Chapter 17 #3
“Gotcha.” Her laugh was like a breath of fresh air, unconcerned that we were chatting about how and why her family transformed into wild beasts.
There were days I believed I was high on some toxin.
“I’ve heard all the stories about our distant past, but certainly from what I’ve experienced in my life and what I’ve seen in pictures, we’ve been living in our human forms more than embracing our wolves for generations.
Our medical professionals are hypersensitive to being grilled or allowing anyone into what they call their inner realm.
As you might imagine, there are those who would exploit that information for personal or professional gain. ”
Sighing, I glanced at the television. While I’d tried to avoid media of every type, I’d heard enough about the recent murders occurring in Washington State to know why people were on edge.
I’d heard a few people discussing who could have murdered the shifters in cold blood, which had been deemed a sport, although my guess was the elders as she called them who frequented the coffee shop believed something else. No wonder they were cautious.
“To answer your question, yes. At least usually, often at two or three times the rate.” Samantha sipped her coffee.
“You say usually,” I pushed. “Why?”
Her shrug was just like her brother’s. Noncommittal, but I sensed there was a lot more to the story behind why Ford hadn’t healed.
“Wait a minute. What aren’t you saying?” Roxanne pushed her arm.
“Nothing important. Maybe you should try and pay Ford a visit.”
Now I snorted. “He’d toss me out on my butt or chase me through the forest like he did in the dream I had.” And why in God’s name did I admit to something so private?
And sensual?
Not sensual. Highly erotic.
“How sexy,” Roxanne cooed.
I threw her a glare.
As I didn’t want, Samantha’s eyes lit up as soon as she snapped her head in my direction. “What? You’ve had a dream about my brother in the forest?”
“Ugh. When you say it like that, you make it sound so dirty, but yes, he was a wolf.”
Samantha pushed her coffee cup away, fanning her face and I’d be damned if I didn’t notice for the first time that she was perspiring. The coffee was scalding, but enough to make her sweat? When I realized how excited she was, my skin began to crawl. “My father was right.”
“Right about what?” My stomach filled with knots the size of bowling balls. She remained contemplating, chewing on her inner cheek. “What?”
“You really need to talk to Ford,” she said quickly, so much so I almost didn’t capture what she’d said.
“Trust me. I am the last person he wants to see.”
“What did your father say?” At least Roxanne was trying to help me in this rather bizarre endeavor.
“Something about what was going on with Ford and why he wasn’t healing.
The reason is also why he’s been prone to bouts of anger, which only happened once before and that was for a very good reason.
He’s a good man. A pain in the ass, but there isn’t a bad bone in his body no matter what behavioral issues he’s displayed recently.
Please don’t be furious with him. He doesn’t process emotions very well. He’s stunted in that area.”
Roxanne and I snuck a couple of glimpses at each other since Samantha was rattling off some backend resume. “Who are you trying to convince?”
His sister groaned before looking at me. “Mostly you. Don’t be mad, but Roxanne told me you came from an abusive relationship.”
My body’s reaction was tense, but even after only being in town for a month and a half, a certain level of anxiety had abated.
Even if half the town thought I’d betrayed their hometown boy. Although my first reaction was to close my eyes, clenching the coffee cup with enough pressure hot liquid dripped across my hand.
“Don’t be angry with me,” Roxanne pleaded. “You’re a part of us now.”
Us. As if the town was a protected entity.
Maybe with the number of shifters in town, I’d become a part of the pack.
I released my hold, wiping the stinging drips on my jeans with more vigor than necessary.
“Do you know what’s interesting? Since working here, I’ve tried to distinguish shifters from humans.
Then I realized I’m merely part of the problem.
There is no way to tell the difference and what does it matter?
However, I can’t imagine what life must be like for shifters trying to enjoy their lives.
I’m not angry with Ford. I’m just… cautious. ”
Wasn’t that an easy, cheesy word?
Both women appeared to breathe a sigh of relief.
“So what is this reason? I assume it has more to do with shifter lore, if there is such a thing.”
Samantha nodded. “There is. The elders could talk your ear off with legends with no legitimate history to back it up. My father believed the reason Ford wasn’t healing as a shifter would was because he hadn’t shifted in years.
So he did. From what I heard from Beck, he’s done so more than once trying to heal his ribs. ”
“Was he stalking me in Wolfman form?” I didn’t know why I’d tossed that out, but thinking about my feeling that eyes were peering at me, the few times that had occurred, my skin had been electrified instead of developing creepy-crawlies.
My, didn’t Samantha have the same mischievous expression as her brother. “Entirely possible. As you’ve figured out, Ford doesn’t like to lose.”
“I’m not a prize and treating me like the enemy doesn’t endear him to me.”
“It’s entirely possible you’re more than a prize,” Samantha shot back while leaning back against the chair. Was she worried I’d lash out uncontrollably?
“Something used for target practice then?”
Both girls chuckled. I was serious. Ford should patent his brand of rage. “No,” Samantha said, managing to drawl out the single syllable while appearing as if she had ants in her pants. “You see, Ford needs to mate.”
I wasn’t certain what I’d expected to hear, but a mate wasn’t anywhere in the forefront of my vocabulary. “A mate. Are we talking like cute little wolf pups?”
“They’re the product of mating, so in a way.” My goodness. Samantha was so serious. “Wolves take mates for life.”
“You mean there’s some mandate with shifters they must get married by a certain age?” Okay, now my skin was beginning to crawl.
“Not exactly. Think of the need as being more primal in nature.” Samantha was squirming.
“You’ve studied enough about animal anatomy.
We are animals at heart and within our DNA, no matter how diligently almost everyone in the past couple of generations has tried to shove our heritage aside so that when we were outed, we’d be accepted.
What my generation is beginning to realize is that you can take the wolf out of the woods, but you can’t shove aside the most basic, carnal needs.
Ford is really struggling with that and because he refuses to accept it, he’s suffering physically. ”
“I’m confused. I thought wolves married humans.” Roxanne leaned forward.
Samantha folded her arms on the table. “Believe it or not, I don’t know every shifter requirement.
Don’t laugh. My parents weren’t strict with us in requiring us to follow the old ways.
However, what I’ve learned from books written by shifters is that only pure bloodlines are required to mate.
Others can enjoy pretending to be human forever if that’s what they want. Their children are perfectly normal.”
“Can they shift?” I asked.
Her eyes opened wide. “You know what? I’m not certain.”
We all had a good laugh.
“So, your family has a pure bloodline?” I wasn’t certain I wanted to hear the answer.
Samantha shrugged. “You wouldn’t think we could because my mother is human. However, my father’s bloodline and heritage are very strong. He’s from a very powerful wolf family.”
“Your mother is human,” I repeated. The episode of the Twilight Zone was becoming weirder by the second.
“I had no clue. That’s how good an actress she is.”
“So what you’re telling me is that he needs to find a nice little wolf shifter and settle down.” I was feeling a little more relaxed. Maybe I would track the man down and give him a piece of my mind.
“Actually, from what the family can tell, he’s already found his mate.”
For a split second, not only was I jealous of the concept but also aching inside. I’d missed the banter and the attitude we’d both had with each other.
I’d craved his physical presence and not only because of our passion, but the connection that seemed so natural, even beautiful in ways that few might understand. Suddenly, my skin wasn’t crawling as much as it was itching. Enough so I began to scratch my arm without thinking.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I don’t think I can take you telling me at this point that he’s off the table as a catch.
Yes, we certainly didn’t get along very well, no matter what Roxanne may have told you about our brief interlude, but there was something about Ford that allowed me to breathe again.
If that makes any sense. I want him happy.
I just don’t think I can handle going to his engagement party. ”
“That makes perfectly good sense,” Samantha said, the conviction in her voice noteworthy. “Hearing what you just said also makes me very happy.”
What did she say?
“Okay, I’ll bite. Why?”
Her grin turned into something as electric as the crackling interference between Ford and me.
“Because you’re his mate.”