Carson's Conquest

2. Adde

I woke up the next morning feeling rested and more like my old self. It was certainly the best sleep I had in months, and was that a bit of excitement I felt bubbling? It was too soon to say, but I practically waltzed into the shower to get ready for my interview. I decided on a classic black pencil skirt with a dark green, silk, long sleeve top for the interview. I paired it with this fabulous layered gold necklace and small diamond studs. Since I was taller than average, around 5’7, I went with a kitten heel. I thought my legs were one of my better features and the heel highlighted that. I wore my long, dark hair down with some loose curls, with some basic makeup that highlighted my green eyes. I generally preferred a bold lip, but toned it down for the interview instead going with a deep pink just a few shades darker than my normal lip color. I spritzed on my lavender scented perfume, hoping it would cover any essence of my magic that remained in case I ran into anyone else “magically” inclined.

I met the hospital administrator, Susan Davies, at the entrance of the hospital. She gave me a tour and showed me the facilities as well as explained the plans for expansion. I was impressed with their commitment to rural and maternal health as it was a passion I shared. Ms. Davies shared their ideas for expansion, all made possible by a generous community foundation. She mentioned there was a foundation benefit coming up that would provide an opportunity for the hospital to show off their latest advancements and research. I wasn’t surprised to hear that Aria, Dr. Brown, had some groundbreaking research to reveal.

After lunch, Ms. Davies left me in the conference room for a few minutes, waiting for the second portion of the interview. When Aria walked into the conference room, I was startled. Her aura had changed significantly since the last time I had seen her. Now, she exuded power. A lot of power. I had always noticed the necklace she wore, as it was a well-known magical symbol, but she never brought up anything up. Of course, neither did I, but this was a remarkable change and I was intrigued.

After the interview, I noticed the distinctive mark below Aria’s ear. To anyone else, it looked like an intricate, beautiful tattoo, but I knew it was a mark. She must be mates with a werewolf. I silently wondered if that’s why her aura had changed. Suddenly, a little hope bloomed in my heart. If a werewolf pack was protecting this town, there was less chance my ex would come looking for me. He was a coward of the worst variety, and I doubted he had the balls or the power to challenge a pack of wolves on their home territory.

After the interview, we chatted on the way out of the hospital as she headed towards her car. We waited just inside the front doors because she said her car was being “pulled around.”

“When are you due?” I leaned in to whisper. Aria looked surprised.

“How did you know? We haven’t told anyone.” She whispered back to me.

I winked, “It’s my secret power.”

“Please don’t say anything. My fiancée and I don’t want anyone to know quite yet.” She looked a little panicked.

“Don’t worry. I will keep your secret. But congratulations!”

“Thank you! We’re so excited. I can’t wait. Honestly, it’s such a long story, but Xavier is the most amazing man and I’m so lucky.” She had a little smile on her face and sighed as she talked about him. She clearly had deep feelings for him.

As we chatted, a dark colored SUV pulled up and a man got out and walked around the car to open the passenger side door. He looked very much like private security, and was the most attractive man I had ever seen. His sandy, dark blonde hair was pulled back into a man bun which showed some pronounced blonde highlights, like he spent time in the sun; his eyes were pools of dark brown warmth—like the best sort of chocolate. My eyes ran down his nose, the perfect definition of his cheek bones, to his square jaw with a few day-old scruffy beard, and settled on his lips. They were pink, plump and oh, so kissable. He was well-muscled and his t-shirt was stretched across a broad chest. He was f*****g hot, maybe the most attractive man I had ever seen. Something stirred deep inside me—like a breath of air gently blowing across the dying embers of my soul.

There was no way he was human. He was definitely a shifter of some sort, probably a werewolf. I knew there were some packs in this area. His aura held also held a great deal of power, not as much as Aria, but enough that he was probably a ranked member. I heard Aria introducing us, and my attention was momentarily pulled away from this God-like man in front of me. “Adde, this is one of my fiancée’s business partner’s, Carson Williams. He was kind enough to pick me up since my car had a flat tire this morning.”

“Carson, this is Addelina Lambert. She’s interviewing for the job opening in my practice.”

I extended my hand to shake Carson’s, and as our skin touched, the warmth of his hand coursed through me. In that moment, some unfamiliar feeling traveled through me and the breath stroking the embers in my soul increased. My brain felt on information overload. While magic hadn’t been part of my life for a while, I continued to maintain distant and loose connections to my old coven and was well versed in the supernatural—probably because the Mistress wanted me to take over whenever she met her end, that was before my bastard of an ex—so I was well versed in the signs.

Carson was definitely a werewolf, and I was his mate.

His eyes changed color and my body’s reaction to him made that crystal fvcking clear. And Goddess was he beautiful, I wanted to get lost in his eyes. And his smell! He was the best combination of pine after rain with some subtle earthiness thrown in for good measure.

Once he figured out I was a witch, he would probably reject me immediately. Historically, my kind and werewolves didn’t exactly get along. It was just as well. No man would be interested in me with my dark past and psycho ex. As these thoughts tumbled through my head, I realized we were still holding hands. Carson wasn’t ever going to let go, not now that he recognized me as his mate—until he discovered my secret. No, this was up to me to shut down before either of us got too attached. I couldn’t leave another life destroyed in my wake.

“I’m Addelina, but my friends call me Adde. It’s nice to meet you.”

Carson grinned at me, and Goddess his smile made me wet, “We just met, and I’m already your friend?”

Time to nip this in the bud I thought, “Don’t flatter yourself. You can call me Addelina.” I finally pulled my hand away, and I already missed what he did to me. “Aria, thank you for the interview. It was nice to see you again. Carson, nice to meet you as well. I must be going.” I started to walk away, planning to walk the short distance back to my hotel. Before I got far, Aria spoke up, “Adde, do you have dinner plans? My fiancée and I were going to have dinner with Carson at the local café. It’s one of our favorite places. Please join us. We would love to show you a little more of the town and answer any other questions you might have while you consider joining the practice.”

Before I could decline, Carson jumped in, “Yes, please join us for dinner. Perhaps by the end I can convince you that we should be friends, Addelina.”

Shit! The way he said my name. It just rolled off his tongue like the sweetest honey. I clenched my thighs together, hating and loving that he had this effect on me so quickly. Carson just gazed at me, waiting for my response. I couldn’t, no strike that, I didn’t want to look away. His gaze was tender, kind, and heated. I actually felt myself blush under his perusal, and I hated myself for what I would have to do.

“I don’t want to impose,” I began to create an excuse. Aria jumped in, “It’s no imposition. Please join us! If not, I will be stuck listening to Carson and Xavier, my fiancée, arguing about video game nonsense. Plus, this café is adorable. I think you will love it.”

“Well, I do want to get more familiar with the town. And I am hungry. As long as it’s not an inconvenience, I will join you guys,” I rationalized. Besides there was a group involved, so Carson would have to control himself. So would I, but that was not the point. Werewolves were notoriously s****l. I wonder what it would be like … No! No! No! I couldn’t let my thoughts wander to his large hands and how they would feel stroking my bare skin or how his lips would feel against mine.

“It’s not. We want you to join us,” Carson assured me, continuing to look very much like he wanted to devour me where I stood.

“I would like to go back to my hotel and change. What time should I meet you guys?”

Carson spoke up, “My next meeting is right next door to the hotel. I would be happy to drop you off and then we can head over to dinner together whenever you’re ready. My meeting should only take an hour.”

Shit! I thought, time alone with him. Maybe that would work out in my favor. I could lay all my cards on the table and he could just reject me up front. Get this whole miserable process underway. “Uh, sure. I guess that will work.”

“Wonderful,” Aria replied. “Let’s all meet at the café in a couple of hours. You’re going to love it Adde, the food is amazing.”