by Maia Star
So I stepped across the bedroom boundary, feeling a bit guilty, and took a gander at how Alec’s room was set up.
Granted, he and Fallon apparently had only moved in a little while ago, but there was still enough in the room to go off of. His bed, for instance, wasn’t made. The sheets laid in rumpled piles, strewn across the mattress. On the nightstands on either side of the bed was barely anything, save for a small lamp that looked worn from overuse, and a picture frame. Moving over to the right side, I picked up the picture and smiled as I looked at Alec smiling himself, and a boy sitting on his shoulders.
I assumed the boy was his son, Fallon.
Fallon was smiling just as brightly as his father, with the same tousled blonde hair and blue eyes. He was short, so this had to be taken a few years ago. The two stood in front of what looked like a carnival. There were blue cotton candy smudges on Fallon’s chubby cheeks. My heart melted at the scene.
For a brief moment, I pictured myself behind the camera taking that photo, laughing, trying to hold my hand still while Alec and Fallon waited in a perfect pose. I could imagine a young Fallon pulling at his dad’s hair in the meantime, and Alec chuckling at the sensation of Fallon’s tiny, plump fingers running through his hair. I even traced a finger around the frame, wondering if I would ever find someone that would allow me to take their picture like this.
As I was tracing my finger over the frame, I heard the rumble of Alec’s Dodge Charger pull up on the street, and immediately hot embarrassment shot through me. I placed the frame down and hurried out of the room and down the stairs as Alec’s loud voice echoed outside. I made it to the first floor quickly and tried to make myself look comfortable and poised. I briefly caught a glimpse of Alec and Fallon through one of the many windows, spying how much taller and older Fallon looked now. I mean, he still looked like a kid, though nothing like the child in Alec’s picture.
When the front door opened, I was standing in the kitchen where the two could clearly see me. He eyed me when he walked in, and then glanced back. “Fallon, I’d like you to meet Naomi, your new nanny.”
I wasn't exactly expecting a warm welcome, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when Fallon glared at me out of the gate. The kid was cute, even when he was frowning. I was tempted to make a joke about his frown staying permanent if he continued to do so but thought better of it as I did my best to smile.
“Hi, Fallon! It’s nice to meet you!” I said, staying level with his gaze.
Alec raised a brow at how well I seemed to be handling this, and then placed a hand on his son’s back. When Fallon didn’t respond or move, Alec pushed him forward, forcing him to stumble. Fallon then began to alternate glaring at his father and me.
I came around from the kitchen counter, all my nerves gone, and knelt to his level. He squirmed under my gaze but stayed resolute in his anger. I didn’t blame him. “Hey, listen, I know things have been hard for you recently. I’m not here to make things harder...only to help make things easier. I’m not here to replace your mom, either.” At the mention of his mother, Fallon’s expression twisted.
I could feel the pressure from Alec’s gaze on my cheeks. He was watching me to see how I’d handle Fallon. Basically, it was now or never to win Fallon over.
Finally noticing the black and blue wound across his forehead, I reached forward, brushing his skin, but he flinched away from me. I used the moment to quickly pull back and raise my hands in defense. Fallon eyed me curiously, and I grinned. “Easy, sport! What, do you think my fingers are big nasty spiders? My fingers won’t bite.”
For the briefest of seconds, I saw the tug of a smile on his face...but then it faltered, and he shook his head. “No. That’s stupid. Fingers aren’t spiders.”
“Well, if my fingers aren’t dangerous, how about I help make all that black and blue disappear? Or at least feel better? I bet it hurts, doesn’t it?”
Fallon shifted his weight between his feet but nodded. “Okay…”
Rising to my feet, I exchanged a knowing glance with Alec. His gaze darkened, I could guess that this bruise had something to possibly do with getting into a fight over his mother or something like that. It made me angry that Fallon had to go through such a thing, and I made a mental note of realizing that I was going to have to act as another anchor for him as time went on.
As long as I didn’t lose my job first.
So far, Alec hadn’t fired me yet, so I had to have been doing something right as I led Fallon to the bathroom, where all the band-aids and other medicines were.
Chapter Fourteen
Alec
Over the next few days, I watched Naomi as she settled into her new role working for me.
The first day, the day I brought home Fallon early, nothing much happened. Fallon was still too worked up from the fight at school to do anything other than pout and slam his door shut. When Naomi had trouble getting through to him, I charged up to the third floor and scolded him to the point of shouting. Once I walked out, however, he slammed the door again. I had almost turned around to rip his door off of the hinges, but Naomi had put a single hand on my arm, and all my anger melted away to frustration. She simply shook her head, and my inner dragon stopped its howling and laid down.
The next day, I drove Fallon to school, making him promise me he wouldn’t be provoked into any fights. I brought Naomi with us so that she could see the route to the school. She was much more attentive than I thought she would be as I pointed out the streets I usually took. Fallon eyed her like she was a pest...thankfully Naomi never noticed, or else I would have had to scold him again, which I didn’t exactly want to do. I didn’t want to put too much pressure on the kid when I didn’t have to.
Once we had dropped off Fallon, we drove back home, and Naomi eagerly hopped out of the car. “I’m gonna go get laundry started. And I can pick Fallon up by myself, as long as you don’t need the car later.”
Before I could fully step out of the car, she’d run up to the door, unlocking it with the spare key I’d given her. I blinked as she disappeared inside and rolled my neck.
About a week in, today, things were going a bit smoother. It was after school, and Naomi had just arrived back home with Fallon after grabbing some groceries. His frown had softened, and he wasn’t trying to sprint away from Naomi every chance he got. Maybe he was beginning to warm up to her.
Naomi waved a hand at me as she placed her grocery bags on the counter, a casual smile on her face. I waved back, staring at her. She didn’t seem to notice, or if she did, she didn’t call me out on it. I gulped as my eyes drifted up and down her body, lingering over her curves, lingering on her neck and skin, lingering on her pink lips.
I’d been staring at her nonstop since she began living with us. My inner dragon roared for her, desiring her. Every sway of her hips, every glance my way, every single moment I was standing or sitting near her only made it harder to function and focus. As I stared at her from my couch in the living room, her back was to me. I had been flipping through TV channels absentmindedly until my finger just decided to stop pressing down the rubbery button.
Then Fallon was at my side, poking me in the ribs. I ignored him, unable to control my obvious desire. “Dad? I don’t like this…”
“Don’t like what?” I asked, my eyes on her hands as they rapidly unpacked the full plastic bags.
Fallon frowned at the TV screen. “Ew.”
Then I turned and saw a slasher movie had come on. A naked heroine was trapped in a kitchen, getting sliced up by a masked killer. I swore and quickly changed the channel, landing on a much more friendly cooking show.
“Why do you like those movies?” he asked, not letting up.
I ran a hand down my face, glad I didn’t manage to scar my only son for life just yet. “It’s not like I intentionally put it on, Fallon. I was just flipping through channels.”
“If you’re flipping through channels, why aren’t you looking at the TV screen?”
At that, Naomi had moved ove
r to the fridge, but looked over, curious about our conversation. My gaze met hers briefly, but then I focused on Fallon as he stepped closer. “Mom liked scary movies, didn’t she?”
Forcing myself to smile was like trying to pull concrete apart with my bare hands. It hurt, and I felt my heart in pain. I pulled Fallon closer, plopping him in my lap and ruffling his hair. Naomi smiled sweetly as I messed with him. I even got him to grin and giggle for a second as I tickled him.
When I set him to the side, I brushed his soft hair back into place. “I think she did. That’s why she always had such crazy ideas, don’t you think?”
Fallon nodded, his expression now blank. He scratched at the backs of his hands, as if he wanted to tell me something, but didn’t know what to say.
I opened my mouth to speak, but then closed it, unsure of whether to pry the words from his mouth or just let him find them on his own time. Seconds passed, and then minutes, and it became clear he wasn’t about to say anything.
“Have you gotten into any more fights?” I asked casually.
“No,” he replied, his thin brows creasing again.
“How about homework? Got any of that?”
He nodded reluctantly, and then I pushed him up to his feet. “Well then, get a move on, kid. It’s not like you’ve got a full day to get that stuff done. Go on! Go, go!”
I playfully pushed Fallon on, hurrying him up the stairs. When he reached the second floor, my phone rang, and I quickly slid it out of my pants pocket and held it up to my ear. “Alec speaking.”
“Yeah, it’s Jeremy. Listen, Alec, don’t speak. Levi’s clan attacked some of our shifters. I think you should come see this. Amber’s already here, though we don’t know if the attackers are still nearby or not.”
I froze, listening to Jeremy’s every word.
“There are no fatal injuries, but there are a few borderline ones. We’re hesitant to call the police just yet.”
“Call nine-one-one after I get there, okay? I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Got it.”
With that, I hung up the phone and found a curious Naomi staring at me. “Is something wrong?”
I blinked. “Just an accident at work...I gotta get over there. I’m taking the care too, so keep an eye on Fallon.”
Naomi furrowed her brows. “Okay...but—”
I didn’t wait around to keep answering her questions. Hot fury flowed through my veins, and I needed to act on it.
Chapter Fifteen
Naomi
Since I still didn’t know where Alec worked, I ran up to the window the second he fled the house and tried to watch as he climbed into his car and drove off. Even knowing what direction he was going in was better than knowing nothing at all.
Not that it mattered. Whatever phone call Alec had picked up had stopped him dead in his tracks. The voice on the other end sounded serious. I wondered what kind of accident could have happened? Had someone gotten seriously hurt, or were multiple people involved in the accident? And what kind of accident was it? It made my head hurt just trying to imagine.
Alec was the type of guy I could picture at all sorts of jobs. I could see him at a construction job, or he could run his own small business, or maybe he even worked at a zoo. There were so many possibilities, and not once had I gotten any hints as to what he did yet.
Sighing, I stepped away from the window and continued my work stashing away milk and orange juice in the fridge and stuffing chocolate chip cookies in the pantry. I went about it methodically, barely thinking. I was saving my energy for when I had to deal with Fallon. No, deal with him sounded harsh, though it didn’t help that he was still putting up a decent amount of resistance to me. Not that I could blame him. I’m sure my presence was making him uncomfortable in a lot of ways, especially since I was meant to look after him. I wondered if he really missed his mother…
I straightened, my eyes going wide. Wait, I’m alone in the house with Fallon...this is the first time besides the car rides to and from his school.
I glanced at the stairs to the second floor, wondering why he hadn’t called down when he heard the front door slam behind his father. Gulping, a myriad of questions popped into my mind as I thought about how I could approach him. Alec clearly wouldn’t answer most, if not all, of my questions, so maybe I could glean some answers from his son.
“Fallon?” I called softly. I didn’t get a response. Nodding to myself, I quickly finished putting everything away, save for the plastic bags I left on the counter for the time being, and crept up the stairs. I tried to be as quiet and casual as possible as I climbed the stairs. More often than not, Fallon closed the door when I passed by his room, and sometimes even when I tried to walk in his room while he was there. I needed the element of surprise.
My heart pounded. Alec had pretty sharp hearing and I figured Fallon had the same because he often heard what I quietly muttered to myself. Some people were just born special.
When I got to the top of the third floor, Fallon’s room was to my left. I stuck to the wall before taking a step into his doorway, and that’s when I realized why he didn’t hear me coming up. White headphones were clamped over his ears. He didn’t hear or see me take a few steps inside until I smiled and waved my hand. He looked up from whatever show he was watching on the tablet in his hands, and his eyes widened. He attempted to jump off his bed to run to shut the door in my face, but then he realized I was already inside his room, and then he climbed to lean his back against the headboard.
I motioned for him to take off the headphones while I placed myself on the edge of his bed. At first, he wouldn’t take them off, but then he rolled his eyes and did. “What?”
“Did you know your dad just left?” I asked softly, trying not to scare him. “Apparently, there was an accident at his work. He went to go see what all the trouble was.”
Fallon’s eyes widened briefly, but then he glanced away. “Oh.”
“Oh is right...hey, Fallon, what exactly does your dad do for work? Is it alright if I ask that?”
The tapped a finger on his tablet screen seemingly at random, and he shook his head. “Dad doesn’t want me to tell you.”
“Why not?”
“Cause.”
“Fallon, please give me better answers than that.”
But he wouldn’t budge. Literally. I guess he thought if he didn’t move, he wouldn’t have to speak. So I cocked my head, wondering how to get him to talk more.
That’s when he surprised me, his voice coming out stronger than I’ve ever heard it. “Why are you here?”
Each syllable was laden with emotion, as if his feelings about me were all wrapping up into one big push. “To ask you about your dad, like I said.”
“No...why are you here, in this house? Why did dad hire you?” Now he was glaring at me again, as fierce as ever. “You’re not my new mommy...I don’t want you.”
The full weight of what he meant crashed down on me, and guilt wracked me hard. I felt like embracing him, but I couldn’t find it in myself to bridge the literal gap between us just yet. He was still entangled in his hot anger, and if I were to touch him now, I don’t think he would ever recover. “Fallon...that’s not…I’m so, so sorry. I’m not here to replace your mom. Please, believe me, I’m just here to help you.”
Fallon’s face twisted in an expression that seemed sad and desperate, the anger going away. “You don’t drink like mommy did, do you? You aren’t going to hurt me?”
I shook my head. “I don’t drink that often, and no, I wouldn’t hurt you. Did...did your mom drink a lot and hurt you?”
For a few moments, I thought he wouldn’t answer me, as he looked like he was going to crawl under his covers and never come out. But then he opened his mouth. “She drank adult water...all the time. Sometimes she’d come into my room and hit me.”
I scooted forward a bit and instantly regretted it as Fallon flinched. “Did your dad know about your mom hitting you?”
Fallon shook his
head. “No…”
And then he began to cry.
I stood and slowly walked up closer and sat on the edge of the bed. I spread open my arms and waited for him to notice. “Hug me, Fallon. Trust me. I won’t hurt you, and the only way you’ll know is if you give me a chance.”
I waited for what seemed like an eternity, but he embraced me. I pressed him tighter to my chest, patted his head, and held him like that.
Chapter Sixteen
Alec
It took me a while to find the spot Jeremy had told me about, but when I did, I was ready to tear Levi’s head from his shoulders.
Four dragon shifters from my clan had been attacked behind an office building on the outskirts of the city, deep in the alleyways. When I pulled up to the front, I saw Jeremy standing guard next to the entrance, a bit antsy on his feet. The moment he recognized my car, he jogged over and clasped me on the shoulder as I climbed out. “We need to put Levi in his place for this, Alec. He’s getting way in over his head.”
“As much as I agree with you, show me where my shifters are first.”
Jeremy nodded and waved me to follow along, taking off down the alley. Luckily, there wasn’t anyone around to see us.
It took us fractions of a second to turn the corner and see the shifters splayed about. Dozens of dragon shifters were crawling all over the alley, most of whom were clustered around the three swearing shifters and the one unconscious woman that lay on the ground in front of me. There were claw marks all over the place, cutting into the concrete walls on either side and pavement. Blood streaked across the ground in a few places, but it looked like these dozen other shifters arrived before the four victims bled out.
I trudged over to the unconscious woman, who was closest to me, and found Amber huddling among two other shifters, trying to wake her up and treat the claw mark across her body, which tore up the shirt and jeans she had been wearing.