Chapter 4
2252 Words
Jack
“I’ve been covering my tracks, but he can find me just about anywhere I go. We were heading to this small village in South Sudan for a woman who was giving birth to a vampire’s baby and I saw him from the edge of the last bus stop we were on.” Lauren chewed on her nails recounting the story of her life for the past year and a half.
“He never gets close and thankfully she never seemed to notice him, but I can’t help it with the stupid mate bond. You were right, Jack. I should have just rejected him when I left him.”
“How did Zuri meet this boyfriend?”
“We were in Prague about two weeks later and she went to get tea for us and when she came back she said that she found ‘the one’ and said all these great things about him. Two weeks later she decided for herself that she was going to go back home with him. I haven’t seen her in over a year.”
“Do you think something happened to her?” It wasn’t like Zuri to run off, especially with a man. Something was off.
“No, she emails me often. Tells me she’s having a nice time. She calls me when she knows I suspect something is wrong and tries to assure me she’s fine. I just don’t get it, but I know he’s following me and not her so in a way she’s safer than if she’s with me.”
Lauren’s mate was a vile creature and the second he stepped anywhere near the three of them, Jack would be ready to gut him.
“I wish you’d told me sooner that he was even alive.”
“I thought it was bad enough, but when he let me go with the girls, it seemed like maybe he was done.”
“No,” Jack wanted to yell, but this wasn’t the time or place for that. She was scared now that he was stalking her. “Creatures like that don’t just give up their toys, Lauren. If he can’t have you, he’ll try to kill you.”
“I just don’t know what to do anymore.”
“I’ll tell you what you’re gonna do. You’re going to stay here and we’ll wait him out. If Zuri is safe with some guy, let her be. Ayanne is either here or she’s at Diamond Sky. She’s safe either way.”
She fidgeted with the hem of her scrub top. “I feel like a horrible mother. I left one daughter in the care of other people and brought another one with me into the trenches and then let her go off with some strange man I’ve never even met.”
True, Jack wouldn’t have done the latter. Thinking about his own daughter, he probably would never let her leave the damn gates. “It doesn’t make you a bad mother. Ayanne has been safe and Zuri is old enough to make her own decisions. These kids will eventually do what they want anyway.”
Except Jack didn’t understand how she could let her daughter go off with someone she had never met.
“Does anyone else know about Zuri?”
“I haven’t told anyone since you called me last night. I just figured all this time she was ignoring Brandon and needed space.”
“I thought so at first but from what she writes about this man, she seems like she thinks she found the one.”
“If that’s the case,” Jack leaned back in his chair. He had a picture on his desk of Anya, the boys, and Amara all sitting together on the porch. It was one of his favorites. “I’d say she owes him some sort of explanation. He’s stuck on this mate thing and if they aren’t, he deserves closure so he can move on.”
“You’re right. I’ll try to tell her in her next call. I tried calling her this morning to wish her a happy birthday but her phone is shut off.”
Typical. Probably out having fun like she should. “Did you hear about Ayanne and Toby?”
“Yes,” she sighed. “It’s too bad. I like that boy. He’s very sweet and has always been good to her.”
“Brady called me this morning,” Jack said. “He’s going to bring them home and stay for the weekend. He said they were both devastated.”
Lauren shook her head in disbelief. “I just don’t even know where to begin with all of this. It’s just one issue after another.”
“About your ex…”
She quirked a brow and pursed her lips.
“Have you thought about just breaking the bond without him?”
Lauren scoffed. “Constantly. I feel it when he betrays the bond. When he sleeps with other people. But if I don’t keep it, I won’t know when he’s close by.”
“Well if you’re going to stay here a while, maybe consider it and we can look for him.”
“Yeah,” she pushed up from her chair, “I’ll think about it.”
She checked her phone. “Looks like Ayanne is home. I’m going to go see her and see if she wants to do something special tonight.”
“We’re having a big dinner here. You two are obviously invited.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Lauren left, and Jack leaned back in his seat, running his hands down his face. He was ready for the day to be done.
Obviously he was concerned for Toby and Ayanne, but Zuri being out there with some random guy? He didn’t like that at all. It was bad enough Lauren let the whole boyfriend line slip, so now Brandon would obsess over that. At least it tore his attention away from Hell.
Goddess, Anya must have lost her damn mind letting him go there. But it was Nora, so he was safe.
Well, until he apparently fell off the side of a bridge and hung to his near death.
And then actually went inside of Hell.
Jack should have gone.
“Jack?”
Ah, Anya.
He watched her carry Amara on her hip into the office. So damn perfect. She ditched the business attire and midnight hours of a pointless career for what she called a “culture shock.”
Fine, it was, but she’d adjusted pretty well over the last two years.
She made her way over to the other side of his desk and Jack held his arms out for her to sit in his lap.
“I found something to distract the boys today,” she said.
“What is it?”
When she told him, Jack gaped at her. “They’re going to hate you.”
“I won’t let them get backed into a corner. Besides, I think I’d rather they be mad at me and distracted for a few hours. Then I’ll take them for ice cream or something. Whatever they want.”
Carter knocked on the open door while Jack shook his head in disbelief at Anya.
“Hey, Jack? Brady is here with the kids. Ayanne went home, but Toby’s in his room.”
“Perfect!” Anya stood up. “I’m going to go grab him. Carter, you’re coming with us.”
“Where?” he looked between Jack and Anya.
“A field trip,” she answered.
She leaned down and kissed Jack then headed up to grab Toby and Brandon.
“Where is she taking us?”
Jack sighed. “She’s your Luna. Does it really matter where? You’re supposed to go with her regardless.”
***
Anya
She pulled up to the community center. Not the one Bernard fake-built. The real one. The under funded, volunteer-led, building that hosted Senior Bingo Night on Tuesdays with Wheel of Fortune on all of the outdated televisions scattered in the corners.
Once a month, however, they had a certain special guest.
“Why the f**k are we at the senior center?” Brandon groaned from the passenger seat.
Toby and Carter sat in the back seat with Amara’s car seat. They were both so sweet, not complaining but making her giggle for the drive.
“We’re going to listen to a guest speaker.”
If Lauren was going to be staying longer, maybe she should start doing this at the Emerald Mountain school. It would be in everyone’s best interest. Sure, the typical Luna helped the Alpha with stuff. Took on the motherly role of the pack.
Well, Anya saw a clear problem with these extra natural beings. She was going to fix it for these three boys before they made any mistakes. Zack was still at school today, but she’d make sure he got the same treatment. She’d even bring his mother along.
“It’s the community center, B, not just for seniors.” Toby scoffed while unbuckling his little sister from her seat.
“Whatever, what are we doing? Are we doing community service or something for our birthday?”
“Would that be so bad?” She shot him an icy glare. “Would it be so bad to help people in need? I didn’t raise you to not care about the less fortunate.”
“That’s not what I mean,” he ran his hand through his hair. “I just—never mind. What are we doing here?”
“You’ll see.”
They were going to hate it.
They filed inside the doors. The entry had cork boards full of colorful flyers for community events, local musicians, and help wanted signs with the edges cut into pieces where people could tear off the numbers on the bottom.
They walked into the cold, sterile main room with scattered metal folding chairs. There were maybe fifty chairs, and about twelve senior citizens all standing about.
“I told you it was for seniors,” Brandon grumbled.
“Shut it,” she swatted him on the arm. “Go sit down. Front row.”
The boys all took seats in the front row close to the center of the setup. Anya carried Amara to a small table with little snacks and styrofoam cups for juice.
“We’re probably going to have to shut it down soon. I’m not sure how much longer we can even keep the lights on,” one man said to a group of seniors.
“It’s a money issue,” another person said.
“Come on, princess,” Anya hiked Amara up on her hip. She grabbed a cookie with sprinkles on it and a tiny napkin and crossed the room to sit with the boys. Men. She needed to remember that. They preferred to be called men now.
Eye. Roll.
“What exactly is this?” Brandon asked, looking around.
The dozen or so seniors too their seats on the ends of the rows of chairs.
The side exit door opened.
An older woman walked in holding a large basket.
Everyone took her in as she made her way to the front of the room. She had long, dishwater blonde and silver hair that ran down in waves, held back with a bohemian styled headband. She had a long sleeve shirt under an open sweater vest that she probably crocheted. And a long, whimsical patterned skirt that covered her sandalled feet.
Someone turned on a projector screen that hit the blank white wall everyone faced. Anya watched the boys take in the title on the slideshow.
With a smile and a big sigh, the woman greeted the room. “Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Sonia, and today we’re here to talk about safe s*x practices. Now, I usually gear my discussion toward senior citizens, however, I see we have some handsome young men here today, so I’ll try to remember all the hip slang words you all use.”
“Oh my god,” Brandon looked at Anya with pleading eyes. “You can’t be serious right now.”
“Shhh.”
“Mom!” He whisper-yelled. “She was the librarian at our middle school!”
Carter sat on the other end of the group, but Anya could still see and hear him chuckling in his seat. His shoulders shook and his face was fully red.
Toby sat stoic.
“Brandon,” the lecturer chastised. “I expect you remember to pay attention in a class. I like to use volunteers and usually pick on the rowdy ones, so you’d better listen or you’ll be helping to pass out the rubbers.”
That broke Carter.
“You too, young man.”
“Boys,” Anya scolded them. Not men right now. “Please,” she turned and smiled at the woman. “Continue. They’ll be respectful, especially with their mother here.”
“Right. As I was saying, we’ll be discussing safe s*x practices and how to prevent the sexually transmitted infections. I do use graphic imagery in my presentation, so just be forewarned.”
She reached into her basket and pulled out a bright red condom in the wrapper and held up a cucumber.
“Now,” she looked around the room. “I’ll need a volunteer to practice what the kids call wrapping their tools these days.”
- Writer
