Page 26 of The Witch's Shifter
Yet another wave of worry crashes over me. What if he got hurt? What if he found Faolan and they attacked each other?What if they’re both lying at the bottom of a ravine somewhere, washed away by the storm?
I lift a hand to my mouth and gnaw on an already-ragged thumbnail.
Harrison opens one green eye to regard me. “I’m sure they’re fine. They’re both perfectly capable of being out in the woods. Especially the wolf.”
The way he says it, I can detect the hint of disdain in his voice. But I can’t even let that bother me now. Once the men are home in one piece, we can figure out how we’re all going to get along. Until then, I’ll just keep pacing and staring out this darn window, hoping to see a flash of—
Red. There. On the tree line.
I don’t wait another moment. Hair loose and feet bare, I throw open the kitchen door and hurry out into the cold wet grass. Despite the late-morning sun, yesterday’s rain still clings to the ground, and the earth is muddy beneath my toes as I run for the forest as quickly as my pregnant body will allow.
Sure enough, it’s Rowan stepping from the shadows of the trees, a wounded Faolan limping alongside him. I throw my arms around Rowan’s neck, causing him to stumble, and breathe in the scent of rain and salt and pine clinging to his skin.
“You’re back,” I whisper against his throat.
His laughter is light, and I can feel it rumble in his chest. “Did you miss us?”
“I was so worried. That storm...” Pulling away, I look into his green eyes, then glance at Faolan. “Are you all right?”
“Fine,” Faolan says at the same time that Rowan replies, “He’s injured.” The men exchange a sharp look, but they’re not at each other’s throats, so whatever happened, they seem to have worked through some things.
“Come inside.” I back away from Rowan and beckon them to follow me. “You could both use a bath.”
“And hopefully something to eat?” Rowan says.
I smile. “I have just the thing.”
AFTER BOTH MEN HAVE SCRUBBED themselves clean and are dressed in fresh clothes—Faolan wearing yet another outfit of Alden’s—I serve them each up a plate of blackberry cobbler.
They must be hungry, because they eat without even coming up for air.
While watching them, I note that Harrison has once again disappeared. My chest feels hollow as I cast my gaze out the window for him, but I don’t find him. I don’t want Faolan’s presence making him feel uncomfortable in his own home. It’s something that’ll certainly need to be addressed.
There ismuchto be addressed now that Faolan is back.
Rowan lets out a contented sigh and stretches his arms over his head.
“What did you think?” I ask, sweeping his and Faolan’s dishes from the table, delighted to see they didn’t leave even a crumb behind.
“You’ve ruined all other cobblers for me,” Rowan says. He gives me a sleepy smile. There are circles under his eyes, dark against his pale skin.
“You look like you need to rest,” I say.
He yawns, proving my point.
Then his gaze slides to Faolan, who’s not said more than a few words since getting back.
“I think I will.” The wooden floorboards creak as Rowan stands up, and then he pulls me in for a hug. In my ear, he whispers, “If you need me...”
I don’t need him to finish the sentence. Nodding, I return his embrace, then press a kiss against his freshly shaved cheek. “Go get some sleep.”
Rowan sinks to one knee, and Faolan watches through heavy-lidded eyes as Rowan presses a kiss to my belly, his hands soft and warm through the fabric of my dress. Then Rowan stands and departs the kitchen. His steps ascend the staircase, and I just barely hear the click of the bedroom door.
Now Faolan and I are alone.
He sits at the tiny kitchen table, dwarfing it in the same way Alden does. His hair falls across his shoulders in a sleek straight veil of black. Without looking at me, he traces a whorl in the table with his finger. They all do that when they’re trying to avoid my eyes.
“How badly did you hurt yourself?” I ask.
