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She was still nervous about being surrounded by everyone in the Greenacre clan when she wasn’t a part of that, but she had to get over that. Shewasa part of Greenacre, and so was Onyx. It was all just new and intimidating and it was okay to have nerves about that, but she’d never let that get in the way again.
Her eyes burned as she thought about Kier explaining to her at the clinic that he’d never known his human mother and his dad had passed away in his sleep just the year before. He still wasn’t over the grief, but he’d also said that wasn’t uncommon for Greenacre shifters to have older parents and not know their mothers.
She couldn’t imagine. Her mother was the backbone of their family. The women were so vital to their clan. There was no way she could ever think of Onyx growing up without a mom.
Their clans were so different from each other, but somehow, she’d forged a real connection with Kier. Before. She was going to work her ass off to find it again. Even if it came slowly, even if it wasn’t romantic at the start, she was no longer thinking about running away or driving him away.
“Taylee.”
She whipped around, her heart skittering to a stop. One hand launched itself protectively over Onyx, her arm splaying out to cover and shield her daughter, while the other reached for the knife she kept in her boot. Her mom was the one who had pressed it into her hand as soon as she’d come back home. She’d told her that she hadn’t gone anywhere without it before.
A lean, tall man stepped from the trees. Middle aged, sharp jawline, eyes as light blue as a pale winter sky.
Her body reacted all at once, her emotions crashing together and piling up like ice jamming in the spring. She angled her body away, wanting to flee, but above all, wanting to hide and protect her daughter. There was something not right about this man.
He triggered something inside her that felt a lot like fire and acid, churning and scalding her from the inside. Her breathing shallowed out. He wasn’t a part of their clan. How he’d gotten out here without being spotted by the guards who walked the perimeter, she wasn’t sure.
How did he know she’d be out here? Where to find her?
How did he know her name?
She didn’t know him. She wouldn’t because she couldn’t remember.It didn’t matter. Every cell in her body screamed that he represented danger.
Her hand didn’t uncurl from the knife in her boot. She stayed half turned, half hunched. She’d spring if she had to. Just because she didn’t remember the skills from her past life before her head injury didn’t mean they weren’t there. She could paint. She could draw. She could probably fight to the death and win if that’s what she had to do.
“What do you want?” Her voice was high and sharp. Not afraid, but more like a warning.
This man smelled off. He wasn’t human. And he wasn’t a bear.
There was the longest pause. Something close to a smirk twisted his already too lean face. He looked half-starved. “I know what you are.” His voice sent a chill up her spine.
Onyx made the smallest noise, but then went quiet.
“You loved me once.” His voice was so deep. It didn’t seem like it was actually even coming from him.
Was this really even happening? Was it real? She was alone out here with a man who she was sure was an enemy.
Her jaw opened and closed but no sound came out. It was best not to dignify that with a response. It couldn’t be true. She loved Kier. He was her mate.
“I know what you’re thinking. That I’m a liar. You’re wondering how I could possibly know what I know. I know it because it’s true that you loved me. You made me a promise. I heard about your misfortune.” He brought his hand up to indicate his head. Meaning hers. Taylee thought she might actually be sick right on the spot. “It’s not important how I found you. I tracked you all the way from Texas. Spent lots of time and effort.” He sighed, his shoulders riding up and down in the black hoodie he wore. Black combat pants too. He wasn’t even trying to hide. It wasn’t night. “I know your family has money. Your clan. Fact is, Taylee, I need some. You promised me anything once. The world.”
“I promised you nothing,” she hissed.
Onyx mewled, sensing her fierce, frozen posture, the anger and biting tone she used.
“No, you promised me all of it. Your body. Your heart. Your future. It was our secret. You kept us from your family. They wouldn’t have let you see me.”
“You’re lying.”
The world roiled and her head pounded fiercely. A driving stab of white-hot light went through her, cutting behind her eyes so that everything went black for a second. She sucked in a breath as the other being in her body, her bear, roared under her skin. She heard the echo in her head like it was out there in the distance. She felt like she was being torn in half and she focused all her energy on keeping herself as she was. She had to control it. She couldn’t let the bear out. Even if she needed to shift to protect herself and that was her natural instinct, she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t trust the bear right now. She could barely trust herself. She had to protect Onyx above all. Could the bear do that? It seemed far more likely that the margin for error was fucking huge when it came to letting out a grizzly around a newborn.
She took one step back, back towards the direction of home, but she knew she was way too far gone into the woods. If she tried to outrun him, it would be impossible. Not with Onyx strapped to her chest and something told her not to expose her back to him.
“Don’t scream and don’t move,” the stranger hissed at her. He was in command of the situation. There was no doubt.
She wanted to scream something back. She wanted to attack. She wanted to rip this man who dared threaten her and her child until he was a mess of bloody pulp. The rage in her caused the bear to rile and seethe and she knew she had to abandon that emotion before she self-destructed or before she shifted.
She eased her hand away from her boot and straightened. She couldn’t pull a knife when she had a baby attached to her body. What had she been thinking?
