Page 32 of A Shifter Disaster Thanksgiving

The brothers stood facing each other in front of the fireplace.

Night had fallen. Despite all that had happened that day, being in the chief’s quarters still made Sylvester uncomfortable. But this was a visit he’d had to make.

“That wasn’t the worst Thanksgiving dinner I’ve been to,” he muttered.

“Believe me, I’ve witnessed worse,” Gregory replied, and both men chuckled softly.

“What’s going to happen to Jon?”

The chief was silent for a moment. “Nothing good.”

Diane was back in his cabin now, awaiting Sylvester’s return. Quinta had left the village that afternoon. No one had seen her leave, but when Diane went to check on the woman, she was nowhere to be found. Diane was taking today’s events in stride. That was all that mattered to Sylvester right now.

That, and the conversation he was about to have.

“I am sorry I accused you,” he told his brother. “I wanted to believe you were responsible for our father’s death. I was so certain of myself.”

“You were foolish,” was Gregory’s response. The village chief didn’t look the least bit annoyed. “But you were not entirely wrong. I did want a war. For a long time, it was all I could dream of, especially after what happened to our mother. I wanted to crush our enemies wherever they were.”

“You are a warrior after all.”

“I am also a chief, Sylvester, and that means I understand the need for the peace and security of this village. Of our people. And after what happened to our father, I started to see his point. I saw the need for peace. I wanted to prevent a war by any means possible, but I was prepared to go to war with Glenstra if all else failed.”

“Fortunately, it didn’t,” Sylvester said.

Gregory nodded. “With our father gone, I had to take his place quickly. And with the tensions rising between the villages, I could hardly take the time to figure out who murdered him. Still, I should not have dismissed your concerns.”

Sylvester felt a warm tug in his gut. He smiled. “It’s alright, brother.” They stood in silence for what seemed like a full minute before he added, “For the record, you make a great chief. Our father would be proud.”

The look his brother shot him was worthy of ten suns.

Chapter Fifteen

“We Do Not Kneel”

The novel lay next to her, a crease in its wide red spine. Diane’s only regret was that she hadn’t waited longer to finish it. Having nothing to read could easily drive you insane with boredom. Wasn’t that why housewives her age tended to bury their noses in romance novels or park themselves in front of a TV?

She wouldn’t be getting any more books soon, that was for sure, especially with Quinta gone.

Diane couldn’t help wondering what the woman must be feeling. It was one thing to have your husband taken away from you, either by fate or a chief’s guards. It was another to find out you’d been living with a killer.

It was all like a murder mystery. The thought brought a smile to Diane’s lips, just as the cabin door swung open and Sylvester walked in, his expression unreadable.

She rose to her feet, supporting her weight against the stone mantle, trying for an encouraging smile as though her heart wasn’t slamming in her ribcage at the mere sight of him. “How’d it go with your brother?”

He came to stand next to her, gazing down into the flames. “Whatever enmity we had between us is now over.”

“That’s great,” she murmured. “I guess taking me as your wife to piss him off was never really necessary.”

Half his face was cast in shadow as he turned to look at her, and it occurred to her that she shouldn’t have said that—not that she hadn’t thought it

“Are you alright?” To her surprise, he didn’t sound irritated, only concerned.

She nodded. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You look… downcast.”

Well, that was one way to put it. She smiled but it was halfhearted. “I’m alright. I mean, I guess so. I just…” A sigh filled the air between them. “I’m still not sure what you want with me, Sylvester. I don’t know what youfeelfor me. I haven’t had time to think about it between last night and this morning, but now I’m wondering again.” She chuckled. “It sounds stupid, I know, I—”

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