Hearts and Minds (A Shifter Chronicles Story, Sequel to Healing Minds)

by M. D. Grimm

  Hearts and Minds

  A Shifter Chronicles story

  Healing Minds sequel

  M.D. Grimm

  Hearts and Minds

  A Shifter Chronicles story

  Healing Minds sequel

  By M.D. Grimm

  Cover Art: Catt Ford

  Copyright 2021 M.D. Grimm

  Smashwords Edition

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Note to Readers

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  About This Book

  About M.D. Grimm

  Other Titles by M.D. Grimm

  Connect with M.D. Grimm

  Note to Readers

  This story takes place between Wisdom’s Allegiance (#13) and Ghosts of Halloween Past (#3.5) The events of this story also take place before Red Sun (#14) due out in early 2022.

  This is an insular story, focused on the relationship dynamic between Xavier and Josh, and does not impact the series plot as a whole.

  Chapter One

  So dear I love him, that with him all deaths I could endure, without him live no life.

  ~John Milton, Paradise Lost

  Xavier rolled over in bed, stretched out his arm, and grunted. The mattress was cold. He opened his eyes to find that he was alone—again—and that Josh was nowhere to be found. The absence had become much too frequent the past two weeks. He was starting to become acutely annoyed, especially as he woke up with a craving for his mate.

  Rubbing his eyes and sitting up, Xavier barely noticed all the pounding, sawing, and hammering causing a racket outside the house. After nearly a year of hearing it every single freaking morning, he’d grown used to it. He yawned and stretched, before proceeding with his usual morning ritual.

  The renovations to the shifter rehabilitation clinic were progressing ahead of schedule, and they finally managed to gain enough room and staff to add a few patients, of the non-violent nature. The patients stayed in several of the newly furnished bedrooms. The Healing Hearts, Bodies, and Minds Clinic was proving to be a great success, as Xavier hoped it would. He and Josh, a former Agency aide, were helping shifters who’d been captured and tortured by the Knights, an organization whose sole purpose was to eradicate all the shifters in the world. The Agency had infiltrated and captured many of the Knights’ members, but sadly, their leader, Arcas, was still at large.

  Xavier scowled as he brushed his teeth. His gut burned at the thought of the leader of the Knights. A leader who’d tried to make him into a pet and had nearly killed Josh. His inner wolf growled with an acute need for blood and revenge.

  He shoved aside his own horrific memories, rinsed his mouth, then stomped into his boots and grabbed his jacket before making his way out of the bedroom. He jogged down the stairs, tying his black hair back in a ponytail. His first thought was to find Josh, then find food. Early mornings didn’t bother him, but early mornings without sex, or even waking up beside his mate, bothered him a lot. A freaking snuggle would have been a fine way to welcome the coming day.

  Striding outside, Xavier got an eyeful of bright sun and blinked rapidly. Winter settled hard in Haven, Montana, but they hadn’t received much snowfall, which was a small blessing. Each day all the workers worked hard to make sure they could finish on schedule. But it was still damn cold, the wind always trying to steal away any warmth. The clear sky at night, though, showed off the stars and moon. It really was breathtaking there.

  The town of Haven had supposedly been founded sometime in the late 1700s by Imelda, the master wolf shifter. The largest pack in the town was said to be descended from her pack, and while they didn’t actually “rule” the town, as Haven had a mayor and a council as most towns did, they were spread out into nearly every business and position the town had to offer. Some of the pack was even located in a few other towns surrounding Haven, mostly for informational purposes, as well as recruiting purposes. Haven was always looking for more able-bodied and intelligent shifters, and shifter allies, to keep the town modern.

  That was one thing Xavier liked about Haven: it had all the modern conveniences he was accustomed to, with the history other places bulldozed or forgot. Haven had started small but continued to grow, and the closer one came to the city center, with the non-denominational house of worship and post office, the buildings became older, the streets narrower, and the history more visible. It was almost bizarre to see the modern cars, the teens swaggering down the sidewalks with cell phones, their clothing ripped or unnecessarily baggy. City hall was in that sector as well, and though it had recently received a facelift, it still retained the nostalgia of times gone by. He knew Josh had been charmed with the place the moment they’d arrived.

  The scenery wasn’t half-bad either. None of the buildings, even the modern ones, reached above three stories, which allowed the sky to dominate. Though their clinic would reach four stories and the new wings would add considerable length to accommodate as many as they could, it was located on the town’s border. They were also building a wall that would enclose the entire property, but that was barely half done since they’d needed to confirm the size of the additional wings. They wanted some separation between potentially harmful patients and the citizens, but they also didn’t want the patients to feel ostracized. He hoped it would be a balance they could keep. Rolling hills and tall, snowcapped mountains could be seen on all sides of the town. The state parks to the north and east, which shifters called Sanctuary, were all shades of green, from dark to light. He’d had time when they first arrived to explore a little in those forests, but not lately.

  Workers were on the roof and all along the walls, finishing the remodeling to the main building and adding entirely new wings. The house had originally been a two-story fixer-upper, but when they were done with it, it would be a large clinic with a couple of housing units. He and Josh had decided to live where they worked, to make themselves as available to their patients as they could. Xavier knew firsthand what it was like to be haunted by memories of torture, and worse in his case, and Josh was a man who always wanted to help.

  Xavier greeted the workers with a wave when they hollered at him. There was also some landscaping being done, and he wove his way past all the diggers, planters, and whoever else had pitched in to help. The citizens of Haven were certainly bursting with the desire to contribute. Being a town founded by shifters for shifters, it happily lived up to its reputation. He still found himself surprised how easily he’d been welcomed there. Sure, the town had the problems all towns did, but the atmosphere was light, welcoming, and friendly. There was no need to hide, to be ashamed of what they were. Xavier could shift into his wolf wherever he wanted to, any time he wanted to do it. He didn’t belong to any of the packs in the town, as his own resided in Australia and good riddance to them. But it was nice to be among wolf shifters again, as w
ell as all the others who lived there. He knew Josh was having the time of his life since his mate was a “people person.” Josh approached everyone with the intention of becoming their friend. Xavier should have found it annoying—instead he found it endearing.

  Xavier walked around to the back of the house before he found Josh, who was standing with a blueprint, shouting at the workers on the roof. There seemed to be a disagreement happening, and Xavier found it incredibly cute how Josh’s face was becoming as red as his hair and his blue eyes were bright with frustration. He was bundled against the low 40s temperature, and Xavier found it hard to think of anything but keeping Josh nice and warm under their blankets.

  Xavier walked over to catch Josh say, “…where you guys are sitting is where the new addition is going to go. I keep telling you that. That’s what the blueprint says.”

  “If you put it here, the plumbing’s going to be a disaster,” countered an older man, who Xavier knew to be a fellow wolf shifter. He looked as exasperated as Josh. “That blueprint is wrong, or ya ain’t looking at it right, boy.”

  Josh scowled.

  “Let me see.” Xavier snatched the blueprint from Josh.

  “Xavier—”

  Clearing his throat, Xavier saw the problem and turned the blueprint right-side up. He handed it back to Josh and tried not to laugh, but it was a hard struggle. Josh glanced down at the paper, his face reddening further. He grumbled something before sucking in a large breath and looking back up at the roof workers.

  “Carry on, boys, we found out the problem.”

  The workers glanced at each other. The older wolf shifter shook his head and mumbled something Xavier thought sounded like “Pups.”

  Xavier turned his attention to Josh. “Morning, love.”

  Josh rolled up the blueprint and gave him a smile. “Morning. Guess I still need a few lessons in ‘Building Remodeling 101.’”

  Xavier chuckled. Then he cupped Josh’s face and kissed him soundly. Josh attempted to pull back for a split second before he melted against Xavier. Making a growly purr deep in his throat, Xavier wrapped his arms around Josh. He deepened the kiss, his tongue taking possession of Josh’s mouth, one hand curling around the back of Josh’s head. In response, Josh gripped his shoulders, a sweet moan coming from him.

  Xavier reluctantly pulled back a moment later and was happy to see that Josh’s eyes were slightly blurry. He didn’t care that they were getting looks and snickers. He craved his mate like a drug. Everything between them still felt fresh and new.

  “Now it is a very good morning,” Xavier said.

  Josh grinned. “Definitely.”

  Xavier shifted his mouth close to Josh’s ear. “But it would have been a great morning if you’d stayed in bed.”

  “I… well, there’s so much to do. I had to get an early start—”

  Xavier kept his arms tightly around Josh’s waist, knowing a ramble about to start when he heard it. His beloved Josh had a tendency to talk and talk… and talk. “You’ve been getting an early start for a couple of weeks now. There will always be so much to do. I need my mate.”

  Josh sighed and pulled back slightly. Their gazes met. Xavier enjoyed the look of him, and he had a special adoration for the freckles that spread across his nose and cheeks. Xavier happened to know they covered Josh’s entire body.

  “Sorry, X. You need your sleep. I don’t want to disturb you in the morning.”

  Xavier raised an eyebrow. It was sweet how naïve Josh was sometimes. “Josh, I always want you. Wake me up whenever. I’ll just sleep after.”

  Josh let out a short laugh, his bright blue eyes sparkling. “Okay, got that.”

  He pulled away, and Xavier let him. If he kept holding Josh, he might be tempted to drag him into the house and take him on the floor. His wolf didn’t think that was a bad idea.

  Josh lifted the blueprint again. He tilted it one way and then the other, then covered one eye, then just sighed and shook his head. “I give up. I’m no good at this.” He shoved the print into Xavier’s hands. “Could you monitor them for me? I have a patient in ten minutes.”

  “You need to stop booking them so early in the morning.”

  Josh shrugged, smiling. “I have to book them whenever I can or else I’d never see them. We have to make ourselves available, remember?”

  “Yeah, but we also need some time for just us, right?”

  “Of course!” Josh jumped up and kissed Xavier quickly. Then he was gone, striding away. “I’ll see you later!”

  It was incredibly annoying that Josh appeared so fucking immune to the lust bubbling inside Xavier. Kissing and blowjobs had been the extent of their lovemaking for too long, and Xavier was itching for more. He really wanted to be inside Josh again. More than anything, he wanted intimacy; he wanted time alone with his mate, no interruptions, no pressures, no duties.

  Grumbling, he looked at the print and attempted to keep his mind busy by bossing around the workers.

  Josh felt jittery as he entered the clinic, took off his coat, and proceeded to the counseling area. It took much of his strength not to turn around, run back to Xavier, and jump him to satisfy them both. But he didn’t have time, and he couldn’t be selfish. They already had eight patients staying in the finished part of the building. The families of the patients had found rooms at Hotel Haven, the only hotel the town boasted. Several families around Haven had also opened their homes to accommodate the families of patients. There was no place like this town. Josh had never seen so many shifters in one place in his life, or such a variety of them. It was truly extraordinary.

  It was amazing how easily he’d been welcomed into Haven, despite the fact he wasn’t a shifter. There were many nonshifters there since, several decades past, Haven began to allow them into their town. It was necessary for the town’s survival. But he’d been surprised at first by the many “mixed” couples in the town. It made him feel more at home than he’d thought possible, especially since he once thought he’d found his home with the Agency. Now he knew his life was always meant to intertwine with Xavier’s. Life was funny, sometimes.

  Now he was the cofounder and owner of this clinic. Their patients were “minor” cases, the nonviolent ones. They weren’t equipped to handle the aggressive ones yet, those who’d had their personalities and minds warped by the “doctors” of the Knights. Josh’s hands clenched into fists. More like Nazi doctors. When the clinic was ready to handle such patients, Josh was sure Xavier would want to be in charge of them. He had military training from his pack, who’d disowned him years ago. Well, more like paramilitary if Josh was honest with himself. It had been quite an education to see how easily Xavier could defeat three armed members of the Knights and never gain a scratch. And since those knights had been fae descendants, with magic in their blood, it was even more impressive.

  The Agency and the Knights. Josh couldn’t suppress a shiver at the thought that they weren’t so far apart in how they functioned and operated. Both recruited those with fae blood who had manifested powers or abilities, like him. He could move objects with his mind without touching them—telekinesis. Both recruited young and trained their students—Josh had been an orphan and lost when the Agency found him. Both had a mission, yet those missions were completely opposite: the Agency protected shifters while the Knights wanted to eradicate them. Thank God the Knights had been disbanded and the Agency was still going strong. Josh took comfort from that. The Agency helped shifters, and they would continue to do so, no matter the obstacles thrown at them.

  So would he.

  “Josh, you’re seeing Freddie this morning.”

  Josh jerked back to the present. He realized he was standing in the reception area of the counseling wing, and Misty—their efficient secretary, a pixie-like woman with long red-orange hair, bright green eyes, and a narrow, pointy face—was holding out a file folder. They had a mixture of paid employees and volunteers. Misty was one of the paid ones, along with two other counselors with degrees in
psychology. But their current chef and elderly elk shifter custodian were both volunteers.

  Where would they be without these generous Haven citizens?

  There was a bunch of red and pink construction paper on Misty’s desk, and she seemed to be cutting them up into hearts of different sizes.

  “What’s with the hearts?” Josh asked.

  Misty tilted her head slightly and gave him a look that clearly said he was a dummy. “Valentine’s Day is coming up, duh.”

  Josh blinked, flipped through the calendar in his head, and said, “Oh, right.”

  Misty shook her head and rolled her eyes. “I’m making these for the class my brother’s in. They’re having a little party.”

  “They’re looking good.”

  “Yes, they are,” Misty said proudly. “But just wait till you see the necklace I had specially made for my girlfriend, and the watch I ordered for my boyfriend. They’re going to flip.”

  Josh chuckled even as something occurred to him. “Is V-Day the reason you’ve been using pink and red highlighters and pens, lately?”

  Misty sighed loudly and rolled her eyes again. “Wow, Josh. You’re Mr. Observant.”

  “Hey, I have been a little busy, you know.”

  “What? And I haven’t? You think this enterprise of yours runs itself?”

  Temper sparked in her eyes, and Josh barely resisted a wince. Then he said, in all seriousness, “No, Misty. We all know how invaluable you are.”

  “Damn right, I am.” Misty smiled cannily, her eyes now twinkling with humor as she continued to hold out Freddie’s folder. He took it.

  “Thanks. Is Freddie’s mother with him?”

  “Yes.” Her smile warmed, softened. “She’s so sweet and devoted. I really think he has a fair chance at full recovery with such support on his side.”