“This plan will take time,” the mayor said. “People will have to get used to it.”
Madison hesitated. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions. But… “So that’s a yes?”
Mayor McFadden smiled. “As far as I’m concerned, yes. I’ll have to discuss the details with the local council and set up rules, provided they agree.”
“Whatever you need.” Madison couldn’t believe it. Their plan was going to work. Simon wouldn’t be confined anymore. “I can give you more updates. My students won’t be too surprised at me keeping in touch with local authorities.”
The mayor nodded. “Can you give me daily updates on your schedule and location?”
“Sure. I’ll send you the plans so far, but we’ll have to change them as we go.” She’d done enough fieldwork to know changes to the plan were inevitable. “But I can keep you updated. Exact places where we’ll be on what day, things like that.” She slid some of her notes over to the mayor. “These should cover the basics.”
“I’ll go over this today.” Mayor McFadden stood up, and Madison knew it was time for them to leave. “Simon, could you stay for a quick word?”
Simon nodded. “Of course.”
“Thank you for making time to talk to me.” She shook hands with the mayor before leaving. Simon smiled at her as she left reluctantly.
When she closed the mayor’s office door behind her, she let out a relieved sigh. She’d have to drill it into the PhD students tomorrow that they couldn’t stray too far. She had to show everyone in town that scientists could stick to their side of a deal, even if only one scientist knew about that deal.
She walked past the secretary’s office, nodding at her in greeting, then stopped. She had dinner with Simon that night. A date. And all she’d packed were practical clothes for camping and the outdoors. She couldn’t turn up in those.
Or, well, she probably could. She’d worn those last night when he’d asked her to dinner.
Still, she wanted to look nice.
She knocked on the secretary’s door again. “Excuse me, is there’s a clothing store in town?”
The secretary looked up from her keyboard. “Yes, it’s down the street next to the diner. They sell other camping gear as well.”
Of course she assumed Madison was looking for that. “No, um, I meant something nice. For a date.” She felt flustered, which was ridiculous. She was a grown woman.
“Oh, I see.” The secretary smiled, the first genuine smile Madison had seen on her face. “With that nice Miller boy?”
Madison’s face reddened further. The secretary must’ve watched him grow up. Shifter small towns really were regular small towns. Which meant her answer was going to be on the grapevine five minutes after she left here. “Yes.” Besides, if the date went as well as she’d hoped, the gossip would’ve started tomorrow morning anyway.
The other woman’s smile grew. “Take the second left once you leave here. Rebecca always has wonderful dresses. Good luck.”
Madison knew she didn’t only mean with clothes-shopping. “Thanks. Um, Simon is still with the mayor. If he comes out wondering where I went, just tell him I went back to work and that I’ll see him tonight.”
As if she was going to get any work done today. Not with the butterflies in her stomach.
5. Simon
He wondered why Kathleen wanted to talk to him. He’d told her everything that had happened when he’d called her this morning.
Okay, not everything.
Why are we letting our mate get away from us? his hawk demanded.
Simon knew she had her work to get back to, although it pained him they couldn’t spend more time together. We will see her again tonight.
It didn’t settle his hawk’s need to go out and find her.
“What was it you wanted to discuss?” he asked.
The mayor picked up her glass of water. “You left out something important this morning.”
“No, I didn’t. I told you exactly what happened. I got caught in her net, she wanted to band me, so I shifted.” He hadn’t wanted Madison to have to explain the whole thing to Kathleen. Much better if it came from him.
“You didn’t tell me she’s your fated mate.” The mayor looked at him, her eyes piercing through him.
He should’ve known she’d realize. She was an eagle with the eyesight that came with it.
“I didn’t think it was important for the meeting. Not for the plan to work. I know you think I’m biased, but I think it’s a good plan,” he argued. “You agreed to it.”
“It is important,” she insisted. “Because it means she’s biased as well. She’ll do anything to protect you.”
“I—” He’d been so caught up with looking out for Madison that he hadn’t realized she’d want to do the same. Humans didn’t recognize fated mates immediately like shifters did, but they felt the connection. “I don’t need protecting.”
“Didn’t seem to stop her,” the mayor told him, looking far too pleased. “This morning she told me I shouldn’t blame you for shifting. I had a hunch, and the meeting confirmed it. The way she defended you and took the blame. And I’d have to be blind not to see the way you look at her.”
He felt his cheeks redden. “I can’t help it.”
The mayor sipped her water. “Like I said, a scientist was going to discover us sooner rather than later. That scientist being the fated mate of one of our shifters is the best outcome we could have hoped for. Fated mates are fated for a reason. Some people say there’s a reason for how fated mates meet as well. Always at the right place, at the right time.” She smiled at Simon. “That will go a long way to convince people it’s a good idea.”
He smiled back. “Maybe don’t lead with it.”
“Oh, the information she’s left with us will do most of the
