Ford left the farmhouse to go to the back of the pasture where they were burning the bodies.Shifters never took chances that humans might find a body and discover the truth.She hadn’t wanted anything to do with any of that.As long as the threat to the herd and her sexy man were gone for good, that’s all she cared about.
“We’re so glad you’re safe,” Nancy said, wiping at tears on her cheeks.“We were so worried for you.”
“I’m glad to be back here,” Darcy said.She was still trembling from the ordeal, but being with the women made her feel better.They gave off all the good vibes she needed to put the horrors behind her.
Tris and Fallon pulled cinnamon rolls out of the oven and set them on the counter, and the group sat on stools and let her talk through what had happened.
It was so vivid in her mind.
Walking into the apartment and thinking Cruz might be there spoiling for an argument, but he hadn’t been.She’d been reading his note on the fridge when she felt someone nearby.She’d struggled, and things had gotten trashed in the process, but they’d knocked her out pretty damn fast.Waking up tied to a chair was something she hoped she never had to experience in her life again.
She shivered, thinking about how vulnerable she’d felt in the presence of those crazy stallions.
And all over a farm.
They’d tried to kill people because they liked the Little River Farm.How freaking nuts was that?
She ate two of the best cinnamon rolls she’d ever had in her life and talked to the women who had also been harmed by Colton and his merry band of assholes, sharing their experiences with the men who thought they could do what they wanted.She’d never wished someone was dead before, but she was thankful they didn’t have to worry about that herd anymore.
“I suspect that security around here will get a little lighter,” Zara said.“Now that our enemies are destroyed, Crew and the guys will probably go back to the security system monitoring and not have twenty-four-seven patrols.”The herd had borrowed shifters from the safari park to help, and had invested a lot of money into an upgraded system of motion detectors and cameras.
“I’ll be glad to get home myself,” Tris said.“I like the farm, but I love to sleep in my own bed.”
“I second that,” Nancy said.“The barn apartment is comfortable but not like our homes.”
“I’m sorry you had to stay there,” Darcy said.
“Don’t be,” Tris said.“We do what we have to do to be safe.”
“It’s a blessing to truly be safe,” Tatum said.Then she smiled.“Did you know there’s a legend of a man named LaRoy who came into Little River a hundred years ago?He set his sights on a huge farm that belonged to one of the original founding families.First he tried to buy them out.Then he hired thugs to scare them.And then he set fire to the main house and fields while they slept!”
“What happened?”Darcy asked.
“The legend goes that LaRoy was watching the fires when the father and his oldest son caught him and dragged him into the fields that he’d set on fire.No one ever saw LaRoy again.But!People say that you can hear him screaming on moonless, windy nights, begging for his life.”
Darcy shivered.
Zara said, “What happened to the farm?”
“It was rebuilt and thrived for decades.Eventually it was portioned off to the children and their children, but the majority of it is now a wildlife refuge and can’t be built on.”
“That’s freaky,” Tris said.“Little River is full of legends.”
“I love to read about them,” Tatum said.“Grey said he’d take me to one of the haunted hotels in Cape May so I can experience the legends for myself.How fun!Anyone want to come with us?”
They all shook their heads and laughed.
“Oh, girl,” Fallon said, “you can do all that creepy stuff by yourself!”
“But do bring back some saltwater taffy,” Nancy said.“I especially love the orange creamsicle type.”
“I sure will,” Tatum said.
“I’ll stick with the non-haunted legends,” Zara said.“Like the one you told us about the fountain in town.”
As the conversation turned to a local legend about a benevolent wish-granting fountain, Darcy sat back and smiled.
Just hours earlier, she’d been the most scared she’d ever been in her life.But now she was laughing and talking with people who had quickly become family.She’d been through hell, but she was on the other side of it, smiling with her herd family and thankful for Ford and his tracking abilities and protective nature.
