A Secret Baby for the Shifter (Stonybrooke Shifters)

by Leela Ash

  Finding Love in a Dark World: Book 4

  Cynthia Wilde

  Copyright ©2015 by Cynthia Wilde. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  1

  “Are we just not going to talk about what happened?”

  Jessa shrugged. There were many things that they needed to talk about, but as she lay in Michael’s arms, all words seemed inadequate to describe how she felt, and there was nothing much to say. The week’s events had all been strange, bordering on bizarre, and she just wanted to forget about it all. And both Jessa and her son and Mike and the boy he had picked up in the abandoned city had their own unbelievable experiences while they had been separated. It was all because she had ordered Michael to seek justice for her son’s injury. Jessa wanted to know what happened with Billy, the ruthless bastard who had initiated the attack, but at the same time, she considered the possibility that maybe she didn’t need to know.

  It was only right to hear what Michael had to say though, especially considering she was the one that sent him into the dangerous wilderness after the man. It had been a tit for tat back and forth; a series of unfortunate events that all began because one man refused to understand the meaning of the word “No.” Jessa was still shocked by the plethora of problems that Chase had managed to cause her and those she loved. She replayed the scene over and over again in her head, wondering if there had been a better course of action for her to take, but every time she did so she realized that she had done what she had needed to do. He had ended up dead, but it would have been either him or her. She chose herself, as all people had been forced to do once the nuclear fallout had finally come to a dead stop, leaving only those lucky enough to remain with a deep drive to preserve themselves.

  “Do you really want to talk? Right now? When we could be doing something else?”

  He shrugged with a small grin, indicating that he was okay with waiting. Jessa didn’t want to be bothered with a and had no problem using her body to silence him about it. Jessa giggled as Michael kissed her and pulled her down into his lap. She sighed contentedly. After all that had gone wrong, for the time being everything was going well. She wanted to relax, but in the back of her mind she was wondering how long their happiness would be able to last.

  It took a while before they finally exhausted themselves completely. They collapsed together on the bed, and Jessa buried her head in the crook of her arm as she realized that Michael was ready to talk again. He wouldn’t let her pretend that she was sleeping, she was too genuine a person to be great at faking anything, and he poked her, indicating that he was waiting for her to talk to him.

  Michael and Jessa seemed to be opposites when it came to communicating their feelings. Jessa was the strong, silent type, never one to blab incessantly about anything. She would have been more than happy if she could get away with solely communicating with her body, but it didn’t look like that was going to be an option tonight. She had worn herself out, but he somehow had more energy.

  “Don’t you want to know what happened with Billy?”

  She shook her head.

  “Not really. All I want to know is if it was done or not, so I don’t have to worry. The fact that you’re back tells me all I need to know. I assume that it’s finished. Nothing more needs to be said about it. But if you want to talk about it, I, of course, want to hear it.”

  Jessa left the decision open-ended, but she was already feeling guilt for sending him out on such a dangerous journey with young Milo to begin with. She shouldn’t have put it on them to go get Billy, it was her vengeance, but Michael had done it without hesitation, and she knew it was because he loved her. Michael would do anything she asked him to do, as long as it didn’t involve him leaving her. That was something that he was clear that he wouldn’t do, no matter what, and Jessa loved him for it

  “I don’t have to talk about it. It isn’t going to make me feel any better, really. But I am wondering why there were all those tracks out front.”

  She sighed and pushed herself up off of his chest. Her ear was sweaty and her face was getting red as he watched her. He had his full attention fixed on her. It was clear that he was no longer thinking about the tracks outside, and she couldn’t help but blush. She wondered if he knew how wild his blue eyes made her feel as they darkened.

  “Haven’t you had enough?” she asked, still feeling fairly exhausted from the last stretch of passion they had shared.

  He leaned in to kiss her and fondle her bare breast. She pushed him away and put some distance in between their bodies.

  “Never. Besides, I figured that you would try to seduce me to change the subject again.”

  “You caught that huh?”

  “Not that I mind,” he said with a grin, stroking her cheek. “But why won’t you tell me what happened and where you guys were?”

  She could tell that it was bothering him, and Jessa found herself worn down. Finally, she inhaled deeply and told him about how she’d been forced to leave Shane defenseless to look for food. She had to reveal the shameful secret she’d kept to herself; that when she had come back, Shane had been missing. Her son had been left vulnerable because of how she had sent Mike and Milo away after Billy, and could have been killed. Fortunately, she had tracked Shane and his captors back to the other camp. Jessa told Michael a little bit about the people who had captured Shane, but she was hesitant to tell him about the strange request.

  “So how did you pay them back for helping? Did they ask something of you? It seems like everyone needs something these days.”

  “They did ask something, but I had to decline. It wouldn’t have been right.”

  That seemed to get his attention. Jessa wasn’t really the type to turn down someone in need, and it made him very curious to find out why she would have refused them. She didn’t say anything more than that though, so he ventured a small push.

  “So you’re not going to tell me what the request was?”

  Jessa sighed. She knew she was going to have to fess up about it eventually. She had never been one for secrets and she didn’t want to keep it from him. But she didn’t necessarily want to tell him either.

  “I was asked to mate with one of their men,” she finally said with a heavy sigh.

  He was sitting up fully now. “Wait? What?”

  “Don’t get mad. I think they’ve spent too much time in the hot zone. It’s made them kind of weird. Anyway, it was awkward but they were okay with my decision either way. And I refused, of course.”

  “Is that why you were so turned on when you came in?”

  She could feel the hot burn of her cheeks growing deep red and she turned away. It was hard to say that it didn’t have something to do with it. She didn’t lie.

  “A little. You should have seen the look in their eyes. Like they were starving for it. So yeah…it got me a little hot and bothered.”

  He pulled her to him and kissed her. “I don’t like the idea of you and someone else. I am glad you said no, because it would kill me to think of you with anyone besides me.”

  Jessa kissed him to silence his words. “Stop thinking about it then. I said no and came back to you. That is what was always going to happen, but I can’t say that it didn’t turn me on a little bit. It’s hot to think about it. I bet that if a tribe of Amazons were to beg you for your seed, you would have to think about it.”

  The grin that spread over his face was all of the answer she needed.

  “See.”

  “Well you had to say ‘Amazons.’ You know how I love me a nice, tall, badass chick.” His punctuated his words with kisses that were heading to her neck, and Jessa shivered. He didn’t seem to know how good it felt and she was again convinced that she needed more. She was soon reminded that it had been more than enough, but Mi
chael was addictive.

  ***

  The next morning, the group got up and everyone settled into their routine as they had before. Jessa was eager to get out of the city. She couldn’t get the night before out of her mind, disturbed by the way their minds had been a little bit sketchy. There was something off about them, and she knew from experience that the same was true of many of the people in the city. Jessa was sure that it had something to do with the lasting radiation. She could feel it in the air, and something told her that it was time to move on. She had been far too lucky as of late and Jessa was superstitious. Good luck brought company, and she didn’t want to push it.

  “Why don’t we leave today, Michael? I know that there isn’t anything to eat close to here. It’s pointless to stay. I have a little that we can take with us, so I think we should move on before something else happens here. This spot has been terrible luck.”

  “We can do that Jessa, but you don’t have to worry about Billy anymore.”

  Michael hadn’t told her about the beasts that had cornered them in the night, or the hunters that had come to kill the beasts, dragging them home for a feast. He also didn’t mention how Billy had actually died, or the men who had turned him into lunch. When he thought more about it, Michael was sure that they should leave as well. It was the best thing they could do, considering what had been going on lately. They had never planned to stay anyways. It had just become something of a home base after the attack that had injured Shane’s head. They had only taken the route through the city because they had no other choice. At least they had found Milo.

  They packed up what little supplies they had and headed east. It took a while of traveling before Jessa finally started to feel a little better about being where they were. The city was becoming further and further away, and that was completely okay with her. It was like every other place she had left. It would be good for a few moments before going to hell.

  Shane was unusually quiet and Jessa furrowed her eyebrows in worry. She hoped that his silence was due to his body using excess energy so he could try to get over the head injury. He was moving a little slower and Jessa made sure to slow down with him so that he didn’t feel like he was holding them up. Michael and Milo took the cue and they ambled across the over-grown roads at a slower pace.

  Milo had been missing Shane while they had been separated, and took the opportunity to catch up with him. He initiated conversation and the boys played games of I-spy. It was good to hear her son having such a good time. Without the mention of the few crazy, bad moments, everything had been looking up since they had left the small community behind, where they had met Michael and Chase had met his doom. Jessa had worried how things would work out, but it came down to the fact that there was a new community building as they moved towards the hopes of a better future. But in every community, there were rules to follow, and killing founding members was looked down upon.

  It was Milo, the newest recruit, who found them shelter for the night. They had just left a small town and were passing by a farmhouse, complete with a worn, red barn, that looked promising. They hadn’t passed anyone the whole day, which was usually a good sign. It was preferable to avoid others; since the nuclear apocalypse, people were less friendly more unlikely to stop and say hello. Although everyone was weary, Jessa was hoping to see someone else who might have been more knowledgeable about the area to get information from. As much as she liked the idea of life being better on the coast, she couldn’t be sure since she had never been there. She was anxious for any information she could get. But with no one to ask, Jessa still had no clue what lay ahead of them.

  2

  “What do you think they are here for?”

  The old freckled-faced woman shrugged and watched the group of people as they walked slowly into their home. Her grandson was standing beside her and he was as much at a loss of words as she was.

  “Maybe they don’t know that anyone lives here. They look nice. I think we should just tell them who’s house it is and then invite them to stay for the night. I haven’t had someone else to talk to in a long time.”

  Carin was torn between safety and her own need to talk to someone else. They had plenty of everything and had more than enough to share. It was what used to be done. But things were different now. Now they lived in a time when everyone wanted every last drop, afraid that it would soon all run out and they would be without. Carin didn’t feel that way though. She wanted to share and be friendly. However, there had been other groups that she had been so very wrong about.

  “I don’t think we should go there Jason. Let them have the house for the night. Hopefully they are just passing through and will be leaving in the morning. There are some things that are just not worth the risk and this is one of them. We don’t know anything about them and there is no way to know what will happen if we confront them.”

  Jason wanted to find out more about the new comers. It had been a long time since they had seen anybody who seemed approachable come by. To see them there, right in their house, made him feel like it was a sign. Maybe they were supposed to meet them. It was better to think of it that way than to consider having to stay outside for a night with his elderly grandmother, waiting to see if the small group of people moved on.

  “How would they not know that someone lives there? All of our stuff is in there. I said we go in and tell them to leave. I don’t want to stay out. It looks like it is going to rain.”

  She tried to assuage his anger, but knew it was futile. Her grandson had always been a bit of a hothead. It was part of the reason they had chosen to live in a house so far away from everything. Jason didn’t know when to shut up, and in this new version of the world, that was a bad trait to have. He was young, not quite an adult, and she hoped for his own sake that he cooled it down eventually. But Carin also knew that the trait came from her son, another prime example of a man who didn’t know when to shut up. In fact, it had cost him his life. Not only that, but his family had also been killed. Jason, through sheer chance, had been the only one who made it out alive. When she had found him, he had been hiding for days and didn’t believe that it was her at first.

  Carin tried to remember it all so that she could somehow teach him not to follow in the same path. There was no room for that kind of attitude in life anymore. Even before the world ended, there was no space for that kind of outlook.

  “You know that they could be dangerous,” she said. “Do you really want to take on three adults? You need to think more Jason, instead of just going at it with your eyes closed.”

  He nodded, knowing that she was right. But as he looked at the sky above them, the darkness and the sound of thunder in the distance didn’t make it sound like such a bad idea. At least if he was going to be headstrong, he might as well get out of the rain for the night. The group didn’t look dangerous to him. They looked like regular people like him and his grandmother. Although the weather factored into his decision somewhat, he really wanted to talk to some new people. There was much he didn’t know and it was always the best part of his week when he got to talk to someone who had seen things and places that he had never been able to see. Carin was content to stay around locally, where she knew where things grew and resources were natural. Jason was ready for travel and an adventure.

  It had to be better than where they were.

  ***

  Carin finally won and they settled into a bed of leaves and sticks. They had built it to pull them off of the cold ground so that it wouldn’t suck all of the heat from their bodies. It hadn’t been the first time that the duo had slept on the ground. Fortunately, they were somehow spared the worst of the storm as it rolled in from the east. Carin took it as a sign, but Jason just saw it as a close call. They were going to have to do something in the morning if the group wasn’t planning to leave.

  It wasn’t long after sun up that Jason was up. As he watched his grandmother sleep, he started to get a little antsy. He wanted to see what was going on in his house.
He imagined that they would take everything they had worked so hard for. He and his grandmother would have to forage for another month to get their stock back up. It was all because they had left for a couple of hours to go fishing. The fish in question had gone bad because they were too close to the unknown group to feel comfortable cooking. It would be pointless to draw in unwanted attention.

  He kept eying the house, waiting for a sign of movement. He finally moved towards the house to get a better look. Jason stopped when he heard a voice behind him. He hadn’t heard a sound, so he was surprised to find that there was something pointing into his back. He was so shocked that it was hard to understand what was wanted of him.

  “I said turn around real slow and I won’t have to hurt you. What are you doing outside of this house?”

  The young redheaded boy couldn’t hide his anger and he spat out his answer. “This is my house. I wanted to know if you guys were leaving, so I came to see if you were packing up or not.”

  Michael moved the knife away from the boy and told him to turn around. Jason didn’t move as quickly as he could have. He was still convinced that he was about to get stabbed in the back. He suddenly wished that he had listened to his grandmother. If he would have, he wouldn’t be in the position that he was in right then. What if they weren’t friendly?

  “We are just travelling through. We didn’t know if anyone lived here, but we didn’t touch any of your provisions. I didn’t want to have someone come back and have to start all over again.”

  Jason was surprised at the man’s thoughtfulness, but he was still holding up his guard. He wouldn’t let them know that Carin was just a few yards away in the bushes. If something was going to happen because of his mistake, Jason wanted to make sure that he was the one that paid for it. He knew that he had popped off from the mouth too many times in the past. So not only was he having to watch the man, he had to watch his own words.