Sienna opened her mouth, ready to blast her brother, but her mother’s grip on her forearm stopped the words trembling on her tongue.
“What did you bring us?”her mother asked.“Are you hungry?Would you like soup?”
“Yes, please.In a moment.Look at what we’ve made.We think Kitto did an excellent job on the painting, but we wanted to check before making more.”
Jago opened the pack and slipped out a cloth-wrapped parcel.
The hearts came in two sizes.Kitto had painted some in blue and white, echoing their traditional pottery, and others in bright colors with flowers and local landmarks.
“They’re perfect,” Liam said.“All they need is a ribbon so ladies can wear them around their necks.”
“We made two special ones,” Jago said, handing a smaller package to Sienna and another to their mother.
Sienna unwrapped the fabric and stared at the heart.White and blue with small starbursts in a darker blue—it was beautiful.An understatement.It was a masterpiece.
Her mother’s heart was soft amber, decorated with two intertwined hearts.
“Papa made it for you.What do you think?Oh—we made hearts in three different sizes as keepsakes.”Jago handed those over for inspection.
“Brilliant job,” Liam said with a grin.“You’ve nailed it.These will sell very well.”
“Really?”Jago’s cheekbones held a trace of pink, while his mouth stretched in a smile.
Jago was basking in Liam’s approval, a reminder to Sienna of how isolated her father and brothers were by the locals’ outright rejection.Many men would’ve grown bitter, but her father never had, and somehow, he’d taught her brothers the same resilience.
“Yeah,” Liam said.“The hearts must be fiddly to make.How is production?Your mother and I are nearly out of stock.We were trying to work out how to contact you to get more product.”
“The hearts are quicker to produce, but decorating them takes Kitto extra time.Tomorrow, we’ll make more drinking cups.Probably platters, too.We’ve already made more hearts to keep Kitto busy.”He frowned.“We’re going to need more paint.”
“I can work as a go-between.Give me a list of supplies, and we’ll get them,” Liam said.
“I can help,” Sienna protested.
“We want to keep a low profile, and leaving Tamsin alone isn’t ideal.She’s not doing well without Hedrek,” Liam murmured.
Both siblings glanced at their mother, sharing a troubled look.Tamsin had been fine during the market and the walk home, but now the strain was clear.Understandable—between the hunters and the fear of exposure, it had to be taking a toll.Sienna hadn’t stopped to consider how strong her mother had to be or how cruelly the locals treated her.
She nodded, chastened.Liam was right, and none of them had seen it.“If you’re certain.”
“I am.Jago, grab something to eat and rest for an hour.Spend time with your mother.Sienna and I will go for a walk and suss out what the hunters are doing now.”
Sienna let Liam usher her outside, her senses delighting in his nearness.She wasn’t sure what had come over her lately.She couldn’t stop thinking about him, imagining his touch.And now, he wanted them to keep sharing a bed.Not great for her sanity.
“Where are we going?”
Liam drew her close, resting a hand on her lower back.“Let’s walk beyond the village.We’ll play the courting couple, so don’t act surprised if I grab and steal a kiss.”
Sienna blinked once.Twice.She swallowed hard to regain her equilibrium.His touch did strange things to her knees, and the slow, rumbly voice and enticing accent whispering in her ear didn’t help.
“Do you think we’ll see them?”
“Possibly not,” he murmured, “but we’ll hear them.They’re unfamiliar with the terrain and stumble around more than shifters.”
Liam led her along the dirt path, keeping her close.“Who lives there?”
“The Carters.An elderly mother and her daughter.We don’t see them often because there’s another path to the village near their cottage.It’s the original track, but during severe storms, the river overflows, making the bridge impassable.That’s why locals built a second path.”
A faint flicker of light was visible behind the shrouded windows, but no one was visible as they strolled past.
