by Flora Dare
As he futzed with the coffee maker, Jake wondered if he should call his Itan. He wasn't keen on letting the clan know he'd even found a mate, let alone one that had managed to slip away so easily. He'd never get any peace. He had to laugh when he thought about his Gran browbeating Ty. After the call, Ty just shook his head, but Jake noticed Ty found a house for them that wasn't anywhere near the clan den.
Smart man.
Not like Jake, whose hand was shaking as he called his old home.
Two rings and a young female voice answered, "Yallo, Helen's House of Horrors."
He grinned. His sister. She'd give him the lowdown on how everything was going. "Hey sis. How goes the packing?"
She whistled into the phone, "Whoooboy, am I glad you're driving Gran and we get a little quiet and a lot of peace."
He winced, that was not what he wanted to hear. He had to convince Gran and his sister. He didn't even want to think about what his mom would have to say. "Packing is always stressful, you should be done, at least." He'd try placating first.
Helen practically hissed, "She made me repack her thimble collection EIGHT TIMES, Jake. EIGHT. GODDAMN. TIMES. They aren't even fragile. I refuse to even speak about packing the perfume bottles. Or the figurines. She owns everything Lenox ever released!"
Helen wasn't fooling. She might be a monster of a teenager, but she was a good kid, generally. "Come on now, it couldn't have been that bad, you must be exaggerating."
"If Grayslake isn't jam packed with hottie shifters, I will tell Gran about everything, anything, all the things. All the things I could possibly tell her about you, I will."
Jake laughed and said, "So now would be a bad time to say I've run into something and might be late?"
There was a long silence on the line before Helen said, "Oh, yeah, no, that would be a really bad thing. Gran is currently occupied with beating down the movers loading the truck but if you aren't here when she's ready to leave? Noooope nope nope nope. Mom and I are getting in the truck and hitting the road. There is no room for Gran and there are no beds here, even if I was willing to abandon my grandmother like you seem to be indicating you would happily do."
He thought of Lira's long hair wrapped around his fist and had to try. "You really have no way of squeezing her in, just for a few hours?"
Helen's voice shot up about fifteen octaves. "Do you know what I Gran told me she collects? Vintage vibrators. VINTAGE VIBRATORS, JAKE. And that box smelled like Pledge. Lemon Pledge. As if it were filled with recently cleaned things. WHY would Grannie need to clean her VINTAGE VIBRATORS unless they’ve been used recently!?"
He groaned, regretting ever calling. "Why would you tell me that?"
"Pain shared is pain lessened. And frankly, if you are trying to ditch your road trip with Gran? You deserve all the pain I've been saving up for just such a moment. Not to mention, she's been ridiculously excited about this. All she talks about is the adventure you are taking her on and the nice woman she's been corresponding with in Grayslake. So yeah, I'm sure you aren't trying to wiggle out of anything, are ya Jake?"
He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. This was going even worse than expected. "No, of course not. It's just that there is a lot going on, so I was just checking in."
"Uh huh, sure." Jake heard a bellow in the background and the pounding of a cane. Gran. Helen continued, "Oh hey, Gran, Jake is on the phone. Making sure you are as raring to go as he is."
For a second, Jake thought he might murder his little sister. Her voice was so sweet and syrupy he could feel the diabetes ooze down the line. Gran wasn't deaf and she wasn't stupid.
"Jake! It's your grandmother. These movers are a mess. They tried to put my thimbles at the bottom of a stack! Can you believe that? The less said about their process the better."
"Hi Gran, sorry they are messing with your thimbles."
He heard the long sniff through the phone. "I set them straight. Now, where are you young man? You still set to be here this afternoon?"
It almost sounded like a question, like he could say anything other than 'of course'. As if anything other than obedience was an option. Ty could learn something about an iron fist from Gran. "Of course. Woke up a bit late, is all. Just wanted to check in." He was babbling. He had to stop talking. "Just wanted to make sure everything was going smoothly for you guys." He begged himself to just shut up and finally just slapped his hand over his mouth.
"Good boy." Her voice sounded a little dreamy. "I've been thinking about this trip for a while. I've hardly gotten to see you at all since you found Grayslake. It will be nice to be around shifters again. I've missed it."
"We'll have a good time, Gran. Let me get on the road, I'll see you soon. Love you, bye."
He just had to make as much time as possible in the car. Maybe it would only take a day, if she let him really push the timing. He shook his head, she wasn't exactly frail but that would probably be too much for her. It was going to take at least two days.
No matter how hard he was willing to push himself, he wasn't going to hurt his Gran. He put aside the idea that he might not find Lira. She was his mate. She might just be human, but she would be as drawn to him as he was to her. He'd find her.
As much as he dreaded the entire process, and as much as he needed to find Lira, he would get his grandmother moved and then he was going to find his mate and bring her home. It might be the only thing that kept Helen from killing him when he skipped out of unpacking.
But vintage vibrators? He'd take the risk.
Chapter Five
There was something about the open road stretching in front of her that filled Lira with unfettered joy. She could forget the reasons she was heading off to some strange town to find her roots and just enjoy the hum of the road beneath her wheels.
It was a glorious day, so she cranked the radio and rolled down the windows. She bellowed along to Aretha Franklin as she let the miles slip by.
She pulled up to the small B and B Magda told her about and got out of her car. She looked up at the neat little Victorian, its gingerbread trim just so, and muttered to herself.
"Well, damn, this place looks like it was made to be a perfect getaway, like it was ripped out of a brochure."
She bounded up the front steps, and before she could even raise her hand to knock, the door swung open. A bouncy young woman gestured at her to come in.
"You must be Lira!" The girl was a whirlwind, her energy pulling Lira deeper into the house. "Let's get you settled. Your friend, Magda? She kind of set off a bomb with her call."
"A bomb? Is me being here going to be a problem? I can just keep driving." Lira felt a sharp pang of sorrow. She hadn't expected much out of the visit, but the thought of learning something about her mother was exciting. She hadn't realized how much she'd been looking forward to it. Her mother had died so long ago.
Lira spun on her foot, ready to head out the door. She didn't need any decades-old drama in her life. Not with ‘creepy stalker’ Ethan already occupying the front row.
But the girl grabbed her arm and said, "No, no no, nothing crazy. But it was just a big shock that you even exist, is all."
"This is all getting pretty weird for me."
"I know, but please, please, pretty please don't leave because I was running my big mouth. I just got excited is all. Your mom's story is just super romantic and tragic."
"Uhm, from my perspective, just tragic."
The girl stopped in her tracks and looked up at Lira. "I am... I just didn't think, I'm really sorry."
"Honestly, losing my mom happened a really long time ago, and while I wish it had not happened and I still miss her, it's a healed hurt. I won't bail, but you are kind of freaking me out. And I don't know anything about this town or my mother's family."
"We’re your family too. I'm Nancy. I guess we're sort of cousins, in a way. Probably removed eight times or something, I don't keep great track of the family tree. Let me get you up to your room and settled. Then we can have dinner? My
Memaw, that’s Grace, will be here and she'll start filling you in on all the dirt."
"Okay, that sounds great."
"We were supposed to have some other visitors show up today, a family that is relocating to Grayslake, but I guess they ran into some sort of transportation problems, so you'll have the place to yourself for a few days."
"Sounds good, and I could use a nap before dinner." Lira skipped on talking about why she didn't get much sleep, but she was definitely ready for a really good nap.
Nancy hustled her upstairs to a spacious and airy corner room, pointed out the bathroom and fled. Lira laughed a little, assuming the girl was scared she was going to try to run away.
Still, it never occurred to Lira that there might be anything more than a handful of pictures. There was something exciting about having actual relatives. She kicked off her shoes and threw herself on the bed and sank into its comfort with a sigh. A nap was just what she needed.
~ * ~ * ~
She woke with a start, the room was dark and the tentative knock at the door left her confused for half a heart beat until she remembered where she was.
Nancy's soft voice drifted through the door. "I'm so sorry to bother you, but it's almost dinner time. I can bring you a tray up if you would rather."
Lira rolled out of bed and leapt at the door. "Sorry, I guess I was more tired than I realized. Let me rinse my face real quick, I'll be down in a minute."
Nancy smiled up at her and said, "Not a problem. Memaw is settling in and eager to meet you."
Lira dashed through the bathroom and headed downstairs, a little frightened about the meeting Magda had set up.
She walked into the parlor and saw a tiny woman with a turban, lounging. The woman radiated calm warmth and her voice was like warm honey drizzling over a crisp apple. "Child, sit with me. It's a bit of a shock to see how much you look like your mother."
Lira sank, speechless, onto the settee that was next to the woman. What should she say to this woman?
The woman gathered Lira's hands in hers. "I’m Grace. Please, feel free to call me Memaw. I wish we'd gotten to know you sooner."
"How do you know Magda?"
"I'm getting ahead of myself. Magda was already friends with your mother when they left Grayslake."
"What do you mean, when they left Grayslake?"
"I mean, this used to be where Magda lived too. There was an accident and they didn't want to be here anymore."
"But if my mom had family here, why would she hide me from them?"
Grace sat back and sighed, rubbing her forehead. "She blamed her clan for the accident. And she wasn't wrong. There was a lot of anger and confusion at the time."
"What accident?"
"Your mother, Magda, and the two men they were with ran off the road in a terrible car accident one night. Both men were killed."
"Was one of them my father?"
"I believe so, yes. How old are you?"
"I just turned 25."
"Then yes, he was. Your mother must have already been pregnant."
"And the other man, that must have been Stuart."
"How did you know?"
"Magda still talks about him. She said she's never met another man like him and she won't settle."
Grace sighed heavily and turned away. Lira thought she saw the glint of tears in her eyes but when Grace looked back, her eyes were dry.
"No one knew your mother was pregnant. I don't know that it would have changed anything. Some people were very angry she was choosing a partner from outside."
"So, this is a pretty insular place?" She tried to say it lightly, but a sick dread was building inside of her. It didn't sound like this was going to be much of a refuge.
"It used to be very insular. It is still a small town but life moves forward. It's not the old ways anymore, and I'm glad. The old ways took from a lot of people."
" Who was my mother? Who was my father? Do I have family here worth meeting?"
"Very straight forward. Just like your mother." Grace picked up her tea cup and sipped slowly. "Your mother was part of the Abrams clan. Your father was a lovely man who got lost here and met your mother. He was a human."
"Uhhh, of course he was human, we're all human."
Grace looked Lira in the eye without breaking her gaze. "No dear, that isn't accurate. Your mother was a shifter. A bear shifter, to be precise."
"A wait what? What the hell are you talking about?" Lira thought to herself, "Well, great Magda. You hooked me up with a bunch of crazy people. This is only slightly better than dealing with Ethan." Well, no one was vandalizing her car. Yet. "Are you trying to tell me my mother turned into a bear?"
"Yes, that is precisely the case. Magda is also a shifter. I realize this is quite a surprise."
"Grace, I'm sure you think this is all true, but I should really get going. I have a very long drive ahead of me." Thank god she'd napped for so long. She could get a lot of miles between her and this crazy assed town.
"Stop being ridiculous. Nancy! Nancy, I know you are listening in, get in here."
Nancy popped through the door. "I thought your hearing was going, Memaw."
Grace sniffed regally at her. "There is no reason Lira should believe me, so if you could show her, Nancy."
"But Memaw, if she's not part of us..." her voice trailed off and her eyes darted around nervously.
"Don't be ridiculous child. She is one of us. Magda would never have sent her otherwise."
Nancy stood in front of Lira and smiled. And suddenly there was a sleek wolf standing there. Lira dropped her cup and scrambled backwards.
"What the fuck. What the actual fuck?" The wolf padded slowly over to her and laid its head on her knee, nuzzling her.
Grace said, "Okay, Nancy, enough."
And the girl shifted back into existence while Lira just stared on. She looked back and forth between the old and young woman, her mouth gapping. "I think I need to lie down."
"No, dear, there is so much more to tell you. I don't want you to dismiss this as a dream or anything silly like that."
"I'm pretty sure I would like to do just that, then get and my car and dash home."
"Magda already told me about your little issue back home."
"She told you about Ethan?"
"Said he was a real nasty piece of work and was ramping up. I'd hate for you to discover your nature because he put you in danger."
"My nature?"
"Well, yes. You have the potential to be a shifter. A bear shifter. And from what Magda said, Ethan would use that against you, and then we would have to act, not just to protect you, but to protect our secret."
"You mean you would kill him."
Grace looked insulted. "Well, not me personally."
"So you pawn off your dirty work?"
"If you care to put it that way, I am not in charge, so it would not be my choice or my responsibility to act. I do what my Alpha commands. And you will do what your Itan commands."
"Uhm, yeah, I'm not one of you, so I'll pretty much do what I want." Alpha? Itan?
"You say that now, but you'll see. We are veering off track. You may be a shifter. If you are, I want to make sure you are safe when you discover it. I owe Magda that. She thinks you can."
"Do you?"
Grace shifted uncomfortably, finally locking eyes on Nancy and pointed to the door. "Nancy, leave the house. Now." Lira shuddered as a chill raced down her spine. The jovial woman was immediately replaced by a commander who even irrepressible Nancy must obey.
"Yes, ma'am. Dinner is in the warmer, whenever you want it." Nancy practically bolted and Grace kept her head tilted until they heard a car start.
"I'm sorry for that, dear. She is a lovely child, but just that: a child. She will learn the harshness of the world soon enough, I'd rather she not see my place in it just yet."
"So you have something ugly to share with me?"
"It is my greatest shame. It wasn't an accident. The car was forced off the roa
d by a very angry man who wanted control. The girls were leaving because I did not believe the humans they had chosen where fated mates. No one did. They were human."
Grace stood up and walked to the window, looking out into dark woods.
"I didn't believe my daughter, because I wanted her to marry an alpha. So when Magda said she was leaving, I told Deirdre’s Itan, because I knew he would stop your mother. But they were already on the road, and he sent a hothead bear after them. The Itan thought they would pull over, come home with their tails between their legs. But that didn't happen. Instead, the hothead rammed them, the car spun off the road and hit a tree. The shifters survived. The humans did not."
"Hang on, your daughter?"
"Magda. Magda is my daughter. She sent me updates about you, dry letters. But until she called me about your issue, she hasn't spoken to me since."
"Magda is..." Lira trailed off. If Magda was Grace's daughter, and Grace was a shifter, then Magda was also a shifter.
Grace continued, "But if your parents were fated mates, then you can shift. That's how it works."
"This is kind of a lot to take in. And who are my mother's people? Do I have grandparents?"
"I'm sorry, but you don't. Your mother, Deirdre, was an orphan cub, from Alaska. The hothead sent after her, he wanted her for his own. So when he thought they were getting away, he rammed the car. He never forgave himself. He wasn't bad, just young."
"But he killed people." Lira was angry, another man like Ethan is who took away her father.
Grace smiled, "I know. He's not here anymore either. It doesn't matter who he was, he's dead and buried."
"Life spans seem kind of short around here."
"It's not all bad, you know. The clan will welcome you."
"So, if I don't actually have family here, why did Magda say my people were here?"
"Because we might not be your direct relations, but shifters are your people. And you are in trouble."