Isla
The bundle of hides is starting to get heavy in my arms as I make my way across the settlement.
Terra is due back today from her time in the deadland villages, and my spirits are lighter than they have been in days. I missed her and look forward to seeing her again. Hopefully, she will have some half-breed recruits for me to train, which is exactly why I came here. For now, I will keep working within the caves and make myself useful.
The tanning pit lies on the far side of the main cavern, near the ventilation shafts, where the smell of lye and rendered fat won’t overwhelm the living quarters. I’ve been helping there for the past week. The work is messy and physical, and it keeps me busy. Before that, I was in the kitchens but grew tired of peeling vegetables, plucking fowl, and stirring pots.
I might go back there in a few days if Terra comes home without recruits.
I refuse to do nothing.
“Hi, lovely Isla,” a big male shifter says, his eyes dancing.
I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn’t see him.
“Hi, Bracks,” I say, smiling. He has a broad face and kind eyes.
He falls into step beside me, his gaze dropping to the bundle in my arms. “Can I carry those for you?”
“Um…” I frown. “No, thank you. I’ve got them.”
“Are you sure? They look heavy.”
“I’m good.”
I wait for him to ask me if I want to share a meal with him later, but he doesn’t.
“Have a good day,” he tells me. “Don’t work too hard.”
“Okay…thanks.” I sound a little shocked.
He nods and heads in the other direction.
I watch him go for a few seconds. That’s the first time that he hasn’t complimented me or tried to get me to go somewhere with him.
It’s a little strange, but then again, maybe he is getting the message…finally.
These shifter males are nothing if not relentless.
I keep walking, moving the weight of the hides against my hip, where it is easier to carry. Up ahead, a group of females are clustered near one of the cooking fires. They glance my way as I approach, and something odd happens.
They whisper to one another and then giggle. I can’t help but feel like they are laughing because of me. It isn’t mean or mocking, just something secretive in the way they exchange looks as I pass.
I frown and keep moving.
I’m sure I’m reading it all wrong. Everyone has been nothing but kind and accepting since I got here two weeks ago.
I look up and spot Helix up ahead.
My stomach sinks.
Nooooo!
He’s a dragon shifter, and huge, even in his fae form, with shoulders like boulders and a smirk he likes to aim at me. He tries to get me to share a meal with him every time we cross paths. The flirting is relentless and can be a little crass.
I consider turning around, taking the long way to the tanning pits. But I’m already running late, and I don’t have time for detours, so I keep walking.
Helix sees me coming. His face brightens with that familiar smirk. As I draw closer, confusion flickers across his features. His nostrils flare slightly.
