by Ivy Hayes
Parker looks frantic, like he is not sure what is going on or how he can help. Leave it to women, having to take control, despite the labor pains.
“Go get the midwife.”
He doesn’t move, like he doesn’t want to leave me, so I growl out, “The baby is coming. Go now.”
“Yes,” and he runs off, looking slightly pale.
I don’t worry about Parker any longer as the next contraction slams through my body. I scream and try to breath, as I had been coached, but god, I didn’t expect it to hurt this badly.
The next few hours were a blur of activity and pain. At some point my mother came in and has been holding my hand and sponging my forehead, doing all she can to comfort me and ease the process. Before I know it, the contractions are coming only a few seconds apart and I get to experience, first hand, the horrific pain of labor I had been warned about.
It is over fast, at least and I am laying there panting as my midwife places my new daughter on my chest. I try to move her to my breast and let her feed for the first time when another contraction hits me. I grit my teeth and breathe deeply, waiting for the pain to pass, when it does, I ask, “Why am I still contracting?”
My mother and the midwife share a look then smile down at me, “Because you are not quite done yet, there is another one in there, sweetheart.”
Another contraction comes before I can respond, and my mother sweeps my daughter out of my arms, so I can prepare for the next round. The pain was just as bad, but just as brief.
I hear a new cry and I am so thankful both my babies are healthy and alive. My mother brings back my daughter and the midwife hands me my son, both are perfect and latch without a problem. I start crying, so pleased to be done with the pain and so in love with the bundles in front of me.
Parker is in the room the next second and he comes to my side, laying on the bed next to me. Together we cuddle our new children and revel in the health of our young family.
The End
Check out the introduction to Shifting Hearts: Book One.
PROLOGUE – ASH
Everything behind me is horrible. All the distance I have gained from flying non-stop the last three nights doesn't feel like enough. Every part of me wants to keep going, to separate myself further from the danger, but I don’t think I physically can. The entirety of my fleeing, I couldn’t bring myself to stop long enough to sleep or eat and that caught up with me in a sudden fury.
Fear of what was behind me kept me going. Now the fear of falling out of the sky is going to stop me.
There is a clearing in the woods below me, it should be a safe enough place to sleep. A haven for one more night of hiding. One more night of relative safety before I have to face reality again. As exhausted as I am, I cannot forgo years of survival instinct. With the last of my strength, I scout out the area surrounding the clearing to make sure no one will be around to see me land. If someone were to see me transform back, I would be doomed. I don’t have the strength to flee again so I would be entirely at their mercy.
My circle around the clearing revealed only other animals. There is always the risk that some of those animals are shifters, but that is a risk I am willing to take. If there is a shifter, they risk exposing themselves if they turn me in. So, unless they plan on killing me secretly, my other identity should be safe.
Landing in the middle of the clearing, I think a quick goodbye to my eagle form. It will be a long while before I can safely shift back. Eagles are not necessarily rare, but I have very distinct markings. A shifter's fur or feathers always take on the color of their human hair, and my red-blonde hair is not a natural eagle color. All it would take is reports of a red-blonde eagle flying over a town and the Ridders would come charging.
A few miles back I passed over a large village. It should be easy enough to blend in there while I wait for the storm to pass. Being in the village should bring me news of the rest of my clan. I need to know if any of the others made it out.
Unfortunately, the news is unlikely to answer some of my other questions. Like, how did the Ridders find us? What spurred on the attack? Those truths I doubt I will ever uncover.
Lost in my despair, I begin the shift. It never physically hurts but it’s something that always hurts down in my soul. It only lasts a second, but it feels as if my soul is being ripped out of my body, only to have it snap back in place. It is a welcome pain as if reminds me that despite the world’s hatred for shifters, we are not evil. We have souls, and we are good people.
Standing in the center of the clearing after the shift, it takes everything I have left to walk towards the edge. I haven’t been on my feet in three days, making the muscles in my legs feel tight and cramped. My trip to the edge is a slow limp, but I make it to the base of a large tree. I collapse and curl up beneath it. My last thought before falling into a deep sleep is about how cold and lonely I am.
PROLOGUE – GREGORY
I am perched on a tree branch in my owl form. Tonight was my last chance to shift before I start a few day journey with my father. Enjoying the solitude, I have been out here for hours, mostly flying. After a while, I landed for a rest, which is how I ended up on this branch. I revel in my time as an owl, there is so much to see in the forest at night. I watch and experience things that would not be possible without my ability to shift.
Flying is my reprieve from the growing stress of my daily life. My father is getting older and as his heir, more and more is falling on my shoulders. He is doing his best to teach me and my siblings all we need to know before he dies, which shouldn’t be for a long while. There is just so much to learn, he is cramming his lifetime's worth of knowledge into me as fast as he can.
Something that is never far for my mind is the fact that I will never be able to govern in my father’s place if people found out what I was. Therefore, I rarely shift and take the utmost caution when I do. I never risk doing it when traveling, as I can never be sure who is around. Keeping my secret is the only way I can keep my life the way it is. If people found out, at best I would be disowned and ran out of town. At worst, I would be killed.
A person would wonder why I even risk it, why shift at all? It’s an obvious answer, my ability to shift is my favorite part of myself. I feel perfectly in control when I am flying through the skies. I am always happy and complete when I am out here, thus I can never stop. Never shifting again would be worse than death.
I am pulled out of my thoughts when I noticed the eagle stumble as it lands in the center of the clearing. Eagles are rarely out at night and they are typically more graceful than this. Its behavior seems strange, which could mean only one thing – it’s a shifter.
I am frozen in place, I have never encountered another shifter. To the best of my knowledge, I am the only one in the area.
What could they be doing here? Most importantly, who are they?
Suddenly the eagle is a young woman – a very petite and shapely young woman. Her nakedness is expected, as no shifters can change back with their clothes on but that knowledge does nothing to lessen the shock of seeing all of her.
She just changed, out there in the wide open. Anyone could have been watching, as I was. That is far braver, or far dumber than anything I would be willing to do. It makes me wonder why she shifted without taking proper precautions? Could she be in trouble? What sort of trouble could she bring here?
I stay where I am, watching her with questioning eyes as she stumbles to a tree near me and collapses at its base.
I am curious what brought her here. I am terrified of what it could result in. The fear of shifters run deep, even with me being one. You just never know what you are going to get.
Keeping my eyes on her, I make sure she hasn’t moved for a quarter an hour, then I figure it’s safe to get closer. Being an owl has its perks, excellent night vision and the ability to blend into the forest. I land on the tree above her and get my first good look at the eagle-shifter and I am ashamed to say I thought all the wrong thoughts.
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br /> I should be thinking of ways to run her out of town. Of ways to use my knowledge of her identity against her. I should be thinking of anything other than how gorgeous she is. Her body is easily the most magnificent one I have ever seen.
Her body is curvy in all the right places, at least the parts of it I can see. She is curled on her side, so I can see the rise of her hips, where it joins with her thin stomach, only to be interrupted by the ample curve of her breast. I can see the silhouette of her shapely backside. Her arm is tantalizing draped over her front, joining with her other arm to make herself a pillow. The arm covers most of her breast, but it does nothing to hide the ampleness of the size, as I can still see plenty. The parts of her breast I cannot see are the most intriguing. I can’t see her nipple, only a hint of the soft pink color. It is doing wonders to my imagination.
It’s a good thing I am in my animal form, if I was a man right now, I don’t think I would have the self-control not to curl up right next to her. To explore her body and have her open up for me. To see all the parts that are currently hidden.
And with a sudden realization, I feel disgusted with myself. She is asleep, likely running from something and in danger. She is vulnerable, and I am spying on her naked body. I am allowing myself to imagine doing wild, sexual things with her and I hate myself for it. I try to blame the animal part of me for being so primal, but I know it’s a weak excuse.
I must leave. I can’t trust myself to be alone with her anymore. I want to wake her up and see where that would take us.
Worse, I am letting her nakedness distract me from the danger she poses to me and to my town. The best thing I can do is leave and hope is that she wakes up to fly away and continue wherever she was going.
As beautiful as she is, I cannot have the complication of another shifter in my town.
Flying away, I take a final mental memory of her asleep beneath the tree, looking like a goddess of the forest. I can’t decide if I hope it’s the last time I see her or the first time.
Available on Amazon: Shifting Hearts: Book One
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To my readers,
Thank you for giving my novel a try. I love writing and seeing stories that used to live only in my head come to life. For more on my work, you can visit my blog ([email protected]) or at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @[email protected]
If you would like a chance at exclusive first looks at my upcoming novels, join my mailing list or sign up to be an ARC (both forms accessible on my blog and Facebook page).
Want to chat? Email me at [email protected].
Best wishes,
Ivy
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