�No, it�s fine. I just didn�t realize you were there,� she said as she got her breath and heart rate under control. Denizen crossed to the refrigerator and opened it to check its contents.
�Orange juice, apple juice, or,� he opened the milk to smell it and coughed. �Your choices are orange juice or apple juice.� He poured the milk down the sink and tossed the jug away.
�I think I�ll have apple juice,� Abigail answered as she divided the scrambled eggs and bacon onto two plates. Denizen pulled two glasses from a cupboard and poured apple juice into both of them.
�I have a question,� he said as he pulled a stool out from under the island and sat down.
�I might have an answer,� she replied as she did the same.
�I noticed you haven�t taken your gloves off very much. Why is that?�
�Ah,� she said. �I had hoped you weren�t paying close enough attention.� She sighed and looked down at her food. �It�s a long story,� she said finally.
�I think we have time enough,� he said.
�It�s not something many people know about or something I feel very comfortable talking to people about,� she said softly.
�Are your hands scarred?� Denizen asked before her put a whole slice of bacon into his mouth.
�No, I�m not scarred. It�s nothing like that, see?� She took her right glove off and held her hand up for his inspection. He moved to take her hand in his, but she pulled it away and slid her glove back on.
�Why can�t I touch your hands?� he asked harshly. She winced at his tone.
�It�s, it�s, um,� she stammered softly, �It�s complicated.� She took a bite of eggs.
�Are you afraid to touch me?�
�No, no, it�s nothing like that. Well, it�s not just you, anyway. It�s everyone. I can�t touch anyone with my bare hands,� she said quickly.
�Why not? You one of those people who are horrified by germs?�
�If I was, do you really think I would have let you kiss me last night?�
�True enough. So why can�t you touch people?� he pushed her. She sighed and set her fork down.
�You�re not going to let this go, are you?� she asked. He grinned wolfishly and shook his head. �Fine.� She slid her right glove off again and held her hand out to him. �Give me your hand,� she told him.
The instant his flesh connected with hers, a flurry of images flashed in her mind. There was one of a huge black wolf, some of his family, some of a little girl she guessed was his niece. There were even a few that involved her and made her blush furiously. Before he could show her more, however, he broke contact.
�What was that? What did you do to me?� he asked her.
�I didn�t do anything to you. That�s what happens when I touch people with my bare hands. I see everything about them. Their thoughts, their feelings, adult images that probably shouldn�t have been seen by me.� This last comment she said to him with upraised eyebrows. He cleared his throat and looked away. �I saw your niece. She�s a beautiful little girl. Last night, when you knocked and I didn�t answer? I saw you and your sister on her wedding day. She was beautiful, too. I also saw something about a great, big, black wolf that interests me quite a bit. Are you willing to share that with me?�
He looked up sharply when she mentioned the wolf. Did she know? If she did, she didn�t show any fear. �I don�t think I�m ready to share the story behind that particular image just yet.�
�Oh, come on. Please? Pretty please? With whipped cream, hot fudge, caramel and a cherry on top?� she begged. She looked so comic in her child-like hopefulness. He laughed, but shook his head.
�Fine.� She grabbed his hand back and closed her eyes. She had to sift through some of the pictures to find it, but there it was. He associated the wolf with the full moon and a strange melting feeling.
�Oh, my Goddess,� Abigail said after she let go of his hand and opened her eyes. Denizen braced himself for the look of terror and the screams that were sure to come. They never did. �You�re a werewolf, aren�t you?� she asked softly. He nodded, completely confused and unsure of what she was going to do next. �Wow. I�ve never met a real, live werewolf before. And most of the guys in movies don�t look half as good as you do.�
�Okay, now I�m totally confused,� Denizen said. �You don�t think it�s weird that I�m a werewolf?�
�Honey, when your best friend is an empath and a witch and you see peoples� entire lives when you touch them with your bare hands, you won�t find much that�s weird,� she replied.