“Your plan is good,” their father said.“We’ll return to our camp tomorrow and start making the hearts Liam suggested.We’ll go earlier than usual and check for tracks or other signs of trespassers.Once we confirm a problem, we can take extra precautions.”
“Tamsin and I will eavesdrop during the market and see what we can learn,” Liam said.“If we’re not too busy, I might introduce myself to some stallholders.”
Sienna shuddered at what could go wrong.Given Liam had such a noticeable scar, everyone would assume others had rejected him.They’d think she was desperate.She opened her mouth to tell him interaction was a bad idea, but her mother shook her head.Sienna shrugged inwardly, already guessing their reactions, but so be it.
After their aborted run, Sienna’s restlessness kept her moving.She put this to good use and deep-cleaned the kitchen.Liam and her brothers checked on her but soon retreated when she waved cloths at them and suggested they help.In truth, the solitary activity was exactly what she needed to stew about her situation.
Muffled laughter came from outside, and she found herself smiling.Liam didn’t treat her brothers as freaks.His questions, uttered in his low, rumbly voice, drifted through the open window.He was asking about the pottery, and if there was one thing her brothers knew and loved, it was the making of ceramics.
Her father had taught them everything he’d learned, but her brothers had taken the artistry to a higher level.They were genuine artists, and she was incredibly proud of them.It was in the retail area that they’d fallen apart.This was obvious after hearing about today’s market.
Her brothers and Liam fell silent, the abruptness of the action putting Sienna on alert.She straightened and hustled outside to join them.
Darkness had fallen, the light from the kitchen illuminating part of the outside area.Her parents were still sitting together, quietly talking.Or at least, they had been.Right now, they, like her brothers and Liam, were staring toward the path leading to the village.
Sienna squinted into the darkness, but her eyesight was taking time to adjust.
“It’s young Jamie Pike,” Jago said, his broad shoulders relaxing a fraction.
Kitto nodded.“Yep, Jago’s right.”
Seconds later, the young boy burst from the darkness.His chest heaved, face flushed from running, but his darting gaze and the way he kept glancing over his shoulder hinted at more than exhaustion.His black hair stood in disarray, as if he’d been dragging his hands through it.
Liam approached slowly.“Easy there.Sienna, can you get him a glass of water?”He guided Jamie to the table where he’d been sitting with her brothers.
“Yes, of course.”She hustled into the kitchen and, when she returned, set a tumbler beside the panting boy.
“Take your time.”Liam shunted the drink closer.“Get your breath back.”
Jamie’s hand trembled when he reached for it.He drank but spilled some on his stained T-shirt.
When he almost dropped the water, Liam took it from him.
“What’s wrong, lad?”her father asked.
Jamie started, and he visibly recoiled.A flash of anger struck Sienna, her instinct to slap the boy and rebuke him.She did neither because his fear wasn’t his fault.Adults had spread tales about her father and brothers, portraying them as monsters.
Liam stepped forward again, and his presence diffused the tension.He crouched in front of Jamie.“Can you tell me what has upset you?”
Chapter 6
Liamrestedahandon the kid’s shoulder, and he trembled violently at the contact.“Steady, lad.No one here will hurt you.”
Jamie’s gaze swerved toward Jago, Cadan, and Kitto before staring at his feet.Liam understood then, a heavy sadness mingling with frustration.These were good shifters.Decent men.They weren’t to blame for their appearance.
“Are you sure?”the kid whispered, his face still pale, even though he’d recovered his breath.
“Positive.What’s your name?”
“Jamie.”
Liam nodded.“Jamie, my name is Liam.Has something happened in the village?”
“Hunters,” the boy said, and Liam felt his blood chill.Behind him, he heard Jago’s sharp intake of breath.Kitto muttered something under his breath that sounded like a curse.
“Where are they staying?”Liam kept his voice calm, but his hands clenched at his sides.“Are they human or something else?”
“Humans.”Jamie’s gaze darted nervously to the brothers.“Three of them at the pub.Stan works there.He helped them unload their supplies.”
