Page 36 of The Witch's Shifter
“I like the stars,” I say at long last.
Aurora settles a few potatoes into her basket, then tips her head at me. “Stars?”
“I like looking at them, tracking constellations.” Does that even count as a hobby? I’m not quite sure. But itissomething I’ve enjoyed doing since I was a pup. “It’s not as useful as gardening,” I say, holding up a carrot, “but I like it. It’s... grounding.”
And the stars always make me feel small, insignificant. But in a good way, like my worries and fuckups are meaningless in the eyes of the sky.
“I have to admit, I don’t know much about the stars. I had an astronomy class at Coven Crest, but I found it hard to grasp.” Aurora shifts her gaze back to the potato bed, a thoughtful furrow in her brow. “I think I do better with tangible things—like plants and cooking, things I can touch and understand. The stars...” She turns her face to the sky, even though all we cansee now is a swath of baby blue streaked with fluffy white clouds. “They feel so far away. I can’tgraspthem, you know?”
I nod slowly. “I know.”
A moment of silence passes between us. The chickens scratch about in the fallen dried leaves, and the breeze through the aspens causes them to hiss. Earlier, I saw Harrison watching us from the table near the garden, but now that I glance that way, he’s gone.
“Maybe you could show me,” Aurora says.
“The stars?”
“Well, I can see those.” She tucks a long strand of hair behind her ear. “But the constellations. Maybe you can point some out for me.”
I brace my earth-stained hands on my knees and feel my lips pulling back into a small smile. The idea of lying beneath the stars with her, warm summer grass like a bed beneath us, makes comforting warmth drift through my chest and around my heart. “I can do that.”
A far-off sound catches my attention, but Aurora, with her human hearing, hasn’t yet detected it. I push to my feet and look into the distance, down the lane leading away from the cottage. Footsteps are approaching, boots sweeping through fallen leaves.
“What is it?” Aurora lifts a hand to her brow to shield her eyes from the bright sunlight, not at all concerned with the soil covering her hands. “Do you hear something?”
“Someone’s approaching. I can hear their footsteps on the dry leaves.”
She glances my way, eyes wide. “Your hearing is incredible...”
Lifting one shoulder in a shrug, I turn my gaze back to the wooded path.
And a few breaths later, a woman and a man step out of the trees and into the autumn sunlight. My eyes narrow. I’ve never been particularly good with strangers.
“Oh, it’s Lydia and James. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
Aurora seems pleased enough, so I suppose they’re no threat. But I can’t say I’m excited about meeting them.
Some shifters choose to live amongst humans, to cohabitate with them in their cities and villages, but my pack, the Emberstone pack, has always lived far removed from the human settlements. Sure, we’re visited regularly by traders, but I have very little experience being surrounded by people.
I get an itch beneath my skin, a desire to tear free of the trousers confining my legs and gallop for the woods, to feel my paws upon the earth, but I resist it. This is Aurora’s world, and if I want to be around her, I have to learn how to live in it too.
She trots along ahead of me, and I lumber slowly behind her, sniffing the air as a breeze catches the cloaks of the visitors and sends their scents in my direction. They smell of sage, smoke, anda hint of coal. The woman has dark curls and a quick smile, and the man behind her has a soft face, the kind of face that makes you want to trust him quickly.
Still can’t say I’m interested in conversing, but as Aurora greets them, she turns back to look at me and holds out a hand. So I bite down on the urge to run and approach the trio with my hands in my trouser pockets.
“I was there when Alden and Rowan left the village suddenly,” the woman is saying as I approach. “I’ve been worried it was something to do with the baby. Goddess, I should’ve come sooner. The mercantile has just been packed lately with all the preparations for the harvest festival. James has even been taking time away from his smithing to help me.” She glances back at the man, who smiles softly and steps closer to her, his fingers gliding along her low back.
A couple, then.
The reminder of Aurora’s pregnancy has my gaze shifting to the bump beneath her dress.
Cathal would die of cruel laughter if he were to learn I’ve finally found my mate but that she’s pregnant with another man’s seed.
My lips almost curl into a snarl at the thought of my twin, laughing at my expense.
Asshole.
“Oh,” the woman says as I ease up behind Aurora. Her dark brown eyes sweep quickly over my bare chest and down to my feet, and a slight flush touches her cheeks. “Who’s this?”
