Chapter Two

He couldn't believe he was back here like this.

Tyler ran his hand down his full beard and tried to fit the woman he saw before him to the girl he used to know. Demi had sure grown up right.

She had jet-black hair in beach waves down past her shoulders, and a black tank top that hugged her fit curves. Her skin was sun-kissed, like she'd had a fun summer outside. Her dark-wash skinny jeans hugged her curves just right, and she wore a pair of black, slide-on Doc Martin boots. She'd lost those childlike features he remembered from when she was sixteen. Now her face was all gorgeous bone structure, full lips painted a dusty rose color, and perfectly-arched dark eyebrows that framed those soft brown eyes.

Any red-blooded male could see she was hot as fire. She'd probably broken a dozen hearts since he was here last.

He'd tried to call her a couple years ago, when the news of the crow shifters' existence hit the media channels. He figured she and her family were under fire, but he should've known she would be just fine. She'd always been a tough one.

He'd called, and she'd ignored his call, and that was the only time in the past sixteen years he'd tried to reach out. Why? Because she was a splinter on a good day.

He was sitting on a strawbale near a big cardboard cut-out where families could push their faces through holes and take pictures. This one had a mural that would depict the family like a mermaid, a pirate, a cockroach, and a parrot.

Demi was working at an apple-cannon station. It was getting later. The evening hour was dragging darkness over everything, and he'd come here for a specific reason. This was professional, but he'd been sitting here for fifteen minutes, putting off talking to her. Why?

He couldn't explain it even if someone had a gun to his head.

Demi was one of the biggest reasons he had left all those years ago, and rarely came back. Granted, he'd built a big life and had been too busy to revisit this place much, physically or mentally, but seeing her brought so much back.

He didn't like it.

He didn't like that she was clearly such a big part of the bad feelings he had about this town.

"Holy hell-beans."

He hung his head and smiled as he recognized the voice behind him. His parents had five kids, and only one of them was a girl.

"Hellion," he said with a smile in his tone as he looked over his shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" Rachel asked, sinking down on the strawbale beside him.

"I got your text."

"In the sibling loop? Everyone responded but you. I thought you weren't coming back."

He bumped her shoulder, and looked back at Demi. "I got in this morning. Been visiting with old friends." He lifted a folded piece of paper. "I stopped by that address and put together a quote."

"Ummm, Dad is not going to take a job with Demi."

"Yeah, well, that's his problem. Prejudiced old asshole, is what he is."

"You shouldn't talk about him like that," Rachel said softly.

He looked pointedly at the drink in her hand. "What is that?"

"Hard apple cider. It's strong. You want one?"

He made a click sound and shook his head. "Let me get through this, and then I'll probably be at the nearest bar."

She draped her arm over his shoulder and pointed to a concession bar. "There's the closest bar."

He chuckled and bumped his sister off him. "This place sure looks different from when we were kids."

"The Darkes made it into a right proper business."

"Has her mom learned to like you yet?"

"Hell no. She still thinks I'm a bad influence."

He snorted. "So she's still smart. Why are you hanging around her pumpkin patch then?"

"You know, someday she's just going to get used to me and start to like me. I'm wearing on her."

He laughed. "Yeah, annoying the shit out of people is my love language too. I get it."

"It's all going to be okay, you know," she said suddenly, and the smile fell from his face. He hated that she'd gone serious on him. "You think so?"

"I know so." Rachel shoved him in the shoulder. "I'm going to go get you a beer. They sell local here, and someone has come up with an atrocious pumpkin-spice flavored beer. You're trying it."

It was easy for her to say everything was going to be okay. She'd never left here. She was desensitized to all the big feelings that came from being here. Her experience was different, but for Tyler? Nothing felt like it was okay here.

Best to get this over with. He stood and dusted the seat of his pants, unfolded the quote, and strode for the apple-cannon station.

He was about to get eaten alive.

Part of him dreaded it, and part of him knew he freakin' deserved it.