Chapter 4
A Choice and Another Surprise
The sun was rising when Bree left the cave the next morning. It was with regret that she left, but she had work to do. Calixto had fallen asleep beside her, and she had run her hands through his hair as he slept. Her eyes barely looked at his naked body because there was enough for her to focus on his face for days. He was beautiful in a way that she had never seen before. As he slept, Bree could not help but trace his lips, his jaw line, and his cheek bones. She had not felt this since her first time with a man, an experience that had ended so badly that she had decided that men were nothing more than toys. Saskia had made that boy pay dearly, but the damage had been done and a deep scar left on Bree’s heart. After more than five years of remaining emotionally detached, now her heart was saying it wanted more, and she was torn. If she believed what her heart said, there was a very real danger than something bad would happen. Strong emotions were very dangerous for her to feel because Bree knew that there was a risk of losing control of her abilities. When she had been hurt before, Bree’s powers had been undeveloped and too weak to pose a real problem. She had thought she was just a witch. It was a year or two after that when her abilities had struck like a hammer on an anvil, but by then she had already decided that love was not something she should take seriously. All she needed was a look at the history of her kind to know just how dangerous it was to lose control. Calixto had not been wrong there – sorcerers and sorceresses had nearly ended the world several times. It was why witches and wizards were treated so cruelly by most species, not just humans. A powerful witch or wizard could wipe out a small country unaided. Shifters were one of the few species that seemed to give them the benefit of the doubt. Bree believed it was because they suffered from similar discrimination for being caught between two different species.
But her heart ached, and it was difficult to take her eyes off of the cave. “Don’t be a fool Bree,” she muttered to herself as she looked longingly at the cave opening wanting to run back inside. “You know exactly what Annora would say about what you are doing.”
The mention of her friend had just the right effect. With a cold laugh, Bree could hear her prudish friend making fun of a weakness over a man. Or maybe she would pity Bree, a realization that made Bree feel even worse.
“I don’t know how you do it Annora. I almost wish you could show me how you keep from letting anyone touch you. You always warned me that someday something would change, and I always laughed it off. I wish that you had been wrong.”
Knowing that staying would only cause complications that she couldn’t handle, Bree finally turned to head back to Imalone. With a quick wave of her hand, the corpses disappeared, causing the crows and other creatures to squawk in protest. Bree felt a little twinge of satisfaction that she was not the only one who was discontent that morning.
Less than two hours later, Bree reached the little town without any real thought into what she should do next. It was completely unlike her – she knew what she needed to do for work, but at the moment it didn't feel that pressing. She had drawn down the magical veil that kept her identity and powers largely hidden, this time pulling it a little further over herself so that only the most powerful creatures would be able to identify her as nonhuman. It meant to give her a little bit of time to recover her senses.
As she stepped into the town, the young woman’s mind was still in the cave, wishing that things could have been different. Bree pulled her bag in front of her, trying to refocus her thoughts, and began to go through the contents to make sure she didn’t need anything once she left. It had occurred to her that Kildeer would be a better way to reach her final destination. For some reason, Bree was craving the distractions humans provided. Walking in the wilds on her own seemed a little less attractive that morning.
Suddenly, she stopped as her hands encountered something. Her head continued to move forward and hit something very firm and warm. The contents of her bag spilled out onto the road. Startled, Bree took a step back and looked into another incredibly handsome face. Like Calixto’s, the face was serious, but there was something about the man that also reminded her of Phelan.
Stuttering, Bree apologized for bumping into the man, “I am so sorry. I am so, so sorry! My head just is not on straight today.” She crouched down and began to collect her things.
To her surprise the man crouched down too and began helping her, “It wasn’t entirely your fault. I wasn’t paying attention either.” He flashed her a beautiful smile. Bree knew that there was something seriously wrong with her when instead of flirting, she continued to apologize.
“No, it’s totally my fault. I’m just…distracted.” She looked away as she shoved things back in her bag.
“I’ll let you take 50% of the blame, but the rest is mine,” the man was smiling at her, his hand offering her the last few items that had fallen from her bag.
Reaching out, she nodded her head to him, “Thank you very much.”
They stood up. A less serious look now covered the man’s face as he took in her body, something she was accustomed to. To her surprise, he didn’t start flirting or tell her she looked nice. The words that accompanied the smile that had spread across his face had nothing to do with her beauty, “Hmmm, that’s interesting. I shouldn't think you would need to travel with that, given…” his finger was pointed at the medic badge.
Bree’s eyes followed his finger, and without thinking her hand covered the badge, “What do you mean?” Her eyes looked up into his. “I do a lot of medical work.”
The man’s beautiful smile drooped as he looked at her, “I’m sure you are more than capable, but, well, you-” He stopped and looked around. His eyes were narrowed as he looked at her, “You're a witch.” Bree’s eyes went wide and she really looked at the man, her senses now pulled fully into her current predicament.
Another shifter. The third man she had met in as many days who was a shifter.
Honestly confused, she looked at the man, “You are not completely right there. I’m a good bit further removed from humanity than witches.”
“Oh,” he smiled back at her, “it’s just surprising to find someone so powerful wandering around a little town. The most powerful creatures I’ve encountered tend to stick to their own instead of mixing with humans.”
Instead of laughing it off as she usually would, Bree narrowed her eyes, “You must be a rather powerful shifter yourself to be able to see through the veil.”
The man shrugged, “It’s a talent I have honed after years of being among humans. To be honest, I'm surprised it took you so long to identify me. I could practically smell your power from the other side of the town.”
Bree wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to that, so she focused on the question that was bothering her. “Is there something going on with shifters?”
The man raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Bree pressed him, “You are the third one I have encountered in three days. I travel a lot, and I don’t think I’ve ever encountered two shifters within a month out in the human places.”
The man sighed, “It’s not something you need to worry about.”
I think he is probably trying to atone because he was exiled after something humans did to a woman in his charge. Calixto’s words came back to her. Her cheeks flushed as her heart sped up.
“Is something the matter?” The man was looking at her with sincere concern.
“No, just strange, that’s all. I wonder if you are all three the same species of shifter, or if you are different.”
The man gave her an appraising look for a moment before shrugging noncommittally.
“So, you are all the same.” Bree could read it in the man’s very obvious body language.
His laugh was rich and comforting, “I haven’t met them so I don’t know. If you were able to tell me their names, I might be able to help.”
“Evading the subject. That’s ok, I’m fairly certain you are all the same and that there is something going on with your clans.” She grinned at the momentary faltering of his smile.
“You were told about our clans?”
Bree smiled in triumph, “I have to admit I’ve never heard shifters use that term, so you guys must be a kind I am not familiar with.” The young woman was eager to steer the conversation away from Phelan and Calixto now. Given Phelan’s current situation, it was best that he come to terms with his future. Cast out for something humans did, the man was still trying to work for his clan. It was not her place to interfere. As for Calixto, the thought of him pained her too much to talk about him. Besides he had mentioned that he was head of a different clan. Most shifters were fairly territorial any way. It might cause more trouble than it would solve by talking about him. “I'm Bree,” she offered the man her hand.
He looked down at it and reached out his own, “Leonides. It is a pleasure to meet you Bree.” There was something in his clear gray eyes that reflected amusement as he looked at her. His eyes stood out all the more because of the lovely black hair that played around the edges of his face.
Bree realized that the man’s smile was probably a result of the fact that they were using human customs, something she had never really thought about until Calixto pointed it out. Fighting back the thought, Bree forced a brighter smile, “I think the pleasure is all mine, Leonides.”
He immediately shook his head, “Not at all. Perhaps we can split the pleasure 50/50 as well.” His smile was sweet, but Bree’s mind immediately went back to her night with Calixto, causing her face to flush bright red. Leonides burst into his beautiful laugh, “That was not what I had in mind. And you can call me Leo.”
Bree was embarrassed, a feeling that she was not at all accustomed to. She looked down, “Ok, Leo.” She found it difficult to look at him, but the young woman forced herself to look up as soon as she realized she was looking down. “So what brings you to Imalone? Or is it something you shouldn’t be talking about?” She gave him an out just in case the business was too personal or difficult to discuss.
Leo smiled at her, “Unfortunately, it is a little too sensitive to talk about openly.”
With a quick nod of understanding, Bree let it go, “Well, if there is anything I can do to help. I’ve got a decent talent for finding things that are lost.”
“Does that include people?”
The look on his face made Bree think of Phelan, “It might.”
Leo laughed, “That’s alright. We are generally too proud to ask for help. Doing so would be considered an admittance of weakness on my part, and I have not been looking for long enough to admit that yet.”
The young woman understood that all too well. All she could do was offer him a small grin. “Thank you very much for your help.”
“Would you like to go for a drink?”
Bree blinked at the man. If she had been fully herself, she would have made the same suggestion some time ago instead of talking so openly in the middle of the road. Trying to recover a bit, the young woman accepted the welcome invitation, “I would love that.”
“Good.” Leo placed his hand on the small of her back and lead the woman toward the Butler’s Respite.
Bree beamed at the shocked expression followed by a hearty laugh as Brandon noticed her. Leo saw her face and heard the laugh as he steered the young woman to a seat. “I take it you know him well.”
Bree looked back at the man, “Yes. He’s a good friend. Yesterday he even gave me some advice that has ended up being spot on, and I’m not sure whether I should be grateful or upset.”
Leo held her chair out for her before moving around the table to take his own seat. “Good advice, no matter how ill-timed or inconvenient is always better to hear. It’s just a matter of learning how to accept it and change.”
Bree watched her handsome companion sit down across from her. She let out a little sigh of regret. If Leo had just entered her life one day earlier, how different would this have been. As interested as she wanted to be in him, every time she tried to imagine touching him, Calixto kept appearing.
“It appears that I have said something that causes you a bit of stress.” His stunning gray eyes sparkled as he looked at her.
Bree wrinkled her nose, “Not at all. You just remind me of an old friend.”
Leonides tilted his head to the side, “I want to say I am flattered, but there is a touch of regret in your tone.”
“Not regret,” she corrected him. “Nostalgia. He died a few years ago during a dragon attack.”
Her eyes were on Brandon as she said it, so she missed the look that passed over Leo’s face. When she turned back to him, Bree thought he looked a little paler. “Are you alright?” Her brows furrowed a little.
“I am fine, thank. Just…that doesn’t happen very often, so it is particularly tragic.”
Bree shrugged, “Dragons are what they are. Most of the ones I’ve seen were rather unimpressed with people, preferring to stay far away until humans encroached on their areas. But like every creature, sometimes you get ones that are just broken.”
Leonides nodded, “Yes, sometimes life just breaks people, and there is nothing that can be done but end their suffering as quickly as possible.” The man’s voice was thick with regret and his eyes were fixed on the window.
Bree’s eyes followed his before looking back at the man, “Are you sure you are alright?”
Leo turned and gave her a forced smile, “I will be fine. I am afraid that I remind you of such a painful experience.”
To his surprise Bree laughed, “That’s not what I meant at all. You remind me of my friend, not the circumstances of his death. And despite that, I still love dragons, just like I enjoy the company of humans, despite the fact that there are far more of them that are pretty horrible.” Her voice was lowered as she said it.
Leo leaned forward conspiratorially, “Indeed. I don’t think I’ve met anything quite as annoying as humans, but they can be highly entertaining if you remember their short life spans.”
Bree’s eyes shone as she looked around at the people around them. “What do you think they would do if we let them know just how funny we find them?”
With a smirk, the man replied, “I don’t think that I want to find out just how they will respond. I have a lot of work to complete and I really do not want to deal with the headache caused by calling out the deficiencies of humans to their face. That’s sport for another day.” The way he said it, Bree knew that Leo would never actually do anything of the sort.
“You really are a good man, aren’t you?” She looked at his eyes.
“You are nearly right,” he replied with a wink.
Brandon came over and took their orders and poked fun at Bree for having said it would probably be a while before she returned.
Leo looked at her, his head cocked to the side in a way that made his hair sway close to his eyes. He really was an attractive man, Bree thought, completely missing his question.
“Bree?” He waved a hand in front of her face.
“Oh gods, I'm so sorry! I was just spacing out. I did warn you earlier that it has been that kind of day for me.” She gave the man a sheepish grin.
“That’s quite alright,” he responded. “So you left yesterday, expecting to be gone for a while, only to find yourself back the next day?”
Bree shrugged, “I was attacked by bandits and they took up enough time that I felt I should return and take a different route.”
The man nodded, “Sounds like a good decision. Which way are you heading? Perhaps I can walk you there to keep you from any more trouble?” The expression on his was very open and honest, and it made Bree feel a little guilty for having lied. Leo had been so honest about what he would and wouldn’t talk about.
“I doubt that you are heading to Kildeer as there is very little for you to find there.”
The man nodded and sat back as their food was placed in front of them. “You are right. I suppose a meal will have to be enough.”
Bree gave him a curious look, “Are you wanting to see more of me?” The man’s gentle push to see her for a longer period of time was helping her to recover herself a little bit.
“I would indeed, but I’m afraid that my time is not my own, so if we are going separate ways…” he held up his hands to signify that he was willing to accept it.
Bree placed her face in her hand and looked at him, “You are a strange one. I take it that you are not the head then.”
Leo shook his head as he took a bite of his food, “No, I am second in command. Although I fear that our head has taken up an interest that is going to consume even more of my time.” There was a hint of bitterness in his voice.
Bree grinned wickedly. She had caused men to feel that way many times, “He has taken an interest in a woman?”
Leo looked at her and sighed before nodding. “Yes, he has, but given she is human, I don’t understand how he can allow for such a distraction.”
“Some of the best people I know are human, so you can’t lump them all together.”
“This is true too. But,” his eyes bore into hers, “would you bet your life, everything you have on the love of a single human?”
“My situation is not normal, so if I were to do such a thing, human or not, it could have some devastating consequences.”
Leo leaned forward, “He is the head of a shifter clan, and we are exactly passive in our normal form.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Bree looked at him and tried again to figure out what kind of shifter the three men were. Very slowly, she moved her mind and pushed against the man’s mind. There was a very forceful push in response, causing her head to move back a little.
“Hey now, I am not pressuring you to talk, so it would be wise to show the same curtesy.” There was warning in the man’s voice.
“I am sorry. That is not like me at all. I just…” Bree looked at the man, but all she saw was Calixto’s face. There was no doubt that they were something much more powerful than the average shifter.
Leo went back to his food, “That is quite alright. I didn’t exactly expect it, but I know how curious humanoids can be. We aren’t exactly fans of the unknown.”
Bree laughed, “You are quite right. If I were to ask you about your other form, would you tell me?”
His eyes flicked up to hers, “If I were to tell you, would you believe me?”
Bree laughed again. They ate the rest of their meal keeping the subjects to things that were of little consequence.
They chatted as they headed for the door. Bree turned and waved to Brandon again, who gave her a curious look, then shifted his eyes to the gentleman with her. Bree shrugged in response. She knew that he expected them to stay the night.
As soon as they stepped outside, Bree felt a powerful presence heading toward them. Her eyes shifted to Leo, who seemed to feel the same thing. His eyes were turned toward the gate through which she had left yesterday. Knowing who was coming, Bree decided she did not have time for shopping.
She flashed a smile at Leo, “Thank you very much for the wonderful food and conversation. If things had happened a little differently, I would have been tempted to ask you to stay the night with me here. Brandon certainly expected that.”
Leo looked at her like he was caught off guard by her words, “I can’t imagine you are so willing to act human that you sleep with men you barely know.”
Bree paused for a moment before responding, “In my line of work it is somewhat essential.”
The man frowned, “I find that difficult to believe. The more powerful the creature, the riskier it is to procreate.”
Bree opened her mouth, then shut it again. That had never occurred to her. A thin smile spread across her face, “It is not something I have ever worried about.” Her mind when to Phelan and Taja, and she had to concede the point, “However, I can see how caution should be exercised for most creatures.”
Leo shook his head, “I would ask you more, but-”
“The more you hear, the less you want to know.” She winked at him as if to make him feel better, as well as to hide her own sadness.
With a quick inclining of his head, Leo agreed. “I don’t know anyone of my kind who takes such activities lightly. If we did, it would have a potentially devastating effect on the world. I suppose the more desperate the creature, the easier it is to give into temptation.”
Bree felt her heart ache at the words. Though she knew he hadn’t meant her, it was clear that the words applied to her situation. Humans had fleeting lives, and hers was mostly a lonely life.
Hiding the ache, she looked into his eyes and said, “It has been wonderful getting to know you and I sincerely hope we can meet again.”
Leo’s eyes shifted down to look at her, his attention clearly returned to the approaching presence. “I will walk you to the gate, but I dare say that I will need to stay here a little longer.”
Bree nodded, “I understand.”
Several minutes later they were at the gate where they said their goodbyes. “Good luck Leo. I hope your hunt comes to a successful and satisfying end.”
His smile was forced as he nodded at her. “Good luck Bree. May all of your endeavors bring you peace.”
The young woman’s eyes looked into his as his choice of words caught her off guard. With a slight smile, bowed her head and headed to Kildeer.