deal with and had resulted in him not being able to go out and play—well, go out at all really. He spontaneously shifted into a panda bear. He might look adorable, and he really did, a small panda bear cub, all fluffy and soft, but in a world where shifters kept their other side secret, it was totally impractical. Usually these abilities didn't appear until puberty and by then their parents had taught children how to control it. Gibb was a special case.

"That's fantastic news, Caroline," Nadine said, following her into the house. As the door closed behind her, Nadine took one last look at Kurt sitting in the car and felt a surge of love, so great, so profound, even the animal inside her seemed happy.

***

Maybe it was the shift inside her, but something had just clicked today with Gibb. The normally excitable child settled down well to listen to Nadine and practiced the exercise she gave him. They were in the form of games and usually he just went crazy and wouldn't listen, but today they seemed to be on the same level. Nadine was beyond happy about their progress; children were so much harder to treat than adults, because they didn't see the problem in spontaneously changing.

Who could blame them? It was fun to suddenly become this large, furry panda who liked nothing more than rolling into a ball and tumbling down a slide to land with a soft plop at the end. Pandas saw the world from a completely different point of view, and Gibb loved it, making Nadine's job especially tricky. She never wanted to stop a child being a child, but Gibb had to learn not to be a bear cub in front of anyone other than his family.

"Thank you so much, Nadine. It's such a relief to have you here to help us," Caroline said as Nadine was leaving.

"No problem, Caroline. I am so happy with our progress today."

"Maybe it's the change in you. Gibb can sense it." Caroline smiled coyly when she saw Nadine blush. "Sorry. It’s none of my business, but you always seemed a little lost."

"Lost? What do you mean?" Nadine asked, intrigued and slightly worried that being apart from Kurt for the last few weeks had affected her professionally.

"Well, it's like you had part of yourself missing. In the same way you helped Gibb find himself, you look as if you have found yourself." She glanced over at the car, where Kurt was still waiting. "I think we both know what's changed."

"Is it that obvious?” she asked, although she knew the answer.

“Oh, yes. And so it should be. He is the person you have been searching for your whole life, even if you didn’t know it. He completes you.” Caroline looked wistful. “I remember the early days, the mating, the bond, and the pull of it.” Her trance broken, she turned to Nadine. “Go to him, enjoy him. He is a lucky man, Nadine.”

“I don’t know about that,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Then was away across the street before Caroline told her once more how lucky her mate was to have her. If only Caroline knew how much of a let-down she might possibly be if she could not learn how to change into her animal.

“There you are,” Kurt said, leaning across and giving her a kiss when she got into the car.

“Here I am,” Nadine agreed, returning his kiss with a brief one of her own; she knew Caroline was still watching and felt embarrassed. “Shall we go?”

“Where?” he asked, starting the engine and driving off, back towards the mountains where she lived.

“I don’t know. How about grabbing a bite to eat at my place and then going into the mountains.”

“Do you think that’s wise, considering what happened last night with the wolves?” Kurt asked.

“Yes. I think so. I can’t live in fear, and they got what they wanted, didn’t they? My car.” She would have to go home and deal with the insurance at some point today.

“I suppose. It’s just that wolf seemed more interested in you than the car,” Kurt said through gritted teeth.

“Then it is better to get out there and confront my fear of him in daylight. Don’t you think?” Although she wasn’t so sure, but if she put it off, she would never venture out into the woods again, something she would miss.

“You are the expert in these things,” he said, smiling, and her heart flipped over in her chest. What she really wanted to do was spend the rest of the day in bed with him. However, she was committed to getting him back to being whole again. And that meant conquering his beast.

“I’ve been thinking about how I can help you and decided that we should go out into the wild so your animal will feel more at home. There we can practice a few things.”

He winked at her. “There are one or two things I would like to practice.”

She giggled. “Maybe going back to my place might be a mistake.”

“Then let’s go to mine. My mom would love to see you again. She will be beyond pleased that you are my mate. She credits you exclusively for dragging me back from the other side.”

“You did it, Kurt. It was all you, I just pointed the way.” She sighed contentedly. “I don’t mind where we eat, as long as we are together and I can begin to help you.”

“And I can help you. Remember?”

She screwed her face up and shook her head. “I knew I should have lied about that.”

“And you know lying isn’t an option with me. Honesty is part of the bond between us.”

“I know,” she replied and then added, “Do you think you should warn your mom? About me coming over.”

“No, she’ll go into panic mode and have enough food ready for an army. This way we can help her prepare lunch.”

“If that’s what you think is best. I hate to impose.”

“You will never be an imposition where my mom is concerned.”

She settled back and watched the world go by, happy to be with him at last. The trees looked taller, the grass looked greener, and the sky bluer than she could ever remember. Caroline was right; things were different now she was bonded to Kurt. Inside, her animal shifted a little closer, and Nadine was filled with hope that she might be able to command it one day soon.

“You off in that dream world again?” he asked.

“Oh, yes. Just thinking how strangely everything turned out. You know, me coming to your gallery opening, then the car, and you running in just the right direction to find me. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t shown up.”

“Yes, fate, I guess. I sometimes wonder what made me chase Fiona that day. It was stupid and reckless and cruel. But if I hadn’t, then she wouldn’t have met her mate, and I wouldn’t have met you.”

They were winding their way up towards his house, and Nadine was slightly dismayed when they arrived and there were motorbikes outside.

“I think your mom already has visitors.”

“Then two more won’t hurt.” He grinned when he saw her face. “Now I know what I’ve been looking like these last few weeks. Scared of seeing anyone, worried I won’t be accepted for who I am.”

“Damn, now I know what I sound like, too.” She undid her seatbelt and got out of the car. She could do this; she could go in there and meet his family and it would be cool. They wouldn’t all look at her as the woman who ran out on her mate. Or so she hoped.

“Hi there.” Mia was the first to greet them when they walked in through the back door. “It’s going to be nice to have another female around. Sometimes I get tired of the guys, you know?” she said, instantly putting Nadine at ease.

“How can you ever get tired of me, honey?” Joel came over and gave her a hug and then said, “Nice to meet you properly, Nadine. Last night was a bit wild.”

“We reported what happened the sheriff in Bear Creek, Brad, he’ll keep an eye out for your car. He filed a report and everything. But he isn’t hopeful; there have been loads of thefts lately and nothing ever turns up, and no one has any information.” said Mia.

“Thanks, Mia, it’s only a car. At least no one was hurt.”

“No problem. We’re family now, remember?” Mia smiled, and Nadine was struck by how pretty she was and how damn hot she looked in her leather catsuit, while Nadine felt as though her conservative dress made her melt into the background. But Kurt came over and gave her a cold beer and kissed her cheek, and she knew that to him, she was the most beautiful person in the room, just as, to her, he was the most handsome. Her eyes were only for him, and they always would be now they were bonded mates.