Shift (Castlerock Shifters Book 1) Page 2

  As had happened so many times in the past months, her memories triggered the most painful one – losing her mother.

  * * *

  It had been mid-December and the two of them had gone out to dinner to celebrate Jaisey’s early graduation. She had first graduated early from high school and then college. Years were spent in classrooms, lecture halls, and libraries with no breaks – even in the summer. That had served her well and she’d completed her Bachelor of Science degree. She just wasn’t sure what to do next. Her degree had been a combination of classes too widespread to make her an expert in any one field. She loved them all – astronomy, anthropology, geography, biology. It all fascinated her and narrowing down to a single discipline had been weighing on her.

  Over dinner, they talked over the different options Jaisey had been considering – traveling, working or more school – working toward her Master’s and finally Doctorate as her mother had done. She’d been leaning toward traveling for a year, mostly just wanting to join Jasmyn in Europe, as she was missing her twin terribly. Then maybe she could head back to school the following year with a bit more clarity.

  The conversation had been unresolved when they’d left the restaurant. Her mom had smiled and said it was her life and her decision. She’d hugged her just before they pulled out of the parking lot and told her that no matter what, she loved her and was proud of her.

  At least she had that.

  The truck that had run the red light had been unable to stop, or even swerve on the icy December road. Jaisey had seen it, but her mom hadn’t. She had been looking at Jaisey, smiling…

  * * *

  Jaisey shook the memory from her head, wiping her eyes to stop the tears that threatened to fall as they had so many times in the months that followed. It had been the impact that had killed her mom, but Jaisey had survived... barely. She had been in the hospital for over two months while her broken, bruised body healed.

  The doctors called her recovery miraculous, but Jaisey saw no miracle in such a thing. She hated that she’d survived, while her amazing mother had been lost. How that could be called a miracle was beyond her. She would forever have the scar that ran from her middle to lower back, along with the others that marked her with constant reminders of her loss. But, even with those visual reminders, the unseen scar on her heart seemed to be the worst.

  Her family had been great through it all. When she had come out of the post-surgery haze, they had been there to help her through the unbelievable grief that had descended on her. While they had all been a close group, Jaisey seemed to have a tighter bond with their mother than the others. Perhaps that was because she’d chosen to stay when the others had gone out into the world to pursue their dreams. Or perhaps, it was simply that she was technically the baby of the family – Jasmyn being a whole twenty-three minutes older.

  Jared had managed leave for a few weeks. Josh had dropped his spring semester of classes, even though he would have graduated once done. Even Jasmyn had put her overseas trip on hold. They had all set aside everything in their lives, just to support Jaisey. Together, the four of them had said goodbye to their mom at a small service in the hospital chapel, but taking care of their mother’s ashes had been left to Jaisey. Josh had offered to come with her up the mountain for the summer, but after missing a whole semester, he was anxious for the summer classes to finish up his schooling. In the end, like the others, he had agreed she would be fine so long as Jack was with her.

  She sighed, feeling the pain of her loss as though it were still new. Fate had made her decision for her regarding her plans. She couldn’t think past setting her mother to rest in her favorite place.

  So, this is where she would spend her summer… one last time. She would wander the paths they had wandered, and she would wade in the same streams. She would find peace and she would heal. Then, when she drove off the mountain, she could decide the direction her life would take.

  She pulled Yellow Jeep right up to the front porch to begin unloading. That brought a slight smile to her lips – Yellow Jeep. Their mom had taken the girls to get their first cars when they had turned sixteen. Jasmyn had found a cute little blue beetle right off, but they had wandered through several used car lots, seeing nothing that called out to Jaisey. Then she had seen it – the yellow monstrosity. With a huge smile, she’d known it was meant for her.

  Her mom had started affectionately calling it Yellow Jeep right off. She had welcomed it as a member of the family, silly as it was. That had always made Jaisey laugh. She would remind Jaisey to make sure Yellow Jeep had enough gas or would suggest a carwash for Yellow Jeep when it was particularly dirty looking. Jasmyn went through her cars too fast to name any, which was also a source of amusement for them all.

  Jaisey closed her eyes, trying to push the memories from her mind. Once again, the emptiness that had taken up residence in her heart since her mother’s death rose to the surface. She wasn’t sure she would ever be able to move past this loss – her mother had been her hero, her confidant, her friend, and so much more.

  There was no moonlight, so she kept her headlights on to see her way to the front door of the cabin. This little cabin in the woods had belonged to her mom’s parents. It had been left to their mom after her parents had passed, and upon their mother’s death, it was in turn left to the four of them. Odd though, they had all been under the impression that their mom had sold it all those years before when they’d stopped coming up the mountain. The reading of her will had shocked them all with that revelation.

  Jaisey had been thrilled – grateful that her grandparent’s cabin was still in the family. She didn’t remember her grandparents but had always held a special spot in her heart for them because of this place. Her mom had spent every summer of her life on these mountains growing up. It was why she’d become so passionate about forestry and wildlife in the first place. Not to mention, it was where she had met their father. Jaisey had always figured she’d grow up the same way and was more than a little disappointed when that didn’t happen.

  The cabin itself was only a mile or so from the ranger station, so during construction, they’d had all the utilities pulled down to it. It had surprised Jaisey when she’d found out that the few other cabins around had generators for electricity and no phones. Her mom had said that her parents were eccentric. That was an understatement and of course, Jaisey decided that she would have liked them very much. It certainly made everyone feel more at home with simple conveniences.

  We certainly never roughed it, Jaisey thought. The sound of her quiet laugh shocked her. It had been entirely too long since she had felt anything that could inspire amusement.

  She looked over what she could see of the cabin. It was truly a sight for sore eyes. It sat on the northern edge of a small clearing on the twenty or so acres of land her grandparents had purchased, surrounded by state land that would never be sold for private development. The front porch faced south, looking out over the clearing, and then beyond to the rolling hills and valleys. The larger, more towering mountains were off to the west. It was a breathtaking view; her grandparents had chosen well in their location.

  A deep porch ran the length of the front of the cabin and she stepped up onto it with a feeling of release as the tension eased from her body. It seemed the incident on the road had made her more anxious than she had realized, and she felt herself calming.

  Jack had jumped out of the Jeep and was bounding around in the overgrown weeds of the clearing. She realized that would have to be dealt with quickly or he’d be covered in burrs in no time. She hollered at him and headed to the front door.

  When she unlocked it, a musty smell rushed out to greet her. She flipped the light switch and was relieved when the light came right on. She’d called to have the utilities reestablished but had still worried about actual service.

  Jack edged past her and started going room to room, checking everything out. With her own quick survey of the cabin, she could tell everything was right where the
y had left it, though it was all covered with a thin layer of dust. Odd, after so many years of disuse, it should have been much worse. She vaguely wondered if her mother had sent someone up to do annual clean-ups or something. Honestly, she’d half expected to see the place vandalized, but it remained as it always had. No one came up this far that didn’t have a specific place to go, so no one would have even been by to notice the vacancy.

  She grabbed her flashlight and headed back out to work her way around the outside of the cabin. She found the shut-off valve for the water and after a bit of a struggle, managed to get it turned on. Again, she noted that with a decade of disuse it should have been harder. Shrugging it off, she headed back to the front of the cabin.

  She had hit her head hard enough on the steering wheel when she’d hit the embankment that it had started bleeding. She’d stopped the flow, but now her hair was matted with blood near the hairline. She needed to clean it up and put a bandage on it.

  She grabbed her first aid kit from Yellow Jeep and headed to the bathroom. Thankfully, the gash wasn’t deep, but her forehead was already bruising and swelling. It would have been awful to have to head right back down the mountain to get stitches.

  She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Something seemed different. Her hair was still black as night, hanging in waves down her back. Her eyes were the same shade of green as they had always been and her skin was pale, though she was finally starting to look less sallow from her extended hospital stay. She looked the same and yet she had changed. Perhaps the change was internal rather than external, or perhaps she simply looked older than her twenty years, though that could be from the stress of the last few months. She sighed, shaking her head, knowing there was nothing she could do about that.

  Before heading out to unload Yellow Jeep, she figured she’d better call Josh. He was the worrier in the family, and she had promised him that she would call the minute she got in. Hearing the dial tone sounding back at her was a comfort as well since the cell service was spotty at best. She dialed his number and he picked up on the second ring, making her think he must have had the phone right next to him.

  “Hello?” his sleepy voice answered.

  “Hey big brother, did I wake you?” she asked with a small chuckle, knowing full well that she had.

  “No,” he said quickly, stifling a yawn.

  Jaisey snorted in disbelief.

  “Fine, maybe I dozed off. I guess you made it. Everything okay?” he asked.

  “Yep. Electricity and phone are good. I swear this place hasn’t changed,” she said. No need to tell him about the stupid accident and get him worrying needlessly.

  “Hey, Jared called earlier. He really wanted to talk to you, but he was headed back out with his unit. He said he’d call again when he gets a chance.” She heard him yawn yet again.

  “Well dang, I wish I hadn’t missed his call,” she replied wistfully, “I’d love to hear from him.” Calls were infrequent from Jared, so they were precious to them all. In truth, they all worried about him the most.

  “Yeah and Jasmyn sent a short email with some pictures of the Eiffel tower. She copied you, so you’ll have to check those out when you’re able.” So, she was in France, Jaisey absently noted.

  “She also said something about being in Spain for the running of the bulls in July.” The disapproving tone was familiar coming from Josh when talking about Jasmyn. He thought she took unnecessary chances – too often. Reckless was his favorite word to describe her.

  Jaisey chuckled in response, again enjoying the sound of her lighthearted laughter. “Listen, Josh, I know you’re tired and I’m pretty wiped out after driving all day. I need to get my stuff in and get settled so I’ll give you a call later, okay?”

  “Sure, no problem. I’ll be here all day tomorrow for sure, so call anytime. Just,” he paused and cleared his throat before continuing, “be safe Jaisey.” The emotion in his voice was clear and it was almost enough to push her over the edge again. Even though they were all adults now, they were orphans and Josh was the most worried about losing anyone else in their tight-knit family.

  “I will. Love you,” she said.

  “You too, bye,” he replied.

  She mumbled her goodbye and hung up the phone and simply stood there giving herself a moment to regain her composure. She acknowledged that she had been falling apart way too often and much too easily. However, she also knew in her heart that this was the place that would remedy that. And she fully intended to work through all her emotions and grief. Jack nudged her hand with his wet nose, getting her attention.

  “Okay, okay,” she told him.

  They headed back out to Yellow Jeep and grabbed Jack’s food and water. He was eating and drinking as she started dragging in her boxes, coolers of food, and other things. When she pulled in the dog bed for Jack, he spent long minutes pushing it around and walking in circles on it, before he was satisfied enough to flop down. It took about ten more minutes to get the rest unloaded and into the cabin. She was hitting true exhaustion by then.

  “I think I’ll deal with you tomorrow,” she said to her pile of things.

  She locked up, grabbed her comforter and stretched out on the couch, not feeling up to making up a bed. As she drifted off, a peaceful feeling settled on her – a feeling of rightness.

  Home.

  Three

  Quinn

  Quinn’s plans to head up and check on the girl were thwarted when he stepped out his front door the following morning. One of the older women in the pack, Onai, was moving to a smaller dwelling, to make room for a growing family. Her own children were grown and gone, so it made sense. Quinn was enlisted to help move her things as soon as he’d been spotted. In turn, he’d grabbed several of the young men, including Seff. The move had gone easily and quickly, but then sweet Onai had insisted on feeding all the boys. It would have been rude to refuse, so he was waylaid through late morning.

  Seff trailed after him as he left Onai’s new place, clearly wanting to chat.

  As soon as they were out of earshot, Seff asked, “So, what did they say?”

  Quinn couldn’t help smiling. Seff was the biggest busybody in the entire village. He knew more about what was going on than the old women and that was saying something.

  Quinn just smiled at him, eyebrow arched teasingly.

  “C’mon Quinn,” he pleaded.

  “They decided to pull in the range boundary to the second ridge for the time being,” he explained evenly, fully knowing the reaction that would get from the boy.

  “How is that fair?” he demanded. “We barely get to run as it is!”

  Quinn smiled to himself. Seff was definitely prone to exaggeration; their range covered hundreds of square miles.

  “I know it isn’t fair Seff… but listen, they really just want us to avoid the girl until she leaves,” he explained.

  “But I was gonna…” Seff trailed off at Quinn’s smile, “what?”

  “Just stay put and behave, I think I’m going to go for a run,” he replied.

  Seff stared at him for a moment and then a slow grin appeared.

  “Guess we’ll talk later then,” he said as he turned and headed back towards his friends. “See ya!”

  Quinn shook his head with a smile and then skirted around his house to the forest surrounding the small village. Hitting the forest, he shifted and ran northwest toward the cabins. He wasn’t sure how many he would have to check to find her, but there weren’t more than a dozen, so it shouldn’t take too much time. At his wolf pace, he would be able to check them all within a few hours or less.

  However, luck was with him. The first cabin he checked – the one closest to the ranger station – had the Jeep parked right in front. He realized offhandedly it was yellow; in the dark the night before he hadn’t picked up on that. He edged his way around the clearing and found a spot close to the house, good for observing and listening.

  From his vantage point, he was upwind from the cabin, effe
ctively keeping her scent from reaching him. Not that he believed she was really his mate anymore, but something in him wouldn’t let him take the chance. Looking at the cabin, he found it familiar, but couldn’t recall why.

  Within moments he was distracted from his reminiscing, as noises began to emanate from within. It seemed that the girl was only just waking up, so he hadn’t missed anything with his delay.

  Satisfied, he watched from his spot as she opened windows and then listened as she turned on some music – surprised to hear one of his favorite groups playing. The front door opened moments later, and her dog headed outside to take care of business. The dog sniffed and looked his way.

  It had made perfect sense to be downwind from her, but that effectively put him upwind of the dog. He clearly hadn’t thought that one through.

  Within moments, it was headed toward him. Quinn backed further into the forest. He couldn’t have the girl witnessing what he was about to do.

  As the dog approached, obscured from the cabin completely, Quinn shifted. The dog paused and sniffed again. Quinn realized the dog was part wolf – interesting.

  “It’s okay boy. I’m just checking things out,” he said soothingly.

  The dog sniffed in his direction again and Quinn shifted back to wolf form. The mutt growled lowly but continued to inch forward. Quinn avoided direct eye contact, not challenging the intruder just yet.

  “Jack,” the girl's voice called out.

  The dog, Jack apparently, paused and turned to look back the way he came. She didn’t call again though, so he turned back around and continued right up to Quinn’s personal space. Jack sniffed at him and Quinn tolerated it for a few moments. Then he turned and looked straight at the dog; challenging him.