Chapter 6
Liam rested a hand on the kid’s shoulder, and he trembled violently at the contact. “Steady, lad. No one here will hurt you.”
Jamie’s gaze swerved toward Jago, Cadan, and Kitto before staring at his feet. Liam understood then, a heavy sadness mingling with frustration. These were good shifters. Decent men. They weren’t to blame for their appearance.
“Are you sure?” the kid whispered, his face still pale, even though he’d recovered his breath.
“Positive. What’s your name?”
“Jamie.”
Liam nodded. “Jamie, my name is Liam. Has something happened in the village?”
“Hunters,” the boy said, and Liam felt his blood chill. Behind him, he heard Jago’s sharp intake of breath. Kitto muttered something under his breath that sounded like a curse.
“Where are they staying?” Liam kept his voice calm, but his hands clenched at his sides. “Are they human or something else?”
“Humans.” Jamie’s gaze darted nervously to the brothers. “Three of them at the pub. Stan works there. He helped them unload their supplies.”
“Anything else?” Liam’s jaw tightened. Why were they here? Were they professional hunters? Thrill-seekers? Amateur cryptid enthusiasts?
“The owner of the Cock and Bull asked Stan to spread the word about the strangers. Stan told my parents they mentioned the Bodmin Beast.”
“What time did they arrive?”
“Around four.”
And no one thought to warn them until now. He suppressed his anger at the villagers’ superstitious fears. People treated him differently because of his scar. He…
The thought slipped away, leaving his mind blank. Liam shook off his frustration and focused on the present.
“They told the pub owner their boss collects animals.” Jamie’s words tumbled out faster now.
“When will they be leaving?” Liam asked.
“They said it depends on their hunt.”
Liam frowned. A wealthy collector after the Bodmin Beast. That tracked. But what if that wasn’t all? What if someone wanted to target the Teagues? Would another shifter stoop that low?
No, that kind of idiocy would risk the entire village.
“Is there anything else we should know?”
Jamie shook his head, fingers fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “I thought you should receive a warning. My father will be angry if he learns I came.”
Liam squeezed his shoulder. “I’m sorry you’ll get in trouble.”
The boy tugged at his sleeve, his gaze flicking toward Hedrek and his brothers-in-law. Ah! He’d heard stories about these men, probably exaggerated. Kitto had noticed. To his credit, Kitto remained silent, but his expression told Liam everything.
“I haven’t a clue what you’ve heard, but we’re not much different from your family. We argue sometimes, and I have to fight to get seconds at dinner. Tamsin shouts at us for tracking mud inside,” Liam said.
Jamie’s nose wrinkled, but his features reflected interest. “What about Sienna? Does she shout? My brother wanted to court her, and my father threw a fit.” His eyes grew wide, and he slapped a hand over his mouth.
Sienna cleared her throat, breaking the silence.
Liam crossed to Sienna’s side and curled his arm around her shoulders.
She stiffened on first contact before she smiled—a broad one that stretched her plump pink lips.
Now that his head wasn’t aching as severely, he picked up on the tension between them.
Maybe they’d argued? Sometimes Sienna eyed him as if he were a two-headed beast capable of snapping at any second.
He shoved the thought down for later dissection and focused on Jamie.
“We shout when we’re excited or angry. It’s the nature of shifters,” Liam said. “Do you live far from here?”
“We’re your neighbors.” The boy wrinkled his nose, and Liam read between the lines. His parents wished they weren’t living as close to the town freaks.
“It’s dangerous with hunters around. I’ll walk you home,” Liam said.
“I’ll run,” the boy said.
“And I’ll run beside you,” Liam said in a firm voice. “It’s getting late. We’d better move before your parents miss you.”
Panic marched across Jamie’s face. “I’m gonna get in trouble, aren’t I?”
Liam released Sienna and closed the distance between him and Jamie. “We’ll discuss it while we walk.”
“Liam?” Sienna said.
“Yes?”
“Take care. If you’re not back in half an hour, we’ll come looking for you.”
Silent messages flew between them, and Liam nodded. “Let’s move, Jamie.”
Away from the lights of the cottage, darkness closed in, and it took a moment for his vision to become accustomed to the lack of light.
The wind had picked up, whistling over the piles of rocks to his left, the mournful wail somehow familiar.
For an instant, he pushed, trying to follow the wisps of shadows, then he sighed and redirected his thoughts.
Sienna jumped straight into them. She wasn’t a safe topic either, since she didn’t behave like a lover. Perhaps he should ask questions.
“You talk funny,” Jamie said.
“I’m not from here.” Trying to recall where only made his head thump. Sienna had told him Australia, but that struck a jarring note. Now, random images and slivers of knowledge jumbled together, leaving him unsure what was real and what was imagination.
“Where then?”
“Australia.” The discordant bounce struck again, this time like a sharp dart that made him flinch.
It was as if his brain was warning him not to confront the truth.
Had he done something so heinous his mind couldn’t cope?
Did Sienna know, and that was why she was so jumpy around him?
They were mates, yet they didn’t touch. They shared a bed but did nothing but sleep.
This wasn’t the bond he wanted with a mate.
“That’s far away,” Jamie said, with a touch of awe. “They have kangaroos. And wombats. I watch wombat videos on social media.”
“Yeah.” A kangaroo, then a wombat came to mind, but neither sparked any sense of familiarity. “Tell me about the village. Is it a good place to live?”
“It’s okay.”
“People aren’t nice to the Teagues.”
“No, they want them gone. My mum said they gave away their market stall to mess with them. Everyone knows that’s how they make a living.”
Liam stopped walking, appalled at the locals’ cruelty.
Jamie glanced back. “I don’t think the same. T-that’s why I sneaked out to warn them about the hunters. None of the other shifters care if something happens to the Teagues.”
And they’d told their kids tall tales to scare them away.
“What about the guy who sells lemonade?” Liam asked.
“He’s a human married to a shifter. The councilor’s daughter.”
Liam laughed because Tony hadn’t complained after selling out and making more than he’d expected.
“This is my house,” Jamie said.
Liam stopped beside the teen. It was like the Teagues’ cottage but larger. The yard wasn’t as tidy, yet these people and the other town residents judged the Teague family. One window gleamed with light while the rest of the residence lay in darkness.
“Can you sneak inside the way you left?” Liam asked in an undertone.
“As long as my brother hasn’t arrived home.”
Liam nodded. “Take care. We went for a run earlier and spotted someone we thought might be watching us.”
Jamie stared, his mouth parting a fraction.
“Now we know to take extra precautions, so thank you. Your visit answered some of our questions.”
With a quick nod, Jamie slipped into the shadows and disappeared.
Liam watched for about five minutes before returning home.
Once he hit the main path, he increased his pace.
He’d hate any of the Teagues to come looking for him and place themselves in danger.
Hunters in the area were troubling, especially since the Teague men couldn’t easily hide.
Given what Jamie had said about the behind-the-scenes maneuvering, would a local shifter have arranged for hunters to base themselves in Stoneford? No, if they’d done that, they would’ve directed them straight to the Teagues. Heck, Liam didn’t know.
Hedrek’s shoulders lost their tension when Liam walked in the door.
“You’ve returned,” Sienna said and hugged him hard.
Tamsin drew him into the kitchen, with the boys and Hedrek trailing behind. They took their seats with determined expressions, though a quiet air of resignation clung to them.
“Why do you stay here when the locals are so horrid?” Liam asked, the words bursting from him.
“Where would we go?” Hedrek asked. “We make our pottery here and stay somewhat hidden from the outside world. We’d have the same problems elsewhere, and it might be even more difficult to blend.”
Liam got it. People stared at him too. But this—this wasn’t living. It was merely getting by. There had to be an answer.
He shifted the conversation. “Do you think it was the hunters watching us?”
“We shouldn’t jump to conclusions,” Tamsin said. “For all we know, it’s a competitor trying to find out where we dig our clay. Whatever we discover in the morning, we need to be careful.” She scanned her husband and sons, a crease forming between her brows.
Liam’s stomach twisted at the thought of other shifters treating the Teagues like lepers, when all they wanted was to live in peace. He prayed his suspicion that the locals had pointed the hunters at them was nothing more than an overactive imagination.
“I’m tired.” Tamsin rose abruptly. “I’m going to bed.”
Hedrek stood and slipped his arm around his wife’s waist.
The boys and Sienna watched their parents disappear into their bedroom, the silence heavy with anxiety.
“Don’t leave without me in the morning,” Liam said. “We’ll go on two feet, and if we meet anyone, let me do the talking.” He didn’t tell the brothers to fade into the background because they weren’t novices at this.
A sudden gust of wind rattled the window, and Sienna closed it. “I’d come with you, but I can’t be late for work.”
“You’re better off in the village,” Jago commented. “Listen for chatter.”
“All right.”
Liam agreed. A logical suggestion, given they needed info about the hunters. “If anything important happens, I’ll walk into town to let you know.”