by M. D. Grimm
Before Jack could say anything else, Jeffrey and Trixie returned. Travis turned and sniffed before making his shuffling way over. Trixie met him halfway across the room. He wrapped an arm protectively around her shoulders.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m just fine, sweetie. Don’t worry about me.”
“Jack, we need to go.” Jeffrey inclined his head to Trixie. “I’ll be seeing you around, Travis.”
If Travis could glare, Jack was certain he would be.
No matter how many times he asked his dad about Travis, Jeffrey said nothing.
“You aren’t sheriff yet, Jack. You aren’t ready to deal with other people’s baggage. Be grateful for that. It’ll happen soon enough, and then you’ll wish you were ignorant.”
Jack fumed the rest of the day. He liked helping people. He liked making friends. Travis’s hostility grated at him, and his wolf was disappointed and rather perturbed by their first encounter. Well, if Travis was going to live here then Jack had more time to make a better impression. Besides, no matter what Travis claimed, he did need help. Jack didn’t make the mistake in thinking he was helpless, he was simply in need of a friend that cared. Like another Trixie.
That night he pretended to go to bed early. Then he snuck down and heard his parents talking in the kitchen. He stayed on the foot of the stairs and closed his eyes, calling to his wolf. Part of his primal spirit rose up and his hearing sharpened. He couldn’t get too close without them sniffing him out so he had to risk the distance. Thankfully, his parents weren’t exactly whispering so he eventually heard words.
“Jeff, be reasonable,” his mother said.
“I’m being practical. That kid brings trouble.”
“So you’re going to force out a scared, defensive, blind orphan shifter into the bad world? Hasn’t he seen enough of how cruel the world is?”
Jack’s heart skipped a beat. No, his father couldn’t do that.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Oh, right, because I’m just the silly woman of the house that doesn’t know anything.”
Jack grimaced and his wolf cowered at the tone in his mother’s voice.
Silence for a moment. Then, “Justine, you know that’s not what I was saying or implying. For fuck’s sakes.”
“Don’t cuss in my house.”
A deep growl sounded. Then there was an answering growl.
Jeffrey huffed out a breath. “Why do you think I’m telling you this? So you can help me decide what to do.”
“Seems simple to me. Set him up with some roommates to acclimate him. Young people like himself can show him the ropes and guide him until he can do it himself.”
“They have to still be looking for him. He brings attention to us.”
“How? How exactly can they track him?”
“Don’t underestimate them. If they find Trixie then—”
“Mother foxes aren’t known to give up their cubs easily.”
“He’s not one of hers.”
“What to bet?”
He huffed out another breath.
“Jeff, if Travis was one of our children, wouldn’t you want someone to take him and protect him?” Justine’s voice softened. “Wouldn’t you want Jager or Julie or Jack or Jena to find a Trixie and be welcomed to a place like Haven to rest and heal?”
“I have to protect the town. I have thousands of souls looking to me for protection.”
“We’ve taken in troublesome shifters before.”
“Not ones with his sort of baggage.”
“That only means he needs us more. Imelda founded this town for a reason. Would she turn Travis away?”
Silence.
Jack didn’t move an inch. While he was proud of his mother, his disappointment in his father hit hard. His wolf whined in his mind, head low in sadness. How could his father even think of abandoning someone in Travis’s position?
“That’s a low blow.”
Justine chuckled faintly. “My love, you enjoy using pack pride and Imelda’s heritage as something to dangle in front of our children. You expect not to get the same treatment?”
“Not from my own mate, no.”
Justine chuckled again. “Do what’s right. Let the boy in. Give him a chance at a home. Let’s not be outdone by a fox.”
Jeffrey snorted.
Footsteps sounded and Jack jerked into action. His heart raced as he dashed up the stairs as quietly as he could and ducked around a corner just in time to avoid a very awkward conversation with his parents. He trembled as he returned to his room and sat on his bed. He scrubbed his face.
Orphan. His eyes. Escaped from someone or someones that might still be hunting him. Jack’s mind whirled with possibilities. While Haven might be isolated from the rest of the world, they still had the internet, and he was observant. He knew there were those who knew about and hated shifters, for some unfathomable reason. It was the biggest reason why Imelda founded Haven all those centuries ago.
Poor Travis.
He needed someone. Just like his mom said, Travis needed someone to show him the ropes, to guide him until he could take care of himself. Who better than the sheriff’s son?
In that moment, Jack was determined to become Travis’s friend.
Chapter Four
Travis said a teary goodbye to Trixie a week later. Jack was there, of course, the nuisance. He was a fly that Travis couldn’t swat away, no matter how unpleasant he acted. Trixie told him to stop being an asshole but Travis despised anyone that thought him an invalid. So what if he was blind? He didn’t need a babysitter. Damn wolf shifter.
With the sheriff’s help, they got him into a small apartment complex with a fellow cougar for a roommate. He was glad the roommate was a woman. Cougar men tended to be smarmy assholes—himself included before his entire world crumbled—and he also wouldn’t be tempted with a relationship. She could be a useful resource.
“I’ll keep in touch,” Trixie said, breaking off the hug.
“How?”
“Phone, of course.”
“You’ll have to call me.”
She stroked his cheek. “I’ll also visit.”
“Please be careful. Be suspicious of anyone you don’t know.”
“I will, promise. Cross my heart.”
He didn’t think she was merely humoring him. He’d simply die or wish he was dead if she was harmed because of her association with him. He needed to remember to keep people at arms’ length. He couldn’t lose like that again. He wouldn’t survive.
His thirst for revenge was an impotent rage inside him. His cougar snarled slightly in tandem. One day. One day he might finish what they started. He wouldn’t hold his breath, though.
“Give my thanks to your family for lending you to me.”
Trixie laughed and kissed both his cheeks before walking away. He stood there on the sidewalk outside the apartments and clenched his cane. Now he was truly alone. Despite the pang in his heart, he knew it was for the best.
“You’ll see her again,” Jack said.
Travis snorted. “Right. See. Funny.”
Jack grunted. “Dude, not what I meant. Sorry.”
Travis shook his head. “Don’t mince words around me. I don’t need or want to be coddled. Lives sucks so you better get a helmet.”
“If you say so.”
“I know so.”
After a moment of awkward silence, Jack lightly tapped his shoulder. “Let’s get you settled. I got your bag.”
“Dude—”
“The name’s Jack and you’re welcome.”
Travis scowled and followed the sound of Jack’s footsteps. He tapped his cane side-to-side up the walkway.
“Don’t worry about a thing, Travis,” Delilah, his new roommate, said. “I’m not a slob so there won’t be anything on the ground for you to trip over. And if there is, you can hit me with your stick.”
Travis snorted and Jack laughed. Travis didn’t like the way Jack’s laugh, or d
amn, even his voice, made his stomach jump with butterflies. Despite his youth, Jack’s voice was resonant, a sweet, rough melody to his ears. It held power and authority, but also empathy, and a fascination Jack seemed to have with the world around him. His persistence was something Travis had yet to manage to overcome or push away. Maybe that was why he’d make such a good sheriff—he grabbed hold of a bone and would never let go. Travis smiled slightly. He knew Jack would laugh at such an analogy but he didn’t want to encourage him.
Delilah was on the first floor and the apartment was modest, with everything shared except bedrooms and bathrooms. He was thankful to have his own bathroom. He needed to set things up to his precise specifications so he wouldn’t scramble for anything. He mentally counted his steps, trying not to get frustrated if he miscounted or messed up. He’d get used to it. No choice in the matter. At least sound and smell also helped, the way voices or wind echoed, and the way scent lingered in pockets or flowed freely in currents. All of it would help with location.
Travis stopped at the threshold. “Okay guys. I’m going to walk forward, tell me where things are when I reach them. I’ll be counting so I won’t respond.”
“You do it,” Jack said to Delilah. “One voice is better.”
“All right.”
They spent the next twenty minutes getting him familiar with his surroundings. Delilah was a calm presence, and Travis almost managed to ignore Jack altogether. Unfortunately, his lupine scent wasn’t easily dismissed. It permeated the room and fought against Delilah’s familiar cougar musk. It annoyed him and his cougar, though his cougar was also curious.
No, no, and no.
Lupine. Feline. Not a chance in hell. Besides, Jack was always underfoot, wouldn’t want to give him any encouragement to hang around more. And he was the sheriff’s son, a sheriff that didn’t like Travis if Travis’s instinct was correct. Yet Jack was always helping him.
Was Jack rebelling and using Travis as means to do so? Jerk.
“I’m going to start dinner,” Delilah said. “You can stay if you want, Jack.”
Travis grunted.
“Uh, that’s okay. Better let you two get better acquainted without me hovering.”
“You’re not hovering.”
Travis grunted again.
“I don’t think everyone agrees,” Jack said, wry amusement in his tone. “See you later, Del.”
“Later.”
“Thanks for letting me help you, Travis.”
Travis frowned. Jack patted his shoulder and left.
“Just to let you know,” Delilah said. “Jack is a hottie and totally into you.”
Travis made a face. “Shut up.”
She laughed and said nothing more about it for the entire evening.
One year later
It was just a dare. Just a stupid, simple dare made by stupid, simple teens. Go into the abandoned, condemned mill and stay the night because its haunted. All because it was Halloween.
Travis sighed heavily as he continued to sit on the sidewalk. Jack lay unconscious beside him. He was going to find their so-called friends and hit them with his cane. Jack’s father was going to be so pissed, not only at his son but at Travis as well. The sheriff absolutely didn’t like Travis, and he was almost positive it was because Jack did like Travis. Sheriff Ulger thought Travis was trouble and he wasn’t far off the mark. Yet Jack had followed him into that stupid mill regardless and now he was wounded. Probably concussed.
Shit. Fuck. Damn.
The mill was quiet and neither he nor his cougar could sense anything.
“Travis?” Jack said hoarsely.
Travis smiled, relief washing away the last of the fear and adrenaline. “I’m here.”
“What happened?”
“The floor collapsed. Remember?”
“Yeah, jerk, I remember that. But after? We were walking and then—fuck.”
Travis jerked and reached out. He bumped his hand against Jack. “What? Jack, what?”
“My fucking shoulder, that’s what. And my head. Oh damn, I’m falling apart.”
Travis slipped his hand up and gently stroked Jack’s soft hair. “Just don’t move a lot, okay?”
Jack grabbed his hand. “Nice to me now?”
“Well, we did almost die, so yeah. I’m nice to you now.”
“Thank Phoenix! About time, asshole.”
Travis laughed. It felt good after his experience in the mill. “Yeah, about time. You’re not so bad.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”
He shrugged then winced at his sore arms. “What can I say? I have a stubborn streak a mile long.”
“Try ten.”
They were quiet a moment, and Travis felt like he’d set down an immense burden. He didn’t want to fight Jack anymore. No point to it. Jack was a good and kind man, a true friend and loyal to a fault. Travis berated himself for taking so long to see, or admit, that he enjoyed Jack in his life. He’d become a constant, something familiar and safe. Travis had also become perversely fond of their biting banter. He hoped to continue it but with a more playful tone.
“Let me call my dad. And if you never see me again, assume he killed me himself.”
“That would help with the pain.”
“Thanks. A lot.”
Travis grinned and patted Jack’s head a couple of times before dropping his hand. He listened to Jack talking to his father, the meek tone, smelled the scent of fear, and pitied him. Then Jack hung up and rested his head on Travis’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” Travis said quietly. “You’re going to get a lecture.”
“Yeah.” A faint whine escaped him.
Travis let a small bit of his primal spirit rise up and lightly purred. Jack fell silent and Travis kept purring.
“You saved my life,” Jack whispered.
Travis smiled. “Yeah. Not so helpless, am I?”
“Never thought you were.”
Travis could only acknowledge that truth now, after everything.
The ambulance arrived shortly and then Jeffrey was calling for Jack. With a heavy sigh, Jack staggered to his feet. Travis helped him and then let him go. The medics separated them, and he asked that one of them call Delilah. Travis decided never to hang out with Dirk and his gang ever again. They were the troublemakers. He just wanted to go home.
“What am I going to do with you?” Jeffrey said, growls coloring his words. “Have you no dignity, no pride? What possessed you to go into that condemned mill and play around? I thought your mother and I taught you better than this.”
It was the disappointment more than the anger that had Jack hunching his shoulders and his wolf tucking his tail. It was the next afternoon, just after the hospital discharged him. He had a minor concussion, a now relocated shoulder, and a few bumps and bruises and cuts. All in all, he was fine. He was alive at least. He tried to contact Travis but only got voicemail. He didn’t know what to say, so he always hung up without leaving a message. Hopefully Travis’s injuries weren’t as bad. They didn’t seem to be the night before.
“Jack.”
Jack lifted his gaze to angry eyes. “I admit that the entire thing was stupid. I made the wrong choice and I regret it.”
Jeffrey glared. “You think that fixes anything?”
“No, sir.”
“You could have died. What would that do to me, to your mother? To Jena?”
Jack felt like the size of an ameba. His twin sister followed him everywhere. “Dad, I’m sorry. I really am. Call it peer pressure or wanting to make sure Travis was all right—”
Jeffery growled and Jack gulped. His eyes glowed and his skin rippled, indicating his high emotions. Jack had the urge to crawl on the ground and cower.
“That cougar again.”
“Dad—”
“No. He’s trouble. I knew it when I laid eyes on him.”
“It wasn’t his fault. It was Dirk and—”
Jeffrey slammed his hands on the arms
of Jack’s chair and pushed into his face. Jack’s wolf yipped and huddled in a corner of his mind. His father wasn’t a violent man and had never raised his hand to anyone in anger. But he was the head of the pack and he was pissed. And scared.
“Listen, Jack. Listen good. These are the years that will determine what sort of wolf you’re going to be. If you want to uphold the family honor and become sheriff one day, you better understand where your loyalties lie. You need to embrace your duty and all the weight that comes with them. The pack comes first. Then Haven. That is how we’ve survived this long. Getting into mischief and causing trouble and hanging around with the wrong sort will only lead you down a dark path. I need you to step up. And step away. Travis Kuger no longer needs your assistance. He’s doing just fine on his own.”
Jack swallowed hard, his mind ringing with his father’s words. Despite the terror of last night, something wonderful had happened. Travis had opened up and lowered his barriers. He’d laughed. He’d purred. And Travis had dragged his sorry broken ass out of that mill and stayed with him. His heart had always been soft toward Travis but now it was something else. Something deeper.
“He’s my friend,” Jack whispered.
Jeffery closed his eyes, blew out a breath, and pressed their foreheads together.
“I need you to step up, Jack. And step away.”
Jack closed his eyes, tears burning. Jeffrey kissed the top of his head and left. Jack leaned forward and dropped his head into his hands. He cried.
Chapter Five
Eighteen Years Later
Sheriff Jack Ulger closed the door to the sheriff’s office and put on his baseball cap, covering up his short brown hair, before starting his regular walk around the town of Haven. He had a truck, sure, but he preferred to go on foot. His patrol vehicle didn’t give him the same intimacy with the citizens he had sworn to protect, while a good meander around town did. He zipped up his heavy jacket—although the sun was shining bright, it was cold, and chilly enough to cut through even the heaviest material with its icy claws. It had snowed last night but the pristine whiteness didn’t last long, melting into mush on the streets and sidewalks. He knew it would snow harder in the next couple of days. He could smell it in the air. Living in Haven wasn’t easy, considering how far north it was and its elevation. But the town was isolated, safe. It was home.