Page 34 of Shrouded in the Dark

“Alright. I just want you happy Felicity. Axel, too.”

I heard the grin in her voice. “So, tell me how the barbeque went? How’d today go? Are his friends as hot as Jasper?”

“They’re all pretty damn hot.” Finally saying it out loud felt great. “They’re all really fun, nice, and smart, too. You’d like them.”

“You’re comfortable with them. That’s awesome, Becca!” Felicity sounded excited for me. “I knew you could beat your anxiety. Are you focusing on your breathing when it starts?”

“Yes, Moooommm,” I drawled out the word.

She giggled softly before she sombered. “I love ya, girly. I know I said we’d video chat tonight, but I’m beat. Can we video chat in a few days?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Thoughts of what this family gathering was all about raced through my head, but I kept my questions to myself. She’d tell me when she was ready. “I’m going to take a bath before bed. I’ll text you tomorrow. Get some sleep, ok?”

“Yup. You too, sweetie.”

After hanging up, I stared down at the phone for a few seconds. I debated on telling Axel what she told me, but after arguing with myself for several long minutes, I decided to wait on telling him the whole truth.

The bathtub didn’t have much water in it yet, so I just turned the water back on to as hot as it would get, since it took a bit to heat up properly. My cellphone was laid on the corner of the tub in case I needed it. After it was ready, I threw in a large lavender bath bomb. Sinking into the hot water felt amazing.

Thirty minutes later, my skin was prune-like as the water cooled down. Stepping out of the tub as it drained, I jumped in the shower for a quick thirty second rinse. My teeth were chattering by the time I was done.

Just as I wrapped my towel around me, my phone dinged. My eyes furrowed briefly as the contact name read: ‘Boyfriend’.

Hey. Jasper said you got home safe. Just wanted to tell you good night and thanks for going to get the pizzas with me today.

Laughter bubbled out of me as I figured out that Seth had put himself as ‘Boyfriend’ for his contact name.

Sure. It was fun.Boyfriend.

Turning off the bathroom light, I climbed into bed. I was too tired to put on pjs, plus I was alone, so it didn’t seem like a big deal. Seth sent a reply.

I thought it was quite clever. Are you all ready for bed or staying up?

I bit my lip thinking about how to reply. I wondered what his reaction would be if he knew I was naked? As soon as the thought went in my head, I threw it out the window. We might have shared a mind shattering kiss, but we didn’t know each other. Plus, he probably had super models vying for his attention.

I just got done with a bath. Now in bed. About to turn off the lights to sleep. Are you going to bed?

My mouth opened in a large yawn as I settled under the covers. I clapped my hands to turn off the lights before picking up my phone again.

Yeah. I’m already in bed. Just wanted to check on you. Have a good sleep, ok? Remember, you need anything, you call us.

Thanks, boyfriend. Good night.

I snickered softly to myself as I plugged in the phone before turning off its flashlight and screen. It took barely three minutes to sink into my dreams.

* * *

Seth

My sigh was silent in the room. Thoughts of the day flew through my mind. My tiger had responded to Becca the second he’d met her yesterday. He’d chuffed and wanted me to puff out my chest to get her to notice us. That didn’t happen.

The girl needed our help. She had no idea what kind of danger a random shifter could pose to a human. I was still curious about her stepfather. It looked like, based on the security he’d installed at just a vacation house, he might know more than he’s telling his family. I’d bet my tail on it.

But sleep was eluding me as my mind ran through different scenarios. If we didn’t find this shifter soon, we’d need to get Becca to come stay with us or have her leave for her house in the city.

Cody was on guard duty tonight while Axel searched for the asshole further out. Jasper would be back soon with the groceries. He’d texted a little while ago letting me know he’d take care of it so I could sleep. Jasper was always worried I was doing too much. He was probably right, but I was the alpha of our group.

On top of that, I have the family business to oversee, my younger brother, and trying to find a tiger mate so that our species didn’t die out, since we were the last.