She muttered something under her breath about‘stubborn boys’but didn’t push me to hand anything over.
I added it to the list of things she’d done for me that I’d always be grateful for.
The clan lands were busy, with members crossing allover the place. I’d come to a brief stop on the doorstep before forcing my feet into action.
Time to stop hiding, Reid.
June exchanged greetings with everyone we passed, sometimes just a smile, sometimes stopping to have a brief chat. I couldn’t help but notice how everyone’s eyes lingered on me; the open curiosity some attempted to disguise while others just gawked. I might’ve been here for a month now, but it was testament to just how low a profile I’d been keeping.
As we drew closer to the cottage we were aiming for, I couldn’t hold the question in any longer. “Are they staring because I’m human?”
“No.” June snorted. “They’re staring because they’re nosy fuckers who want to know who Evan’s interested in, not because yer human.”
“Oh,” I said, the discomfort easing. “I can’t be that much of a novelty. Surely Evan must’ve brought people back here before?”
She gave me a wry grin as we stopped outside a door painted in deep blue tones. Without a spare hand, June used her foot to knock. “Yer the first, Reid. Can’t blame them, I suppose. Everyone knows ye must be special to Evan for him to have you staying in our house. And they’re right.”
My jaw dropped, but before I could respond, the door swung open.
“June! Oh, you didn’t need to do this.” The woman, who I assumed was Becca, smiled gratefully and gestured for us to enter. “But thank ye. Come on in.”
Exhaustion had added bags under her eyes, showing that even shifters weren’t immune from the sleep deprivation that went hand in hand with newborns. The baby inquestion was in a sling on her chest, sleeping soundly. His fingers were curled around Becca’s shirt, like he was clinging to her even while napping.
It was beyond adorable.
June bustled past, making a beeline for the kitchen. “It’s what we do, pet. Ye know that. This is Reid, by the way.”
I smiled over my tower of Tupperware. “Nice to meet you.”
Interest flared in her tired eyes. “Ooh, Reid? You are spoiling me, June. You knew I couldn’t make it to you for tea, so you brought him to me.”
June cackled from the kitchen, body half in and half out of the refrigerator. “Aye. He’s not bad at making a cuppa either, so get in here, Reid, and stick the kettle on.”
The next hour passed in a stream of tea—both of the drinkable and gossip variety. All of it piping hot, of course. At the end of it, I had a grudge against a hairdresser called Winnie, two new recipes I wanted to try, and an invitation to dinner at a later date.
Shuffling footsteps on the stairs cut off our conversation as Becca turned her head in that direction with a smile. “Ah, this is my eldest, Hayden. Did ye have a good nap, baby?”
Hayden rubbed at his eyes as he joined us. He couldn’t have been any older than four, a blanket clutched in one hand. His head cocked to the side as his gaze landed on me. “Who are you? Why are you in my house? And why do you smell funny?”
I waited for that final question to trigger me. That waswhat all the other reminders of how different I was had done.
But it didn’t. Probably because Hayden was a kid. A curious one.
I knew what that was like.
“Hayden, don’t be rude,” June scolded, shooting me a sheepish grin. “Sorry. We’re working on social skills.”
“It’s fine.” I waved her off, extending my hand for him to shake. “Hi, Hayden. My name’s Reid. I imagine I smell funny because I’m human.”
Hayden’s eyes bugged wide. “Ye can’t shift at all?”
“Nope.” I grinned. “But I can talkreallyfast.”
“Me too,” he said excitedly. “Can you listen fast too?”
I nodded solemnly. “The fastest.”
“Good. But why are ye here if yer human?”
