Page 48 of 3 Shifters to Break a Curse

It was hard not to fall into her hazel eyes. They were unlike any other I had seen. So bright and warm and full of color. My heart raced a little. She blinked at me and nodded slowly.

I nodded once.

“You absolutely need to trust us,” Ezra said.

“You’re right,” she said. “I’m sorry again.”

I spent the rest of the walk pondering the feelings that flowed through my body and got a little stronger each time Toni drew closer. It was a different sensation, and I wasn’t sure what to do about that.

I had never felt this way about someone before. And it was exciting as much as it was terrifying.

21

TONI

A couple of days passed, and I was growing rather fond of the men. They had a way of including me in the various things they did when they really didn’t need to. I was perfectly fine with sticking to myself. But they wouldn’t allow it. And as much as I tried not to let my heart get carried away, it was difficult.

I knew things could never progress with these men. I would be leaving soon. That meant leaving them as well. And every time I thought about leaving the men behind, my heart ached. The very thought of not having them around every day made me miss them already.

As the flames lapped at its confines within the fireplace, I became more lost in thought regarding the men and my ever-growing feelings for them.

The more time I spent with these men, the harder it was going to be to leave them, and I had no clue how to make it all stop. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to make things stop.

“Everything okay?” Luke asked, joining me at the fireplace.

I looked up at him. I was sitting on the floor in front of the couch, close to the fireplace, soaking in the warmth. I nodded at him. “Yeah. Just lost in thought.”

“Mind if I join you?” he asked.

“I would like that,” I said with a smile and patted the spot on the floor next to me.

“Good,” he said and sighed as he took a seat.

It was only me and him for a little while. Ezra and Rin had gone out to hunt for food so they could build up their stock for the winter months. I imagined it would be difficult to leave when the snow hit, and Luke had mentioned before he felt an early winter coming. I was sure checking the boundary of their property was part of the trip too. Just to make sure Jared hadn’t come back. So far, there hadn’t been any sign of him. As far as I could tell. The men had been very careful about keeping their findings from me.

“Penny for your thoughts,” he said.

I chuckled. “Seriously?”

He shrugged. “I guess. Why not?”

I smiled at him then shifted my attention to the fire as a I quickly came up with words to tell him. “I like it here. A lot. But I will have to leave soon. It’s sort of bittersweet.”

“I like having you here,” he said. “It’s been different and nice.”

I smiled. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

He smiled, staring at the fire. “You’re welcome.”

“You have a very nice smile,” I said and instantly felt embarrassed at my blurted-out comment. My cheeks burned from the blood rushing into them.

He chuckled to himself. “Thank you. My sister would agree with you.”

“She’s a smart girl,” I said.

“Yes, she is,” Luke said.

“She’s not a shifter, though, is she?” I asked.

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