by K L King
Tessa took a sip of her coffee and then slowly put the ceramic mug back on the table. She paused as if deep in thought. “I have not encountered a shifter that had never shifted until they were in their late twenties. I have seen cases where first shifts occurred in the late teens, but mid-to-late twenties, no. So, Iris you are my first. Congratulations.”
“Thanks, I think.” Iris answered.
“As for Riley. That’s a tough one, for sure. I’ve been trying to figure him out ever since you first showed up in Grey Lake. Of course, I knew he was a shifter right away. I’ve been trying to communicate with him psychically, but it’s almost as if most of his memories are gone or blocked. You two certainly came as a very strange packaged duo.”
“Where is he now?” Iris asked in a slightly panicked voice.
“Relax. He’s at my house right now. He’s probably lying in a sunny spot somewhere. He loves to be warm.”
“Oh, good. Can you tell if he’s happy?” Iris asked. “I’m so ashamed that I put a collar and leash on him.”
Deacon put a hand on one of hers. “I told you he would have left if he wasn’t happy. You have to stop feeling guilty. You didn’t know.” He pulled his chair ever closer to Iris’s and then wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders.
“Deacon’s right. He’s happy enough. He likes you,” Tessa said.
A low growl emanated from Deacon’s chest, causing Iris to jump.
Tessa chuckled and patted his hand as if he were a little boy being scolded by his mother. “He thinks of Iris as a sibling, like a younger sister, though I’m not sure if he’s actually older than her. I haven’t been able to figure that out yet either. No need to be jealous, wolf.” She smiled at Deacon’s relieved face.
“I’m glad. From now on, he only eats meat. No more dog food,” Iris said.
“He’ll be very happy about that, I’m sure. Now, as for why your bear has not made an appearance yet, I’m not entirely sure. I have seen this in cases where the shifter was raised without knowledge of other shifters. Usually the person is troubled by inner turmoil as they hit and then pass through adolescence. Their animal feels it is unsafe to make their presence known. It’s hard because the shifters that I have seen and heard of this happening to usually end up depressed or anxious.”
“I was super anxious growing up. I started having panic attacks when I was a teenager. It got so bad over the years that I felt like I was suffocating when I was working in the restaurant in the city, almost like I was drowning,” Iris said in a soft voice.
Tessa grabbed one of her hands. “Have you had any attacks since you moved here? I haven’t seen any.”
Iris shook her head. “Not completely. The beginnings of attacks, but no full-blown, need-to-go-to-the-hospital ones.”
“I think that’s a good start. I think your bear needs to know she is safe and secure before she shows herself. I think it’ll happen. Just give it a little time.” She gave Iris a big smile. “I’m more worried about Riley, but I have some ideas yet.”
Deacon asked the redhead, “Do you have ideas why the cougars seem to be interested in Iris? At first, I thought it was because of what happened at Shanley’s, but now I’m not so sure.”
Tessa bit her top lip and closed her eyes briefly. “I know they are looking for mates. The pride is very male-heavy. When they moved up here, there weren’t a lot of unmated women in the pride. Though if they were seeking to attract a female, I can think of much better ways to go about it.”
Deacon frowned. “They seem like a bunch of disorganized misfits. We end up bringing at least two a week into the station for breaking some law, mostly theft and disturbing the peace. I feel like that pride is a powder keg right now.”
Tessa nodded, leaning in and putting both elbows on the table. “I can sense chaos within the pride. There’s a fracture among the members. Not all the cougars are troublemakers. Some are good citizens. They never come to your attention because they’re busy living life.” She blew out a deep breath and leaned back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest. “I’ve been worried about them ever since they first moved to this area. There’s something going on with them that I just can’t see… Even with my”—she waved one hand around near her head—“gifts, such as they are.”
“Something has to be done, though. They tried to break into the cottage last night,” Deacon said angrily.
“Let me have a word with their alpha. I knew him when he was just a cub. Ha! I knew practically all of you when you were cubs, pups, chicks, eaglets, whatever. I’ll call him as soon as you guys leave.”
Chicks and eaglets? What the hell. Iris shook her head slowly. “Will he talk to you?” she asked.
“He will.” She sounded very sure of that. She turned to Iris with her eyes glowing bright orange. “I can be very persuasive when I want to be.”
Iris froze. As she looked into Tessa’s luminous eyes, it was as if she were paralyzed. She was enveloped within a warm, cozy tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, though, she could see a bright orange blazing inferno. It was inviting and terrifying at the same time. Then with a whoosh, it was gone.
“What was that?” Iris asked in a quavering voice.
“What do you mean?” Deacon asked. “What was what? Nothing happened.” He glanced at Tessa.
“I just showed you a tiny bit of what I can do to convince people to do the right thing. What you just saw took less than one second in human time.”
Deacon started growling again.
“Hush.” She gently slapped Deacon on the forearm. “I didn’t hurt her. I was just showing her some of my glamouring abilities. Sometimes I just want to show off a bit. It gets a little lonely being the only phoenix around.” A brief sadness washed over Tessa’s face so fast that Iris almost missed it.
“Tessa, about what you said before, about my bear being scared by people around me? Did you really mean my family? It wasn’t a very nurturing environment to grow up in, but I wasn’t ever afraid of my parents or my brother.” She frowned and shifted in her seat.
“Maybe you weren’t frightened, but perhaps your bear sensed something below the surface, or the skin I should say, that made her feel unsafe,” Tessa answered.
“I don’t understand.” Iris shuddered. Deacon gently squeezed the hand he held in his.
“Iris, there’s a lot we don’t know about your family. There has to be other shifters in your bloodline somewhere. The ability to shift can sometimes skip a generation or two, but that is the exception rather than the rule,” Tessa explained.
“So that means that one of my parents is a bear shifter?” Iris asked.
“Most likely. Maybe both of them are shifters,” Tessa said.
“I can’t believe it. It just doesn’t make sense. My dad is an arrogant bastard, but he’s no different than any other pompous businessman in his field, perhaps a bit more vicious. And my mom is…well, my mom is sick, but even so, they’re both so human. I’ve never gotten a hint of anything not human.”
“Shifters are used to hiding. We’ve become very skilled at it,” Deacon said glumly.
“But even from their children?” Iris’s voice cracked. No, she would not cry. If they are shifters and kept it from her, then screw them.
“Your mom is sick?” Tessa asked.
“Well, she’s an alcoholic, but she started drinking because…” It suddenly became clear.
“What?” Tessa and Deacon asked in unison.
“She once told me when she was in detox about hearing voices. I assumed it was from withdrawal or some kind of mental illness. Do you think she was hearing her animal? Could she be a shifter?” Iris asked.
“Maybe, hard to be sure without asking. Any chance we can talk to her?” Tessa asked.
Iris shook her head. “I’ve tried calling. She hasn’t answered any of my calls since I moved up here. I can keep trying.”
“Or we can just drive down there and ask her in person,” Deacon offered.
“There’s time fo
r that later. You two are newly mated. You need some time alone. I’ll do some digging for now,” Tessa said. She then pushed her chair back to get up from the table. “Go on, both of you, get out of here now. Go do what new mates do.” She cackled.
“I can come in tomorrow. I don’t need another day off. I feel fine,” Iris said standing up.
“Nonsense. You need to spend some time with your mate. Alone. Otherwise, you and he will both be too distracted. I’ll keep Riley another day, too. I already asked, and he seems fine with it. Go on now. I’ll clean up here,” she added when Iris went to collect the empty plates and mugs. Iris walked over and wrapped Tessa up in a big hug, carefully squeezing the spritely woman.
“Thank you for everything. Thanks for giving me time off, too,” Iris said with tears in her eyes after releasing Tessa. She looked to Deacon, and she returned his smile.
Tessa shook her head, seemingly a little embarrassed. “It’s nothing. Just go have some quiet time with your mate. There’s been enough drama around here recently.”
When Deacon held out his hand, Iris took it and followed him out the door.
Chapter 25
After checking in with Heath and finding out he also had the rest of today and tomorrow off work, Deacon suggested a tour of his home as he climbed into the jeep next to Iris. “Are you OK?” he asked, putting his phone back in his pocket.
“I think so. I’m just thinking about everything. It’s a lot.”
“I know. You just learned life-altering things that you never thought possible are true. You’re doing great, considering all this.”
Iris nodded slightly. “I can’t wait to see where you live. I have no idea what to expect.”
Iris was very quiet on the drive to Deacon’s house. She was going through distant memories, trying to remember anything that would imply that she or anyone else in her family was a shifter. She couldn’t think of much at all. She was definitely very different in behavior than her parents and brother. She had loved to be outside ever since she was a small child, but her parents had kept her inside most of the time. Whenever her parents weren’t at home, Iris’s nanny made it a point to take her outside for long walks whenever they weren’t baking or cooking together. Iris was built differently than her mother. Her mother was about 5’6 to Iris’s 5’9 and was thin-framed. It was hard to believe that the sickly woman, who was hardly ever healthy enough to be at home during Iris’s childhood, could be a shifter. She hoped Tessa would come up with some answers about the shifters in her family.
Personality and behavior-wise, no one else in her family had anxiety disorder or panic attacks like she’d had since childhood. Iris was much more even tempered than her father or brother. They were aggressive, type-A personalities. Nothing was ever good enough, from grades when she was a kid in school, to choice of apartments, to jobs. It made more sense for her dad and brother to be bears than for Iris to be a shifter.
“Do you think I could be the only shifter in my family, or do you think my mom could be one too?” Iris asked Deacon.
“It’s so hard to say. Your mom, or even both your parents, could be shifters—or neither of them. Maybe they have some shifter abilities, but can’t shift. We just don’t know yet. Like Tessa said, though, there’s time to figure it out.” He put his hand on her thigh as he drove.
A few minutes later, Deacon pulled up to his home. The home was near to the center of town, but it was still very close to the forest. It was a modern gray rambler with black shutters and a well-landscaped lawn. It was obvious that someone spent a lot of time on the yard. “Wow,” she said. “This isn’t what I expected.”
“What do you mean? I thought you said you didn’t know what to expect?” Deacon asked.
“Well, I had some thoughts, but nothing like this. The house is more modern than I thought it would be. It’s beautiful, though. I love your yard, too. It’s gorgeous. Does someone come and take care of it?” she asked innocently.
“Yes, me. I take care of it.” He chuckled. “It’s not too bad. It’s good exercise and stress relief all in one. Let me give you the tour inside first and then out back.”
He led her into the one-level home. It was an open concept—a living room that opened into a modern kitchen with huge windows that overlooked the backyard and woods beyond. It was as if you were in the forest.
Iris gazed out the large windows at the woods behind his home. It was such an amazing site. What a view! The scene evoked a feeling of serenity. It was comfortable, soothing.
She finally turned to face Deacon and saw he was staring at her with a lazy smile. “What?”
“You. You just seem so happy.” He wrapped one arm around her shoulder, pulling her in tight against him.
“It’s so strange, but being here I feel, I don’t know, relaxed, at peace. I should still be freaking out, but it—this”—she gestured to the forest-“feels right”.
“It might be that the bear within you just feels at home here. That may be why you’re not having a panic attack. I mean, come here.” He took her by the hand to a mirror in the hallway. “Look at your face. You’re glowing.”
She had to agree with Deacon. Maybe he was right about her bear feeling safe and relaxed in this peaceful setting. Her anxiety had definitely improved once she’d moved to Grey Lake. Being surrounded by nature seemed to help center her.
“Let me give you the full tour.” Deacon showed her the house and discussed all the work he had done since buying it after college almost 8 years ago. The house was initially a small ranch, but he’d added a large addition almost immediately. The house now had four bedrooms and two full bathrooms. He had done a good deal of the work himself with Heath’s help.
“I can’t believe you guys did this all yourselves,” Iris commented.
“We also had help from a good friend of mine. Jasper moved here when he was twelve with his uncle and aunt from Alaska. He’s a great guy. He works as a firefighter.”
“I haven’t met him yet.”
“He’s out in Alaska for the summer visiting family. He’ll be back in a few weeks. He’ll love to meet you.”
“Is he a wolf, too?” Iris asked.
“Nope. He’s a little different.” He sounded hesitant.
“A black bear like me?”
“No.” He chuckled. “He’s not a black bear. Shifters like him are usually only found in places like Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, and even Russia. He’s a, uh, a reindeer shifter.”
“No way…”
“And don’t mention the North Pole to him when you see him. He gets way too many Santa jokes as it is,” he added.
“No Santa jokes. Got it,” she said quickly.
They finished the tour of the inside of the house with the kitchen that he had remodeled with smooth concrete countertops and maple cabinets that hid all the appliances.
Deacon gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and said, “Let me quickly get changed, and then we can finish the tour out back. Help yourself to anything you want to eat or drink. I’ll be right out.”
Just as Deacon left the room to go change, Iris heard his cellphone ring followed by a loud “Hello.” She walked around the kitchen, trying not to eavesdrop but not succeeding. Deacon was speaking loudly. She opened the fridge to see it well-stocked with lots of meat and vegetables. She grabbed a pitcher of iced tea and went to search his cabinets for glasses.
In spite of really, really trying not to listen, Deacon’s voice was clearly audible from his bedroom.
He answered, “Heath, what’s going on?” There was a pause and then his reply. “Yep, just giving Iris the grand tour.” After another moment, he asked in a raised voice “What are you talking about? You’re not planning to upset her, are you? I won’t let that happen.” Deacon’s raised voice echoed throughout the house. A few moments, later, Deacon said, “Fine.”
Iris jumped when a loud, feral-sounding growl erupted from Deacon’s bedroom.
Chapter 26
Deacon threw his phone on hi
s bed and finished getting changed. He had no idea what Heath had in mind, but he usually had a solid plan. He had faith that his alpha wouldn’t hurt his mate, but that didn’t stop his wolf from being restless.
“Are you up for a visitor?” he said as he walked out to the kitchen.
Iris was standing by the large windows, staring at the forest while drinking a glass of iced tea. “Hmm?” she asked.
“Heath would like to talk with us. He’s on his way right now.”
“Is everything OK? You sounded kind of upset,” she asked, handing him a glass.
Deacon nodded and took a sip. “He and my dad had some thoughts that Heath then shared with Tessa. She seemed to think these ideas may have some merit.”
“What kind of ideas?” she asked hesitantly.
“Well, some ideas about you, I mean, about your bear at least. Nothing to worry about.” He hoped he sounded more certain than he was feeling.
“OK. If you say so,” Iris answered.
He frowned at her. She was nervous, fidgety. She walked over to where Deacon was standing and hugged his waist, tucking her head against his chest.
He grasped her head with both hands and lifted her face up. “I promise. Everything will be alright.” He kissed her lightly on the lips as a knock sounded at the door. “Come in,” Deacon yelled as he pulled away. He walked to the front door, holding Iris’s hand. Since becoming mates, it was like he always needed to touch her. It calmed his wolf and created a warm feeling in the center of his chest.
When Deacon opened the door, Riley burst through. Heath laughed. “I was going to say there’s someone who really wants to see you. Tessa called and asked if I could bring him over for a visit,” Heath said as Riley started walking around in a circle close to Iris’s legs.
She kneeled down on the floor and opened her arms. The wolf came towards her with his head down. “I’m so sorry I made you wear a collar and a leash. I didn’t know,” Iris said while rubbing the wolf’s head and back. “Oh, my god! Is this bad? Should I be petting him, or is this treating him like a dog?” she asked Deacon and Heath.