Beside the quietly flowing creek, André was sitting on a park bench behind a screen of huckleberry bushes. Leaning back, he tipped his head to the warmth of the sun. In his bones, he could feel how the cold would soon grip the land.
Forests always felt like home to a shifter. As a Cosantir, the sense of belonging had blossomed, as if he was bound to each tree, each river, each animal.
And when he opened his mind and scanned his territory, the shifters appeared as bright spots, like fireflies lighting the darkness. A greenish glow was Madoc; the slightly bluish one farther away was Niall. A dimmer glow was Murtagh, another was Ina. Soon he’d have names for more of the lights.
A golden glow he recognized was approaching.
“Heather.” He opened his eyes.
She froze like a startled deer. “Please excuse me, Cosantir. I didn’t realize you were here.” She had a small brown bag in one hand, a drink in the other.
“Did I usurp your lunch spot?” He smiled to ease her concern. “Join me?”
After another second, she continued forward with the comfortable confidence she normally displayed. “Were you napping?”
“In a way.” He slid down to give her room. “I’m still adjusting to how it feels to be tied to the God.”
“Ah, that.” She opened her bag, took out a sandwich, and offered half.
He shook his head…as if he’d steal the female’s lunch.
“Okay then.” She took a bite of her sandwich, rummaged under an orange, then handed him one of two cookies.
Turning down such a treat was beyond him. “Thank you.”
“Does having the power hurt?” Her worried gaze ran over him as if to ferret out any sore spots.
She really was delightful. “No. It’s more like acquiring an extra sense and receiving a flood of information. I need to learn to filter it out.” He touched the sleeve of her flannel shirt. “For example, we don’t constantly pay attention to how our clothing feels. Not unless there’s a problem.”
“Got it.” She chewed slowly, her gaze turning to the water before back to him. “Can’t you just ignore it all?”
Interesting question. “It gives me information on the clan and the land, so…no.” He shook his head. “When I was in law enforcement, I avoided becoming too close to the people I served. But here, I’m joined to the territory, and the people belong to me in a way I can’t deny.”
And no longer wanted to avoid, he was finding. Change was upon him, like it or not.
“Is that why you look tired?”
“Aye.” He savored for a moment the sweet taste of the homemade cookie. “As a Mountie, I found carrying a firearm a rather uncomfortable responsibility. Now I carry the power of the God. If I lose control of my emotions, people could die.”
She smiled at him and shook her head. “I haven’t known you long, but I already know you’re not the type to lose control.”
Interesting. She hadn’t even stopped to think about her assertion.
“Calum told me the Gods don’t pay continuous attention to us, which is how Pete’s guardianship started well but, years later, went sour.”
Where was she going with this? He lifted an eyebrow. “And?”
“I daresay when picking a Cosantir, the God pays very close attention.” She smiled at him. “I don’t think he chose unwisely.”
That was as fine a compliment as he had ever received. He bowed his head slightly. “Thank you.”
Heather bit her lip. The more she learned about what a Cosantir had to endure, the worse she felt about what had happened to him. He’d lost his job, his home, and his country. His very mind and senses were affected. And, having watched Calum, she knew Herne would continue to demand a high price from him.
She had played a part in André’s being chosen. Somehow, somewhen, she needed to share what she’d done with him. Hiding it would be wrong.
He was her Cosantir. And rapidly becoming a friend.
“By Herne’s dauntless danglers, Madoc, this place is huge. You seriously want to live here?” Niall followed his brothers onto the three-story house’s front porch.
Rather expecting to be hit by a fir cone or twig, he glanced at the nearest trees, but no fairies were there to chitter at the interlopers.
“Great view, brawd.” He rested his hands on the porch railing to enjoy the sight. The building was high on a bluff with the town spread out below. The other three sides were surrounded by forest and the steadily rising mountains. Bathed in the heady scent of fir and cedar, he felt the mountain calling him.
“Yeah, and really, this is a good size for us.” Unlocking the front door, Madoc motioned Niall and André in. The small foyer led to an open floor plan with a high vaulted ceiling. An interior balcony on the second floor overlooked the great room. “I’m thinking we’ll be living here for years to come.”
André flinched obviously at the reminder they couldn’t leave. “Forgive me, my brothers.”
“Brawd, you wouldn’t have even been in this country if it wasn’t for me.” Niall shook his head. “I’m sorry too.”
“Such sorry-tailed miscreants.” Madoc slapped Niall’s shoulder hard enough to sting. “In all reality, I’m looking forward to staying put. Belonging somewhere.”
Niall leaned against a wall to study his littermate. “Seriously?”
“Yes, cat. Our parents never belonged anywhere, didn’t want commitments to any clan—let alone to cubs. If they could have dumped us without feeling guilty, they would have.”
“Aye.” Niall sighed. None of them had received parental attention.
André moved his shoulders in acceptance. “We weren’t neglected, just…not especially loved.”
“The point is—we’re not them.” Madoc crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s time to belong somewhere. Now the shock of being stuck has worn off, I’m pleased to get the chance.”
Stay put? Niall felt a momentary dizziness, as if he’d reached a summit and suddenly saw an entire world spread out before him. He could belong to a clan in more than name.
And he wanted that more than he’d realized. “Okay. Okay then.”
So…this might be a place where they’d live for years. He looked around more carefully.
Front picture windows gave an incredible view of the valley below. The huge fireplace with a glass insert would be cozy during snowy winters.
“Down the hallway are rooms for offices or whatever.” Madoc motioned toward the kitchen. “And the kitchen’s great. I’ll have fun in there.”
Niall grinned. If the bear was having fun in a kitchen, it meant he and André would be eating well.
“Some of the rooms are furnished.” Madoc took them up the stairs to the second floor. “The owners moved to an elder village near their offspring and didn’t need much.”
“Elder village.” André raised an eyebrow. “The owners are Daonain?”
“Aye.”
“Good security.” The heavy doors were well constructed, and there were iron window guards, including cleverly designed sliding ones for the picture windows. “Someone was wary of hellhounds.” Unfortunately, too many of the houses he’d seen in town weren’t prepared at all.
Skimming a hand over the dark wood railing, Madoc led the way down the inner balcony. “This side and the back of the house have male shifter suites and smaller guest rooms.” He opened the doors, showing three large suites, each with an outside balcony. “Once our furniture arrives, we could move this furniture into the guest rooms.”
“Is there also a suite for a female?” André asked.
As in…for a mate? Niall blinked. They’d never found anyone the three of them were interested in. They hadn’t even tried since none of them wanted a mate.
But things were changing.
“Aye, not that we’d need one.” Madoc’s short response answered Niall’s concern. “It’s across the way.” The inner balcony formed a U-shape, and Madoc led them around to the other side and opened a door.
Here was a huge suite showing whoever had built the house loved their mate. Floor to ceiling windows offered a spectacular view of the mountains. Furniture in creamy colors looked feminine—but was sized for males to enjoy too. Built-in bookcases bracketed the white marble fireplace. Why the fuck was he thinking of Heather’s collection of shifter romances?
Speaking of romances… “That’s one massive bed.”
“Makes you wonder how many mates the female had.” Madoc grinned. “The owner left the custom bedding too.”
The adjoining room was a nursery suite with a playroom. For cubs.
No, don’t even go there.
But maybe someday…?
He cleared his throat. “It’s a good, secure location for the young and the female.”
Madoc rolled his eyes. “Trust the cahir to think of protection. The attic on the third floor has the older cubs’ rooms.”
“You’re right, it’s a good house for us, brawd.” André bumped Madoc with his shoulder. “Space enough to entertain, places to be private.”
Niall looked out a window and longing hit him. The woods started at the back door and rolled away for kilometers. “Room to run.”
By the God, he needed to shed his human skin. To forget about terrorists and younglings who’d died too young and all the blood.
He needed the forest around him.