Page 35 of Not Your Ordinary Shifter

Grant and Connor look back to Charlie, who nods slightly. With a sigh, they follow their brother outside. The moment I hear the door close, I expect to be able to relax and breathe a sigh of relief, but it doesn’t come. Instead, I feel an ache in my chest.

Why do I care that they left?I don’t know them. Other than their domineeringly sexy presence, there’s nothing that should make me feel lost without them.

“The boys will be back soon,” Kimberly offers, as if she can sense my inner turmoil. “Just remember how you’re feeling right now and try to have an open mind. It’s important for all three of you.”

“I’m sorry?”

What is she talking about?

Warning bells go off in my head. Not from fear, but from how irrational it is for me to feel comfortable here. I should be afraid, but my heart is begging me to stay.

“You’ll understand soon enough,” she adds cryptically.

Rambunctious noises fill the house as two children run inside, a girl with flowing brown hair and a boy with dirty blond. Both are covered in snow. They’re roughly the same height, looking to be around seven or eight.

“Hey, hey,” Kimberly scolds them. “We have a guest.”

She gestures to me. I give them a weak smile and wave.

“Hi!” they each shout, then run off.

Kimberly giggles. “Sorry about that. We don’t get visitors often. Let me get them a snack, and I’ll be right back.”

She hurries off, only to come back a few moments later with a glass of water.

“Here,” she says.

I take it from her with a forced smile. Sipping my drink, I avoid eye contact. I’m so confused. My head is telling me to run, but my heart is saddened by the thought. My emotions are all over the place. None of this makes any sense.

The back door opens, signaling the men returning. Grant carries wood to the fireplace and adds fresh ones to it. He sets the extras to the side. Charlie and Connor exchange whispered words with Kimberly. She nods. With a gentle smile, she and Charlie leave the room. Charlie calls for the children and the four of them head upstairs.

Connor and Grant exchange glances, then look over at me. My heart races; even though I only want it to be from panic, it’s also from desire for the men I’ve just met. I drink more water, feeling like a mentally unstable person, ready to lose it any second.

Grant clears his throat. “So, how do you feel?”

Realizing my hands are shaking, I set the glass down on the table. “A little out of it, but I’m fine.”

He nods. “That’s understandable.”

“If you feel up to it, we’d like to talk to you about something,” Connor says.

I shift in my seat, but breathe in, trying to calm myself. When I nod, Connor moves my glass and sits in front of me on the coffee table. I scoot back on instinct, but stop when I see the hurt in his eyes. It’s strange enough that the distance between us pains him, considering we’re strangers, but what’s weirder is that seeing him upset makes me distressed as well.

How is this possible?

Grant takes a seat in a chair nearby and leans forward to clasp his hands in front of him. “There’s no easy way to say this, but we are shifters and you are our mate.”

I open my mouth to respond, but nothing comes out.

Mate?

I don’t understand. Not even a little.

Was I wrong? Are they crazy murderers and my sense of safety is obscured by my attraction to them?

As if explaining it will help, Grant motions to Connor and himself. “We’re bison shifters. Part bison, part human. The bison you saw earlier was me. I was trying to protect you from the wolves.”

“Oh, God,” I breathe, panic clawing at my throat. “You are psychopaths.”

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