Page 13 of Snatching Jackie (Wintermoon Shorts #5)

JACKIE

I hurl up what little remains in my stomach, the acidic taste burning my throat.

My eyes water as I stay hunched over on the floor, not even bothering to look up when another black mystical cloud of smoke begins to whiff and fade around me.

The teleportation has done a number on my insides, twisting them in ways human bodies were never meant to experience.

A soft voice, definitely not Kade’s, breaks through my misery. “Oh, you poor thing.”

I tilt my head up, blinking away tears to find a beautiful woman standing over me. She’s wearing a pretty floral dress with an apron tied around her waist, her dark hair pulled into a messy bun that somehow looks intentional rather than chaotic.

Her figure is gloriously curvy, with a curvy figure that make me feel a little less uncertain. When she smiles down at me, her fangs flash briefly—another vampire, but her warm brown eyes hold none of Kade’s sharpness.

“Hi,” she says with a small wave. “I’m Leah.”

Leah. The name clicks in my foggy brain—Kade’s mate, the one she was voice chatting with on the ship. She’s holding a small plastic bag in one hand while extending the other toward me.

“Here, let me help you up.”

I take her offered hand, surprised when her seemingly delicate frame effortlessly pulls me to my feet in one smooth motion. The room spins momentarily, and I sway.

“Kade’s gotta do better with the hospitality,” she says, steadying me with a gentle touch. “She knows humans don’t handle teleportation well. Are you all empty?”

I clutch my stomach, feeling it contract painfully. “Yes, I think so.”

A sharp sting shoots through my arm, making me wince.

The makeshift bandage Kade wrapped around my bullet wound is soaked through with blood, the crimson stain spreading.

The sight of it brings back the memory of the bullet tearing through my flesh, and my stomach threatens to rebel again despite being empty.

Leah notices immediately, her brows lifting. “Oh boy, well that explains why Jabari sank the ship.” She shrugs like a sunken cruise liner is just another Tuesday for her.

Before I can respond, Damon flashes over to us, vampire speed making him appear out of nowhere. He’s holding a small coffee cup, which he extends toward me. I take it reluctantly, stiffening when I see the dark red liquid inside.

“What the hell do I need to drink blood for?” I ask, my voice hoarse from vomiting.

Damon adjusts his perfectly pressed suit jacket. “The handmade bandage Kade made for you is temporary. And you need to see a doctor.”

“Okay, well?—“

“We aren’t taking you to a human hospital,” he interrupts smoothly.

“And if Jabari sees you bleeding out when he wakes, this won’t be the end of it.

He’ll hunt whoever shot you and that person’s bloodline.

” His expression remains casual, as if it were a typical conversation.

“Bear shifters may not be big grudge holders like lion shifters, but that’s only because they’re so good at getting even. ”

I stare at him in shock. “What?”

They’re talking to me like it’s perfectly normal to hand a human a cup of blood, to have a massive bear shifter passed out cold in what appears to be a police station. Then again, maybe for them, it is.

“It’s a small amount of my blood,” Damon explains. “Vampire blood has healing capabilities.” He chuckles, the sound oddly musical. “Well, as long as you’re not on the verge of death. Drink this and you won’t need a hospital visit.”

“What if I don’t want to drink your blood?”

Damon adjusts his tie, green eyes regarding me with a casual expression. “That is your choice, but?—“

I don’t let him finish. Taking a deep breath, I bring the cup to my lips and drink. The blood slides down my throat—cold, metallic, and unpleasant. It doesn’t taste bad exactly, but it doesn’t taste good either. It’s just... wrong, in a way I can’t articulate.

I groan and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. Damon takes the empty cup from me.

Almost immediately, the searing pain in my arm begins to subside, becoming a dull throb rather than the sharp agony it was moments before. The lightheadedness that had been plaguing me lifts, fading away gradually.

Leah holds the fabric bag out to me. “Here.”

I take it reluctantly, still a little wary of these supernatural creatures who’ve literally yanked me from one reality into another within the span of a day.

Damon stops in front of us with a mop and bucket. Leah gestures toward the back of the station where a large cell houses Jabari’s unconscious bear form. “You get Jabari in the cell. He’s going to be cranky when he wakes up.”

Damon nods and walks over to Jabari’s bear form. He grabs one of the massive hind legs and drags him into the cell with surprising ease, the bear’s fur making a soft scraping sound against the floor.

In a blur of vampire speed, Damon disappears into a back room, returning seconds later with fresh clothing and a blanket. He steps over the sleeping bear and sets the items on the small cot in the corner. After stepping out, he closes the door with a metallic clang and turns the key in the lock.

Leah points toward a small hallway at the back of the station. “The bathroom is that way. I’ll grab some items for your stomach and toiletries like a toothbrush and mouthwash so you can clean yourself up.”

Before I can respond, she extends her palm and, like magic (because it probably is magic), a measuring tape appears out of thin air.

I startle as Leah suddenly moves with vampire speed around me, the measuring tape whipping around my waist, hips, bust, and length so fast I barely register what’s happening.

Then she’s standing in front of me again, the whole process having taken less than three seconds.

“Sorry for the intrusion,” she says with a genuine smile. “It’s best to get the measurements. Me being a curvy girl myself, stuff never fits right these days.”

I can’t argue with that logic. Finding clothes that fit well has always been a challenge, even without being teleported to a supernatural island with nothing but the clothes on my back—which happen to be stained with blood and vomit now.

I flinch slightly when Leah teleports out of the station, the black smoke dissipating quickly. She’s gone only seconds before returning with a stack of fresh clothing in her hands and a small bag of toiletries, which she offers to me.

“Here, go get yourself cleaned up, then I’ll feed you. And we’ll wait for Jabari to wake.”

“We can get you registered into Wintermoon’s database while you’re in here,” Damon adds, his tone businesslike but not unkind.

I take the clothes and nod, my eyes lingering on Jabari as I walk past his cell. Despite his massive bear form, he looks almost peaceful, curled up on his side, his chest rising and falling in the rhythm of deep sleep. Damon is already at his desk, going through paperwork and grabbing a clipboard.

Turning the corner, I spot the bathroom and step inside, closing the door behind me. I set the clothes and bag down by the sink and gaze at my reflection in the mirror.

“Holy shit,” I whisper, horrified.

I look like hell. Well, I’ve been through hell. My hair is a tangled mess, mascara streaked down my cheeks from tears and sweat. There’s dried blood on my arm and splattered across my dress, and my eyes are red-rimmed and puffy.

Digging through the bag, I find soap, a washcloth, toothpaste, a toothbrush, mouthwash, and deodorant. Simple stuff, but enough to make me feel human again—or as human as I can feel in a place crawling with supernatural beings.

I wince as I remove my dress, the fabric clinging slightly to the wound on my arm.

Then I take off the bandage, flinching at the slight sting.

Using the washcloth and soap, I clean the area carefully.

To my amazement, the bullet wound is already closing, the angry red flesh knitting together before my eyes.

I guess the vampire blood is working its magic.

After cleaning myself up, brushing my teeth to rid myself of the lingering taste of vomit and blood, and splashing water over my face, I eye the clothes Leah brought. A oversized t-shirt and a pair of leggings. This is so not my style, but I have to admit they’re the right sizes.

“Beggars can’t be choosers,” I mutter to myself as I slip them on, then dump my ruined dress and the toiletry bag into the trash.

One last look in the mirror—I barely recognize myself. My face is cleaner, my eyes wide with the shock of everything that’s happened. I still feel strange from the teleportation, as if my insides haven’t quite settled back into their proper places.

Stepping out of the bathroom, I start walking back toward the main area of the station when something makes me freeze in my tracks.

A mop is moving across the floor by itself, cleaning up my mess without anyone holding it.

It lifts itself into the bucket, wrings out the excess water, then continues its work.

The blood and vomit are practically gone.

Leah stands by the jail cell, watching Jabari’s bear with a finger to her lips. She looks over at me and smiles. “All cleaned up? Good. Let me go get you something to eat.”

I jump when Damon suddenly appears beside me, pulling out a chair. “Here, have a seat, relax while we get you registered.”

Leah vanishes, disappearing in a black cloud of smoke identical to Kade’s, leaving me alone with Damon and an unconscious bear shifter.

“You’ll get used to the teleportation,” Damon says, noticing my unease.

“Leah is a hybrid—both witch and vampire—but there’s a difference between her and Kade.

Leah managed to retain her powers, something that doesn’t happen when witches cross over to vampirism.

Kade had the normal reaction to the transition; her magic is limited. ”

He smiles, revealing the tips of his fangs. “Fate works in mysterious ways.”

I sigh and sit down, my eyes drawn to Jabari’s bear. A smile crosses my lips when I notice that, even in sleep, the corners of his ursine mouth seem turned up slightly, like he’s having a pleasant dream.

My attention is pulled away when the mop and bucket start to float past us, turning down the hall like it’s the most normal thing in the world.

“What the fuck,” I whisper, unable to tear my eyes away.

“You’ll get used to the magic too,” Damon assures me.

I just stare at him, wondering if anything will ever feel normal again.

Damon’s eyes drift to my arm, a hint of concern in his expression. “Are you okay? How is it healing?” He doesn’t try to touch me to examine the wound, almost as if he’s being cautious—perhaps because of the sleeping bear a few yards away.

“It’s like a dull muscle ache now,” I tell him, rotating my arm experimentally. “I feel fine. Even my headache is subsiding.”

“The blood works quickly. Good.” He nods, satisfied.

“How long is Jabari going to be out?” I ask, glancing at the cell.

“A few more hours. He’s a big bear; he tends to come around quickly.”

“So this isn’t the first time he’s been out like that?”

Damon chuckles, the sound surprisingly warm. He walks around the desk and sits down, fiddling with the clipboard. “Your bear has a bit of a temper.”

I sigh, watching Jabari’s massive chest rise and fall. “Yeah, I’m getting that.”

Damon starts with the questions, his pen ready over the form. “Do you have any relatives?”

“Well, my parents have migrated to Canada,” I reply, the normalcy of the question grounding me slightly. “They’re liberals and have given up on the fascist society that has become America.”

“And you stayed,” he observes, not looking up from his writing.

My eyes drift to Jabari, and I sigh. “It never made sense to me why I didn’t go with them.

Something kept me here. A strange pull.” I pause, memories of arguments with my parents flooding back.

“I thought it was because I had a purpose in this world. To show bigger women like myself that they’re beautiful in the skin they’re in.

In a society where we get punished for being in bigger bodies. ”

I straighten my shoulders slightly. “I love my curves, my figure, my size. I adore myself, my body, and I treat it with care. I wanted to be an inspiration.”

My voice trails off as I look down at my hands. “But it seems what was really keeping me here was Jabari. I was waiting for him to find me, and I didn’t even know it.”

Damon pauses, setting the clipboard down on his desk. His eyes study me carefully. “You know, Jackie, being in Wintermoon isn’t a prison sentence. You can still do what you love while you’re here. And you are not forced to stay on Wintermoon. You can leave if you want. Only Jabari will...”

“He will follow me,” I finish for him, the reality of my new life sinking in deeper.

“I’m not fighting my fate, Damon,” I say quietly, the truth of it surprising me. “I know I belong here. It’s just...”

“You don’t want being fated to a shifter to become your only identity,” he offers, his voice gentle.

“Yes.” I look down at my hands, twisting them in my lap. “Is that a bad thing for me to feel?”

“No, it is not,” Damon replies. “It’s a natural feeling when facing such a big change in your life.” His tone becomes more practical. “Settle into your new clan, get to know your members, and give me and Kade time to work something out for you. Could you do that for me?”

I look up at him, tears welling in my eyes.

I’ve spent my whole life fighting for space in an unfair world, and here I am in a land full of supernaturals who are validating me, offering to help me keep my dreams alive while I adjust to my new future with a chaotic bear shifter.

This can’t be real. No way this is real.

Before I can respond, another black cloud appears in the center of the room.

Kade appears, still in her sheriff’s outfit and boots, her hair drenched in water that drips onto the newly cleaned floor.

Her eyes immediately find Jabari’s sleeping form, and she glares at him like she wants to set him on fire.

“I cannot BELIEVE you sank my fucking ship,” she seethes. “Oh, oh you are going to pay for this.”

She finally notices Damon and me staring at her like she’s lost her mind. “What?” she demands, then mutters something about getting more humans from the ship to safety before teleporting away in another puff of black smoke.

I exchange a look with Damon, who merely shrugs as if to say, “That’s Kade for you.”

Welcome to Wintermoon, indeed.