Page 5 of Scars of the Sun
I tickled my nephew’s little belly and hummed my agreement. “Nah, it was good. I think. Not sure how these things are supposed to go.”
Delaney rested his elbows on his knees, curling his back inward to make himself smaller. “Well, in my experience, this was great. There’s nothing like having a pack to depend on, but it can… go bad really fast.”
Ollie cooed happily while I took in this guy that I’d just met today who’d all but decided we were BFF’s. Or was I misreading things? Was he attracted to me? Was I attracted tohim? If I was asking, maybe not. Right?
Ugh.
“Never been in a pack before.”
He looked horrified, “Wha—really? I mean, I know we can’t shift, but you’ve got one shifter parent at least, right?” When I nodded, he continued after a quick glance at O, “Your brother seems like a good Leader. Why haven’t you been in the pack before now?”
My brow hung low over my eyes as I contemplated the question. Really, I wasn’t opposed to the pack life. It was my mother who’d been determined to keep me away from that side of myself as much as possible. And with my abilities leaning more toward strength, healing, and heightened senses, there wasn’tthatmuch to hide.
“Ah… it’s complicated. But I grew up with our mom who is… weird about it.” Ollie started wriggling in my arms, pulling at my hold toward Sylvie who was coming our way. When sherounded the fire pit and plopped down in front of us, my nephew abandoned me without a thought.
Delaney didn’t ask me to explain more, for that I was grateful, and turned to my sister-in-law with so much gratitude in his brown eyes that they almost glazed over entirely. “Thank you so much for inviting me, Sylvie. I missed this so much.”
My sister-in-law, dressed in a swishy dress and sandals, waved off Delaney’s words. Without a stitch of shame or propriety, she pulled down the neckline of her dress and guided her pup to her breast. Ollie quickly climbed into her arms, and she gently ran her fingers over his tawny cheek. “Oh,pfft. It’s no trouble at all. Having new faces is a welcome change.”
“Is there anything you need me to do?” I took note of more people heading out, parents carrying sleepy pups toward their cars as nighttime descended upon us.
Sylvie caressed the soft black curls on her son’s head while he breastfed. “Absolutely not. You’ve already helped so much. Is there anythingwecan do for you?”
Though she was kind, Sylvie was also astute as a motherfucker, and the way she eyed me, as if peering under my skin to the taped-together heart underneath, threatened to let loose memories of staunch white and loud, overstimulating entertainment rooms.
The two of them said nothing, waiting for me to reply, but all I could muster was a weak, “N-no. I’ve got everything I need.” That didn’t feel like a lie.
Did it?
If I were being honest, the thought of returning to the guest room at Orion and Sylvie’s cabin, with only the relief of a book or TV binge to knock me out, was making me feel like I was going to suffocate. My skin had been buzzing with restlessness tonight, after hours being crumpled up on my brother’s sofa with a book in hand until it was time to pick up the kids. “Actually—do youknow when that skatepark closes?” For some wild reason, I’d slung my skates over my shoulder when I fled my apartment in New York, and they’d been sitting at the foot of the guest bed. Apparently, there was no skating rink in Antler Pointe, and my brother’s gravel driveway was impossible to practice on.
Sylvie’s lips turned down. “Not sure, but I think I remember seeing people there even late into the night. You should be fine. Do you want one of us to go with you?”
“No, I’ll be okay. Probably won’t be out there long. It might be closed, anyway.”
She began to gather her feet beneath her, maneuvering to stand without jostling Ollie who was looking like he’d fall asleep any moment. Delaney and I followed, gathering our things, and he made to start folding up the blanket. “Thank you again for having me. I don’t have much going on outside of school, so I’ll be at the next meeting—if that’s okay?”
My sister-in-law softly rocked her torso from side to side. “Well, we were hoping so! And, I know you’re busy at the school and all, but we could always use an extra set of hands with the garden. Ramona and I are there quite a bit.”
I couldn’t help but snicker, “Don’t fall for it. She’ll rope you into doing the grunt work while she and her witch friend use their powers for the cool stuff.”
Sylvie’s face broke into a massive grin, her laugh a lilting melody in the warm night. My lips twitched, but when I caught my brother drifting over like a moth to a flame, a full chuckle bubbled up from my chest.
O put his arms around Sylvie from behind, kissing the top of her head. He’d started sporting a short, trimmed beard since he started as Leader, and the fact that it still remained on his face was a shock I was still getting over. For all of my life, he’d had the same haircut, wore the same sort of clothes, and changed as little about himself or his surroundings as possible. Granted, hishaircut and clothes were pretty much the same. But the beard and the look he gave me was like a new version of my brother that I was still just getting to know.
Delaney, who’d joined Sylvie and I in laughing at my joke, had curled even more into himself and cast his eyes downward. What was all that about?
Sylvie craned her neck to get a kiss from my brother, who returned it with a softness that felt too intimate to witness, however quick it might’ve been. When his eyes met my face, I tried to give a subtle jerk of my head in Delaney’s direction, hoping he’d do something.
Orion sighed and straightened from embracing his mate. “We hope you come back, Delaney.”
My new… friend sucked in a quick breath, frantic eyes darting back and forth on the grass at his feet. His skittishness was freaking me out a little, and Orion seemed similarly bewildered. His fingers tapped in their usual rhythm at his sides, a tell of when my brother was feeling some surge of energy or overstimulation. By the tightness around his mouth, this time, it was discomfort.
“Um, yes, I was just about to accept your mate’s invitation to keep attending. And m-maybe help with the garden, too. If that’s okay.” I knew that he’d been nervous before, but this was a whole new level. What the fuck had his last pack been like?
Orion frowned. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
Delaney bowed his head even further, seemingly panicking at how to approach the question. As if he was worried it was a trick. Before anyone else could answer, Sylvie stretched out a hand. “Honey, do you mind if I touch you?”