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Chapter Four
Espie popped a grape into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully as her eyes panned over the gorgeous park, as the wind ruffled her thick black mane. If she had curls, her ridiculous hair might have been more manageable, but given that it was just thick, straight and heavy, it was a beast even on its good days. Straight and troublesome, just like her.
Normally at this time of the day, she’d be lounging around Maida’s workplace, A Cup of Beans, which was one of Angel Fire’s greatest treasures; but today was Monday, and every Monday evening was Brush and Bind night. The little club had been started by a few bear shifters, but once Espie had caught wind of it, she’d blabbed about it to everyone, and they now had ten consistent members who attended regularly. A bighorn sheep shifter – a woman named Emery who had a face like a horse had kicked it but who was also really quite sweet – was their most recent addition.
Brush and Bind was a painting troupe combined with a reading club. They met outdoors whenever the weather was good, with everyone bringing a little something to nibble on. This week the meeting was meant to be held at this park, but since it was Maida’s day off, she and Espie had elected to show up a few hours early just to soak up some sun.
“Moms can get like that,” her best friend agreed when Espie had told her all about the conversation with Bina the night before. The curvy redhead plunged a baby carrot into the dip on her plate, swirling it around and drawing little shapes. “But you know that she loves you to the moon and back. In all the years I’ve known you, she’s never said anything out of spite.”
“And you know me, too,” Espie grumbled. “I want to find my mate, of course, but it’s not like I’m going to look around every corner. It gets so annoying whenever she brings it up.”
“You should be grateful to have a family who cares so much about you,” Maida pointed out. “Not like me, living on my own and having to work, even as I’m trying to get through med school, too. College can be a real pain, especially when the mid-terms come around.”
“That’s why I’m only going there to find a husband,” piped in Jen, one of the other group members who had settled nearby to wait for the activities to start. “As a matter of fact, I think I’ve found a new guy who seems to have some potential. If I can nab him and get a ring, I might be able to quit before I’m ever forced to take the finals.”
“I know college must be rough, guys, and I also know how good I’ve got things right now,” Espie grumbled. “Maybe I just wanted to complain a little before the others get here, that’s all. I get so frustrated sometimes.”
“I don’t blame you,” Maida soothed. “I can’t even begin to imagine what it would feel like to literally crave another person like I crave a chocolate bar.”
The girls giggled, and Espie pinched a piece of cheese between two of her fingers, popping it into her mouth even as she replied. “Well, maybe it’s not quite that much. It’s just…sometimes all I can think about is finding my soulmate. But then other days, I can’t stand the thought of losing my independence because of him. It’s driving me nuts!”
“You’re an independent woman,” Maida said, laughing as she nudged Espie with her elbow. “I totally get it. You shouldn’t feel guilty about it, though. If the two of you are really soulmates, the guy would understand that, too.”
Espie laughed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. But enough of this. I can see the rest of the members marching toward us across the field. We might as well get the paints and the easels set up."
A wayward breeze blew Espie’s hair into her eyes and she tucked it behind her ears, exhaling irritably when it didn’t stay there. Before she could say anything, Maida tugged a hair tie off her wrist and handed it over, smirking. Espie rolled her eyes and grabbed it, then tried her best to wrangle the beast in. Her inner grizzly rumbled discontentedly, as if the hair might be a sign that she ought to go sit somewhere by herself for a while.
Stop being anti-social, dammit!
The grizzly huffed and settled in, leaving Espie with a hint of mild heartburn in the process.
Although both of the young women currently in her company were humans, Maida knew all about the bear clan and had even been made an honorary member. Because she and Espie had been inseparable as kids, and the young human might inevitably witness it should Espie accidentally shift into her bear form at some point, it had seemed like the lesser of two evils to tell her the truth. Not that either of them could discuss the concept of fated mates in front of Jen or any of the other humans. That was a topic for another time.
Maida kept her silence better than anyone Espie knew. She could trust her with her life, and that was a great deal of trust to put in a person who couldn’t change into a supernatural beast whenever she liked. Sometimes Espie felt a little guilty about dragging her bestie into the strangeness of her life, but Maida didn’t seem to mind.
It wasn’t long until Brush and Bind got underway. This week’s painting theme was about clouds. Many of the members simply sketched them into their sketchbooks, but a few of them chose to give painting them a try. The group usually worked on art while the light was still good, but as the sun began to set, they’d switch to talking about the week’s chosen book.
Last week they’d picked Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. Both Espie and Maida had read the book in high school, which meant Espie was not reading it again. That tome was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of read. Plus, how hard was it to understand the plot? Victor was the real monster, and that was that.
With the arrival of more members also came an influx of more food. A quick glance at her plate told Espie that her grape and cheese supply was almost depleted, so she willingly perused the options as people set it up on one of the blankets.
Just as she settled in her spot with a plate by her side and a sketchbook on her lap, Espie glanced upward. A chorus of male voices carried across the field toward them. Frowning, she turned to look as the rest of the group quieted at the intrusion. Usually the park was empty at this time of the day, especially during the week, but apparently a bunch of shouting, running. backslapping Neanderthals had decided to invade that serenity.
Maria, a black bear shifter whose human form sported russet hair but maintained the same shade of amber eyes in both forms, rose up onto her knees to take a better look. “They don’t look familiar. Miners, maybe?”
Espie half-rose also, not making herself any taller than her friend so as not to look suspicious. “Wouldn’t surprise me.”
This notion brought about a certain heaviness to the group, since most of them were bear shifters who were well aware of all the trouble between the miners and their clan. The portion of the mountain that the mining corporation had chosen to excavate was sacred to their people, but no amount of negotiation had worked, meaning that the miners continued to encroach on bear territory.
Espie and Maria exchanged looks, knowing that if the big lugs tossing a football around were miners, they were about to ruin the whole vibe of their weekly meet-up. A new shipment of miners had arrived over the summer when their efforts had also crossed from just the bear lands into those belonging to the bighorn sheep – the primary reason, according to Miguel, why they were no longer at odds with that awful clan anymore. Ivo kept claiming he’d played peacemaker, of course, but Espie knew just as well as anyone that ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend.’
The miners brought with them potential environmental, economic, and social ruin that could easily impact Angel Fire for years to come. Not to mention they were encroaching closer and closer to her clan’s sacred cave in the mountains. Ursalina, the clan sorceress, wouldn’t be able to fend them off with her magic forever – she’d said so herself.
The only people in town who were ever happy to see the miners were the local human business owners, particularly the sports bar and the grocery store owners. A bunch of men rolling into town would want to drink and eat and stock their fridges with boxed microwave meals, which meant the town’s businesses would get more revenue.
Espie watched the men fan out into teams, but they were too close for her comfort; she noted that most of them were in their twenties or early thirties. Some were even attractive. Mostly she just wanted to punch them in their faces because they were ruining Brush and Bind. The whole group had started talking about their troubles with the miners rather than enjoying themselves.
“Come on, guys,” she said after the tone of the meeting really started to plummet. Gary, the lone male present in the group, looked as though he was on the verge of tears, just discussing the potential ramifications of the miners. “Let’s talk Mary Shelley already. The sun’s going down.”
