by K L King
Iris gulped. “You’re his second in command?”
He nodded once. “I’m not exactly sure why, but Heath appointed me his second after he took over from his dad years ago.”
She furrowed her eyebrows. “Does Tessa know about all this?”
Deacon nodded. “Tessa has lived in Grey Lake a very long time. She knows almost everything that happens here. She’s a shifter, too.”
Iris rubbed her forehead with both hands and closed her eyes. A moment later, she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him. “Is she a wolf?”
He shook his head. “No, she’s a phoenix, a firebird, the only one I’ve ever met. They’re pretty rare. They’re extremely powerful.”
Iris leaned her head back against the headboard. Her breathing became shallower.
Deacon moved closer to her. He put both hands on her shoulders. “Slow down. Just breathe. Everything is OK. You’re safe. Tessa’s your friend. She’s still the same woman who gave you a job, friendship—a home.”
Iris eyes went wide as she started to pant. “Everyone keeps telling me that everything is OK. I don’t think so. My boss is a mystical bird. The guy I have the hots for is a freaking wolf.” She groaned softly and tried to pull away from him, but he held her tight.
“You’re hyperventilating. You need to calm down,” he said in a firm, but quiet voice as he held her shoulders securely, then ran his hands soothingly down her arms. Iris’s pupils dilated as he stared at her. At that moment, her eyes changed from their warm brown to silver. Her bear is so close. He pulled her tightly against him, leaned his forehead against hers, and closed his eyes.
All of a sudden, Iris’s eyes flew open. “Noooo,” she moaned. “I can hear her again, the voice in my head. It’s not my voice. It’s like someone else is talking to me.”
“Shh, just breathe,” Deacon said, trying to snap her out of her spiral before she passed out. “You’re not crazy. I know what you’re hearing. I hear a voice in my head, too. All shifters do.”
She went rigid in his hands, eyes widening. She tried to jerk away, but his hands held her head still as he gazed at her. “Tessa should have told you. I’m sorry you’re learning it this way,” he said. This was a really shitty way for her to learn this.
“Learning about what?” she whispered.
“I have no idea how you never were told, but you are a shifter. Ever since you moved to Grey Lake, everyone has known. You smell like a shifter.”
“Nooooo. You’re crazy,” she said in a whisper as tears filled her eyes.
“The voice in your head is your bear. She’s really close to the surface. The first shift usually happens around thirteen years old. I don’t know why you haven’t shifted yet, but I can sense your bear. She’s trying to come out.”
Tears ran down her cheeks. “A bear?” She shook her head, pulling away slightly. “No, I’m a human being just like you. This is some kind of breakdown or drug overdose. I need to go home. Take me home please, right now.” She looked angry rather than scared.
“Not yet. You need to listen—”
“No. You need to listen. I said take me home.” Iris pushed, and Deacon sailed across the room. He flew into the wall opposite his bed with a whoosh and fell to the floor.
Iris jumped out of the bed. “How the hell—?”
Deacon stood up and rubbed his shoulder. He couldn’t keep the smile off his face. She was strong, really freaking strong.
“Why are you smiling? What just happened?” she shrieked.
“You’ve just helped me prove my point. There’s no way you could have done that unless you’re a shifter. A powerful one.”
Iris leaned back against the door and slid to a seated position. “This doesn’t make any sense. How can I be a bear?” she asked quietly. “I’m sorry I pushed you. Did I hurt you?” She started sobbing.
Deacon sat down at her side. “No, I’m fine. Please stop crying. Do you want me to call Tessa over?”
Iris shook her head. “Not right now. I just want to rest. Can you take me home please?”
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “I will take you home, but on one condition. I’m not leaving you alone right now. I’ll stay with you and make sure you’re safe.”
She wiped the tears from her eyes and shuddered. “Fine. I just need to sleep.”
Deacon stood up and held out a hand. Iris hesitated for a minute and then took it before following him out to her jeep.
Chapter 20
Iris rested her head against the door as Deacon drove her jeep toward her cottage. She performed the breathing exercises she had learned as a tool to manage her anxiety. She then leaned back in her seat and stared at Deacon as he drove. He worriedly kept glancing between her and the road.
“It’s OK. I’m too freaked out to make a run for it,” she said softly, giving him a weak smile.
“I know, or at least I hope you’re not going to. What you just learned… It’s a lot for anyone to handle. I never knew of anyone not shifting until they were an adult.”
“Lucky me, I guess.” She rubbed her eyes with her hands. “When you say my bear is close to the surface, what do you mean?”
He turned and glanced at her and then turned back to watch the road. “It just means that my wolf can sense her presence alongside yours. Most of the time, I could tell she was within you, but deeper, more hidden. Tonight, though, it seems like her presence is stronger. Your eyes even changed color briefly.”
She lifted up a bit to glance in the rearview mirror. “They seem OK to me right now. They’re brown like always. What color were they?”
“Silver, really beautiful.”
Warmth spread through her chest at his comment. “Silver, huh?”
“Like molten silver, really something,” he said. One side of his mouth quirked up in the beginning of a smile.
“Maybe someday I’ll see it.”
“I think you’re going to be seeing it sooner rather than later.”
She turned to face him as he drove on. “What do you mean?”
He paused as if deep in thought for a few moments as he maneuvered the jeep down the road to her cottage. “Well, I think maybe you moving out of the city and into a safe spot with other shifters might have made your bear more comfortable. It’s just a theory, but I think there may be something to it.”
“How do you figure?”
“Well, when I first met you—”
“When you first yelled at me,” Iris interrupted.
“When I first saw you endangering yourself and protected you,” he said, giving her one raised eyebrow, “I could sense you were a shifter, but I couldn’t tell what type. Oh, I knew you weren’t a wolf, but other than that I was clueless. The longer you’ve been here, the closer your bear has come to the surface of, well, your being. I just feel it won’t be long before she makes an appearance. It’s an instinct I have.”
“I don’t understand how I never knew anything about this. It still seems impossible. If I were a shifter, shouldn’t I have had to shift before now?”
“Most of the time, yes. There are some shifters born to families with one or both human parents that are unable to completely shift, but they still have some shifter abilities,” Deacon said thoughtfully.
“What types of abilities?” Iris asked.
Deacon didn’t answer. He had parked the jeep and had gone rigid. He was staring out the front window of the vehicle at her cottage.
“What?” Iris whispered.
“Someone has been here. He opened the door and stepped out of the jeep, sniffing the air. I think they’ve gone, but someone was definitely here.”
“Riley?” Iris asked in a panicked voice.
“He’s with Tessa, remember? I want you to stay in—”
She had already climbed out of the jeep and was standing next to him. “Forget it. This is my home,” Iris said sternly.
Deacon reached out and grabbed her hand. He let out a soft growl. “If you insist on coming, you need to sta
y close to me and do what I say. Promise?”
Iris leaned in closer to him and said close to his ear, “I promise. Now let’s go see what those assholes did to my house.” She pulled on his hand.
Hand in hand, they performed a careful examination of the perimeter of her yard and checked all the windows and both doors for signs of tampering. Iris stayed very close to Deacon. She felt much safer knowing he was close by.
The intruders, or attempted intruders, had tried to break in through the bathroom window. There were obvious marks where someone had tried to disrupt the lock. There were also boot marks outside in the dirt. “These guys are idiots,” Deacon said. “Or maybe intoxicated. They’re not even hiding their tracks.”
After exploring the small cottage, they concluded that nothing had been disturbed except for where they tried to get in. “Let’s call Tessa and make sure she and Riley are OK.” Iris started to dial, but Deacon laid a hand gently over hers.
“I’ll give her a call and make sure they’re safe. I’ll see if she can come over tomorrow morning to talk with us. I seem to remember you saying you wanted to rest. Why don’t you take a bath and then get to sleep? I’ll be out here keeping watch.”
Iris started to protest, but Deacon grabbed her by both upper arms and said, “Please, you need to rest. Let me take care of this for you. My wolf won’t let me relax until you calm down.”
Iris stood a bit straighter, readying herself to fight with him, but then her fatigue won out. “OK. I’ll just take a quick bath and get ready for bed. I’m really tired.” As she said the words, her eyes closed and her legs gave out. If he hadn’t been holding her arms, she would have hit the floor. She was still conscious, but barely.
“Iris!” She felt her body being lifted up into his arms. She could feel his heart racing as he held her tightly to his chest. She heard Deacon mumble, “She has to be OK.”
He lowered her to the couch and checked her pulse. “Alright then. I don’t know if you can hear me Iris, but I’m putting you to bed. You need to rest,” he said in a firm voice.
She was once against lifted and held against his chest as he carried her down the hall. Deacon carefully lay her down on her bed on top of the covers. She was still wearing her dirty hiking clothes, but she was too tired to care. He removed her boots and socks and covered her with a spare comforter that had been lying in a pile on her hamper. She cuddled into the blanket as soon as it hit her body.
She could hear Deacon walking through the cottage. It sounded like he was checking doors and windows. She could hear him talking to someone—who was there? Oh, it must be on the phone. It sounded like he was talking to someone at the station, reporting the attempted break-in. Then he was saying Riley’s name. Now he must be talking to Tessa. He must be checking on her and the dog. He was saying that she was safe and he would be watching over her in the cottage until the morning. She was so tired, but something was keeping her from sleep.
She could hear Deacon walking around the living room, pacing. “There’s no way I’m going to get any sleep on that,” his deep voice rumbled.
“Fine,” she heard him hiss. He quietly crept back into Iris’s bedroom and pulled off his boots and socks. He gently moved her so there was enough room for the two of them and then lay down on top of the covers.
She opened her eyes warily to see him. He had turned onto his side so his back was to her now. She breathed deeply, finally relaxing. He didn’t have to stay here and guard her, but he’d insisted. Stubborn man. She rolled onto her right so she was facing his back. She stared at his light brown hair. It was long enough that she could run her fingers through it. She wanted to feel it and see if it was a soft as it looked. But she definitely wouldn’t touch his hair because that would be too weird for this day of weirdness.
Instead, she moved closer to his warmth, snuggling up just behind him so her head lay just barely touching the back of his shoulders. She was so relaxed, so complete.
She sighed, closed her eyes, and sleep finally claimed her.
Chapter 21
Iris was so comfortable. She felt like she was wrapped in a warm fleece blanket that had come right out of the dryer. She had been having a wonderful dream. In it, she was in a kitchen that, while unfamiliar, she somehow knew was hers. She was pulling warm sugar cookies out of the oven. She could almost smell the vanilla and cinnamon. As she lay the cookie sheets on the counter, two thick, muscular, tattooed arms reached around her waist and wrapped her up in a tight embrace. She would have recognized the arms even without the familiar markings; Deacon’s arms held her securely. She snuggled into him, turning her head to the side to rub against his face. She could almost feel the tickle of his beard against her cheek.
Morning light threatened to yank her from her wonderful dream. She fought against the pull, tucking herself tighter within the warm cocoon. She reached around to pull the blanket in closer to her, but couldn’t. There was something holding the blanket tightly against her body. So warm and firm. Wait a minute. She forced her mind to awareness and opened her eyes wide.
The same masculine arms from her dreams were now wrapped around her, hugging the comforter to her body. When she tried to move, a deep groan came from behind her—right behind her. She did a quick assessment. Thank god. I’m still wearing my clothes, she thought gratefully. “Deacon,” she whispered.
“Hmmmmm.”
“Deacon, what are you doing?”
“Trying to sleep,” he mumbled in a husky voice.
“Why are you here?” Iris whispered.
“I told you I was going to stay to watch over you. Remember the attempted break-in?” he growled softly.
“I know, but why are you in my bed?”
“I couldn’t fit on your couch. We’re both dressed. I figured it would be OK. I was going to ask you, but you passed out in my arms.”
Shit. She did remember him lying down fully clothed on top of the covers. “I did? Well, in that case, I guess it sort of makes sense. But why are you sleeping so close to me?”
“I started over there,” he gestured to the edge of the bed. “I must have rolled closer during the night.”
“But you’re holding me.”
“Mmmm, I like it,” he whispered and squeezed her a little tighter.
“You do?” she whispered.
She felt him nod, and then he pulled her body in closer to him. “The only problem is the clothes. Too many clothes,” he said rubbing his cheek over the side of her head.
“We’re dirty. We never showered after the hike.”
“Oh, no. I think we need to remedy that soon.” His breath was warm against her ear.
“I didn’t think you even liked me,” Iris said breathlessly as he began kissing her ear.
He chuckled softly. “The problem is that I like you too much. I was trying to stay away from you. You kept getting into trouble, though. I couldn’t stay away. I had to make sure you didn’t attack those innocent cougars.”
Iris laughed. “I have a request before a shower.”
Deacon continued to nuzzle her from behind. “Yes?”
“Show me your wolf?” she asked in a high-pitched voice.
“Now?”
“Yes, please. I feel like I need to see it. I think it will help me come to terms with, you know, everything.”
He sat up in the bed and lifted her into his lap so she was facing him. He took her hands gently in his. “I would never hurt you, whether man or animal. If I show you my wolf, and you see you are safe and protected, maybe you won’t be so afraid.” He rubbed her hands lightly.
“Can you show me alone? Like here in my cottage, so it’s private?”
He nodded again. “Absolutely. I can show you right now if you’re ready.”
She nodded. “I think we need to do this now before I think too much about it. Does it hurt you when it happens?”
“Not anymore. It hurt like a bitch the first dozen or so times I changed, but that was way back when I was thirteen or fourteen.
Now it’s very natural,” he said, still holding her hands.
“OK. So, what do I have to do? Do I have to turn around or something?” She stared down at her hands. He was going to have to get naked. Her cheeks blazed in embarrassment.
“No, you can do whatever you want. I can cover up a little if you’re embarrassed. I want you to watch me if you’re OK with it,” he said. He looked nervous – as if he was afraid she would freak out at any second.
“Just do what you normally do. I’m ready.” She stood up next to the bed, still in her hiking clothes. This was the strangest day, or two, she’d ever had in her life.
Deacon got out of bed then turned around and undressed. She watched him greedily. She sucked in a breath. Even from behind, he was gorgeous. His back and shoulders were so broad, so corded with muscle. She wanted to run her hands all over—
Whoa, wait a minute! Something must be really, inherently wrong with her if she could have these kinds of thoughts—thoughts of climbing on top of a hot man right as said man was going to turn into an animal. Iris was in the middle of an argument with herself when Deacon spun around, holding his T-shirt in front of his crotch. “Ready?”
She blinked once, squared her shoulders, and nodded.
Almost instantaneously the air shimmered around his very human body, and a light gray wolf burst forth from where he had stood. It was larger than a normal wolf, or at least it seemed that way. It—no, he—stared at Iris with bright yellow eyes. She took a step toward the wolf and then stopped. “Can I touch you?”
The wolf cocked its head and sat down.
“I’m going to take that as a yes,” Iris said and slowly walked toward the wolf with her right hand extended. Deacon waited patiently, sitting on his haunches.
Iris touched Deacon’s head and rubbed it as he pushed against her hand. His fur was surprisingly soft and thick. She kneeled down in front of him and rubbed her other hand through the fur on his back. She rubbed her head against the side of his face. “You can’t talk to me like this, right?”