Page 11 of Grey (Little River Stallions #2)

Grey had never been so nervous in his life when he shifted.

Even when he was a teenager and had shifted for the first time and worried about whether it would hurt or if he’d even be able to shift, or had wondered if he’d know how to turn back to human.

But all of those nervous feelings didn’t compare to stripping in front of his soulmate and turning into his stallion.

Because what if she passed out? He didn’t have arms to catch her.

And what if she screamed in fear and tried to run? Dexter and Nancy would stop her, but then he’d have to deal with her being scared of him.

But she didn’t pass out and she didn’t scream. She did seem pissed while he was stripping, and now she was silent.

Which was maybe worse than her being pissed at him.

He whinnied a second time and wished he could talk to her in his stallion form.

“I, I, uh…” Tatum cleared her throat. “Can I touch him?”

“Sure, he’s your soulmate,” Dexter said.

Tatum looked at Dexter. “You say soulmate like it means more than what I think it means.”

“Shifters have soulmates. It’s the one person in the world meant to be ours. Shifters know it the instant they meet their soulmate; it’s like the whole universe has aligned and we feel whole where we didn’t before.”

She walked slowly to him, her eyes wide and her hands trembling, and he held his breath as he waited for her to close the distance between them.

This was the moment he’d been waiting his whole life for—sharing his shift with his soulmate.

Now that he’d done it, he just hoped that she would accept him.

She walked slowly to the horse.

To…Grey.

She still wasn’t sure she trusted what she’d seen, but then she laid a trembling hand on his nose and knew she’d seen something incredible.

It shouldn’t have been able to happen. A human couldn’t turn into an animal; that was the stuff of legends and movies.

But she could practically feel Grey inside the horse, feel a connection to him that defied reality.

She ran her hand lightly down his nose and he snuffled at her, which made her giggle. “It’s extraordinary.”

“Would you like to go for a ride?” Dexter asked. “We have a thick blanket to sit on and we can put a soft rope around his neck so you can hold on. Then you could go for a ride if you’d like.”

Her brows rose. “Really?”

“It’s a lot of fun,” Nancy said, “and it’s a great way to connect as mates.”

Mates. Tatum liked that word. It seemed stronger than boyfriend and girlfriend.

“I’d love to.”

Grey let out what sounded like an appreciative grunt.

Dexter grabbed the gear and set it up, and then they walked out into the pasture.

The moonlight made the whole world look pale and perfect, and even though she’d never been on a horse in her life before, all the nerves she’d been feeling were gone the instant Dexter gave her a boost and she sat atop her mate .

“Holy crap,” Tatum said.

Nancy chuckled. “Have fun. We’ll be here when you get back.”

She looked down at them. They were both beaming at her as they held each other. “You’re really happy for us.”

“Of course,” Nancy said. “Grey is like a son to us, and him finding you was an answer to our earnest hope that all the boys would find their soulmates. Our son Khyle finding Tris, Crew finding Zara, and now Grey finding you. Our hearts are so full right now.”

“Welcome to the family, Tatum,” Dexter said. “Welcome to the Little River Herd.”

“You guys are going to make me cry,” she said, her eyes stinging with happy tears. “I understand the need for secrecy and just want you to know that I’ll keep it in my heart and I won’t tell anyone, ever.”

They nodded and smiled.

She patted Grey’s neck. “I’m ready when you are. Show me what it means to be a stallion’s soulmate.”

He tossed his head back with a nicker and pawed at the dirt, and then he trotted away from the barn.

She held onto the rope and squeezed her knees at the surge of speed as he left the pasture through a gate that Dexter opened, and then they were running, the scenery blurring as they raced into the field, the moon lighting the way.

When they returned to the pasture, Grey wasn’t ready to be out of his shift yet, so they stayed there, moving around the area at a slow pace with Tatum on his back and talking to him from time to time. She often seemed to be lost in thought, most likely still coming to terms with all she’d seen.

As the time passed and he was finally able to shift, he nickered at Dexter as he trotted over to the barn and Dexter pulled open the doors for him so he could go inside. Dexter helped Tatum off his back and then shut the doors.

“So you only turn into horses in the barn?” Tatum asked.

“Yes,” Dexter said. “To make sure that no one sees us.”

She hummed as Grey moved away from everyone and waited for Nancy to turn away from the sight of him turning back to human. But Tatum was watching.

He shifted back to human and then grabbed his clothes, keeping his gaze locked on his soulmate’s.

“That was just as incredible as it was seeing you turn into a horse,” she said.

They met in a hug and he was so relieved she wasn’t afraid of him or angry that he’d kept the secret.

“We’re going to take off,” Dexter said. “Take care, you two.”

They waved and he and Tatum said goodbye.

When they were alone in the barn, Tatum said, “I knew you were hiding something, but I had no idea it was something like this. In my wildest dreams I couldn’t have imagined that you could turn into a horse. I would have been less surprised to find out you’re the Jersey Devil.”

He grinned. He took her hand and led her to the workbench, pulling out a stool for her. They sat and he said, “I’m sorry I had to keep it a secret. Our people are very careful for obvious reasons.”

“Oh yeah, people are crazy and scare easily. Just look at what happened to poor Eleanor.”

He wasn’t sure what she was talking about at first, but then he remembered that Eleanor was the name of the Ghost of Little River, who’d been chased into the woods by townsfolk. It was who Tatum had been on the hunt for when she’d gotten lost.

“Exactly,” he said. “But I felt in my heart that you cared about me and I could share this with you without fear that you’d go running to tell someone.”

She leaned over and kissed him. “I swear I’ll never tell another soul.”

“I know, sweetheart. But you can talk to me about it anytime you want, and also Tris and Zara and Nancy. And someday, when Avi and Ford find their soulmates, you can help walk them through it like Nancy did for you.”

“I’d love that.”

She leaned against the workbench, her expression thoughtful. A smile curved her lips and he was momentarily awestruck at how beautiful she was and how connected to her he felt.

“I should probably head home soon.”

Disappointment made his stomach tighten. He wasn’t ready for the night to end.

“But,” she said, her eyes darkening slightly as the sweet scent of her arousal hit his nose, “you could drive me home and stay the night. I could bring you back in the morning before I go to the library.”

The disappointment evaporated and in its place was a sweet warmth.

“I’d love to.”

They left the storage barn and he saw Avi who was taking the night patrol shift, and he told him that he’d be taking Tatum home and wouldn’t be back until morning.

“Welcome to the herd,” Avi said. “Have a good night, you two.”

They got into her car and Grey drove out to the dirt road and headed toward her cabin. He took her hand and brought it to his lips. The short ride ended with them walking hand-in-hand into the cabin and her offering him something to drink.

“I don’t need anything but you, sweetheart.”

Her breath hitched and before she could respond, he closed the distance between them and kissed her like he’d wanted to do since he’d returned to human.

The kiss was slow and deep at first, but quickly morphed into more as they made their way to the bedroom, shedding clothes along the way and tumbling into bed.

Hours later, Tatum was curled against him, her head on his chest and his heart so freaking full of peace.

“Thank you for sharing your world with me,” she said.

“Thank you for accepting me.” He paused, and then said, “What would you think about coming to live at the farmhouse?”

She tilted her head and met his gaze. She didn’t answer him right away, so he said, “I know it’s a big ask and a lot to think about, but I want to wake up with you every day.”

“That’s really sweet,” she said. “But could we wait a little bit longer? I’m not ready to move in with you yet, even though I really adore being with you.”

He was a little disappointed, but he could wait. She was worth it. “I’ll wait as long as you need.”

“Thank you for being patient with me.”

He hugged her tighter, his heart full. “Always.”

In the quiet of the room, he told her about his family and his past, how he’d rebelled against the old ways of the alpha and had been shut out by his second-in-command father and older brother, who was ready to toe the line no matter what the alpha asked.

He opened his heart to her the way that she’d opened her heart to him, and told her how he’d felt so abandoned and alone when he’d walked away from the herd, even though he’d known it was the right thing to do.

She’d suggested they were very similar, both choosing to strike out on their own to make a new life for themselves. He’d landed with Dexter and the herd, and she’d found her way to him eventually.

“Fate’s funny, isn’t it?” she asked before she yawned and snuggled closer.

“It is,” he said. “It brought us both here to Little River so we could find each other.”

“A stallion and a librarian,” she said with a chuckle. “It sounds like the premise of a fantasy romance novel.”

He grinned and kissed the top of her head. “I bet it’s got a happily ever after.”

“Definitely.”

As she drifted off to sleep in his arms, he pictured the life that he and Tatum would have together at the farm.

She fit so easily into his life, and he knew it was because they were soulmates and made for each other.

Her love of legends and myths had made it a bit easier for her to come to terms with the supernatural part of him and his life, and he was grateful for that.

At some point, she’d be ready to start their lives officially together, and he could ask her to join the herd and also be his wife, and then they could see where life took them.

As long as they were together, he knew they’d be able to overcome anything life threw at them.

They’d both proven they could make it through difficult trials, and together they’d be even better at it.

The stallion and the librarian.

What a great premise for a love that would last a lifetime.