“No! No, you're my good little girl. You're my hero, you saved me. Come on,” Serena said, forcing a smile to her face. “We're going home to pack.”
“Pack? Are we going away?”
“Yes.”
“Where are we going, Mummy?”
Serena gulped. “I...I don't know, yet.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Serena stuffed all her important documents and some clothes into a huge backpack. She took one last glance around her small apartment and closed the door. She left the key, together with the month's rent in an envelope in her landlady's mailbox and looked up at Mrs Huang's window. “I'm so sorry I can't say goodbye,” she whispered. “I can't drag you into this. I...I'll miss you. Very, very much.”
Ashley was dazed and exhausted, and didn't protest when Serena took her hand and led her towards the bus stop. She would take a bus to the bus station, and just hop on the first bus out of the city.
She had no idea where she would end up but she just couldn't let them take Ashley away.
Ashley had set those two men on fire. There might be witnesses and those two men, Percy and Sal, would be able to identify Ashley and say that she was the one who had tried to kill them. Those scum would have robbed her and raped her but now, they would twist the facts and paint themselves as the victims of a vicious attack. They would say that there was a dangerous child on the loose. A paranormal who couldn't control her paranormal powers.
No, she couldn't let anyone take Ashley away. The authorities and government agencies might come for her. Her little girl might be locked up, investigated and experimented upon.
Ashley's paranormal powers were highly unusual. If her powers were deemed to be dangerous, she would be destroyed. But if the authorities felt that her powers could be used, she would be trained and weaponized. Her little girl might become a military weapon for the government. She had heard of young shifters being drafted into a special unit in the military for black ops.
Serena didn't want that for her daughter. She wanted Ashley to have a normal, happy life. She wanted her little girl to meet a nice man and build a lovely family and give her lots of rambunctious grandchildren.
Serena almost laughed at herself. She was only twenty-five and already she was thinking of being a grandmother.
But...it would be nice to have someone sweet and caring in her life. She had been alone for so long. She had Ashley, but it wasn't the same as having a partner who could truly share her ups and downs, joys and sorrows, and be there for her always.
Serena sighed and shook her head. There was no time for such wishful thinking. She had to focus on the present and get her daughter away.
Serena muttered some soothing words as they stood at the bus stop. They were both wearing faded old hoodies, and Serena pulled the hood over Ashley's silky black hair.
Ashley rubbed her eyes and yawned, but she didn't complain at all. The little girl had a small but bulging haversack on her back as well, but she bore her load stoically.
Serena drew her daughter to her and held her close. She should have known. She had looked into her little girl's eyes and she had seen the flames. The same dark flames that she had dreamed about on the night Ashley was conceived.
But she had chosen to ignore it. She didn't want to think about Ashley's father.
That night had been so surreal. She had been working as a waitress, and he had waited for her until she finished work.
Then he walked her back to her place. He was smooth, suave, seductive, and she had been...in awe. No, not in awe, in thrall.
She had been unable to resist him. Her body was just burning for him. She could remember his hypnotic, black eyes, and the way his skin felt. His smooth skin felt very hot, like someone with a high fever. And when he was taking her on her bed, she had glimpsed ghostly flames dancing around them.
She had dismissed all this as just figments of her naive, girlish imagination. She was just twenty then, and she had just lost both her parents. She had no family and she was all alone. It was nice not to be alone for one night, to have someone hold her and love her.
She never saw Ashley's father again. He was gone before dawn. But he had left her something.
Something so precious.
Serena knew that Ashley's father wasn't human, and she suspected what he was. But she didn't want to admit it to herself.
Serena kissed her little girl's head and whispered fiercely, “I love you. You are my daughter.” No matter what.
Ashley glanced up and said gravely, “We should go, Mummy.”
A second later, Serena heard the wail of police sirens. Panicking, Serena grabbed her daughter's hand and ran to the edge of the curb. She waved her arms, desperately trying to flag down a cab but none of the cabs would stop. Ashley began to cry softly.
A large SUV drove by and lurched to a stop a few feet away from her. The brake lights flashed and the driver rolled down the windows.
“M'am, are you okay?” The driver leaned over and asked with concern. He was a good-looking young man with short, black hair and deep brown eyes. He frowned when he saw Ashley sobbing. “Is your daughter sick? Do you need to get to the hospital...”
“No! No hospital! We just need a ride,” Serena blurted out.
“Sure. I'm driving out of the city. Where...”
“Out of the city is fine!”
The man stared at her for a beat before jerking his head towards the backseat. “Come on then.”
Serena yanked the door open and bundled Ashley and herself into the car. “Thank you! Thank you so much!” She turned to look out the back window and a strangled sound escaped. A few police cars were turning into the street.
“Please...drive,” Serena whispered. “Please...please hurry!”
CHAPTER SIX
Jax Carlan saw the desperate pleading in the woman's eyes and nodded curtly. “Okay, fasten your seat belts,” he deadpanned before stepping on the gas.
Two police cars drove past, and Jax saw the woman tense in his rear-view mirror. Her large hazel eyes stared unblinking at the police cars until they were out of sight, and she was clutching her little girl tightly to her.
Jax drove carefully, cutting his eyes from the road to the rear-view mirror frequently. The woman was very pretty with a sweet, heart-shaped face and full, plump lips. Her blond hair was unevenly cut into a simple bob. Jax suspected that she cut her own hair, and his admiration for her went up several notches. He honestly didn't know of any female who had the guts to take a pair of scissors to her hair and just hack it off. Most of the women folk in Shadow Point spent hours at the hairdresser's, perming, straightening, coloring and highlighting their crowning glory. But of course the main reason they congregated at Hair Razers was to catch up on the latest local gossip.
The woman dragged her eyes from the window and realized that he was watching her in the rear view mirror. She gave a small smile and said, “I...I should introduce myself. I'm Serena Locke and this is my daughter, Ashley.”
“Hi Serena, hi Ashley.” Jax turned to smile at them over his shoulder. “I'm Jax Carlan.”
She leaned forward and Jax let out a growl when he saw the ugly bruise on her forehead. Was she a domestic abuse victim?
“Serena, did someone hit you?” Jax said through clenched teeth. “I know it's none of my business, but maybe you should go to the police...”
“No! No...” She touched her forehead and grimaced. Her eyes widened when she realized what it looked like to him. “It's not what you think. I'm a single mom. There's no...violence at home. It's...complicated.”
Jax exhaled a long breath and asked, “Okay. It's clear you don't want to talk about it. I won't ask anymore. Just tell me where you're going. I'll drive you there...”
“I...I don't know,” Serena replied in a trembling voice. “Where are you going, Jax? You said you're driving out of the city...”
“I am.” He fixed his eyes on the road as he turned out into the
long highway. “I'm going back to Shadow Point.”
“Shadow Point. I've heard of it. It's a small town, and the majority of the residents there are paranormals.”
“It's true most of the townsfolk are paranormals, but there are quite a few human families in Shadow Point as well,” Jax said.
Serena swallowed and gave a firm nod. She seemed to have come to a decision. “Then please take me to Shadow Point with you. If it's convenient for you,” she added quickly.
“It's no trouble at all. In fact, I'm on my way home.”
Jax wanted to ask her a couple more questions but Serena seemed overwrought. Her nerves were clearly frayed and it was by sheer effort of will that she was holding herself together.
Serena gulped audibly and made an awkward attempt at small talk. “You...um, you're in the city for pleasure or...”
“I'm here for business,” Jax answered. “My big brother, Marcus, owns a renovation and remodeling company in Shadow Point. But he's branching out into the construction business, so he sent me to the city to talk to some suppliers.”
“A construction company,” Serena said, smiling at last. “It's nice to have a family business.”
“Yeah. Marcus built Beck's Builders up from scratch,” Jax told her.
They were now cruising leisurely along the long, deserted highway, but Serena kept glancing behind her to see if they were being followed.
Jax cleared his throat and ventured, “Serena, why are you running? You seem to be...avoiding the police. Who is after you and your little girl? Why do you want to get out of the city so desperately?”
“Ah...” Serena took several deep breaths.
“I'm on your side, Serena,” Jax said quietly. “I'm not turning you in to the Sheriff or anything. But I'd like to know...”
“Of course, of course. You took a big risk, letting us into your car. We could be fugitives, or escapees from an asylum. I...I'm sorry. I should have told you right away,” Serena stammered.
“I just want to know what you're up against so I can help you.”
There was a long pause. “You're a good man, Jax,” Serena whispered at last. “I knew it the moment you spoke to me through your car window. I just knew I'd be safe with you. I wouldn't have...”
“You wouldn't have risked your daughter's safety if you had the slightest doubt,” Jax finished for her.
Jax glanced over his shoulder and met the little girl's piercing black eyes. She blinked at him and stuttered, “Y-you're a bear. I can see your bear.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Ashley...” Serena began, trying to shush her daughter. But Ashley shook her head and continued, “You're a shifter. You have...a bear inside of you.”
“How do you know?” Jax asked casually.
“I can see your animal inside you.”
Jax grinned. “Yes. I am a bear shifter.”
Serena and Ashley didn't seem surprised or frightened by his admission. Jax inhaled a sharp breath to test their scent again. Serena was definitely human. Her scent was sweet, lush and delicious, just like her. Scenting her had made his bear rise to the surface of his skin.
Jax glanced at the kid again. Ashley could see his bear, not scent it. The girl wasn't a shifter. He was sure of that. There was no animal in her, so how did she detect his bear?
The little girl wasn't entirely human. She was half human, half...something else. Not shifter, not vampire either. Jax could identify a vampire with just one whiff.
He raised an eyebrow in question and he saw Serena shake her head at him in the mirror.
Jax frowned. He was burning with curiosity but he would stay silent for now. As he drove on, he couldn't help but wonder: Why did Serena not want to talk about her daughter's nature? Did she not know, or did she not want Ashley to know what she was?
He turned around to glance at them again. Ashley was yawning and her eyelids were beginning to droop. Her head lolled on her mother's shoulder and before long, Jax could hear her snoring softly.
When Serena was sure that her daughter was fast asleep, she said softly, “I'll tell you what happened to us tonight, Jax. You deserve to know.”
Jax gave a subtle nod. Haltingly, Serena told him everything. She told him what happened to Ashley at kindergarten, how the other kids didn't want to play with her all of a sudden, and she told him how she had almost been robbed and raped.
Jax let out a low growl. “They were about to hurt you real bad,” Jax snarled. “Ashley saved you.”
“Yes. She did. But...I'm scared that she will be taken away from me. Because of...what she did and what she can do,” Serena said, swallowing hard. “I can't lose my little girl...she's all I have...”
“Who is her father?”
Serena shook her head. “The truth is, I don't know. It was a one-night stand, and I never even got his full name. Ash, was the only name I got. I never saw him again. If I hadn't gotten pregnant, I might have thought that it was all just a dream. He just disappeared completely.”
“Do you know...what he is?” Jax asked slowly.
“I...I'm not sure.” This time Jax felt that she wasn't telling the truth. She had an idea but she didn't want to tell him.
Ashley whimpered in her sleep and they stopped talking at once. Serena murmured soothingly to her and patted her, coaxing her back to sleep.
After a while, Jax asked, “Do you have some place to stay in Shadow Point?” He knew the answer was no, but he was slyly building up to his offer.
“No, but I can find an inn or something,” Serena muttered. “I hope it's not too expensive. I don't have much money.”
“You can stay with me,” Jax said. “I stay with Marcus and my twin brother, Joshua. Marcus has just gotten married, but he and Staci have decided to stay in the house with us. So, don't worry, there will be another female in the house and Staci is wonderful!”
“Oh. That's very kind, but I don't want to impose...”
“It's settled then. You're coming home with me,” Jax said smugly. His bear rumbled, clearly pleased.
“Th-thank you, very much,” Serena stuttered.
Jax drove on, and Serena finally fell asleep with her arms around her daughter. Jax glanced at the two frightened, vulnerable females in his backseat.
Serena hadn't described her phantom lover, and he wasn't sure he wanted her to. His bear was already deeply unhappy hearing about her one night of passion with another man. Jax wasn't bothered about Serena's past. Everyone had a past, and everyone made mistakes. But Ashley was not a mistake. The young girl had saved her mother's life. She was brave, tough, loyal and loving. She was only five, but she was a hero.
Jax had seen the fear and shame in the little girl's eyes when she looked at him. She could see his bear, but she was frightened and confused by her ability. She thought she had done a bad thing, setting those two men on fire.
She didn't know what she was, and she had never met another kid like herself. The other kids had even grown afraid of her. She had power in her blood, but it wasn't magic.
There were many witches in Shadow Point, and he had even dated a witch once so he knew if someone had magic in their blood. Ashley's power didn't come from magic.
Ashley was half paranormal. Jax was certain of it. But he detected no shifter, vampire, fae or witch blood in her. She was...something else.
The girl's scent was unique, and even his bear couldn't identify her species.
But his bear didn't seem to mind that Ashley was an unidentifiable half-paranormal. His bear just wanted to keep those two females close and protect them.
Mine, his bear growled. My mate, my cub.
Jax's eyes widened. Were these two precious females...really his?
CHAPTER EIGHT
Serena opened her eyes with a start and jerked up. For an instant, she forgot where she was. She stared round and saw Jax in the driver's seat.
She relaxed immediately. She was in Jax's car and she was safe. T
he sight of the handsome, dark-haired stranger made her feel safer right away. Jax was a stranger no doubt. She had only gotten to know him tonight, yet he didn't feel like a stranger at all. Oddly, he felt like family.
She had almost forgotten how it felt to have someone care and worry for her, and to have a sense of belonging and security.
Jax drove slowly up a driveway and cut the engine. “We're here,” he announced cheerfully.
He pointed towards a homely, double-story house. “I texted my brothers to let them know we were coming. Ah, that's them, at the front door. And that's my sister-in-law, Staci.”
Serena gasped as she saw the front door of the house burst open just as Jax got out of the car. A lovely, curvy brunette was hurrying towards them leaving two big, broad men scrambling in her wake.
Serena stared at Jax's twin brother, Joshua and his elder brother Marcus. Jax's twin looked exactly like him, with dark hair and eyes, while Marcus had sandy hair and blazing blue eyes. Staci and Marcus were wearing identical striped pajamas. Serena thought they made a really cute couple.
Staci opened the car door for her and beamed. “Hello, hello, you must be Serena!” she said. “And this must be Ashley!”
Serena smiled. “Hello, I...”
“Where are we, Mummy?” Ashley jerked awake suddenly and blinked up at her. She sounded lost and scared. “Who...”
“We're in Shadow Point, sweetheart. It's Uncle Jax's hometown.”
“Uncle Jax...” For a moment, Ashley looked bewildered. Then she smiled. “Oh, the nice man who gave us a ride.”
“Yes. This is his house, and this is his family,” Serena said, taking her daughter's hand to help her out of the car.
“Hello Ashley,” Staci smiled. “I'm Staci and this is Marcus and Joshua, Uncle Jax's brothers.”
Ashley stared at the three adults and giggled. “They look alike,” she said, pointing at Jax and Joshua. “Even their bears look alike!”
Brave Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (BRIDES fur BEARS Book 2) Page 2