“Let’s hope no one ever opens these,” I joke.
To my surprise, Aster laughs. I end up laughing with him. I know we’re terrible people for laughing over my aunt’s death, but I can’t help it. The door opens with a click, and Aster immediately moves in front of me as Mazikeen and Black stroll in like they own the place. Black shuts the door behind him with a bang. They are both terrifying, and I don’t know how Juniper is so casual around them.
“Well, it looks like we have a problem.” Black sighs.
“We are loyal to you, and we hid the ashes of her aunt. We don’t have a problem, Black,” Aster begins. He bows his head. They are like royalty to him. I know dragons are the biggest and strongest of the shifters, but I don’t think any witch really sees what that means. They are the leaders of the shifters, the ones they look to when the world is difficult, and I can’t imagine how much pressure the four dragons have on their shoulders. “No one here is going to say a word.”
“Even the witch?” Mazikeen laughs, turning his eyes on me.
“Leave my witch alone.” Aster growls low. “She’s friends with Juniper, remember? She wouldn’t want you to kill her.”
They’re both terrifying, especially Black, as they look at each other and decide my fate. I scoot as close as I can to Aster and blow out a breath. “I know my aunt wasn’t nice to Juniper. She wasn’t nice to anyone, and her death was well deserved. Idon’t know what is going on at the academy, but I have trusted Juniper since day one, and I am loyal to my friend. She has been kinder to me than my family has ever been.”
Black nods at Mazikeen. “You cleaned it up, and I can hardly scent Kane or the aunt. We are choosing to trust you for Juniper’s sake, and your actions show you were willing to get into trouble to protect her and Kane. I’ve known Aster since we were kids, and he is a good man who means well.”
“I’ll make a letter in the morning from Melody to my mother and post it. I know what her handwriting’s like because I’ve seen letters, and I can easily take one from Melody’s room. I’ll be able to mimic it, and I’ll give it to my mother, saying that she went home sick and plans to visit a spa for the next few weeks to help her feel better. I’ll claim that I went back with Juniper and that she wasn’t feeling well either, and perhaps there was something in the food.” I lift my chin. “It’s a good story. My aunt often left meals or our house in a hurry. It’s not unusual behavior.”
“That’s a good idea. I’ll make sure Juniper knows the story too.” Mazikeen grins at me, none of the scary dragon on his face from a moment ago.
“Aster.” Black nods. “Be at the meeting tomorrow night. We are moving our plan forward.”
“What plan?” I ask. They all look at me in a way that makes me not want to know. I don’t push it.
“Not here. Come on. I thought I’d take you back to my home.” Aster takes my hand and begins walking me to the other door, and we leave without saying goodbye. I don’t say a word as Aster takes me out into the forest. It’s cold enough that I start shivering, and he pauses. “Shit, I should have brought you a cloak or something. Come here.”
He wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me to his side. I go warm for an entirely different reason. I tell myself it’s normal. I’ve never been allowed to date anyone, and I’ve never even beenkissed. This is the closest I’ve come to a man, who is bonded to me and gorgeous, and my body is just reacting. It’s not real feelings…right?
Aster is warm, and soon I stop shivering as we walk together through the silent forest. I used to be scared of the forests outside my home. The darkness of the trees and the threat of the Mindless made me avoid it. But this forest? I know there are no Mindless here, and the darkness isn’t that bad once you’re in it. We stride through the forest, down windy paths until lights from some houses start to appear, and Aster stops us by the edge of the village. I’ve never been to a shifter village before. “I thought you were taking me into the woods to kill me,” I joke.
“No.” He barks a laugh. “It’s just that talking in the castle isn’t ideal. This is my home and it’s safe.”
I look around at the home that he speaks of. It’s just huts, mud-covered huts. It smells awful here, babies are crying in the distance, and all the huts look ready to fall apart. Finally, I turn back to Aster, who seems to be analyzing me before he says, “We don’t live in finery, which I think you’ve grown up in. You say I was wrong for judging you, but it’s difficult to relate to a practical princess of the witches, when I grew up like this.”
“I didn’t know shifters were treated so poorly. It’s not fair.” I shake my head. “And for the record, the finery is nothing when it’s an unhappy and abusive house.”
His eyes flicker with something. Maybe understanding. The wall between us seems to crumble a little more. “We are their slaves to use for war. They also restrict our food, make it nearly impossible for us to do much hunting, and control even who we marry so they can make sure we breed well. Winifred, your family, your mother pretty much controls the Umbral Authority. If you…were to say something, maybe improve our conditions. Something is changing; the meeting is about change, and I’d like you to come with. You would be the hope for the shifters.”
“I will come. I’m not sure what I can do to help, but I want change too.” I smile at him. “Thank you for trusting me, Aster.”
He touches my arm, and my breath hitches. A flash of us standing closer, his hand in my hair, his lips on my neck, flashes into my mind. Another weird hallucination. “I keep seeing things that aren’t real. Maybe I’m going crazy.”
Goddess, did I just blurt that out? What is wrong with me?
“Like what?” he asks, not a hint of judgment in his voice.
“I remember crying in bed, and you got into bed and hugged me. I remember that was the first night that you kissed me. I remember panicking and thinking I needed to tell Juniper about it. But it doesn’t matter because you just held me in bed and didn’t push anything more. It was just…you were there for me,” I whisper. “I see us over and over.”
“Wini,” he breathes out, his hand tensing on my arm. It’s forbidden, and we are taught it’s wrong…but my feelings don’t seem to care about that.
The longer he stares at me, the more a headache brews. “You think I’m crazy, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t. I keep remembering things too. When I’m with you…” He pauses like he’s looking for the words to explain. “When I heard you scream in the forest, I’d heard you scream before, and my wolf lost it. I had to find you. I urgently had to find you. I forgot all the threats your mom made to bond with Juniper. I just needed you. I searched for you for a long time in the forest, my heart ticking, beating in my chest, and my wolf was certain long before we met.” He offers me his hand. “I don’t know what it means, but we’ll figure it out together, my bonded.” He smiles at me and I nod. “But first, why don’t you come to my home and meet my family and have a real meal where people laugh and joke and dance around food they appreciate?”
“I have never experienced anything like that,” I admit, excited at the idea, but nervous too. “What if they don’t like me?”
“First time for everything,” he says with a wink. “And they will love you because you’re mine.” I take his hand and let him weave our fingers together. Somehow, Aster chases away the coldness from the night and leaves nothing but warmth.
Chapter 11
