Page 40
LENNOX
EIGHT YEARS LATER
“ D ad, take this.” Luke hands me his mother’s go-cup filled with hot tea.
I juggle it with two child-sized backpacks.
“I’ll go see if the girls are ready yet.” There’s a hint of impatience in his 16-year-old voice. He’s excited for the upcoming weekend trip and wants to get going.
I watch with pride as he heads down the hall to gather his younger sisters for their trip to Wolf-Haven. He’s turning into quite a responsible, capable young man.
He was thrilled when, less than a year after our marriage, Charlie gave birth to Camilla. Fascinated by his hybrid wolf-human sister, he spent most of her first year of life telling us how to properly parent her, making sure she was never left unattended. We had to get him his own baby monitor so he wouldn’t worry when she was sleeping.
Two years later, we welcomed Rhea into the family. Both births were difficult on Charlie, but when she was forced to deliver Rhea through an emergency c-section, we decided she would be our last. Our family of five is complete, and every day I thank the goddesses for my bounty.
“I gave Cami her allergy medicine this morning,” Charlie says to Luke as they come down the hall together, Rhea on Charlie’s hip while Cami skips next to her brother. “She’ll need another dose before bed tonight and then twice a day through the weekend.”
Luke tickles Cami while she shrieks with laughter. “Whoever heard of a wolf shifter that’s allergic to grass?”
“One who’s born in New York where the grass is sparse, that’s who,” Charlie says, setting Rhea on her feet and kneeling to zip up her pink jacket. “Are you excited to see your cousins?” she asks.
Rhea nods, her eyes lighting up with excitement before she buries her face in her mother’s chest. She’s a latent wolf shifter who rarely speaks. From the moment she was born, I felt her wolf, same as her sister, but it hasn’t emerged yet. I suspect it will as she grows into herself, but for the moment my shy, sweet daughter is content to be human.
“Look!” Cami shouts excitedly.
We all look at where she’s pointing. A green pool of light has emerged in the middle of our living room and seconds later a woman steps through. “Your magical teleportation witch has arrived,” Magdalene says with a bow.
“Auntie!” Cami throws herself at her favourite aunt. It’s easy to become the favourite when you can conjure cupcakes and unicorns with a snap of the fingers. Rhea follows closely behind, hugging Magdalene around the waist.
Magdalene strokes her head. “Zenneth is waiting for you at the castle. He wants to show you his caterpillar collection.”
Rhea makes a happy sound.
Zenneth is Magdalene and Rush’s second child of four. He tends to prefer his own company, but for some reason the taciturn child took a liking to his younger cousin. We suspect they find each other’s company peaceful in the face of their much wilder siblings and cousins.
“Let’s go!” Cami shouts, stepping toward the green light. “I can’t wait to shift and run with the cousins!” Cami has formed a pack with Magdalene and Rush’s twin daughters, Victoria and Clarissa, alongside Lock and Sarena’s twins, Winter and Ebony.
Magdalene smiles indulgently. “My girls are excited to see you too. I brought them to the castle this morning.”
“Are you forgetting something?” I ask as Cami takes a step toward the portal to Wolf-Haven.
“Oh right!” she rushes over and grabs her backpack, nearly overturning the go-mug I’m still holding.
I grab her arm as she tries to race away. “Not that.” I chuckle and pull her in for a hug. She squeezes me around the waist, her shifter strength evident as she pulls a grunt from me. “You too,” I say to her sister, holding my arm out.
Rhea runs at me, slamming into my legs and burying her face against me. When she releases me, I hand over her backpack. The girls hug their mother and Magdalene steps aside to let them through the portal.
Cami chatters at her sister who silently nods along as they link hands and step through, travelling to Wolf-Haven where their Aunt Sarena and Uncle Lock will greet them.
We try to do weekend trips to Wolf-Haven every few months, time permitting. Charlie and I usually go with the kids, but this time around we’ve decided to take the weekend to ourselves. Magdalene was thrilled when she found out she would get her hands on our children without parental supervision. It’s possible they’ll return to us with the ability to levitate objects. It’s always a mystery when my witchy sister-in-law is involved.
“Take good care of your sisters.” Charlie fusses over Luke for a few seconds, which is as long as he’ll allow it. “Don’t forget Cami’s allergy meds.”
“I know, mom,” he says somewhat impatiently, but then holds his arms out for a hug. “Love you.”
“I love you too,” she says to him, burying her face in his shoulder so he won’t see the tears of pride sparkling in her eyes. He’s taller than her now and with his broadening shoulders is able to envelop her when they embrace.
“Tell your uncle Rush I’ll drop by the tower in a few weeks for that hunting trip we’ve been talking about.” I pull Luke in for a strong hug.
Keenan and Vanessa haven’t had any children and as far as I know are content to keep it that way. They love their nieces and nephews though and will likely be dropping by on the weekend to spend time with them. Vanessa’s acting career is soaring and she’s in high demand. She often travels to film on-location, but when we get together for a family gathering at Wolf-Haven, she and Keenan drop everything to join us.
Luke picks up his bag and steps through the portal to Wolf-Haven.
“You two be good!” Magdalene says brightly, hugging us quickly before stepping toward the portal. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
As she disappears, Charlie reaches for her tea, pulling the go-mug from my hands. “I suspect there’s not a lot that woman wouldn’t do.”
“Which means we can get away with pretty much anything,” I say, gripping my wife by the waist and pulling her against me.
“Hmmm, anything?” Charlie winks at me.
I’m in her head so I know exactly what she’s thinking. Laughing, I take her hand and lead her to our bedroom.
After Cami was born, we realized Charlie’s apartment was going to be too small for our growing family, so we purchased the one next door, offering our neighbours a generous settlement for it. We knocked a wall down and joined the apartments. Each of the children has their own bedroom and a large, shared space for their toys, crafts, games, and books.
We moved our bedroom to the back of the combined apartments giving ourselves more space and privacy. The large space also allows us to host Charlie’s family as often as they want to come over, which is almost daily.
Our lives are busy but full and happy.
Once in our bedroom, Charlie sets her tea on her nightstand and strips her clothes off, falling onto the bed with a groan. She rolls onto her back and watches me as I pull my T-shirt over my head and unbutton my jeans.
“It’s so gloriously quiet,” she says with a grin. “Hurry up before one of them realizes they forgot something and teleports back.”
I climb onto the bed, caging my wife and taking her lips in a leisurely exploration. Though I’ve memorized every inch of her, it’s always a thrilling journey of rediscovery every time I touch her, kiss her, sink into her welcoming heat.
She clings to me as we make love, the morning sunlight spilling across us. At first soft and sensual, our desire for each other soon turns wild and animalistic. Charlie’s fingernails sink into my shoulders as I nip her breast, using my teeth to heighten her pleasure.
After, we lay next to each other, our fingers entwined, our bodies sated.
Charlie rolls to face me, brushing her fingers through my hair. Then she sits up and leans closer, which is awesome because her breasts sway in my face.
“You have a gray hair,” she whispers.
I capture her fingers and kiss them before turning her so she’s facing away from me, tucking her against me and pulling the blanket over both of us. I kiss the back of her head and together we fall asleep, waking up a few hours later for our planned outing.
After retiring from police work, I did some private investigation work for Duncan Sharptooth. Most of the work was tracking down stray members of ASHRA and handing them over to the authorities, but occasionally I was asked to track down and rescue shifters who were vulnerable. Through my work with Duncan, I came to realize many of those shifters found themselves in bad situations because they had no place to go, no one to help them.
Together, Charlie and I created a place for them where they can find a home, opportunities, and friends. A shelter dedicated to shifters.
While still taking on the occasional job from Duncan, I spend most of my time running the shelter. Charlie helps when she can but it’s a juggling act between supporting the shelter and working. Several of her colleagues from the fire department volunteer as well.
As we park Charlie’s truck in front of the shelter, a four-story brick building, a huge man steps through the front door and waves at us.
“Roscoe!” Charlie climbs out of the truck and jumps into his arms, hugging him tightly. They’ve had an unbreakable bond since Edie’s attack forced them to defend each other. Roscoe has become my hardest working employee and the person I rely on most at the shelter.
“Everyone’s in the dining room,” he says, helping us gather bags of Greek food donated by Sophie and Andrea Gataki, one of many local businesses that support the shelter.
We’re met with dozens of voices calling out greetings as we enter the building, food in hand. A lynx runs through my feet, excitedly batting at the bag I’m holding.
“If you make me drop this, you’ll be the last to eat,” I tease the teenage shifter who backs up just enough to allow me to walk.
We try to eat with our residents often, creating bonds of trust through shared food. There’s always plenty of chatter and laughter in the dining hall and today is no different.
After we finish, Roscoe leads the others in cleaning up and Charlie and I slip out, making our way to the fourth floor where we lock the door, shutting out the rest of the world. The area is currently under renovation. It used to be our storage area, but the shelter needs more beds so we can take in more shifters.
Charlie sighs contentedly as we contemplate the space filled with lumber, paint cans, tools and dust. “I love our kids and the shelter residents, but I’m looking forward to a peaceful afternoon of painting.”
She pulls on a pair of overalls to protect her clothes while I pour paint into a tray. I hand her a roller and together we do what we do best, create a safe place for those in need of protection.
I’m distracted by Charlie as a beam of sunlight falls across her. She stretches her arm high, dragging the paint roller down the wall. A couple of drops of paint have landed on her nose and she hums tunelessly to herself. I love her more than words can express.
A smile lights up her face as she catches my thought and she blows me a kiss from across the room.
THE END
Table of Contents
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- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40 (Reading here)
- Page 41