With him so close to her and speaking so softly, River knew she couldn’t refuse this man anything, and as much as a voice in the back of her mind was screaming at her to run from him, she wouldn’t do it. Not now. Not ever. He made her feel…safe.
Which was probably proof she’d completely lost her mind.
Still, she accepted his hand, and warmth bloomed through her at his touch, spreading from her fingers straight to her racing heart. He pulled her to her feet, but her legs weren’t quite back under her control and she staggered into him. His arms came around her instantly, drawing her close against the solid warmth of his chest, holding her there a moment longer than necessary,and she found she didn’t mind at all.
Every part of her body cried out for his touch, wanted more for him, wanted all from him. When she didn’t move, Daniel picked her up in his strong arms and carried her up the stairs, her arms wrapped about his neck.
He carried River to the couch and gently laid her down on the upholstery.
“Where should I begin?” Daniel asked as he knelt beside her.
“You called him Duncan,” River said with a shake of her head.
“Yes, that’s Duncan Jones. He’s the son of Mary and Barry, they run the dairy farm, just out of town,” Daniel said.
“And does he normally…do that?” she asked. She was pretty sure her aunt would have mentioned something like that.
“He’s what’s known as a shifter,” Daniel said, watching her closely. “He has a human half and an animal half, and can take on either form. When in human form, they have better senses, better reactions, and better instincts that ordinary humans. We can also communicate between our two forms.”
“We?” It came out as a whisper. “You said we. So…you’re one, too?”
“Yes, I am,” Daniel said. His not quite calm eyes scanned her face. “I know this is a lot to take in, and I wouldn’t have chosen to tell you about this in this manner, but without you, Duncan was going to die. He had to shift to make his injuries less severe and you are the only vet for miles.”
“What happens if the cows at the dairy get sick if there isn’t a vet in town?” River asked, not believing what she was hearing.
“They get isolated and the vet gets here when they can. Sometimes it’s the same day, other times it’s a few days after. There’s not a lot of choice. Vets aren’t exactly lining up to live here,” Daniel said dryly.
“I need to get out of here. I need some air,” River said. All this talk of shifting humans and frankly appalling veterinary care was making her feel sick and light-headed. She wasn’t entirely convinced that Daniel hadn’t drugged her somehow and that everything she was seeing and hearing wasn’t a hallucination.
She made her way slowly to her feet and Daniel didn’t try to stop her. That, she decided, was probably a good sign. If he’d been up to no good, he’d have tried to stop her, right? She walked down the stairs and straight out the front door. The cold winter air hit here with a refreshing blast that instantly cleared away how sick she felt.
Forget Mrs. Thompson, I need to lie down, she thought and made her way back to Betty’s inn.
“Oh, good, did you help Daniel?” Betty asked as she saw River step through the door.
“Um, yes. I’m sorry, Betty, it’s been a long day. I need to lie down,” River said with distraction and walked away from her aunt without any further explanation. She trudged up the stairs and into room thirteen before Betty could say a word in reply.
River collapsed on the bed and hugged the pillow under her head.
Why? Why did she always have to fall for assholes? It wasn’t fair.
She cried for what seemed like hours but the clock on the wall told her it was closer to twenty minutes. When no more tearscame, she lay on her side and stared out of the window at the sky. She felt exhausted and she felt her eye lids growing heavy. In no time at all, she was asleep.
When she woke up, it was dark outside. The curtains had been drawn and a small light was on in the corner of the room. On top of the dresser, there was a tray filled with cold ham, cold turkey, potato salad, some potato chips, and three Christmas cookies. There was a glass of milk and a note that simply read:
I’m here if you need me xx
Aunt Betty, you really are a wonder,River thought as she tucked into her cold supper. When she was finished, she lay back down and went to sleep, this time in her pjs and under the blankets.
In the corner of the room, her phone buzzed and flashed. She half opened her eyes to look at her phone, but decided that whatever it was, it could wait until morning.
Chapter Six
Daniel
“She’s a great vet,” Duncan said approvingly. The stitches had held well, and the damage caused by the shard of metal could barely be seen now. Daniel found it surprising that Duncan didn’t know what the rapid healing of his shifter side, and suspected his cougar was right about him being adopted—but it wasn’t his place to say anything. In any case, he was glad that the young shifter was going to be fine.
“She is, though we may have traumatized her. And by we, I mean you,” Daniel said rather pointedly.
