Page 18 of Salvation

Was it really possible? Did he really have a mate?

Her eyes sparked and her lips parted. Maybe even trembled until she caught her bottom lip with her teeth, a slim line of white peeking around the pink. When she caught a lock of hair and twirled it with her finger absently, he longed to reach out and twirl it, too.

Definitely my mate,his bear hummed inside.

God, she was pretty. And her emerald eyes were so clear, so genuine. Her smile was the only one in the room that wasn’t forced, and her words were the only ones that reached his ears, perfectly clear and crisp.

“We can share,” she’d said. “That’s fine.”

And just like that, sticking around Soren’s place didn’t seem like a punishment anymore.

More like a chance,his bear agreed.One last chance.

Last chance at what?

Of starting over again.

An idea that had seemed utterly impossible until now.

Quickly, before Soren or Sarah could protest, he chimed in. “Okay with me.”

Anna nodded quickly. “Okay with me, too.”

Which seemed so easy at the time, but it was bound to turn into torture of a completely different kind. Anna was human. She didn’t know about destined mates or bears — or any other kind of shifter, for that matter. Plus, he still couldn’t place her, and it seemed really important to figure that out.

Just when he was about to give in and start on the first of a thousand questions he wanted to ask — like,Anna, is your hair as soft as it looks?Or,Anna, can I trust you with the truth about who I really am?— Sarah called her away.

Then Soren led him down the stairs and into the back room of the saloon, and Anna seemed a million miles away again. His bear sniffed in the direction she’d gone and whimpered unabashedly.

“Look. We could really use your help. Right here. You think you can put some life back into this wreck?” Soren motioned toward the dilapidated wooden bar.

It wasn’t the masterpiece of woodwork that the hundred-year-old mahogany bar in the front room was, but it was solid oak and a nice piece of joinery.

“Some fool painted the whole thing black,” Soren muttered, running a finger along one chipped edge. “But I reckon it would look okay if we got it down to raw wood. Varnish it up, make it shine.”

Todd slowly looked up and down the length of the bar. It was a good twenty feet long and six inches taller than his six-foot frame. A two- to three-week job, at best. Was Soren really serious about him sticking around that long?

Soren nodded, and Todd cursed himself for not guarding his thoughts more carefully.

“Look, I don’t want to make this any harder on you or us than it already is,” Soren said.

You or us.Todd turned the words over in his mind. It made them sound like two opposing sides. But he wasn’t his cousin’s enemy. He’d always been Soren’s most loyal ally. Had nothing changed — or had everything changed?

Soren shook his head vehemently. “The important part will never change. We’re family, man. We stick together.”

It sounded good, but Todd could sense the uncertainty in his cousin’s words. Enough to make him realize that Soren had everything at stake: his mate, his son, the stability of his clan.

Soren let out a long breath. “We’ll sort this out. Somehow. Sarah says we just need to give it time.”

A century wouldn’t be enough time. Not for him to make peace with himself. That part was easier for Soren. The baby was his in spirit and soul, and Todd would never contest that. But he’d always have to live with an empty space, knowing he had a son who could never be his own.

Soren cleared his throat and motioned toward the bar. “Look, we’ve been getting a lot of requests for private functions. If we get this back room fixed up, it would give us another income stream. Help us diversify a bit.”

Todd had never considered his cousin much of a businessman, but it seemed Soren had stepped up his game. As the oldest grandson of the ruling alpha, Soren had been groomed to lead their clan, while his younger brother Simon was to take over the day-to-day workings of the family lumber mill. Todd’s job was to support them as their most reliable go-to man. They’d always taken their responsibilities seriously, but it had always been asomedaykind of thing.

Now, they’d all been thrust into a harsh new reality. Soren had obviously risen to the challenge. Simon, too. And Todd — well…

Stop feeling sorry for yourself and do the same,his bear barked.

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