Leap of the Lion (The Wild Hunt Legacy #4)(29)
“A couple of the females did go crazy.” Her eyes darkened before she straightened her shoulders and pulled her hand away. “So, Gather-bred is correct?” Efficient as a housekeeping brownie, she tidily brushed away the messy emotions.
“Gather-bred means conceived during the full moon Gathering, so aye, you have used the word correctly. My siblings and I were Gather-bred as well.” His jaw clenched. Four children, four different sires. And their mother had treated each child differently because of those sires. “Among other things, blademages make lifemating bracelets, which are a symbol of love. If the Mother approves of the match, she blesses the bracelets.” Now he and Owen were reunited, maybe…someday…they could find a lifemate.
Darcy wrapped her hands around her coffee mug. “I used to daydream about finding my mates.”
“Used to?”
The sadness in her laugh was heartbreaking. Again, she brushed away the emotions. “Have you been a blademage long? Do you meet lots of shifters who are lifemates?”
“I’ve been a smith since the age of sixteen and was called to serve the Goddess a few years later.” He frowned as the years turned into decades. “I’ve met many, many lifemates.”
“Then you’d probably know… I’ve always wondered if people fall in love instantly, or is it a process that takes time?” Her eyes were alight with interest.
“A few do fall in love upon meeting.” He stroked his beard as he thought. “Perhaps they were mates in a previous lifetime and simply recognized each other.”
“Oooh,” she sighed. “Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
For a moment, he could see the starry-eyed cubling she would have been. All feelings and passion. But now the little female kept her emotions under careful control, and his heart hurt for the change. “After most shifters meet, there seems to be an adjustment period. Their beliefs and habits change in tiny ways until everything matches seamlessly.”
“Change?”
He smiled. “It always reminds me of how I create a knife shaft for a blade. I’ll adjust the size, working at it little by little, until the haft slides into the wood for a perfect fit.”
Someday, he and Owen would find their perfect fit.
*
“Thank you, Breanne. You’re going to ruin me for stalking my own food.” As the pretty blonde chef laughed, Owen swallowed the last of the bacon-lettuce-tomato sandwich and headed out of the kitchen.
Through the dining room windows, he spotted his brother and Darcy on the patio. Sunning sounded good, but he’d have to converse with a female and… He winced, remembering Nia’s accusation. “…you lump all females into a group and think we’re all equally awful.” By the God, he’d become the kind of a person he abhorred. The realization was as painful as a reprimanding swat from the grizzly cahir, Ben.
True, his childhood had given him reasons to avoid females, yet not all were like his mother or the ones who chased after the God-called merely for status.
Time to change his ways. To observe each female with the clear eyes of a hawk rather than a snake’s vision, which would note only moving prey. And he needed to learn to be polite.
He walked over and set his hand on Gawain’s shoulder, smiling as his blood and muscles recognized the soul that had shared his mother’s womb. “Are you two ready to go for a run?”
“A run?” Darcy’s expression was that of a cub considering how far to venture from the den. Anticipation, excitement, anxiety. “I guess?”
When Gawain laughed, she smiled ruefully. “I thought I was supposed to stay put and heal.”
“Shifting helps the healing process, since the magic gives everything a lift,” Gawain told her.
Owen nodded. “Since you’ve had problems with shifting, it’s best if not much time passes between trawsfurs.”
“Oh.”
When Gawain took her hand, she startled, then let him pull her to her feet.
Gawain kept her hand in his, and Owen noticed she didn’t tug away. His littermate had apparently exerted his charm.
“We can use the side door here since the exit was designed for shifters.” Owen led them inside. His healed wrist could use the magical boost, and he’d make sure he and Darcy took it easy today.
Down the back hallway, the door at the end was marked Private. Owen punched in the code for the door lock, which had been added after a cub used the door. In the tiny changing room, he and Gawain started stripping.
Darcy’s face lost the soft flush of color. “Um. You two go on ahead.”
Females. Didn’t they… Catching himself running the familiar trail of disparagement, Owen skidded to a stop. Altering his ways might be more difficult than he’d anticipated.
“Gawain and I have seen hundreds of females without clothing.” He tried on a smile. “You all have the same parts. Today, you will be shifting several times as you learn how to survive in the wild. This is your first lesson: Lose the embarrassment.”
She’d listened, nodded, but at his final words, an irritated red swept into her face. “Fine.” The sideways slant of her mouth held the same warning as the lashing tail of an irritated cougar.
Ah-huh. Like his mother, her words said one thing and her body language another. Was any female honest?
“Although my brother has the manners of a drunken dwarf, he’s correct, catling.” Gawain took her hand again. “You don’t live with humans any longer. It’s time to learn shifter ways.”