I was peacefully asleep that morning when my cellphone went off. I ignored it and kept ignoring it until the fifth time whoever it was kept calling back. I rolled out of bed and grabbed the damn phone off the dresser; the reason I hadn’t answered or turned it off was because it was so far from me. I checked the caller ID and saw it was Jamie. “Is something wrong?” I answered; worried that she was going to answer yes.
“Major deadly problem? No. Problem with me? Yes. Can you come over?” she sounded like she really needed some help.
“On my way.” I left my bedroom and continued out the house down the street without bothering to put on any shoes and even comb my hair. If Jamie was calling nonstop then there was no time to waste.
Before I could knock on the door Jamie pulled it open and grabbed my hand. “Did I wake you?” it sounded like she cared except she quickly moved on to another subject. “Dad? I found a solution.”
Caleb stepped out from the kitchen drying his hands on some napkins. He took one look at me and rose his eyebrows. Hmm, how bad did I look? On the other hand he was a morning person and looked fantastic with freshly washed wet hair combed back from his face, he wore his usual attire of black slacks and a dark buttoned down shirt tucked into his pants. He turned his attention back to Jamie. “I should’ve known it’d have something to do with Evangeline. Have you told her what you want?”
Jamie groaned and looked up at me with the picture of annoyance across her young face. “My dad has a date tonight and won’t let me stay home alone.”
“Ok?” I was lost and somewhat surprised Caleb was dating, I had never known him to do so but of course he’d date. He was single, gorgeous, loyal, and even funny when he wanted to be. Women were probably lining up to get a piece of him.
“Dad was going to have Jake stay with me but while Jake is really good eye candy, he can be so boring.”
Between the tone she used and the look of horror on Caleb’s face I couldn’t keep my laughter inside. It seemed he didn’t want to know his daughter looked at his pack members and noticed their good looks. If Mikey was around more there’d probably be no problem but with Jake and Jared, they were beautiful and as Caleb’s second and third they were around a lot, Jamie would have to be dead not to notice.
I stopped laughing and asked. “What do you want from me?”
Caleb answered, his patience wearing painfully thin. “My lovely daughter would like for you to stay with her tonight but as I told her you work.”
“Actually Dominic gave me the next few days off. He saw my face and forbid me from showing up for my shift until Friday.” I explained with a shrug. I’d be bored out of my mind too and would rather hang out with Jamie than watch a non stop marathon of The Golden Girls at home alone.
“See?” Jamie took satisfaction in out smarting her father. “Evie can watch me while you go find me a step mommy.” She was mocking him and that let me know there was something else going on besides finding a babysitter. If I had to guess it’d have to do with the fact Jamie didn’t want to go back to her mother and Caleb wouldn’t let her stay here permanently.
Caleb turned his dark blue eyes back to me. “Would you mind staying with her tonight for a few hours?”
Jamie interrupted. “A few hours, am I getting a new brother or sister too?” with a sigh Caleb ran his hand down his face and Jamie knew he was reaching his limit with her rudeness. “Yeah I know, go to my room until I’m thirty.” She let go of my arm and marched up the staircase to her room.
“Wow, she’s pissed at you.” I turned from the staircase and looked at him. I faintly thought back to my father and how he would’ve reacted if I had been as much trouble as Jamie was. But I had run from home before we could find out. I never had the semi normal teenage years that Jamie has.
“It’ll pass…hopefully.” Caleb ran his hand down his face again and I noticed the five o’clock shadow he was sporting, he hadn’t shaved that morning.
“I’ll stay with her tonight and I’ll make sure she stays out of trouble.” I knew Caleb didn’t want her to stay home alone was the fear she’d go out and find trouble or go see Ray again.
“Be here by seven!” Jamie yelled from upstairs.
The situation was getting awkward; I didn’t want to be caught in family drama, especially their family drama. “I’ll go now.” the situation was getting even more uncomfortable when he followed me out of the house. “Um, yeah?” I turned and faced him while we stood on the porch.
“Prying ears.” He pointed back to the house and faced me, his fingers brushing my cheek. “It’s healing quickly.” He said about the large bruise I had there. It didn’t look as bas as it should two days later but it didn’t look great either.
My heart was in my throat as I questioned why the hell he was touching me. We weren’t friends that touched, we weren’t friends period. “The virus and my crazy heritage comes in handy.” I wanted to remind him what I was and in turn remind him why we didn’t associate. I was labeled a vampire and he was an alpha werewolf.
“You’d think with the lycanthropy inside of you healing wouldn’t be a problem. The virus wasn’t needed.” The same way I wanted to bring up my vampire he wanted to bring up my wolf.
I stared at him confused out of my mind about what exactly was happening here. “The virus is the only reason I’m alive right now. What did you want to talk about?”
“I spoke to Jake and he mentioned Bess approached to you.”
“I didn’t know you knew Bess.” I was trying to deflect as I tried to figure out where he was going with all of this.
“Jake works for her.” he said as if that should explain the whole thing and it did, of course if his second was working for someone he’d know them.
“Yeah we talked and that was it. Why are we talking about it?”
“If you were to take her up on her offer your powers would become too public. The Coven wouldn’t hesitate to go against our deal.”
“If you must know, and since you saved my ass I guess you do, I didn’t take her offer and I have no plans to. I’m sticking with my job at La Amour.” It felt very odd to be explaining myself to someone and I didn’t like it. “I have to go back to bed.” It was only about eight o’clock that morning and no need for me to be up.
I was grateful he said nothing as I walked away down the street.
Chapter 11