Chapter 4
Liam woke abruptly, transitioning from sleep to full alertness in a blink. He was in a bedroom, and someone was with him. Slowly, he turned his head. Yep, a woman, although he couldn’t see her face since long black hair concealed her features.
He didn’t remember her or how he came to share the same bed.
He shifted his head a fraction and scanned the room. Yeah, he’d been here before, yet the place didn’t seem familiar, didn’t feel like home. Where the hell was he? He cast his mind back, trying to remember, but there was a yawning hole in his memory. Had he been drinking? He didn’t recall…
He and Scott had been…
Scott?
Whoa. Whatever he’d done had screwed with his head. He sat up, and agony jabbed him at the temple, ricocheting back to scramble everything spinning inside his brain. His name was…
He came up blank, and panic joined the white noise in his head.
“Liam,” a sleepy female murmured.
Relief struck him. Liam.
“Is something wrong? Is your head sore?”
Okay. His name was Liam, but he didn’t recall hers.
“My memory.” He paused. “I didn’t remember my name.”
“Oh. You have a concussion. You were unconscious for several days but woke up yesterday.”
A flicker crossed her face—too fast to decipher. Had he upset her?
“I’m Sienna, your mate. We’re at home. You fell.”
His mate. He twisted this information, testing and probing for associated memories. Nothing.
“Where are we?”
“My home in Cornwall,” she said. “Are you hungry?”
He paused. “Yes.”
She smiled, and he stared at her, trying to remember at least one personal thing. His mate was beautiful, with long black hair tousled from sleep and deep brown eyes. Nothing about the sprinkling of freckles on her nose or the charming dimple when she full-out grinned jumped into his mind.
She was a stranger.
“We’d better fix that. I can hear my brothers, so we’re the last awake.
” She slid out of bed and stood. She wore a thin T-shirt that fell to her knees.
His mate was slender, her skin tanned as if she spent a lot of time outdoors.
“Did you want to stay in bed and rest, or would you like to eat with the rest of us?”
“I am tired of being in bed.”
“All right. Your clothes are in the wardrobe and the set of drawers over there. Bottom two drawers.”
She pulled on a pair of jeans, then lifted her pale blue tee over her head. A jolt went through Liam—sharp and unexpected. His body stirred with a sense of recognition, but his mind struggled to catch up. A low hum of warmth spread through him. It felt foreign, yet oddly right.
He blinked as she slipped on a navy cotton shirt, buttoning it while walking to the door. She paused, stepped back, and brushed a quick kiss across his mouth.
“See you soon. Shout if you need me.”
Liam stared after her, befuddled. He had no memory of this woman—his mate—or when or how they met. And her hesitation before she’d kissed him and her expression afterward. She’d looked contrite, which made no sense. Having a mate was a joyful thing and celebrated…
Yet, he couldn’t recall anything about their life together. Shrugging cautiously, he climbed off the bed and walked to the wardrobe. His clothes were on the right, while hers hung on the left. Neither of them owned much, not that this was a bad thing.
He rifled through his clothes, fingering each piece, but not one item triggered a credible flashback. He tugged on his jeans, and something crinkled in the right-hand pocket. A coffee receipt from Dunedin airport. He stared at it, and… Nothing.
Frowning and frustrated at his lack of answers, he plucked a black T-shirt from a drawer and tugged it over his head. Nothing about the clothing gave him any further information, so he finished dressing and padded from the small bedroom.
The rest of the cottage was compact, but everything was clean, and a subtle lavender fragrance filled the air.
He followed the sound of feminine laughter and ended up standing in the doorway.
Three large black cats zoomed around the outdoor table, having a fine old time with what looked like a game of chase.
Liam watched them before his attention turned to Sienna. “Where did they come from?”
Her brow scrunched. “Oh, Liam,” she said, sounding upset. “Don’t you remember? They’re my brothers. You met last night.”
He grimaced, some of his brain fog clearing as he thought back to the previous evening. He’d been tired. “I asked about their fur last night.”
“Yes, we’re feline shifters. You didn’t ask questions, so I thought you understood. We can transform whenever we want. You can too.” She paused, tilting her head as if considering something. “Try shifting because it might help your head.”
Liam considered this. “Are you certain?”
He prodded his scattered thoughts. The big cats didn’t alarm him, and that troubled him more than if they had. Normal people would run screaming, wouldn’t they? Yet this felt routine. Had he always been this accepting of the impossible, or was his injured brain too scrambled to process fear?
Two cats ganged up on the largest one, who shot away with a burst of speed. No, their unexpected appearance sparked more curiosity than terror. Sienna was speaking the truth, and he understood—subconsciously, at least—the existence of feline shifters.
“How do I do it?”
She blinked, not hiding her dismay. “You visualize a black cat and hold the image in your mind’s eye while willing your body to change. It can be painful. Don’t panic mid-shift—you’ll hurt worse than you do now.”
“And to transform back?” He needed answers now. No nasty surprises. Not when he already felt like a stranger in his own skin. “Is that what happens with your brothers? They lose focus when they revert to human?”
“No.” Her glare cut through him and made him blink.
He said nothing, gaze fixed on her brothers playing, the urge to run with them growing stronger. “I want to shift.”
“There’s no reason not to. It might speed your recovery.”
“It will?” He wanted the confusion in his head gone.
“Yes, but you should—”
He pictured a glossy black leopard, the thought automatic. The shift crashed through him, shaking off the fog clouding his mind. The dull pressure behind his eyes lifted, replaced by sharp clarity. His muscles tightened, alive with new strength and control. An instant later, fabric ripped.
“—take off your clothes first,” she finished, this time with a wry smile. “Stand still, and I’ll free you.”
He growled but stood as she plucked away the denim and the remnants of his shirt.
He flexed his paws, feeling the power coursing through him.
At last, he felt like himself again. Every one of his senses seemed better.
He smelled smoke from the fire, the citrus-scented soap his mate had washed with, and the floral shampoo she’d used to wash her hair.
A deep, guttural roar like a saw jerked his attention to the three black leopards now observing him. He stepped forward cautiously, inhaling to imbibe their scents. These men were his brothers, and he wanted them to like him. This seemed important.
Instead of straining his brain to wonder why, he kept padding toward them. He’d almost reached them when they sprinted away.
The thrill of the chase poured through Liam, and he ran after them before the thought formed. They raced around jutting rocks and up and down a rise and jumped over a babbling brook before circling back to the cottage.
Liam loved every moment—the stretch of his muscles, the rush of blood through his veins, and the intense, rich scents of grasses, rocks, and earth. He’d done this before with other shifters. His family? He didn’t know and didn’t force the thought. Instead, he embraced the fun and familiar.
After their run, the three brothers shifted back to their human form.
“Breakfast time,” Jago announced, glancing at his brothers first. “And you should probably shift back before Mama fusses about food going cold.”
Liam pictured his human form and willed the change.
“Much better, eh?” Cadan grinned, already slinging an arm around Liam’s shoulders. “Thought the shift would sort you out.”
“Much.” Liam stretched, more grounded and aware than he’d been since waking.
Inside, Tamsin was already setting plates around the table. “Perfect timing. How’s the head, Liam?”
“Better now,” he said, accepting the shirt and jeans Sienna handed him.
“Good. Fresh air and exercise usually help.” Tamsin put a plate of eggs in front of him and glanced at her sons and husband. “Are you taking him clay digging?”
“If he wants,” Hedrek said. “Or he could help at the market.”
“Liam, want to come with us this afternoon?” Jago asked.
Liam glanced at Sienna. “What will you do?”
“Work.”
Had she told him about her job? He shifted in his seat, not liking to ask because the lack of answers battered his confidence. What if he never remembered? He ate a mouthful of egg and accepted a piece of toast from Kitto.
“I’ll also help Mama sell pottery at the market,” Sienna said. “Hopefully, I can take extra time for lunch.”
“Can I help?” Liam asked. “I could go with you another time.” He glanced at Jago and caught the tension in the male’s shoulders. “If that’s all right.”
Hedrek gave a decisive nod. “An excellent idea. That way, Sienna won’t have to ask for time off—her boss isn’t always the most understanding. Later tonight, we could use your help to transport our finished products back here.”
“Of course,” Liam said.
“As long as Liam’s headaches don’t worsen,” Sienna countered. “He’s still healing.”
“Perfect.” Hedrek rose. “Come on, boys. Let’s start early on glazing the pots we baked overnight.”
The kitchen became a mass of activity—plates scraped, cutlery stacked in the sink, and water running as Jago and Cadan began the dishes. Kitto started clearing the table. Liam finished eating and stood to do his part.
“Tamsin, a word,” Hedrek said.
She nodded and followed him outside.
“Thank you for offering to help Mama, but are you well enough?” Sienna asked while wiping the table.