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Kirsten paused, holding the thought as her logic wrestled control from her ramped emotions. What the hell was she doing? Henry was her boss, no matter how attracted to him she was.
“We crossed the line, Henry,” Kirsten said, making him look up at her.
Henry placed Zara in her bassinet and made his way over to Kirsten. Grabbing her, he brought her flush to his form. His mouth covered hers, a dominating force that caused her body to submit to him. Kirsten’s core pulsed as the memories of their night together flooded her mind. She returned his kiss, her face heating as he expertly parted her lips with his tongue. With a groan, Henry broke their delicious contact.
“Yes. We did,” he said. “And I don’t plan on going back.”
Despite the small voice inside telling her this could all go wrong, she threw herself into him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled her face into his chest. His warmth melted into her, shielding her from her looming fears. Kirsten pushed the annoying thought to the back of her mind, deciding instead to give herself to the rising happiness.
Henry’s large arms caged her in, and she felt safe. His chest vibrated as a satisfied purr met her ears. Kirsten laughed, swatting his chest.
“Stop teasing,” she said.
“Who’s going to make me stop?” A cocky smile rose to his lips.
“Keep teasing, and you’ll find out,” she said, an open invitation.
Zara cried, causing Kirsten and Henry to rush to her. They looked at each other with mutual smiles on their faces.
“Looks like she’s tired of being ignored,” Kirsten said as she picked Zara up, cradling her.
“Something she probably gets from me,” Henry said, his mischievous green eyes shining.
The rest of the day was a dream. Kirsten couldn’t understand how or why everything was falling into place, but she wasn’t going to complain. It was as if the universe was finally on her side, answering her prayers for a place that felt like home.
As the week passed, Kirsten fell into an easy routine. Every morning she and Henry would enjoy breakfast together before playing with Zara. Then Henry would go to work, leaving her to watch Zara throughout the day. Splitting her time between housework and the baby, she made easy work of the menial domestic tasks.
When Henry walked in through the door at the end of each night, they would eat dinner together while they spoke of their days, joked, and enjoyed each other’s company. Afterward, they would put Zara to bed and escape from the world until the sun began a new day.
Kirsten couldn’t believe that this was her life. What had started as a way to escape the suffocation of her mundane life turned out to be exactly what she needed. Kirsten’s confidence inflated, fed by the consistent reinforcement of Henry and Zara’s attention.
There was still a small voice in the back of her mind that questioned Henry. His disappearances didn’t stop. Every other night Henry would sneak out of bed in the early morning hours and head into the woods. He would be back before she woke, sliding into the bed and falling back to sleep for a few hours before it was time to wake.
Kirsten didn’t know what he was doing or why he hid it, but she was going to find out.
TWELVE
HENRY
Henry fell more in love with Kirsten each day that passed. It seemed he had finally found the family unit he had wanted all along: him, Zara, and his mate, Kirsten. He learned how to take care of Zara, and he learned how to take care of Kirsten. With Sher, he was constantly second-guessing himself, unsure of where he fit, but with Kirsten, he had it all figured out.
They went out often during the day, venturing into town to get supplies and go to the farmer’s market. Zara would suck on her pacifier while Henry picked out wood for his work, and Kirsten bought whatever she fancied. Their little bubble of happiness seemed to be never-ending, as though it would go on forever.
Unfortunately, the universe didn’t see it the same way. The bear still came sniffing around, threatening to show who Henry really was before the tiger chased the bear away time and time again.
He fired off a quick hiss, and the bear fell backward in its haste to get away. He gave chase around the side of the house, but the bear made a run for it before he could catch it.
With the way it stood at the window, he was sure it was a shifter, too. This meant that Henry wasn’t as alone as he thought he was and not as secure either. He would have to do better to protect his family from predators like this.
One night, Henry caught it just as it came right up to one of the living room windows. If he could smell what was happening inside, the bear surely could too. Luckily he always locked everything up tight and kept the spare keys hidden where no one could find them, but it was still unsettling to know how far the bear had ventured.
When he came back inside, fully human again, Zara was asleep, and Kirsten was still in the bedroom. She looked up from her phone as he came in.
“Well, if it isn’t the guy who leaves suspiciously every night to do ... what is it again?” Her tone was playful but betrayed the undercurrent of curiosity that made her leave the house the first morning. “I mean, where do you even go? Do you go on night walks or something? Isn’t it dangerous out there? That’s what you always say. Do you just need some space from us or something?”
With each question, she worked herself up more until there were tears in her eyes and her hands shook.
“Hey,” he said soothingly, laying next to her. He took her hand in his and squeezed. “All I’m doing is keeping us safe from the tiger you saw. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. I’ve lived in these parts for a long time. Okay?”
