Shifting Hearts

by Ivy Hayes

  As soon as the opening was clear I sprinted into the alley. I was exploding with energy, ready to rip the man off Ash then give him the worst beating of his life, but I was already stopped short by what I saw. He was already getting that. Ash stood over his prone form and with all her weight she was stomping on his groin. She doesn’t weigh much, but it is still doing some serious damage. My balls hurt just watching.

  He likely deserved everything she was doing to him but she needed to stop, otherwise, she would kill him. I know that look in her eyes, the rage that comes from a real fight. She wasn’t going to stop on her own and I doubt she wanted to go as far as killing him.

  Given the state she was in, I couldn’t just walk up to her, lest she starts attacking me. I needed to get her away from the man and calm her down. I decided to use my size to my advantage. I ran up behind her and wrapped her in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground. This way I could avoid her swinging arms or lashing feet for a few seconds, long enough to grab her attention. She fought like a she-lion but thankfully, as soon as she heard my voice she stilled. Grant would have never let me live it down if she had given me a black eye.

  I know it’s wrong, but when I put her down and she faced me, she looked more seductive than any other time I have seen her. Her cheeks were flushed with color, her eyes were alight with fury and there was so much emotion on her face, I could read everything she was feeling. I didn’t even care that she was yelling at me. No, I loved it. Is this how she looks in the throes of passion, would she look like this after we had sex?

  I am not proud of those thoughts, but I can’t help it. The site of her ignites me. Leaving her in the alley was tough and the desire to get back to her was propelling my run to the market. Thankfully, I knew exactly where the constable was, I had just passed him at Nault’s produce stand on my out.

  He was still there, talking to the old farmer. Running up, “Sorry to interrupt constable, there has been some trouble. One of the guys is down and Grant is holding the other. Can you come with me?”

  He blinked at me, “What’s this?”

  “Two traveling merchants attacked the new barmaid at Nash’s. She is okay, but we need to deal with the men.” I shuffled restlessly on my feet, the urge to run back was strong.

  “The small one with red hair? She is a sweet one, are you sure she is okay?”

  “She is, or at least she was when I left. I am worried what will happen if the knocked out one wakes up.” I lie, I know they will be fine, Ash would just knock him out again. Seeing my agitation, the constable finally looked alarmed, “Okay, let’s go.”

  Turning to Nault, “I’ll see you at the wedding.”

  “Not so fast,” Nault speaks up, “Do you need any more help, Gregory. You said there were two of them?”

  Thinking about it for a second, “Actually, it wouldn’t hurt for you to come along. One of them is out cold, we could use some help carrying him.”

  “Let me just tell Marta I am leaving and grab Tom. She can hold down the stand until we get back.” He turns and walks over to his wife and future son-in-law. Marta gives him a quick kiss then Nault and Tom are on their way back over.

  “We are not far, but we should hurry,” I say to the group as we set out.

  SEVEN – GREGORY

  Color me shocked when I walked into the alley. At one end, both men were knocked out and one was tied up. At the other end, Ash was hugging herself and sitting near one of the walls, looking terrified with Grant consoling her. That is not what I was expecting.

  Approaching the two of them, I give Grant a warning glare, which he immediately picks up one and starts to distance himself from Ash. I get close to her, replacing his protective stance and ask, “What happened here, it was all under control when I left?”

  Grant speaks up before Ash has the chance to, “I was distracted by a movement of the first man, the one I was holding used that to break my grip.” He looked over at Ash, “As soon as he broke free, he went straight to her, I guess to pay her back for getting caught.”

  Ash started to shake and I put my arm around her. “Did he get ahold of you?” I asked gently, noticing the tear in her dress, that hadn’t been there before.

  She whimpered, my heart clenched. Grant continued, “He got a good grip on her shoulder, I am not sure what he was trying to do. Since he was distracted, I was able to get behind him and hit him hard enough to knock him out.”

  My stomach dropped, I left them and she was attacked again. “Ash, I am so sorry. I didn’t think there would be any more trouble.” At this, she looked up and I was surprised to see tears in the corner of her eyes.

  Maybe after they were locked up, the constable would give me some time alone with them. I would make them pay for scaring her, for hurting her.

  “I was only able to get one of them tied up before Ash collapsed; I was trying to help her when you guys got back.” Grant continued. “Constable, do you have any irons on you?”

  He was already in the process of pulling them out and said, “They should be easy to secure, looks like both will be sleeping for a while.”

  “Holy shit, that one doesn’t look like he will ever wake up,” Tom said, pointing at the one Ash took down.

  I was about to mention that Ash only hit him in the head a few times and it looked a lot worse than it was when Grant spoke up first.,“Gregory only hit him enough to drop him, I am sure he will wake up in no time.” He shot me a look that warned me to stay silent.

  Like Hell, what is going on? I was about to speak up when Ash started whimpering. I was instantly distracted by her terrified form. I will just have to ask Grant about this later.

  Nault put his hand on my shoulder then said, “Son, why don’t you get her out of here. We can handle this.” Of course, she is already so shaken up, hearing all of this and seeing the men is probably making it worse. I should have thought of this already.

  It didn’t look like she would be able to walk anytime soon so I decided it would be easier to carry her. I lifted her chin up and looked straight into her wet green eyes, “Ash, I am going to pick you up and carry you back to Nash’s.” She looked alarmed.

  “Please no, I don’t want Nash to see me like this.”

  Nault said, “Take her to your house, it’s not far and the manor is big enough you can get her in without too many people seeing her. She shouldn’t have to see any more people in this state.” Yeah, I can do that.

  “Are you okay if I take you to my house? I will be able to get you one of my sister’s dresses to wear and you can have a bath?” Ash nods, then she looks back down. I will destroy them for doing this to her, but later. Now, I need to take care of her, make her feel safe again.

  I pick her up and make note of how she is even lighter than she looks.

  I look back at everyone, “Thank you for taking care of this. Grant, I will see you at home.” I look at him last, with a glare that tells him I am not done with him. I want to know why he lied and how he let Ash get her dress ripped.

  Despite all of that, walking away, all I can think about is how right she feels in my arms. How natural.

  EIGHT – ASH

  I am in more trouble now than I was when those merchants attacked me. Those I could handle but Gregory’s tender care, I am no match for. Being carried in his arms feels better than flying. He is carrying me as if I weigh nothing and I can tell it’s taking no effort. If I hadn’t already found him to be irresistible, I would now.

  I feel guilty, making him think I was hurt and shaken up. I can tell he takes the blame because he left me there and I supposedly got hurt. Once we get back to his house, I will have to tell him the truth. It would be easier if I didn’t but I am sure that if I don’t, Grant surely will. If that happened, I have no idea how he would react. My luck, he would come storming into Nash’s and start yelling at me, demanding answers.

  I start to notice what we are walking towards. We are nearing the lord’s manor. Looking up at Gregory, I ask him, “This is where you li
ve? Please tell me you are one of the stable boys or something, not related to the town’s ruler?”

  “Hate to break it to you, but my father is Lord Cliffden.” A sudden wave of disappointment washed over me. Just when I was starting to accept my feelings for him, my hopes were dashed. I know our relationship would never be possible, just my presence could bring untold danger for everyone and I couldn’t risk the town’s ruling family. I wouldn’t do that, it would only put everyone in Cliffden in danger.

  Choking back what I really want to say, “Oh that somehow explains everything. Stable boys don’t have the haughty attitude you possess.” If my words affected him, he didn’t show it. He just looked down at me and said, “At least the shock hasn’t softened your tongue.” As soon as he said it, his grip on me got a little tighter. I can’t tell if it is protective regret, or to silence me.

  I turn my head to look back at the road. We can talk once we get inside, I don’t want to risk a scene where others can see it. Since I am all but stuck in his arms, I might as well enjoy the ride. I relax in his arms and get comfortable. The gentle rocking of his steps brings me close to sleeping.

  Thankfully we approach one of the side doors a few minutes later, if it had taken any longer I doubtless would have drifted off. I think he is going to put me down but instead, he shifts his hold and opens the door. He then starts to carry me up the stairs. Is there no end to his strength? He does not put me down until we enter one of the rooms, then he sets me down gently on a bed.

  “Stay here, I am going to close the curtains then send for some hot water.” Looking up, I see the curtains he mentioned, they are a soft green color and they wrap around the entire bed. With them closed, he walks towards the door. In a couple steps he has it open then yells impossibly loud, “ROSE, CAN YOU BRING UP SOME WATER FOR MY BATH?”

  He heads back towards the bed, leaving the door open with confidence that his request was heard. I am sure it was, a scream that loud could wake the dead. He pops his head in and says, “If you don’t want people to know you were here, I would suggest staying quiet while the tub gets filled.”

  He meets my eyes, then I see him sucking in a breath. Using his temporary silence, I mutter out, “Gregory, is this your room?” He stills. “Yes. I didn’t know where else to bring you. If I brought you to one of the guest rooms, my mother would have been alerted to your presence. I figured discretion would be better.”

  “I see,” not breaking eye contact, I slide higher up the bed and lay my head against the solid wood headboard. “You were right, the fewer people who know I am here, the better.” I reach down to touch his pillows, “But I am sure there was somewhere else you could have placed me. Anywhere besides your bed?” I don’t have to look back up to know he is staring at me. I can practically feel the heat of his gaze on me.

  How can I resist the temptation to tease him? I tilt my head back up, ever so slightly to meet his gaze. I hold it for a second, feeling the heat between us rise before whispering, “Perhaps sticking your head in the curtains is a bit obvious?” His eyes widen as if he didn’t think about that, “It is a strange sight. Remember, don’t make any noise. I’ll tell you when the bath is full.”

  When his head slips out, I find myself at a loss for what to do. His bed is something special. It’s massive; it would have to be, given how large he is. The bedspread matches the curtains perfectly. It’s as dark of a green as the curtains are light. That plus the varied browns of the pillows make the bed feel like a grove in the middle of the forest. It’s perhaps the most beautiful bed I have been in. His sense of style surprises me.

  To make the bed even better, it’s as soft as a cloud. I could sink in and sleep for days. Trying to fight the urge to do just that, I force myself to stay sitting up, leaning against the headboard. I yawn and think to myself, what would he do if he discovered I had fallen asleep? Would he crawl on the bed and hold me? I would hope not, that would be awfully awkward as I am determined never to be with him.

  NINE – GREGORY

  I have made a horrible mistake. The biggest one I have ever made. What good could possibly come from me placing her on my bed? It seemed like a good idea at first, it was a soft place to set her down and I didn’t want her to have to stand.

  Trying – and failing to calm my breath, I can’t shake the picture of her. Does she know how tantalizing she looked leaning against the headboard? Ash has no way of knowing it, but that sight alone made me hard as a pole. I nearly lost control and joined her when she began absent-mindedly rubbing the bed next to her. Thank god I had only put my head in, that would not have been good for her to see my arousal.

  Shifting to hide my erection, I look at the closed curtains and find they are the exact color of her eyes. Great, those are going to have to go. I am already going to have a hard time forgetting the image of her laying on my bed, seeing these curtains certainly won’t help.

  Who am I kidding, the whole bed will have to go. Just knowing she had laid there will be enough to keep me up all night.

  Hearing Rose enter the room, I move to look out the open window. I am grateful for the distraction of Rose bringing the bath water in. Staring out the window and trying to forget about the gorgeous woman on my bed, I get an opportunity to think. Any reservations I had about her vanished this afternoon. Seeing her in danger scared me deeper than I thought possible and I barely know her.

  My instincts are telling me that she is not a threat to me or this town. I must trust them, they have never lead me astray before. She may be a shifter, but I truly don’t believe she means any harm. Besides, it looks like she found a way for Grant to trust her and if he does, I can too.

  There are so many answers I need to get from her, though. How did she learn to fight like that? Why did she lie about it to the other men? What is she afraid of? I don’t know when I will be able to ask them though, given how shaken she was. I don’t want to put her back in that state.

  Maybe after her bath, I am sure that will calm her down enough to have that conversation.

  After I get my answers, I will have to tell her that I know she can shift into an eagle. It’s the elephant in the room that she doesn’t even know exists. One thing I do know is she will never allow herself to trust me if that truth is still hidden.

  I find I need her to trust me. I need it more than I need to breathe.

  I hear the soft click of the door, letting me know that Rose has finished. I will have to find her later, it was rude of me not to even acknowledge her, but she couldn’t see me in this state.

  Knowing if I wanted to keep my thoughts straight, I could not see her on the bed again. Stopping myself from pulling back the curtains, I raise my voice just loud enough to carry over, “Ash, the bath is full. You can come out now.”

  No response.

  Speaking a little louder, I say it again, “You can come out now.” Still no response. There goes my resolve not to pull back the curtains. I slide open one side and I see she fell asleep. The fight probably took all her energy. I should have thought of that, but I seem to be having trouble with the most basic thoughts when she is near.

  I know we need to talk but I can’t bring myself to wake her up. As if I am trying to break a record for the most mistakes in one day, I decided to join her for a nap. Sliding up next to her, I am reminded of the night I first saw her, asleep underneath the tree.

  Where I couldn’t touch her then, I can now.

  I start moving before I even realize it. I placed one arm around her shoulders, then shift her so she is laying her head on my chest instead of against the headboard. With the movement, she rolls in. She gives a soft sigh and curls her hand in my shirt. So lovely.

  Her hair is spread out behind her, with the smallest of strands laying across her face. I hesitate to brush them away, I don’t want to risk waking her up. This iswhen I notice the scratch on her otherwise unmarred face. It’s a small enough of a scrape it won’t leave a scar, but the sight of it turned my stomach. Yet another thing to repay, i
f I get the chance to see those bastards again.

  Looking past her face, I see her position exposed the top swell of her breast. It is only visible because of the tear. I bite back the sudden anger, thinking about that monster grabbing her hard enough to rip her dress. I take a deep breath and remind myself that she is safe, just shaken up. I need to stay calm.

  I feel a surge of protectiveness rise in me, I never want to see her get hurt again. Only the fact that they are already locked up allows me to relax.

  I try to fall asleep but the shameful part of me is hypnotized by her breasts. Once I got past my anger, I realize the tear changed her dress. It went from tastefully tantalizing, to downright sinful. Her breasts are practically spilling out of the top of her dress. Though still covered by her near-invisible shift, there is not much left to the imagination. I find my hand itching to cup her ample cleavage, to see if they fit perfectly in my hand.

  I can almost see her nipple through the material and I long to tease it. To make it perk up under my careful attention. I remember my self-pleasure from yesterday and how my mental image of sucking on her ample tits sent me skyrocketing over the edge.

  My erection that had barely disappeared before, came back with a vengeance. It’s throbbing like it can sense being closer to her. I try and ignore it, hoping it will shrink after a few minutes but the longer she is laying on me, the harder it gets. There is no hope, as the swell of her breasts remains in my view.

  I close my eyes hoping it will help but it’s a futile attempt. My head is swimming with images of her and my body burns with contact. My hunger for her flares and my cock finally became too painful to handle. Fearing permanent damage, I shift to try and ease the pressure.