Faent Hearted

Chapter One

I stepped out of the rent-a-truck, gazing at the quaint town of Ashwood. Nestled between the rolling hills and dense forests; it seemed like the perfect place to start anew. As a human, I'd always felt like an outsider in our odd world. I never fit in much with my own kind, but my Gran raised me in the human cities since I was young.

She'd always told me Ashwood was different – a neutral community where Shifters, Vampires, and humans coexisted.

At least, they did now. Twenty years ago these streets were lined with the metallic blood of Faeries until they were wiped out, forcing a truce amongst the three remaining kinds.

Though, Ashwood had always been a mixed community - my Gran grew up here, a small human woman who could barely hurt a fly.

I missed her dearly.

I shook off the dark thoughts that lingered about her death, taking a deep breath before stretching out my short but athletic frame.

My short sleeve shirt and shorts were a bad choice for the brisk autumn air that filled the streets. My skin was relatively pale, the only marking was the odd tattoo-like birthmark on my right bicep and shoulder that I kept hidden with makeup, long enough shirts or jumpers, out of a feeling of shame and fear of ridicule since I was a child.

It was a large oval with runes and swirls I could never decipher, sometimes I swear they glowed under a full moon. I pulled my sweater from my suitcase in the passenger seat and tugged it on, taking a moment to look over the town.

A simple two way street, sidewalks and small businesses lined the paths, the early morning sun shining over the hills and casting a warm glow that did very little to ease the chill.

I dug the keys out of my shorts pocket, jogging to the small abandoned store I now owned.

Well, I'd always owned it since my Gran left it to me in her will five years ago when she'd died; I just wasn't old enough to do anything with it.

Until now, five years later and all my savings in the back of a truck, it was home.

A brick building with wide arch bay seat windows, a small counter by the belled door at the front. It rang like a wind chime as I unlocked the door, looking across the wooden floors and empty sparse shelves.

Dust coated most of the surfaces, even the small fireplace in the back needed a good cleaning. But there was still a hint of Earl Grey tea and roses - my Gran always had piles of the potpourri mix around somewhere; I'm sure I'd find a few bundles around here too.

I tried my auburn curls into a high ponytail off my light green eyes and began unloading boxes from the truck, my muscles already protesting the weight from days of moving and lifting already.

Shouldn't have bought so many hardbacks. I huffed at myself. I dug my heels in - as Gran would say - and got half the truck unloaded by midday, sweating and almost ready to start trying to tackle the few shelves I'd brought with me.

It would have been fine, if I hadn't taken the large decorative antique ones out of storage.

I breathed out a heavy sigh, exhausted and ready for a cat-nap. "Come on, Bellamy, you got this.” I pep talked myself, preparing to climb into the truck when someone called out.

"Hey, miss!" I turned around, seeing pickup truck pull up behind me.

A tall, ruggedly handsome man stepped out, his piercing blue eyes locking onto mine. He was...gorgeous, chiseled and....gorgeous. Six foot something, a tight dark grey shirt hugging his muscles and broad chest, tapering to his waist, faded and slightly torn jeans hung off his thick muscular legs and heavy boots.

"Oh, hi!" I greeted, his attractiveness catching me off guard for a moment, something about him making me fluttered and my stomach twisted. "I'm not in the way, am I?" I asked quickly, gesturing to the large stack of food barrels and supplies in the back of his truck.

He waved me off, smiling. "No, I just came to greet you," he chuckled, hi voice deep and appealing.

"Oh," I faltered but found myself smiling. "Hi, I'm Bellamy, but call me Bella."

"Welcome to Ashwood, Bella," he said, his voice sending shivers down my spine. "I'm Lucian Grey."

I felt an inexplicable pull towards him, as if the very air around us vibrated with tension. "Hi," I said again feeling stupid, extending my hand. "Thanks for the welcome."

Lucian's handshake was firm, his touch warm and sending sparks through my veins. "I'm the Alpha of the local Pack. We don't often get new faces around here, so it helps to greet them when they do come through so I don't confuse your scent." There weren't many Wolves where I was from, but Gran had spoken highly of the Forest Moon Pack that lived in their own territory on the edge of town to the North.

"So, you came to check my scent out?" I found myself asking, my voice playful.

His lip twitched in a small smirk, his bright eyes glancing over my body. "Something like that," he said huskily, my heart fluttering and I felt my cheeks warming.

I smiled, sensing a genuine warmth beneath his authoritative demeanor that made me comfortable. "I'm reopening the Sparrows Nest. So, I'll be here for a while." I said, my voice hopeful.

Lucian looked at the storefront, seeming to consider something as his lips curved into another smile. "A lot of my Pack miss having the store around," he noted, his voice touched with a hint of pride and something else I couldn't place as he glanced behind me "Let me give you a hand with those." He said then, gesturing to the cabinets.

I hesitated, not wanting to trouble him. "Oh, no, I've got it. I was just taking a break and they're pretty heavy."

Lucian chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I think I can handle it, little one."

Before I could protest further, he moved passed me to the back of the truck, climbing in without hesitation and lifted a massive open backed bookcase with ease. I watched, awestruck, as he carried it, jumping out of the truck and strode into the store with a fluid strength that belied his human form.

"You're...really strong," I stammered, feeling a flush rise to my cheeks.

Lucian smiled. "Alpha perks. Comes in handy when moving furniture for sweet bookstore owners."

I blushed completely, stammering and stuttering - something I hadn't done since I was twelve! "Uh, I-I-I, um...Y-y-you," I bit my bottom lip, wanting to cry.

Lucian seemed to notice my verging panic attack, stepping close enough to me that the warmth from his body radiated through me, warming my very soul and I inhaled his intoxicating smell of the forest and something sweet, like...candy.

"It's alright," he muttered as his large hand reached up, his finger curling under my chin to lift my head to meet his eyes.

"Let me help you, Bellamy." He said, his voice a soft rumble and his breath warmed my face temptingly.

I'm not sure how long we stayed staring at each other, inches apart and breathing the same air. But I finally nodded my head.

"Okay," I said finally.

He smirked, letting me go and went to the truck to finish unloading.

As we worked together, our movements fell into a harmonious rhythm. Lucian effortlessly lifted the shelves and moved them for me, his muscles rippling beneath his shirt. I found myself stealing glances as I organised boxes and set up some of the counter, drawn to the raw power and kindness emanating from him.

As we finished unloading, Lucian dusted off his hands. "That's the last of it. You're all set."

I smiled, feeling a sense of gratitude and somewhat relaxed. "Thanks, Lucian. I owe you one."

Lucian's gaze lingered on mine, his expression softening. "No debt," he shrugged, glancing around. "The Pack takes care of those important to us,"

I chuckled, hiding the nervousness his words brought, moving to a box in one of the corners and pulled it open. "Gran mentioned Wolves loved books, so I made sure to get some she had records of high sales and popular best sellers."

He grinned, coming to stand next to me and looked over some of the books I held out. "Maybe you can tell me if they're terrible." I smiled back, giggling slightly to try lessen the feeling he brought when standing so close.

His hands brushed mine, taking an old Werewolf novel and a newer spy novel from the recommended 100 lists for sellers.

I watched him as he examined them, his dark brows narrowing over his blue eyes as he crouched and dug around in the box of books.

"Are all of these hardback?" He asked, looking up at me.

I found myself blushing for some reason as I admitted. "Uh, yeah... I thought the Wolves would prefer it...harder to break, ya know?" I said, my voice somewhat breathless as his gaze seemed to see right through me.

His lips twisted into an attractive smirk as he gently placed the books back and stood to his full height over me.

"You're not wrong about that," he said, his voice low and deliciously husky. "We do enjoy durability."

I could be durable. Ah. No. Bad thoughts.

I smiled at him, trying to hide my nervousness and remember what we were talking about.

Nope...all I could think was durability.

We stared at each other for a moment, something sparking the air and I felt a desire to kiss him fill me as his eyes fell to my lips.

I threw my thumb over my shoulder at the boxes and shelves. "I should get back to-"

At the same time, he shook his head slightly, gesturing to the door. "I should get the supplies-"

We both stopped, not wanting to interrupt each other only to laugh embarrassed.

Lucian scratched the back of his raven hair, chuckling then gesture to the door as he dropped it. "I gotta get the supplies to the Packhouse," he said then.

I nodded, trying to hide the swell of emotions. "Yeah, I should clean up and then sort the house." I gestured lightly upstairs.

He smiled then, "You're living in town?"

I smiled back, nodding again. "Yeah, fresh start and all that." I shrugged then, stepping out of the large, gorgeous man's way. "I'll let you go, thanks again for the help, Lucian."

He smiled when I said his name, his eyes shining. "Anytime, Bellamy,"

As he turned to leave, I felt an inexplicable pang of disappointment.

A desire to grab him and ask him to stay...Before I could finish wrestling my crazy thoughts, he paused, his eyes locking onto mine once more.

"By the way," he said, his voice a soft caress of my nerves. "Would you like to join me for dinner tomorrow night? I'd love to show you around Ashwood...and get to know you better."

My heart skipped a beat. Was this a date? And why did the prospect excite me so much?

"I'd love to," I replied, trying to sound casual despite the flutter in my chest.

Lucian's smile lit up the evening, and I think my heart stopped for a moment as he grabbed a pen and paper from my half-set-up counter, writing something down before he smiled at me again. "Message me," then he was gone.

I ignored the want to snatch the paper and message him right away, opting for stuffing the paper into my pocket and turned to the scattered room.

Lucian had been kind enough to arrange everything - now I just had to catalogue, alphabetize and stock everything.

Oh, and dust everything down.

I was already exhausted, but the thought of rewarding myself by messaging Lucian gave me the effort to push through - I just had to think about what to send him so it didn't seem overly excited.