by Olivia Arran
“Why would you need to diet, girl?” Granny frowned, joining us at the table. “God gave you a healthy body for a reason, and it wasn’t for vanity.”
Healthy. When Granny looked away, I pulled a face. I’d heard this argument before, not that I gave one hoot what I looked like. As long as I didn’t have straw sticking out of my hair, I was happy. “You’ll get used to the idea. Personally, I like having curves,” I mumbled, fanning my mouth to try and cool down the spices that had exploded on my tongue. “Gives me something comfortable to sit on.”
Liam rolled his eyes with a mortified groan and Granny clucked her tongue, but laughter sparked in her eyes. “Your Grandfather was a breast man, through and through.”
Liam slid down in his chair, covering his face with his hands.
A bark of laughter burst out of Harper, which morphed into an undignified splutter as she reached for her water. “Sorry,” she wheezed, gulping down the whole glass, “wrong hole.”
Taking pity on Liam, and myself, I steered the conversation back onto something other than the thought of Granny having a sex life. “How was school, Liam?” We’d gotten a brief run down when he’d slammed into the house earlier, but had saved the conversation for when Harper got here.
His hands left his face and he flashed me a grateful grin. “It was great. I’m in a class with fifteen other kids and every hour we get to do a different subject. I’m not behind, either. And I made a friend. Two actually. Tod and Carl. They’re both wolves, but I don’t mind. They want to be an enforcer like me, too. And we played basketball and I scored and then we did shop. Do you know what that is? We get to make stuff, with our hands!” He finally took a breath, sitting back in his seat and grinning from ear to ear.
Everyone’s spoons had frozen under the onslaught of information, but now resumed normal service.
“Wow,” Harper exclaimed, adding a little more sour cream to her chili. Granny made it hot and if she wasn’t used to it, her mouth would be on fire.
“Tod and Carl invited me over to the wolf packhouse tonight. Can I go? We’re just going to play video games and maybe shoot some hoops.” His eyes begged us to say yes, he even went so far as to clasp his hands in front of his chest.
Catching Granny’s eye, I inclined my head. We weren’t on the farm anymore, and it would do Liam some good to mix with kids his own age. Keeping him away from other kids had never been ideal, but we hadn’t had a choice, not until now. Our silent conversation lasted all of five seconds before she crumbled.
“You’ll be back by nine,” Granny ordered.
Liam started shoveling his food into his mouth, obviously anxious to be off.
Harper finished her chili, sliding the clean spoon from between her lips and placing it in her empty bowl. “You want to be an enforcer?”
Damn. He’d managed to slip that one in there and I’d completely missed it!
Liam flushed, his eyes refusing to meet ours. “I want to protect people and be useful,” he muttered, hunching over his bowl, as if he’d confessed to the world’s worst crime.
How would that work? A fox shifter working for the wolf pack? “Do the shifters mix to that degree here?” I directed my question at Harper, though it was Liam that answered.
“Yes. Graham was telling me that those without a pack can apply to join and all they have to do is accept the Alpha as their own. That’s Owen, he’s the wolf Alpha.”
Ah. Graham. That explained a few things.
“You have a pack.” Granny’s voice was firm.
Liam opened his mouth, but I cut him off before he could say something rash, “Is it Graham who you’re meeting with for your counseling sessions?”
A moment of silence, then, “Yeah. He’s working with me on my control, it’s one of the things I have to do to complete my community service.”
Granny’s lips were pursed, but she stayed silent. Thank God.
“Has he mentioned what else you’ll be required to do?”
Liam shrugged, pushing his bowl away. “No, but he has said it’ll be something to benefit the community. He talks about that a lot—how we all need to work together to make sure that Heartsridge continues to thrive. How every individual is important and valued.”
I forced the tiny frown off my face. Graham sure had a lot to say.
Harper’s face had screwed up in confusion. “Graham?” she mouthed to me in question.
“Tiny,” I mouthed back.
“Oh!” Her snigger died down, leaving her with a thoughtful expression. “He’s right though. Ever since I got here everyone’s been so welcoming and helpful.”
Yay. All hail Heartsridge. Giving myself a quick kick for being such a sourpuss, I helped Granny clear the table.
Liam bolted to his feet and eyed the sink, his usual chore.
Taking pity, I gave him a shove toward the door. “Go on, I’ll wash and dry tonight. Just this once, though.”
Launching a kiss at my cheek, he waved at Harper, grabbed Granny in a hug, then darted out of the door.
“I’ll dry,” Harper offered, taking the towel out of my hands and following me over to the sink. “We’ll bring you a cup of tea, Granny?”
Giving Harper an approving smile, Granny shuffled off in the direction of the sitting room and I heard the television flick on, the familiar sound of a quiz show filtering through. She loved her quiz shows, but she’d deny it hands down if ever pressed.
“You don’t have to help,” I protested, but Harper plucked the sudsy bowl out of my hands with a smile.
“If I go back too soon, they’ll expect me to help clear and clean.”
“Who?”
Resting a hip against the draining board, she stacked the second bowl on top of the first. “The guys. Some of them are finishing work early and are helping me move in today. I’ve seen that spare cabin.” Giving a delicate shudder, she continued, “They need to get rid of the spiders before I’m going anywhere near that place.”
“You’re a fox shifter,” I reminded her, just in case she might have forgotten. “You can’t be scared of spiders.”
“I was human first. And why not? Surely there are things you’re scared of?” It was an innocent question, but it sparked a flurry of answers.
Change. Disappointment. Failure. “Okay, you win. Spiders are the worst.” I waited a moment, not wanting to sound over eager. “The guys you mentioned—that’s Austin’s team, right?”
She nodded, her eyes too busy counting cutlery to notice the flush on my cheeks. “Yeah. I think I mentioned it yesterday, but he’s kind of taking me under his wing. Until I find something permanent, that is.”
“They live in cabins?”
“They sound better than they are, trust me, but they’re kind of cute and have running water. It’s not like camping out in the forest.”
I nudged her hip with mine. “Um … once again—fox shifter.”
She poked her chest with her thumb. “Photographer. I’ve crawled into the worst hidey-holes for the best pictures, climbed cliffs and dived oceans. What can I say? I can rough it with the best of them, but give me a mattress and a flushing toilet any day of the week.”
I conceded the point. “And hot showers.” Though swimming in a lake as a fox had its perks.
She grinned, drying the last knife and setting it down. “Hey, do you want to come see my new home?”
My heart jumped to my throat, bubbles popping in my stomach. I checked the clock. Cade wasn’t due here for a couple more hours. Hopefully he’d still be at work? “Actually, I meant to ask earlier, but I was a little…” I winced, waving my hand in the air and soldiered on, “You don’t happen to have a car, do you? I have a little errand I need to run.” Picking up Granny’s cup of tea, I leaned back against the counter. I was aiming for casual, and I think I pulled it off.
Her eyes narrowed.
Okay. Maybe I hadn’t.
“I’m sure Austin would let me borrow his truck,” she finally said. “But you’ve got to promise to
come eat barbecue and have a beer with me after.”
Another glance at the clock told me it was time to get a move on if I had any chance of beating Cade home and setting off without him. And what could a beer hurt? “I promise. Lead the way,” I instructed, passing the tea to Granny on our way out.
Chapter Nine
Cade
We were under strict instructions: no brawling until the cabin was cleared out and set up. That didn’t stop Jake from muttering murderous curses under his breath every time he glanced in Nate’s direction.
Throwing Nate an old metal can, I shook my head. “You know he’s going to find a way to make you pay, right?”
The metal can sailed out of the door, making a rusty copper colored blot on the yard. “And? He can’t kill me.” Nate’s shrug was pure … well, Nate. Nothing bothered him. I was starting to wonder who the real psycho was around here.
Stretching my arms up to the ceiling, I surveyed the room. My back was killing me and I was covered in sweat and dirt, but the place was looking better. At least all the old junk we’d inherited when we’d taken over the cabins was out of here, though it didn’t look much more appealing piled up in our yard. Out of the window, I could see Brent having a hissy fit, his scowl digging hard enough into his face it had to hurt to be that pissed.
Austin stuck his head around the door, looking no cleaner than the rest of us. “Break. Leona’s made sandwiches.”
Dropping the brushes where we stood, Nate and I made our way out into the waning sunlight and over to the picnic table we’d dragged around front. Grabbing a bottle of water, I dumped it over my head, splashing some onto my hands before grabbing a huge sandwich and a beer.
“It was real good of Law to cover the end of your shift,” Leona offered, looking a little grubby herself, a cobweb clinging to the side of her hair.
I grunted. Yeah, real good. I’d have to thank the Alpha of South-Two the next time I saw him. With my foot. Then again, with the whole team here, rather than the skeleton crew we’d originally planned on, things were moving along faster than we’d anticipated. I figured another couple of hours and the cabin would be ready for Harper to move in. Not that I’d be here to see it finished; I was due to pick Mina up in… “Time?”
The corner of Austin’s mouth quirked. “Again?”
Leona shoved his shoulder. “Shhhh, you were no better, remember?”
Her mate growled, catching her hand and pulling her into his arms. “I was never this keen.” His blue eyes caught mine, flashing with humor. “It’s hard to watch.”
Leona clucked her tongue, wagging her finger in front of his nose. “Uh huh, nope. Don’t you remember that time with the teddy—”
Her words were lost as her mate silenced her with his mouth, panic flaring in his eyes.
Brent chuckled, as if enjoying a private joke.
“What did I miss?” Nate asked.
“Nothing,” Austin replied, finally coming up for air. “Nothing,” he repeated on a low growl, nipping at Leona’s neck when she opened her mouth.
I tried again. “Time?”
Leona took pity, wriggling her arm free of Austin’s stranglehold so she could see her watch. “7:10 p.m.”
“Fifteen minutes after you last asked,” Jake added from where he sat on the steps to his cabin, watching us all with a carefully blank look. He straightened, and if he’d been in bear form, he would have been pricking up his ears. Then I heard it too. Footsteps, coming this way. Two sets. And voices. We all turned to face the small lane that led to our yard.
It couldn’t be…
Harper rounded the corner, followed by Mina.
Mina looked up, her eyes traveling over the group, her gaze grinding to a halt when she met mine. “You’re not at work,” she muttered under her breath, knowing damn well I’d be able to hear her.
Harper stopped in front of the table, planting her hands on her hips. “How is operation de-spidering going?” Reaching over to her sister, she carefully snagged the cobweb between two fingers and held it out at arm’s length. “See? They’re everywhere.”
Leona shrieked, jumping up and down as she threw her head back and forth, batting at her hair with her hands.
We all stared. Austin looked at me for answers; I had none. He shrugged. “It was a spider’s web, not a spider,” he ventured.
Leona froze, her head coming up and hair sticking out every which way. Blowing strands of hair out of her eyes, she shuddered, fixing him with a look that was scary as hell. “What did you just say?”
Austin froze mid-shrug, his eyes widening. “Nothing.”
“You knew I had a spider’s web in my hair and you … didn’t … get … rid … of … it?” The last part was a shriek. The men covered their ears, even Harper winced. Mina looked on with a look of morbid curiosity on her face.
Austin guided his mate over to their cabin, nodding his head in time with her finger prods to his chest, murmuring in agreement to absolutely everything she said.
Harper cleared her throat, dropping the spider’s web to the floor. “And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how to get your ass kicked by your mate. Not that any of you lucky boys have a mate…” her eyes slid to mine, sparking with mischief, “…yet. Take notes.” She pointed at Austin, as though he was a wildlife specimen, or something. “Lots of nodding. Groveling works. See? Yes, yes, yes. Lots of ‘I love you, sweetheart’.” Jabbing her finger in the air, she swirled it around, taking us all in. “Never, and I mean never, use the word ‘but’.” She pursed her lips, tapping her finger to her chin. “Unless it’s to tell your mate she has a fabulous butt. That would work—it comes under groveling.”
Austin and Leona rejoined the group, our Alpha avoiding meeting anyone’s eyes.
Mina nudged Harper with her elbow, who shot me a sly look. “Austin, could I borrow your truck?”
Wait a second…
“Sure—”
“No.” I bit out, interrupting Austin before he could finish. “I’m done here; we’ll go now.”
From the look on Mina’s face, I knew I’d guessed right.
Austin shrugged. Harper grimaced in apology, but nobody argued.
Mina followed me over to my cabin, marching up the steps behind me and inside. “You’re not finished. Harper said she wouldn’t mind—”
I spun around in the small sitting area and she lurched to a stop, inches away from crashing into me. “I said I’d drive you and I will.”
“I really—” She broke off as my low growl echoed around the room. Her throat worked as she swallowed hard. “Okay.”
Turning, I marched toward my bedroom. Tugging off my grimy t-shirt, I flung it in the direction of the hamper, flicking open the button on my jeans.
“What are you doing?” Her voice was a squeak from behind me.
Looking over my shoulder, I met her eyes. “I’m dirty.” My jeans hit the floor, leaving me as naked as the day I were born. As a rule, shifters weren’t bothered by nudity, it was part and parcel of the change and the unwritten rule was to politely ignore it. Unless both parties were interested. Or mated. Or possible mates.
Her sucked in breath was music to my ears. “I won’t be long.” It took every ounce of control I possessed not to turn around and corner her. My cock hardened, twitching to life at the thought of her eyes on me. Wrapping my hand around the length, I squeezed, the skittering thud of her heartbeat echoing in my ears, her body betraying her as it telegraphed her lust to my ears. Her readiness perfumed the air. She’d be wet for me, slick and tight and ready for my shaft. She might deny it, but her body couldn’t lie. She wanted me just as much as I wanted her. I stared at the wall, gritting my teeth. I wanted more. It wasn’t enough. I wanted everything from her.
Releasing my shaft, I stalked to the shower.
Yeah, I might have given her a side profile view.
I wanted her to see what she was missing. So she could dream about it.
The road rumbled up through the wheels of the truck,
lending an almost hypnotic, rhythmic, quality to the air as we hurtled along the highway. Fields flashed by, the light fading and darkening the swathes of green and painting the land in a multitude of hues. She hadn’t uttered a word since the cabin, but her eyes had been anything but silent. It was like we were having a silent conversation, only I wasn’t sure who was winning.
Flicking on the indicator, I steered the truck off the highway and onto the small lane that ran up to the farm. Seconds later, we pulled up outside the front door.
Her eyes told me to stay as she slid out of the cab.
I didn’t. My feet hit the ground, boots crunching on the gravel.
Her brow drew together, but she didn’t speak.
It had become a silent battle, to see who cracked first.
Her own personal shadow, I trailed her into the house, leaning against a wall in the kitchen as she darted from room to room, filling a bag with odds and ends. We moved to the sitting room. She paused by the fireplace, her index finger tracing over a photo encased in a silver frame. A man and a woman stared out from the picture, their dark looks and angular faces a reflection of the woman in front of them. Sadness filled her eyes, hollowing her cheeks. Placing it gently in her bag, she pulled the drawstring tight, hefting it over her shoulder.
Two steps and I’d snagged the strap, relieved and oddly disappointed when she relinquished it without a struggle.
One last lingering look around and she moved back outside.
“Mina…” I cracked. I wanted to hear her thoughts, share in her sorrow, offer comfort. Anything but this wall of silence between us.
She jerked her head, stepping away. “I’ll see you back in Heartsridge.”
Harper had mentioned in a whisper that she’d made Mina promise to stop by for a beer. The heaviness lifted at the thought of not saying goodbye. Not yet. “Okay. I’ll follow you back.”
She slid into her car—more a rust bucket, than a vehicle—and slammed the door. The engine spluttered to life, the old Volkswagen Beetle chugging forward in a couple of jerky movements, before settling into a steady splutter up the lane.