Chapter5
1187 Words
As soon as the man got into the car, Lewis became restless. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was trying to run away. But she had seen this before. In the presence of certain people, Lewis got antsy, a sign she’d learned to recognize meant they weren’t human.
The first time had been when he was just a few days old. They’d been passing by a forest when she sensed a werewolf nearby. Before she could react, a gray wolf had emerged from the trees, and Lewis had nearly leapt from her arms.
Now, she trusted her son’s instincts more than her own. But this time, nothing about the man behind the wheel had triggered her usual senses. She could usually tell a shifter from a mile away, but he felt... normal. Which was strange.
Lewis squirmed violently, letting out a near-silent whimper. Jamie sighed, hugging him closer.
This was another thing that haunted her. After the fourth doctor had given her the same clean bill of health, she’d begun to suspect his roots were the problem. She had tried to have fun for one night and ended up putting an innocent child through misery.
She’d heard of half-breeds before, but there was something about her and Lucas that had crossed all the lines, probably from her own unknown heritage. Their son wasn’t like other shifters, not that she’d been around many young ones before.
Lewis had grown abnormally fast in his early months, only to slow down drastically. Lately, he was losing weight, rejecting food, and growing eerily quiet. Sometimes, she’d think he was sleeping, only to glance back and find his gray eyes locked onto her, sometimes white, like a blank slate. The change lasted seconds, but it never failed to raise her blood pressure.
Now, even free from carrying both Lewis and their bags, her arms felt heavier. Or maybe it was Lewis’s constant wriggling.
The stranger coughed, glancing at her through the mirror. She still didn’t know his name.
"Is he always like that?" His voice held the faintest hint of judgment.
Her hackles rose. "Mind your business," she snapped.
She regretted it instantly.
"Okay," he said easily, hands steady on the wheel. A moment of silence passed before he spoke again. "I’m sorry, but can you describe where we’re headed? I’ve been circling, waiting for him to settle."
Jamie exhaled. "Take a left up ahead. Our place is straight down from there."
"Got it."
She turned back to Lewis and nearly jumped out of her skin.
“Shit.”
The car jerked to a stop.
"What is it?" the man asked, but she was already crying.
Lewis’s eyes had gone completely white. And his teeth, they were elongated, sharp, scary.
She clutched him tighter. If this man wasn’t a shifter, then what? If he were human, she and Lewis might never see daylight again.
The car door opened. She yelped, but he raised a hand, palm out, a universal calm down.
"Hey. There’s nothing here, okay? Just me."
That’s the problem, she thought bitterly.
"Talk to me, sweetheart," he coaxed. "What’s your name?"
She sniffled. "I don’t know yours either."
"I’m Darren. Some of my i***t friends insist on shortening it to Law."
Despite herself, she gave a watery smile at his exasperated expression.
"What about you?" he pressed.
"Jamie," she whispered.
"And what do your friends call you?"
"I don’t have friends." The words came out choked.
"Okay. That’s perfectly normal," he lied. "Can you tell me what’s wrong?"
She shook her head.
His gaze never wavered. He hadn’t once looked at Lewis, only at her. That made her cry harder.
"Off-limits then. Got it," he said quickly. Then, leaning in like he was sharing a secret, he murmured, "See, sweetheart, I have a bit of a problem. There’s a pretty lady crying in my car, and I don’t know what to do. Do you have someone I can call?"
She shook her head again.
"Can I try something?" he asked.
Before she could protest, he grabbed her palm and pressed a kiss to the center of it.
She blinked.
He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Should start working any second now."
"What…" Her breath hitched. The weight in her chest lifted. Her body felt light, like she could dance.
“Oh no,” Darren said, amused. “I think I overcompensated.”
He snapped his fingers in front of her. "Jamie!"
She blinked back into focus.
"Do you know who I am?" he asked.
"Handsome stranger," she blurted.
His lips twitched. "Good enough. Now, can you tell me what’s wrong?"
Her brain screamed at her but her lips moved anyway.
"They’ll take us away."
"Who will?"
"The people. Humans."
"Okay," he said gently. "Why?"
Her brain fought against it. Her lips kept moving.
"Because Lewis isn’t normal."
Realization crashed into her, and she jerked away from him.
"I’m sorry," Darren said immediately.
She wiped her eyes. "What did you do to me?"
"I’m sorry, Jamie." He glanced at her chest, where to her surprise Lewis was asleep, or at least his eyes were closed now.
"He’s okay now. Everything’s fine."
The way he said it—so calm, so familiar, it lulled her. Without thinking, she nodded.
He smiled. "Good girl." Then he stood, shut the door, and slid back into the driver’s seat.
Before he started the car, Jamie found her voice.
"Darren," she said hesitantly.
He glanced back.
"What just happened? What are you?"
He smirked. "Short version or long?"
She paused. "The long one."
"Tit for Tat, darling. You answer one question for me, I’ll answer yours."
"But I asked first," she argued.
He shrugged. "Fine. I learned a trick from my father before he left. There’s a nerve in some parts of the body that enhances calmness. I just manipulated one of them."
She stared at him, waiting for more.
That was it? That was his explanation?
"That’s bullshit," she muttered.
He grinned. "Tit for tat, princess. You tell me something; I’ll tell you more. Deal?"
She growled. "One question. I answer one, and you tell me everything about what just happened."
He laughed. "Not quite. You answer one, and I tell you all you want to know about what happened just now."
"That’s unfair."
"So is life, darling. Deal?"
She considered it. "And how do I know you’ll keep your word?"
He placed a hand over his heart. "You wound me, princess. Fine. Cross my heart and hope to die."
She scoffed. "Nice try."
He chuckled. "Alright, ask one question now, and I’ll answer. Then I ask mine. Then you get to ask about what just happened."
It was a tempting offer. She had so many questions. Where have we met before? Why are you helping me? Are you rich enough to be my sugar daddy?
But the words that slipped out were not what she expected.
"Why do you insist on calling me pet names?"
The moment she asked, she realized why he felt so familiar.
He reminded her of the first man who had used her, then thrown her away in public.
Lucas.
- Writer
