Page 24 of The Right to Bear Claws
"Thank you for bringing me," she said. "I really enjoyed being part of this."
"Thank you for all the help. You probably saved us another three meetings worth of arguments."
"I doubt that." She laughed, but there was something distant in her expression, like she was already pulling back from the moment. "I should probably get going. Miriam's making her famous pot roast tonight, and I promised to help with the vegetables."
"I could walk you back," he offered.
"That's okay. It's only a few blocks, and I know you want to talk strategy with Lucien." She touched his arm briefly, a fleeting contact that sent warmth racing through his system. "But I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Of course."
He watched her gather her things and say goodbye to the other committee members, noting the genuine affection in their responses. Hollow Oak had claimed her as thoroughly as she'd claimed them, creating bonds that should have been reassuring.
So why did he feel like he was watching her prepare to say goodbye?
"She's going to run," he said to Lucien once Kaia had left and the room had mostly cleared.
"What makes you think that?"
"The way she's memorizing everything. Like she's trying to store up enough good memories to last." Elias ran his hand over his face. "Christ, Lucien. What am I supposed to do? Lock her in a room until Halloween passes?"
"You're supposed to trust her," his friend said firmly. "And trust yourself. You think she wants to leave you?"
"No. But I think she's convinced herself that leaving is the noble thing to do."
"Then remind her that nobility without wisdom is just stupidity in disguise." Lucien clapped him on the shoulder. "And remind her that running away doesn't solve anything. It just makes you tired and alone."
Elias nodded, but worry continued to gnaw at his stomach as they locked up the town hall and headed their separate ways. Eight days until Halloween. Eight days to convince his mate that she was safer with him than without him.
And to prove that love was stronger than whatever shadows haunted her dreams.
His bear snarled at the thought of losing her, protective instincts demanding immediate action. But Magnus was right about the importance of patience. Claiming Kaia through force or desperation would only drive her further away.
No, he'd have to win her trust the hard way—one small gesture at a time, one moment of safety at a time, until she understood that Hollow Oak wasn't just a place she'd stumbled into by accident.
It was home. And he'd be damned if he let anything take her away from it.
12
KAIA
"Hand me that string of lights, would you?" Twyla called from her perch on a stepladder outside the Griddle & Grind. "And don't give me that look, Kaia. I've been climbing ladders since before you were born."
Kaia passed up the amber lights, marveling at how the simple task of decorating for Halloween could feel so normal and wonderful. "I wasn't giving you a look. I was admiring your color coordination skills."
"Flatterer." Twyla's laugh tinkled like wind chimes. "Though you're not wrong. Takes a fae eye to get the autumn balance just right."
"Speaking of balance," Maeve's voice came from across the street where she was wrestling with an oversized scarecrow, "could one of you explain why this thing weighs forty pounds? What did Edgar stuff it with, lead shot?"
"Protective herbs," Edgar Tansley called back from the Hollow Mercantile's doorway. "Blessed salt, iron filings, and a few other things that'll keep unwanted spirits from getting too comfortable during the festival."
"Of course it is," Kaia muttered, but she was smiling. A couple days of helping with Halloween preparations had taught her that nothing in Hollow Oak was ever just what it seemed. Every decoration served a dual purpose, every seemingly innocent festival element carried protective magic woven into its very fabric. She thought it had been decorated before when her and Elias walked through, but apparently, that was everyone’s personal touch, not the town’s.
"Don't sound so surprised," Twyla said, securing the last of her lights. "You've been here long enough to know we take our supernatural security seriously."
"I'm learning." Kaia stepped back to admire their handiwork. "It's just... different from anywhere else I've lived."
"Good different or bad different?"
