Page 11 of A Hatchling for Valentine’s

Dora shook her head. “Shifters are fiercely loyal to each other. There are so few of us and there’s safety in numbers. If we kill each other off, we’re only making ourselves weaker. To be honest, it’s why I moved to Vale Valley. I’ve been trying to convince my family that the magic protecting the valley would keep them safer than if they stay out here and tough it out on their own.” Dora shrugged. “But I can’t force them to do what I want.”

Kellan considered what she’d told him. “Gosh, I suppose I hadn’t thought of that. The other thing Finn always drummed into me was not to trust anyone, not even other shifters—especially the predator ones. He said they would kill and eat us the first chance they got.”

Kellan shuddered as he recalled the night Vic found him. It might have ended up being the best night of his life, but when he first saw Vic’s wolf, he’d thought he was toast.

Dora let out a small growl. “Is it all right if I kick your brother’s ass if I ever see him?”

Kellan laughed. He could only imagine what a sight that would be. Dora didn’t put up with any nonsense. He’d seen her in action when she’d had to deal with unruly customers or a cranky Skip at the restaurant.

They reached the end of the road they were on and were left with the choice to turn right or left. There weren’t any signs to indicate which way was which, but Dora undoubtedly knew where she was headed when she signaled to the left. After they were headed in the new direction, Kellan noticed the occasional dirt road breaking the endless wall of evergreens, along with bare-limbed maple and birch trees reaching up from the thick piles of snow, the paths leading the way into the woods to some unknown destination.

As he craned his neck to see what was ahead, a few structures huddled together in the distance drew closer.

“Is that the town coming up?”

She chuckled. “Such as it is, yeah. Post office, small market, gas station and my cousin’s place.”

“And all she sells is baby stuff?”

“Big people need blankets and sweaters too.” Dora cleared her throat. “But you can also use the copy machine, buy office supplies and get keys made.”

Kellan arched his eyebrows. “I guess that’s what you’ve gotta do in such a small town.”

“Yeah, her wife handles that part of the business. And actually, Lena sells a lot of her creations online. Convenient to have the post office right next door.”

Kellan nodded. “I’ll say.”

They reached the strip of buildings that housed the businesses in the town Dora informed him was named Bobcat Stump, the gas station boasting one pump at the far end. Diagonal parking spaces were angled to the right, the painted stripes allowing for a few cars to have a spot in front of each address, the wood slat buildings a brick red with white window and door trim. Dora pulled her car into one of the spaces by the shop with a sign in the window declaring it to be Lena Sue’s Craft & Office.

“Here we are! I told her we were on our way before we left the mall so she’d get the place heated up.” Dora pushed the car door open. “They don’t come in town that much in the winter, only if she has orders to ship out.”

Kellan stepped out of the vehicle, careful of the slippery areas. “I hope I’m not being too much trouble.”

He followed Dora up the salted walkway to the front of the store, the shop’s door solid wood until right above the brass latch where the window glass took over the remainder of the rustic barrier.

“No, not at all. It’s quiet and can get lonely up here. This has been a great excuse for me to come and visit.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I get so caught up in my own life in Vale Valley sometimes—you know, working non-stop, my new boyfriend. You’re doing me a favor, Kel.” She sighed as she reached for the latch. “I should come by more often.”

As they entered the quaint building with hardwood floors, the warmth of the room hit Kellan in the face, a welcome contrast to the bitter cold of the outside. It might not have been a long walk from the comfort of the car, but it had been enough to give him a chill. He tugged off his knit cap then stuffed it into his pocket. The floor creaked and before he had the chance to comment on how cool and colorful all the items were, a woman’s voice called from somewhere in the back behind a row of glass showcases.

“Dora? Is that you and your friend?”

An attractive woman with shoulder-length hair the color of auburn, big round eyes and very pale, freckled skin, pushed through a curtain hanging in the doorway leading to what had to be the stockroom.

Dora rushed forward with her arms outstretched until she and who Kellan presumed was her cousin met on the other side of the display cases. They grabbed each other in a hug, their excited greetings tumbling out as they jabbered on with ‘it’s so great to see you’, ‘how long has it been?’, ‘how’s everyone doing?’ and more that Kellan couldn’t discern.

Wow. A real family.

He and Vic would have that. Their babies would grow up and make families of their own with cousins and aunts and uncles and everything.

And we’ll be grandparents.

Everyone would love one another, and they would care whether one of them was hurting or whether they needed help. Kellan grinned as he let his mind wander, imagining the scenarios of picnics, parties and holidays that could be shared with their beautiful clan.

“Kel? I said this is Lena, my cousin.”

Kellan blinked a few times as he brought himself back to the present.

“Oh! I’m sorry.” He held out a hand to her. “Hi, Lena. Thank you for coming to your shop today so I could buy a few things.” He gazed around the room. “Or maybe a lot of things.”