Chapter 7
Zander
Fatima’s avoiding me, I was sure of it. I tried to think of reasons why she would distance herself as I walked out into the forest to check my traps.
Had I offended her in some way? She looked pleased when I offered my assistance, and yet she insisted on sitting as far away as possible at meal times.
Something was wrong, of that I was sure.
If our eyes ever did meet, she’d flash me one of her fake smiles.
She was hiding something, and I was determined to figure out what that was.
“Hmph.”
Someone up ahead let out a loud sigh. I crept closer to see who it was.
I had, on more than one occasion, run into the teenagers who had come from Tarak’s dekes kissing in the woods.
I’d even caught Vianna kissing Favalor out here once.
The memory of my sister in that traitor’s arms was forever burned in my memory.
She deserved better than him. He had sided with Dameron, and that was an unforgivable offense.
I didn’t care about his claims of trying to get information.
No honorable male ever sided with Dameron no matter how bad things got.
Favalor was not an exception to that rule no matter how much Vianna wanted to believe otherwise.
I would never approve of her courting Favalor.
I’d sooner chop off my own arm than see her mated to that traitor.
The mystery person let out another sigh, bringing me back to the present. I silently strode forward until I spotted Fatima, of all people, sitting in the snow next to my snare trap as she inspected it.
She pulled out a rope from her pack, looked at my trap one more time then tried to tie a knot similar to mine. Her knot wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t quite right either.
Why was she out here? The storehouse was full. We wouldn’t need any fresh meet for a few weeks yet.
Satisfied with her progress, Fatima stood to see how I’d fastened the top part to the tree.
She moved to the next tree over and threw her rope over the branch right above her head. The wind kicked up just then and she shivered from the chill of it against her skin. She was bundled up pretty well, but it wasn’t good enough for my liking. Whatever she was doing had gone on long enough.
“You won’t catch much game with a knot like that,” I teased in a soft tone as not to scare her.
She jumped anyway and turned toward me with wide eyes.
“Oh,” she breathed a sigh of relief as soon as our her gaze met mine. “It’s you,” Fatima gave me a soft smile that pleased me to no end.
“What are you doing out here?” I asked. The sooner I could get to the truth the sooner I could get her back inside where it was warm. She really shouldn’t be out here especially now that she was with child.
“I’m teaching myself how to hunt. I figured learning how to set up a snare was a good place to start,” there was a shyness in her tone, but she held her chin high nonetheless.
“I see,” I nodded. “Why not wait until the spring when it’s warmer? The hunters bring in food for everyone. There’s no need to learn these skills right now.”
“That’s true...for now,” her words were tentative but firm. “What if it gets harder to find food? The hunters will undoubtedly bring meat back for their mates and children first. I can’t just leave things to chance. Not anymore,” Fatima looked down at her belly and I understood her meaning.
She chewed her bottom lip and I could tell there was more that she wasn’t telling me. There was a reason why she wanted to learn how to hunt now beyond the fears she’d expressed.
“The food stores are full, there is no danger of us running low this winter season. It would make more sense to wait until the spring to learn to hunt, unless there is another reason you’re not telling me,” I let my words hang in the air.
Fatima’s shoulders tensed under my critical gaze, but I did not look away.
I wanted to know the truth. I couldn’t fulfill her needs unless I knew what they were.
Fatima let out a deep sigh and confessed, “we’ve run out of boar meat. That’s the only protein that I can keep down, everything else makes me nauseous.”
“I see.” That does present a big problem. Fatima had only been struggling with her pregnancy sickness for a few days and yet, she looked visibly weaker.
“I will bring more boar meat into the storehouse,” I replied.
“That’s very kind of you, but it’s not necessary,” she waved away my comment as if it meant nothing.
She doesn’t believe me. Ice filled my veins at the realization. I could offer to take care of her and her child everyday and she would refuse me. I had to show her that I meant what I said. I would have to prove that I was here for her today, and that I’d still be here tomorrow and every day after.
Fatima was stubborn, and I loved that, but it also meant it would take time to convince her of the truth. That was fine. Her stubbornness was no match for my commanding tone. I’d learned that already. I’d use that to my advantage over the coming days and weeks.
“Fine, I will do it,” I announced.
“Do what?” she furrowed her brows and gave me a confused look.
“I will teach you to hunt, but first I must teach you how to tie a rope. Follow me.”
I held my breath as I turned and started to walk back toward the village. I might be able to command Fatima to let me help her, but it would have to be her decision to follow me.
A wave of relief flooded through my veins as I heard her footsteps crunch through the snow.
“Where are we going?” she asked as she caught up to me.
“My house, I have extra rope there.”
My house also had the added benefit of getting her out of this cold winter air, but I didn’t need to tell her that.
We walked the path together in silence and I was relieved when we finally made it inside. My relief was short lived, however. The curtain that separated Vinna’s room from the rest of the house was open and all of her stuff was gone.
Rage filled me as I had a sudden vision of Favalor carrying my sister off over his shoulder, stealing her away like the dishonorable male he was.
“Is that Vianna’s room?” Fatima’s voice brought me back to reality.
“Yes,” I answered in a harsh growl.
“Did she not tell you she was moving out?”
“No.”
“I guess I should apologize for her leaving. I thought she’d tell you.”
My attention turned from Vianna’s empty room to Fatima. She was so beautiful with her long black hair, tan skin, and soft lips. I shook my head, and forced myself to push those thoughts away. I needed to concentrate. Fatima knew where Vianna was.
“Tell me what?”
“She came over to the shared cabin earlier asking if she could move in with us. I told her she could take my spot since I was moving out.”
I let out a sigh of relief. Her moving into the shared cabin wasn’t a bad idea. I understood she was an adult who needed freedom, I just disagreed with her choice of mate.
“I see,” I replied. “Where will you be living?”
I would prefer she live with me. Fatima needed someone to watch over her. Pregnancy was not an easy thing, and I wanted to be there for her as much as she would permit me.
“That house over there next to Taylor and Brexl’s place,” she pointed at the window to what had been an abandoned cabin.
“I will check it for you, and make sure it’s in good shape,” I commented as I put my coat back on.
“I already checked it,” she informed me in a clipped tone. It seems there is a limit to how much I can push her. Good. I needed to know these things. If left on her own, Fatima would never let anyone help her. I needed to figure out how bossy I could be without making her too angry with me.
“The house is fine,” she continued in a softer tone.
“That’s good to know.” I pulled my coat back off and placed it on the hook near the door. I would check out her house later when she was off with the other females. If it needed any repairs I would do those in secret too.
“You said you had extra rope,” Fatima commented as she sat near the fireplace. The flames had died down to embers.
I placed a new log on top and allowed the flames that lived inside me to come out. My right arm turned to flame, and I held onto the log until it too caught fire. Then I let my flames extinguish and took a step back from the fireplace.
Fatima’s jaw hung open in awe. I wanted to puff out my chest with pride, but settled for a knowing smile. I enjoyed showing off my shifting abilities. Vianna and I had spent such a long time hiding from Dameron that it still felt as if I were breaking some ancient rule every time I used them.
“That’s convenient,” she smiled.
“It is,” I agreed.
“The rope is over here,” I grabbed one of the woven baskets that lined the far wall and placed it between us.
“Now this is how you tie a knot.”
I launched into a demonstration of how to correctly knot off a snare, praising Fatima’s efforts along the way. She was a fast learner, but she was also very tired. Her eyelids started to droop as she worked, and her shoulders had begun to sag.
“Hunting is tiring work, and a good hunter knows when to rest,” I tiptoed around the issue hoping that I wasn’t being too obvious.
Fatima’s eyes snapped open and the corner of her mouth turned up in a half grin.
“Are you telling me to go take a nap?”
“I’d never tell you what to do,” I replied pretending to look offended.
Fatima let out a hearty laugh. “Right.”
“Not many lessons can be learned when you’re struggling to keep your eyes open. Go rest on my bed, and we will continue the lesson when you are ready.”
She eyed my bed cautiously then looked toward the window. “I should sleep in my own house.”
“Hmm,” I let out a noncommittal grunt. “Better not. It looks windy. You should rest here until it dies down.”
Fatima gave me a questioning look then rose to go to the window. “The tree branches aren’t even swaying. There’s no wind.”
“Suit yourself. You can get caught in the wind and go to sleep in your cold cabin, or you can stay here and rest where it’s warm.”
She gave me a knowing smile as she looked over her shoulder. “You might be the bossiest person I know, but you’re also very persuasive.”
I gave another grunt then held my breath as I waited for her answer.
Stay. I begged silently.
“Fine,” she sighed then laid down on my bed of furs. I wanted to jump for joy. On the outside it might look like a small victory, but inside it felt like I’d won a mighty battle.
A primal part of me was pleased to see her sleeping in my bed. Tonight went I laid down, my bed would smell like her. I would drink deeply of her scent until I fell asleep.
I waited until Fatima had fallen into a deep sleep before I quietly slipped outside to find Drovo. I found the Dryad shifter in the workshop that he’d built next to his house.
“Let me get that for you,” Drovo said as he used one of his vines to grab a wooden cup filled with water for his mate.
“I can still walk. I’m just tired,” Kayla huffed.
“Yes, and you must conserve your energy to grow our baby.” He brought the cup to Kayla and kissed her on the forehead.
“Thank you,” she smiled up at him.
I cleared my throat to get their attention.
“How can I help you, Zander?” Drovo asked in a polite tone.
I stepped forward into the shop and bowed my head to Kayla before replying.
“I was hoping you could make something for me. Well not for me, exactly. It’s for Fatima.” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.
“Oh yeah?” Drovo looked me up and down with a knowing grin on his face. “What would that be?”
“I was hoping you could make her a cradle like you’ve done for baby Tabby and baby Marcelo.”
“Of course,” the Dryad shifter smiled. “I’ll get started on it right away.”
“It’s going to be crowded in that house with all those people plus a baby,” Kayla commented.
“Fatima moved into one of the abandoned cabins,” I informed her.
“Really?” Kayla furrowed her brows. “I didn’t know that.”
“It just happened this morning. She moved out and Vianna moved in.”
“Oh, that worked out nicely then.” Kayla commented as a pensive expression crossed her face. “Although, I hate to think of Fatima living alone with a newborn. This one isn’t even here yet, and I can already tell, I wouldn’t be able to do all this without Drovo.”
Kayla looked up at her mate with adoration in her eyes. She knew Drovo would be there for her no matter what. I too would prove to Fatima that I was here to stay.
“She won’t be alone.” I informed her and left the workshop. Now that I had that settled it was time to go hunt some wild boar.