Page 22 of Shifter Island


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Esteban wasn’t quick to act when it came to women, so his offer surprised me.

“Am I making that much of a fool of myself that you feel the need to step in?” I sighed again. I felt as if a heavy burden had been laid on my chest.

I glanced around, but everyone avoided my gaze. The whole village had seen Daphne and I kissing and her leaving me afterwards. I didn’t even want to know what my people were thinking right now.

“It’s not that. We are both part of the package. I can’t have you kissing her while I’ve barely ever talked to her.” Esteban scratched his head.

I nodded. That made sense. Even though I felt like I had made zero progress with Daphne today, we still kissed and I would forever treasure the memory. She hadn’t pushed me away. She had just gotten cold feet afterwards.

How was I supposed to crack the puzzle that was Daphne? What was the way inside her heart? How could I make her realize how much I cared for her?

I didn’t know the answers to those questions but I couldn’t give up hope. The Goddess of Nature made Daphne my mate, and I would fight to help us be together, even if I had to battle her invisible demons.

Chapter Eleven

Esteban

Two days after the memorable moment when Gabriel and Daphne had kissed, I was helping some of the men assigned to building and repair work fix up the roof of one of our terraced houses. It was a good feeling to be out in the open, using my hands for manual labor.

Too often lately I had been part of the patrol groups, fighting against the enemies encroaching on our territory. Victor had been sending his goons through our borders. Even though I ordered our patrols not to kill his men, they still fought such invaders to scare them away. The tactic did little good, however, as they returned over and over again.

War was inevitable at this point; the tension between Victor’s sleuth and ours had grown too high. Soon Gabriel and I would have to make a choice on how to proceed regarding Victor’s push to take over Isla Paraiso. We at least had to free Hanny – that much was obvious, but we couldn't agree on whether we wanted to bring down Victor once and for all too.

Gabriel wanted revenge with a thirst that shook me to the core. I wavered on whether revenge would be worth the potential loss of so many of our men in combat against Victor’s overwhelming forces. Gabriel called me a scaredy-cat, but I just didn’t want to see good people die.

We lacked the manpower to bring Victor down on our own. Gabriel had bought more ammunition and firearms, but there was only so much our sleuth could do, even armed to the teeth. I understood though that Victor was a true menace to the lives of us all, making living in Isla Paraiso harder and harder and he seemed to want to butt heads with us, since he was always seeking fights.

I spent the day pondering what our decision should be while engaging in the calming menial task of fixing the roof. It was a good change of pace from fighting, but the thoughts racing in my mind made me restless.

When afternoon hit, we finished the work and came down from the roof. Just in time too, as the scorching sun was making us parched and tired. Someone passed a bottle of water to me. I drank greedily.

“Good job with the repairs,” a small voice sounded next to me, and I turned to see who it was.

I was surprised to see Daphne. I had assumed one of the people I’d been working with had passed me the water. However, the drink had come from her. How come my mate had approached me on her own? So far she had not sought out contact with me, and she seemed to avoid Gabriel too.

I didn’t want to think too hard about her reason for approaching, lest my doubtful thoughts scare her away. Warmth spread in my heart when I saw her gorgeous face with those stormy gray eyes. Her hair was put up in a lazy bun, the messy look making her the image of adorableness. If I set a kitten, a puppy, and my mate next to each other, they would compliment each other well.

I chuckled, imagining the sight. Daphne wasn’t a harmless animal though. She was a bear shifter like me, a predator. Even though I had never seen her shift, she displayed all the characteristics of a bear. She was steadfast and capable of giving sharp looks whenever she was displeased.

Daphne smiled, the expression lighting up her whole face. “I’m glad you’re in a good mood. I wanted to talk for a bit.”

I nodded, the feeling of happiness spreading in my heart. I had enjoyed every moment I had spent in Daphne’s presence so far, but they had been rare. I looked forward to the gift of conversation she wanted to give me now. Yes, even such a small thing like a talk with my mate was immensely important to me.

Daphne stood by my side, leaning against the building, staring intently at the main square. I followed her gaze to see a group of children playing tag. They ran around with such happy and carefree expressions on their faces – truly a precious sight.

Little did the kids know how their parents had to fight every day for the peace of Santuario, but the kids should live without worries and fears. They would be entirely protected for as long as we all lived. We wouldn’t let Victor and his goons anywhere near our little ones.

“I heard a lot about Santuario from Yoselin but I wanted to know more about how you see the sleuth. Since you and Gabriel were the ones who created the clan.” Daphne looked back at me. Curiosity lit up her eyes.

Was that why she approached me? She had taken an interest in the world around her. Very well, I would oblige her. I didn’t mind talking about the sleuth, and if learning about our people was the reason she had come to me, I was glad for it. Her interest made me proud of the family Gabriel and I had created. I hoped one day Daphne would decide to join Santuario as our bonded mate, so of course she should know everything about the clan.

“Decades ago, Isla Paraiso was under the Torres rule. Our family of bear shifters was old. They were one of the first Spanish colonizers of Venezuela, who came to the land back in the 16th century. Rather than settling on the mainland, our family built Fort Torres on this island. That’s the castle you saw in the distance when you were imprisoned. A small village next to it was also founded, but the rest of Isla Paraiso wasn’t colonized until much later.”

Daphne listened intently to the story of how Santuario had come to be. When I stopped for a moment to get a sip of water, she waited patiently for me to continue.

“Twenty years ago Venezuela decided to convert the island into a high-security prison, the final destination for the worst criminals,” I said.

“How old were you then?” Daphne arched an eyebrow.

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