Deep River Shifters 4 Book Box Set

by Lisa Daniels

  Silas sighed, then grabbed her hand. Without a word, he put an arm around her and helped her to a little bathroom. Depositing her on the toilet, he left the room and closed the door. Naomi nearly reminded him of the shirt, then she noticed it on the back of the door. “Oh.”

  She struggled for 10 minutes, getting out of her wet clothes and trying to use the bathroom. Having managed to accomplish both with minimal bruising, Naomi opened the door. Silas was leaning against the wall, his phone in his hands.

  “I see you dug through my purse after all.”

  He gave her a look, then helped her back to the couch without a word.

  Flopping down, Naomi was vaguely aware that he had gotten the couch set up for her to sleep comfortably. She pulled a sheet up to her chin, then started reaching for a blanket.

  Silas materialized and pulled it up, tucking her in. Naomi smiled up at him, “You have some practice at this.”

  He just smiled down at her and walked away.

  Listening to hear if she could tell what he was doing, Naomi felt compelled to talk. “I'm sorry if that sounded accusatory. Talking to you is interesting, but I’m not quite comprehending a good bit of what you are saying. And I hate feeling stupid.”

  “Don’t worry about it. You need to get some sleep.” His voice was coming from somewhere nearby.

  Naomi sat up and saw Silas sitting on a small cushioned seat with a book out. “Aren’t you going to sleep?”

  He looked up. “In a bit. Just want to make sure you are alright. You haven’t been drunk before, so someone needs to keep an eye on you.”

  “It’s a little uncomfortable to try to sleep with you in the room, though.”

  “Okay.” In one fluid motion, he stood up and started to head out of the room.

  “I didn’t mean you should leave.”

  Silas let out a heavy sigh and Naomi could see him closing his eyes for a second. It reminded her of when she was young and her mother would count to keep her temper. When he turned to look at her, there was no hint of a smile. “What is it you want?”

  For the first time, Naomi thought about it. No one had ever asked her about what she wanted. Teachers challenged her in the directions they wanted her to go. Her parents pushed her to become what they wanted her to be. Her sister just bossed her around. And Jamie… he clearly never cared about what she wanted, so when he asked, there was always going to be something he got for giving her something she wanted.

  That single question nearly crippled her. The fact that her brain felt fuzzy did not help. Her eyes shifted to her lap as she considered her future. “I don’t know.”

  “I didn’t mean—” Whatever Silas was going to say, he stopped. A few seconds later, he sat down beside the couch. “Lie down and go to sleep. I’ll be right here.”

  Naomi lay down, her mind swirling. “Would it be alright if I hold your hand?”

  There was a pause, then she felt a little pressure added to the cushion near her head. She moved her covers and saw a large hand resting on the couch. A small smile spread across her lips as she reached out and squeezed the hand. “Thanks.”

  If Silas responded, she did not hear him. Almost as soon as she closed her eyes, Naomi fell asleep.

  Chapter 4

  The Morning after the Storm

  It was a fitful sleep, and Naomi was never sure if she was awake or asleep. At one point, she woke up and thought she saw a large, stuffed polar bear on the floor. At least that was what it looked like. Silas must have taken her glasses off at some point because everything looked blurry. She moved over to the edge of the couch and was shocked to find that it was warm and it felt like it had real, soft fur. She hummed and stroked the stuffed animal as she thought about how strange it was for someone like Silas to have such a thing in his apartment. He definitely wasn’t anything like Jamie, and so far that was definitely a good thing. It was sweet of Silas to leave it there for her, and shocking that he would think to do something like that. The thought was so unexpected, but it seemed like something he would do based on the short amount of time she had spent with him. It was like Silas was always willing to help and give. Since she had made it clear that she didn’t want to be alone, he made sure that Naomi had some kind of company to get her through the night. Silas had told her he needed to get comfortable, but he hadn’t deserted her. She began to rub the stuffed animal more vigorously.

  “You are a good guy, Silas.”

  In her current state, it sounded like there was a strange noise from the stuffed animal. Giving it a poke, she found that it would move a bit. Naomi knew of smaller stuffed animals that did that, but having something that large was relatively impressive. Then again, Silas was related to a couple of really well-off guys, so there shouldn’t be any surprise that he would have something most people didn’t have.

  Rubbing the large polar bear, Naomi drifted back into a slightly more comfortable sleep.

  At some point she heard some commotion, but Naomi couldn’t bring herself to open her eyes to find out what was going on. With a groan, she shifted a little, making her entirely too aware of a discomfort from her stomach. Not enough to get up, though.

  Suddenly she was fighting some strange kind of insect. It kept trying to sting her, but there was a large polar bear that kept swatting it away. When Naomi ran into an abandoned building that looked like it could be the mansion of a recluse, the insect multiplied, and the new swarm started coming in through the windows. Naomi woke up in a cold sweat, her eyes looking around her as she tried to figure out where she was.

  That was when the night before flooded back to her. How she had waited for Jamie only to find out that he had been cheating on her. Then realized that he had probably always been cheating on her, using her only for his own needs. The self-loathing that she felt for having been so willfully stupid was followed by a decision to be even more irresponsible. Then Silas’ face passed through her thoughts, and she smiled. Last night may have been terrible, but at least there was something good about it.

  “Silas?”

  As soon as she finished calling his name, her purse started to buzz. Frowning, she sat up too quickly, and her head let her know why that was a bad idea. “Oh God, my head.” As soon as she started thinking about how she felt, Naomi’s thoughts went to her stomach. That was where the real problem should be.

  To her surprise, her stomach actually felt fine.

  “Huh, it isn’t quite so bad as people think. Well, the head is,” Naomi muttered as she swung her legs off of the couch, then held her head as the room seemed to swirl around her. Once she was able to bring the place into focus, she reached for her purse and dug out her phone.

  “Hello?”

  The voice on the other end of the line was familiar, and suddenly she did feel nauseous. “Oh good, you picked up. I am about to board a flight so we can talk. I hope you realize just how much I am doing to keep us together.”

  “Don’t waste your time, douche bag. I’m over it.” Naomi didn’t bother to wait for an answer before hanging up.

  Standing up carefully, she ignored the phone as it began to ring again. “Silas?” Staggering a little, Naomi grabbed her head. “Do you have any pain killer or anything? My head is not great right now, and I could really use something to make the room not spin quite so quickly.”

  Silence greeted her. Naomi looked up and tried to take in the room a little more because the night before she had not really paid attention to her surroundings. It was also beginning to dawn on her just how stupid she had been the night before. Going home with a guy she barely knew. Oh my God, you are a complete idiot.

  As she pinched the bridge of her nose, Naomi realized that part of her problem was that she wasn’t wearing glasses. Complete idiot.

  She sat back on the couch and started to examine the coffee table. Sure enough, the glasses were right close to the edge where she could find them easily without wearing them. The smile was automatic because it was like Silas had taken everything into account when he h
ad looked after her the night before.

  “Obviously, you have a lot of experience with this kind of thing. Someone is going to be incredibly lucky to land you. Bet you are going to be a fantastic dad, too.” After she said it, Naomi realized she was talking aloud. Quickly snapping her mouth shut, she noticed a piece of paper and a glass of water with a small bottle of pain killers. “Oh, you already took care of it.”

  Naomi picked up the bottle and paper. Setting the paper on her lap, she read it as she struggled to open the child-proof cap. At first, all she noticed was how neat the handwriting was. It wasn’t the chicken scratch she got used to muddling through with Jamie. Silas’ handwriting was far better than her own, and his style was succinct and well thought out.

  “Jamie really set my expectations low, didn’t he?” Naomi muttered as she finally got the top off the bottle. A few pills flew around her. With a grunt, she picked up the stray pills and slipped them into her pocket before popping two. She shut the bottle and put it back on the table before she could make more of a mess. Her hand reached out and wrapped around the glass of water as her eyes scanned the note. Sipping without blocking her eye line, she swallowed the pills.

  Make sure to take a couple and finish at least one glass of water. You can just leave everything on the coffee table and I’ll take care of it this evening. There is a small breakfast in the kitchen (the door to your right). Don’t eat it too fast. You will want to get home soon after you finish and plan to rest. More than likely you are going to experience some discomfort, so you will want to be close to a restroom. You should not feel too nauseous though, so studying should have minimal distractions.

  When you leave, just lock the door from the inside. That should be more than enough. I’ve left a short map to your dorm building and it should be through a pretty good area. However, if you feel too sick for a walk, there is some cash and my address near your breakfast so that you can call for a car to come get you. Avoid coffee, but tea should be alright as long as you make sure to drink some water with it. You need to make sure you are hydrated.

  Take care, Naomi.

  She read it several times, wondering just why anyone would go through that much trouble for someone they barely knew. It finally dawned on her that she was in a guy’s home alone. She was there when he agreed to take an evening shift, but it was only 8:00 in the morning. Just what kind of work did they do? How was it that Silas could fill in for a big shot like Professor Cedrus? Now that she was sobering up, there were a lot of things that were starting to make her question what little she knew of Silas.

  Standing up slowly, she moved toward the kitchen, her head pounding. There was a small plate with lightly buttered biscuits. It wasn’t much, but something told Naomi that she wasn’t going to want to eat much. Trusting that Silas knew what was best for her current state, Naomi sat down and nibbled on a biscuit.

  She managed to finish off the first biscuit and half of another before she was full. Taking a few sips of water, she stood up. Carrying the plate to the sink, Naomi noticed a composting bin outside. As much as she wanted to clean up, she wasn’t sure how much she could do, especially if Silas was particular about that sort of thing. Then there was the question of if she could make it outside without dropping the plate. Moving the plate close to the door that led to the back, she put the glass in the sink. There was no way she was going to take his money after everything Silas had done for her. However, the map was something she definitely wanted. Picking it up, she went back into the living room. She got her purse, then headed for the door, not sure what to do with her weekend now.

  Pondering that question, Naomi slipped her feet into her shoes and started looking around for her coat. Since it was resting on the little table next to the door it didn’t take her long. To her surprise it was a little warm as she slipped it on. Looking down, she noticed a heat register that had warmed the coat.

  “You really think of everything, don’t you?”

  Naomi was not used to anyone doing things for her, and it felt nice and a little weird. Looking around the place one more time, she shook her head. Silas was definitely different. She opened the door, locked the bottom, and stepped out into the cold.

  It was like leaving a paradise and re-entering the cold, hard world. The renewed buzzing on her phone was like a reminder that her entire world had changed. While she was in Silas’ place, it seemed less real, or maybe just less important. With a heavy sigh, she started walking in the direction the map said she should go. Unable to ignore it for too long, Naomi pulled her phone out of her purse.

  “What?”

  There was a pause before a familiar woman’s voice spoke on the other end, “That is not the proper way to answer a phone.”

  Kicking herself, Naomi immediately apologized, “I’m sorry, Mom. I thought you were Jamie. He has been calling me nonstop since last night.”

  “Why is he calling you so much? Did you guys fight?”

  Naomi was about to tell her what had happened, but that would just bring up more questions, and the answers to those questions were not something she was willing to discuss with her parents. Instead, she said, “I don’t want to talk about it. The whole thing has me pretty upset because he is starting to need too much. It is interfering with school now.” It was a lie, but a very small one with a lot of truth to it.

  “Oh, well that is very selfish of him. Maybe you guys should take a break.”

  “Actually, I think that is a great idea. That would probably be for the best.”

  Naomi could imagine her mother nodding. “He may be important, but until he proposes, he definitely isn’t more important than school. I am sorry to hear that you are having trouble, but I was actually calling about something important.”

  “It’s fine, Mom, everything will work out in the end. Do you and Dad need help with something?”

  “Yes, your grandmother is coming into town today, and I was hoping that you could make some time to stop by and see her. It has been a while.”

  Naomi frowned. “She didn’t give you any warning?”

  “Not really. You know your grandmother, she just kind of up and leaves when she wants to. I hope you are more responsible once you are out in the real world.”

  Naomi fought back the urge to say that she already lived in the real world, but an argument was not something she was prepared to have, not with her head already hurting. “I will be, Mom.” Not quite a lie. In the future, Naomi planned to be far more careful about everything, especially men. Clearing her throat, she continued, “I will try to come by. That way I can say hi in case she doesn’t stick around for long. I don’t have class tomorrow, so if things go well, I will try to head over to visit once I am done today.” She flinched at the lie.

  “Thank you, sweetie. I won’t tell her in case you have too much homework. School first. We love you.”

  “Love you, too, Mom. Take care and I’ll message you if I can make it.”

  “Sounds good. Take care.”

  “You too.”

  Once she was off the phone, Naomi started deleting all of the messages left by Jamie since the night before. It kept her from feeling that she should respond. Down that route was only misery because he would probably guilt her into sticking to it. Fortunately, he had never really gotten close to her family, so she didn't need to worry about him contacting them and having them pressure her into getting back together.

  The rest of the walk home, she focused on what she was going to do with the rest of her ruined weekend. There was always the project; finishing that would certainly keep her mind focused on other stuff, but she also didn’t feel like being in her dorm room.

  “Maybe I should look for a place of my own,” she muttered as she turned down a familiar street. Her parents hadn’t wanted her to live in a dorm, but she had convinced them by saying that it would teach her things that would help once she worked in a hospital. It had worked, but every once in a while they had suggested she move out. This seemed like the perfect time to
take them up on it.

  As soon as she walked into her dorm, Naomi knew that moving out would definitely be for the best. Not that she planned to go drinking on a regular basis, but it would have been safer. Then again, the night had actually turned out pretty well. Naomi had to shake the idea out of her head. “Don’t be an idiot.”

  After about 15 minutes, Naomi decided that heading home would be for the best. Packing up a few things for the weekend, she walked out the door, her mind going through everything she needed to do while she was there, especially asking for a new place.

  Throwing her stuff in the passenger seat of her car, Naomi slipped into the driver’s seat. She put a large Thermos of tea and a bottle of water in the cup holders. Silas had been very specific, and she knew that she was going to need caffeine with her current headache. She had tried to cover up the smell of alcohol that she had found obvious, hoping that it would be masked enough by the time she got home. It meant driving with the window down a bit, but that would be alright.

  This is going to be a miserable drive, Naomi thought as she carefully backed out.

  Half an hour later, the drive became so much worse than she had expected as her car started to stall. Barely making it to the side of the road, Naomi put her car in park and got out.

  “Oh, great place for car trouble. Middle of nowhere, and I haven’t seen a car for at least 20 minutes.” Pulling out her phone, she planned to call AAA, but found that there was no signal. “Oh God, can this weekend get any worse?”

  The sound of a gunshot knocked her out of the self-pity she was feeling. Naomi turned and looked at her car. There was a bullet hole in the side panel of the front.

  Another shot rang out, this time creating a stir of dust just a few feet from her. Without thinking, Naomi ran into the woods.

  Chapter 5

  Flight Through the Woods

  Naomi ran, not bothering to pay much attention to where she was going. Every time she heard a gunshot, her legs moved faster, taking her away from the noise. She had no idea how long she ran, but Naomi’s leg cramped up after a while, causing her to stagger to the side. Deciding that stopping and trying to work out the pain was better than running without thinking, she moved down a small slope near a thin creek and pressed up against the wall. Naomi hunched up, trying to make herself as small as possible, but had to stretch out her leg.