Deep River Shifters 4 Book Box Set

by Lisa Daniels

  “I have a hard time believing that.”

  Silas shrugged, then turned to look at her. “You don’t have to believe it, but it’s obvious there is something wrong with me. Cora made that blatantly clear because I’m the only one she never considered. This is a depressing topic, so let’s talk about you. You are supposed to be off having a great weekend with your boyfriend, but here you are at a bar trying to cheer me up. It is a waste of time, by the way. Someone like you has a lot of worthwhile things to be doing. So what made you make the dreadful decision to come here and get drunk?”

  “No one said I am planning on getting drunk.” Naomi frowned at her glass, then downed the rest of it. The bartender gave both of them a look, but began refilling their glasses.

  “You don’t drink, and yet you have just finished two rather strong drinks. Definitely strong for someone who never drinks. So what happened?” Naomi looked down at her hands in response. Silas gave her a small smile as he leaned his head on his hand. “They say that talking can help.”

  “You aren’t talking,” Naomi said, wrapping her hand around her third drink.

  “I’m much better at listening and narrating. Of the two of us, clearly you are the protagonist, so this is about helping you overcome. In the end I’ll be fine.”

  “Maybe I’ll be just fine in the end, too.”

  “I’ve no doubt you will, but it would be best to avoid the whole you becoming a drunk first part. You aren’t exactly establishing the best coping mechanism here, so it would be a good idea to keep you from making this a habit. I mean, I’ve never seen you hanging out with anyone at school, and if something is happening with your boyfriend…” Silas held up his hands as if to indicate he was there if she wanted to talk.

  Naomi sighed, “Not that it is any of your business, but, as you say, I really don’t have anyone to talk to, so I guess you will do.”

  Silas raised an eyebrow at her.

  Shaking her head, Naomi said, “I’m sorry, that was not quite what I meant to say.” She pinched the bridge of her nose under her glasses. “Do you know Jamie Stanton?”

  “The swimmer? I hear he is a favorite for the Olympics. And he’s just a rookie.”

  Naomi nodded, “Yeah, that’s the asshole I mean. He’s not terribly well-known outside of a few small circles, so it’s kind of surprising you know. Anyway, up until about an hour ago, he was my boyfriend.”

  Silas’ eyebrows both went up. “I think I see where this is going. Did you dump him?”

  Naomi frowned and tilted her head to try to analyze Silas. “What makes you think he didn’t dump me?”

  Silas sat back, “Well, if he dumped you, I don’t imagine you would be sitting in a bar working it out through alcohol. You would be seeing what you could do to win him back.” With that, Silas took a drink, finishing nearly half of the glass. “No, based on the fact that you are here, you are upset because you were forced to see that he has been cheating on you, and now you are mad at him, but more mad at yourself for not realizing it.”

  Naomi narrowed her eyes, “Are you working your way through a Psych degree?”

  Silas shook his head, “I’m currently aimless, but that has nothing to do with this conversation. Judging by the kind of person you are in class, and the rather unlikely fact that I have some first-hand knowledge of that kind of asshole, it seemed pretty obvious. I’m also pretty good at figuring people out. Not as much as Emery, but still.” Silas finished off his drink, then slammed the glass down.

  “Watch it, Silas. Don’t make me call Ryland to come get you.” The bartender picked up the glass. “Another one?”

  Naomi looked at the bartender, “Why would you call Ryland?”

  The bartender looked at Silas. “Ask him.” Then he turned and started preparing another drink for Silas.

  Aiming to place his head on his hand, Silas missed. His hand grazed his nose. With a laugh, he tried again. “Ryland is like my Jamie, except Ryland isn’t an asshole who used me. He’s basically my asshole guardian.”

  “What?” Naomi was shocked. The two men did not seem like they were that different in age.

  Silas shrugged, “We are related, and my parents had better things to do, so Ryland got stuck with me a good bit of the time once he moved here. Believe me, he’s no joy to be around. Although he would never treat his girlfriend like shit.”

  It was Naomi’s turn for a derisive laugh. “I’ve seen her. I doubt that woman has ever had to worry about being treated terribly with those looks.”

  “She’s hot, that’s true, but you won’t meet a bigger nerd than her. She didn’t even recognize Ryland when they met, which gave me a short window, but he’s a charismatic asshole, and she ended up falling for him anyway. The bastard. But he’s not like Jamie. He only lets people close that he thinks are decent humans. He doesn’t use them like your ex. Not like someone else I know used to.”

  “You are definitely different, Silas.” Naomi took a sip of her drink.

  Silas raised his full glass and held it up toward her. He then took a drink, then continued, “We are talking about you. So, I’ve got the gist of it. Now you can just dive right on in and say what you want to say that will help you feel better.”

  “Okay, you asked for it.” Naomi took a large gulp, then turned to look at her companion. He looked a little blurry, so she took her glasses off and began wiping the lenses. “I’ve known that asshole, complete bastard of a human for about 11 years, and for most of that, I knew he was a complete and utter fucking asshole. I mean, he was just a bully, picking on me for years. Not that he was the only one. I mean, my focus was always on my class work because that was what is important in life. So kids didn’t like me. Then in our junior year of high school, he suddenly started being nice. Completely out of the blue, and I thought it was because he and his friends had made a bet to see if he could do it. And I was right, by the way, as he told me after graduation. I was mostly polite, but never any more than anyone else.”

  She took another drink, “Then in our senior year, he was accused of using enhancements to improve his swimming performance. I helped him prove that wasn't the case through research and some types of testing, giving him advice that helped get him exonerated, even though there was some proof that he did take some stuff. We started dating after that. It was just downright stupid on my part, but I thought I could change him. It’s about the dumbest thing a woman can think and I really should have known better. I did know better, but I pretended that my case was different.”

  Silas shook his head, “You can’t blame yourself. Jamie must have known you were too smart, and he used your emotions against you. Probably told you that he could change, then appeared to do so.”

  Naomi gave a humorless laugh. “Being outsmarted by an idiot asshole like that doesn’t make me feel better. I gave him everything because I refused to see him for what he was.”

  Silas held up his glass, “To getting rid of dead weight.”

  Naomi smiled and lifted her own glass. It took two tries but they did manage to finally clink their glasses together. She took a sip then set her glass down. “I can’t believe I was looking forward to a weekend with that creep.”

  “So how did you break up with him?”

  Naomi smirked, “I suppose technically, I didn’t. When his little fuck bunny kept interrupting when I was talking to him, I just hung up. He has called a lot since then.” She opened her purse and dug around until she found her phone. Holding it, Naomi tried to focus on the messages. “Hmm, see?” She held it up for Silas to see. “He knows it’s over, but he’s trying to keep me on tap because I’ve been doing his homework for most of the past two years. Without me, he’s going to faaaaaail his classes.” She dropped the phone back in her purse. “But that is not my problem. My problem is that—”

  As if on cue, her phone started to ring.

  Silas gave her a wry grin, “Answer it.”

  “I don’t want to deal with him right now.”

  “Come on,
” he tapped the side of her thigh with his hand. “Come on, do it. If you don’t, you may wake up tomorrow and think that it’s going to work out. You may be sucked back into this unhealthy relationship.”

  “No way!” Her voice rose, but her mind was on the fact that Silas had touched her, not that he seemed to have meant anything by it. “I’m too smart for that.”

  Silas leaned on the bar and gave her a knowing look.

  “Uh, you’re right. Fine. I’ll show you that it’s over.” She pulled the phone out and answered. “What do—”

  Jamie’s voice was full of relief, “Thank God you finally answered. This has been a huge misunderstanding—”

  “You are right. It has been a huge misunderstanding that has been going on for years.”

  There was a pause, “What are you talking about? I love you, Naomi.”

  Naomi let out a laugh, dropping the phone in the process. Silas picked it up and put the phone to his ear. “Look, asshole, the woman doesn’t want anything to do with you, so go fuck the little morons around you and enjoy your rapid decline without her.”

  “Who the hell are you? Put Naomi back on the phone!” It sounded like the man was about to go into a fit.

  Silas held the phone out to Naomi, “The asshole disrespectfully requests to waste your time.”

  “Thank you, Silas.” Naomi took the phone and put it against her ear. “What?”

  “Who the hell was that, Naomi? You know that you are never going to find anyone as good as me, not with how ugly you are.”

  Naomi laughed, “I’m perfectly fine with that, asshole, because I know that without me, you are going to fall much higher than you have flown, and I will get to read about you hitting rock bottom in the paper. It will be spectacular.”

  There was a pause, then Jamie started to speak, “Are you drunk? Look. I am coming up there. I will be on the first plane tomorrow, so be ready to talk when I get there.”

  “No.”

  He paused again, “What do you mean, no?”

  “Don’t bother, Jamie the Gigolo. Go fuck your brains out with whatever pieces of ass are willing to give it up to you. We both know that will be a really short screw, both because you suck at it and because you have very little brains.”

  “Naomi—”

  She hung up, and dropped the phone into her purse.

  Silas began to applaud. “And now you can start to feel better about yourself. Remember this feeling you have right now, and use that in the morning to make better decisions.”

  Naomi threw her arms around Silas’ neck. “Thanks, Silas. You were amazing.”

  “I didn’t do anything, and I think you must be a bit drunk.”

  “Probably, but not any more than you.” Naomi pulled back and looked into Silas’ eyes. “You have pretty eyes. They sparkle like a Caribbean lagoon. Such a startling hazel color.” She pushed a finger against his nose.

  Silas laughed, “You have pretty eyes, like the darkness on a moonless night.”

  She pulled a face at him. “How is that pretty?”

  “Dark nights are the best kind. You can sit under the stars and really see them for what they are without that little attention whore. Your eyes are like that.”

  Naomi laughed, “I know I’m not that good-looking. Jamie just reminded me in case I forgot. But the joke’s on him because I never cared.” She giggled into her hand.

  When she looked at Silas he was serious. “You are incredibly beautiful. I always thought so, and I bet most people would agree. Hey!” Silas held out his empty glass to the bartender. “Isn’t she beautiful? That beautiful black hair, dark eyes, and clear skin.”

  “Oh, please, no one finds me beautiful. Maybe on a different continent, I would be alright-looking, but the best I can hope for here is exotic. You know—”

  The bartender interrupted, “No, honey, Silas is right. You are good-looking, not traditionally so, but definitely good-looking. Silas isn’t one for lying. But this is his last drink.” The bartender gave Silas a meaningful look.

  Silas gave a nod then looked at Naomi. “There you go, but we can take this to the street and ask if you want.”

  Naomi shook her head, “That’s quite alright. We don’t have to agree.”

  “Oh no, that is not good enough.” Silas stood up as a handsome young man entered the bar. His eyes followed Naomi’s, and Silas rolled his eyes as the man approached them. “At least you can be good for something, Alaric.”

  The man stopped in front of the pair and looked between them. Naomi could not help but stare at the absolutely gorgeous man who looked like he had just stepped off the cover of a magazine. “I am not going to play any of your games, Silas. I was actually trying to finish some research for a project. Now that I have to share Serenity’s time with Ryland while he’s on vacation, I am having to do a lot more of the work myself. I really don’t have time for this.”

  Silas waved a hand in the air, “It’s not a game. I just need you to answer a question.”

  “Silas, you are drunk and need to go home.” There was an amused smile on the man’s mouth. “What would Cora say if she saw you like this?”

  Ignoring the question, Silas continued, “Justin said I can have one more.” He gestured at the bartender.

  “Sorry, Alaric.” Justin smiled at the newest arrival, but Naomi did not think the smile was sincere. There was clearly something going on between them, but Naomi was in no position to try to figure out what.

  Silas patted the man on the shoulder. “I tell you what, if you answer my one question, I will head home as soon as I finish this last drink. One answer and you can get back to work.”

  Alaric looked at Silas, his mind clearly working through more than just two options. Finally he gave a slight nod as a sly grin spread across his face.

  Silas gestured to Naomi, “Can you describe her?”

  Alaric narrowed his eyes before turning to look at Naomi. “Yes, I can describe her. Now you have your answer. I expect you to hold up your end of the deal.” With that he turned and started to leave.

  Silas grabbed Alaric’s arm. “Will you describe her?”

  “That is a second question. What do I get for answering?”

  “I’ll take your shift tomorrow.”

  Naomi had no idea what that meant, but it was obviously enough to catch Alaric’s attention. He held out a hand. “You have a deal.”

  Silas simply laughed and shook hands.

  Alaric turned to give Naomi a better look. “Given that Justin is giving her drinks, she must be at least 21. Since she appears to be drunk and alone, I daresay she is unhappy about something. The glasses and frown lines indicate that she is very serious and probably spends a lot of time staring at screens. The fact that she isn’t wearing makeup suggests she is not interested in physical beauty. That is rather interesting because from a more purely objective perspective, she is relatively attractive. I am sure that is one reason why you are trying to comfort her. You probably have your work cut out for you, though, because I don’t think that happiness is of any interest to her, any more than her looks. Will that do?” The last part was directed at Silas.

  Silas was smiling at Naomi as he said, “I am helping because I like to help. The fact that she is attractive is just a nicety.”

  Alaric folded his arms across his chest. “Judging by the smile on your face, that was exactly what you wanted me to say all along. Really, you could have just asked me if I thought she was attractive if that was your primary interest.”

  “She doesn’t know that you tend to be honest, so if I asked point blank, she would not have taken your answer seriously.”

  Naomi frowned, the name finally fitting into place. “Wait, are you the—”

  Alaric’s eyes darted towards her, “Yes.” He then looked back at Silas.

  Silas took a swig of his drink, leaving about half of it. “I promised, and so, as you can see,” he held up the glass, “I will be heading home soon. And so you know that I will remember.” Si
las pulled out his phone and began typing on it. After a couple of seconds he held it up toward Alaric. “There’s my alarm. I will be there early in the morning as promised.”

  Alaric smiled, “It looks like this ended up being a lot more of a benefit than a detriment to my studies. Thank you, Silas. And please be careful tomorrow. They have gotten a lot more active, and I am against having you involved.”

  Silas laughed, nearly falling off of his bar stool. “And yet you are willing to let me take your shift tomorrow so that you can work well into the night. I bet you will only look up when the sun rises on the grey clouds of the morrow.”

  Alaric shook his head, “Very likely, but it also means that I will be the one out at night while you are home. I prefer that, but Ryland is making the calls.”

  “You know it doesn’t have to be that way.”

  Alaric simply smiled a gentle smile then turned to leave.

  Naomi looked at Silas, “How do you know him? He’s like a very successful business man of some sort.”

  Silas sighed, “Yeah, he’s another of my relatives. Alaric’s a lot more likeable than Ryland, but his mind tends to flit from one thing to another.”

  “I think I am starting to see why you feel like the ugly one of the family. If Emery is anything like them, I can see why you would have a bit of a complex. Still, of the three of you I have seen, I would choose you.”

  “You don’t need to try to make me feel better.” Silas finished the rest of his drink. “I'm used to it.”

  “Who is trying to make you feel better?” Naomi swirled her drink around before taking another sip. “Alaric is incredibly handsome, but clearly his mind does not work in a way that is suited to any other human. Ryland is also incredibly handsome, saw him in person once, but he comes off as haughty. That, and there would be far less personal privacy. I know that his life still gets dragged out into the public eye when he drops his guard. You may not be as handsome as them, but you seem to have a much better personality, and there is a lot of potential since you are clearly younger than them. Who’s to say you won’t be even hotter when you are their age?”