Fawn (Coveted Prey #12)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Fawn

“ I ’m going to play in the garden,” I announce.

“Okay, Fawn,” my mama says. She is standing in the kitchen and has just put my birthday cake on to bake. “Remember what I said. No leaving the garden or going into the woods.”

“No, Mama,” I say. “I won’t.”

I skip off into the garden, my new ragdoll, Abigale, clutched in my hand, going all the way to the bottom where our land meets the woods. Here, in the shade of the old shed, I have my secret nest. Well, it is not so secret, given that my mama and papa know about it, but it is also understood that they pretend they do not.

I spread the blanket under the awning and pat my pillows into place.

Maybe when Papa comes home tonight, he will take me to our favorite place near the river, and I can shift and play.

I’m not supposed to shift unless he is here. But I also want to. It’s my fifth birthday. I’m excited about my new ragdoll and the cake my mama is baking. My body is full of energy and happiness, and I can feel it building inside me.

I just want to run…

The air whooshes in my ears. When I glance down, I see Abigale lying on the blanket beside my yellow dress, underthings, cardigan, and shoes.

Oops.

Spring scents fill my nose. I spot a butterfly and make a playful leap before chasing after it as it dances on the breeze.

My chase takes me away from my nest and under the shade of the trees. I pause to glance back at the little cottage that is my home. To either side, separated by a low wall, are our neighbors’ homes and plots. I can hear Rosemary singing as she works in her vegetable plot, although I cannot see her from here.

I have never shifted at home before, and a nervous thrill races through me. But I am five today, and I feel both old and brave.

No one will know.

I will go for a short run.

I will not stray far.

This form is so much quicker, and I can run very far. Also, I don’t understand why I must only shift when my papa is there. If I had my way, I would play like this all the time.

Taking Abigale’s arm between my teeth—along with my yellow sundress, just in case I happen upon any pack member and must quickly shift—I dart into the trees.

Mindful that I only have a short time, I race along the forest path all the way to the old water mill, which I love well. Leaping over a fallen log, I bring my race to a stop as I enter the clearing.

Before me is the watermill nested on the side of the river. The forest floor around it is a carpet of bluebells, while the old stone walls are crumbling and covered in ivy. Some time back, they built a new mill closer to the village, leaving this one to fall into disrepair. The roof has collapsed long since, but the three walls and the big wheel remain mostly intact.

I trot forward, my tail wagging with joy, Abigale’s arm and my sundress still clutched in my teeth. I wish I could make my nest here. It would make the best nest ever, I am sure. As I near the riverbank, I set Abigale and the dress down and pause to lap the cool water.

My ears flick back and forth, alert to any sounds. But it is peaceful, and all I hear are the chirping birds and the buzz of a passing bee.

When I lift my mouth from the water, I start.

On the other side of the river, partially hidden behind the tall reeds, is a young stag.

I blink across at him.

He is likewise staring at me.

Only something is wrong. He is not a natural stag, and as I watch, the air shimmies, and in his place is a regal boy with golden hair and pointed ears peeking out.

Before I can consider running off, there is a familiar whooshing in my ears. I slip behind the weeping willow and quickly don my dress.

When I come back out, he takes a formal bow, which looks funny given he is half buried in the reeds.

“Who are you?” I ask, reminding myself that I am five now, which means I should be bold.

“Seven,” he offers with an incline of his head.

“Is that your age?” I frown. “You are very big for seven.”

He grins. “Seven is my name. I am thirteen years old.”

Well, that is a strange name. Still, he has a formal, polite way about him. I like him well already. Papa says a person’s politeness says much about their character. Also, I am convinced he must be a prince.

“My name is Fortuna, but everyone calls me Fawn,” I say, retrieving my doll from the forest floor. “This is Abigale.”

“Fawn…” He smiles. “Well met, Fawn and Abigale.”

“What are you doing here? You will get into trouble if my papa finds you on pack land.”

“Well, I should hate to court your papa’s wrath,” he says. “And I am on a quest. It was wolf pack lands or the bear shifters. And bears are not congenial visitors.”

“Wolves don’t like visitors either,” I point out.

“No,” he agrees. “They do not.” His gaze shifts to the mill—he frowns. “Where is your protector? Are you on your own?”

His tone dips toward the end like he knows I have been naughty.

“I am five,” I say a little defensively. “I can play on my own.”

This is a bold lie, but he does not need to know.

“Hmm,” he says, his lips pursing in a way that makes me feel even more guilty. “Are you lying to me, Fawn? I spotted a bear shifter not so far from here. It is not safe for a little girl to be alone.”

I gulp. My papa says I have a face that looks guilty, even when I am only thinking about mischief. “No.” I shake my head.

“I think it best that I escort you home. You will run ahead, and I shall shift and follow at a distance until I see you reach safety.”

“No, thank you,” I say. This would be a very bad idea, for my mother is sure to scold me, and my papa will too when he gets home. That would not make for a good birthday.

A sudden snarl comes from behind, and I spin around to see a wolf bound through the trees past the old mill—my papa.

Shifting to a werebeast, he snatches me protectively against his chest, growling at Seven. He turns his back, shielding me from view, just as wolves come pounding out of the forest, bound for Seven.

“Papa, no,” I say, throwing my arms around his neck and peering frantically over his shoulder. “He was just a friend. Tell them no!”

On the other side of the river, Seven shifts to his stag form and dashes into the trees.

The wolves surge past us, snarling, splashing straight through the river and onto the other side.

“He is on pack land, Fawn.” Papa’s words are growly around his beastly jaws. “Without the pack leader’s permission. He could have hurt you. Or snatched you away.”

I fall to sobbing. I’m terrified that the beautiful stag shifter will be ripped to pieces.

“Hush, child. They will not kill the young buck. Only teach him the error of his ways.”

“But they are going to hurt him,” I sob.

“Aye, probably, some. As he deserves. If he is clever, he will learn the lesson well. Now, I have told you more than once not to come down here. And where are your shoes?”

“I left them in my nest,” I say, my lips trembling and tears trickling down my cheeks. This is the worst birthday ever. “He was only worried about me. He said that he saw a bear shifter and that he would escort me home. He was very polite. You said politeness said a lot about a person’s character!”

He pulls me closer and purrs. “Not all you meet will be noble of purpose. Sometimes the bad people come here too. We do not know the young stag or anything about him. Perhaps he was spinning a tale to lure you away.”

Only his voice is softer, and I think he does not believe the worst of Seven anymore.

He holds me tightly, pressing a kiss to my head. “Gods, Fawn. Your mama is beside herself worrying for you. We shall go straight home and put this nonsense behind us.”

He picks Abigale up from the floor, passing her to me before taking off for home at a run.

I am full of turmoil inside, terrified that the young stag has been caught and that the wolves will hurt him very badly, for I know that they deal harshly with trespassers on our land.

The tears begin to fall harder.

As we near home, I see my mama standing at the garden’s edge with my cardigan clutched to her chest.

“Fawn!” Her cry shakes me, for I hear how full of pain it is. As soon as my father reaches her, she takes me in her arms. “Oh, love.”

I cling, crying, realizing the enormity of what I did—that I might have encountered a bear shifter instead of a noble stag.

“She was at the old mill,” my papa says, shifting to human. “There was a young stag shifter there.”

“Goodness! What was he doing?” my mama asks.

“No more than talking to her, from what I can see,” my father replies.

“He was on a quest,” I say between sobs. “He was worried when he found I was alone.”

My mother kisses the top of my head, although her hands are still trembling. “Stags are noble creatures,” she says. “I’m sure his intentions were good. But you must not go there again on your own, love.”

We return to the cottage. The cake is ready—my mother found I was gone when she came to tell me.

I am not to go into the garden for the rest of the day or play in my nest.

Mama gives me a slice of cake and a glass of milk, and I sit at the table with Abigale while they talk quietly outside the door.

I should not snoop, but I’m feeling bad about what happened and shaken, so I slip off the chair and creep to the door to listen.

“I don’t like it,” my mama says. “He could have snatched her, John. Our baby could have been taken.”

“There, love,” my papa says. “I think he was merely curious, having happened upon her.”

“What did the pack enforcer say?” she asks. “Did they catch up with him? Did he tell them what he saw?”

“No, he got away, which is probably for the best. We cannot stay here. He might come back and bring more of his kind. We cannot take the risk.”

“I was so scared, John. I tried to shift, but it has been so long, and no matter how I tried, I couldn’t.”

She begins sobbing.

“You cannot shift, love. It is too dangerous here. We are too close to the heart of the pack. I think we need to move.

“Oh, John. Where would we even go?”

“My old pack would take us in. It has larger lands, and we can seek or build a place away from the pack heart. We cannot stay here now, not now that she has been seen. You know as much.”

My mother’s crying continues.

I can hear my papa purring, seeking to comfort her.

My lips quiver as I realize I have ruined everything, and now we must move.