Imprinted By The Alpha (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (The Marked One - Book 1)

by Jocelyn Thomas

  Sarah turned and gave her a knowing look. “Honey, invite Caleb. No more excuses. We’re having dinner Thursday, and I’m sure he can set aside a few hours for you. I want to meet him.”

  Her shoulders sagged as Sarah left the room. Ava pouted. She didn’t like any of this, and she ran her hands through her hair in frustration. She was glad her relationship with Caleb was out in the open and that her mother was cool about it, but she was at her wit’s end with everything else. “I just wish I knew what the hell was going to happen. I’m tired of the waiting game.”

  “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Kelly told her. “I know it’s pretty heavy, but you’ll deal with it like everything else in life. Trust yourself. And think about the fact that Caleb’s fine ass is going to be sitting right beside you all night long.”

  Ava smiled at her best friend, but she didn’t feel it. She grunted and said, “Please don’t take this the wrong way, Kelly, but I really need to be alone right now.” She was developing a headache and rubbed at her temples while she carried her empty cup to the sink.

  Turning, she saw the offense on Kelly’s face and rolled her eyes. “I’m not trying to be abrupt or dismissive, Kelly. Please just...understand that there’s so much on my mind right now that I can’t even hold a regular conversation without being distracted.” Still, she could see it hurt Kelly’s feelings. Ava would feel bad about it later. She couldn’t right now.

  “Call me if you need me,” Kelly said as she left. Ava grabbed the kitchen counter for support as she heard the screen door slam and Kelly pound down the porch steps. She could have sworn someone was driving a red hot spike through her skull, and her knuckles turned white as her grip tightened on the edge of the sink. She tried to focus on the kitchen wall tiles, plastered with intricate floral prints, but images started racing through her mind. Ava didn’t know what to do. For an instant, she was terrified, and then the smoke cleared.

  Ava stood in a room, she watched a crew of strange men enter. A shiver ran up her spine, catching her rapt attention, and the air tingled with tension. Everything stood still, and then the images flashed so fast she could hardly make out the action, couldn’t make sense of it. A brief image of a large man with short, jet black hair held steady for a split second. Then, his arm, and his hand around her throat as he lifted her two feet in the air. She couldn’t make out his face through the white spots filling her vision as she choked, trying to get oxygen. But there was a tribal tattoo on his neck. Her ears buzzed as her hands, which had been clawing at his arm to get free, slid away, and her vision went black.

  Chapter 23

  Sarah heard her daughter’s panicked breathing and rushed into the kitchen in time to see Ava’s hands slip from the sink as she sank to the floor and hit her head on the tile, unconscious. “Honey!” she cried, kneeling over her and lightly slapping her cheek, hoping to revive her.

  Her pulse was faint, and Sarah feared the worst. She stood, filling a glass with cold water and tossing it on her daughter, hoping to revive her. Ava gasped and choked, her eyes wide and her hands grasping at thin air.

  Sarah covered her mouth to stifle the sob of relief as Ava’s eyes grew clear, and she fought to sit up. She was weak, and Sarah reached for her daughter. “Don’t try to stand up yet, honey. You shouldn’t trust your legs or your balance yet.” She helped Ava sit up and lean back against the cabinets as she rubbed the back of her head where it had hit the floor.

  ******

  Everything was fuzzy, and Ava couldn’t remember what happened. She remembered the searing pain in her head, and her mother dousing her with water. Everything else evaded her, and she glanced at her mother’s terrified expression. “What happened? What’s wrong, Mom?”

  Sarah’s lips trembled as she spoke. “You’re eyes, Ava. They’re glowing.”

  As Ava tried to stand, desperate to catch a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she clenched her eyes shut again, her fingers pressing against her temple as the horrible pain returned. Her mother bent and shouldered her weight, helping her to her feet and holding her steady for a moment. When she felt like some of her strength had returned, Ava tried to walk, and her mother guided her toward the kitchen table, every step pounding into her head like a jackhammer. “Stay here,” she heard her mother tell her.

  When she felt her mother’s hand on her shoulder, Ava looked up to see the woman offering her a hand mirror. “See for yourself,” she said.

  Ava took the mirror and stared at her reflection. Her irises, usually bright blue circles, now encased her pupils in glowing amber. The sight both terrified and entranced her, changing her appearance entirely. Her eyes pooled with tears, and she dropped the mirror on the table, unable to continue gazing at herself. Her hands came up and covered her face as she cried out, “What the fuck is wrong with me?”

  Placing soothing hands on her shoulders and exuding empathy, Sarah told her, “You had a vision, Ava, I’m sure of it.” She paused. “When I was a young girl, and the powers of being an oracle began to surface, pieces of information would come to me here and there in visions. It would happen when I touched something, or when something would trigger it. Over time, I mastered the gift and could see the future, or people’s souls. It got easier, and instead of fearing it, I learned to embrace it. The same will happen for you. It just takes time to come to terms with the fact that you aren’t always in control of your thoughts.”

  Ava dropped her hands and stared in misery at her mother. “I don’t know what the vision means, though. I don’t know how to interpret it.”

  Her mother’s mouth drew into a line. “What did you see?”

  Ava scanned her mind, recalling the vision. It was disturbing, and she recounted it to her mother in the bits and pieces she could remember. She ran her hand through her hair, and her eyes widened as she recalled a vivid detail. “The man who attacked me...he had a tribal tattoo on his neck.”

  “That’s good, Ava,” Sarah told her, sliding into the chair across from her. “Aside from telekinesis, I can sometimes have out of body experiences. When I sleep, my spirit leaves my body and roams on its own. It happens if I need information that I can’t get without going somewhere I can’t be physically. I also have instances of touching a person and seeing their future. Maybe your vision is a foretelling of an event in the future. Think of it as déjà vu in reverse. Because you were involved in the vision, it likely serves as a warning for you.”

  Ava stared at her mother in disbelief as she continued, “It makes sense for you to inherit some of my gifts, and I believe your visions will be clearer with time.”

  It seemed so farfetched, and yet, Ava couldn’t deny the reality of what was happening to her any longer. “So, I’m supposed to use the information to prepare for something that’s going to happen. You’re telling me that, even if I don’t understand the whole picture now, I will when it actually happens.”

  Sarah nodded. “I know it’s frightening at first, Ava. But trust your instincts. This is just the beginning, and you have to remain strong.”

  Ava let that sink in. “I can’t go out in public like this, with my eyes glowing and my head hurting to the point of collapsing.” She was a vessel of anxiety right now. How was she supposed to do her job? She imagined carrying a tray of beers when the next vision came, dropping it so the glass shattered and the liquid spewed over tables full of customers while she fell to the floor. When she opened her eyes, they would scream and run.

  Her mother gave her a confident look. “You’ll be fine. You can tell people that your vision was blurring, and you saw an optometrist, and your contacts are colored. You wanted to be a little funky.”

  Ava shook her head, laughing at the creative explanation. “That’s ridiculous, Mom.”

  Sarah winked at her. “Trust me, Ava. I speak from experience when I say that people will buy it, hook, line, and sinker.”

  ******

  It took all of her willpower for Ava to force herself to go to work, and when she arrived, the Coyote was p
retty packed. She hurried to the back office and donned an apron, dropping her satchel on the floor. She glanced in the mirror and flinched, hoping Lil and Kelly didn’t take notice of her eyes just yet. She wasn’t the greatest liar, and though she told herself to just be cool about it, Ava wasn’t ready to give the crazy explanation.

  Kelly grabbed her in the hallway, opening her mouth to speak, and then she gaped. “WTF, Ava!” She searched Ava’s eyes closely. “What happened?”

  Ava blew out a long breath. “I’ll explain later. Just back up my story, okay?” Ava moved around her, heading for the bar. “Hey, Lil,” she called to her boss. “What section am I taking?”

  Lil didn’t even look up as she pointed to the half of the top tier where the booths were. “You’re late,” she called out. “Don’t let it happen again.” Her tone was bitchy, and she looked up to glare at Ava, her face contorting. “What the hell is wrong with your eyes?” she barked.

  “I got new contacts, colored. Do you like them?” she asked, putting on a smile and hoping it passed the test.

  “It’s freakish,” Lil grunted, going back to her business. Ava wondered what was under Lil’s skin. She wasn’t usually in such a terrible mood. Recalling Caleb’s issues and the fear of Blaez’s return, she realized Lil must be just as concerned.

  Without time for speculation, Ava turned her attention to work, running the floor as fast as she could to keep up with orders that flew at her left and right. The kitchen was short staffed, and Rhonda was out after covering for Ava for so long. They really needed another full time server. And her irritation only grew as she had to repeat her story to the regulars over and over again.

  Patrons gawked and talked behind her back, and Ava did what she could to avoid judgment and reassure everyone there was nothing wrong with her. But admittedly, it was freakish, and the change was far too obvious to avoid the attention. She could tell some of the patrons were spooked, and Ava began to unravel. She tried to focus on doing her job to keep it together, feeling helpless to truly soothe everyone else about her appearance when she wasn’t even comfortable about it herself.

  By the time her shift ended, she had no desire to stay and enjoy a beer. Instead, she practically ran home, closing herself behind the safety of her own walls, just as Caleb had requested. Only now, it was more than the danger of a psycho werewolf that shut her in. It was her own self-consciousness and the need to hide from the world.

  Chapter 24

  The glowing orange sun hovered above the horizon as Ava stared out the kitchen window, waiting for something to happen. She’d been full of nervous energy all day, anticipation and anxiety wearing on her and causing her blood to course hot and fast through her veins. But so far, nothing had occurred.

  Now, it was nearly seven, and Sarah, Kelly, and Kelly’s mother, Katherine, toiled in the kitchen behind her, putting together the cake so they could sing happy birthday. Ava had forced herself to remain in good spirits through the dinner party, but her mind wandered everywhere but the cramped kitchen table full of the people she considered family.

  Turning away from the window, Ava reached into the cabinet and pulled out four saucers for serving the cake once it was cut. As she looked around at the people surrounding her, Ava found their glowing smiles infectious, and she was suddenly filled with gratitude. She could have spent this momentous birthday alone, as she’d requested. Instead, she was here with the people who truly loved her, and she willed herself to put everything else out of her mind and enjoy the rest of the evening.

  “Do you feel any older?” Kelly’s mother asked her.

  Uneasy, Ava told her, “Actually, Mrs. Davis, I do, like ten years have been added.”

  Katherine laughed. “Oh, honey, if it makes you feel any better, you don’t look it. You’re still as beautiful as ever.” She reached out and lightly rubbed the small of Ava’s back.

  Ava gave her a smile of thanks. Her best friend’s mother had such a gentle demeanor and had always been like a second mother. She’d been involved in Ava’s life as long as she could remember, taking real interest in both girls. Unlike her own mother, Katherine’s hair was now more gray than blond, and crow’s feet had formed at the corners of her chocolate eyes, with sun kissed freckles sprinkling her face. She was aging gracefully, but she looked much older than Ava’s mother, despite their being only a year apart in age.

  Ava stood and blushed while they sang to her, and she graciously blew out the candles. Sarah served up the cake, and they sat in silence, devouring the chocolate swirl sweetness in pure indulgence.

  When she finished, Kelly rummaged through her purse and pulled out a little silver box, neatly wrapped with a red ribbon tied in a bow on top. “This is from my mother and me,” she stated proudly, placing it beside Ava.

  With excitement, Ava eyed the gift. She loved presents and hadn’t expected anything. For one moment, everything seemed completely normal, and she laid down her fork, reaching for the box. She tore off the ribbon and the paper, slipped off the top of the box, and stared at a beautiful sterling silver necklace with a heart shaped locket, encrusted with diamond chips.

  She gasped and snapped the locket open and stared at the picture of herself with Kelly. The opposite side read, Will Love You Always, and Ava’s eyes burned with tears. She was so overcome with emotion she found herself speechless. It was a perfect gift, and the inscription couldn’t have been more perfect.

  In that moment, Ava realized that part of her vision related to a fear of the relationships with those closest to her being choked until she lost them. It was good to be reminded they would love her, no matter what, and some of her fears were allayed.

  She quickly swiped at the single tear that slipped down her cheek. “Thank you, Kelly. Thank you both. It’s beautiful.” She smiled at them sincerely and fiddling with the clasp on the chain.

  “You’re welcome, honey,” Katherine told her as Kelly stood and took the necklace, wrapping it around Ava’s neck. She secured it and leaned down to hug Ava from behind, whispering in her ear, “I love you, sista!”

  “Now for mine!” Sarah announced, pushing yet another small, neatly wrapped box toward her. Ava removed the wrapping paper and pulled out a purple satin box that looked ancient. She stared at her mother with wide eyes, unable to guess what could possibly be inside. She flipped it open and found a sterling silver ring with a glowing moonstone set in the center. It clearly held incredible significance, she realized, noting the intricate scroll engraved inside the band. The white moonstone refracted the light, creating a kaleidoscope of color. Around it sparkled several tiny diamond chips.

  “Mom, are you sure?” Ava breathed, fingering the ring reverently. “It looks ancient.”

  Sarah nodded. “Of course. It’s been in our family for generations, passed down from mother to daughter for as far back as anyone can remember. The moonstone’s appearance changes with the phases of the moon, and it’s believed to encapsulate a spirit whose purpose is to bring good fortune.” Sarah smiled, reaching for the ring and sliding it on Ava’s finger. “Now, I will that good fortune to you.”

  Ava held her hand up, studying the ring as it appeared on her finger. It was a perfect fit. “Thank you, Mom. It’s beautiful, and I love it.” She hugged her mother, who clung tightly to her for several moments before releasing her.

  Something about the ring made Ava feel as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. For the first time in a very long time, she believed things would be okay.

  She let that confidence shine through, knowing her mother had been concerned about her over the past weeks. True, it had been rough, but Ava was glad to feel like she was done with fear and despair, as though the moonstone and her renewed closeness with this family cleared the fog around her.

  “I think it’s time we head home,” Katherine said, her tone regretful. “It’s going to be dark soon, and we’re walking.” She stood, and Kelly followed her lead. “Goodnight, and happy birthday,” she said, hugging Ava’s neck. �
��Have a great evening.”

  Kelly gave Ava a tight hug, whispering in her ear, “Give me a call if anything happens.”

  “I will,” Ava promised. She saw them to the door and returned to the kitchen, running water in the sink so she could wash the dishes. Her mother pushed her aside, handing her a towel to dry. “It’s your birthday. You can occupy your hands with something that requires less work.” Ava worked in silence beside her mother and felt reassured now that she realized she wasn’t alone.

  “Honey, why didn’t you invite Caleb?” Sarah asked, breaking the spell.

  Ava flinched, having hoped to avoid this conversation. She hated to talk about it, not even wanting to admit it to herself, but her mother would keep pressing until she had an answer. With a sigh, Ava put away the plate she was wiping. Quietly, she said, “Caleb was in my vision.”

  Sarah dropped what she was doing and turned to face Ava, her expression a mask of shock. Leaning against the counter, she said, “I thought you couldn’t make out the faces in your vision.”

  Ava understood her mother’s reaction. Neither of them could believe that Caleb would hurt her. Ava herself didn’t understand what it meant, and the idea that he could betray her gave her belly a sinking feeling. But Caleb was the only likely candidate, despite his promise of protection. “I didn’t. But the man who grabbed me and choked me had a tribal tattoo on his neck.” She met her mother’s eyes, feeling very somber as her heart twisted in her chest. “Caleb is the only man I know with a tribal tattoo.”

  “I see.” Sarah turned back to the plates and started scrubbing. Ava scowled at her, confused by the reaction. “Do you truly believe Caleb is capable of hurting you like that?”

  Ava considered the question. He was strong, and he was physically capable. But when it came to disposition, motive, and emotions, Ava just couldn’t reconcile it.

  “I don’t know what to think anymore, Mom. All I know is that I’ve been walking on eggshells for the last week, and I’m paranoid. I feel like I’m going crazy, between the information you’ve shared, the things Caleb has told me, and my vision. I just feel like it’s safer for me to stay away from him right now, until I can figure out what the vision actually means.” She laid down the towel, putting the last of the plates in the cupboard.