Shadows and Stars

by Becca Fanning

  They seemed to have constantly been teetering on the edge of a relationship the past few months. He was ready to make it official. He had bought a ring while he had been gone, and wanted to propose sooner rather than later. A human proposal and marriage didn’t mean much to him, but it would to Heather.

  Hopefully then she would see just how far he would go to make her happy. The contractors would start on the house soon. Trent wanted to be busy making cubs to fill it even sooner. Ray had been the cloud looming over them for far too long and now it was a matter put in the past.

  Buzz greeted Trent with a pair of sweats and a police force shirt. He shifted and quickly clothed himself. Heather paced while he dressed, and as soon as he was clothed, she threw herself into his arms. Michelle took over filling the police in on everything that had happened. Trent was blind to anything but Heather now.

  “Don’t ever scare me like that again, Heather.”

  “Well, getting kidnapped by a crazy jaguar wasn’t on the agenda today. Next time I’ll try to give you a heads up.”

  “Never. Never again.”

  “Did you kill him?” Heather asked in a shaky voice.

  “Yes, he’s dead. He needed to be put down a long time ago.”

  “Do you know what happened so differently from the other beatings that caused her to drive off that cliff?”

  “She was pregnant. I’m assuming the thought of allowing Ray to abuse her baby was just too much.”

  “That’s awful. Why would she do that? She could have just left.”

  “And went where? Trust me, Ray would have tracked her down. He was never going to let her go. I don’t think he really hated me because he thought I killed MaryAnn. I think it was more that he thought I got to it before he could.”

  “That’s terrible.”

  Heather laid her head on Trent’s chest. Commotion was all around them as his family and the police worked together to keep the community away from the woods. They were also trying to question Trent further on how everything went down. He just ignored them though and held on to Heather. He just wanted to be alone with her, so that they could reaffirm that they were both okay. His bear needed that as much as the man, and he knew Heather needed it to.

  Today had been an absolutely horrid day. The days to come could at least be better now that their demons were destroyed. Trent breathed a sigh of relief at that. They just needed to keep focusing on the future, and everything would be okay. Today had to be their darkest day, and it couldn’t get any worse than it already was.

  He loaded her in the car and drove her home; leaving everybody behind to deal with the aftermath. He knew his family would take care of the minor details. There really wouldn’t be anybody upset over Ray’s death, so the police would have an easy night as well. Tonight could be about peace and looking to the future for everybody.

  FORTY

  MONTHS HAD PASSED since Ray had been killed. As Heather pulled up to the cabins, she breathed a sigh of relief. The day had been utter shit, and she was ready to spend the evening with Trent trying to forget it all. She had gone to the ceremony where they had buried MaryAnn and finally had a headstone placed for her. Since MaryAnn’s body had gone unclaimed, they buried her in an unmarked grave in the back of the cemetery with other Jane Does. It had torn at Heather’s heart when she finally found the grave. There was only one cross over the grave which Heather was able to immediately remedy.

  Buying and figuring out what to have carved on the headstone had been easy, but getting the county to let her place it was another story. She had never dreamed it would have been so much trouble. It was done though, and they even had a small ceremony.

  MaryAnn taking not only her own life, but her unborn baby’s life was almost too much for Heather to absorb. Ray was a monster, and she was glad that Trent had killed him. Trent reached over then and grabbed Heather’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

  Heather still hadn’t torn down all of her walls with Trent. They made love freely, and Heather found she couldn’t go without his touch at all. As far as her heart was concerned, she guarded it from him. She knew it hurt him, and she hated it. Hurting him was the last thing she wanted to do. If he would walk away from her like all the men before him, she would never survive. That’s why she continued to keep her walls up.

  She noticed a familiar looking car in Trent’s driveway. She blinked several times trying to rid the view from her mind. Surely the day was just catching up to her, and she was hallucinating.

  “Do you know who that is?” Trent asked cautiously.

  “Unfortunately, I have a pretty good idea. I was hoping maybe it was just a figment of my over exhausted brain.”

  “Nope, it looks pretty real. So who is it?”

  “That would be my dad, possibly my family. That’s his car at least.”

  “Not really the day I would have chosen to meet the in-laws, but no time like the present, I guess,” Trent said, trying to reassure Heather.

  “Trent, my family isn’t like yours. They’re horrible. If they’re here it can only mean bad news.”

  “Want me to leave? We don’t have to do this right now. I can call my dad, and he’ll handle them until you feel up to this.”

  “No, let’s just get all the bad history in our lives handled in one day. Then we can just look to the future.”

  Heather stepped out of the car and took a deep breath. Her mother and father both got out of their car and made their way to Heather. There was no emotional reunion. Her parents both looked annoyed, and Heather couldn’t think why they would even bother tracking her down. Let alone driving over a thousand miles to see her.

  “Heather, you look tired,” her mother said as she stared her up and down.

  “Mother, why don’t you ever just say I look like shit? Telling me I look tired is just a passive aggressive way of telling me you don’t approve of the way I look.”

  “It’s not passive aggressive, it’s called having manners, young lady. I know we taught you better than to speak to your mother like that.” Her father interjected his comment which earned him a death glare all his own.

  Heather rolled her eyes. Of course they were more concerned with her manners than the fact that she hadn’t spoken to them in almost a year.

  “Don’t roll your eyes. It’s rude. It’s also rude to not introduce your friends to your parents.”

  “Trent isn’t my friend.” She saw Trent’s eyes go big as he took a threatening step towards her.

  “Trent is my husband.”

  “What?” Her mom looked like she was going to pass out, and her dad’s face instantly turned red with anger.

  “That’s right. I’m Mrs. Trent Cipher now. Trent, these are my wonderful parents I have told you next to nothing about. Mom, Dad, this is my husband, Trent. Sorry you missed the ceremony.”

  “Heather, you had better be joking. To get married, and not even tell us is the lowest of lows. Even for you, young lady.”

  “No, I’ll tell you what’s the lowest of lows. Treating me like a second rate human my entire life. I am your daughter. Your child, and yet you act like I’m the mud on your shoes. I was never Mandy, and newsflash, I never will be. I don’t want to be. You two are who should be lectured on rudeness. I tried my whole life to be who I thought you wanted me to be. It was useless though. It took me leaving and being a part of a real family like Trent’s to realize I’m fine the way I am. It’s you who need to change.”

  Before Heather could launch into the rest of her lecture, Trent’s family pulled up. They were her family now. She may not be married to Trent, yet, but she was his mate. His family had taken her in when she needed it the most, and treated her like family. They encouraged her, supported her and helped her up when she had been down. The people in front of her were nothing to her. She felt a freedom like she had never felt wash over her.

  This whole time she had been avoiding Trent and putting up walls because of them. It had nothing to do with what Brian did; it was what
her parents had done to her. Her whole life she had never been good enough. She had tried everything to prove herself worthy of their love, and it had never been enough. She realized now that Trent would never feel that way about her. He would never cast her aside or make her feel inferior.

  “You know what, Mom and Dad? I feel sorry for you. More importantly, I forgive you. You never loved me, and you made sure I knew it. I forgive you for all of it. Now that I can forgive you, I can move on with my real family.”

  Her dad made a threatening step towards her. He was used to being able to manhandle her however he liked. That was also a thing of the past as Trent stepped forward and let his golden eyes show. Her mother gasped in horror and clutched her hands over her heart. Heather wasn’t even sure she had a heart.

  “You married a Shifter,” her dad said as he instinctively stepped back.

  “Yes, I did. Now, unless you have something else to say, I suggest you get the hell off Cipher land.”

  “We came here to tell you that your sister’s wedding is coming up. We thought it was time you stop acting childish and came home to show your support. People are making whispered comments about it all since you took off. I can see now, that won’t be happening.”

  “Unless hell freezes over, you can guarantee that I will never show up there and support any of you. If that’s all then, goodbye.”

  Her parents looked over Trent’s family and then their eyes landed back on Heather. She could see their disapproval and their disgust clear as day. This time though, it didn’t bother her. With Trent and his family beside her, she would never let them, or anybody else, have that kind of control over her again. Her parents never said a word as they climbed back into their car and left.

  Heather never shed a tear as they pulled down the drive.

  “How in the hell did they even track you down?” Trent asked as his family swarmed Heather in a show of support.

  “I still have my old cell phone. Even though it doesn’t work, I’m sure they were able to ping my location.”

  “Why not call instead of drive though?” Michelle asked as she rubbed Heather’s back.

  “Because they thought they could manhandle me into the car and drag me back.”

  “Well I guess there’s only one thing left to do now,” Trent said with a grin.

  “What’s that?”

  “We better make it official before they figure out you lied about being married.” As he said, it he dropped down to one knee and pulled out a ring.

  “Heather, mate of mine, I never dreamed I would find you. I know today probably isn’t the best day to ask this, but I can’t wait any longer. Will you put an old bear at ease and agree to be my wife, my mate from now on?”

  “I couldn’t think of anything better! Yes, Trent!”

  Heather threw herself into Trent’s arms as his family hooted and hollered in celebration. Trent brought her down for a kiss that left them both wanting more. Heather’s heart grew as Trent slipped the ring on her finger. She knew marriage wasn’t necessary for him as a Shifter, so this was all for her. Trent had come into her life and made her whole. She hadn’t realized it, but she had been waiting for him just like he had been waiting for her. She would forever be grateful that she jumped out of a moving car in small town, West Virginia.

  FORTY-ONE

  EMMA’S DAUGHTER helped her into the car as Heather and Trent waved to her from the porch of their new home. Trent and his family found every piece of literature they had been able to get their hands on since finding out about Heather’s new found title. None of them had ever known a healing spirit, so they turned to Emma to fill in the blanks.

  Heather was getting more comfortable with her role. Learning how to accept the Shifters’ pain was the hardest part. Once Emma had described how to seek out a Shifter’s pain, it hadn’t taken Heather long to figure it out. Dealing with the pain had been harder. Now that she was conscious of the pain she was taking on, it was sometimes too excruciating for her to handle alone.

  The other week they had a young Shifter who had broken a bone. It had snapped in two and a part of it was protruding from his body. They brought him to Heather so that she could take some of the pain away while they reset the bone and stitched him up. Heather immediately agreed, and began absorbing the pain from the young boy. Her scream had brought Trent to his knees. Once they performed the mating ceremony, he could feel her pain. As her mate, he was able to take on some of it for her as well.

  Emma had to work with him some, too, so he could seek it out. That was just one of the many times Heather had to seek out Trent to relieve some of the load. Since Shifters healed exceptionally fast, Heather usually only saw extreme cases. Trent was always nearby willing to help, though.

  She didn’t regret taking on her new role so seriously. She spent several days a week at the Shifter communities closest to them, helping those who needed her. Heather had never been wanted or needed in her life, and now to have such a purpose gave her great pride. Probably the proudest moment of Heather’s life had been earlier in the day when she had finally taken Trent’s last name. Their family and friends had gathered, all except her family, and spent the day in celebration.

  Emma had become such a big part of their lives in such a short amount of time. When Heather and Trent started planning their wedding, she knew she wanted Emma standing next to her. She had become more a mother to Heather than her mother had ever been. Watching Emma leave after spending the day celebrating her marriage to Trent, Heather had to fight back tears.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” Trent asked, bringing her back to reality.

  “I was just thinking how amazing our life together is. Everything we’ve overcome.”

  “It is a beautiful life, isn’t it?” Trent wrapped his arms around her waist and she snuggled against him.

  “You look so beautiful. Have we spent an adequate amount of time at the reception yet?” His eyes turned dark, and his smile told her what he had in mind. Surprisingly enough she had to bargain with him to get him to spend any time at all at the reception. She laughed out loud at his request knowing full well she was itching to be alone with him as well.

  Their life together had turned from chaotic and strained to a beautiful and peaceful life. Trent had taken on a more permanent role with the local sheriff’s department. There weren’t serial killers lurking behind the corners any more, but his skill set still came in handy. Heather kept hounding him to try on the uniform they had given him, but he refused. He said he felt ridiculous in a uniform, especially since he’d more than likely shred it.

  “Do you still have that uniform handy?”

  “Woman, what I have in mind for us requires a lot less clothing. Let’s go.”

  In one fluid motion he swept Heather up off her feet and cradled her in his arms. The door was already open so he slipped inside, and slammed it shut with his foot. Trent never set Heather down as he climbed the stairs and laid her down on their four poster bed.

  “Mate of mine, you are so lovely,” Trent said to his wife.

  “Mate of mine, we seem to have too many clothes on, per the requirements that I was told earlier.”

  “Oh yes, much too many. Let’s remedy that.”

  Heather laughed as Trent stripped down in record time. When she didn’t move fast enough for him, he pulled her up and started working on the buttons down her gown.

  “Do you females like to do anything with these wedding dresses after?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think so. Why?”

  Trent answered her by ripping the dress off of her body. His eyes devoured her naked body underneath. She had spent hours trying on wedding negligee just to toss the whole idea. Trent didn’t have time for lingerie, she loved that about him. His desire for her was enough to start a fire.

  “You know me so well, baby.”

  “I do, Mr. Cipher.”

  “Mrs. Cipher.”

  Those were the last words spoken. Moans and cries of pleasure filled t
he room as they fulfilled their pledges to each other to love and cherish. Heather felt like she was in an alternate world; she was so happy. Her whole life had been misery and isolation. Trent filled her with light and love. His family and his small town made her feel a part of something.

  The next morning when she and Trent finally surfaced for breakfast, the family was outside cleaning up. Apparently the party had gone well into the night. Most of the town had been there, and the sheriff’s department had taken turns driving people home.

  “I’m surprised you surfaced this soon,” Michelle laughed. Heather instantly blushed. One bad thing about everybody living together was that there were no secrets between them. It was worth it though. She had lived her whole life not feeling a part of a family, so she liked the closeness of Trent’s.

  “Don’t listen to her. Somebody needs to give me more grandchildren.” Melanie patted Heather’s hand.

  “I don’t know if I told you yesterday or not, but we’re so glad to have you officially be a part of the family,” Melanie whispered as they walked to the picnic table. The women had been hard at work making a breakfast feast.

  “Thank you, Melanie. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

  “So speaking of babies, when can we expect the first one?” she asked.

  EPILOGUE

  “IT’D BE nice if my healing powers would work on me right about now,” Heather wailed as another contraction ripped through her midsection. She had been in labor for several hours, and each contraction was as excruciating as the one before.

  “Hang in there, you may not be human but you’re not a bear Shifter, either. You’re giving birth to a beautiful bear Shifter boy though. It’s gonna hurt,” Melanie said as she continued to wipe Heather’s forehead with a wash cloth.

  “That’s not helping, Melanie!” Heather roared.

  “Just try to think about something else. Think about your wedding day. It was beautiful, and you were such a stunning bride.”