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the only ones who can understand us.
Shiloh agreed.  Thing is, something did happen, he told Nicolas.
 I won t be able to come to work for& the foreseeable future.
Silence.  Okay, now you really got me worried, Nicolas said.
Shiloh could sense his friend was frowning.  Look, I hate to ask
this& Liam didn t& you know?
Shiloh wanted to be outraged, but he knew his odd behavior was
making Nicolas concerned.  God, no. We& We sort of added a new
member to our family.
 What? Shiloh, what?
 The other day, when we came back from a walk, we found a
swan egg in front of our door, Shiloh explained.  I m going to have
to stay home for a couple of weeks to hatch it.
 Shiloh, I won t tell you not to take time off, but honey, you have
to realize what a chance you re taking with this. What if that egg was
stolen or something? You can really get into trouble.
Shiloh bit his lip nervously. It was pretty much what Liam had
told him the night before, but he didn t want to hear it. He already felt
a connection with the poor, helpless egg. He wanted it to be his.
The Wolf Who Hatched an Egg 87
 Shiloh, baby& I want that, too, but we also have to be realistic,
Liam said in his mind.
Shiloh took a deep breath and ignored Liam s comment. He
turned his attention toward Nicolas once again.  Look, don t worry
about me. I ll be fine.
 Okay. Nicolas sounded doubtful.  Just call me if you need
anything.
Shiloh promised that he would, even if he had no intention to. Not
that he didn t trust Nicolas. Hell, the man had been a faithful friend
for many years. But Shiloh couldn t endanger his egg. The only
person he d allow around it was Liam, his mate and partner.
 We ll just deal with this one day at a time, he sent to Liam as
he ended the call with Nicolas.  I m sure it will be all right.
* * * *
The weekend passed with Liam and Shiloh going through the
same routine. Then, Monday morning came, and they were forced to
make the inevitable choice. Liam still needed to go to work, while
Shiloh would stay home and care for the egg.
The day felt hellish. It was only Liam and Shiloh s connection
that kept him sane, when all he wanted was to run home and guard his
mate and the baby. Hell, the egg hadn t even hatched and he d already
become so attached. Fuck.
His coworkers steered clear of him, apparently noticing his ill
temper, so Liam was not forced to make idle conversation. Half the
time, he zoned out and focused on his bond with Shiloh, calming his
mate and keeping Shiloh s company in his mind, even if he couldn t
with a physical presence.
At last, halfway through the day, Liam cracked and went to see
his boss. Thankfully, the lady liked him and agreed to give him a few
days off. Perhaps it wouldn t be enough to guard Shiloh all the way to
the moment when the egg hatched, but it was better than nothing.
88 Scarlet Hyacinth
As soon as his shift ended, Liam said good-bye to his coworkers
and headed out. He stopped by a store to stock up on groceries,
knowing they d need them in the following days. He didn t remember
feeling so anxious in his life, and he had no plans of leaving the house
if he could help it.
Even if he knew Shiloh was okay, he still felt relieved when he
finally reached their home. Shiloh didn t meet him at the door as he
would usually do, but Liam didn t expect him to. He put the groceries
away as quickly as he could then headed into the bedroom. Shiloh
was exactly where Liam had left him in the morning, on the bed in
shifted form, still on the egg. The food Liam left him had been
consumed, but Liam knew he was feeling the strain.
 Come on, baby, he said.  Go take a break. I ll take over.
He took his clothes off as he spoke. Taking a deep breath, he
allowed the change to flow over him. Now in wolf form, he changed
places with Shiloh, slipping over the swan egg. His mate shifted back
into his human shape and rubbed his eyes.  Thanks, he said.  I have
to say I m glad you took a couple of days off. We felt really lonely
today.
Liam inwardly smiled at the way his mate was already referring to
the egg.  Do you think the baby missed me?
 Oh, I know it. Shiloh grinned.  I ll be right back.
As his mate left the bedroom, Liam closed his eyes and focused
on the egg under him. It felt warm and alive. It was so very strange. If
someone had ever told him he would one day be hatching an egg,
he d have laughed, maybe even punched the person in question. But
now, it seemed like such a natural thing. He wondered why. Was it
something about Shiloh that made him a better person? Whatever the
case, he couldn t deny he wanted to protect this baby.
He didn t know how long it took until Shiloh returned to take
over. It seemed his mate had taken longer than strictly necessary,
perhaps meaning to have Liam bond with the egg. It was certainly
working.
The Wolf Who Hatched an Egg 89
Liam moved away without being told to and allowed Shiloh to
resume the egg-hatching process. Just as he prepared himself to take
up his guarding position, he heard the phone ring.
Liam briefly considered letting it ring, but that would just be a
fucked-up thing to do. Shiloh seemed to know this as well. It didn t
stop the irritation that flooded their bond.  I never thought I d feel
like this whenever our friends called us, Shiloh said.  I just wish
they would leave us alone.
Liam knew how his mate felt. He changed into his human form,
petted the soft feathers, and smiled.  They just worry. Nicolas must
have told them about the egg.
It wasn t exactly a secret, at least not between these close friends
who were used to telling each other everything. In truth, Liam had
been surprised Shiloh hadn t immediately told Carson. But in a way,
he did understand. The egg was theirs. He didn t want anyone to
interfere either. He shouldn t even be forced to consider discussing its
existence with anyone outside their circle especially the adoption
agency. But Liam still couldn t shake a bad feeling, and he oscillated
between the need to hope and the knowledge of an unknown peril.
Sighing to himself, Liam went to pick up to the phone. Almost
immediately, Brody s voice began to rant,  What s this I hear about
you getting an egg? he asked.  Damn it, Liam. You have any idea
how much trouble you could get into?
 Why would anyone care? he asked, half because he actually
wanted to hear what his friend intended to say, half because he needed
to defend his own position.  The egg was abandoned. Of course we re
going to want to care for it.
Brody sighed.  Let me give you a little hint, Liam. You re a wolf.
The egg belongs to a swan. Some people don t take kindly to that.
Cold chills ran down Liam s spine.  So what you re saying is they
might think I d hurt it. I d never do that.
90 Scarlet Hyacinth
 Yes, well, they won t believe that, Brody answered.  You
remember what they told me and Carson when we first wanted to
adopt.
Yes, Liam remembered. The woman at the adoption agency had
said that Brody and Carson couldn t possibly be adequate parents for
either a carnivore or an herbivore. Brody might eat a young herbivore,
while the carnivore could grow up to attack Carson. But at the same
time, there had been someone who d trusted them, enough to give
them custody of two wonderful kids. It was that someone Liam had [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]