“Mmm,” hummed Imara while she stretched out her arms in the morning sunlight as it passed through her room. “Oh, I wonder what time he’s coming.”

Imara pushed herself to the side of her bed then fanned her face as the thought of Ben sent a hot flash though her body. “It sure is a hot one already.”

As she went through her armoire, Imara found a loose, white cotton dress. It buttoned up the front and should be nice and cool on a hot summer day in Louisiana.

After she shimmied it down over her body, Imara looked in her mirror and twisted from side to side as she admired it. She grabbed her floppy hat from the bedpost and slid her feet in her leather sandals then walked out of her room. 

Imara could smell the bacon cooking in the kitchen as she walked down the stairs. As she passed the ornate mirror, she took a second to double check her hair and face. 

“Did I buy that?” Thorin asked as she entered the kitchen. 

Imara stopped and looked down over herself. “Well, of course you did, it’s not like you let me go out anywhere to shop on my own. What’s wrong with it?”

Thorin leaned over from the table and looked her over. “Well, it’s just that it’s kind of skimpy, isn’t it?”

“Hell’s bells, Thorin, it’s August.” Imara crossed her arms and blew a stray curl off her face. “Would you like me to go put on my full bustle and winter coat?”

Thorin shook his head then took a sip of his coffee as Imara took her seat. “This little get up wouldn’t have anything to do with that young farmer coming over this afternoon would it?”

Imara rolled her eyes and sighed as Thorin glanced back to her and smiled an amused grin. “It’s alright, my dear. I’m just picking on you. You’re a grown woman, there’s nothing wrong with a little harmless flirtation. Just watch it around Shaw. Daddy’s don’t like seeing their daughters messing around with young men. We got to deal with these people on a regular basis, it’s best to keep him on Shaw’s good side.”

As she picked up her glass of juice then brought it to her lips, Imara tried to think of a way to broach the subject. “Thorin, have you ever wondered about what it was like to meet your mate?”

Thorin furrowed his brows and swallowed as he glanced back up tom Imara. “Is there something you want to tell me, sweet girl?”

Imara shook her head from side to side and took a sip. As she swallowed, she licked her lips and said, “No, I just wondered what it felt like. I remember Momma saying that she knew from the minute she met Daddy that he was the one for her. You ever met anyone like that?”

Thorin breathed in through his nose then looked to the table and shook his head. “No. I met a few women who I thought might be but then I quickly realized they weren’t.” He smirked to himself. “I don’t think she’s here. I’ve been alive a long time now and have been a lot of places. I figure if she was here, Fate would’ve thrown her at me by now.”

Shaw leaned in through the kitchen door and shook his head as he looked over Imara. “I got the garden marked off and tilled. You want to come take a look before they get here?”

“Yes, sir, I’ll be right there.” Imara wiped the sweat from her neck then stood and put her hand on Thorin’s shoulder. “Wherever she is, Thorin, she’s a lucky woman.”

As Imara walked out the door, Thorin sighed and looked at Sofia. “I think she’s in love with that boy, Sofia.”

Sofia cleared the plates from Imara’s spot and nodded. “And I’m quite sure that he feels the same.” 

Thorin wiped his mouth with his hand.  “Well shit. I wasn’t expecting this to happen. What do you reckon I ought to do about this?”

Smiling to herself as she started to wash the dishes, Sofia glanced out the window as she saw Imara looking over Shaw’s work. “What can you do, Thorin? Some things can’t be prevented. Why would you want to? She deserves a little bit of happiness for once.”

Standing barefoot with the dirt between her toes, Imara twisted her lips and shook her head. “You sure about this spot, Shaw? You don’t think it’s too much sun, do you?” Imara looked up in the sky and squinted as the hot Louisiana sun beat down on her pale face.

Shaw rested his arm across the handle of his shovel as he watched Imara test the soil. “Plants like the sun, Imara. You might know healing, but I know everything else. This here’s the spot.”

Imara blew out a frustrated breath as she looked around at the holes she had dug. “I just don’t know. Maybe we should try the shady spot near the carriage house.”

“Good afternoon Miss Parker, Shaw” Ben smiled as he stood at the edge of the tilled-up yard and crossed his arms as he watched Imara on her hands and knees with her ass in the air. He’d seen her in a similar position in his dreams last night.

Imara smiled to herself before standing up and turning around. She rubbed her hands together to remove the dirt as she walked over to him. “Hello, Mr. Logan. I’m glad you’re here.”

Ben slowly looked her over before settling on her eyes. “You can just call me Ben.”

She smiled and glanced away as she saw Harold bringing the wagon around the side of the house. When Imara looked back, Ben was still looking at her making her cheeks flush with color as she grinned. “Well then, you may call me Imara. I wanted to thank you for bringing that on such short notice, I hope it wasn’t too much of a bother. I just need to get my planting done soon before the season passes.”

Shaw rubbed his chin and looked Ben over. “Hey, Ben, will you tell Imara this here’s the best place for her garden. I figure being a farmer and all, you’d know best.”

Ben looked down at her face as she crossed her arms in frustration. “Sorry, but he’s right. Plants like the sun.”

As Shaw walked past her, he said, “Told you so.”

Imara smirked and looked down to her feet before facing Ben again. “I just don’t want my plants burning up out here in this hot sun.”

Shaw went to the wagon to take a look at the soil mixture and began a conversation with Harold. Ben glanced over his shoulder to make sure they were out of ear shot then he licked his lips as he looked back to Imara. “What are you growing, Imara?”

As she dusted off her dress, she pulled her lips to the side and shrugged. “Herbs mostly.”

Ben looked at her eyes so that he could see her expression. “Are you a healer, Imara?”

Her heart skipped a beat as her eyes snapped up to his. Only supernaturals called their physicians healers. As her heart thumped and flipped in her chest, Imara’s normally pale cheeks and ears burned red as her fear seeped out of her skin. She glanced over to Shaw and she could tell he hadn’t heard what he said, thankfully. Imara looked to the ground and swallowed hard to get the taste of the lie she was about to tell out of her mouth. “Umm...no, it’s just a hobby, I suppose.”

“A hobby? Is that so?” Ben asked coldly as Imara avoided his eyes. He ducked from side to side to meet each direction she tried to look away to until she finally met his eyes again. 

“You’re not a very good liar, Imara. Please don’t ever lie to me again.” Imara’s hands started to shake, so she crossed her arms and tucked them under where Ben couldn’t see. She didn’t realize he was a Lycan and that he could hear her blood speeding through her veins or smell the adrenaline wafting from her pores. He was a living, breathing lie detector. Imara knew their secret was out, but if Shaw realized it, Ben was a dead man.

“Where are y’all from Imara?” Ben asked as he continued to look in her face for answers. “You’re from Savannah, aren’t you?”

Imara’s eyes teared up and she looked at him then shook her head no. “Please stop. You don’t know what you’re doing Ben.”  

Ben stepped closer to her and looked down into her face. “Then just tell me. What are you running from? You can tell me. I know what you are, it’s alright. Trust me, no one here’s going to hurt you.”

Feeling his prickly stare upon her, Imara looked back to Shaw and their eyes locked. Shaw knew Imara had too kind a heart to be dishonest and it wouldn’t be the first time he’d had to rescue her from a conversation that got away from her. He looked at her suspiciously as she nervously spoke to Ben. It was obvious to anyone with a pulse that Imara had a crush on Ben, but she had been sheltered all her life and was extremely naïve about men. He studied her face as he tried to figure out if she was just a poor flirt or if she was in trouble.

Imara nervously played with her necklace as she tried to remain calm in front of Shaw. “If they find out you know about us, Shaw and Thorin will leave with me tonight and you’ll never see me again. Please don’t say anything else. I don’t want to leave.”

Ben shook his head. “No, I won’t let that happen. Just talk to me. I won’t let them take you anywhere.”

As Shaw lifted his chin to Imara, she tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled to him so he wouldn’t be suspicious. “No one can find out we’re here. Do you understand? Just forget whatever you think you know.”

Imara tried to turn away, but Ben grabbed her hand and pulled her back. “No, don’t walk away from me Imara. You’re all I’ve been able to think about since I met you. There’s no way I could ever just forget about you now.”  

A smile curled up on the side on Imara’s mouth and she rubbed her forehead with her fingertips. As the electricity of his touch shot through Imara’s arm, she looked back into his eyes. Ben rubbed his thumb across her fingers and said, “You feel it too. Don’t you?” 

Imara looked down at their hands and licked her parched lips then nodded. “If you ever want to see me again, Ben, you can’t say anything.” As she heard Shaw clear his throat, Imara snapped out of the trance Ben had her under then quickly took back her hand and walked to the picnic table. As she sat down with Sofia, she wrapped her arm around Imara then wiped the tears away from her eyes with her apron. “It’s alright, baby. Love is a terrible business sometimes.” 

Shaw grabbed a shovel from the wagon and went to the plot he marked off then he looked back to Imara and groaned to himself. “Goddamn it, that’s just what we need right now.”

Ben kept his eyes on Imara as he walked towards the wagon. “Well? What did she say?” asked Harold softly. 

As he ran his hand through his hair, Ben took a deep breath to calm himself. “I don’t know what they’re running from, but it’s bad. She’s terrified that someone’s going to find out who they are.”