Page 26 of Medium
He told Pia, “It’s a Granny Smith apple tree. My granny lived here, and she used to tell me wild stories about this other granny the tree was named after.”
I followed them in, pausing to close and lock the front door.
Pia didn’t respond, but Rory said, “She, uh, must have loved you a lot.”
Shane was probably going to reply, but I was distracted by something inside my chest suddenly yanking me toward him. I grunted and stumbled forward, one hand outstretched to catch myself, and one hand clapped over my junk as my towel slipped.
Rory stopped walking and looked between me and Shane, who was bent over clutching his chest. “What’s the matter? Are you okay?”
Ms. Jackson snorted and rolled their eyes.
I grimaced. “Um, sorry. Just bonded. Forgot we need to stay close to each other for right now. Let’s get Pia settled.” I hurriedly refastened my towel and went over to stand next to Shane.
Most people would’ve congratulated us on our bonding, but Rory’s expression said he had other things on his mind. He shifted the pot in his hands, and I noticed it was made out ofconcrete, like the kind people had in their front yards. It must be heavy as fuck, plus Pia’s weight on top of it. Damn.
Ms. Jackson nosed the thumb latch on the back door, then they used their chin to press down on the handle. Nudging the door open, they flicked their tail as they went outside. Shane and I could see in the dark pretty well, and as a Hunter, Rory could see even better than we did. Nevertheless, I flicked on the outside light as I passed through the doorway. A little light might make Pia more comfortable.
Shane put his hand on my back, and we followed them onto the concrete patio. He pointed to the far right corner of the yard, where a tree was covered in white and pink blossoms. “How does that look, Pia?”
Ms. Jackson trotted over to the tree, and Rory walked swiftly after them. I found myself admiring how his ass filled out his tuxedo pants. Shane jerked his head around to look at me, and I was swamped with guilt. Fuck, I hadn’t even been bonded for half a day, and I was looking at other guys? It wasn’t supposed to be possible, so did this mean our bond was even more screwed up than we’d thought? I hated that Shane had felt my attraction to Rory.
“Sorry,” I muttered, continuing to follow Rory to the tree.
He set the pot and Pia down next to the base of the trunk. Then he patted her on the shoulder and stepped back, shaking out his hands and arms. “What do we do now?”
His hands were beautiful, with long graceful fingers. He wouldn’t have any trouble doing the Boingy Boing.
Crap. I yanked my gaze back to Shane, who was kneeling in the grass near the tree. He said, “Pia, do you want to hang out with the apple tree for a while?”
She lifted her head and looked at the tree, then she turned to Rory and reached out a hand. His jacket was so big on her that the extra fabric of the sleeve hung limply where her hand didn’t reach. She was wearing some sort of t-shirt with a shark on it under the jacket.
He took her sleeve-covered hand. “I won’t leave you, kiddo, but you need the tree’s magic. Your mom says so.”
I blinked at his words. Her mom? Pia didn’t have any active connections other than what appeared to be a brand-new tenuous one with Rory, so she couldn’t have any living relatives or close friends. What an asshole move to pretend like her mom was still alive and communicating with him, especially when Pia would know he was lying.
For his part, Rory didn’t have any connections either, other than Pia. Which was weird, because Hunters had connections to their teams. But that wasn’t important right now. Maybe he just didn’t know how to talk to kids. It was the middle of the night, and he’d rescued her from a bad situation. I should give him the benefit of the doubt.
For now.
Shane cocked his head, and I felt his discomfort with Rory’s comment about Pia’s mom, but he didn’t say anything. He asked Pia, “What if we bring some chairs over here and sit with you while you make friends with the tree?”
She seemed to tug on Rory’s hand, and he crouched down next to her. She leaned away from the plant enough to whisper in his ear.
Rory’s expression turned sympathetic. “I’m so sorry, Pia. I didn’t think of that.” He looked at us. “She wants clean clothes. The... jerk who held her kept her in a glass box with no running water. Is there a 24-hour Walmart around here or something?”
Ms. Jackson’s ears went back, and they kicked out their hind legs. Same, Ms. Jackson. I felt the exact same.
Shane said, “Well, if you don’t mind old lady clothes, Pia, I still have some of my granny’s things. If those would do for tonight, we could get you something a little more fashionable tomorrow."
She nodded and gave Shane a small smile. I felt his heartbreak-slash-pride through the bond.
“Okay I’ll be back in five minutes.” He stood up. “Uh, make it ten minutes, because I’d like to put some clothes on myself. Pia, do you need water or food or anything? Do you want to wash up?”
Pia shook her head. She hadn’t let go of Rory’s hand, and he eased himself to the ground, sitting cross-legged next to her.
“Rory, you want some water?”
“God, yes, please.”
