by Gayle Keo
It’d been a battle getting her job as a school teacher, but Sasha knew it was worth the trouble. At first the administration didn’t want to hire her because she was so new, freshly out of college. She’d worked her ass off, though. Her plan was to simply show up at the school and chat up the other teachers so she had some back up. Safe to say her plan worked marvelously. She’d never gotten a complaint from a parent, either. Working with such young children in the middle of such a drastic transition was more difficult than she cared to admit, but her feedback was a feat in itself.
Supposedly the last kindergarten teacher had been fired for making some wildly inappropriate comments about the children to another teacher.
Of course, Sasha knew that part of it was the fact that she was African American. Those two words, powerful by themselves, were more likely to drag her down than boost her up. Despite that, she never played the race card like her parents and siblings. The United States of America was the land of opportunity if she worked hard enough instead of getting offended by things that happened hundreds of years ago. She was a firm believer that it wasn’t about race, it was about culture.
Taking a turn, Sasha decided to go to the nearby Stop and Shop in the hopes of getting some food, but her mind didn’t stop its train. She wouldn’t be so strapped for cash if she didn’t have Dwayne living with her. Unfortunately, she couldn’t just kick him out without having any backlash from the rest of her family. Everyone but her was on some sort of state benefit somehow, but they never seemed to have as much money as they made it out to be. Her brother made almost as much as she did working full time, but she had no idea how he spent it with nothing to show for it. He could easily afford an apartment but he didn’t, and she didn’t understand why. It wasn’t like he went out with his ‘friends’ or anything.
“Chicken bake... Turkey bake... Chicken bake... Turkey bake...” Sasha stood in the middle of the hot foods line, her eyebrows furrowed as her brain turned. Staring at the sandwiches beyond the pane of glass, she tried to decide which one looked better. Chicken was her go-to protein, but the turkey bakes had just come out of the oven. Scooting sideways as the line shortened, she clenched and released her keys in her palm as she weighed the fact that she didn’t like turkey as much as chicken but it hadn’t been sitting out as long.
“That’ll be $4.52, please.” Handing the unhappy looking teenager a five dollar bill, Sasha took her turkey sandwich and waited for her change before making her way to a table. This is what her life would look like for the next week until her camp job started. She would be living there for two months, since it was an overnight camp. Thankfully her landlord was going to be generous with her and let her slack on rent until August. Of course, she’d have to pay a bit more after school resumed but that wasn’t a problem.
Now all she had to worry about was Dwayne and how she was going to tell him he couldn’t live there anymore. She loved her brother, but she didn’t trust him at all.
Watching a mother stroll past her, Sasha’s face instantly broke into a smile at the sight of the newborn baby in her car seat. She loved children; it was why she was a kindergarten teacher. Some day she wanted them for herself. As soon as the baby was out of sight her smile faded, though. That was just another problem. Her parents tried so hard to set her up with boys that couldn’t even classify as men. One had been their weed dealer. Another was a gangster that just happened to be ‘friends’ with Dwayne. They were all boys she couldn’t see herself with. Being the only person in her family with standards was hard.
****
Screaming at the top of her lungs, Sasha was frozen to her spot in anger. Her day had started out bad, gotten worse, and now it went completely down the toilet. How much damage could one brother do in the span of less than an hour?
All of her stuff was gone, and Dwayne was nowhere to be found.
“Oh-h...” Dizziness made her fall to her knees at the sight of her completely empty living room. There were dust outlines on the walls of where her book shelves and television used to be. Even her cheap Walmart rug was gone.
“Oh my God... The police... I- I ha-” A sharp knock at the door cut Sasha off, making her jump three feet in the air despite being on her knees. Scrambling to her feet, she rushed into the kitchen and to the front door with her heart in her throat. Yanking open the door, she struggled to breathe even as her closest neighbor came into view. Lola was older and spoke absolutely no English at all. She lived with her daughter, but Sasha couldn’t worry about it.
“¿Estás bien, Sasha?” Crossing her arms over her torso, Sasha pursed her lips together with an unstable nod of her head.
“Sí... sí. Estoy bien.” Sasha choked out the words and it was clear on Lola’s face she didn’t believe her. Instead of waiting she twisted around, stretching to grab her purse from the kitchen table.
“Disculpa... Tengo que irme.” Shoving past Lola as gently as she could manage, Sasha didn’t even bother locking the door behind her. Half running towards the stairs, tears were forming in her eyes from the knowledge that this was actually happening. She didn’t have things that were ridiculously expensive, but they cost her money and she wanted to have them for a long time. Yet, despite being sisterly, Dwayne had betrayed her.
Sasha sped down the street as fast as she could, swerving around cars in an effort to get to the other side of town. Her mind tried to tell her it was impossible; that Dwayne didn’t steal her stuff. There was no other explanation for it, though.
“You mother fucker... You- you... Stupid... Fucking...” Hitting the steering wheel, Sasha took a turn so hard her wheels burned. The normally ten-minute drive only took two, and she skid to a stop in front of her parents’ house with anger boiling inside her. Slamming the car door shut, she stalked up the walkway and everything looked the same. Her parents liked to keep up appearances, so they had a nice house and kept everything orderly. The neighborhood was alive with summertime fun, but she blocked it out to focus on why she was here in the first place.
“Dwayne! Where are you, you little bitch!” Sasha stormed through the house and into the living room only to stop short. There was Dwayne lounging on the couch showing off his wad of cash to their brother. No words could describe how incredibly mad she was in that moment, and she clenched her hands into fists before walking over. Snatching the green paper from Dwayne’s hand, she raised her fist and punched him right in the jaw.
“You fucker! If you ever come near me or my house or my work again I’ll beat you senseless!” She was older than Dwayne by two years, and Sasha hit him a second time just to make her point. Dwayne knew better than to say anything, so she didn’t worry about him for the time being. Rarely did she swear or hit anyone.
Straightening, Sasha glared at Dwayne for a while and shoved the money in her purse. He couldn’t even defend himself, and it was pathetic.
“You stay away or I’ll give you a reason to hide, you hear me? And don’t you dare think that Mom or Dad can save you.”
Heavily Sasha’s sneaker clad feet hit the floor as she left just as quickly as she came, and she slammed the front door on the way out. Nothing was going right today. Dropping herself on the curb, she held her purse between her legs and held her head in her hands. Her body shook from the force of her anger and her tears fell in earnest.
*****
“Miss Sasha?”
Glancing up, Sasha wasn’t even surprised at catching sight of Antoni crouching next to her.
“Go away.” Sasha’s voice crackled as it left her throat but the man didn’t leave. Instead he sat down fully next to her, heaving a sigh of his own.
“We heard you across the street. Do you want me to drive you home?” Totally ignoring her command, Antoni felt his fingers tingle with the desire to hold his mate. She was crying, in clear distress. He refrained himself somehow, though. Even his beast knew this was a precarious situation, and touching might be the wrong move. Watching her rub her face, hearing her sniffle delicately, he took a deep breath
and prepared himself for another rejection. It wasn’t uncommon with human mates to go through this trial.
“Uhm... Yeah... I don’t think I can drive right now.” Wobbling, Sasha stood up slowly and took a deep breath, holding her purse tightly to her chest. Really she shouldn’t have driven here in the first place, and it was a marvel she hadn’t gotten into an accident. Slipping around her car, she dropped into the front passenger seat and sunk into the faded, fake leather with a slight hiccup. Antoni climbed into the driver’s seat, but they didn’t move.
Glancing over, she frowned lightly before he spoke up, all traces of his flirty smirk gone.
“Your keys.” Pursing her lips together, Sasha frowned deeper before digging into her purse. She didn’t even remember turning off her car or putting the jingling key chain in her bag. Passing it over, she rested her elbow on the edge of the window and held her forehead.
“Do you want to talk about whatever happened?” In the stillness of the car Sasha just continued to stare out the window as the city passed by. The only break was the occasional pointing to give directions, but there hadn’t been any talking. Sighing heavily at the question, she rubbed her eyes and face before actually offering a reply.
“My brother stole my stuff and pawned it while I was at Stop and Shop... I don’t even know what he took yet.” Just saying the words made Sasha clench her slender fingers into fists, and Antoni watched her from the corner of his eye as he drove. She was a fire cracker under her personable, kid-friendly exterior. Her ebony skin was raised in goose bumps, hair only slightly out of place. Adjusting his grip on the steering wheel, he wondered what she would look like with just her real hair. He knew it was quite long; the difference was clear to his keen eyes.
Clearing his throat, he furrowed his eyebrows and took a random turn.
“Do you want me to kick his ass for you?”
“No. I don’t even want to deal with it. I knew I shouldn’t have let him get comfortable... This left right here.” Grumbling, Sasha reached up to press her palms into her eye sockets, teeth grinding together. This was what she got for being nice.
“So, you’re the ‘black sheep’ in your family, then?” Prying for any and all information, Antoni did as directed and quietly admired how nicely Sasha’s car drove. She obviously took care of herself and her things, and he could sense it wasn’t the things her brother took that bothered her. Material items were replaceable; trust was not. In the opposite seat, she let out a short, condescending laugh, the humor missing completely.
“You don’t even know. If my parents ever found out I was in the same car as a white guy they’d probably disown me. And Dwayne... I don’t even know what’s going on with him.” Taking his eyes off the road, Antoni stared hard at Sasha in some mild form of shock. Forcing them back, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, flexing his fingers on the wheel. He didn’t know how to feel about what she’d said, but his words came out regardless.
“They don’t sound like very good role models. And they live in a pretty white neighborhood...”
“Yeah, well, don’t let that fool you. It wasn’t until we were teenagers that my parents started becoming more judgmental, so I guess they have that going for them. But now- … Now it’s just ridiculous.”
Pulling into Sasha’s parking spot, Antoni shut the car off and handed her the keys before she climbed out of her seat. Knowing what she was going to go back to made her rub her face with her palms, but she squared her shoulders anyway. It wasn’t like she watched TV; she didn’t even have a basic cable package. All of her services were through her cell phone provider and thankfully Dwayne hadn’t stolen that too.
Turning to Antoni, Sasha frowned lightly at the expression on his face. She couldn’t quite place it, but he looked as if he knew what she was going to ask before it even left her mouth.
“Thank you for driving me home. Unless you want to take the bus you can hang around for a while until I’m pretty sure I won’t run off the road.” Wandering over to Sasha casually, Antoni tried and failed to keep his eyes from flashing at the invitation. He knew she noticed, but he couldn’t help himself. It was a reaction to being near her; of wanting to shift and rub his scent all over and inside her. Watching her own brown gaze light up suspiciously, he shoved his hands in his pockets before responding.
“I think I’ll stay here. You could use the help, yeah?”
Sasha’s apartment door was closed but unlocked, and she pushed past it with heavy steps. Dropping her purse on the table, she instantly made her way to her bedroom to check her jewelry box. Everything was neat and orderly aside from the clean laundry on her bed. Nothing she could see immediately appeared disturbed, and that knowledge made a huge sigh escape her chest. Sifting through her dresser drawers, the relief she felt was almost palpable when she found all of her important things. Even her very expensive laptop was still in her closet, hidden under a blanket. It cost almost an entire month’s rent, but it was worth it for keeping up with her the past few years. Buying it for herself hadn’t seemed like a good idea at the time, though.
“O-kay... So I’m only missing my living room.”
“You’re not going to call the police?” Glancing towards the archway to her bedroom, Sasha frowned lightly at Antoni’s form leaning on the wood. He really had no sense of etiquette.
“No. I can handle it myself. And I don’t have insurance so it’s not like filing a report and getting Dwayne arrested and sent to jail will get my stuff back. Besides, I don’t feel like dealing with my parents if I did that anyway.” As Sasha spoke, Antoni made his way into her bedroom to inhale discreetly. She wore soft, gentle perfumes; ones that weren’t abusive to his overly sensitive sense of smell. Actually, everything about her room was soft and gentle. The rug was a light lavender, the bedspread was a soft, cheery gray-ish blue. Around him walls were painted a regular eggshell color and the wood somehow brought everything together.
Retraining his gaze on his mate, he smiled at her severe frown before opening his mouth.
“You get pushed over a lot, don’t you Miss Sasha.” At the questioning statement Sasha felt her eyelid twitch but she couldn’t deny Antoni’s assumption. Her family was a riot to deal with, so most of the time she chose not to provoke them. Instead she shrugged, offering no reply as she made her way passed him and out of the bedroom.
Sitting herself at the table, Sasha pulled the crumpled up bills out of her purse and smoothed them out. There couldn’t be more than three hundred dollars, and that didn’t even cover her television and couch let alone everything in her living room. Staring at the money splayed out in front of her, she propped up her elbow and held her cheek in her palm. It was kind of insulting, in a twisted way.
“When do you want to go back? I need to just go to sleep and it’s pretty late anyway- almost eight.” Antoni shrugged, but Sasha wasn’t facing him so she couldn’t see. He was in no rush to leave and didn’t really want her to drive him back. That made it so final, and he liked the opportunities open to him right now.
“It’s no problem. I can text my sister to come get me. Do you need anything while I’m here?” Blinking slowly, Sasha had a wiggling feeling that Antoni wasn’t talking about offering to get her a comfort pizza. It made her frown, and she shook her head without offering a verbal response. In the quiet she could feel him staring at her side intently but kept her own gaze glued to the table. Seeing the money in front of her kept her anger alive and gave her a distraction so she didn’t glance behind her.
“Your skin looks so smooth.” Mumbling to himself, Antoni felt the desire to touch Sasha get stronger as she sat there, ripe and waiting. If she heard him she made no signs of it, and he couldn’t help himself as he took a step closer to her. His wolf was there, urging him on to get him as far as he could go. This woman that was his mate was as relaxed as she would get, and this was his chance. Swinging his hand, he ran the backs of his fingers over her bicep and her skin jumped, her body jerking in surprise.
; “Hey! Wh-” Whipping up, Sasha’s eyes widened and her throat ran dry at what greeted her. Antoni gazed back at her, but the darkness of his stare was gone. Instead a hazel color replaced it; it was the same color as hot caramel. Her heart beat a million miles an hour in her chest, but as hard as it was to look at it was harder to look away. He continued touching her arm, gentle, feather-like brushes. After only a few passes it was making her skin tingle. Holding her breath, she couldn’t even gulp down the lump in her throat.
“Relax... I won’t bite... Unless you want me to.” Shining brighter, Antoni’s eyes captivated her and Sasha felt goose bumps wash her chest and arms. He took a step closer, crowding into her personal space. Ordinarily she would do something about it but she was stuck, immobile from some invisible entity.
“I knew it would be hard when I saw you at school. I just didn’t know how hard. How hard it is to wait when all I want to do is rush.”
“You- You’re...eyes...” Fumbling over the words, Sasha was surprised she could get them out but not enough to break whatever was happening. Antoni leaned over, free hand on the table while his other one continued to draw small patterns on her skin.
“It’s because I’m not fully human, Miss Sasha. I’d prove it to you but I won’t be able to control myself if I shift.” Blinking hard at that last word, Sasha finally managed to break her daze and shake her head hard.
“You’re a shifter?”
Overly loud, her question bounced off the walls of her apartment firmly. Antoni obviously wasn’t expecting it, and he pulled away from her to straighten with a suspicious glint in his now dark brown eye.