“But you don’t want to join, right?”Liam asked.
“No way.But I’d do it for a bit if it helped me get out.My dad drinks way too much.Mum loves him but never calls him out.”
“I’m sorry, lad,” Hedrek said.“It’s a decision you should never have to make.It’s not right.”
Jamie shrugged, but Liam saw the emotion flashing across his face.“I like your family,” he said, the straightforward honesty striking deep.
Hedrek straightened his shoulders, his pride clear.“Thank you, Jamie, lad.”
“We’d better get to work,” Jago said.
The boys settled at their stations while Jamie worked with Kitto.
Liam tried to stand and swayed.“Hedrek, I need to shift.It might help my head.”
“You do that, lad, and thank you.Sienna may not have done right by you, but having you here gave us the push we needed.We were stuck, unsure how to move forward.I’m grateful for your help and will do everything I can to support you in return.”
“It’s unnecessary.”
“I know,” Hedrek said.“Just like you could’ve walked away once you discovered what my daughter did.Shift, lad.We all need to be at our best if this plan is going to work.”
Liam wobbled as he tried to shrug off his shirt.In the end, Hedrek helped him undress and held him steady, worry etched into his face.
“I don’t like this, lad.We should get a doctor to look at you.”He bit his lip because the local feline doctor might refuse to treat Liam.
“I’ll be fine once I shift.”Liam pushed himself to focus and pictured his leopard.Quick, stabbing shocks speared him, but he held firm, and gradually, his shift began.It was slow, and worry flooded him, but pulling out of his shift halfway through would cause bigger problems.
By the time he sank onto the hut’s earthen floor, Liam was panting, his sides heaving.He closed his eyes and drew slow, steady breaths to keep panic at bay.Exhaustion pulled him under, and he let himself drift toward sleep.He’d rest while Hedrek and the boys handled things, and when he woke, he’d take the hearts and mugs home to Sienna.
Chapter 12
LiamandJamiehadn’tcome back.Sienna gave up the pretense of sleep and slipped into her clothes with trembling hands.In the dim kitchen light, she poured a glass of water and sat, silence pressing down around her.After a long moment, she pulled out the ribbon she’d bought for the pottery hearts and tried to busy herself.
Outside, birds chirped in a morning chorus, but instead of comfort, the sound only deepened her worry.Had the hunters intercepted them on their journey there or on the way back?
Her mother entered the kitchen.“Oh, I thought you’d still be asleep.”
“Liam hasn’t returned,” Sienna said, not bothering to hide her unease.
“Don’t jump to conclusions.There could be plenty of reasons they’re not back yet.Get dressed for work, and I’ll make us some eggs on toast.”
Sienna nodded, unappeased.Tensions were rising in the village, and danger lurked everywhere.But her mother was correct.She could only control her actions, and maybe there was a good reason Liam hadn’t returned.Still, she worried about him.She liked the man.A lot.He treated everyone with respect, which had won her over from the start.
Sienna dressed in a plain black skirt and a white blouse.She screwed her hair up into a clip and joined her mother.
“Have you got enough things to sell at the market today?”she asked.
“Yes, but I rely on Liam’s help.I feel safer with him around.”
“Me too,” Sienna said.“We can leave early, and I can help you set up.”
“I’d appreciate the help.”Her mother chewed her bottom lip, and Sienna could see the stress in her expression.This wasn’t easy for any of them, and the thought that some neighbors wanted them gone so badly they’d put everyone at risk didn’t sit well with Sienna.Liam was right.They needed to get out before the situation exploded with them caught in the middle.
“We’ll head off once we’ve eaten,” Sienna said.
“I hope we don’t run out of items to sell.”
Sienna snorted.“We used to worry about selling enough to fill the pantry.Keeping up the stock is a better problem.What are you doing with the plain hearts?”
