Scent of the Heart Read Free

explained to him that he was the man of the house and would be responsible for caring for his brothers. Even though he was only sixteen, he had to find a way to keep his family together. They left home that night, and the next day, Elizar dumped their bodies in front of the house. Tsvetok quickly buried them so his brothers wouldn’t see the horrific mutilation.
    Four years later, he was still trying to keep their family whole. It wasn’t easy. Mikhail was fourteen now and a surlier child he’d never met. Vadim was twelve and had an incessant curiosity about the world around him. Sev often joked that his brother’s hijinks had caused his prematurely white hair. He sighed and ran his fingers over the picture, a charcoal drawing done by Mikhail a few weeks before their parents died. He’d smudged it from how many times he’d handled it. The lines were no longer crisp, the faces had faded. Even though it was done in a typical ten-year-old fashion, it still gave Sev strength to see it.
    Perhaps he could talk to the shaman about a visit to the other side, so he could once again know he was doing the right thing. But what if he wasn’t? What if they hated what he’d become. How he’d let his family down. Worse still, knowing that he was mated to the shaman, who was a man, and that there would be no more branches in his family tree.
    There were no same-sex prohibitions in the enclave. In fact, groupings of all sorts were celebrated, but he had no attraction to males, and his brothers needed a female in their lives. Someone who could help him raise them and help them be a family once again. His feelings for the shaman aside, it wasn’t an attraction he could act upon. Casey sighed and put the picture back in the bureau for safekeeping before he headed out.
    The town center bustled that afternoon. Vendors hawked wares—homemade jams, knitted goods, crafted mugs, skinned and deboned fish. So many beautiful things that Sev wanted for their house. Something to make it feel like a home again. He approached Mrs. Havanec, a jovial woman who always had a kind word for him. She saw him coming and her smile widened.
    “Good morning, Sev. How are you today?”
    “Fine, thank you. I hope your family is well.”
    Her expression slipped a little. “I know you’re doing your best with your brothers, but…”
    Her voice trailed off and a look of sadness swept her features.
    Sev couldn’t contain his sigh. “What has Mikhail done this time?”
    “He’s been encouraging Tiam to leave the enclave. He tells him fantastic tales of the outside world that send my son’s imagination whirling. With our new Alpha, I’ve no doubt he would allow them to go, but Tiam is only twelve. He’s much too young to travel alone.”
    The familiar ache began again for Sev. Mikhail was a handful, and fourteen was too young to go out on his own, no matter how grown-up he thought he might be. He knew Mikhail received fallout over Sev’s actions, and while it wasn’t fair, people really couldn’t be blamed for thinking that it ran in the family. The Protector said he should speak with the Alpha, but in his heart, Sev knew the people weren’t going to change their opinions because they were told to.
    “I’m very sorry, Mrs. Havanec. I’ll speak with Mikhail again.”
    “Perhaps…” She sighed. “Perhaps it would be better if Mikhail didn’t spend time with Tiam. At least not until Tiam is old enough to make decisions.”
    Every bit of the pain of that pronouncement touched Sev as if it were his own. Mikhail would be devastated. Tiam was one of his only friends, and now he was being forbidden to see him.
    “Very well. I’ll let him know. Again, I’m very sorry.”
    She held up a jar of pickled fish, one of Sev’s favorite foods. “Please, take this.”
    Sev bit his lip in an effort to not cry. He shook his head and ran from her stall. He hurried into his house and threw off his clothes. His brothers were off doing something…what kind of a