Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

Nathan

Runa couldn’t answer me right away. With her magic being weak, she couldn’t get answers like she normally would. I could accept that explanation since I saw firsthand how much she struggled. Protecting her and the cub in her belly was all I wanted. All I could truly focus on. If she couldn’t tell me how best to do that, I’d do it my own way. Starting with her cottage.

She called it a cottage, but it wasn’t much more than a shed. She had no electricity, everything was in one room, and the ceiling was mostly hanging plants. I was surprised the floors weren’t dirt with the way she was living.

From their expressions, Laurie and Martha agreed. They eyed the cottage dubiously, and when they went inside, the discomfort grew.

“Why are you living like this? Did they force you to stay out here?” Martha demanded.

Runa huffed out a laugh as I settled her in her favorite chair. She told me once she only had one to discourage visitors. I wasn’t going anywhere, so she’d need at least one more.

“They didn’t. The dragon offered to build me whatever I wished. I didn’t want his help. I allowed this much and sent them on their way again. It has what I need. I’ve lived in worse.”

“That’s not something to brag about,” Martha snapped. “How will you raise a child in this? You need more than just one room!”

From the refusal on her face, Runa wasn’t going to budge easily. She didn't want anything from Aiden. Maybe I could help with that.

“What if I handled it?”

She glanced up at me with a deep frown. “What do you mean?”

“You said you don’t want help from Aiden. I understand and agree with that. I have my own money, I can afford something nicer for you.” I could see her gearing up to argue, so I knelt beside her, taking her hand before she could. “It’s for my cub, Runa. You’re doing all the work to keep it safe and healthy. Let me provide too.”

“I don’t want your money,” she protested.

“I can build it,” Dad interjected. He rode with Aiden, despite my discomfort, and I hadn’t even realized he was back, too focused on Runa and getting her to see reason.

Runa’s eyes narrowed. “You know how to build houses?”

He dipped his chin once. “Worked construction while my kids were growin’. Wasn’t really my thing, but I still remember how. Tell me what you want. I’ll build it. Nate can help, so his animal will settle more on taking care of you two.”

I’d almost forgotten about that. After I joined the military, I sent money home so Dad didn’t have to do a job he hated anymore. It was the least I could do after he spent years grinding to take care of me and my sister.

Runa still looked conflicted, but with some cajoling from Dad, who thought it’d be fun and wanted to do it for her as a gift for giving him a grandbaby, and from me because I wanted so desperately to care for her, she finally accepted.

We were sent away to make plans that we could show her later. For now, Runa requested another ritual, now that she was at home and closer to the spirits. Then she needed to rest. Since her home was on Aiden’s land, we had to check with him on what was allowed, and the lighting was better in the glass monstrosity anyway.

“I’m just sayin’. Welcome-home parties are a thing. She wasn’t gone long, but we should still celebrate,” a deep voice with a heavy Southern accent insisted.

A more quiet female answered, a tremor in her voice. “I’m not sure, Teddy… She doesn’t like people in her space.”

I’d been heading for Aiden’s office, but the moment I figured out they were talking about Runa, I spun around, creeping closer to listen in. The pair were in the kitchen, talking in hushed tones. The male was huge, which put me on guard immediately, but the puppy dog look on his face kind of ruined the intimidation factor. The woman was smaller, with dark brown hair and a slim build. She twisted her fingers anxiously, only stopping when the man took her hands and kissed the backs of them.

“Tell me what’s wrong. You used to visit her a lot, right? I thought you’d want to welcome her home.”

Her expression shuttered, and she dropped her gaze. “I… She…” She sighed, a pained noise escaping at the same time. “She’s my first friend in a long time and when she wouldn’t wake up, it scared me. I don’t think I would survive losing another important person to me. I–” She swallowed hard and even half hidden, I could see the tears well up in her eyes. “I don’t know what to do.”

I straightened with a frown. They weren’t threats, not so far as I could tell. The woman was scared to lose her friend.

“Nate? You comin’?” Dad called from the end of the hall. I turned away from the conversation, confused. Runa made it sound like the whole compound was afraid of her. Maybe she was wrong?

We headed into Aiden’s office, where Christian sat working. I hadn’t talked much with my cousin, I didn't trust him not to share with Aiden, but I knew he was mated to another flight shifter and that he worked as Aiden’s assistant.

“Christian!” Dad called out happily. “Hard at work, I see.”

Christian flashed him an indulgent grin. “More often than not, this is where I am. Can I help you with something?”

Dad hummed his agreement, throwing himself onto one of the couches in the middle of the room. “I wanna build Runa a better place. Maybe expand on what she’s got or start from scratch. Dunno yet. But it’s Aiden’s land, so I gotta get his permission first.”

“She can have whatever she needs,” Aiden said as he strode into the room. He was in a suit, his expression closed off and tight. My spine stiffened.

“What’s wrong?”

His lip lifted into a scowl. “Nothing.”

Christian rolled his eyes. “The construction workers are on their way. Aiden doesn’t like them here.”

I shot a questioning look at Aiden. He shook his head. “I told you, I’ve been on edge since the attack. The owner of the construction company is a friend. He lives at Blackridge with Rhea. But I don’t know his crew and I don’t like them here near my mate.”

That, I could understand. I didn't want them around either. “I’ll keep an eye on them.”

Aiden’s expression softened a little. “I appreciate that, but I’m sure you have things to do. Unless you’re thinking of hiring the crew to build Runa a new home?”

“Nope. I’ll do that,” Dad said with a lazy grin. “Just gotta get your permission first. The clearing is big enough that I shouldn’t need to cut down trees, but I gotta get a good foundation in. I’ll have to do some digging.”

I winced. Something told me Runa wouldn’t be happy about that.

“Be sure to check with her first,” Aiden said as he sat behind his desk. “She was particular about what the crew was allowed to do when first building her home. That's why it’s only one room. It was all she could tolerate before she demanded they leave. I’ve tried to convince her to let me do more, but she wasn’t interested.”

I wasn’t going to tell him that was because of her relationship with him, not because of the construction workers. She didn’t want it to cost any more than it absolutely had to. Since the cost for the upgrade was coming from me, hopefully, I’d be able to convince her to let us do more.

“We’ll run everything by her before we start, but I gotta get it done right or it’ll just cause more trouble than it's worth,” Dad explained with a shrug. “That friend of yours, the one who owns the construction company? Why not introduce me to him? He might be willing to give me his contacts for supplies.”

Aiden nodded, amenable to that. I still struggled to trust him, but after he finally came clean about what he had been hiding from me, I could see where he was coming from. He was almost as untrusting as I was, but he put a great deal of importance on family. And ever since Runa saved Andrew’s life, he included her in that image, whether she liked it or not. He was a little too domineering about it, but I could see the truth on his face when he said he wanted to keep her safe. I didn’t want to turn down that offer. If I had a dragon protecting her, it might make me feel steady enough to function more normally by the time my kid was born.

We talked for a little while with Aiden about the limitations for Runa’s new home. Aiden didn’t have a lot that he would refuse her, but he did explain the limitations they had with access to water and electricity. Runa had her own well at the back of her space, but she hadn’t allowed anyone to dig to put in power lines and they didn’t think it was smart to run them through the trees. We’d need to get her to agree to digging, and I wasn’t sure how she’d take that.

We were in the middle of discussing putting Runa’s home next to Aiden’s, which I knew she’d refuse in a heartbeat, but before I could say anything, someone knocked on the door. My hackles went up instantly and I swung around, but Aiden put up a staying hand to stop me.

“He’s not an enemy.”

“How do you know?” I snapped. I couldn’t even smell the person yet. I had no idea what I was up against.

“My sense of smell is better than yours, and only one man on that construction team is allowed outside of the construction zone. I promise you, he’s not an enemy. Come in, Malcolm.”

The door opened and a large man with thick muscles and a hard hat in his hand stepped inside. Without the barrier between us, I could smell the fur on him, a gorilla shifter, but he also smelled like a bear for some reason. A reason that became abundantly clear when a little cub darted past his feet into the room, heading straight for Aiden. The dragon didn’t even blink, kneeling to scoop up the little bear and cradle him like a baby. He tipped his head questioningly at Malcolm, who sighed.

“Carmen needed a break, so no school today. He wanted to come with me and see you. I told ‘im to wait outside.” The last sentence was a little growly, like he was scolding the cub, but the softness on his face kind of ruined the effect.

“Ah,” Aiden nodded. “Well, I have no problem with him staying inside with me. Malcolm, I want to introduce you to my son, Heathcliff, and my grandson, Nathan.”

I tried not to wince at the familiarity of the claim. We were family, whether I liked it or not. I just didn’t feel that kind of bond with him. I knew he wanted it, but I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I had too much on my plate already.

Malcolm offered his hand to Dad first as we came to join them, greeting us both politely. “Malcolm. Nice to meet you. That’s my son, Javi.”

He tipped his head toward the little bear, who had moved to climb onto Aiden’s shoulders and stood taller than us all, with his front paws planted on Aiden’s head. If the little claws bothered him, Aiden didn’t let it show, nor did he bow from the weight of the cub. He just smiled indulgently and let the cub play. It did a lot to soften my image of him.

“Just Heath,” Dad corrected as he shook hands. “You’re the contractor, right?”

Malcolm nodded, his expression open and curious. I still didn’t trust him, but my tiger was more lenient with parents. Cubs softened shifters. Sometimes, a cub could even bring a shifter back from the brink. It was hard to imagine someone being a threat with a cub to care for.