I could still taste her lips. They were so sweet and velvety soft, and I wanted them against mine again. I wanted her in my arms in any way possible.

She was right about the looming storm, but I wasn’t ready to turn around, not until we reached the lighthouse. If we had to ride out the storm up there we could.

“That doesn’t mean anything.” She spoke softly.

“What doesn’t?” I looked down at our entwined hands. She’d made no move to pull her hand away.

“That kiss. I mean it doesn’t mean I want to get involved or anything.”

“So walking on a secluded beach hand-in-hand and kissing me doesn’t mean anything?”

“No.” She pulled her hand from mine and bent down. She dipped her hand in the water. She kept it there, waving it back and forth.

I watched her for a few moments before interrupting. “We’re almost there.”

“Oh.” She stood up and shook her hand to dry it off. “Great.”

I didn’t dare try to take her hand back again even though I wanted to. I wasn’t going to throw our obvious connection in her face. She already knew it was there whether she was ready to admit it or not. It was a lot to take in, and all I could do was hope she’d eventually realize it—preferably in the next few weeks.

We continued down the beach until we reached the end of the shore line where the towering old lighthouse stood. She stared up at the grey-stone lighthouse that had been a fixture of Willow Harbor since its founding.

“Over here.” I knew the lighthouse was beautiful, but there was more to see. I started to walk around the tower to the farthest side. We had to walk on wet, black rocks to get there. I gladly steadied her when it looked like she might slip.

I carefully led her to the large rock that jutted out the furthest.

“Wow, this is gorgeous!” Her eyes lit up.

“The same level of wow as the kiss?” I teased.

“This is a different kind of wow.”

“Better?” I wasn’t teasing this time. I needed to know.

“Different.” She looked out at the water.

The sky darkened, heavy storm clouds quickly moving in to cover what was left of the sun.

“Uh oh.” She looked up at me. “Can we make it back?”

I shook my head. “Not before the storm hits.”

“Then what do we do?” Her expression darkened, mirroring the sky above. “Don’t ditch me, okay?”

“Ditch you?” Why would she even ask that of me?

“You could get back to your truck easily. I mean you can turn into any animal.”

“And you really think I’d leave you out here? Alone?” The insinuation burned. I wouldn’t leave anyone out here, let alone Mattie.

“No.” She answered immediately. “I’m just noting that I’m kind of at your mercy.”

There were several replies I could give, but none seemed like a particularly good idea. “Ever been inside a lighthouse?” I nodded to the towering structure behind us.

“No.” She shook her head. “Are we really allowed in there?”

“Who’s going to stop us?” I smiled.

“Maybe we can make it back.” She wrapped her arms around herself.

A bright flash of lightning followed seconds later by a loud clap of thunder had her jumping.

“Come on.” I took her hand and helped her over the rocks back toward the lighthouse. The waves were crashing higher up, and the rocks were soaked.

She stood close to my side as I unlocked the door with a key I always had on me and held open the door for her to enter. She looked inside warily. “It’s awfully dark.”

“Of course it is.”

She frowned. Evidently that was not the right answer. “Just because you can see in the dark, doesn’t mean I can.”

“I’m aware. Wait.” I pulled out my cell phone and clicked on the flashlight app. “Does this help?”

“Marginally.” She looked inside again. “You go first.”

“Ok.” I stepped inside, and thankfully she followed. I closed the door tightly behind us just as the rain picked up.

“This is spooky.” She gazed around the base of the lighthouse.

It was spookier than she knew, but I knew nothing inside would hurt us.

I handed her my phone. “Want me to go first?” I pointed to the spiral staircase.

“Yes.” She gripped my hand tightly in her left hand.

“Ok.” I smiled at her quick decision. “Stay close.”

She nodded, and I started up the iron staircase, that thankfully had been up kept enough to use.

I glanced behind me. Instead of holding onto the railing, Mattie was running her hand up the stone wall. I didn’t blame her. The railing didn’t feel all that sturdy.

“Are there any windows in here?” She squeaked from behind me.

“There are a few, but they lost their panes years ago, and they are covered over now.”

“Lovely.” Her voice had a nice, sarcastic edge to it.

“There’s a window at the top.”

“At the top.” She was directly behind me, and my body was quite aware of her nearness. “And how much further is the top?”

“Quite a few steps.” I couldn’t pretend otherwise.

“Oh.” She let out a slow breath.

I took a risk. “I can carry you if that’s easier.”

“What?” Her scream echoed off the walls. “Are you crazy?”

“I was just offering.”

“I am not weak.” She gritted her teeth.

“I never said you were weak, but you didn’t seem excited about all the stairs.”

“I’ll show you how I feel about stairs.” She stepped around me and started up ahead. “See if you can keep up,” she called back.

I stifled the laughter that wanted to come out. I knew laughing wouldn’t work for me. She kept up a fast pace at first, but then she slowed down. Luckily, we were almost to the top.

She stopped suddenly on the next landing as light trickled in through the port hole window.

“Ok, this is seriously cool.” She leaned up against the window and peered out. “Seems we just beat the rain.”

“Can’t you hear it?” I’d heard it pounding since we closed the door.

“No.” She frowned. “Wait, let me guess. You have super hearing too.”

I shrugged. “Maybe.”

“How much are you an animal when you’re, uh, an animal?”

“I have animal senses—I take on their characteristics, but it’s still me. I wouldn’t hurt you even when I’m a bear, or a lion, or anything. I maintain my humanity, more or less.”

“More or less?” She shivered.

I took my time with my reply. “Sometimes the animal I shift into can affect my personality.” I needed to be completely honest with her because she’d find out eventually. I was sure of that now. “But never enough that I would hurt you.”

“You keep reminding me of that.”

“Because I saw your face when I was a bear. I don’t ever want to see you look at me that way again.”

“You have a lot of cool abilities.” She walked back over to the window.

“We all have our talents.”

“Talents? I guess that’s one way to describe it.”

“What about you?” I joined her at the window.

“What about me?” She leaned slightly into my side.

“What are your secret talents?” I put an arm around her, grateful when she leaned into me more.

“I don’t have any.”

“Come on. I’m sure you do.”

“Your mother didn’t uncover them. Isn’t that enough proof?” There was bitterness in her voice.

“That really bothers you, doesn’t it?”

“I wanted to leave that part of my past behind me.”

“Even though it isn’t remotely your fault?” I longed to erase the hurt in her eyes. I missed the twinkle that had been there right after our kiss.

“Still involves me.”

“My mom was doing due-diligence before hiring you.”

“I should have expected it…”

“What your boss did or my mom finding out?” I turned her in my arms so I could look directly into her eyes.

“Both. I guess. Can we change the subject?” She looked down.

“Back to your hidden talents, or something else?”

“Have you dated many humans?”

“Ok. Abrupt subject change.”

“Our whole conversation has been abrupt.”

“True. And the answer is no. I’ve never dated a human.”

“Never?” She raised an eyebrow.

I shook my head, very grateful I could answer her honestly. “There aren’t too many humans here. A human only stays in Willow Harbor if they are meant to be here. There has to be something that draws you to our town.”

“To be someone’s mate?” she met my eyes.

“Sometimes. Sometimes other reasons. No one just happens to move here. It’s always for a reason.”

“But in my case, everyone assumes…”

“Yeah.” She already knew it was the case.

“You don’t make it easy to find this place.” She peered out the window again.

“That’s very much intentional.”

“But humans don’t just find it? Stumble upon it I mean?” She wrinkled her nose. “Those people at the diner. They knew about it.”

“Yes, but they don’t live here. Plus sometimes we need humans to come.”

“Uh, that’s cryptic.”

“Like if we need large scale construction work.” I took her hand. “Let’s keep going. The light room is the coolest part.”

“Ok. You don’t use humans as blood bags for vampires or something?”

“Uh, no. We don’t condone the murder of innocent humans here. What kind of place do you think this is?”

“I don’t honestly know. I haven’t exactly met too many supernatural creatures before.” She shuddered as a loud clap of thunder echoed through the stairwell.

“You have.” And now I was really going to freak her out.

The room lit up with a flash of lightning,

“What do you mean, I have? As in I’ve met them without knowing it?”

“Did you know what I was before I told you? Even when I told you, you didn’t want to believe it. Same with Delpha, right?”

“True. But you guys don’t always live in separate towns with mostly supernaturals?”

“This is the only town of supernaturals I’m aware of.” And that is what makes it so special.

“Oh.”

“It’s a long story. Our founding that is, and not worth telling you until we know.” I took her hand, trying to get her moving. There was a much better view a few steps up.

“Until we know what?”

“Whether you are going to stay here.” The thought of her leaving hurt me in more ways than I could have imagined.

“I thought the kiss answered that.” She crossed her feet at the ankles.

“That only answered half the question.”

“So now we have to check out the codex?”

“No. You have to decide whether you want to stay. In the end that’s what it’s going to come down to.”

“But it’s your decision too.” She started up the stairs, and we came out inside the light room. She gazed around at the glass surrounding us on all sides.

The view of the ocean was nothing compared to the way she made me feel. “I already made my decision.” My heart rate accelerated, and my body warmed. I was tired of holding back. I pulled her into my arms and connected my lips with hers again. Maybe she didn’t know if she wanted to commit to mating with me, but she wanted this. And in that moment, that was all that mattered.

Light flooded the room and she stumbled back. “Oh my gosh.”

“Oh. That.” I pulled her back against me. “That light does that.”

“Is there a timer or something? Or is it based on the light outside?” She eyed it warily.

“There’s no timer. No one knows why it works that way.” I took a deep breath before continuing. “Maybe it’s a ghost.”

“How bad is that rain?” She walked over to one of the huge windows.

“It would be easier to see out here.” I opened the door out onto the balcony.

The rain still poured down in sheets, but I loved listening to the sound of the rain.

“Now this is amazing!” She walked out on to the balcony, staying close to the side to protect herself from the pouring rain. The overhang above provided shelter, but water still cascaded down off the edge enough to get the front part of the balcony wet.

She closed her eyes and looked up at the sky while the water poured down beside her. She looked magnificent, but we were in the middle of a lighting storm, and I knew I couldn’t leave her out there.

“Pierce, come on!” She called over the pouring rain.

I stepped outside, letting the scent and sound of the rain engulf me. Normally I’d have shifted to feel it differently, but the only form I wanted to be in was human—so I could be with her.

Her smile was huge, and her eyes closed. I couldn’t resist. Her lips were mine once again.