Read Online Destined Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #4) by J.H. Croix - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: J.H. Croix
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in separate bedrooms. But…it’s, um, a little more than I expected and I’m not sure what to do.”
Phoebe’s eyes sobered. She reached over and squeezed Shana’s hand quickly. “What does Hayden have to say? If anything.”
Shana chewed her lip and took a breath. “Before anything happened, I told him I wouldn’t have any expectations. I didn’t want to have any. Later, he asked what we would do if there was more to it than that.”
Phoebe nodded slowly. “Well, it’s not like I know Hayden all that well, but his question leads me to think he might be thinking it’s more than he expected too.”
Hope twirled in a small circle in her heart. Shana tried to tamp it down. Her breath came out in a sigh. “Right. I’m worried I can’t think clearly because I’m so desperate for something good. Just a tiny dollop of it and I’m getting too excited. Hayden doesn’t even live here. It’s not like I can…”
Phoebe waved her hand. “Oh stop it! I want to be supportive, I really do, but I’m not gonna let you start going in crazy circles in your mind. Trust me, I’m an expert at that and it’s a complete waste of time. It’s always easier to tell other people to do the things I couldn’t, but I’m telling you now—stop. Don’t tie yourself up in knots over things that haven’t even happened.”
Shana giggled, recalling how twisted up Phoebe had been over Jake for years. Her heart loosened the tiniest bit as she recalled some of her own advice to Phoebe. Matters of the heart were so much easier to interpret when they didn’t involve one’s own heart. “Fair enough. So what should I do now?”
Phoebe burst out laughing. “Try to relax and focus on now. I’m here. I’m always here for you, so if you need to obsess or talk anytime, you know exactly where I am.”
Chapter 7
Late that afternoon, Shana stood at the edge of the woods. The sun was low in the sky, its rays angling through the trees, dappling the ground with its light. The early spring air held the earthy scents of new growth. She needed to run free and temporarily forget the vagaries of her human mind and emotions. On the heels of a deep breath, she shifted. Energy coursed through her, whipping from head to toe. Her fur rippled across her skin. She held still for a moment, her mountain lion’s eyes adjusting to the forest. She stretched into her form, sighing at the feeling of strength and power. Another breath and she dashed into the woods. The far end of her family’s property extended into the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. She started off at a run, but once she got deeper into the mountains, she slowed to a jog.
The forest was alive with sound. Birds returning from their southerly migrations flitted busily among the trees. A pair of chipmunks chattered loudly at her when she passed by. She kept her pace, jogging slowly through the woods, winding further up into the mountains until she reached one of her favorite places, a small hillside that looked out over a valley, a stream meandering lazily through the valley. She rested atop a boulder. The sun had begun to dip lower in the sky. Its golden rays were shot through with orange and red.
Suddenly, she lifted her head, scenting another mountain lion nearby. Several moments later, the lion in question came into view just below her in the valley. She stared for long moment until the lion looked up. Instantly, she knew it was Hayden. He was bigger and bulkier than most of the male mountain lion shifters in the East, likely due to the reality that shifters out West had much more freedom to roam in the wild out there. His eyes met hers across the distance. He turned to face her, his tail flicking. From a complete standstill, he bounded forward, his motion fluid and seamless. In seconds, he climbed the small rise where she waited and came to a stop beside the boulder.
Up close, he was magnificent in cat form—pure strength, power and vitality. Her cat nearly purred at the
Phoebe’s eyes sobered. She reached over and squeezed Shana’s hand quickly. “What does Hayden have to say? If anything.”
Shana chewed her lip and took a breath. “Before anything happened, I told him I wouldn’t have any expectations. I didn’t want to have any. Later, he asked what we would do if there was more to it than that.”
Phoebe nodded slowly. “Well, it’s not like I know Hayden all that well, but his question leads me to think he might be thinking it’s more than he expected too.”
Hope twirled in a small circle in her heart. Shana tried to tamp it down. Her breath came out in a sigh. “Right. I’m worried I can’t think clearly because I’m so desperate for something good. Just a tiny dollop of it and I’m getting too excited. Hayden doesn’t even live here. It’s not like I can…”
Phoebe waved her hand. “Oh stop it! I want to be supportive, I really do, but I’m not gonna let you start going in crazy circles in your mind. Trust me, I’m an expert at that and it’s a complete waste of time. It’s always easier to tell other people to do the things I couldn’t, but I’m telling you now—stop. Don’t tie yourself up in knots over things that haven’t even happened.”
Shana giggled, recalling how twisted up Phoebe had been over Jake for years. Her heart loosened the tiniest bit as she recalled some of her own advice to Phoebe. Matters of the heart were so much easier to interpret when they didn’t involve one’s own heart. “Fair enough. So what should I do now?”
Phoebe burst out laughing. “Try to relax and focus on now. I’m here. I’m always here for you, so if you need to obsess or talk anytime, you know exactly where I am.”
Chapter 7
Late that afternoon, Shana stood at the edge of the woods. The sun was low in the sky, its rays angling through the trees, dappling the ground with its light. The early spring air held the earthy scents of new growth. She needed to run free and temporarily forget the vagaries of her human mind and emotions. On the heels of a deep breath, she shifted. Energy coursed through her, whipping from head to toe. Her fur rippled across her skin. She held still for a moment, her mountain lion’s eyes adjusting to the forest. She stretched into her form, sighing at the feeling of strength and power. Another breath and she dashed into the woods. The far end of her family’s property extended into the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. She started off at a run, but once she got deeper into the mountains, she slowed to a jog.
The forest was alive with sound. Birds returning from their southerly migrations flitted busily among the trees. A pair of chipmunks chattered loudly at her when she passed by. She kept her pace, jogging slowly through the woods, winding further up into the mountains until she reached one of her favorite places, a small hillside that looked out over a valley, a stream meandering lazily through the valley. She rested atop a boulder. The sun had begun to dip lower in the sky. Its golden rays were shot through with orange and red.
Suddenly, she lifted her head, scenting another mountain lion nearby. Several moments later, the lion in question came into view just below her in the valley. She stared for long moment until the lion looked up. Instantly, she knew it was Hayden. He was bigger and bulkier than most of the male mountain lion shifters in the East, likely due to the reality that shifters out West had much more freedom to roam in the wild out there. His eyes met hers across the distance. He turned to face her, his tail flicking. From a complete standstill, he bounded forward, his motion fluid and seamless. In seconds, he climbed the small rise where she waited and came to a stop beside the boulder.
Up close, he was magnificent in cat form—pure strength, power and vitality. Her cat nearly purred at the
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