“You’re not used to spending so much time outdoors, are you?” Lillie asked with a laugh as she flipped open the basket she’d been carrying, revealing a large pile of eggs.
Zarina blinked. They had chickens there? She hadn’t heard a peep from them since she’d arrived. The idea of eating eggs for breakfast made her mouth water. She’d love to help Lillie cook, but it had been a long time since she’d made anything over an old-fashioned wood-burning stove.
“Is it that obvious?” Zarina asked.
Lillie smiled over her shoulder as she walked over to the counter. “Just a little.”
“Believe it or not, I actually grew up on a farm. It was nothing like this, though,” Zarina admitted. “How about you? Have you lived here long?”
Lillie cracked half a dozen eggs into a glass bowl and beat them vigorously with a whisk. “About five years. Since I was fourteen. When my mom passed away, my dad decided to sell everything we had and move out here from Montana to start up the camp. I’ve been here ever since.”
“I’m sorry about your mom,” Zarina said.
Lillie’s eyes filled with sadness. “Thanks.”
“Moving here must have been quite a change,” Zarina said.
The girl shrugged as she sliced mushrooms and added them to the eggs. “I didn’t want to come here at first, that’s true. But looking back on it now, I realize why Dad did it.” She picked up a block of cheese and deftly grated a small amount. “I didn’t handle my mom’s death very well and was heading down a destructive path. My dad had already been a prepper back in Montana, so trading in our farm there for this camp wasn’t really that much of a change. Besides the fact that we don’t have TV or internet.” Her lips curved slightly. “But I don’t mind missing those things, because if we hadn’t come here, I would never have met Spencer.”
If Zarina had any doubt the girl was in love with the hybrid, she didn’t now. It was obvious from the look in Lillie’s eyes when she said the man’s name.
“What does your father think of you and Spencer?” Zarina asked.
Lillie placed two thick slices of bread on a cooking sheet and slipped it into the side compartment of the closest stove, then poured the eggs into the cast-iron skillet already sitting on top.
“He absolutely hates it,” she said. “He thinks Spencer is bad for me, that he’s dangerous, and that I could do so much better.”
Zarina took two plates from the open cabinets above the counter. “Silverware?” she asked.
“Top drawer on your right,” Lillie said.
Zarina took out two sets of forks and knives, then set the table nearest to them. “Is he right? Is Spencer bad for you? More importantly, is he dangerous?”
Lillie frowned as she lifted the heavy pan and brought it over to the table. She spooned the scrambled eggs onto the plates in silence, then placed the pan on the counter. With practiced ease, she pulled the toast out and brought that over to the table, too.
Pouring two mugs of coffee from the pot on the stove, she placed one in front of Zarina, then sat down across from her. Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she pointed at the scar on her neck. “This was totally my fault. Spencer and I have had a special connection since the day we met, and I’ve always felt safe around him even when his control is at its worst. But then I made the mistake of slipping into his cabin and trying to wake him up from a nightmare. It was a stupid thing to do. I knew better. But I couldn’t stand to hear him shouting in fear. It tore me apart.”
Zarina spread butter on the toast. She’d heard Tanner do the same more times than she could count. Lillie was right. It was hard to listen to. “What happened?”
Lillie ate a forkful of eggs before answering. “Exactly what you’d expect from startling anyone armed with claws out of a night terror. Spencer lashed out without even knowing I was there. The minute I cried out in pain, it immediately pulled him out of the dream. Or maybe it was just the scent of my blood. Either way, he snapped out of his rage. He almost lost his mind when he realized he’d hurt me. I swear, for a second, I was worried he was going to kill himself when he saw how bad it was. But instead, he picked me up and carried me to Lorraine’s cabin. She fixed me up just fine.”
Looking at the scars, Zarina reminded herself to never let Lorraine sew a tear in her clothes. The woman had obviously focused on the practical aspects of keeping Lillie alive, not the cosmetic ones.
Lillie shrugged and stared down at her plate. “We don’t have a lot of mirrors around here, so I barely think about them, but I know they bother Spencer. To him, they’re a constant reminder of how dangerous he is and why we shouldn’t be together. Which is silly. To me, these scars are a sign of how much our love can endure. Not that I expect Spencer to understand that of course, since he’s a guy.”
Zarina couldn’t help but smile. “Lillie, you might not know it, but you are wise beyond your years. Can I assume your father doesn’t share your view on the matter?”
She let out a snort. “Dad went ballistic. He wanted to toss Spencer and his friends out on their butts. I told Dad that if he did, I’d leave with Spencer. My dad knew I’d do it, too, so he backed off.”
Zarina was stunned by how brave and strong Lillie was. She wasn’t sure she
