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“So there’s lots of room to shift into your…”
“Not yet, Druscilla. Not yet.”
Chapter Thirteen
Druscilla
I huddled in the airport bathroom, whatever shreds of confidence I hoped to find in my soul or some deep part of my body, nowhere to be found. Already sure I’d made a mistake in coming here, what had happened when I brushed Orion’s hand. He was just taking my bag, being a gentleman, and I had probably had similar contact with hundreds of people over the years. It was almost impossible to avoid.
But I’d never particularly noticed.
And at no time before had an electrical charge shot up my arm into my torso and spread heat to every inch of me. I’d heard people say they got a tingle or even turned on when they met someone hot. Usually that led to dating. But the few guys I’d dated had never tempted me to go beyond a kiss or two. And even those left me cold.
I was not here to pursue a relationship, and these men were aware of that. I’d waited a long time without having sex, and I’d always assumed the first time would be with someone who I loved deeply. If anyone ever did show up to be that special person. If asked before I video chatted with a certain pair of “unique shifters,” I’d have said I was okay with that. Not massively exciting to be work and study obsessed, but fine. How many people were lucky enough to love the job they were about to step into? I enjoyed teaching but I loved writing and researching. Fulfillment could come in many ways. Lots of people stayed single. Of course, many of those seemed to have stronger friend groups than me.
Despite appearances, I was not a loner. I’d just been busy and, being so much younger than my classmates, didn’t manage to fit into any of the cliques. Not even the high school smart kids. I splashed water on my face and smoothed my hair back. The face staring back at me in the mirror was pale, and dark, smudged circles under my eyes made me wish I was better at makeup. All I had in my purse were mascara and lip gloss, but I dutifully pulled them out and after clearing the smear from the previous application, I added a new coat of mascara and made my lips shiny again. Not to look pretty for my “research subjects” but just to feel a little better about myself.
My hosts were nothing but kind as we left the airport and headed for their home. The scenery was beautiful, and while we were far from where I’d had my experience meeting the Bigfoot(s), it looked very similar. As in, gorgeous. Not many areas of the country, even national parks, had the type of ancient forest I observed here. And there. Could Fate have led me here to meet these shifters as an appetizer to encountering another Bigfoot?
It would be too amazing. We wound higher into the mountains, reaching the snow line, and I rolled down my window and took a deep breath. “Smells so good.” Not that the car didn’t as well. I couldn’t figure out what Koa and Orion wore for cologne or shaving lotion, but it was heady.
“Cold, still, but soon spring will be fully here and the deciduous trees will leaf out as well,” Orion said, turning onto a narrower and even more windy road. “ At this altitude it comes a little later. You’ll see.”
“If I’m still here,” I commented, not wanting them to think I was going to take advantage of their hospitality. “But I would love to experience spring here. I live in the flatlands, but at heart, I’m a mountain girl. I spend my summers traveling in my van and enjoying nature.” #huntingBigfoot. But I wasn’t going to say that.
“I think you mentioned something about that in one of our chats. You aren’t worried, a woman all by yourself like that?”
I bristled at the implication I couldn’t handle myself. “I’ll have you know I have been camping since I was a little girl and on my own since I graduated high school. I am not afraid of wildlife and understand how to avoid putting myself in a bad position with bears and wolves and the like.”
He cast me a glance I couldn’t read. “It’s not animals that pose the biggest danger.”
“Then what do you…oh.” Of course, people were most likely to harm someone. “Yeah. Sometimes people can be real jerks, but that’s why I have the van and don’t do what I’d really prefer and camp under the stars in a sleeping bag, except under very rare circumstances.”
“If you want to camp under the stars, we’re your bodyguards, right, Koa?”
He grunted, continuing to stare out the window. What had I done to offend him? I’d been honest right from the beginning… I wanted to ask but drew back. I hated when people asked me what I was thinking or things like that, and I didn’t want to do that to someone else. I would give him the same leeway I would appreciate, to speak his truth when he chose.
“It would be beautiful, here.” I inhaled another breath before shivering and closing the window. “But kind of cold.” I rolled up the window, becoming immediately surrounded by their amazing colognes again. I’d never smelled anything like it, but it sure was enticing.
“We have all kinds of winter camping equipment, all four seasons, actually. So, we can make something happen whenever you like.” Orion came around one final curve, and their home came into view. Yes, it was a cabin but huge. Not like the pictures I’d seen of executive vacation homes in Colorado and Idaho. No…this was not finished in the same way. The logs did not come from a factory-milled kit. As soon as the car stopped, I hopped out and approached the home.
Three stories or maybe two and a loft with tall windows and logs that looked like…could they be… “Did you hand hew these yourselves?” I moved closer and ran my hand along one. “So smooth, but also not all even?” If that made sense.
“Yes, we cut all the logs and built the home to our exact specifications. Come on in and see if you like what we did.”
I followed him in, hearing Koa shut the car door behind him. Hopefully he’d thaw a little or tell me what I did to offend him because I was starting to get a complex.
Inside was even nicer if possible. All log walls interior and exterior, open floor plan with a high ceiling in the living area, and the kitchen visible through a wide opening. My studio apartment would fit in the foyer area. My jaw dropped.
“The bedrooms are up this way.” Orion started up a broad staircase, each tread carved from a split log and the handrails works of art. It gave the effect of branches and leaves, like a tree reaching for the next floor. He had my luggage slung over his shoulders.
“Who did this?” I breathed, stunned by the beauty.
“Orion did.” I jerked around to find Koa right behind me. “He also does sculptures.” We were speaking again. It seemed he was someone who needed his peace until he was ready to enter the conversation again. Whatever bothered him, he would share in his own time, probably.
“He’s very talented.” I gave him a smile. “What do you do for fun?”
“He’s the cook,” said Orion from the top of the stairs.
