Page 13

M y name’s never sounded like that before, not that anyone uses it often.

The beasts don’t talk; my father only ever refers to me as boy, and when people do occasionally know my name, they tend to say it with their voice full of fear, not in…

Awe?

That can’t be right. Why would she ever want to see me?

Despite knowing all of this and knowing what I am, I can’t deny that there’s a smile on her face that wasn’t there a moment ago.

I feel myself slip back into reality, my hold on the shadows fading away.

Why does that make my stomach feel like a rock?

I don’t have more than a second to think about it, though, before she’s moving. Once again shocking me as she runs toward me instead of away.

She slams into me hard enough that I take a step back as her arms band around my torso. She squeezes tight, her face buried in my chest, and the scent of her hits me even harder than she did.

“Serena.”

I’d meant to say more, though I’m not sure what, but I nearly choke on just her name alone, a lump lodging itself in my throat that I can’t seem to swallow back down.

We stand like that for what feels like forever, yet somehow not long enough. I don’t dare step back, not wanting her to move away, even though I know that’s what's best for her.

Nobody is safe around me, not with who my father is, not with everything I've done.

But even knowing that, I can’t make myself push her away. Instead, it takes all of my self-control to stop from wrapping her up in my shadows and running away with her, taking her back to the cottage where we can be alone, just like we were not that long ago.

But that was before I realized who she was. Before my father returned.

Anyone I brought back to the cabin was in danger with him, but Serena…

When he first came back, I was worried he would hurt her because it would be a good way to remind me of the control he has over me. The same way he’s done in the past when I brought home a bunny or an injured bird and nursed it back to health.

He let me, going so far as to praise my ability to interact with the forest and the animals. I thought he was proud, and maybe in his own twisted way he was, but no matter what he felt, it never stopped him from killing them.

When I was very young, he would kill them and make me watch. I always thought I could be smarter, hide them better, but it never mattered. Somehow, he always found them.

It wasn’t until my eleventh birthday that he made me kill the butterfly whose wing I’d just spent painstaking hours sewing back on.

After that, I only cared for things outside my home or when he was gone.

That’s why I ran with her the moment I felt him return. I thought for sure she would be another show of power.

That he might kill her.

Oh, how wrong I was.

With her, he would have control over everything, and somehow, I fear that might be worse than death, not only for her, but for all of us.

I mean, that’s why he’s spent all this time looking for her. We both did…but now.

I don’t know; ever since I met her, I can’t imagine letting him have her.

That’s why I’ve stayed away even though I want to do anything but.

“How is your cat?” I force the words out, feeling like my mouth is full of cotton.

What is wrong with me?

Serena pulls back enough to look up at me. Her brows crease, her lips tug down in confusion, making her look even more adorable than before, which I didn’t think was possible.

“My cat?”

“Ugh, yes, the shifter that got hit. Did he survive?” I cringe at the memory of him going down and the way Serena reacted.

It’s something I’ve thought about a lot these last few weeks, wondering if he was okay, if she was okay.

She loves them; there’s no denying it. She went after my father, after all, and that either makes her crazy or a force to be reckoned with, maybe both.

Her eyes light up and her lips turn up in a smile. I feel her laughter as much as I hear it before she takes a step back. The second her arms drop, I want to pull her back to me.

Never in my life have I craved contact. Once upon a time, I read a fairy tale that spoke of parents who cared, and I’d dreamed of that, but that was a long time ago. I knew that was never going to happen for me and gave up on that and everyone else.

So why is she different?

How does her mere smile make my brain short-circuit?

“Sol,” she says with a chuckle. “His name is Sol, and he’s good now.”

Something flashes in her eyes, and I get the feeling there’s much more to that story, but I don’t dare ask. Whatever that emotion was—fear, anger, sadness—I don’t want to see more of it. I much prefer her smile.

I nod, unsure of what to say, but that’s not really that crazy. I never know what to say, especially not with her.

Once again, her brows pull together, and she looks confused. Maybe?

“How did you know I was here?”

It’s a good question, one I’m surprised she didn’t ask sooner.

“I didn’t. I was tracking Lyle.”

I might not be good at reading people, or with people in general, but it’s impossible to miss the sadness in her eyes at the mention of her bear shifter mate.

Serena drops her gaze to the ground and remains quiet for so long I worry I said the wrong thing. Maybe I upset her.

“I—”

“Why?”

We both talk at the same time, but I quickly snap my mouth closed, unsure what I was even going to say to begin with.

Not that this is much better…I hadn’t really thought about it much.

“Um…” Words evade me as I try to find a good way to explain it. She waits, and I let out a huff of frustration, annoyed with myself and my inability to just say what I need to.

After a second, she looks up at me, and the pain I see in her eyes is enough to get my mouth moving.

“I know he’s important to you, so I was monitoring him. My father has been gone, so I’ve had no reason to call on him. I’d hoped to help him find a piece of himself, but so far, he seems lost.”

Something sparks in her eyes, and she quickly moves back into my space, her eyes wide as she searches mine for something.

“Can you really help him? Is there a way to save him?”

Her hand fists into the fabric of my shirt, and I’m nodding before I’ve even really registered what it was she asked.

Thank the gods the answer is yes, at least I think there is.

“I think so.”

Her shoulders sag, and I know it wasn’t the answer she wanted; it’s not the answer I wanted to give her either, but it’s better than a no. Her eyes harden, and she gives a nod before releasing me and taking a step back.

“What do I need to do?”