Page 25 of The Right to Bear Claws
"Good," she said softly. "Definitely good."
The admission was true, which made everything else so much harder. Every day in Hollow Oak revealed new layers of belonging she'd never experienced. Helping with the festival preparations, having people ask for her opinions like they mattered, working alongside neighbors who'd become friends without her even noticing the transition.
And then there was Elias.
"Speak of the devil," Twyla said with obvious satisfaction. "Here comes your shadow now."
Kaia turned to see Elias approaching with a steaming to-go cup from the café, his timing so perfect it couldn't be coincidental. He'd been doing this for days now—appearing with her favorite coffee exactly when she needed a break, materializing with helpful tools whenever she was struggling with a task, somehow always nearby without making her feel watched or suffocated.
"Thought you might need fuel," he said, offering her the cup with that small smile that made her stomach flutter. "Extra shot, light cream, just a touch of cinnamon."
"You remember how I like my coffee."
"I remember everything about you."
The simple statement, delivered in his quiet, matter-of-fact tone, made heat creep up her neck. "Thank you. For this, and for... everything else."
"My pleasure."
"Oh, for heaven's sake," Twyla muttered from her ladder. "You two are going to give me cavities with all that sweetness. Elias, make yourself useful and help me down from here."
He moved to steady the ladder while Twyla descended, but his eyes never left Kaia's face. "How's the decorating going?"
"Good. Really good, actually." She gestured toward Main Street, where the Halloween transformation was taking shape. "It's amazing how much the whole town's gotten involved. I've never been part of anything like this before."
"Community events are kind of our specialty," he said. "Wait until you see the Winter Solstice celebration. Twyla goes completely overboard with the lighting effects."
Wait until you see.The casual assumption that she'd still be here in December made her chest tight with longing and guilt. She wanted to be here for the solstice celebration, wanted to help plan it and see Twyla's lighting magic and spend the holidays surrounded by these wonderful people that she had gotten to know.
But wanting things didn't make them safe.
"Kaia?" Elias's voice held concern. "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Just thinking about everything that needs to be done before Halloween," she said quickly. "Speaking of which, I should probably head over to the Book Nook. Lucien said he had somereferences that might help with the historical accuracy of our decorations."
It wasn't entirely a lie. She did need to visit the bookstore, just not for the reasons she'd implied.
"I'll walk you," Elias offered.
Before she could find a reason for him to not go, Maeve called for his help with her scarecrow situation.
She touched his arm briefly, a contact that sent warmth racing through her system. "Thank you. For the coffee, for always thinking of me."
His silver eyes searched her face like he was trying to read some hidden message. "Anytime."
The Book Nook's familiar scent of old paper and ink wrapped around Kaia like a comforting blanket when she stepped inside. Lucien looked up from behind the counter, his green eyes taking in her expression with feline perception.
"Let me guess," he said. "You're not here for decoration research."
"Is it that obvious?"
"You have the look of someone carrying heavy secrets." He gestured toward the back of the store. "What are you really looking for?"
Kaia glanced around to make sure they were alone, then moved closer to the counter. "Information about dreamwalking. Specifically, about entities that can use dreamwalkers as anchors to the physical world."
Lucien's expression grew serious. "That's some dangerous territory you're exploring."
"I know. But I need to understand what I'm dealing with. The dreams are getting worse, and I think... I think I might be putting everyone in danger just by being here."
