I make it to where the Blackfoots are located and scrutinize the area around me. I haven’t completely come up with a plan of where we should hide out until she wakes up. Scanning my eyes along the horizon, I see the hill where we spent a beautiful day. I consider heading directly for the familiar area, but then I spot the mountain just a little farther in the distance, and decide to take her there instead. Something feels right about the mountain, although I’m not sure what it is. I know the best place to take her would be her family, but without knowing where they are, this’ll do for the short term.
As I approach the mountain, I spot a soft patch of grass to lay Cecily down. I make sure the area is clear of rocks before gently placing her on the grass, smoothing her hair back and kissing her on the forehead. I stand up and face the mountain side. Okay, how should I go about making a hiding spot?
I wish I had asked Cecily more about how to use my magic. I know she shared her memories with me, but knowing what she showed me and being able to put that information into practice are two different things. I’m going to make this a priority as soon as she wakes up.
The tunnel I created under the castle wall was pretty easy. I bet I can duplicate those actions and make a safe place for Cecily to sleep for a bit. I put up one of her sound proof bubbles and focus my magic on scooping out sections of the rockface. I move them off to the side, trying to make it look like there was a rockslide that occurred naturally.
It’s slow work, but with time, I carve out a tunnel into the side of the mountain. Once it seems deep enough, I work on creating a cavern. I’m sure with experience and practice, I could do this work within a fraction of the time I’m currently taking, but it’s a frustration I can’t allow to get in my way. Cecily is my priority. Her waking up and us starting our lives is my priority. Protecting our people from Silas is my priority.
Sweat trickles down my back with the exertion I’m putting into the creation of a safe space for us. Every so often I get an ache of feeling drained, and I’m forced to take a break to recoup some energy. The first time I felt this way was just after waking up this morning. Since then, I’ve felt it a few times and realized it’s due to my magic exhausting itself.
I guess it’s a good thing I’m figuring out how things work, even if I’m having to decipher it all on my own. A wave of dizziness washes over me, and I place a hand on the stone wall beside me to make sure I don’t fall over. I’m having less and less bouts of energy between spells of having to recoup enough magic for me to continue on. I stumble my way over to Cecily and crash onto the ground next to her.
I’ve been at this for hours, and she still hasn’t woken up. I’ve been trying not to admit it to myself, but I’m thinking maybe whatever is going on with her isn’t just exhaustion or a drain of magic. I hope I’m wrong, but I fear I’m not.
I lay back and grab Cecily’s hand. The comfort her touch brings me instantly gives a sense of calm. Closing my eyes, I go through my favorite moments I’ve shared with her. I’m fairly certain the instant when she saw our initials burned into the bark of the tree at the strawberry fields is my favorite so far.
She had such a gleam of wonder come over her face and lit up her eyes. It’s that look more than anything else which makes me want to spend every possible moment of my life with her. I never want to miss a chance to see that expression again.
I turn onto my side to face her. “I’ve failed you as a mate, my Darling, but I promise I’ll make up for it. I’m going to finish this hideaway for you, and then I’m going to find Silas and figure out what he’s up to. We’ll protect our people from him. Don’t you worry about a thing.”
Chapter 3
Klaus
Present
Ileave the room in search of Marcus. He seemed devastated with her response and I’ve never seen him lose control over his emotions to the point where he shifts like he did. I know he isn’t used to emotions yet, so I’m willing to bet they pound into him stronger than they would to anyone else.
I head for the door, and knowing him, he’ll be in the gym he’s built in part of the garage... Wait, he shifted, so that means I might find him at the obstacle course he’s constructed in the woods a short way from here. After all the traveling we’ve been doing lately, I really wish he stuck closer to the house. At least I’m able to walk on a path instead of picking my way through undergrowth and fallen branches.
When I get to the obstacle course, he’s running laps around it. I sit down to watch, knowing he needs to get any pent-up energy out of his system for there to be any hopes of him listening to anything I say. After the laps, he starts working his way through the obstacles. After several runs through his routine, he finally flops down on the ground next to me.
I don’t have much practice with the phenomenon that occurs when we touch our girl and can hear each other in wolf form. Thinking about it though, I try to focus on doing it without her. Who knows, maybe now that she’s awake, the power will extend to us not needing to touch her. Not that I actually believe the power comes from her. I think it’s just some kind of coincidence, and she’s in fact human.
At least it’s what I want to believe right now. Any contrary thoughts will just result in me having too much hope for something that’s impossible. Marcus shared his thoughts of her belonging to all of us, but I’ve never met a shifter with more than one mate. The idea is just crazy.
I change the direction of my thoughts and focus again on trying to hear Marcus’ inner musings. “...understand. I’ve felt such a strong connection with her. How could she scream at the sight of me? And then reject me by seeking Derrick’s comfort?”
Poor guy. I can actually feel the pain in his thoughts like an ache in my own chest. “Hey, Marcus. I know her reaction was a huge shock, it surprised us all. Who knows why she screamed, maybe it was just the situation catching up to her, but she didn’t reject you when she latched onto Derrick. It appears she just feels comforted in his arms. It’s probably that red hair of his.”
His wolfish laugh echoes in my head. Along with it, I can tell my attempt has done nothing to comfort him at all. His emotions are so raw, I need to figure out the right combination of words that can act like a salve. “We have no idea what she’s been through to get to this point in her life’s journey. You have faith that your feelings are true, right?”
I pause so he can confirm, making sure he’s participating in the conversation. He nods his head, the motion jerky enough to show his hesitation in wanting to believe me. I continue on, “If you really have faith, then you need to hold on to the fact that no matter what she’s going through, or what caused her to scream like that, if she’s your mate, then it’ll all work out in the end. Regardless of how long it takes her to work through her past.”
There it is. I can finally sense a bloom of relief make its way into his thoughts. I leave him to cultivate the bloom into a blossoming flower on his own, knowing I can’t do it for him. I get up and brush my jeans off before heading back toward the house.
I’m jittery with the need to be near her, but at the same time, I don’t want to overwhelm her. She did just wake up surrounded by strangers. “Ugh, shit. What are we going to do?” I murmur to myself as I run a hand through my hair. We have responsibilities coming up requiring our full focus, our vacation is about to end.
We should probably make a plan as soon as possible. The Summit is in a couple of days, and I don’t feel comfortable leaving Princess here alone. Not when we aren’t sure she’s completely safe from the people who were coming after her. We should really do something about them... problems for another day.
Derrick
To say I was surprised when Precious threw herself in my arms and asked me to protect her, is an understatement. Out of the four of us, I thought for sure she would’ve chosen Marcus, since he’s had such a strong reaction to her. His conviction of her being his mate should’ve meant she would seek him out. Instead, with one glance at him, she screamed bloody murder.Man, Marcus had to hate being on the other end of that.
I watched her look at each of us in panic, her eyes calculating even though they danced with fear. She made a very conscious decision when she chose to cling to me, what factors led to the decision is beyond me. I never thought having her arms wrapped around me would feel so right, like a puzzle piece clicking into place. A vibration zinged through my whole body, it felt different from every other time I’ve touched her.
The feeling hasn’t lessened as I’ve held her ever since. It seems like she gets comfort from my touch as well, my biggest clue is the panic she gets with just the thought of me letting go. Well, also the fact she’s now sleeping in my arms.
