Chapter 13
The damning knowledge sat in Sienna’s stomach like a stone. All morning, she’d watched Molly bustling around the office and dealing with visitors, completely unaware that their boss had sold out half the village.
Cormoran. The man her mother had once considered marrying. He’d turned the rejection into a decades-long feud.
Every time the mayor’s door opened, Sienna’s pulse spiked. Every time he smiled at her—that same polite, distant smile he’d worn for years—she wanted to scream. How long had he plotted this? Had he been waiting for the right moment ever since her mother chose Hedrek?
“Sienna, could you file these for me?” Molly handed her a stack of permits, oblivious to the cold, heavy pressure settling in Sienna’s chest.
She nodded, her throat too tight to speak.
A tremor shook her hands as she sorted the papers.
Property surveys. Building permits. A thick folder marked Teague, H.
—Pottery Operation. Her father’s business license.
Filed where the mayor could easily find it.
Where he could give it to anyone who asked the right questions.
And then there was what she’d overheard. Edwin Smith’s name.
“Your debts don’t disappear just because you’re having second thoughts, Cormoran.”The mayor had answered—calm, measured, not shouting. That was the worst part.
The hunter hadn’t used the same restraint. “Smith bought your markers fair and square. You deliver his beast, or he calls them in.”
The hunters’ confident voices echoed from his office, and now she understood why they sounded so sure of themselves. They weren’t visitors; they’d been invited.
Locals bombarded the mayor’s office with phone calls and in-person meetings, and Molly kept Sienna busy for the entire day.
She hadn’t had time to check on her mother, and apprehension nudged at her.
She practically ran home, while telling herself that if her mother had suffered problems, she would’ve heard by now.
Sienna came to an abrupt halt in the kitchen doorway, startled to find Mama humming as she chopped onions and cabbage.
Her mother turned with a grin Sienna hadn’t seen in weeks. “The hearts sold out. All of them.”
“That’s wonderful! But what about tomorrow?”
“They delivered while we were gone.” Her mother gestured toward the two boxes on the bed. “Hearts and tumblers. Look at these.”
Sienna picked up a tumbler painted with a snarling leopard. Each one was different, but all featured cats. “These are brilliant. The village is crawling with beast hunters—tourists will snap these up.”
“The boys have outdone themselves. And Kitto didn’t paint all the hearts. You can see the different styles.” Her mother showed her an elegant lady in a garden, then a heart with a fierce cat’s head.
“They’re running low on supplies,” Sienna noted, spotting the scrawled list. “Paint and brushes. We’ll need more ribbon, too.”
“I’ll get everything after tomorrow’s market.” Her mother’s enthusiasm was infectious. “We might actually have enough to leave soon.”
They might also have to flee before being fully prepared.
“Okay,” Sienna said. “What if we stocked up on hearts and sold them in markets on the way north?”
“Excellent idea. I’ll leave a note to ask Hedrek and the boys to concentrate on the hearts.”
“It will be dark soon. We should have dinner and get to work preparing the hearts for market.”
A cheerful whistle had their heads jerking toward the sound.
Jamie strode out of the gloom, carrying a box and a large backpack. Sienna’s breath caught, and her gaze darted past the teen, but disappointment struck. Liam hadn’t come.
“Jamie, you’ve been busy,” her mother said. “Are you hungry? We’re about to have dinner.”
“Starving,” he said with gusto. “I brought more hearts and tumblers. They told me to stay the night and return with supplies in daylight. Hedrek said I should help you at the market, then bring the rest back afterward. Do you like the hearts? Kitto and I made them.”
“They’re fantastic,” Sienna said. “I thought Liam might’ve come with you.”
Jamie’s smile fell away. “Liam hasn’t been well. Hedrek said it was better for him to rest.”
“What’s wrong with him?” Sienna demanded.
“His memory is back, but he’s still having problems. Hedrek said the knocks on his head were taking a toll, and he needed quiet and rest.”
“No.” Sienna clapped her hand to her mouth. “I should go to him.”
“No,” Jamie said.
“No,” her mother said at the same time.
“But—”
“You need to stay here and continue working. You’re our eyes and ears.”
“Mama, I meant to tell you, but you distracted me. The mayor is the one who called the hunters. I learned that today.”
“The mayor?” her mother asked, her tone bewildered. “We were friends when I was your age. After I met your father, he and his family refused to speak to me. Are you certain?”
“Yes. I overheard quite a bit about Edwin Smith. The mayor knows him.”
“At least Cormoran didn’t point the hunters directly at us.”
“The bank manager also met with the mayor. Have we heard whispers of financial problems?”
“I heard rumors maybe three or four months ago, but I didn’t believe them. Cormoran’s family has always had money.”
“But what if he has spent it? He doesn’t have a gambling problem, does he?”
Her mother scowled. “Cormoran has always pushed to get ahead.”
Jamie’s gurgling stomach interrupted the conversation. His cheeks turned pink. “Sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about,” her mother said. “You’re a growing lad. We’ll eat, and you can help us prepare the hearts for sale. We want to be inside before the hunters do their rounds.”
“Did you see any while you were walking here?” Sienna asked.
“No, but they’ll be everywhere tonight.”
“I saw one in the village, but he kept to himself,” her mother said. “Also, two passed me when I was walking home. They looked tired and dusty as if they’d been out all night.”
“We’ll have to get used to them being around.
From what I overheard, they’re not leaving soon.
They’re furious with the mayor, but I didn’t understand why.
Molly told me he was in London and only arrived home this morning,” Sienna said.
“Perhaps he’s distancing himself and pretending none of this is his fault. It could be guilt.”
Her mother tut-tutted. “It’s a terrible thing he’s done—if he’s responsible for the hunters. Some of the older residents enjoy shifting whenever the whim takes them. This enforced time in two legs might affect their mental health. Surely the mayor knows this.”
Sienna snorted. “Mama, you see the good in everyone.”
The throbbing in his skull shifted, and suddenly he was fourteen again, lying in twisted metal, his father’s voice cutting through the chaos. “I’m proud of you, son. Always remember that.”
Liam’s breath caught. He’d buried that memory so deep he’d forgotten his father’s last words weren’t about blame—they were about love.
“Lad, is there something wrong?” Hedrek edged closer, and when Liam didn’t react to his sudden appearance, he sat nearby. “Something on your mind?”
“Sienna.” Liam had to talk to someone because he was confused. He hated the uncertainty. Or maybe that was the recent jolt to his head, still causing problems.
“Ah,” Hedrek said after a pause in which he scanned Liam’s expression. “You like her, and you’re not sure what to do with this when she essentially upended your life.”
“Yes,” Liam said, glad he didn’t have to put his tumultuous feelings into words.
“Only you can decide. You’re still with us, which tells me you’re torn.”
“My friends will be worried.”
“We don’t have a phone, but someone in the village might lend you one. Sienna uses the internet at the library if we need to look up anything. Could you contact your friends from there?”
An excellent solution, but they’d want to help him, and he hated to drag them into danger. “Yes, I could.”
“And?” Hedrek asked.
Liam shrugged, thinking about his friends. Not only would they worry, but they’d be searching for him. But they’d also understand once he explained. His friends would support him one hundred percent. It was this certainty that relieved the stress in his shoulders.
“What about your kin, lad? Won’t they be worried?”
And just like that, the tension returned, sending a chill down his spine. His mother and brothers hated him and hadn’t spoken to him in years. Not since…
“My family holds me responsible for my father’s death.” The words tore out of him. “My mother won’t speak to me. After all these years, they still think I’m a murderer.”
Hedrek rubbed his chin, his gaze thoughtful. “And what do you think?”
“I think…” Liam’s voice cracked. “My father died telling me he loved me, and I’ve been too afraid to remember it.”
Hedrek lingered in silence, then gripped Liam’s shoulder in quiet resolve. “Listen to me, lad. A father doesn’t lie with his last words. He spoke the truth. The rest of them let their grief turn into cowardice.”
The immense sadness in Hedrek’s voice told Liam he meant every word. This man was genuine and a gentleman through and through. The Teagues didn’t deserve the hate leveled at them. It was time for honesty from his side. At least as much as he could give.
“Your family stands by each other no matter what. Mine threw me away the moment things got difficult. That’s why I can’t walk away from Sienna. From all of you. You’ve made me feel like I belong somewhere.”
Hedrek squeezed his shoulder, and this physical contact, along with Hedrek’s sympathetic face, had Liam wanting to blubber. He coughed to clear his throat and changed the subject.
“As soon as I’m able, I’ll help Jamie take a load of items back to the cottage. The people at the castle are shifters, and they might help. If they won’t, we should be able to hide out in Scotland.”
“Lad, we won’t have the clay to make our goods. The clay here is high quality.”
“I understand, but it’s dangerous staying in Stoneford. I’d hate the hunters to capture any of you. This situation won’t end well.”
Hedrek issued a deep sigh that seemed to come from the pit of his stomach. “You’re right, of course, but change is difficult, and this place is my home. I know nothing else.”
“I might have an idea,” he said. “We should leave as soon as we can afford to hire a vehicle, but while we’re waiting, I’ll contact home.”
He didn’t mention his whirling thoughts yet—he wasn’t sure if his friends would help, or if the Teagues would even want to leave Cornwall.
“You think those hearts will sell well?” Hedrek asked.
“I do, but Jamie will tell us how the initial sales went. Once we hear a yes or no, we can adapt.”
Hedrek sighed again, and Liam realized he wasn’t as calm as he seemed. This was hard for him. He was worried about his wife and daughter.
“The hearts are easy to make, and the boys enjoy the change. Kitto especially—he loves painting, and this pushes him creatively. But me, I prefer making platters the way my father taught me. There’s real satisfaction in shaping the clay. This new direction…it might not be right for us.”
Hedrek fell silent, and Liam understood—the weight the shifter carried, the stress woven into every decision. He understood how unforgiving the world could be toward those who were different, and that Hedrek and his sons were fighting a losing battle.
A pulse had him rubbing his temple. He’d experienced this before…
The thought made him frown and prompted him to recall his injuries.
Yeah, he’d also had a knock on the head that time but had blocked it out because he hadn’t remembered until now.
Hell. That day so long ago replayed through his mind, and he winced when he reached the moment of impact, the bawl of the cow, the car, then the crushing silence.
A phantom chill ran down his spine, leaving him momentarily breathless. He hadn’t realized how much of himself had been locked away, even before Sienna.
“How did I not remember?” Liam muttered, his father’s words of love crystal clear in his mind.
“Lad?”
“Um, something I haven’t thought about for a long time,” Liam said. “I’d forgotten. My family blames me for my father’s death. But it was an accident.”
Hedrek placed his hand on Liam’s arm again. “How old were you?”
“Fourteen. They sent me to live with my uncle. My father’s brother held me responsible, too, but he told me he’d see that I reached adulthood. He owed it to my father. On the day of my eighteenth birthday, he forced me to leave. I haven’t seen or talked to any of them since.”
Hedrek snorted. “You are an honorable man and exactly the sort of mate I’d wish for my daughter.
Sienna might not have approached you correctly, but I couldn’t ask for a better son-in-law.
I hope you and Sienna can reconcile, but I don’t want to pressure either of you.
This is one problem you must solve together. ”
“Thank you,” Liam said, wanting to sob at the simple acceptance. The only other person to show him this level of support was Saber. And his father. He’d been proud of Liam and had told him so.
Liam had survived the accident because of his feline genes, which were passed down to him by his mother. His father had been human and more fragile, especially when the other vehicle had hit their car because of low visibility.
They’d hit an animal. He hadn’t remembered that, and no one else had mentioned the cow because it had run off after the collision.
Liam rubbed his temple again and realized his head wasn’t as sore as earlier.
Liam didn’t know if it was because he’d remembered minor details of the accident he hadn’t before, or if his feline was helping him to heal. He yawned, and Hedrek noticed.
“Try to sleep, lad. The boys and I will work a little later to get a head start on our work for tomorrow. Sleep tight.”
“Thanks, Hedrek.
Hedrek patted his shoulder. “Thank you, lad. Thank you.”