Page 33 of Whisker me Away
The Hearth & Hollow Inn appeared ahead like sanctuary, its warm windows glowing against the autumn evening. Miriamwould be in the kitchen, preparing for the dinner service, but she'd make time for him. She always did.
He found her exactly where expected, flour dusting her silver hair as she rolled out pie crust with practiced efficiency. Her spectacles caught the lamplight as she looked up, taking in his expression with the sharp perception that had made her such an effective council member.
"Well," she said, setting aside her rolling pin. "You look like a man whose world just got turned upside down. Tea?"
"Something stronger might be better."
"That bad?" Miriam moved to the stove where a kettle was already heating, her movements calm and unhurried despite his obvious distress. "I was told it was a private meeting with you, Freya and Varric. What happened?"
Kieran slumped into one of the kitchen chairs, suddenly feeling every one of his thirty-two years. "The binding spell. The one Freya's ancestor used to contain the Thornweaver. It didn't require a blood sacrifice."
"Oh?" Miriam poured hot water over tea leaves, the familiar ritual giving them both time to settle into conversation. "What did it require?"
"A mated pair. Two people working together, sharing their combined life force to power the spell." Kieran accepted the cup she offered, wrapping his hands around the warm ceramic. "Celeste Bloom wasn't alone when she bound the Thornweaver. She had her tiger shifter mate helping her."
Understanding dawned in Miriam's eyes. "And now Freya needs..."
"Someone like me. A mate whose power can combine with hers to renew the binding." Kieran stared into his tea, watching steam rise like miniature clouds. "The cosmic joke is almost perfect, isn't it? Fate finally gives me someone I can't livewithout, and the only way to keep her alive is to force a bond she might not want."
"Force?" Miriam's voice carried gentle skepticism. "That's an interesting choice of words for someone describing his fated mate."
"She doesn't love me, Miriam. She cares about me, feels the attraction, but love?" Kieran shook his head. "She was ready to accept Rowan's proposal before all this started. I'm just the supernatural solution to her problem."
"Are you?" Miriam settled across from him with her own cup, her expression thoughtful. "Because from where I'm sitting, it sounds like you're terrified she might not choose you if she had other options."
Kieran's tiger snarled at having his fears exposed so clearly, but he couldn't deny Miriam's accuracy. His entire adult life had been built around avoiding exactly this situation, of wanting someone so badly that their rejection could destroy him.
"I've seen what happens when people leave," he said quietly. "My parents, every foster family except you. I learned early that depending on others was a luxury I couldn't afford."
"And yet here you are, completely dependent on one stubborn witch for your happiness." Miriam's smile was gentle but relentless. "Tell me, dear one, what exactly are you afraid of?"
"That she'll only accept the bond because she has to. That I'll spend the rest of my life knowing she settled for me instead of choosing me." The words scraped his throat raw. "That even saving her won't be enough to make her love me."
"Oh, Kieran." Miriam reached across the table to squeeze his hand. "Do you really think so little of yourself? Or so little of her?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean Freya Bloom is one of the most independent women I know. She's spent three years running her grandmother's legacy single-handedly, turning down every suitor who's tried to court her, building a life entirely on her own terms." Miriam's eyes held knowing warmth. "Do you honestly believe someone that stubborn would accept a mate bond just because it was convenient?"
Kieran wanted to argue, but the logic was sound. Freya had spent their entire acquaintance proving she didn't do anything just because others expected it of her. Even now, facing supernatural threats and community pressure, she made her own choices with fierce determination.
"She's scared too," he realized aloud.
"Of course she is. She's facing the same impossible choice you are. Risk everything on love or play it safe with what makes sense on paper." Miriam's expression grew serious. "But here's what I've learned in my years: running from love has never protected anyone from pain. It just keeps them from joy."
Before Kieran could respond, his phone buzzed with a text from Freya: Can you meet me at the cemetery? I want to visit my grandmother's grave, and I'd rather not go alone.
His tiger immediately perked up at being needed, at the intimacy implied by her request. Visiting family graves was sacred territory, not something you shared with casual acquaintances.
"I have to go," he said, standing quickly. "Freya wants company for a cemetery visit."
"Ah." Miriam's knowing smile suggested she understood the significance better than he did. "Give Sage Bloom my regards when you see her stone. She was a formidable woman."
The Hollow Oak Cemetery sat on a hill overlooking the town, its old growth trees creating cathedral spaces between weathered headstones. Kieran found Freya standing beforean elegant granite marker carved with Celtic knotwork and symbols that probably held magical significance beyond his understanding.
"Thank you for coming," she said without turning around. "I know it's probably weird, but I needed..."
"You needed to talk to someone who can't argue with your decisions." Kieran moved to stand beside her, close enough to catch her scent of lilacs and determination. "I get it."
