Deadlands Hunt by Gayla Drummond

each other well, but if you want to talk..." Chase left the offer dangling in the air between them, watching her brush away another tear. After a silent moment passed, he muttered, "Or I can go. Didn't mean to bother you."
     
    "Oh, you're not! It's just that, well, it's considered terribly impolite to burden others with some things. At least unpleasant things."
     
    The explanation made the sting of rejection he'd felt disappear. "Not among Weren. We share, good or bad."
     
    "Do you?" She glanced at him. Another tear slipped out and Chase raised a hand to gently thumb it away before it slid down her cheek.
     
    "It's natural for us." Her skin felt soft under his calloused thumb. "Those who don't, tend to lose control of themselves after a while. And that's not a good thing."
     
    Reminded of what he was, Amethyst nodded. "I suppose it wouldn't be, at that."
     
    Cautiously, the Weren offered his opinion. "I don't think it's a good thing for anyone to dam things up, Amethyst."
     
    "I suppose you're right. I have been feeling a bit," she hesitated. "Out of sorts lately."
     
    Out of sorts . Chase mentally snorted in amusement. The woman had lost her last remaining relative, was willing to risk her own life in order to learn the truth. ‘Out of sorts’ seemed a mild way of expressing everything she had to be feeling. "Do you want to talk about it?"
     
    "I'm not entirely sure I can." Amethyst looked back out the window. "I'm not certain I know how to explain it. I'd probably make a terrible muddle of the attempt."
     
    For some reason, it became intensely important to him that she make the attempt. "That'd be all right. You don't have to make sense, Amethyst."
     
    Gazing down at the yard, she hesitated before blurting out, "It's my fault that Pearl left."
     
    Chase hadn't expected that. "Why?"
     
    "I should've seen...I didn't understand how Pearl felt. I didn't try hard enough to change her mind about leaving." Biting her lip, Amethyst paused.
     
    More quietly, she began again. "You see, I'm the younger, so I was a bit more spoiled than she was. I never knew, until she mentioned she was going to marry Devon, that Pearl felt…oh, I don't know, inferior to me? That sounds arrogant to say aloud. I was surprised when she told me, you see, and she had this spiteful look while saying that there were men who weren't interested in pretty faces."
     
    Amethyst looked up. "I wasn't surprised because of the difference in our looks, but because she hadn't said anything to me about his proposal before then."
     
    Seeing her bottom lip tremble and eyes beginning to flood, Chase eased closer to offer a hug. He was surprised when she stepped into the embrace. It was enough to cause the dam to burst. Amethyst began incoherently sobbing out words.
     
    Whining faintly, the Weren gently cuddled her, head bowing as he lifted one hand to stroke her hair. She cried for a while, but he caught enough of what she said to gain a better understanding of things.
     
    Neither was sure how much time passed before Amethyst's sobs trailed off. She sniffled quietly against his shirt while Chase continued to stroke her hair. The Weren didn't say anything, since he didn't know what to say.
     
    Amethyst was feeling strangely better after unburdening herself without being chastised for unseemly behavior. It was soothing, his hand ceaselessly stroking down her hair while she leaned against him. Everything was actually fine until she noticed there was warm skin under one hand resting upon his chest and became embarrassed.
     
    "I seem to have soaked your shirt," she mumbled, pulling away. Chase let his hand slide over her silky hair one last time before dropping his arms and stepping back. "I'm sorry."
     
    “Don’t worry, it’ll dry." Tilting his head, he tried to see her face. "Do you feel a little better now?"
     
    "Actually, yes," Amethyst admitted, feeling a bit shy and peeking from under her lashes. "Thank you. You're very kind,