Saving Margaret by Krystal Shannan

fine and as soon as you feed me, we can head back to the house.”
    He smiled down at her. His girl was tough. She’d just been attacked, spotted another hostile tailing them from the hotel, and all she wanted was food.
    “Let’s get you some food then.”
    They walked into the diner. He directed her to an open booth by a window so he could watch the street.
    “Maggie!” A melodious female voice rang out across the diner. He turned just in time to see a tiny redheaded human rush at his mate. She shoved past him and hugged Margaret.
    “Sarah!”
    The two girls hugged and cackled back and forth about what they’d been doing over the past year, scolding each other for not catching up sooner.
    He slid into a booth and waited for Margaret to remember he was there. It didn’t take long.
    “Oh! Scott, I’m so sorry. This is one of my best friends from high school. Sarah, this is Scott…my…” Her voice caught and stalled. He smiled and reached out to shake Sarah’s hand.
    “What she’s so eloquently trying to say is that I’m her boyfriend.”
    The redhead beamed. “She was never great around boys.”
    He laughed and turned to catch Margaret’s glare.
    “I’m just fine with boys, Sarah McLain. I just never could find the right one.”
    “Yeah, just keep telling yourself that. You’ve never stayed with a guy longer than a couple of weeks.” She reached over and patted his arm. “Sorry, no offense meant to you, but Margaret has commitment issues.”
    The corners of his mouth turned up slowly. He knew why Margaret had appeared that way to her friend. A lot of shifters dated humans casually as they grew up to blend in with the human population. But those relationships were kept very short and superficial. It was just enough of a show to keep the humans from asking questions. They tended to try and avoid dating other shifters because an unintentional mating bond would start to form, causing all kinds of problems.
    “I think she has moved past them.”
    The redhead slid into the opposite seat of the booth, followed by Margaret. “Oh, really. How long have you two been together?”
    He was silent and so was Margaret.
    “Less than two weeks, huh?”
    “It’s not like that with Scott, Sarah,” Margaret finally spoke. “He’s different. He’s the right one.”
    A soft sigh escaped Sarah’s chest. “I hope so, sweetie. I really do. You deserve to find that special person.”
    “What about you? Have you found someone down at Rice that can handle your attitude?”
    The energy at the table flat-lined. Sarah bit her lip and frowned.
    “I’m sorry, I…”
    “It’s ok. I came home at spring break from school because of what happened. I’ve been helping Mom and Dad with the diner for the past week. It’s helped some.”
    “What happened?”
    “There was a really special guy. We were actually engaged last September, but he was killed.”
    “Killed?” Scott asked quietly.
    “The police ruled it death by wild animal. He was just jogging in the park. A few witnesses say it was a wolf. Some say it was a coyote. Neither of which should have ever been in a Houston public park.”
    Right after Chase and Sam get married and Council agents start showing up in the states.
    “Coincidence. Not every death by animal is supernatural.”
    She’s friends with a bunch of them. Went to high school in supernatural central.
    “It is still most likely coincidence,” his bear argued. “She is human. It doesn’t make sense for a supernatural to attach himself to a human female.”
    It’s still odd. And, they would have killed him for it.
    “Sarah, I’m so sorry,” Margaret said softly.
    “Thanks, I’m working past it. I’ll be fine.”
    An older woman walked from the kitchen to Sarah, smiling at him and Margaret. She looked a lot like the red head, but grey streaked her hair. “Of course you will, sweetheart.” Her voice reminded him of his mother. “And you will take all the time you need.”
    “Bonnie, I