Sorry for the wait, I have been thinking hard about where I wanted to take the characters and what the next steps of the story would be. So, to help me along, my question is to all my readers - what do you want to see happen over the next few chapters to these characters? Do you have any ideas or what you'd? Thanks as always to Andi Downs who is a talented writer and put eyes over this copy before I posted. I also want to take a moment to say thank you to the emails I get which send encouragement and also asking when the next chapter is going to be up! The next chapter won't be so long :) – Kristin
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The following few days after Katie and Connor's arrival were filled with cautious hope, thoughtfulness and a forging of friendships. The two girls grew close almost immediately, talking quietly by the fire, or going for short walks around the cabin where it was safe. It bridled Connor, although he didn't let his sister feel it, that his usefulness had come to such an abrupt end. Though young, he was used to looking out for them, for caring for Katie and making the decisions. It was irrational, but it was there. But he could not begrudge Samantha for bringing out a long-lost side of his gentle sister.
In fact, he was reluctant to admit that he was more than half in love with Sam by now, as useless as it may be. And, he thought, kind of unavoidable. If he was logical about it, not only was he a red-blooded nineteen year old, but of course he would fall for the first girl who was like him and so sweet to both him and his sister. He knew that Sam and Jake considered themselves a mated Were couple and he respected that. The curiosity of the pretty blonde Were girl would dissipate with time, he was sure, and no-one would be the wiser. Even without all that, he would never endanger his sister that way. Jake was ferocious in protecting his mate.
Connor was musing over these thoughts one afternoon while out splitting wood with Jake, amidst a comfortable silence. He liked that about the older male; he was never forced to talk. He was quite lost in his own world, rhythmically swinging the axe up and down, when he was startled out of his reverie by a most unfamiliar sound.
Laughter, bubbling and pure from the two girls poured out of the windows of the cabin. He stopped mid-swing with the axe and snapped his head upwards in shock. He could sense confusion from Jake who was waiting for him to split the next piece of wood he'd placed on the block, but Connor pushed Jake's feelings out, only to be replaced by his own bewilderment. His sister was laughing! Laughing, dammit! When had he last heard that sound? Shock ricocheted through him.
Connor quickly sent his senses further out to his sister and found their sibling bond. The laughter was genuine and her bond was filled with amusement, warmth and happiness. She felt his presence and without saying a word, she pressed love down their bond and a strong feeling of contentment and gratitude. That was all he needed; he withdrew and let his axe swing down. A slow smile started to drift across his face, lost once again in his thoughts.
**
Jake was curious about Connor's reaction to his mate and the other female's laughter. He had been monitoring the feelings in the house nonstop since the twins had arrived, unprepared to leave his mate in danger by doing something so foolish as putting complete trust in the strangers. His mate could do that, but he would not. Her safety was his first priority. However Jake admitted freely to himself that the one thing that was missing from their lives was friends and family. Jake found himself enjoying Connor and Katie's company more and more as the days went by. Nearly a week had passed now since their arrival, and his guard was slowly coming down.
Connor was a good companion. He weighed his words before he spoke, he didn't rush to judgement and had shown he could think logically under pressure. He also didn't mind the silence that Jake enjoyed; there was no need to fill it with empty words and conversations. Jake valued this quality in Connor.
As he placed another piece for Connor to split, he glanced into the cabin window and saw his mate's shining face, surrounded by her halo of golden hair lit up by the hearth. His heart swelled with pride at how his mate welcomed the twins in without caution or care for herself, no matter what she had been through. She was obviously enjoying having another female around, and he was happy for her. He hoped that she wouldn't be too sad if the twins decided to leave. They still hadn't made a permanent decision either way. But as the days ticked on, and the twins showed no signs of leaving, Jake also grew more accustomed to their company. The cabin wasn't especially roomy with its two medium-sized bedrooms, but the twins preferred to share their room anyway.
The wood now split, the two men finished stacking it against the cabin wall and stretched in the cool air, their muscles well warmed. "Still an hour or so of daylight left. Want to do some training?" Jake turned to Connor and quirked a brow, lacing his words with a playful challenge.
"You bet," Connor grinned. That was another thing Jake had discovered about the younger male; he was always ready to train. They had started sparring on the second day when Connor had watched Jake training outside the cabin. Being fit and strong was a priority for Sam and Jake's preparation. They exercised daily.
Connor started to crouch, then with a glint in his eye, he grinned wider. "Animal form this time?"
Jake thought on this. They'd sparred over the last few days as humans, with Jake teaching Connor some new moves so he didn't rely on his animal form so much. Maybe they could do with a shake up, and he was curious about Connor's animal forms. Jake and Sam had travelled far to build up an impressive base of animals, however their human base was equally impressive. A casual touch here and a brush against someone there meant their carefully selected human arsenal included nondescript females and males no one would think twice about, as well as incredibly toned, bulked up and athletic humans. Body builders, lithe gymnasts, triathletes and sprinters were just a few of the stronger humans they had 'borrowed DNA' from, as Sam liked to call it. Another interesting note about human shifting, was that it was just the same as animal shifting - the entire body shifted, including bone structure, muscle tone, organs and tissue. This meant they inherited any athletic gift the human they morphed into had. This was especially helpful if they needed extra strength or extra speed whilst in human form.
"Let's go animals today," Jake finally replied. They had tried out a few of Jake's human male forms so that Connor would gain practice on certain types - bulky but slower, or lithe and quick. As soon as he gave his answer, he sensed Connor's excitement ratchet up a notch. It gave away his confidence in his animal form.
"Pick an animal and I'll choose a form that I think will work to my advantage against you and I'll explain why." The young man nodded his assent, already stripping his clothing unabashedly. He frowned momentarily before the shimmer appeared and a rather beautiful brown hawk appeared on the ground. It hopped up onto the wood pile so it could sit eye height with Jake. It cocked its head before projecting,
"I'm ready, tell me what you would choose."
Jake still couldn't wrap his head around the ability to use thoughts to converse in this way. He also hid a twinge of jealousy. But it was useful for teaching Connor things whilst in animal form. This would be a first however, they hadn't been in animal form together since the first night when Jake and Sam brought the twins back in their tiger's jaws, and no one had felt like talking then. Being in animal form and having Connor and Katie communicate them would be interesting.
