Hex (Winter - Shifter Seasons Book 1)

by Harmony Raines

  “I’m okay,” Hex nodded and stood up straight as his breathing returned to normal.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Shawn asked. “Did you lose someone in the water?”

  Hex shook his head. “Not yet.”

  “What does that mean?” Shawn asked.

  “I have this dream.” Hex touched his temple. “It’s like a recurring nightmare where I’m drowning.”

  “I see.” Shawn’s expression was sympathetic. “That must be scary. To relive yourself drowning over and over again.”

  “That’s not the scary part.” Hex looked in the direction of his mate, unsure whether to tell Shawn. He’d never told anyone the full truth, except his immediate family. “My mom had a premonition about my dad dying.”

  Shawn took a sharp intake of breath. “And you think this is a premonition of your mate dying?” His face paled. “Of Martha dying.”

  Hex nodded. “Or maybe it’s all in my head.”

  “Wow.” Shawn leaned back against the wall. “That must be hell.”

  Hex nodded. “I’ve told Martha about the dream, but I don’t know whether to tell her the rest. I don’t want to frighten her or for her to think I’m some kind of weirdo, but I also want her to be aware...”

  “Tell her what you told me,” Shawn suggested. “Be open with her. Tell her your fears.”

  Hex nodded. “I will. As soon as we are alone.”

  “And, Hex.” Shawn went into the room where the slides had moved onto hypothermia and grabbed a small booklet. “Read this. It might help.”

  “Thanks.” Hex looked down at the booklet in Shawn’s hand. How to Revive and Resuscitate.

  “Read it. If you have any questions at all come and find me.” Shawn looked away from Hex as his name was announced. “I have to go but Martha has my cell phone number. If you need me for anything, you just call.”

  “I will.” Hex held up his hand in thanks before he turned away and walked down the hallway, staring at the booklet in his hand.

  Read it, his bear said. And talk to Martha. This affects us all. His bear’s somber mood reflected Hex’s mood completely.

  I will, Hex said as he turned the corner of the corridor and walked on with his head down. If there is any way we can save her, we will.

  Stop! his bear commanded.

  What? Hex asked.

  We just walked past the coffee machine. His bear shook his head. You’re going to have to be more observant.

  Hex folded the booklet Shawn had given him and shoved it into his jacket pocket before pulling out a handful of coins that he deposited into the coffee machine in return for three cups of coffee. He leaned forward and sniffed the cups as he walked back along the corridor. Not bad for coffee from a machine.

  “There you are.” Martha was walking toward him with Hilda at her side. “We thought you’d left us.”

  “No.” He’d been so deep in thought he hadn’t sensed her approach.

  Be more observant, his bear said sharply. It might save someone’s life.

  “I couldn’t find a coffee machine and then I bumped into Shawn.” Hex handed out the coffees.

  “Shawn is here?” Martha asked, looking around.

  “He’s giving a talk about resuscitating people in freezing conditions,” Hex said. There was no hint of jealousy in his voice as Martha looked impressed. There was no need, he was confident in himself and his mate. Shawn was just a good friend of Martha and her mom. Just a good friend.

  “He didn’t say he was going to be here,” Martha said. “I’d have liked to thank him personally. I was in a bit of a daze yesterday when he came to see Mom.”

  “You can thank him by asking him to dinner,” Hilda suggested as they huddled together to one side of the corridor and sipped their hot coffee.

  “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.” Martha didn’t look directly at Hex, but he knew she meant because of him.

  “I’d like to get to know him better,” Hex confessed. “Since he’s a good friend to you and your mom.”

  “Really?” Martha asked. “That would be good. I’ve been friends with Shawn since high school.”

  “Oh, that long?” Still not jealous, Hex told himself.

  “Yes, and maybe he can give me advice on retraining as a pharmacist,” Martha continued. “Just being here with all these people needing help has made me realize I’d really like to do something worthwhile with my life.”

  “We could ask if Jane would like to come over too,” Hilda said. “We haven’t seen her for a few months, I bet she’s grown.”

  “Jane?” Hex asked. Did Shawn have a girlfriend or even a mate that he didn’t know about? If so, his jealous outburst would have been completely for nothing.

  “Shawn had a daughter,” Martha explained.

  “A daughter?” Hex repeated. “He lost his mate?”

  “No!” Hilda said. “At least we don’t think so.”

  Martha shot her mom a warning glance. “I refuse to get embroiled in gossip about Shawn and Jane.”

  “It’s not gossip, it’s speculation,” Hilda replied tartly. The elderly lady was certainly sharp today, there was no hint of her being forgetful.

  “Which is a fancy word for gossip.” Martha shook her head at her mom before she turned to Hex. “It’s a big mystery in Cougar Ridge,” Martha continued. “Shawn was working in a big hospital when he suddenly returned to Cougar Ridge with a child.”

  “Is Jane Shawn’s child?” Hex asked.

  “No one knows for sure but Fiona from social services came to see him after some nosy person questioned if he was the child’s legal guardian and she was satisfied that he was.” Martha shrugged. “And that is all anyone really needs to know.”

  “Yeah, for sure. That must be hard to raise a child alone.” He glanced at Martha as the thought of her drowning after they’d had a child punched him in the gut.

  “He does a great job and most people have been very supportive. But some talk still persists,” Martha admitted. “It ranges from he must have stolen the child, to he was responsible for a patient’s death and adopted Jane through guilt, or that he got a woman pregnant and she didn’t want a shifter child when she wasn’t his mate.”

  “Now who is gossiping?” Hilda accused.

  “I’m just making Hex aware of what’s been said since he might hear people gossiping.” Martha drained her coffee cup. “Right, we need to move on to our next appointment.”

  “Time to get poked and prodded,” Hilda complained although she had a gleam in her eyes and looked as if she was enjoying her trip to the hospital.

  They walked along the corridors and put their coffee cups in the recycling bin before taking the elevator to the next floor where Hilda was logged onto the system and they were told to take a seat and wait for the doctor. However, no sooner had they sat down than a nurse called Hilda’s name.

  “That was quick,” Martha said as she accompanied her mom down the hallway.

  “We had a couple of cancelations.” The nurse inclined her head toward the window. “The snow has started, and people are afraid to venture out in case they get stuck.”

  “Wow.” Martha walked to the window and Hex got up from his chair and went to join her. Outside the world was slowly turning white as the snow fell in big, soft flakes. “I think we might have to take you up on your offer to stay over.”

  “You might be right.” Hex watched the snow before he turned to face Martha. “I’m not complaining.”

  “Me neither,” she whispered, stroking her finger lightly down his chest before she left him alone to watch the snowfall.

  Tonight he’d sleep with his mate in his arms and wake up with her next to him in his bed.

  As long as you don’t wake up in the middle of the night screaming from that damn dream, his bear said.

  I don’t wake up screaming, Hex replied, although there was a chance he might wake Martha up if the dream did return.

  But by then he’d have spoken to her about the
dream and told her everything.

  With that, he took the booklet from his pocket and went back to the chairs where he sat and waited for Martha and Hilda. By the time they came out of the doctor’s clinic, he’d read the booklet from front to back, twice, and was confident he would be able to save his mate if she went into the water.

  And he was there.

  What scared him most was if she went into the water when she was alone with no one to save her.

  Hex knew that he could not be by her side every minute of every day. But he sure wanted to try.

  Chapter Fourteen – Martha

  “That wasn’t so bad,” Martha said to Hilda as they walked back along the corridor to where Hex was waiting for them. He looked flushed as if something had happened.

  “No, but we’re no closer to finding out what is wrong with me,” Hilda complained.

  “Give the doctors a chance, Mom,” Martha replied. “They have to wait for your results from the blood tests and then factor in your physical exam.”

  “I know, and the doctor was very patient and very thorough.” Hilda stopped and looked down at Hex. “Do you think we’re too late to go to your house for lunch?”

  “Oh, that’s why you’re cranky, you’re hungry.” Martha laughed as Hex stood up and they headed for the elevator. She couldn’t wait to get out of the hospital.

  “You might think it’s funny, but you used to get in a terrible mood when you were a child and needed food.” Hilda gave Martha a stern look then added, “We really are swapping places, aren’t we?”

  “Not quite. You will always be my mom and I will always be your daughter.” Martha slipped her hand into Hex’s. “And you will always be my mate.”

  “I know.” He grinned at her arched eyebrow. “Because I know how I feel about you and know that we will always be together.”

  “And lunch?” Hilda asked hopefully.

  “I’ll text my mom as we walk out to the car, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’ll also tell her to expect a couple of houseguests for the next few days since there is no way we’re going to get back to Cougar Ridge today.”

  “Is the snow that bad?” Martha waited for her mom to go first as the elevator doors opened on the ground floor.

  “It sure is.” Hex sent the message to his mom and then looked up as they approached the glass doors leading out of the reception area.

  “So much snow already.” Martha walked up to the door and placed her palms on the cold glass like a child looking through the window of a toy store.

  “I remember when you used to love the snow.” Hilda joined her daughter looking out onto the wintery wonderland.

  “That was when I didn’t realize how much trouble snow caused for folks.” She half-turned to look over her shoulder as a couple of doctors discussed emergency measures for getting staff in and out of the hospital.

  “Come on.” Hex pushed the door open and slipped outside. Martha and Hilda followed, but as the breeze caught at Hilda’s jacket and threatened to send her toppling over, Hex caught hold of her and wrapped his strong arms around her frail body. “Are you okay?”

  “As long as you don’t let me go.” Hilda nodded and held onto Hex as he took a step forward.

  Snow flew into their faces and he blew the air out of his mouth to push them away. “If I take your mom, will you be okay?”

  Martha nodded. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  Hex took one large stride after another, his feet making a crump, crump sound as he trod on the freshly fallen snow. Martha hugged her coat tightly around her body and followed; although her strides could not match Hex’s, it was comforting to see them. As the wind whipped around her hood and the snow flew into her face, all she had to do was keep her head down and follow the big footprints across the parking lot to his truck.

  “Your mom’s already inside.” Hex rested his hand on the door handle. “As soon as I open the door, jump inside.”

  She nodded and grabbed hold of his arm as she hauled herself to the side of the truck and got ready to climb in. As soon as Hex pulled the door open, the snow made an attempt to fill the cab with its cold wetness. Martha grabbed hold of the side of the truck and placed her foot on the step. However, her wet boot slipped, and she missed the foothold. Hex’s hand shot out and grabbed hold of her elbow. He practically lifted her into the truck with one hand.

  “Thanks,” she called out although her hood muffled her voice.

  As she sat down next to Hilda, Hex slammed the door shut and trudged around the front of the truck. Martha watched him, grateful when he yanked his own door open and climbed inside. “That is some snow out there.”

  “I wonder how Shawn is going to get home,” Hilda said as she watched the flakes fall all around them. Their footprints were already half-buried as the wind blew the snowflakes across the ground. “With this wind behind the snow, the drifts around Cougar Ridge are going to be bad.”

  “Maybe you should call him or message him and tell him he can stay with us,” Hex offered.

  “Wow, you’ve gone from looking as if you are going to knock the guy’s head off to asking him to come to stay?” Martha asked in surprise. However, she dug in her pocket for her phone.

  “I like the guy. We had a talk and set everything straight.” Hex glanced sideways at her. “And if he needs a place to stay, then that’s fine with me.”

  “I’ll text him, but I’m certain he’ll want to get back to Cougar Ridge to be with Jane.” She tapped on the screen and sent the message. “It’s a kind and thoughtful gesture.”

  “You make it sound as if Hex sent him a fruit basket,” Hilda said.

  Martha chuckled. “I did.” She pushed her hood down off her head, her clothes were dripping where the snow melted as the temperature in the truck rose. Or was it her temperature rising at the thought of spending some good, quality time with her mate?

  “Okay, let’s get back to my house and get out of these wet clothes.” He winked at Martha as if he’d read her thoughts.

  “I’ll settle for a warm drink and something to eat.” Hilda looked pale and cold sandwiched between Martha and Hex.

  Slipping her arm around her mom, Martha hugged her close, hoping her hot shifter blood would help ward off any chill. “We’ll soon be there and then you can spend a couple of days in the warmth. I don’t think we’ll be venturing outside too much with this snow coming down.”

  “They sure got the forecast wrong,” Hex pulled out onto the main road out of the hospital and turned toward Bear Creek.

  “This is what they forecast, it’s just come early.” Martha sure hoped it was only going to last a couple of days. Shawn wouldn’t want to leave Jane for too long and Martha didn’t like the idea of him making the journey alone.

  I do not mind trekking through the snow, her cougar informed her. Maybe our bear will come with us to keep us company.

  I don’t care where we are as long as Hex is with us. Martha loved the idea of being snowed in with Hex.

  As long as his mom and the rest of his family like us. It was her cougar’s turn to sound worried.

  Why would they not like us? Martha asked.

  Oh, I don’t know, we’re a cat, they’re a bear. Some people are prejudiced against felines.

  I’m certain that Hex’s family will just be happy that he’s found his mate and that he’s happy. And that we’re going to have kids. Bear shifters love kids.

  Martha’s phone beeped, ending her conversation with her other side. Tapping the screen, she read the message from Shawn. “Shawn said he’ll see how bad the snow is when he leaves the hospital. He really wants to get home, but he said thanks for the offer.”

  “Do you think he’ll be traveling alone?” Hilda asked with concern. “What if he gets lost, or stuck in the snow...”

  “I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Martha told her mom even though she’d been thinking the same thoughts.

  “Text him and tell him that if he needs help getting home, I’ll go out and help him,
” Hex said.

  “We’ll go out and help him,” Martha corrected.

  “No.” Hex shook his head adamantly.

  “Then I’ll go alone.” Martha jutted out her chin in defiance. “And don’t give me any crap about being the strongest. My cougar is fast and light. I’m better on the snow than a bear.”

  “I just don’t want you to get hurt,” Hex said.

  “And I don’t want you to get hurt.” She arched an eyebrow at him. “It works both ways, Hex. We’re equal in this.”

  “We can talk about it later.” His face was grim as he turned his attention back to the roads, which were becoming more treacherous by the minute as snow continued to fall.

  Martha opened her mouth, ready to argue with Hex, but her mom placed her hand over her daughter’s and gave it a light squeeze. “Not now.”

  Hilda was right, this was a private discussion. She didn’t want to argue in front of her mom.

  The truck cut through the snow with relative ease. Hex had made it winter-ready, and she was confident they would get to the sawmill no problem, but there was no way they would get up the steep road to Cougar Ridge. If she thought it was possible, she’d have asked Hex to give Shawn a ride back to town. Poor Jane would miss her dad if he couldn’t get home. But surely there was someone in town who would care for her while Shawn was stuck in Bear Bluff. A school friend, perhaps.

  Let it go, her cougar said. Shawn will have it all under control. And if he calls on us to help, then we’ll go.

  “I hope Shawn will accept the offer,” Hex said as they turned off at the road sign, half-covered in snow, that read, Winter’s Sawmill. “At least if he’s here then we know he isn’t out there in the snow.” He smiled gently, his way of a silent apology. However, Martha wasn’t quite ready to let this go. She’d spent her entire working life fighting to be the equal of men, she wasn’t about to be told by her mate that she should stay home and keep the bed warm while he went out and risked his life.

  I would not mind keeping the bed warm for Hex, her cougar replied. But he might need to learn that we are his equal in everything.

  Not everything, Martha admitted. There’s no way we could wield an axe like he does.