Linked by Hope Welsh

sure. His eyes would have told
her, anyway. “Whatever ability this is that I have seems to be getting
stronger, Cole. I can already read your mind sometimes. I don’t see that going
away as we get to know each other more.”
    He laughed at that. “So? I’m not
worried about that, Lana. It’s part of my attraction for you. And I think you
could train yourself to block it out, if it’s that much of an issue.” He
grabbed her hand. “I think we’re meant to be together. I don’t believe in
coincidence. I think we were meant to meet.”
    Lana shivered. She’d been
wondering the same thing herself. “I do, too.”
    He pulled her hand and brought
her against his body. “Give us a chance, Lana. If you don’t love me, that’s one
thing. And I know my being a shapeshifter is a lot to take in, but—”
    Lana punched him. “It’s not that,
you idiot. I already love you!”
    Cole brought her hand to his
mouth. “Don’t hit me. You’ll hurt yourself.”
    She laughed now. “This is crazy.
You know that, right?”
    He sobered. “No. It’s meant to
be. I feel it. We belong together.”
    “Then we’ll see where this leads
us.”
    “Good. Let’s get dressed and go.
If we hurry, Mom will have food ready. I’m hungry.”
    “Are you always hungry?”
    His eyes darkened. His smile,
slow, sly, and a little feral as he pulled her to him and kissed her hard and
deep. “Always.”
     
    §§§
     
    They drove to his parents’ home
in comfortable silence. Cole knew there had to be some connection between the
two of them, if not their families.
    Finally, his childhood home came
into view. The better part of his life had been spent in the house.
    He remembered the first time he’d
shifted. His parents had been utterly speechless. They had given him a good three-hour
lecture on the responsibility of it, too, he recalled, followed by numerous
warnings and reminders not to shift outside of the house.
    He had, of course. How could an
eight-year-old be expected not to shift? It had been the coolest thing
since…whatever he had thought was cool back then.
    As he pulled into the driveway,
he noticed the color of the house had changed. It had been white the weekend
before. His mom must’ve made his dad paint it finally. Looked good, he thought
with a slight nod as he put the car in park. He’d always loved blue.
    “We’re here,” he announced.
    As he unbuckled his seatbelt, he
saw her nod and swallow before looking at him. “You’re sure they’re not going
to mind an uninvited guest?”
    He laughed. “No.” Knowing his
mother, she’d be ecstatic. “Come on, darlin’. Let’s see if we can’t get some
answers.”
    Hand in hand, they walked to the
front door. Cole had just raised his hand to knock, but the door swung open
before his fist reached the door. “Cole!”
    Cole grinned and released Lana’s
hand to pull his mother into his arms. “Hi, Mom. We came for breakfast—it’s not
too late, is it?”
    Mrs. Thomas grinned. “It’s not
too late. Come on in. Who’s your lady friend?” she asked, her eyes bright with curiosity.
    “Lana Summers. Lana, Claire
Thomas,” Cole said with a grin, slightly pushing her forward. He knew that
gleam in his mother’s eyes. She was already planning the wedding. “Dad around?”
he asked as his mother led them into the kitchen.
    “He’s showering, I think.”
    Cole nodded and sat next to Lana
at the table.
    “You have a lovely home,” Lana
commented.
    “Thanks. We like it,” she said
with a smile. It quickly disappeared as she turned her attention to Cole.
“What’s wrong?”
    He grinned. “Maybe I just wanted
some home cooking?”
    Claire glanced at Lana. “He’s a
stubborn boy. And a bit slow, thinking I don’t know when something’s wrong with
my boy.”
    Lana smiled and looked at Cole.
“I agree completely.”
    “Hey! Whose side are you on?”
    She shot him a look of total
innocence. “Your mother’s, of course.”
    He shook his head. Before he
could