After we leave the pizza place, Seth wants to walk me home. "So," he says. "When you talk to animals, is it like you speak their language?"

I chuckle because I'm not used to being the object of curiosity in a good way.

"Sorry. I've never dated a witch before. Especially one with such cool powers."

"That's okay. I've never dated a werebear. Especially one with such a dangerous job."

"Nina." Seth reaches over and takes my hand. I inhale sharply at the heat of his touch. "My job isn't actually dangerous," he says. "I—"

"Well, my powers aren't that cool," I blurt out before I realize I cut him off. But I'm so nervous that he's touching me I can't stop the words that rush out of my mouth like water spilling out of a glass. "Elise can hide things. Like really big things. She hid a building once from this guy as a joke. It's not as bad as you think, though. He was a jerk, and he was trying to find this girl who didn't like him and—" I shake my head when I realize I'm butchering the story. "Anyway, there's a reason Elise is a medicine woman. And Sammy. She can move stuff. Like she did at the cafe when she picked up the things I knocked off the table. She's a wiz with fireballs too."

I stop talking to take a much-needed breath of air, and Seth grabs the opening. He squeezes my hand. "Communicating with animals is just as amazing. Don't sell yourself short. Do you realize that you'll be able to talk to my bear?"

"Whoa." I gaze up at him as the magnitude of what he said sinks in. I know that werebear communicate telepathically with each other once they bond through a bite and that the same can happen when a witch and a werebear are soul mates. At least, it has for the two relationships I know about. But in theory, I should be able to do it now. "I never thought about that." I wonder if I can talk to him, but I'm too afraid to try it and freak him out. Or maybe it's because it would freak me out.

"Nina?" Seth gazes at me with concern. "Are you okay?"

He grabs my elbow to steady me when I trip over a crack in the sidewalk, and I nod as we approach my apartment. "I'm fine." I point. "That's where I live."

Seth steps in front of me and stops. He smiles down at me. "So, this is the point where I ask when I can see you again."

Heat rushes to my cheeks as I smile back. "I'm free most nights."

"Would tomorrow be too soon?"

I shake my head as my heart begins to beat faster. Seth places his hands on my arms, and I hold my breath as I wonder if he's about to kiss me. And then he lowers his face toward mine. I turn my head and—our noses bump. I pull back in horror, but Seth persists, so I turn the other way, and I manage to smash our noses again.

"I'm so sorry! I'm such a dork."

"Nina." Seth takes my face in his hands to hold me still. "Shhh." He leans in and places his lips on mine.

I thought his hand was hot against mine earlier, but it was nothing compared to his lips. They practically scorch mine, and he lights the rest of me on fire. My entire being heats up as if Seth's kiss has opened up a portal, letting a piece of his soul enter me. He fills me with a delirious sensation of floating along in bliss, and it's like nothing I've ever experienced.

The moment he pulls away, my hand flies up to my mouth, and I touch my lips to make sure what happened was real. "Wow."

Seth licks his lips. "Wow."

He appears just as dazed as I am, and that gives me the confidence to reach out and grab his shirt to pull him down for another kiss. I tug a little too hard, though, and our mouths slam together, crushing my lip against my teeth. I ignore the pain. My need to taste him is much greater. I open up my mouth to his, and our tongues meld together. My awkward beginning fades fast because I've definitely got this kiss right. And I never want it to end.

This time when we break apart, Seth's chest heaves as he catches his breath. And when he does, he's the one that lets words tumble out of his mouth. "That was amazing. You are amazing. I've never—this is amazing. I mean—" He rakes a hand through his hair and grins when he notices my smile is just as huge.

Maybe it's because that was the best kiss of my life, or because right now, Seth is being the dork, but I'm not nervous. I don't feel the least bit awkward when I say, "That was amazing." I step backward toward the steps to my door. "Tomorrow isn't going to be soon enough." I give him a quick wave. "I'll see you then." I turn and walk to my door, and I even manage to get the key into the lock smoothly before I open it.

I glance over my shoulder to see Seth standing on the sidewalk, staring at me. His shirt is askew, his hair is standing on end, and his expression is bewildered. It's something I never thought I'd see from a guy who just kissed me, and my heart leaps with joy when he says, "Good night, Nina."

"Good night, Seth." I step inside and shut the door with a solid thud. If this is what it's like to date for real, I'm so in. I look at Sammy, who throws up her hands in a silent question, and I let out a squeal as I rush over and jump into her arms.

She topples over backward, and we both land on the ground. It isn't a painful fall, and she laughs as I hug her tight. "So it went well."

I squat to get up, and once I'm standing again, I reach out my hand to help my roommate. "I was so cool at the end, Sammy. You would have been proud."

Sammy squints at me. "Is that a fat lip?"

I run my tongue over my top lip. "Oh. Yeah. So maybe not completely cool. But close."

She chuckles. "Let's make tea, and you can tell me all about it."

I follow Sammy into the kitchen and walk over to the cabinet to pull down our favorite nighttime blend of tea. "Seth's a warrior."

"Really? I thought they were all beyond huge in human form."

It's true Seth isn't as large as the guys he introduced me to, and I giggle when a vision of him in a black martial arts uniform pops into my head. "Maybe he's the ninja type."

Sammy shakes her head at me as water rushes into the teapot, and I wait until she's done so she can hear.

"He found out I was a witch after I saved a bird, and he wasn't freaked out. And oh my god." I let out a big sigh as I lean against the kitchen counter and gaze up at the ceiling. "The kiss…"

"Earth to Nina. You're leaving out a whole lot of details. Start from the beginning and tell me everything."

I tell Sammy about the date and then close my eyes when I get to the part where he kisses me, and I relive the joy that rushed through me again in my mind before I speak. I look at her. "We did that nose-bumping thing until he made me hold still. And oh boy…" My teeth clack when I smack my head on the ceiling.

"You're levitating again," says Sammy as she reaches up and tugs me by the hips to set me back on my feet. “So, it was quite the kiss."

"It was the most amazing one I've ever had. It was like the rush of alcohol when you first feel buzzed mixed with the way sugar tastes and getting the best news ever." I shake my head because that description only touches on what I experienced. "And more. I wanted to laugh and cry a happy cry and never let him go." I shrug because I know it sounds ridiculous. And judging by the way Sammy scowls, I think I'm confusing her. "It's hard to describe. Sorry."

"No. I get it," she says. "Do you know what this means?"

I frown at her.

"He really is your soul mate."

My jaw drops. "No way."

Sammy nods as I clench my fists and let out a little noise of excitement. "We have to call Elise."