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Kier
Taylee’s parents lived in a small log cabin, with two smaller cabins nearby. Unlike Greenacre, which had the markings of a village, the cabins sprung up around Pinefall’s land seemingly out of nowhere. Clearings in the forest were pretty much the only indication that a cabin was going to appear. Being as he’d had a hand in building all of them, along with most of the other men from Greenacre, Kier knew where all of them were located. He’d mapped out the area in his head. The land had once belonged to Greenacre, but when another clan reached out about purchasing the land in order to relocate and escape detection, they voted on it as a clan and Sam had signed off on the purchase. Picking up and leaving was hard for anyone, but an entire clan? It was a massive process. They’d paid for the houses to be constructed. They had a few members in Greenacre who were experts at carpentry and construction who oversaw and planned the projects, and there was no shortage of labor.
Lifting felled green trees or even building with the timber Sam had brought in might have been a big issue for regular people, but not for shifters. They’d worked together and it was incredible what could be accomplished in a short amount of time.
The cabins weren’t large, but they were big enough for a family to live comfortably. This one had two bedrooms, a fair-sized kitchen, and a larger living room. They were all equipped with running water and power, although those services were hooked up later, when Sam could arrange for it to be done. To the outside world, this was just a string of vacation homes or cabin rentals being built. No one asked any questions. Not when the area was a hot spot for tourism.
Jem and Clay had taken the two smaller cabins not far from this one. Most of Pinefall lived by family or extended family. They were a clan, but more than that, they were family units within that clan. It took a surprising amount of time to gather that information, given that the whole clan was so secretive about their lives.
“Can you wait here for a second? I just want to talk to my mom.” Taylee turned and asked as soon as he stepped through the front door.
The place smelled like freshly baked gingersnaps, and sure enough, there were a number of cookies cooling on a wire rack on the counter by the stove. Taylee’s mom was crafty. She’d sewn the lace curtains at the windows, braided the rag rugs at the entrance and in the middle of the living room, and she’d painted all of the artwork hanging on the walls.
“Of course.”
“My dad went out for the morning. He’s cutting wood with a few of the other men.”
The fireplace had a fire roaring so that the cabin was a few shades warmer than he liked. He could already feel the sweat rolling down the back of his neck.
It didn’t appear that Onyx was awake yet. The cabin was so quiet. He nodded and walked across the room to sit down on the leather couch. Taylee gave him one final parting look that was half apprehension and half a strange longing that she tried to stamp out before she raced up the stairs.
He heard her knock at her mom’s door and the sound of it opening. Taylee’s soft steps retreated, but being a shifter, he had really good hearing. It could be a blessing and a curse. He tried not to listen, but he still picked up snippets of the whispered conversation.
“You look wild. What happened out there?” Grace asked, a little shocked.
“Nothing.” Taylee’s voice was guarded and edgy.
“It’s clearly not nothing. Onyx is still sleeping. I’ll wake her up, though, now that you’re back.”
“I can’t feed her.”
“That’s nonsense. You have formula and bottles. You can go get one ready and I’ll change her diaper.” More soothingly, Grace’s voice dropped even further. “It’s alright that Kier’s here. You know that. You don’t have to be guarded like this. We’ve accepted him. He’s never going to be one of us, but he’s Onyx’s dad and he’s proven that he’s a good man.”
“That’s the thing. I’m afraid of him.”
“What?”
Kier tensed as he waited for Taylee’s response. His gut felt like shards of ice were churning around on the inside, cutting him to shreds.
“What do you mean you’re afraid of him? He might be bigger than your brothers, than any man here, but all of the Greenacre shifters are huge like that. He’s gentle. He would never—”
“I’m not afraid of his size.”
“My little bird bones. You’re so tiny. You’ve lost so much weight this past month, and you were already so thin.”
“That’s just it,” Taylee ground out. “I hate that I know what that reference means, but I only remember you calling me that since the accident. I remember how you explained to me that you used to call me that all the time. You all did. But there’s nothing there for me when you say it. There’s no special resonance. So, no. It’s not his size I’m afraid of. It’s the weight of his expectations.”
“Sweetheart.” A few soft steps across the room. “I don’t think he expects anything from you. None of us do. We’re just so glad you’re here with us. We know it’s going to take time. We know you’re frustrated.”
“I’ve tried to reject him as a mate. I’ve tried to get him to reject me. He won’t do it. You said mates can be broken. I asked you a few weeks ago. It’s not fair to him. I want him to be free to choose someone who remembers him. Someone who feels what she should when he’s near, someone who has a shared past. I can’t be the mate he needs.”
Kier dropped his head into his hands. If he could, he’d give his life so Taylee could remember hers. He knew that wouldn’t help anyone, and he knew how foolish thoughts like that were. He just wanted all the things that he couldn’t have. He’d wanted Taylee like that once before. The first night he saw her. Pure and beautiful, at home in the woods. Strong, even though she was so tiny. Fierce in her own right. He was all brute strength that most people would equate with violence, which made him a good guard because most people had no idea he’d never use it. Taylee was pure joy, pure life, pure everything. He remembered feeling that fever at that first random meeting. They were never supposed to bump into each other. Never supposed to have crossed paths.
But they did. And he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
She’d thought about him too, though she’d refused to admit it, because two nights later, she’d shown up in the same spot, where their clan lands bordered each other. Like she’d been waiting for him, though she was casual about it. All denial. His heart had been more than feverish then. He’d asked her if she’d walk with him to do their watch, and she’d only nodded.
It took more than a few meetings for her to exchange more than a few words.
