Kegan and Weylin silently stared for several shocked and ponderous seconds. Then Kegan ran a hand down his face and shook his head. “Man, Layla, I'm sorry. That's... it's... horrible. I'm sorry it happened to you.”
She gave a nod, but didn't say anything, and they didn’t expect her to.
“So how did she get here?” Weylin asked, his voice unusually quiet.
“That's an even longer story,” Quin answered, “and there’s a lot I don’t know, but here's the rundown. Her mom died a few months ago, and she left a letter revealing Layla was adopted from a family who lived near Portland. Layla took a chance and moved, and she quickly found Cinnia’s café by following a recommendation from her dad.” He paused, looking at Layla as he ran a hand down her curls, and she closed her eyes, practically purring as she leaned into his touch. “And that, guys, is where I found my angel.”
“Did you know it was her when you saw her?” Kegan asked.
“No,” Quin answered. “Not until she told me her name.”
“Layla,” Kegan and Weylin whispered.
They'd been hearing the name for years, mostly from witches begging for details about Quin’s dreams. Hell, they'd been saying the name for years, when they'd ribbed Quin for giving up another woman because he refused to rid himself of the visions. Now that they were looking at his mysterious dream girl, surely they understood why he refused to give her up. She wasn’t just a dream. She was flesh and blood and beautiful.
“That explains why she hides her aura,” Weylin noted, “but it doesn't explain why you're hiding yours.”
“You’re right,” Quin conceded, “but you needed to know that to understand what we’re about to show you.” He looked from Weylin to Kegan. Then he smiled at Layla and kissed her nose. “Show them your aura, love.”
Quin released his aura the same time Layla let hers go, and as the bright and colorful hazes rolled from their bodies, Weylin jumped to his feet and knocked over his chair. “Whoa!”
Kegan stayed seated, but his mouth hung open and his eyes were huge. “What the hell happened to you, man?”
“I'm glad you asked,” Quin replied. “Let the other one go, my love.”
Their bonded lights rushed from their bodies, surrounding their guests in shiny, gold and silver swirls, and Weylin stumbled back, nearly tripping over his fallen chair. “Whoa!”
Kegan stood as well, his eyes bugging as he pointed.
Several people laughed, but then they stifled their humor, giving their guests time to come to terms with what they were seeing.
“You're bonded?” Kegan whispered.
“Yes,” Quin confirmed. “We bonded Monday night.”
“Whoa,” Weylin whispered, and more musical laughs drifted through the air.
“This is crazy,” Kegan breathed, slowly examining their auras. “What’s that silver? I’ve never seen anything like it?”
“We don’t know,” Quin replied. “It appeared with the gold.”
Weylin flipped his chair upright with a wave of his hand. Then he sat and motioned toward Quin. “So what does this mean? Are you a super wizard now?”
Quin shrugged. “I wouldn't say that.”
“Of course not,” Weylin returned, his full beard twitching with a grin. “So what would you say?”
Quin looked at Layla and smiled. “I'd say I'm the luckiest man on earth.”
Weylin loudly laughed. “Hell yeah, you are. You walked into a coffee shop and found a customized angel. We should all be so lucky.” He shifted in his chair and searched out Cinnia. “I'll be coming to your café once a day from now on, doll. Expect a lot of business from me. Just keep luring in those angels, and I'll be there.”
Cinnia laughed and shook a finger at him. “Now don't you come in there and scare away my patrons, Weylin.”
“You think I scare the ladies?” he asked, feigning a broken heart.
“No,” she countered, “but I don't foresee very many men coming in there if they know it's your hunting ground.”
“Ahh… You make a good point. I don't want the men to stop bringing the angels, do I? I'll have to keep a low profile. My plan needs work.” He grinned at Quin. “Maybe super wizard can help me out.”
Quin smiled as he shook his head, but then he looked at Kegan and sobered. “What's on your mind, Keg?”
Kegan intently eyed him for a moment. Then he sat back down, but he didn't relax. “Is this why you've had your community guarded? And why some of you are staying elsewhere?”
Quin looked at Caitrin, who shrugged while relaying a mental message. 'This is your call, Quinlan. Not ours.'