“We don’t have a phone, but someone in the village might lend you one.Sienna uses the internet at the library if we need to look up anything.Could you contact your friends from there?”
An excellent solution, but they’d want to help him, and he hated to drag them into danger.“Yes, I could.”
“And?”Hedrek asked.
Liam shrugged, thinking about his friends.Not only would they worry, but they’d be searching for him.But they’d also understand once he explained.His friends would support him one hundred percent.It was this certainty that relieved the stress in his shoulders.
“What about your kin, lad?Won’t they be worried?”
And just like that, the tension returned, sending a chill down his spine.His mother and brothers hated him and hadn’t spoken to him in years.Not since…
“My family holds me responsible for my father’s death.”The words tore out of him.“My mother won’t speak to me.After all these years, they still think I’m a murderer.”
Hedrek rubbed his chin, his gaze thoughtful.“And what do you think?”
“I think…” Liam’s voice cracked.“My father died telling me he loved me, and I’ve been too afraid to remember it.”
Hedrek lingered in silence, then gripped Liam’s shoulder in quiet resolve.“Listen to me, lad.A father doesn’t lie with his last words.He spoke the truth.The rest of them let their grief turn into cowardice.”
The immense sadness in Hedrek’s voice told Liam he meant every word.This man was genuine and a gentleman through and through.The Teagues didn’t deserve the hate leveled at them.It was time for honesty from his side.At least as much as he could give.
“Your family stands by each other no matter what.Mine threw me away the moment things got difficult.That’s why I can’t walk away from Sienna.From all of you.You’ve made me feel like I belong somewhere.”
Hedrek squeezed his shoulder, and this physical contact, along with Hedrek’s sympathetic face, had Liam wanting to blubber.He coughed to clear his throat and changed the subject.
“As soon as I’m able, I’ll help Jamie take a load of items back to the cottage.The people at the castle are shifters, and they might help.If they won’t, we should be able to hide out in Scotland.”
“Lad, we won’t have the clay to make our goods.The clay here is high quality.”
“I understand, but it’s dangerous staying in Stoneford.I’d hate the hunters to capture any of you.This situation won’t end well.”
Hedrek issued a deep sigh that seemed to come from the pit of his stomach.“You’re right, of course, but change is difficult, and this place is my home.I know nothing else.”
“I might have an idea,” he said.“We should leave as soon as we can afford to hire a vehicle, but while we’re waiting, I’ll contact home.”
He didn’t mention his whirling thoughts yet—he wasn’t sure if his friends would help, or if the Teagues would even want to leave Cornwall.
“You think those hearts will sell well?”Hedrek asked.
“I do, but Jamie will tell us how the initial sales went.Once we hear a yes or no, we can adapt.”
Hedrek sighed again, and Liam realized he wasn’t as calm as he seemed.This was hard for him.He was worried about his wife and daughter.
“The hearts are easy to make, and the boys enjoy the change.Kitto especially—he loves painting, and this pushes him creatively.But me, I prefer making platters the way my father taught me.There’s real satisfaction in shaping the clay.This new direction…it might not be right for us.”
Hedrek fell silent, and Liam understood—the weight the shifter carried, the stress woven into every decision.He understood how unforgiving the world could be toward those who were different, and that Hedrek and his sons were fighting a losing battle.
A pulse had him rubbing his temple.He’d experienced this before… The thought made him frown and prompted him to recall his injuries.Yeah, he’d also had a knock on the head that time but had blocked it out because he hadn’t remembered until now.Hell.That day so long ago replayed through his mind, and he winced when he reached the moment of impact, the bawl of the cow, the car, then the crushing silence.
A phantom chill ran down his spine, leaving him momentarily breathless.He hadn’t realized how much of himself had been locked away, even before Sienna.
“How did I not remember?”Liam muttered, his father’s words of love crystal clear in his mind.
“Lad?”
“Um, something I haven’t thought about for a long time,” Liam said.“I’d forgotten.My family blames me for my father’s death.But itwasan accident.”
Hedrek placed his hand on Liam’s arm again.“How old were you?”
