Free Being(s) In Love 03 - A Beginner’s Guide to Wooing Your Mate by R. Cooper

Zeki put his hand down.
    “Why would I be offended?” Theo’s voice was low and hesitant and wonderful.
    Zeki perked up at getting him to speak. “Werewolves don’t like magic,” he explained matter-of-factly. “I spent most of my teen years being reminded of that every time I tried to talk about it.” He could not believe he’d brought up his awkward teenage experience in front of Theo Greenleaf, or that he’d given him a lecture about magic. It was like words kept spilling out of him. Theo had a tiny frown. Zeki took a breath to center himself and stared into Theo’s eyes. “I mean, werewolves don’t use magic, as a rule. Or you can’t, I’m not sure which. Maybe the discipline required while working spells doesn’t fit well with the average were’s need to follow their instincts. Except….” Zeki faded to silence, puzzle pieces locking together in his mind. “But you use magic, don’t you? You use it like a human would.”
    He instantly wanted to call the words back. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Mr. Elliot freeze a little too obviously. Theo’s eyes went wide. He shook his head once but continued to stare at Zeki in astonishment.
    “I’m sorry,” Zeki whispered. “I hope I’m not, well, insulting you. I don’t think it’s an insult. I think it’s incredible. But—” He opened the paper bag and broke off a piece of cookie. He popped it in his mouth and groaned quietly. Theo’s eyes went wider, the pupils big and dark. “That’s magic.” Once again Zeki found it difficult not to keep eating. “Magic.” It was no wonder he’d chosen that cookie yesterday when he could have had anything else. He hadn’t even come in for anything but coffee. “Small but there, like an extra flavor. Like the best sugars, but it’s not sugar giving it that edge. That’s whatever you channeled into them.”
    “What?” Theo shook his head again. “No, I wouldn’t even know how.”
    “Natural talent is very real.” Zeki was almost breathless. “You are baking with magic, or you were when you made these and those crescent moon cookies.” He looked up at the soft shock on Theo’s face. “Problem solving, mysteries like this, are kind of my area.” Theo probably didn’t care, but Zeki wished he did. It would be nice if someone in this town cared to know what Zeki was capable of, especially if that person was Theo. “I can determine how spells were cast and who cast them, even what was used. I also do some removals and healing. I studied anything and everything I could, and if I had the money I’d still be learning.” That was the painful truth. “Every practitioner has different ways of focusing, and they’re all fascinating. Charms, potions, glyphs, formulas, blood magic, sex magic. Fascinating,” he repeated so firmly Theo blinked. “Mediums are like a signature. I don’t cast much myself. Helping is more what I want to do. It’s my dream job really, being a consulting cunning man. It’s more democratic than keeping all the knowledge for myself the way some practitioners do…. I’m babbling.” Once again, Zeki was talking too much. Maybe it was the steady, careful way Theo watched him as he spoke, like he was committing everything to memory. Zeki stepped back. “Anyway, trust me. Whether you meant it or not, what you put into these made them wonderful.”
    Theo angled his head to the side before glancing at Zeki. “You really like them?”
    His sweet, measured tones were nearly enough to make Zeki’s toes curl. He’d never have guessed that, of all topics, magic would get Theo to talk to him.
    “I’ve never tried cooking or baking, unless you count potions, but this.” Zeki decided another bite wouldn’t hurt. “This is how a sugar cookie should be,” he said around a tasty mouthful. “This cookie wants me to eat it.” His own choice of words made him pause again, his thoughts whirling. Theo continued to study him, perhaps waiting for him to explain some more.