Hushed Willows world enough, and time

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Eleuthera, in pure blithe contentment, closed her eyes and stuck her nose out, offering a check where he could place his affections (in the form of tidying her windswept fur). It was a nice interlude between her mission across the mountains and whatever was to come next. Eleuthera found that she had been terribly stressed these past few days, despite doing nothing but resting, having been unaware that her dedication to the willows would be tested so soon. Well, Eleuthera was one to rise to the task!

To once again be with Kincaid, she immediately let a sense of home and safety wash over her. Was it ridiculous to feel such a sense of familiarity to a man she still barely knew? Not entirely, but she was her mother’s daughter after all — and being with a pack again felt very nice, but it did not replace the warmth of her beloved by her side in bed at night. In Kincaid’s case, even the memory of him had been enough to keep her smiling. The reality of it was far sweeter. 

They settled in easily and with a sense of closeness that might have been inappropriate for any other set of two wolves. She hadn’t given him many details during their first meeting — which, considering all that had happened since, felt like eons ago — but at this point she was ultimately certain of Kincaid’s good heart and maintained a hearty respect for his opinion on this. She hoped that she was not breaking Seelie Court’s trust by bringing him into the fold.

Though they weren’t actively cuddling, Eleuthera was very much glued to his side. She wanted to feel his bones press into hers, to help the waifish lilac woman hold up the weight of the world, and to speak softly to him, weaving together the words and sentences that were currently constructing their reality. “There’s a group of wolves that are causing a ruckus," the woman began, looking up at him earnestly. “Kidnapping, trespassing, lying, fighting… I’ve quite honestly never seen anything like it." It was all the truth, and often times she couldn’t believe their arrogance. It was only a matter of time before the allies were fed up and made a move against them.

“They’ve already crossed these borders without hesitation, and have done so to other packs." This was the real danger. If they had no respect for the most basic of wolf laws, what would prevent them from doing worse? What if someone became hurt, or died, because they were too tolerant of the big, mottled man with a silver tongue?

Eleuthera heaved a sigh and cast a glance at the willows, whose illuminated, ethereal branches drifted in the wind as if nothing bad had ever happened, and it had never been the site of any transgressions. The earth easily forgave all, but she couldn't. “Normally, at times like this I’d just pick up and go." There had been many times when she and Séamus had taken up residence with a pack, only to learn the subtitles of their beings and easily making the choice to leave — in fact, now that she thought about it, this was the first time in her life, ever, that she had stood up to protect something instead of cutting and running. Now, she had something to protect, even if it was nothing more than dear memories and the bones of the departed.

Eleuthera’s ears fell, and she suddenly felt her chest tighten. If she and Kin were the same, but he did not have the soul tie to these willows, what could possibly make the cowboy stay?Certainly there had been other women before her, and clearly they had not been enough, either. He was destined to leave again and return to the road — that was a simply a fact. “I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to." Her voice, as she uttered this sentence, no longer held it’s zeal. The thought of it made her sad, and she couldn’t hide it from him.

here, have a whole book!