ROMANCE: CLEAN ROMANCE: Summer Splash! (Sweet Inspirational Contemporary Romance) (New Adult Clean Fantasy Short Stories)

by Michelle Woodward

  “Caleb!” This time the voice was more of a hopeless call, like one that might be yelled out to someone you know is already gone. This is an all too familiar call to Caleb. It was the exact same call he made to his father.

  “Papa!” The young blond boy with pale skin screamed. The man who had his shoulder tried to pull him away from the wrapped remains of the last Alpha of the pack of Storms. They couldn’t get the deceased a proper burial, no one could do it. All they were able to do was at least to hasten their bodies return to the earth through flame.

  “It is time my dear child.” The man who had tried to clasp the boy by the shoulder finally said as he lowered himself eye-to-eye with the boy.

  Through his sad eyes, the old man saw the storm brewing. The darkness he saw in the boy’s eyes were just like the darkness that rolled over the cold unrelenting sea that they traversed in order to get to that very country they had built their life on – the New World.

  They lowered the caskets one at a time. There was an eerie silence that enveloped the whole scene.

  All of sudden there were white flashes of light. Pain was the last sensation he felt before he blacked out.

  “This is a mistake!” Hailey called. Hailey has never been this broken, but she didn’t know that after all she had been through. She had developed a thick skin, but it was not thick enough to protect her from the rallying emotions that struck her like waves of electricity, coursing through her every fiber.

  She was just this young nurse who needed to get away from a backwards little town in the heart of the mid-west. She just wanted to be free from the inconsistencies of her life – the memories that now seem to be all too muddled. She loved Caleb, this she knew all too well, but the man with the distinctly rich and sometimes pompous demeanor who was clasping her with his big brown arms, was someone she could not let go. She could not make up her mind, but this is something she had not really gotten overly emotional over.

  The two men were content sharing her bed and even sharing her body. But how long would it last? Will it end? Will Caleb realize that Hailey was not really worth looking his eyes to? Will Anton finally realize his station and how low Hailey is compared to himself? Will the time come when either wolf will realize that she was a mere chattel that could be used by themselves or traded off for a hefty price? Hailey’s mind raced with these insecure thoughts.

  Hailey could be thinking all these things, as most women her age would, but she did not let them get the best of her. She had something in her heart, etched deep within her humanity that was keeping her score as to what she had right then and there – hope. Hope was what drove her to New York, and it is hope that is keeping her sanity together.

  “Hailey?” Anton reached for her thoughts as she strayed away aimlessly in her own mind. She snapped out of her almost delirious state.

  “Caleb?” Hailey replied as she tried to pivot her view towards the man who laid there in the forum they had set up.

  “He’s pretty strong.” Anton said as he pointed out to the group of white men fixing him up and punching tubes into and from his lifeless looking body.

  “He’s okay…” Anton began. “But we have to keep praying real hard right now that Caleb will get his new sight, because his old sight is definitely gone.”

  Hailey’s heart froze. This was not news to her, but hearing it out loud just after they had subjected Caleb to that crazy ritual of blinding just jolted her. Everything was just making her testy. Even things that shouldn’t shock or scare her already do, and quite effectively too.

  All of a sudden, she saw movement from the bed. It was minute and it was probably nothing for sure - probably just one of the attendants moving him, but Hailey knew it was something so she rushed to his side. The power suddenly went out just as she was about to grab him.

  “Don’t worry; the generators will kick in in a few seconds.” Anton gestured to the men who were standing idly by.

  “I saw him move…” She looked to Anton. “Caleb?”

  Silence followed but she felt Caleb rustle from his own bed. Hailey felt her heart beat incredibly fast she didn’t know why. At least the lights came back on shortly.

  “Caleb?” Excitement filled her heart. Her mind was buzzing with so much relief and anticipation. At least she knew she had not caused the death of Caleb. What she was waiting for and fearing so much, was the prospect of him going permanently blind.

  The lights started to flicker again. The generator then sounded off and the electricity was restored back to normal once again.

  “That’s odd.” Anton quipped as he annoyed looked at the lights and to the men who were busy minding their own selves and not the leader of one of the strongest wolf clans in the United States.

  He turned his attention to Caleb who was still lying there unmoving. He too was anxious about the recovery of Caleb Storm. But more so than that, he had already formed a bond, a sort of kinship with him that was strong and real. It could have formed during that time when he had him shared a bed with Hailey in the wildest encounter he had ever experienced, or probably from the fact that they shared a convergent storyline. He knew, regardless of when and how it formed, he and Caleb had a bond that ran deep.

  “Is he okay?” Anton asked.

  “Shh…” Caleb replied.

  “Caleb?” Hailey asked softly.

  “My head hurts.” Caleb answered and all of a sudden he screamed.

  “My eyes!” Caleb was in so much pain that Hailey was frozen on the spot.

  Caleb stood up and pulled all the IV lines and tubes jutting from him as he peeled off the bandages on his face.

  He rolled over in extreme pain, but Hailey knew better than to approach him. Anton stepped back as he knew this was something that was quite expected.

  “Noooo!” Caleb yelled in pain.

  “Caleb?” Hailey called. As though her voice was a key or magical anti-dote to suffering, the pains suddenly subsided and all he felt was windedness. He felt winded and nothing more. He was gasping desperately for air, but after a while the heaving slowed down. He slowly opened his eyes and as he did, Hailey could see that if the ritual did not work at all, at least it had some effect.

  “Your eyes.” Hailey said with her jaw dropped all the way down to the floor. It was a sort of disbelief you only get when you see something so awe inspiring, like an oasis in the middle of the desert.

  “I can see.” Caleb said as his vision revealed the image of Hailey crying and running towards him just before he passed out.

  Caleb came to a few hours later and they didn’t stop to celebrate at this little success. They went immediately to work trying to discover his powers and their extent. They knew that it wasn’t going to be easy, but if they were able to induce the power and awaken it from its dormancy inside of Caleb, they knew they would succeed in training him just enough so they can unveil the true identity of the keeper, Hailey's keeper, whose identity had remained a mystery.

  It was easy at first. All they did was show Caleb some of Anton’s treasures his family had kept in a cloaked room. Caleb was quick enough to point to the shimmering gold goblet that was placed right beside the old clock placed over the fireplace.

  It was easy enough for Caleb to even remove some magical cloaking Anton’s family had witch’s cast on a huge urn that was supposed to be King Tut’s. It was quite exhilarating for Caleb but he knew this was not really something worth so much celebration and joy. This was something just the first steps – baby steps, even towards fulfilling his task.

  “Enough. Time is running.” Caleb demanded.

  “It’s barely been twenty four hours since the ritual, are you even sure you are not going to pass out on us.” Anton began. “Plus, there is just so much you need to practice on.”

  “Yes. Gustav was powerful enough and he wasn’t able to see or uncover the identity of my keeper. “Hailey pitched in. Caleb just stood there looking at Hailey, which made Anton a tiny bit uncomfortable.

  “For you, I will go
to hell and back.” Caleb said. There was a whole new bearing to his gait that Hailey quickly caught on. His eyes that now had a pleasant glow that mesmerized her even more than before. The dark blue sea in his eyes was still dark and very blue, but the storm had passed, and she could see the crystal clear waters that etched his soul.

  Anton flinched at his statements. He blushed uncontrollably as if those words were directed to him. The room fell quiet as the three stood a few feet away from each other in Anton’s treasure room. Hailey stepped towards Caleb as she reached out her hand towards his face.

  Caleb did not think twice before placing his lips against hers. Hailey quickly broke off the kiss as she raised her hand to beg for Anton’s. He obliged readily. As he drew closer, Anton could feel Caleb’s hand against his quivering back.

  Anton kissed Hailey passionately as Caleb maneuvered his hand under her shirt to unsnap her bra. Click. It was that easy. Hailey’s heaving breasts hardly contained by her dainty white lace bra were no match for Caleb and his formidable dexterity.

  “I need you.” Caleb whispered with such a command that it made Hailey whimper in a mix of delight and a sense of obligation. She had never felt this way before about Caleb. This was the new Caleb - prouder and stronger. He boldly lifted her shirt over her head and threw it on the floor.

  Anton slid his hand down his own pants to relieve his penis pushing against them. Hailey saw him ache with pleasure while Caleb lowered his head and sucked eagerly on her nipple while his hand massaged her other breast. Hailey reached down with her hand into Anton’s black pants as the he moaned in an unbelievable wave of pleasure. Hailey could feel herself getting wetter by the second as she pulled Anton’s cock out of his pants and grasped it firmly, admiring its strong girth. He flinched as the friction of Hailey’s hand shocked his vulnerable member with some static electricity.

  “Ouch.” He gritted as the pain mingled in his psyche with the pleasure of Hailey’s expert motion, jacking him off relentlessly and vigourously.

  Caleb removed every piece of clothing he had on, and so did Anton as their bodies mingled with each other. His hands brushed the supple buttocks of Caleb as their hands and tongues explored every inch of Hailey’s body. She was perfectly content being the center of all the sexual energies emanating from both wolves.

  It was a roller coaster of finitely tedious yet gratifying movements that cemented the fact that it might never be just Hailey with one of the boys; it was going to be always the three of them in a true Ménage-a-trois.

  ******

  As they finally put together the clothes they had shed in the spur of the moment act of gratification, they convened to the living room to finaly decide their next step.

  “We all know that we need to look for the keeper, but how? That is the actual question we need to answer as soon as we possibly can.” Caleb said as he motioned to the invisible cloaking he and Anton had covered Hailey with to hide her from all the other wolf families who want her dead as a sacrifice to the moon.

  “I think it’s pretty standard now. If my research does me any justice, then your ability to see doesn’t just work in person but also in pictures.” Anton began.

  Hailey knew what he was thinking. “I get it; you want Caleb to look at pictures of my past life?”

  Anton nodded.

  “That should work. But the thing is, I don’t have a single photograph of my past here in New York. I have nothing to show you, Caleb.” Hailey said in an exasperated state.

  “Where are your photos then?” Caleb asked. I mean you did just say you didn’t have any HERE in New York.” Caleb said.

  Hailey was tentative, but the boys had been through so much for her to just crush their dreams right then and there. “They’re all back home.”

  *****

  Hailey never really liked “home”. It was even surprising that she even called it that. She referred to it as home just as a formality, and most of the time to stop further questions from the likes of her workmates or the intermittent and never constant “blind dates” she got set up with by well-meaning friends.

  The drive to her old hometown was not fun for her. Of course, this in turn made the two alphas quite out of their wits just trying to make her feel better.

  “What the hell? It seems a storm is brewing and it just might be following us.” Caleb made his observation nonchalantly.

  “That’s quite odd.” Anton mumbled to himself as they spent the rest of the drive in an almost dry kind of silence. Hours passed when they finally arrived in Hailey’s hometown.

  “I have no idea why we did not just rent a private plane. I mean you have got to be a billionaire.” He said as he tried to wake his legs which had fallen asleep in the car.

  “Anton, it’s okay; Caleb is just being a baby.” Hailey answered trying to reassure Anton that he did not have to go through thinking and explaining even, the reason why he had always refused to ride in air planes. Basically, he was an alpha was because of a plane crash, a sad and lonely crash that had reduced his family to just him, his mother and a few others.

  “I would rather not talk about it.” Anton said.

  They entered what seemed to be an abandoned little house in a low income suburb.

  “Welcome to where all the magic happened.” Hailey said with so much bitterness the two boys could taste it in the air.

  “Let’s get to it. Hails, the pictures?” Caleb said trying to change the topic.

  “Here.” Hailey picked up a box and spilled all of its content onto a worn out table.

  “Where is everybody?” Anton asked.

  “Mother or whoever she was, is nowhere as well as the man who he called her husband, but we could never really know for sure.” Hailey said.

  “You own this place now?” Anton asked. Caleb was busy going through the first pile of photographs.

  “Yes.” Hailey answered.

  “Why not sell it?” Anton asked.

  “I tried, no one want this sty of a house.” Hailey answered directly.

  “Guys!” Caleb made the two jump from their spots with his ear bursting howl. “I found her!”

  Caleb started to point out to an obese old woman who was in most of Hailey’s baby and toddler pictures.

  “Nana Rosa?” Hailey was obviously quite confounded. “It could not be her, I am sure of it!”

  “I can see it.” Caleb said. “I just can. She’s not human or at least just an ordinary kind of human.”

  Anton stared at Hailey’s face just etched with so much disbelief. “I think Caleb won’t make that big a mistake Hails.”

  “Where is she? Do you still know her whereabouts, have her number and all that?” Caleb was so excited.

  “It is not her.” Hailey said firmly. “Let’s try more pictures.”

  “Why are you rejecting me?” Caleb asked sincerely.

  “It is not that Caleb. It is just so simple. She’d dead.” Hailey said as her eyes began to water.

  “She died when I turned ten years old.” She continued.

  “Gustav said the keeper is someone who is with me and has been with me all my life right?” Hailey said trying to stop the memories of her childhood that actually were pleasant from resurfacing.

  “Is everything okay?” Anton asked.

  “Yes. Well, it is just that Nana Rosa was the only person who loved me and cared for me when I was younger.” Hailey said, which made Caleb drop the whole issue and made him go back to her pictures.

  “This is the pile from when I was in high School.” Hailey said.

  “Oh my goodness, here she is again.” Caleb said.

  “Who?” Anton asked.

  “It is her. Hailey’s Nana Rosa.” Caleb answered

  “Caleb. Nana Rosa died four years before this picture was even taken.” Hailey said, in a somewhat annoyed tone.

  “That can’t be right. She is here, right here. Red Hair and pointy face. Nana Rosa.” Caleb pointed to a figure beside Hailey who was not what he had just described.
>
  “Caleb, Nana Rosa is not a red head. She was Latina, she had black hair was very round.” Anton said picking up the picture they found first.

  Caleb was dumbfounded, and suddenly he realized something.

  “Who is this Hails? Describe what she looks like to you?” Caleb asked hurriedly.

  Anton and Hailey looked at each other as she picked up the photo of herself and a young girl whom she knew as Jane.

  “This is Jane, my high school best friend. She has blond hair and she has a heart shaped face.” Hailey said.

  “I got it!” Caleb exclaimed. “This is Nana Rosa… She’s also Jane. I get it now. The keeper has always been with you all your life Hails, just as different people. All you see are different people but to me they are one and the same.” Caleb finished up.

  “Who was Jane?” Caleb asked.

  “She was my only friend in high school but she moved away after middle school. I never talked to her ever again.” Hailey answered.

  “Are you seeing the pattern here?” Caleb asked Anton, but Anton just simple shook his head in confusion.

  “Okay never mind, wait.” Caleb went through her picture yet again. This time it was Hailey in what seemed to be her senior prom.

  “Who is this?” Caleb asked.

  “That’s Nancy, my math teacher that helped me through the hell that I was going through in high school.” Hailey answered.

  “What happened to her?” Caleb asked.

  “She had to move to a different state. She said she got a promotion as a principal in California.” Hailey answered.

  “How about this one?” Caleb picked up another picture.

  “That’s Ms. Copperfield. My nursing teacher way back from when I was still in community college trying to finish up my degree.” Hailey answered and then she paused. “She died which was why I decided to move to New York where she had arranged my job there in the hospital for me.”

  “Nana Rosa, Jane, Nancy and Ms. Copperfield are the same person. And they all “disappeared” from your life somehow.” Caleb answered.

  “All of them? They were your friends?” Anton asked Hailey who was now crying from the pain of being deceived by the people she thought truly cared for her.