Shift (Castlerock Shifters Book 1)

by Michelle Leeson

  “Breakfast…” he prompted, releasing her.

  “You’re too distracting,” she accused with a glance back at him, but she began beating the eggs again.

  He smiled, but the peculiar expression was still there.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, stopping her stirring yet again.

  “I don’t think I can spend another night without you in my arms,” he replied.

  She turned back to making breakfast with a blush. Her thoughts were not far from his and it was something of a shock to her. She’d never even wanted a relationship, and now she couldn’t even imagine a life that didn’t include this man.

  They ate breakfast in comfortable silence, both lost in their own thoughts. After that, Quinn waited patiently while she showered and packed a few things for herself and grabbed Jack’s food, water, and dog bed. He wanted her to come and stay in the village for a few days. At first, she had wanted to argue, but his expression had stopped her. He was worried about her and wanted her close to him. She really didn’t object; she wanted to be with him and that was where he would be. Plus, her father had told her being in the village was the safest place on the mountain.

  They drove Yellow Jeep down to the village. About halfway, Quinn turned to her with that peculiar expression again.

  “Your father is coming to the village sometime today…” he said offhandedly.

  “Why?” she asked. She would be happy to see him again, but she’d gotten the impression that it would be a lot longer before he’d come down again.

  “I think he wants to be there for your avowal,” he replied.

  She stopped Yellow Jeep in the middle of the little dirt road and turned to face him, her eyes wide.

  “My what?” Her stomach gave a nervous lurch, guessing exactly what he was talking about.

  He looked at her speculatively, “You did agree to marry me.”

  “But…” she couldn’t continue. Marry him? Today?

  “We could wait if you really wanted to,” he said, pressing his lips to the hand he held. “I just didn’t see the point in waiting. We belong together Jaisey, and as I said, I don’t think I can go another night without you in my arms. I’m doing my best to protect your virtue… but I don’t know if I’m strong enough to keep the distance between us.”

  She stared into his eyes and saw love there, for her. He leaned over and kissed her gently. He was right. They did belong together.

  “My brothers are going to be so bummed they weren’t here, and Jasmyn will likely kill me... but I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” she replied with a smile.

  The look of joy that crossed Quinn’s face nearly made her cry with happiness. He hadn’t been sure that she would agree. That explained the peculiar look he’d had all morning.

  “Did you really think I wouldn’t want this?” she asked, kissing him.

  “I just wasn’t sure you’d agree to today. But I’d hoped,” he replied.

  She wiped a tear away and thought she saw him do the same. She drove Yellow Jeep forward again, aware that butterflies were filling her stomach. She was getting married today.

  Once they reached the village, Seff was opening her door before she could even put the Jeep in park.

  “You know everything now, right?” he asked, looking to Quinn for confirmation.

  Quinn nodded at the same time Jaisey did.

  “Excellent,” he exclaimed. “I’ve wanted to tell you about us ever since that first day I met you, but I wasn’t allowed.”

  She smiled, tearing up again and gave him a huge hug.

  “What’s that for?” he asked.

  “For being my friend, and for watching out for me even before you knew we were family,” she replied.

  He smiled warmly and then stepped aside so Quinn could take her hand.

  “Hey, Seff…” Quinn said.

  “Yeah?”

  “Jaisey and I are going to exchange vows today and I was wondering if you’d be my aside,” he said.

  Before Jaisey could ask what the term aside meant, Quinn added, “My best man so to speak.”

  She nodded. Her attention went back to Seff who was about to explode.

  “Of course, I will!” he said in a rush. “What do I need to do?”

  “Just get everyone to the hearth when the sun is setting,” he replied.

  “You got it!” he said. Then with another typical grin, he took off.

  “I’m going to leave you at my place for just a bit. I need to let the Speaker know he needs to prepare for our ceremony,” he said.

  He walked her to the door and let her in. She turned to say goodbye, but he lowered his lips to hers before she could speak. His arms pulled her gently toward him as he deepened the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and the embrace grew more forceful, as did the kiss and she could feel her heart pounding between them. Her body molded into his and she weaved her fingers into the back of his hair. He shuddered under her touch and broke off the kiss with a gasp.

  He stood holding her, his eyes closed, breath sounding raspy, clearly not wanting to let her go. She forced her own breathing to return to normal, though her heart was still racing. When he opened his eyes, the look was clear.

  “Tonight,” he said fervently, and then turned and walked away.

  She closed the door with another shiver.

  Tonight.

  And it could not come soon enough.

  After a few minutes of silence, panic began to descend on her. She realized she wasn’t prepared for a wedding. She had nothing to wear and no idea what would be appropriate. She turned and headed out to search for Honi. She hoped the girl would be home, but didn’t know where that was. The Healer would know, so she would go ask him.

  She didn’t have to search the old man out. He was heading across the hearth toward her with Honi in tow. She smiled. The old man was always a step ahead.

  “Jaisey,” Honi called out.

  “Hey! How’s your head?” she asked, reaching the girl, giving her a gentle hug.

  “Great. Aatu has a healing touch,” she replied.

  “Congratulations Jaisey,” the old man said with his crinkly-eyed smile, and he turned back toward his own place.

  Jaisey smiled at Honi’s look of confusion.

  “Quinn and I are getting married, or avowed, or whatever you call it. Today,” Jaisey explained.

  “Wow! That’s great Jaisey,” she replied. “And you know everything now, right?”

  Jaisey nodded with a smile. “I need your help,” she explained with a hint of panic creeping into her voice. “I don’t know anything about your ceremony. What do I wear? What do I say? And Quinn asked Seff to be his aside. Do I need one too, and would you be it?” The butterflies were back in full force.

  Honi beamed, “Of course I’ll be your aside, and no worries… we’ll get you ready. This is going to be the best day of your life Jaisey!”

  She nodded, not trusting her voice now. Honi grabbed her hand and led her off to one of the many houses.

  “Mahigan,” Honi called opening the door.

  An older woman poked her head out from behind a door. “Well, hello Honi. What can I do for you?” she asked.

  “Quinn and Jaisey’s avowal is today and we need to get her ready,” she replied.

  The woman smiled sweetly at Jaisey and approached the two of them. Jaisey vaguely recalled meeting her at one of the bonfires. She was striking for her age.

  The woman circled her slowly, looking her up and down, nodding approvingly. “I’m sure we can find something for you without too much trouble.”

  The two women led her to a back room that was filled with racks of clothing, but the rack they headed to, she assumed held the wedding dresses. They were simple and elegant, nothing overstated about any of them, and they were beautiful. And they weren’t all white. The colors were reminiscent of the seasons; everything from the bright green of summer leaves to the pale purple of a lavender flower. Her eyes were immediately
drawn to a deep gold gown. The dress reminded her of autumn leaves. It was a very basic design and yet its beauty lay in that simplicity. She wasn’t sure it would fit, but she could definitely see herself wearing it.

  She turned and saw Honi and Mahigan smiling approvingly.

  “It’ll offset your eyes perfectly in the light of the setting sun,” Honi gushed.

  “Quinn won’t see this one coming,” Mahigan said with a wicked grin. “You think he loves you now. Just wait ‘til he sees you tonight.”

  Jaisey flushed, but this time, she felt her heart flutter rather than her stomach. She wanted to look beautiful for him. She turned herself over to the women willingly and let them do what they needed. She was measured and tried the gown on for fit, figuring out what needed altering – which turned out to be very little. When Mahigan was done with the measurements, she sent them on their way, and she headed to her sewing room. She’d assured Jaisey the gown would be ready in time for the ceremony.

  Honi took her outside and then wandered to the hearth and had a seat. Jaisey noticed she was getting a lot of smiles from pack members that passed or saw her from a distance.

  Seff, she thought. The kid must have been very busy spreading the news.

  “All right, as far as the ceremony,” Honi began, “It’s similar to a wedding ceremony. I assume your father is coming.”

  Jaisey nodded.

  “Great. So, he’ll bring you around one side of the fire while Quinn is walking around the other side. The two of you will meet and your father will put your hands in Quinn’s. The Speaker will perform the ceremony. To start, Seff and I will be blocking your path to him, so he’ll tell us to stand aside.”

  Jaisey nodded again. So far it was within her realm of understanding.

  “Then there’s a bit of talking about commitment and the bond between a man and a woman when they choose this path. Then he’ll ask for your left wrist and Quinn’s right wrist and he’ll tie them together with a leather cord. That’s to signify that the union’s been blessed and bound by the pack. Then you’ll kiss and go back to Quinn’s. Then he’ll be able to complete his claim on you, and mark you,” Honi said with a wicked grin.

  “Mark me?” she squeaked out, her realm of understanding now useless.

  Honi laughed and nodded. “That would be the wolf in your new mate. The mark will be on your neck somewhere. Quinn will bite you and mix his own blood with yours. It’ll change your scent to other shifters. It makes it clear you’re taken. Don’t worry… it won’t hurt.”

  “Oh,” Jaisey said, unable to think of anything else to say in response.

  “You don’t come out until the next evening. Then when you do, if the cord is still intact, you’ll be pronounced avowed and bonded for all time.”

  Jaisey’s eyes were wide at the implications, “We’re to test our bond?”

  Honi laughed. “No, you’re to solidify it. It’s based on an old tradition. They used to bind the couple and send them off for a month and they were to return still bound. Imagine a whole month running around on a mountain trying to survive and doing everything tied to that person. I guess it’d be a true test, you’d certainly know if you were meant for someone after all that.”

  Jaisey just nodded, wondering what a month tied to Quinn would be like.

  “Once the Speaker removes the leather cord, it will be twisted onto Quinn’s wrist and then Quinn will give you an avowal gift.”

  “What’s that?” she asked.

  “Well, it can be anything really, though it’s typically a piece of jewelry. My father gave my mother a beautiful necklace, but my older sister received a ring.” Honi replied. “Sometimes, it’s something that’s been passed down through families.”

  Jaisey shook her head, once again feeling as though she were in a fairytale rather than dealing with reality. She would have liked to talk more with Honi, but she saw Quinn approaching. He was beaming at her. She couldn’t help but think that she was the lucky one. What on earth did he see that made him smile so?

  He swept her up in a very intimate embrace for a quick kiss.

  “Hello Honi, glad to see you’re well,” he said, though he didn’t pull his eyes from Jaisey’s.

  “Thanks, Quinn,” she replied with a chuckle.

  “We were finding me something to wear tonight,” Jaisey said.

  He sent a grateful glance to Honi, “Thank you, I hadn’t even thought that far ahead. I was so excited about her ‘yes’.”

  Honi laughed, “Just have her back to me in time to get her dressed and ready.”

  Quinn nodded.

  It was still very early, not even noon yet, and Jaisey had a feeling it was going to be a really long day.

  “Can we go swimming? To relax?” she asked.

  Quinn smiled, “Your wish is my command.”

  He called after Honi to get the girls together that might want to go, and he grabbed Jaisey’s hand, pulling her along to find Seff.

  It wasn’t long before they were all headed into the forest. She was glad she’d included her swimsuit in the items she’d packed before they left the cabin.

  Honi and Caleb were holding hands walking in front of them. The rest of the group was walking behind them in mixed pairs. Jaisey looked to see where Ayame was in location to Seff and noticed she was holding his hand, pulling him along. Jaisey smiled to herself, happy at the turn of events.

  Quinn was watching her; she could feel it. She turned to him with a deeper smile. She’d never felt so happy and she couldn’t keep from smiling. He reflected the same joy right back at her. It just wasn’t something she was used to, having a man look at her that way.

  When they got to the water, a huge wrestling match broke out. Everyone was trying to throw everyone else in. She barely had time to put her towel down before Quinn swept her off her feet and jumped in with her. They were all laughing and having a great time. Even Jack had jumped fully into the water.

  She glanced back at the bank expecting to see Seff sitting out, thinking she should join him when Jei shoved the boy into the water. Panic swept over her. She knew he shouldn’t be in the water with a cast on his arm. Plus, his injuries were still healing; it was likely he’d end up with an infection.

  Quinn noticed the shocked look on her face and followed her gaze. He laughed when he saw Seff climbing out long enough to grab Jei and then the two of them fell back into the water together. Jaisey started to swim toward him, but Quinn held her back. She turned on him in irritation. She needed to get Seff out of the water and check his... she stopped and whipped her head back to Seff.

  He had climbed out again and was headed to the waterfall to jump. The cast was gone from his arm and, other than a red line on his side, there was no sign he’d even been attacked. There was no way he had healed so completely in such a short time.

  She turned to Quinn again, “Explain that, please.”

  He smiled, “I suppose it’s just all part of living within the power of the valley. There are other benefits beyond shifting. Our aging process is slowed, injuries heal faster, and scars fade. Your own is nearly gone now as well.” He ran a finger gently up her spine, tracing the scar line.

  She gasped. Whether from the touch or the information, she didn’t know.

  “Seff has actually been fine for quite some time. He only acted as though he was still recovering because you wouldn’t have understood how quickly he’d actually healed,” he explained. “And believe me, it was a hard thing for that kid to do. He was dying to get back out here and have some fun.”

  She shook her head. Just when she thought she was developing a good grasp of all the weirdness, something new would get thrown at her. Shaking her head, just letting it go, she turned back into Quinn’s arms and gave him a quick kiss.

  And then another thought occurred to her.

  “Quinn?”

  “Yes?”

  “What’s your last name?”

  He laughed heartily, “I guess you’ll need to know since you’ll be a
Randall soon too.”

  She smiled, “Jaisey Randall, I like it.”

  “I’m glad,” he replied.

  “Quinn?”

  “Yes?”

  “Are you really going to bite me?”

  Quinn laughed again, “Yes. And you have no idea what it’s taken to keep me from doing just that.”

  She raised her eyebrows at him. “Why?”

  He smiled devilishly, “Because to claim you as mine and put my mark on you means that we’re sealed together, forever. That no one else will ever have a claim on you, and that no one else will ever be able to do this,” he replied. He pulled her in for a passionate kiss that left her breathless and flushed.

  “Oh,” was all she could manage.

  He chuckled in her ear and ran his lips down her neck, “I can’t wait to taste you.”

  Something in the way he said that made her suddenly very excited about having him bite her.

  She shook her head again, lost in the fairytale.

  On the walk back from swimming, Jaisey pulled Honi aside, realizing she had more questions for the girl.

  “Will you explain to me how you use the power in the valley,” she asked. “My father says it’s different for men and women, and Quinn wasn’t exactly sure about how you use it either.”

  Honi nodded. “It’s not as different as they’d have you think. They just don’t realize what we can do because they like having to be the protectors.”

  Jaisey laughed at the girl’s candid assessment.

  “We don’t really feel the power of the valley until after our first shift, but then we can access it just fine beyond the village. The guys are able to start accessing it when they approach that age. I think it all has to do with the testosterone in their systems. There’s so much adrenaline that starts pumping through them during those years. It just seems to be a more natural transition for them.”

  Jaisey nodded.

  “Honestly,” she said lowering her voice to a whisper, “I think it’s easier to let them believe we have a lesser ability because it really is kind of exhausting.”

  Jaisey chuckled at her honesty.

  “What’s it like to shift?” she asked quietly.