Gabriel POVGabriel sat in the training area on the stray compound waiting for Samson to join him. In the training area, there was an outdoor space and indoor space. Currently he was indoors because of the heat, sitting on a weight lifting bench.He was thinking about the evening's events and the many stories he relayed to Lucy that Samson had told him as he grew up. Gabriel had missed his parents so much, and Samson had been the best person to adopt him since he had been a great friend to them. So it was only natural for Samson to describe all he could about Elijah and Louisa to a young grieving boy.Gabriel had told Lucy about how the four of them had all become fast friends, and Lucy had told him about her and Gertrude's run-in at the farmer's market with Fennick. Gabriel was surprised that Gertrude and Fennick had been mates. He frowned down at the grass. He felt like this was a missing piece to the puzzle. Was this why Fennick was so against wolf shifters and humans being m

Lucy POVLucy stretched after writing a chapter of the new mystery book she has been working on. She felt she had much more time for her hobbies after her recent career change. Perhaps there was a silver lining to what had happened in Colorado; she not only moved to her favorite place, but she met Gabriel too.Everything was falling into place. She stood and smiled at Frank who had been at her feet while she typed away. That morning Aunt Gertrude asked Lucy if she wouldn't mind staying in that evening. Aunt Gertrude had said she wanted to spend quality time with her niece and talk.Lucy wondered what her aunt could possibly want to talk about. Perhaps she had news about a new development in her relationship with Samson. Or maybe she was going to drop another big truth bomb about her history with Fennick? Lucy was still feeling blindsided by the fact that Gabriel's Uncle Fennick and her Aunt Gertrude had been mates.Aunt Gertrude was making lasagna and salad for their dinner and t

Gabriel POVGabriel woke early, sipping on coffee in his kitchen and watching the sun rise over the red rocks in the distance. Where his section on the compound was, he could see nature for miles. He was pondering about the research notes he had taken for Lucy on nymph lore. Supposedly nymphs were fairies in a sense; a nature deity that had different personifications of different habitats. Mermaids could even be associated with nymphs. They were usually beautiful, enticing maidens who could seduce men. Perhaps that's another reason why he was so attracted to Lucy. He stretched as he thought about it more. He wondered about her recent discovery and had been thinking of her all night long. From what he gathered in helping his beloved with her research, nymphs were often viewed as sexually attractive women, nature guardians, and kindly disposed toward men. Nymphs could also be male but there were differences for them as well. Gabriel wondered if Lucy had been able to sleep, or if

Lucy POVLucy walked back towards home along the familiar road with Frank beside her. The sun was starting to peak over the red rocks in the distance and the sunrise brought a feeling of hope, warming Lucy's body. As she was taking in the environment around her, she had a few thoughts soaring through her mind like an eagle riding the wind currents.She was focused lately on work and researching her latest revealed secret of the Eudora family. She discovered her family had moved to the area in the 1800s from Greece. They made the house with their own bare hands and had made a quiet life for themselves as artisans. Early ancestors had been carpenters, poets, and painters. This wasn't very different from herself as a writer, or her aunt who was a painter. The previous evening Lucy had been reading a detailed account written by an ancestor about the possibility of nymphs being infertile. This ancestor had just succeeded in becoming pregnant after many failed attempts. Lucy knew endomet

Lucy POVLucy looked over at Gabriel who had made it clear he wasn't going to pressure her into sex that evening. She never would have thought he'd act that way. He was the perfect gentleman. She propped herself up on her elbow and smiled over at him. "I like that we took the pressure off tonight. I have never felt like you are pressuring me about any physical intimacy in our relationship Gabriel. Actually, what are we really? We never really said… I think we just continued seeing each other. Do shifters become boyfriend and girlfriend?"Gabriel chuckled. "Usually shifters are more like Sara and Vance. They skip everything and start living together, marriage, kids… life. But everyone is different, for us we should be boyfriend and girlfriend. I guess we just never labeled it did we?"Lucy ran a hand down Gabriel's arm as she answered, "No. I don't think we ever did. I think we just assumed. We never really did talk about it until now.""Lucy," Gabriel leaned in close and whispe