“I’ll believe that when I see it.” She smiled. “We’ll figure this out. I promise.”

He stood, putting some distance between them. “I need to call my dad. He owes me a big explanation for why he and my mom kept this from me all these years. I’d really like to know what the hell they were thinking.”

She got up. “I should go anyway. Work tomorrow and all that. I’ll text you with the time for dinner.”

“Sounds good. Thanks for not giving up on me. I’m sorry I was such a bonehead about the whole witch thing.”

“You were just being human.” She smiled, her heart thudding a little at how handsome and vulnerable he looked.

A thin half smile lifted his mouth. “I’d like to kiss you good-bye, but I’m not sure that would be a good idea what with the shifting and all.”

“Right. We totally shouldn’t do that then.” But she couldn’t bring herself to move toward the door. “Or I could try to…help with that.”

“How?” He took a step in her direction.

“A little suppression spell. That’s the best thing I can think of. You willing to give it a shot?”

His answer came without hesitation. He threaded his fingers through her hair and tipped her mouth up to meet his.

She sank into his kiss with none of the hesitation she’d felt the first time. If he wanted to kiss her, she was going to give it her complete effort. She was also going to do her witchy best to keep him from shifting again and freaking out. He could learn to manage that in his own time. With that in mind, she pushed a little spell over him.

His mouth was hungry and searching and fit hers as perfectly as if they’d been made for each other, which she guessed was kind of the case.

She could practically feel his pulse thrumming through his skin. Or maybe that was hers. For a moment, it seemed like they were one person, one being, one perfect entity. A whirlwind spun around them, lifting them, making them lighter than air…

And then he broke the kiss and backed up. His eyes were a little wild, wide and feral with the kind of animalistic need she’d seen in him right before he’d transformed in the attic. She whispered a calming spell on top of the one to suppress his shifting.

He relaxed and took a breath. “Did you just use more magic on me?”

She nodded. “A calming spell. You looked a little freaked out. Like you were going to shift.”

“But I didn’t, right?”

“No.”

“Thanks for the help, but it makes me think we need to practice more.”

“Practice more what?”

“Kissing.” He reached for her again.

Half an hour later, Cole had said good-bye to Pandora three times. This time they’d somehow made it stick, and he gave her a wave as she pulled out of his driveway.

He was crazy. He knew that. But at a certain point, you couldn’t fight the inevitable. So if he was going to be crazy, he was at least going to enjoy himself.

And Pandora was very enjoyable.

But it wasn’t just a physical attraction. He felt complete around her. And that wasn’t a feeling any part of him wanted to fight.

He watched her car until it was out of sight, then went to the kitchen to grab his cellphone and call his father. He walked out onto the back porch to sit as the line connected.

“Hello, Cole.”

“Hi, Dad. How are you?”

“Good, son. How’s that granddaughter of mine?”

Where to start? This wasn’t exactly a conversation about the weather. “She’s good. We’re settling in.”

“Glad to hear it.”

There was no way to ease into the tough questions, so Cole stumbled through them as bests he could. “I know about the…that is, I think I know. What I mean to say, without sounding like I’m losing my mind, is that I know about the whole familiar thing. Including the shifting. And we really need to talk about it.”

His father didn’t respond right away.

Cole cringed, wondering if he was losing his mind. If his dad said there was nothing to discuss—

Jack Van Zant let out a pensive breath. “I could pretend not to know what you’re talking about, but we’re both too old for that. I owe you an apology and an explanation, but I’d rather talk to you in person about this. You okay with that?”

Cole would have rather heard everything immediately, but he was just thankful his father was willing to talk. And that he wasn’t crazy. “Sure, but this house isn’t exactly in visiting shape.”

“I don’t care about that. Any chance to spoil that granddaughter of mine is a good one. I’ll leave first thing in the morning. Be there by noon.”

Wilmington, North Carolina, was six hours away. “Dad, you don’t have to leave at six A.M.”

“And miss lunch with my granddaughter?”

“Uh, Kaley and I have a dinner thing to go to tomorrow night. I’d invite you, but it’s not my place to add someone. I’m not telling you you can’t stay, just that you’ll be by yourself tomorrow night.”

“I’m happy to sit someplace and read. That house have a back porch?”

“I’m on it right now.” Not that you could see much past the railing thanks to the riotous overgrowth.

“Good. See you tomorrow.”

Cole hung up. The feelings inside him almost defied labeling. He was as unsettled as he was excited, which was plain odd, because to think he’d be excited about being something more than…human went against everything he believed in.