Page 25 of Shifter and the Succubus (The Pack #1)

What a difference a day made. Sabrina watched Jason and his parents as they all sat at the kitchen table and finished their breakfast. Lidia had made homemade waffles and bacon, which apparently was one of Jason’s favorites.

Sitting on the counter was a container of biscuits and another container of oatmeal cookies for Jason to take with him as well.

Sabrina wondered if Lidia had slept at all or stayed up all night baking.

Sabrina felt lighter than she had in a while, like standing outside on a sunny day after a week of rain, because Jason was happy.

When was the last time someone could impact her mood this much?

She didn’t want to think too long and hard about that.

Instead she paid attention to the conversation.

Carter told Jason all about the changes to the barn.

“Why don’t I show you the changes we’ve made,” Carter said.

Lidia nodded. “That’s a great idea. Sabrina and I will stay here and talk.”

Jason hesitated and Lidia smiled. “Sweetheart, the gun is locked away, and you can take the knife block with you if it makes you feel better.”

Sabrina knew where Jason had gotten his humor from. “We’re good,” she told him.

Jason and Carter left the house, and Sabrina watched them through the window as they walked toward the barns.

Lidia sat up straighter. “I asked Carter to give us a few minutes alone. I wanted to apologize to you for yesterday.”

Sabrina shook her head. “There's no need. Seriously. I told Jason that I understand where you were coming from. You were told to protect Jason, and that's what you did and continue to do.”

Lidia’s shoulders dropped. “Thank you. We’ve missed him. I’m so glad he came home, even if the reason for the visit is not good.” Lidia frowned. “Is his condition serious?”

How did she answer that? “We’ve never seen it before, but we’re working to figure out how to get his animal to communicate with him.”

“I’m glad he has you. I've wanted Jason to find someone special for a long time.”

And there was the assumption she’d been waiting for. “We’re just friends.”

Lidia set down her coffee cup. “My son doesn’t look at you like a friend. And you don’t look at him like a friend either, so let’s cut the bull, shall we?”

Sabrina really, really liked Jason’s mother.

“It’s complicated.”

Lidia chuckled. “What a buttoned-up word. Love is more than complicated. It’s messy and scary as hell sometimes.

But it’s worth it. Jessica told me a little bit about other supernaturals, but even if she hadn’t, I would know that you have been on earth longer than your pretty face lets on.

And I bet you figured out a long time ago that all the things we have don’t mean a damn if we don’t have love.

” She leaned forward. “Some sort of love, whether with family or friends or a partner. We need that sense of connection, of rightness with the people who mean the most to us.”

Sabrina swallowed. That is what she’d been missing. Yes, she could admit that she loved her BSR teammates to a certain extent and felt close to Lela. But Sabrina was separated from her clan and had never allowed herself to truly love someone as a partner. “I’m watching out for him.”

“I know you are. Thank you.”

Jason and Carter returned a short time later with red cheeks from the cold.

Lidia poured them new cups of coffee. She walked over to the counter and picked up a manila envelope.

“I found what little information I have on the attorney who helped with the adoption. I hope you’re able to find out what happened to him. ”

“Did Jessica tell you anything about what happened to her mom?” Jason asked.

Lidia shook her head. “No. But let me write down her mom’s name for you. I don’t know if she even goes by that name any longer. She mentioned that for some reason they’d left their pack, which is how they ended up here in Wisconsin. Maybe you can find something there as well.”

She grabbed a piece of paper and jotted down names. Then she reached for the envelope and pulled out a picture. “I found this. It’s the only one I had. Jessica wanted me to destroy it, and I told her I would, but I couldn’t get myself to do it. I’m glad I have something for you.”

Jason’s expression tightened as he looked at the picture for several moments before handing it to Sabrina. It showed a young woman with long dark hair and navy-blue eyes holding a baby in her arms.

Jason rested his hand on his mom’s. “Would you tell me more about Jessica?”

Lidia’s eyes glistened. “I would be happy to. When we were little, she talked about wanting to travel the world. She had wanderlust in her veins. I think that’s where you got it from. I remember one time…”

Jason leaned forward and listened intently as his mother reminisced about Jessica. He was blessed being a product of two amazing women and a father who loved him.

Sabrina thought back to what Lidia had said. It did all come down to love.

Jason finished off the second oatmeal cookie with a smile.

The cookies reminded him of being a kid again—riding his bike through the fields, building a tree house with his dad, his mom teaching him to ice skate.

“Are you sure you don’t want one?” He held up the zipper bag, and Sabrina shook her head.

They were on their way home, and she’d been quiet for most of the flight. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she answered absently.

And then nothing else. She was a little too much inside her head. He’d seen it before with her when she was trying to help a patient. Was she worrying about him? That wouldn’t do.

“Talk to me, Sabrina Miller.”

She blinked. “About what?”

“What’s your favorite color?”

Her lips turned up at the corners. “Lavender.”

“Book?”

She shook her head. “Impossible to choose just one.”

“Food?” He held up his hand. “Besides chocolate-covered pretzels.”

Her smile grew. “Shrimp and grits.”

“What was your childhood like?”

And just like that, her expression shuttered close. “Not anything special.”

“I doubt that. I’m sure you have amazing stories to tell about your life.”

She looked out the plane window. Was she going to ignore him?

He leaned forward. “I’m sorry if I somehow committed a supernatural faux pas. I thought with you being thrown headfirst into my childhood, you might want to share something about your past.”

She faced him again. “Our clan doesn’t really share information about our past.”

Should her response be enough to stop his questions? “Why not?” Guess his mouth had already decided for him.

“Have Griffin and Bea talked to you about why shifters are close-knit and secretive?”

He nodded. “Yes. For protection. In the past they were taken advantage of.”

“For my clan, it’s similar. We were persecuted in the past because others didn’t understand our powers. Even other demon clans took part in the attacks.”

His gut clenched. “I’m sorry, Sabrina. Is that why you hide your powers?”

“Not sharing about ourselves and our ways is about self-preservation. We are known to absorb energy during sex, which is troubling enough for some. We don’t want others to know we could be a threat with our active powers.”

He sat up straighter. “Even now? You work with the BSR. With supes who would have attacked you before.”

“I chose to be a healer to all. And as other supernaturals have become more accepting, I became a part of the BSR.”

“What’s changed?”

Her eyes tightened as if she was in pain. “There are few of us left, and the threat the others felt in the past has lessened.”

“And what does your clan think of your job with the BSR?” He pushed even though he probably shouldn’t, but he wasn’t getting a good feeling.

Sabrina sat for a moment as if weighing her words. “They don’t think much of it.”

“I’m sorry. That has to be hard to not have their support.”

Sabrina looked away from him again. “I’ve made peace with it.”

Should he call bullshit like she did to him last night?

She’d never been open about things, but this was a whole new level of repressed emotions.

And there was a ton of baggage she carried around.

He might not have the years on the earth she did—and he didn’t even know how old she really was—but he knew enough to know when she was kidding herself and him about making peace with it.

She hid a lot behind her expressions or lack thereof.

He thought of it as her doctor face. Keep calm and leave your emotions out of things when you’re dealing with patients, right?

But he saw the flash of pain in her sea-blue eyes before she hid it away.

Not having her clan’s support was a seeping wound.

And he needed to be there for her, despite his animal that tried to take over, and his funky DNA strands, and his biological parents who might or might not hold the answer to all of this.

If he couldn’t love her out in the open, he would support her and make her feel a part of a family. A clan he would make for her to replace the pain of missing her own.