Shifting Hearts Read online

  Shifting Hearts

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  IVY HAYES

  Shifting Hearts

  © 2018 by Gabrielle Makinson

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Author can be contacted at [email protected]

  Disclaimer:

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, 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.

  To Hunter, for believing in me on this crazy adventure I wanted to go on.

  PROLOGUE – ASH

  I have been flying non-stop for three nights and it still doesn’t feel far enough to separate me from the horrors I am running away from. Every part of me wants to go further, 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 and I need to scout out the area; to make sure no one around when I land. If there is someone nearby and they see me transform back, I will be doomed. I don’t have the strength to flee again and I would be entirely at their mercy.

  After a circle around the clearing, I am satisfied. I only saw 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 things to calm down. Waiting will also help answer some of my questions, as news of the attack will no-doubt travel far and wide. I need to hear the news of my clan, to discover how many 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 thoughts of revenge, 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. The sudden pain helps me stay sane.

  Standing in the center after the shift, it takes everything I have to walk towards the edge of the clearing. I haven’t walked in three days, the muscles in my legs feel tight and cramped. It 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 I am going to be tonight.

  PROLOGUE – GREGORY

  An eagle? Flying around this late at night?

  I am perched on a tree branch in my owl form. It’s my last chance to shift before I start a few day journey with my father. I have been out here for hours, mostly flying. After a while, I landed for a rest. I revel in my time as an owl, there is so much to see in the forest at night. Things I would never have experienced if I could not have shifted. I love watching the forest come alive with nocturnal animals.

  I needed a 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 a lifetime's worth of knowledge into a few years.

  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. This is why 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?

  My thoughts are interrupted when 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. 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.

  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 so
ft 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 know 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. I cannot trust myself to keep looking at her naked form and not do anything reckless. 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 a 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.

  ONE – GREGORY

  Watching the sunrise I am hit with all the pleasure of being home. After a hard few days of riding, I finally arrived back late last night. My father and I thought the meeting would last a couple days at most, but it stretched for nearly two weeks. The other lords were hesitant about the building of barracks outside of everyone’s towns. It took much convincing but the barracks are necessary for the development of safer trading routes between our villages.

  The plan is sound, each village will build two basic huts for shelter at the distances of one day and three days outside of their town. In addition, they will have a garrison in between them at a two days ride. This will allow for soldiers to patrol the surrounding areas while providing shelter to travelers and soldiers alike. The smaller villages were worried that this will eventually lead to assaults, as it would be much easier to arm and stockpile soldiers.

  My father and Lord Westhaven were able to calm their fears. They were able to devise a defense pack, saying if one village attacked another, the rest would rise to squash the attackers. Being the two biggest villages in the area, their weight went far and the others eventually signed. Peace is guaranteed at least for another generation.

  On a more sensitive note, my father and Lord Westhaven came to their own agreement, without the knowledge of the others. They set to solidify the peace with a marriage between my sister, Gwen and Lord Westhaven’s eldest son, Parker. My father and I disagreed on this, Gwen should be able to choose her own husband. But my father is looking at the bigger picture and desperately wants to ensure peace. I am realizing it is an obsession of his, and I am not sure where the insatiable drive comes from. It feels like he is willing to sacrifice anything if it leads to stability.

  They set the wedding for early next spring and my only hope is Gwen falls in love with Parker, or at least likes him before then.

  I am up with the sunrise at my brother, Grant’s bidding. He thought we should celebrate my return by helping to rebuild our town healer’s house. While I was away a small fire started and burned a portion of it. Most of the fire was contained, saving the whole house, but one whole wall needs replacing and a few other interior repairs are needed. My brother didn’t have to try too hard to convince me to help. Mainly because Liz has helped everyone else in the past – including delivering me, my brother and sister, but also because most of the men here today I will need to use to build the new waystations and barracks. So, despite my exhaustion and a deep desire for a long hot bath and a calm day, I decided to join him.

  Together we rode through the main section of town on our way to Liz’s, hoping to stop along the way and grab a meat bun. They have always been my favorite treat. When Grant and I were younger we used to split one – now we are counted on to eat at least four apiece. I imagine Grant and I are the ones keeping the bakery in business.

  I can usually smell the bakery way before I can see it, but today I was distracted by the sight of a new barmaid at Nash’s Tavern.

  I noticed her first by her hair. Her back was to me and she was bringing drinks to a group of traveling merchants. Her wavy hair is striking, it is too blonde to be red, but too red to be strawberry blonde. It’s the perfect length too, as it nearly reaches her waist. I wonder if it smells like sunshine? It would be the perfect hair to run my fingers through.

  I lose all thoughts of her hair as soon as she turns towards me. Her skin is fair and she has a subtle splatter of freckles over her nose. Those features have nothing on her eyes, they are beyond compare. Her eyes are the color of fresh grass in spring. They are the gentle green of budding life and new opportunity.

  I was so distracted by her eyes it took me a second to recognize her, especially since she had clothes on. I was startled as I realized the truth, she is the eagle-shifter from a few weeks back. She found my village and decided to stay. A complex mix of emotions washed over me and I can’t be sure if they were good, or troubling.

  I stopped my horse and was unabashedly staring at her. Grant pulled up next to me, then followed my eyes to glance at the barmaid. “Something special, isn’t she? Got into town right after you and father left.”

  I nodded my agreement while keeping my eyes on her, “Do you know anything about her?”

  “No” he chuckled, “But believe me, I wish I did. A few of the other guys in town have been trying to get to know her but she isn’t giving them the time of day – well except to take and deliver their order.”

  I frowned at that, if I want to discover why a shifter was hiding in my town, I cannot be one of the many men trying for her attention. “Well, we might just have to go meet her tonight. What do you say we swing by the old tavern for a pint on our way home?”

  “Sounds good brother, but I don’t think it’ll come to much.” He bends forward giving his horse a gentle head rub, “She hasn’t shown interest in anyone.”

  “I am not seeking her interest, I am merely curious,” I say as she looks up and catches me staring. She gives me a half smirk, then turns away. What an irritating smirk. She probably thinks I was staring at her because I find her attractive, which is not what I was doing. Any attraction I might have for her will not be a distraction. I need to discover why she is here, and send her on her way.

  “Your curiosity always tends to get us into trouble,” Grant says as he kicks his horse into motion. “We better get going, or we are going to be late. Besides, that faster we finish, the faster we can get that drink,” he chuckles.

  “What about the buns?”

  “We don’t have enough time to stop now and they have probably already started the repairs. We can get some this afternoon.”

  Sighing, I give my reins a quick snap and follow Grant. I really wanted those buns, I haven’t had any since before I left. My stomach grumbles its irritation and he lets out a little laugh.

  The five minutes it takes to ride to Liz’s house is not enough to get that woman or the food off my mind. But Grant was right about us running late. When we pull up, there are already seven others in a huddle. Liz’s son Aaron is talking to the group of men, my guess, he is giving out instructions. With this turnout, it should only take a few hours to complete the necessary repairs.

  I take a look at the damage and it doesn’t seem too bad. The structure is still sound and the burnt wall is only charred. I haven’t seen inside yet, but I can’t imagine it will be much worse than this.

  After setting up the horses to graze, we walk up to the group. Aaron nods a quick hello while continuing his instructions. “We are going to focus on repairing the outdoor wall first – that way we don’t have to worry about the roof caving in on us.” Pointing to three men in the group, “Mic, Samuel, and Tom, can you measure, cut, an
d transport the boards to the side of the house?”

  Mic spoke up, “We are on it.”

  “If you end up needing more help, come find me and I’ll add another person to your group.”

  They headed off to get started and Aaron turned his attention back to us, “I need the rest of you to work on removing the damaged wall, supporting its structure, then rebuilding as the boards get delivered. The first step needs to be support.” He gestured to the woods behind the house, “We need to get some sturdy beams to wedge under the roof. Grant, Gregory, Silus, and Big Walt, can you go chop down four moderately sized trees? Ren and I will start digging the holes to place them in.”

  We all nodded agreement and Grant hollered, “Last one to fell his tree has to buy the first round tonight,” and picked up his axe. Not being one to lose, I headed quickly on his heels.

  Finding a suitable tree, I jumped right into chopping. It’s repetitive work and the steady thumping of the axe hitting home did nothing to distract from my thoughts. The coming weeks are going to be busy. My father tasked me with completing the waystations and barracks and I have much to figure out. Everyone agreed to be done by the end of the season, but my father is eager for us to be completed first. He thinks it will be a positive show for all the other villages, and I agree with him on this tactic.

  Cliffden has three main roads, and each of them will need their own buildings. The West rode is the most trafficked as it leads to Westhaven. The other two are smaller but still get plenty of traffic, especially leading up festivals or the seasonal markets. As soon as the spring planting is completed, we will have plenty of workers. I am trying to decide if we will focus on one road at a time or split the forces to complete all of them at the same time. That might depend on how many people sign up.