by Anthology
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
“I know I don’t owe him anything, but he’s still my dad …” My phone chooses that moment to go off once again. I really need to change my number. But Dean’s stalker tendencies would only find out what it was. I press ignore and then shut my phone off completely. Mom knows where I’m at and that I’m okay.
“Some must really want to talk to you.”
The jealousy in his voice is not lost on me. “It’s just a thorn in my side.” I brush it off again and return to looking out of the window.
“Gram showed me all of your pictures and the articles you have written.”
“Thank you.” The blush crawls across my face before I can control it. “Amos doesn’t even know about what I’ve done with my life.”
“That tends to happen when you have a shitty dad.” He grunts. “You take some amazing shots, little bird.”
“Thank you. I love what I do.”
“What does Spence do?” I’m slightly perplexed about his sudden question. I barely got ‘do’ out before the question jetted from his lips.
“He shoots landscapes. We tend to be a package deal. There are some magazines he is only featured in and the same with me, but most of the time we go together.” I laugh. “He also keeps me organized; you remember how bad I was? He’s a real life saver. I would be lost without him.”
Too soon we are back at Amos’. Before I can get the chance to get out, Derek is already out of the truck, running around it, and opening my door for me.
“Let me help.” His hand wraps around mine, enveloping me in his warmth as I slide out and he doesn’t let go as he walks me to the door.
I lean against the rust colored door and gaze up at him. His hands come up and his thumbs stroke my cheeks. “So beautiful. I never thought I would like you in short hair, but it makes your beautiful face stand out more now.” His words whisper across my lips when he pulls us together.
His lightly chapped lips lock with my softer ones, but he pulls away far too soon; before I can try to thread my fingers into his hair.
“Have a good day, little bird.” He kisses my forehead, turns me to the door, and pats my butt before walking back to his truck. He gets in but doesn’t take off until I get into the house.
Falling against the door I sigh with the knowledge he never forgot my nickname. I stand back up straight and find Amos standing in front of the window with his walker watching as Derek drives away.
Great.
In that moment, I decide to be the adult my father never was and walk away from him instead of staying for a fight.
“That boy is no good, Annabelle.” His weak, raspy voice halts my ascent. One foot on the step and my nail start to dig into the railing.
“And you know what is good for me now?” I don’t look at him, or I try not to. Sharply, I glare at him. “You never cared for me and never wanted anything nice or good for me.” My voice is menacing and even, but my whole body trembles with anger. “You’re not a father to me, just a sperm donor I am forced to be around. Whatever made you so bitter isn’t my fault or mom’s. Get over yourself!”
I storm the rest of the way up the stairs and to my room, glad he can’t follow. Spence and I have turned upstairs into our retreat from him. I’m tired and ready for bed. My parents’ old room was cleaned and now Spence is staying in there to give us some space.
Once I’m ready for bed, I collapse and fall into a fitful sleep dreaming of the first time I knew I was in love with Derek.
“I’m tired, you guys go ahead and have fun. I’m going to soak up some sun.” I wave the guys off and sit back on the dock as the jet skis and tubes take off once more. I don’t have my eyes closed for a single second when I feel someone sit down next to me.
Propping myself up by my elbows, I lift shades as Derek gets comfortable next to me. Even though he’s my best friend, there is something about him that makes me melt with want.
I’m glad I’m old enough now to know what this feeling is I get whenever he is around. I would be worried if I didn’t.
“Mind the company?”
“Not at all,” I lower my shades back down and get comfortable again. “Why aren’t you with the guys?”
“Austin and Abe are having more fun chasing girls and Thea is annoying the shit out of me, I’m safe with you.”
“Yeah, right.” I snort.
“Really, all the girls leave me alone when I’m near you. You scare them off.” He laughs.
“Why?” I blush, glad the sun is warm and my face is already red.
“Because they know how I feel about you, Anna.”
“And how do you feel?” I whisper, keeping my eyes closed.
“I love you, Annabelle Daniels.”
I gasp, my dreams feel like reality. I touch him to be sure. “You … you do?”
“Yes,” I look up at him, finding his own blush in place. “I’m hoping you feel the same?”
Dreams really do come true if you wish hard enough. I sit up to tell him I feel the same for him when Abe rushes up behind us and shoves Derek into the water, taking me with him.
We surface, coughing on a lung full of water and scream at Abe who laughs and jumps in over our heads. Derek swims to me, ignoring Abe and pulls me close.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I spit some water out of my mouth and wipe my face. I’m suddenly aware his arms are wrapped around me. “I do too, you know? I love you, Derek.”
THERE IS A skip in my step that has been missing for far too long. It’s all because of Anna. Having her back in my life, having the answers I needed, and giving her the ones she needed too has filled the crater in my chest.
I’m not going to let her leave me again. I know I won’t be able to keep her from her job, but I can make damn sure that the place she calls home is here with me. There is no way in hell I’m going to let her vanish for another eight years. Even if it means I go with her.
And why the hell not? Aside from Gram, I have nothing really tying me to Rocky anymore. Sure, I could see raising a family with Anna here, but I would go with her if it meant we got to stay together.
Gram noticed a change in me from just this morning. That’s why when I told her I wasn’t going to wait until tomorrow to ask Anna out, she helped shove me out the door with a swat to my ass and told me to go get my girl.
And that’s just what I’m going to do. I don’t care if she feels it is too soon after our talk this morning or if Amos is going to open the door to try and lift a rifle to my chest, I’m taking her out and her and Spence will no longer be staying at that rotting house
It’s only been four hours since I dropped her off here, so when I knock on the door, I feel hope that she will be willing to go out with me. Hell, I don’t even care if Spence wants to come with us. When she was talking about how important he was to her, I knew there was no way I couldn’t like the guy.
I knock a second time, starting to wonder if she isn’t here. Checking the driveway, the only car there is Amos’ car that barely runs. The door flies open, causing my head to whip back around and come face to face with a man I actually haven’t seen in years.
Amos stands before me, haggard, old, and a shell of the former person he once was. He is also sporting one hell of a pissed off expression while leaning heavily on his walker with an oxygen tank strapped to it.
“What the hell do you want?” His rasped, dried, and broken voice comes out in a shout before he starts into a fit of coughing. “She’s gone, left this morning thanks to you.”
“What?” I don’t believe this. Why would she leave when everything felt so right this morning?
Wait.
He’s lying.
My searching eyes look back to his scheming ones and narrow.
His crusted face cracks into an evil, vindictive grin, flashing me his yellowed or missing teeth; karma hit him hard. “You need to stay the fuck away from her, you no good wolf.”
“She’s my mate.” I tak
e a step toward him, snarling as I loom over him.
“Not so fast, you piece of shit.” He waves a finger in my face, taunting me more. “You take one more step to me, I’ll make myself fall and call the cops on your ass.”
My short fingernails dig into the flesh of my palms. “Bastard.”
“You are to never contact my daughter again if you know what’s good for you.”
“Is that a threat?”
“A promise.”
“You don’t care about Anna, you never have. Why should you care?” All the anger, all the questions I’ve ever wanted to know blow from the dormant volcano of my emotions.
“I won’t have another woman in my life be taken by a Sumerland.”
What is he talking about?
“I won’t have another poor woman be forced to love a man just because of some ridiculous bond, or whatever crap you claim to have with my daughter.”
“What are you talking about, old man?” What in the hell is wrong with him?
“Your bastard father stole her from me. My Maria was taken by him. She was mine and he claimed the whole fated mate bullshit and she went to him.”
Wait a minute?
Maria? As in my mom, Maria? She was with Amos before she met my dad? This is twisted and feels strangely wrong, but something deep inside me, something I thought long fixed comes back to me.
“… she was the love of my life and he took her.” Amos has continued to talk while an inner turmoil runs rampant in my soul. “So I took them both, making sure they didn’t live out the life I should have had with her, and you would have been gone too if you had been in that car …”
Amos’ words send shockwaves through me as I was already piecing everything together in my own mind.
“I’m sorry, Derek.” The officer takes a seat with me in the living room. I’m old enough to stay home alone now and I told mom and dad to have a night out. They never get to, so I didn’t mind playing video games in my room all night. That was until the police officer knocked on our door and asked to come in. He wears a somber look as he plays with his hat.
“Derek, your parents … son, they were in an accident about an hour ago.” He looks up at me, tears straining his eyes. “Their car lost control and they passed away, Derek.”
It doesn’t matter how long of time has passed; it still is hard to deal with their deaths.
“It was ruled as an accident.” My voice is barely above a whisper as I stare into nothingness.
“That’s because I made it look like one.” The bastard has the nerve to look smug about committing murder. I was left orphaned because of this man and once more, I was left broken because of him years later. “I was a mechanic after all.” He laughs, fucking laughs like the mad man I always knew him to be.
Get Anna. Get our mate, now!
My anger is white hot, I didn’t even know what to do about my parents’ death, no murder, but I can stop him from ever harming Anna. I would die before he ever touched her.
“You’ll get yours in the end, Amos.” I yell, formulating a plan with the hope of the police being able to do something about this. I storm back to my truck and leaving him cackling in his door way as I drive off in a hurry.
I need to find Anna; I can’t let her return to his place, to that man.
“I ALWAYS KNEW there was a reason I hated that man.” Gram does her best snarl while ringing out her napkin in her lap. “That asshole, dickhead, bastard.”
“Gram.” The woman is kind to almost everyone, but I’m glad to see her like this. It will make it easier to press charges. Because that is what we are going to do. Once I find Anna, the three of us are going straight to the police department.
“Don’t Gram me, you need to go get Annie and Spence and bring them to stay with us.” She stands. She was surprised to see me home so soon, but now she is a grayed ball of rage. “She called me earlier. She wasn’t sure if you still had the same number and told me they were going up the mountains for a bit. I’m not sure where, but if you shift you could track her with ease.”
“Yes, ma’am.” She doesn’t have to tell me twice. Anna didn’t leave, just needed to get away from the man who calls himself her father.
I waste no time getting up the mountain. Being in Rocky helps, it takes all but twenty minutes to get to the top and find a safe spot to park and shift. Normally, I can only shift during the full moon, but in a time of need I can shift at will. Especially now that I am reconnected with my wolf; he wants to get to our mate just as badly as I do.
My bones crack and break while my skin grows unbelievably hot, ripping a part as my light gray and white fur grows out. My fingers and toes break and extend to form my claws. My nose grows, pulling my upper lip and teeth with it, forming my snout.
When I am completely shifted, I recall and see everything. Everything is as clear as it was years earlier when I would shift.
Let’s get her.
I take off in a dead run until I can finally pick up a light trace of Anna’s scent and follow it. I track it for a few miles until I come to the scent of a couple of moose mixed in with hers. I slow and stop, not wanting to scare anything away, or Spence. I’m sure Anna has told him about me by now, but no one is ever truly prepared to see one of my kind.
I see the bog around me and the moose and find Anna in a tree, snapping pictures of the pair while Spence is a few yards behind her on the ground. My scent floats over to the moose causing them to run off. Slowly, I step out into the clearing and make my way over to the two on the other side. As Anna climbs down, Spence is frozen in fear.
“What is that, banana?” Spence whispers to Anna, trying to hurry her out of the tree. “Let’s get out of here, before …”
“It’s only Derek, Spence.” Anna brushes him off. If I could, I would grin. She remembered what I looked like when I took this form. She starts to walk to me, no fear in her strides to get to me. “See? It’s him.” She smiles up at me until she has to tilt her head all the way back to look up at me.
“It’s not safe up here for you, you know that.” Her hand reaches out and spreads openly over my stomach. “What are you doing up here, Derek?” I close my eyes and absorb the peace and comfort only she can give me.
“HE’S YOUR MATE?” Spence hurries along behind me a game trail. After having it out with Amos after I talked with Derek this morning, Spence and I packed up our stuff and we moved to a hotel. I’m not staying in that house any longer. I can’t take knowing he was behind keeping Derek and me apart.
Mom wasn’t happy when I talked to her after we already got settled in our hotel room. But when I explained why and that I would still be getting all of Amos’ things in order, she relaxed and instantly turned all questioning and the rest of our conversation about Derek.
Once I managed to get her off the phone, I finished getting the rest of Amos’ bills on payment plans and figured out that there was no use in putting any more work into the house if Amos wasn’t going to help out; Spence thought a break would be good.
We took off up the mountain. I haven’t been up top in such a long time. I’m glad Spence knew I needed a cell phone free afternoon. With everything else I have to deal with, Dean still hasn’t stopped trying to get a hold of me. He’s even tried getting Spence to fork over my location, but he won’t turn me over like that.
We parked and started hiking down a dried out river bed when we found a wild game trail and decided to take off on it. I should have known he wouldn’t have walked along quietly. I just wish for once he would stop it with the constant questions as if I didn’t answer enough for him when I first told him. Now, he is just repeating himself.
“Yes,” I push a branch out of my way. “I’m his fated mate. I’m the one person in the whole world who perfectly matches him.”
“Wow,” he grows silent and for a few minutes I think he is going to drop everything and just stay that way. “So …”
I’m not that lucky, apparently.
“What happens if their
mate is on the other side of the world?”
That’s a really great questions. “I don’t know, I guess they never find one another.”
“That blows.”
“Can we change the subject or just quit talking? Please?” I’m getting a headache and this isn’t helping me to relax.
“Why? I thought things were good with Derek.”
“They are … or … they will be? Hell, I don’t know.” I sit down and pull my camera up from its strap. “He would want me to stay here. I can’t do that, not now.” I look up at him. “I won’t give it up, you know that.”
“I don’t think he will make you choose, little bird.” Spence falls into a spot next to me, both of us with our backs to a tree. “I don’t know him, but if he loves you he won’t keep you from what you love.”
I sigh, “Maybe.”
I get comfortable to sit and wait to see if anything shows up.
“WHAT ABOUT THE sex?”
Groaning, I drop my head, but not enough to hit my head on the tree I am now climbing. “What?” I hiss down to Spence. Why can’t he not talk for a bit?
“How was the sex between you two? You know, being fated mates and all?”
“Oh boy,” I finally get to the branch I deemed sturdy enough to sit my fat butt on and snap a few pictures of the moose out in the clearing. “How long have you been waiting to ask that one?”
“Awhile.” He laughs quietly.
“Well,” I line up a shot and take it. “Since I have no one else to compare him to …”
“Oh, just say it already!”
“It was fantastic,” for being teenagers and not really knowing what we were doing. “Even just being near him made, makes, my body tingle and ache for his gentle touch.” I wonder if he still is just as gentle. “He may look like a big tough guy, but even as a teenager he was gentle.” Goosebumps spread across my body as a hot chill shoots down my spine.