Hex (Winter - Shifter Seasons Book 1) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Foreword

  Chapter One – Hex

  Chapter Two – Martha

  Chapter Three – Hex

  Chapter Four – Martha

  Chapter Five – Hex

  Chapter Six – Martha

  Chapter Seven – Hex

  Chapter Eight – Martha

  Chapter Nine – Hex

  Chapter Ten – Martha

  Chapter Eleven – Hex

  Chapter Twelve – Martha

  Chapter Thirteen – Hex

  Chapter Fourteen – Martha

  Chapter Fifteen – Hex

  Chapter Sixteen – Martha

  Chapter Seventeen – Hex

  Chapter Eighteen – Martha

  Chapter Nineteen – Hex

  Chapter Twenty – Martha

  Chapter Twenty-One – Hex

  Chapter Twenty-Two – Martha

  Chapter Twenty-Three – Hex

  Epilogue

  Also By Harmony Raines

  Get In Touch

  Hex

  Winter-Shifter Seasons

  Book One

  ***

  All rights reserved. This book, or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written consent of the author or publisher.

  This is a work of fiction and is intended for mature audiences only. All characters within are eighteen years of age or older. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, actual events or places is purely coincidental.

  © 2020 Harmony Raines

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  Hex

  Winter-Shifter Seasons

  Book One

  A silverback seasoned shifters romance

  “If we’d given you a nickname like skunk, you’d have just dyed your hair black and white and never showered.”

  Hex by name and hexed by nature. Cursed to dream of his mate dying night after night. To feel the cold water fill his lungs and force the last breath from his body. Just as one day his mate would die in the ice-cold water of the creek.

  Perhaps it was a good thing that Hex had never met her. If his mate never entered his life, she wouldn’t suffer the cruel fate he’d relived over and over again.

  Then he meets Martha, a cougar from Cougar Ridge and he knows he must see his dream as a blessing, not a curse. What if the dream was given to him as a gift so that he can save her?

  Martha has returned to Cougar Ridge to care for her mom who is sick. As a forty-something cougar shifter who longed for a mate and children, she’d put all her energy into forging out a successful career in the city. She had almost given up on finding her mate and then fate brings him into her life and into her heart.

  But Hex seems standoffish, as if he isn’t ready to commit, even though he is a bear shifter who should share the same need to find his mate and raise a family.

  Martha soon finds out Hex has a secret. A secret that has haunted him his whole life.

  Is it possible he has foreseen her death? Can they work together to make sure she stays alive so they can live together forever?

  Or has Hex got it wrong? Is it really Martha’s death he dreams of, or his own?

  Chapter One – Hex

  Ice-cold water filled his lungs as Hex failed to free himself from the vine caught around his ankle. Fighting for his life, he clawed uselessly at the soft, wet mud along the bank of the creek as he slid deeper. Big chunks of dirt plopped into the water as it swirled around him, turning the creek a murky brown, leaving him sightless.

  He reached for the surface as panic gripped him, like ice-cold fingers tightening around his throat. He was going to die. He knew he was going to die.

  He fought fear, he fought the water, but he could not fight destiny.

  Wake up! his bear roared in his head and Hex finally broke free of the water. His eyes flew open and he lay gasping for breath as the fingers of fear gripping his throat slowly let go.

  Cold sweat replaced the cold water as he lay on his bed, his eyes open, staring out of the window at the moon as it slowly rose above the distant mountains.

  Hex flipped the blankets back from his heated body and slipped out of bed, the hardwood floor cool beneath his feet. Grabbing the same pair of jeans he wore yesterday, he placed one foot and then the other into them before pulling the work-worn fabric up over his thighs.

  Fear left him weak. It always did. But the fear wasn’t for him. The dream wasn’t for him.

  Let it go, his bear told him gently. The future is not written.

  Hex laughed, humorless and hollow, as the chill night air seeped in through the partly opened window and caressed his skin. The only thing that kept Hex from sinking into pure blind panic was that fate had kept his mate hidden from him. For us to lose our mate, we first have to find her.

  Was he the only bear shifter in existence who didn’t want to find his mate? The only shifter who knew for absolute damn sure that his mate was better off without him in her life?

  It’s only a dream, his bear tried to assure him.

  But they both knew that wasn’t true either. The dream was a premonition, a glimpse of the future.

  A future he could not outrun.

  But he could outrun the night. He could slip out of the house and head into the mountains where he would run until he’d erased the dream from his head. For a couple of hours at least. It would return, it always returned.

  Grabbing a clean T-shirt, he dragged it on over his head and shoved his arms through the short sleeves. He didn’t need a jacket to keep his human body warm, he didn’t intend to stay on two legs for longer than it took him to cross the yard behind the sawmill where they stacked the felled trees ready for processing.

  Once across the yard he would shift and melt into the trees. There he’d join a rough trail that the shifters of Winter’s Sawmill had worn into the ground as they ran back and forth up the mountain.

  Inside his head, his bear roared with anticipation. He longed to be free, he longed to run and run until his lungs felt as if they would explode and his heart hammered in his chest.

  Opening his bedroom door, he padded along the hallway and down the stairs, avoiding the treads that creaked, not wanting to wake anyone else up.

  “Going somewhere?”

  Hex swiveled around to face his brother, Mac. “I was going for an early morning run.”

  “It sure is early.” Mac pulled his bedroom door closed and came down the stairs to join his younger brother. “Same dream?”

  Hex clenched his jaw and nodded. “I thought a run might clear my head. It usually does.”

  “I thought the dreams had gone.” Mac inclined his head toward the kitchen and Hex followed him. Mac always had a sensible head on his shoulders and a way of calming a situation. Hex sought that calmness now as the blood pumped through his veins, pulsing at his temples in a steady primal beat.

  “For a while. But they’re back and more frequent than ever.” Hex slid into a chair by the worn wooden table. “I didn’t want Mom to worry.”

  Mac gave a low laugh. “She worries no matter what.”

  “Okay, so I didn’t want to worry her too much.” He clasped his hands together and rolled his thumbs around and around each other. “You know my dreams dredge up memories for her. I hate being responsible for that.”

  “It’s not your fault.” M
ac busied himself setting down two coffee mugs on the counter and fetching the milk from the fridge. The smell of coffee filled the kitchen as the coffee pot bubbled and hissed. “You know that, right?”

  Hex nodded. “Still, I don’t like to talk about it,” he admitted. “If we don’t talk about it, maybe one day I’ll convince myself it’s just a dream.”

  “It is just a dream,” Mac said as he poured the coffee and slid a mug across the table to Hex. “You don’t know it’s anything more than a recurring nightmare.”

  Hex shook his head and chuckled. “Nice try, Mac, but we both know that it isn’t a dream.”

  “How do you know?” Mac raised an eyebrow as he asked the question. “How do you know it’s the future?”

  “You know why.” Hex lowered his voice and looked toward the kitchen door, afraid their mom might hear.

  “Just because Mom had a premonition of Dad’s death, it does not mean that this is a premonition of your mate.” Mac’s face flushed with anger as he leaned back in his seat and stared at his brother. “Why we had to give you that stupid nickname.”

  “It’s got nothing to do with my name.” Hex took a good long gulp of the hot coffee and swallowed it down. Mac’s coffee was not as good as a run across the mountains to ease his fears, but it was the next best thing.

  “Sure it is. If we’d given you a nickname like skunk, you’d have just dyed your hair black and white and never showered.” Mac always had a way of coaxing and cajoling Hex out of his somber mood. And Hex loved him for it.

  “True.” He swept his hand through his shoulder-length hair. “Maybe I should give it a try.”

  “You don’t have to use hair dye,” Mac continued to tease his brother. “In another couple of years, you’ll have enough white hairs at your temples that you’ll look like a skunk.”

  “Oh, so that’s how it is?” Hex nodded his head. “Now we’re getting into the age jokes. Old man. You seem to forget that you are three years older than me.”

  Mac turned his face so Hex could see his profile and stroked his chin. “That’s because I’ve aged so much better than you.”

  “In your dreams.” Hex chuckled and drank his coffee.

  “You’re just jealous I got the looks.” He winked. “I always did have a knack for attracting all the pretty girls at school.”

  “You did.” Hex had to agree. His brother was a sports jock and a full-on babe magnet. “They fell at your feet. Although, I think it was because you were so hard to get that they wanted you so much.”

  “I played it cool,” Mac agreed, the twinkle in his eye diminishing. “It’s not much fun when they fall so hard when things end. And they always end because you know they are not the one. The novelty of dating pretty girls soon wore off. There are only so many broken hearts a man can have on his conscience.”

  “Next you’re going to tell me you envied me for just burying myself in books and getting a good education.” Hex never had his brother’s confidence around girls. Not that it bothered him, there was no sibling rivalry between the two of them.

  “I envied you.” Mac’s expression sobered. “But then look where we both ended up.” He raised his hand and waved it around the kitchen. “In the end, none of it matters. Just like that dream of yours.”

  “We owe you a lot, you know that, Mac.” Hex cupped his hands around his half-full coffee cup.

  “You would have done the same thing,” Mac insisted. “If you were the eldest.”

  “And the prettiest.” Hex gave a lopsided smile. “You know you were the pretty boy at school.”

  “Yeah.” Mac nodded. “I outgrew that, though. Just as you outgrew Hex.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not.” He drained his coffee cup and stood up. “And maybe we will never know since I may never meet my mate, so she’ll never meet her watery end.”

  “Or maybe you will meet her, and you’ll learn to accept that sometimes a dream is just a dream.” Mac got up and poured himself another cup of coffee. “Since I’m up now, I might go and spend an hour on the paperwork. That stuff breeds as soon as my back is turned, I’m sure of it.”

  “I’m going to go for that run.” Hex pressed his fingertips to his temples. “I need to clear my head.”

  “Just don’t go tiring yourself out, we have a busy day ahead of us. We’re going over to Cougar Ridge to help cut down some trees before this snowstorm hits. If we don’t get to them first, the weight of the snow will bring them down and block the roads. Or smash through people’s homes. It’s good timber and we should get a good price for it when we sell it.” Which meant Mac was doing the work for a knockdown price for the people of Cougar Ridge. Underneath his hard business exterior, Mac had a heart as big as the mountains.

  Speaking of mountains… His bear’s subtle reminder forced Hex to his feet.

  “Don’t worry, I have enough energy to spare.” Hex stretched his arms above his head. “I’ll just go for a run to limber up. Nothing too strenuous.”

  “Why do I not believe you?” Mac asked.

  “Because you have trust issues.” Hex put his cup in the sink as Mac took his freshly filled coffee cup and headed toward the door.

  “You might be right on the trust issues. My job has always been to keep us all safe, to provide for you, Beck and Mom and keep a roof over our heads.” Mac paused in the hallway. “I guess I should be grateful neither you nor Beck ever caused me too much trouble.”

  “That you know of,” Hex said and slipped out of the door before Mac could ask him what he meant.

  You shouldn’t mess with Mac like that, his bear said. He has worked hard and made a lot of sacrifices for us all.

  I know. But someone has to keep him grounded and since Beck isn’t around then the job falls to me. Hex jogged across the yard and shifted at the edge of the trees, his sense of urgency gone after his talk with his brother.

  Maybe Mac is right. Maybe it is just a dream, his bear suggested as low branches tugged at his silver-tipped fur. He pushed through, heading to their favorite part of the mountains where they could usually run undisturbed at this time of the morning.

  A chilly northeasterly wind blew down from the high peaks holding a promise of snow. His bear shivered in excitement. He liked the snow. Not as much as he liked the warm sun on his back, but there was something about snow that made him feel like a child again. Maybe it was the memory of playing in the snow with Mac and Beck, throwing snowballs at each other before their father took them over to the sledding hill to join the other kids from Bear Creek.

  It was one of his favorite memories of his dad. And one of his most vivid. They were happy, his dad full of life and full of wisdom. A hero to his three children. The loss of their beloved father had bound the children together and they loved and respected each other. But it was Mac who had risen to the challenge and built a life and a business so that the family could stay together. It was Mac who had worked tirelessly to keep them moving forward when they all wanted to drown in despair.

  He’s right, we would have done the same, his bear told Hex.

  We would. I’m just glad we didn’t have to. Mac gave up a lot for us. He sacrificed his future, he could have been a football star, he could have been anything he wanted.

  Instead, he bought a sawmill and hid among the trees, his bear reminded Hex. We weren’t the only ones who needed time and space to heal. Mac just hid it better.

  His bear pushed thoughts of their past out of his head. It was time to focus on the ground beneath his paws and the cold air that filled his lungs. Everything else had no consequence as they ran and ran as if their life depended on it.

  Chapter Two – Martha

  “You didn’t have to come home.” Martha’s mom, Hilda, took hold of her daughter’s hand and pressed it to her heart. “But I’m glad you did.”

  “How are you feeling?” Martha perched on the edge of the sofa where her mom lay with a pillow under her head and a thick blanket pulled up to her chin. Despite the addition of a fire roaring in the
grate, a shiver passed through Hilda and only the tight clench of her jaw stopped her teeth from chattering.

  “Better,” Hilda lied as Martha noted the clammy feel of her mom’s skin as she brushed her hair back from her face. Martha had just arrived back in Cougar Ridge after a long drive, all she wanted was a cup of coffee and something to eat, but her mom’s condition was worse than she’d expected.

  “I’m calling the doctor.” Martha leaned forward and dropped a kiss on her mom’s forehead before she got up and pulled her phone from her pocket.

  “I don’t need a doctor, I just need some rest,” Hilda insisted.

  “No, Mom, you don’t just need rest, you need medicine.” She tapped her phone screen and pulled up the number of the Cougar Ridge Doctor’s Clinic. “Hello.”

  “Hello, Cougar Ridge Doctor’s Clinic, how can I help you?” The receptionist’s voice was artificially bright that hid an underlying tone that told Martha the doctor’s clinic was very busy.

  “Hi, my mom, Hilda Jewson, is sick, and I wondered if the doctor could come and see her?” Martha turned around to look at her mom. Hilda’s eyes slid shut before she blinked rapidly, fighting to stay awake.

  “Can she come down to the clinic?” the receptionist asked. “We’re very busy today and Dr. Lake is down with the flu.”

  “No, I don’t think she’s well enough to come to the clinic.” Martha forced air into her lungs as her throat constricted in panic. What if she lost her mom? She should have kept a closer watch over her mom and come home more often.

  “I could probably get there if you helped me to your car,” Hilda mumbled unconvincingly as she tried to lift her head off her pillow.

  “There are no home visits available until this evening.” The receptionist tapped on her keyboard. “If it’s an emergency and you can’t get her down to the clinic then you might be better to call an ambulance.”

  “An ambulance?” Martha asked as her panic grew. “To take her to Bear Bluff Hospital?”

  “No ambulance.” Hilda’s eyes fluttered open and she pulled herself up into a sitting position.