Page 5

CHAPTER 4

T he first sign that his guest had awakened was a long, piercing scream.

Kat raced into his guest room, heart pounding and nerves unraveling beneath the calm exterior he tried to project. “Shh, it’s fine. Everything is fine.” He tried to soothe the hysterical teen. He didn’t dare touch him, not with those burns.

“The Grove is burning! Mother!”

Kat grabbed Rance’s hands to stop him from clawing at his bandages. “Leave those alone. You’ve been burned, and we don’t want them getting infected.”

Tears dripped down Rance’s face, and the teen’s breaths came in short, panicky bursts. “Who are you?”

“I’m Kat. Are you Rance?”

“Yes.” His flickering gaze took in the small guest room. “Where am I?”

“My house.”

“I was supposed to go to my mother’s tree. She said I could claim sanctuary with someone called Anthony.”

“You reached it. We brought you here to rest after Anthony’s mother, Hallea, dug you out of the trunk. I’ll call and tell him you woke up. You can claim sanctuary when he arrives.”

Rance deflated. “Can you take me back to the Grove? I need to see what happened to my mother.”

“Was she caught in the fire?” At this point, they were only guessing that there was a forest fire due to Rance’s extensive burns. For all they knew, Rance could be a pyromaniac who started it all. There were stranger things than a dryad firebug.

“She told me to run.” Rance’s eyes remained unfocused as if he were lost in memories. “It was so hot, and the trees kept exploding. Everything was on fire around me. She told me to run.” His hollow voice revealed his trauma at the memory.

“You’re safe now. You made it out.” Kat gently squeezed Rance’s shaking fingers. “We will do our best to find your mother.” He hesitated to make any false promises. He didn’t know what they would find when they went to the forest. “Why don’t you take a cold shower while I call Anthony? Your bandages are waterproof but try not to get them too wet.” He hurried to continue when Rance opened his mouth with a stubborn expression. “I can’t stop a fire on my own, and we don’t want to get in the way of first responders. We don’t know for sure if the fire is out yet.”

He didn’t want to tell the kid that if the fire was still raging, the chances of his mother still being alive were slim.

Rance shook his head, then winced as if regretting that action. “There won’t be any firefighters. The Grove’s magically hidden.”

“Good to know. Go take your shower while I call Anthony.”

The teen’s wounded expression hurt Kat’s heart. The kid had lost everything. Kat couldn’t even begin to understand that level of devastation. Sure, he had left almost everything behind when he fled the wizards, but that had been his choice.

A cheery song broke the heavy atmosphere. “You have a bird in a cage.”

His disapproval was so strong that Kat had to laugh. “Yes, that’s Big Bird. I’ve had him for a few years now. He’s a rescue bird. No one wanted him because his right wing was broken when he was younger. The asshole who owned him before had thrown a rock at him when he wouldn’t quiet down.”

“He can’t fly?” Rance slid out of bed to get a better look.

“No.”

“He’s so pretty.” Rance put a finger through the bars and stroked the fluffy feathers.

The parakeet preened.

“Yes, he is.”

After an awkward silence, Rance asked, “Is Anthony really a demi-god? My mother told me he was, but I wasn’t sure if that was just a story to make me feel safe.” His expression was one of a child who no longer believed in magic or fairy tales despite being a figure of folklore himself.

“He’s a full god these days, I think. A minor god, but a god.” He never dared ask, but the rumors around the pack claimed Anthony had come into his godhood a little while back.

Rance wrinkled his nose. “How does that work?”

“I don’t know the details and didn’t dare ask.” Kat wanted to reassure the adorable teen, but he had no facts to back up what he suspected was true. The rumors were wild enough. Kat didn’t know if he wanted the truth. “I’ll give him a call while you shower. I have some clothes that should fit you and some salve to put on your burns.”

Kat went to his room and found a T-shirt and a pair of sweats that should fit the lanky teen. Kat was about the same height as Rance. “Sorry it took so long. I just moved in. I haven’t found everything yet. These should work until we get you some clothes. I don’t have any underwear. I don’t wear any.”

“Never?”

Kat laughed at the teen’s appalled expression. “We can pick some up for you at the store when we leave the house.” He wasn’t going to discuss why he didn’t wear boxers or briefs with an underage teen.

“Thank you.” Rance blushed bright red as he took the clothes.

It was adorable. He wanted to squish the stuffing out of the kid. He should investigate adopting someone younger. Teenagers generally don’t appreciate hugs.

Rance fingered a necklace Kat hadn’t noticed before. “I have some clothes in my treebutdon’t want to unshrink it yet. I’ve never brought it back from being shrunk, and I need Mother to walk me through it.”

“That’s your tree?” Kat leaned over to get a better look, but Rance covered it with his hand. “Sorry. Felines are notoriously curious.” He offered another smile but only received a distrustful stare in response. “You can borrow my things until we find your mother if you’d like.”

“Thank you.” Rance paused in the bedroom doorway. “I thought Anthony was part of a wolf pack. I heard Mother saying he mated with the Alpha.”

Kat nodded, understanding the unspoken question. “Silver is a werewolf, but the Moon Pack has many other types of shifters. Not a lot of packs accept gay shifters. Since the Moon Pack’s Alpha couple is gay, they allow other types of shifters to join them. Sort of like a sanctuary pack.” At least, that appeared to be the case. Kat hadn’t been there long enough to understand the pack dynamic thoroughly. Everyone he’d met so far had been welcoming.

“What kind of shifter are you?”

“Mountain lion.”

“Can you show me sometime? I’ve never actually seen a shifter in their animal form.”

“Sure, kid.”

He received a whispered,“Thank you.”

Kat pointed to the cheery yellow door down the hall. “The bathroom is through there, along with towels and washcloths. Call out if you need anything.”

“Other than underwear,” Rance teased before leaving the room.

Kat laughed. Despite his trauma, the kid still had some spark left. He hoped they found Rance’s mother soon, hopefully alive. Pulling out his cell phone, he called Anthony to let him know Rance was awake.

By the time Rance entered the kitchen, Anthony, Silver, and Hallea had arrived.

“Doing better?” Kat asked.

Rance’s shoulders ascended to his ears when he entered the room filled with strangers. Dryads probably didn’t encounter new people often.

“Yes, thank you.” He didn’t say anything more as he shifted from foot to foot.

“Come, sit down. I made some sandwiches. Eat, then you can tell us what happened to make you end up at Anthony’s hotel.” Kat waved a hand toward the empty chair beside him.

Rance took the seat but continued to watch the others instead of eating.

“Oh, sorry, where are my manners? This is Anthony Carrow, his mate and Alpha, Silver Moon, and his mother, Hallea.”

Hallea wiggled her fingers at him. “Hello, dear, I’m a friend of your mother.”

The teen relaxed slightly. “I remember seeing a picture of you with my mom in her tree. You’re not a dryad.” He frowned. “Mother never said what you were.”

Her bright smile almost blinded Kat. “I’m a forest witch. My magic is mostly focused on nature and healing. I bought your mother’s old tree for Anthony’s hotel. I would’ve visited more often, but the other dryads don’t encourage outsiders to drop by.”

“Yeah, they’re like that.” Rance snagged a sandwich and took an obscenely large bite. No one reprimanded him. You can’t scold a hungry and worried teen over his table manners.

“Lemonade?” Kat lifted a pitcher and tilted it toward Rance’s cup, who nodded. He filled it to the rim. With his smoke exposure, Rance must be parched. “When you’re ready, we want you to tell us what happened in as much detail as possible. I know it isn’t easy, but we want to help. The more details we have, the quicker we can find your mother.”

He didn’t add that they weren’t confident she was still alive. The teen looked stressed enough.

Rance nodded, and between bites of food and sips of lemonade, he shared his harrowing experience through halting words and brushed away tears. His journey began with waking up in a burning Grove and spotting scary strangers and ended withmagically traveling to his mother’s old tree at Anthony’s hotel.

“And you didn’t get a good look at this person?” Silver asked. Even with his gentle tone, Rance’s back stiffened like a soldier at attention.

“No, sir, just what I told you. She told me to claim sanctuary, but I’d rather return to my mother.”

Silver’s expression softened. “You can call me Silver. As leader of the Moon Pack, I grant you sanctuary until we can return you to your mother. As a sanctuary seeker, you are entitled to food, shelter, and safety until it is safe for you to leave.”

“Thank you.” Rance nodded but didn’t say anything more and kept a wary eye on the Alpha. It didn’t take a genius to realize that Rance had limited contact with other males and was uncertain about how to act around them. Hopefully, they could return him to his mom before that became an issue.

Hallea took over the questioning. “Your mother told you to ask for sanctuary at Anthony’s hotel?”

That was the part Kat couldn’t quite wrap his head around. Why Anthony? Granted, that was where she had purposely placed her tree, but a pack didn’t know anything about dryads. Weren’t there other Groves to send a displaced teen? He would’ve thought Rance’s mother would want her son sheltered with other dryads. Not that they wouldn’t try to help as much as possible, but they weren’t dryads and, other than Hallea, didn’t understand the culture.

Rance nodded. “She said in an emergency to follow her magic to safety.” He darted a look at Anthony. “She claimed he would protect me if something bad happened.”

“What about other Groves?” Anthony asked, proving they were in a similar mindset. “Not that I’m unwilling to help you. You are welcome to stay with the pack while we figure out what happened to your mother. I’m only concerned about you being comfortable among us rather than among your kind.”

“Groves don’t socialize much with each other, and most don’t like male dryads.” Rance shrugged as if used to such base discrimination before taking another bite of food.

Hallea stepped in before Kat could ask the question on the tip of his tongue. “What Rance didn’t say is that he’s already fifteen. His mother mentioned her concerns when I talked to her last.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Kat frowned. Dryad dynamics were even more confusing than mixed packs—something he still hadn’t deciphered.

“Dryad males are both rare and unwelcome when they reach manhood. For dryads, that’s sixteen.”

“We’re unwelcome before we reach sixteen,” Rance muttered.

Kat frowned. He would investigate Rance’s home life or tree life before they returned him. It didn’t sound like he enjoyed his Grove, even before it burned down.

“But he’s still a baby!” Kat protested. He didn’t even try to hide his disgust. You never kicked a kid out of the cave before they knew how to sharpen their claws.

“I’m not a baby!” Rance scowled.

Kat held back a coo at the adorable pout.

Hallea sighed. “Dryads are nature beings, but they aren’t the most empathic. Trees don’t feel emotions the same as humans or shifters. They are more practical than emotional.”

To Kat, that sounded more like they were insensitive and budding sociopaths. It didn’t match the hippy, free-spirited image he’d built in his mind.

“The longer we live, the less we connect to others.” Rance sunk back into his chair when all eyes turned to him. “That’s what Mother always said. She claimed she only retained emotions because she grew me. None of the others have that connection.”

“Why?” Kat couldn’t help asking. The more he heard about dryads, the more they reminded him of fairy tales about haunted woods and the trees that killed the unwary. Dryads sounded both fascinating and horrifying.

Hallea took over the conversation. “Only the priestess can have children. It takes enormous Grove magic to channel the power to grow a child. The magic doesn’t only come from the mother.”

“Another reason some of them never accepted me.” Rance poked at his sandwich morosely. “They hated that their magic went toward a boy instead of a girl. Mother didn’t tell them her plans before she grew me.”

Kat squeezed Rance’s shoulder. How harmful it must be to his emotional development to grow up among people he knew were disappointed in his birth sex.

“Were they going to kick you out?” Kat asked.

Rance shrugged again. “No one had mentioned anything yet, but Mother didn’t charm my tree to be portable for nothing. I think she was waiting for someone to mention my age.”

“You’re still a minor at sixteen.” Kat felt compelled to point out.

“Not for a dryad,” Rance replied.

“You still need basic care and supervision,” Kat argued. He didn’t like the idea of any kid, dryad or not, wandering around the forest without food, clothing, or companionship needed for their mental well-being. Kat knew what it was like to be ostracized. He wouldn’t want that for any fifteen-year-old.

“I’ll be fine. Mother taught me how to scavenge for food and weave clothing with magic, and I have my tree for shelter.” He slid a thumb beneath his pendant and lifted it above his collar.

Rance tried to appear supremely unconcerned about his upcoming eviction from the Grove, but Kat spied the vulnerability in his eyes.

“And what about education? Do you go to school?”

Rance scowled. “Why are you making such a fuss? I’m not your kid.”

Kat closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath before letting it out slowly. He had to remember that not all species raised their kids the same. What worked for shifters might not work for dryads. Still, fifteen was too young to be kicked out of a home, no matter the species. “Whether you’re mine or not doesn’t mean I don’t care.”

“Can we find my mom and worry about my impending banishment later?”

“Are you sure that you were never officially banished?” Hallea’s forehead creased in the middle as if she were considering all the angles.

Rance sighed. “If I was, no one mentioned it, and I think being kicked out of my home would be worth telling me. However, they did leave me to burn to death in a forest…”

“You said your mother told you to run. If they were being hunted, she gave you good advice. You being overlooked might have saved your life,” Silver said.

“Maybe.” He shrugged his shoulders and winced. “How long until my burns are healed?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t healed a lot of dryads.” Kat nudged his knee against Rance’s. “Keep applying the burn cream, and you’ll be back to your usual teenage glory in no time.”

Rance laughed, a sad, watery sound, but his eyes were brighter. “Thanks.”

Kat gave his inner self a high-five. At least he helped the kid feel a little better. Frankly, Rance’s home life was sending warning bells clanging.

“I’m done.” Rance pushed his plate away. “Can we go now?”

“Put your plate in the sink, and then we’ll head out.” Kat hoped they would find signs of Rance’s mother, even if it were bad news. It's better to know than to wonder.

A knock at the door startled Kat.

“I asked Oliver to join us,” Silver said. “If there’s any magical residue, he might be able to find it.”

Kat turned to Anthony. “And you can’t?” He bit his lip after he said those words, not meaning to challenge the Alpha Mate.

“That isn’t my specialty. Oliver was trained in detecting other people’s magic.”

From what Kat heard around the pack house, Oliver had learned that skill as a trained assassin, but he didn’t bring that up. He didn’t want to break his short history of avoiding uncomfortable conversations. He had a nice streak going.

Hallea stood and grabbed the purse she’d left slung over the back of the chair. “I’ll take Oliver with me if the four of you want to travel together.”

“Sounds good, Mom.” Anthony kissed her cheek.

Hallea squeezed his shoulder and headed for the front door to grab Oliver and take him with her.

“See you soon,” Anthony called after her.