Raven’s Instinct (A Day Care for Shifters #6)

16. Kendra

16

KENDRA

K endra considered herself an independent woman with an abundance of common sense and no need for a man. She was tough and autonomous. She scoffed at wilting women and laughed at the idea of finding security anywhere but within herself.

But when Alan blurted that he would protect her, she could feel some of her walls crumble and give way. It would be so nice to let someone take care of her for once, to put her first.

She could do that with Alan, she feared. She could stop being constantly wound up and on edge and let herself relax. She could trust him. Instinct was a hum of contentment and encouragement. Or maybe that was just her own longing, muddying the issue. Kendra couldn’t trust herself to know the difference.

Amy was all but asleep in her high chair when Kendra came in. Most of the sandwich had been eaten or demolished past recognition. Kendra cleaned off her fingers and face with a wipe which she used afterwards to clean the tray. Once they’d brushed their teeth together, she changed Amy into a fresh diaper and pajamas and climbed up into the bed with her. She wasn’t completely surprised to hear the quiet scratch of claws on the roof of her van, and she went to sleep feeling safe and grateful.

When she woke up again, after a night of surprisingly deep sleep, there was dawn light coloring the windows. Alan’s car was gone, but the white raven carving was still on the counter and it gave a comfortable little tingle when she tucked it into her pocket. It felt right there.

Amy was cheerful on the drive in, singing and babbling. Kendra was sourly sure she was going to be a morning person and resented that more than a bit.

Alan met them at the gate at Tiny Paws and tossed the little girl in the air to shrieks of glee. They didn’t speak a word about the night before, but Kendra wondered how much sleep he’d gotten. He certainly looked as bright-eyed and handsome as ever, which was very unfair. She also had a weird feeling looking at him, as if she was seeing herself through his eyes...and liked what she saw.

It was very disorienting, like she had a double-image of emotions over her own, but she left before she could make things awkward with the handoff and the sensation seemed considerably less strong as she drove away.

Her four-legged clients (and one depressed chicken) were all well behaved as she made the rounds of her appointments. She caught herself appraising the farmers she worked with, wondering what they would make of her ability to shift. Would they fear her? Hate her? Fire her? Pay three million dollars to upgrade their children?

Every so often, she would slip a hand into a pocket and touch the raven resting there, comforted by its warmth and weight, and the bizarre emotional feedback seemed to settle. She’d have to ask Alan more about this charm. If he’d made it, was he also magic?

She told herself firmly that she didn’t need a hot magical guy mucking up her life. She was on a solid path towards everything she’d ever wanted and the last thing she needed was to be derailed by a hot body and long, silky hair.

Other than the uncanny layer of emotions that didn’t seem to be hers, instinct didn’t give her any warnings through the day, and everything seemed entirely mundane.