by Roxie Ray
9
Skylar
My sandpaper eyes made it really hard to remember why I agreed to pick up a morning shift on the main hospital pediatric floor. I had to be there at six, as opposed to the normal eight thirty-ish.
Those extra two hours were murder. Absolute murder. And once again, I was out of coffee. I spent way too long searching for the other bag of light roast I could’ve sworn I bought before giving up and driving to the hospital with my eyes propped open. I didn’t have time to stop at my favorite coffee shop. The hospital cafe had to do. It was okay, though, their coffee wasn’t terrible.
I regretted my decision not to stop at the cafe about ten seconds after I ordered my large coffee. As I stood beside the counter, trying to convince my eyelids that being open was a better state than they were currently in, I heard the worst sound in the world.
“Hey, Skye. How was your weekend?”
My ex’s voice grated at my nerves, making me want to grit my teeth and slam his head into the counter.
Maybe I was still a little bitter. Just a tad. “What do you care?” I shot over my shoulder.
I was cranky, but I hadn’t had any coffee. Nobody should have to deal with Bret sans caffeine. Or ever.
“Come on, Skye. Don’t be that way. I’ll always care for you.”
My eyes finally opened as his words struck me. Freaking hilarious. “Go care about your new wife.”
The barista gave us both a wild-eyed look and handed me a big cup of coffee. “Thanks,” I whispered. I had cream and sugar in my office, but I wasn’t headed to my normal job, so I had to stop at the station and get some, giving Bret another opportunity to say something.
“Is this how it’s going to be? Will you ever move on?”
I sighed and tried not to turn around and pour my scalding hot coffee in his face. “Bret,” I said without turning around. “I have moved on. I have even forgiven you. I simply dislike you and don’t want to see you or speak to you. Is that too much to ask?”
Apparently, it was, because as I walked away from the cafe, Bret followed. “Skye, what happened wasn’t planned. I didn’t intend to fall in love with Mary. Or for her to get pregnant, definitely. I felt obligated to marry her after getting her pregnant.”
His whiny voice was just simply more than I could take. I whirled at the elevators after pressing the button. Hopefully, the lift came quickly. “Bret, you’re a lying, cheating piece of shit. I hope your wife realizes what total scum you are and leaves you. Soon.”
To punctuate my words, the elevator dinged behind me. I turned and stepped on. “Don’t follow me,” I hissed as I jabbed at the close doors button.
Although it felt good to say those things, my encounter with Bret soured my already sleepy mood. As soon as the coffee cooled enough, I started sipping it. If I was going to be sour from my Bret encounter, at least I could be awake.
I got to the floor and was met by the department’s usual NP. “Hey.” I looked around. “Was this not my day?”
She gave me a blank look. “Yeah, but my schedule opened up. They were supposed to call you.”
So here I was, and nobody needed me. The hospital paid me by the hour, but I was salary over at the clinic. “Okay.” I gave her a tight smile. “I’ll just head over to the clinic.” I might as well get some time in over there now that I was up early and awake, kind of. I had some paperwork I needed to do, anyway.
I gripped my coffee and tried not to walk like I had a stick shoved up my ass. I was beyond aggravated, but it wasn’t her fault. There was no telling whose fault it was, and I wasn’t one to want to hunt down the poor clerk or nurse who had dropped the ball.
Even though I didn’t want to come down hard on one person didn’t mean I was in a better mood. When I got to the office, it turned out we’d had two nurses call out, so I ended up putting on my RN hat for the day. Not that I minded, but it didn’t make me any less cranky to find out they needed me all day.
“Enough of this.” A couple of hours into my day, Anthony cornered me in an empty exam room as I finished changing out the drape over the exam table.
I set the drape down and faced him in surprise. “What?”
“Everyone is complaining about you today. You do realize nobody asked you to work today, right? We would’ve muddled through, even down two nurses.”
I glared at him. “I thought I’d help out.”
He nodded and checked his smartwatch. “Fine. Come on.” Reaching out, he snatched my hand and pulled me from the room. I didn’t ask where we were going as he dragged me through the offices and out into the waiting room. I had been pretty crabby, so he obviously thought I needed some lunch. It was the right time for it, anyway. My stomach was rumbling like crazy. “Maybe a nice sandwich will put me in a better mood,” I muttered.
The elevator went up, to my surprise. I looked at Anthony with my eyebrows raised. There wasn’t anywhere to eat above us.
Anthony held up his hand and when the elevator doors opened on the top floor, he took my hand again and we walked around the corner to the stairs. He banged the door open. I considered questioning him, but it was pretty obvious we were going to the roof. I just wasn’t sure why yet.
He banged that door open, too, but as soon as we stepped out into the bright, warm, sunlight, he stuck out his foot, then bent over, balancing on one leg. “On TV shows, when they come onto roofs, they always get locked out,” he explained after he picked up a large piece of cinder block and put it in the doorframe, so the door stayed cracked open. “It seemed better safe than sorry.”
I let out the first laugh I’d had all day. “I think I’ve seen that show.”
Anthony took my hand again and pulled me forward. “Come on.”
“Can I ask what we’re doing?” I arched an eyebrow and looked around at our small town. The hospital serviced several counties nearby, otherwise, there wouldn’t be nearly enough people in Bluewater to justify such a large medical center. I spied my dad’s body shop through the trees, the spring growth still thin enough to see most of Main Street. In a few weeks, the bright green leaves and budding flowers would obscure the details.
“Scream.” Anthony spread his hand out, indicating the vast open space in front of us.
I peered over the side of the roof to the parking lot six stories below. “Excuse me?”
“You are in the worst mood I’ve seen since I came home. And for once, you’re not yelling at just me. It’s everyone. So, I thought you might need a good scream.” He indicated the view again. “What better place to do it?”
He had a point, but it felt so silly I looked at him askance. “Scream.”
“Seriously.” Anthony laughed and turned to face the open air. He opened his mouth and bellowed, sticking his chest out and holding his head back. I jumped a little at the sudden loudness, but then couldn’t stop the giggling. He faced me again after a good, long yell. “Laugh all you want, but I feel better. Just be careful not to yell so loud or hard that it makes your vocal cords sore.”
“Yes, doctor,” I said through my giggles. It was too hard to do with Anthony staring at me, so I paced and looked out at the town.
And remembered Bret’s words from this morning. “Bret is trash, you know?” I spoke to Anthony, but I didn’t look at him. “Total scum. He made me feel loved and cherished and like everything would work out beautifully. His betrayal was a complete blindside. Which,” I started shaking my hands and picked up steam, “I should’ve seen coming. All the warning signs were there. But no, I had to be naive and now I have to see him every fucking day. He cheated because I wouldn’t give him a baby.”
My inner turmoil and rage bubbled up inside me. I whirled and faced Anthony. “And I wouldn’t give him a baby because I can’t have them!” I screamed the last words, totally ignoring his warnings about my vocal cords. They rubbed together as my words turned into a raw scream, and the pain of never being able to bear a child erupted from my mouth.
When I finished, the silence bea
t at my ears like a drum. I stared at Anthony, challenging him to say something about the secret I’d revealed.
Instead of speaking, he walked forward and reached up. I stopped myself from flinching and was surprised when he wiped my cheeks tenderly. I hadn’t even realized I was crying. “What do you mean you can’t have children?” He wiped his hands on his pants, though for a split second I thought he was going to lick the tears off his finger.
Weird.
I shrugged and sniffled, wishing I had a tissue. As if he’d read my mind, Anthony pulled a handkerchief out of his pants pocket. “It’s wrinkled but clean.” He held it out.
I took it gratefully and wiped my nose. “I have PCOS.”
He took the handkerchief from me and folded it over before dabbing under my eyes at the tears that continued to fall. “PCOS doesn’t mean no kids. It’s not the end-all, be-all.”
Folding the handkerchief again, he continued dabbing without coming too close or touching me in any other way. His actions spoke of boundaries and caring.
I appreciated it more than I could say, his respect for my bodily autonomy. Lifting my gaze, I stared into his eyes as he continued to speak. “Maybe the universe knew that Bret wasn’t meant to be the father of your children.”
His suggestion warmed my heart but also tickled that tiny sliver of hope I kept stamped down and under control. I knew there was always a chance of children, but it hadn’t happened in years with Bret, even though we never used any sort of birth control.
He thought I was doing it on purpose. I never could bring myself to tell him the truth. Maybe there was a reason for that as well.
Looking deep into Anthony’s eyes as he lowered his hand was nearly too much for me. He parted his lips slightly, and when his tongue darted out to moisten them, I shuffled forward a half-step. I leaned forward ever so slightly just as Anthony stepped away.
Son of a bitch. I’d been about to go for it. Talk about an about-face. I’d gone from hating his guts to lusting after his lip moistening.
His gaze was still on me, and for a split second, his eyes looked like embers, like coals banked in a fire. He blinked and it disappeared, but I would’ve sworn he’d reflected flames. I looked around the roof, but nothing remotely resembling a fire was up here. Damn. Must’ve been a trick of the light.
Something felt so off to me, but I’d just broken down on the rooftop and screamed my deepest secret to the world. My emotions weren’t to be trusted at the moment.
Anthony held out his hand again. “Let’s go eat something while we’ve got a break, yeah?”
I nodded and took his hand, and the spark I’d seen in his eyes flashed between us as soon as we touched. My brain was so focused on the fact that I almost kissed Anthony and the disappointment that it hadn’t actually happened that I almost missed how hot his hand was.
“Anthony, you’re burning up,” I exclaimed.
He pulled his hand out of mine and looked at me in surprise. “Am I?” Before he reached for the cinder block to open the door, he leaned over. “Feel me.”
I nearly snorted. I wanted to feel him all right. So much for hating him and barely forgiving him. I pressed the back of my hand against his forehead, but he was cool to the touch. Confused, I snatched up his hand again.
There was no excess heat. “I guess I’m a little woozy from all the yelling,” I said weakly. “Let’s go eat.”
He grabbed the block and then held the door open for me. As I walked through, I reminded myself he had betrayed me. I wasn’t in the market for being his bestie again like nothing had ever happened those years back.
No matter how hot he was. Literally or figuratively.
10
Anthony
“It’s time for me to get a place,” I announced at breakfast on Saturday morning. “Well, move into my place.”
I’d been working on it all week; I just hadn’t had the nerve to tell my parents. There was an old stone house on the outskirts of clan land that I’d purchased years ago. I knew I’d need to move home eventually, and when the property had come available, bordering my parents’ large acreage, I’d jumped on it. Over the years, I’d rented the house out to clan members. When my tattoo had flared up again when I moved home, I started the process of helping the current tenant find another place to live.
And now they’d vacated, the cleaner had come through, and it was ready for me to move in.
I was more than ready. My mother was about to drive me insane asking about Skye. And every time she did, Dad stiffened and cleared his throat, changing the subject.
“Skylar and I shared a moment,” I said after my mother asked me about Skye for the hundredth time this morning.
Dad sighed, again, so I kept going to get all the news out at once. “And I’ve arranged to move into my house. It’s ready for me.”
They knew what it meant. My bond with Skye was growing. At this point, there was no ignoring it whatsoever. The more time I spent with her, the more my feelings grew and intensified.
And this son of a bitch burned.
What came next was unavoidable, not that I wanted to avoid it, anyway. It was time to deepen the bond and pray that she reciprocated my feelings. If she were a dragon, we’d likely already have been mated. I would’ve given her my bite and that would’ve been that. But she was human and sinking his fangs into her neck just wasn’t going to fly. There was no precedence for telling a human about us, not that I’d found so far, anyway. As far as I’d seen, it hadn’t happened.
“Well, I’ve got most of my things packed, and arranged for the rest to be brought from storage. I’ll head over after breakfast. Let’s arrange a clan fly for anyone available this afternoon?”
Dad nodded with his attention on his breakfast. “Did you contact the witch?”
His gruff voice irritated me. He’d been in a foul mood since I came home, nearly. Definitely since I announced my intentions for Skylar. I ignored his tone and answered his question. “Sammy is free this afternoon. That’s what made me want to see if anyone can meet. Though, I’d like to try the bluffs behind my new house. It’s a great spot, if I recall correctly.”
Mom cut her eyes at Dad. “Okay, darling. I’ll make the calls. Say four?”
After swallowing my last bite of French toast, I gulped down my juice and headed upstairs. I didn’t have all that much stuff here at my parents’ house, a few books and clothes. I got it together quickly. Mom was in the foyer when I brought down the last suitcase. “You know,” she said. “You lived away from home for so many years. Now that you’re leaving again, I find I’m upset about it. I don’t want to see you go.”
I set my last suitcase down and put my arms around my mother. “At least this time I’m just down the driveway. Not several states or countries away.”
She laughed. “You’re right. And you still hate doing laundry, I’m sure. You’ll be back.”
After giving her a squeeze, I jaunted out to my car, in a great mood.
By the time the first of the clan members began pulling up in their various vehicles, I had my suitcases unpacked and had explored the house. It was the first I’d found time to get out there since coming home.
I spent most of my afternoon going around and ordering random items I knew I didn’t have in storage, like a plunger, mop, and dishwasher tablets.
It would all be delivered in two days’ time. In the meantime, I’d make do and hope I didn’t need the plunger.
A handful of clan members turned up along with my mom and dad. It was a nice number to try out flying from my new place. “Welcome,” I called when Sammy walked up. She was so petite that I was lucky I didn’t overlook her so far away. She nodded her head, and her short black hair didn’t move. She’d had it cut close to her head, shorter than I’d seen it last time. She smiled and waved as she opened up her lawn chair. I made a mental note to order something special for her when I got back inside. The woman was a saint for looking out for us. When she waved again, I knew we were protected, s
o I addressed the crowd. “I don’t have any news, so we can get started!”
After everyone murmured their assent, I grinned and shifted before launching myself off the cliff. It was an even more secluded spot to fly. Our normal location had a small beach at the bottom of the cliffs. On hot summer days, we liked to fly down to the beach and enjoy the privacy of a spot otherwise only reachable by boat. These bluffs had only rocks and more ocean beating against them at the bottom.
Soaring through the salty air, I marveled at the feeling of bonding with a clan again. I’d missed this in Boston. Flying had been a few and far between experience, reserved for when the local clan alpha remembered to shoot me a text and invite me to join them. I tried shifting in my home a few times, just to take the edge off, but it was less than satisfactory without taking to the air.
Flying with a strange clan had been a bit like eating a peanut butter sandwich when I craved steak. It filled me up and did the trick, but this, being with my clan and family, this was steak. Steak and shrimp.
If I could add my mate to the flight, that would be the whole meal. I’d be sated. I lost myself in the journey, banking and diving, using the water, and playing with my clanmates. I even tried diving into the ocean, which was not as fun as I thought it would be, and I remembered only after trying it that the last time I’d done it, I’d said never again. Hopefully, the next time I got a hair up my ass to try it, I’d remember.
When the sun dipped below the horizon, reflecting off the water, I glided back in and landed in the large open swath in front of my new-old house. As I shifted back, everyone else landed around me. I turned to Sammy, who had stood and folded her lawn chair. She waited for the last person to shift back before giving me another wave and walking down the lane.