Mine to Claim (Shadow Shifters: Damaged Hearts)

by Arthur, A. C.

“Don’t even speak of such things,” Mom whispered, like really, were Rory and his parents standing right next to her?

  “It was a childish misunderstanding. All of you have gone off to school and you’re working toward your futures. There’s no need to bring up old business.”

  I pulled the phone away from my ear, staring at it in disbelief. Then I pressed it back to my ear and asked, “So when your daughter says someone sexually assaulted her, that’s old business? Wow, that’s incredible.”

  “I don’t have time for your dramatics right now, Grace. I just called to give you the flight numbers and to tell you when the car will be there to pick you up.”

  I shook my head because there was just no reasoning with her, and I was actually tired of trying. If they didn’t want to believe what had happened to me, so be it. If they wanted to live in their secluded and judgmental worlds, let them. I had no intention of ever going back.

  “Cancel the car and the flights,” I said, slow enough so that she would understand, or at least hear me without any problems. “I’m not coming back there and I’m not transferring to Smith.”

  There were a few seconds of silence. So many that I actually thought she may have hung up on me. I should be so lucky.

  “If you really mean that, I have no choice but to tell you there will be no financial help from your father and me, ever.”

  I swallowed at her words, as if I were the one who had spoken such cruel and absolutely ridiculous terms. So to be clear, they were going to cut me off financially because I wouldn’t do what they wanted. I almost laughed but there was a slight pang in my heart prohibiting me.

  “That’s your decision,” I replied quietly. “It’s your money and you can do whatever you want to with it.”

  “You will not survive without us,” she added haughtily.

  I shook my head, knowing that she could not see nor would she even relate to the pity I was feeling for them right now, or the sorrow I kind of felt for myself.

  “I have a job now. It’s not the greatest but once I graduate from school I’ll find something better and I’ll be okay. I’ll be better than okay,” I said with a little more confidence in my tone. “It was nice talking to you. Good-bye, Mother.” It was a shame my last words to her were a lie.

  It was a shame she was such a cold and unfeeling person that she could cast her only child aside as if she were nothing but a part of a business deal gone bad. Tears stung the back of my eyes but I refused to let them fall. I’d cried enough last night and even though that hadn’t been for my parents, they’d been a part of that whole time of despair and betrayal. They’d been a part of the biggest letdown in my life.

  I tossed the phone and it tumbled off the bed, dropping to the floor. I didn’t care. I lay back against my pillows and stared at the ceiling. It wasn’t cracked and stained like the one at the hotel last night. This one was smooth and freshly painted as of about three months ago, I guessed—even though the egg-yellow tone wasn’t the best selection.

  A part of me wanted to weep with the finality of that conversation and the fact that my phone hadn’t vibrated again so my mother wasn’t trying to call me back. But that seemed to come in a dismal second to my worry about Aidan. Just as soon as I closed my eyes it was his face that I saw and the pained look he had in his eyes as he’d watched me step away from his bike. It was his scent, the one he wore like it was embedded in the very pores of his skin that I smelled when I inhaled and the sound of his voice I heard, causing me to sit straight up in the center of my bed.

  “Meu companheiro.”

  My mate.

  I immediately climbed out of the bed. I went to the window half expecting to see him sitting on his bike, his head tilted up to the window staring at me. But he wasn’t there.

  Yet, I knew that wasn’t true. He was there, he was close, I could feel him. Not bothering to stop to figure out what the hell I could possibly mean by that, I grabbed my jacket and keys and headed out of the dorm. I was almost outside when it dawned on me that I was wearing my pajamas and the flip-flops I’d taken to wearing around the room because the floor was wood and wasn’t at all polished so splinters were a very real fear.

  The breeze was no longer chilly, but a biting cold that had me pulling at my jacket. I’d pushed my arms into the sleeves haphazardly so I had to do some untucking and readjusting before I was able to get it closed. In the meantime, my chest suffered the cold, sending shivers through my entire body. I was just about to call myself all kinds of names and run back inside to the warm comfort of my room, when I saw something.

  It was a quick glimmer of light across the street in the trees. I probably should have turned away, whatever was over there in the dark probably needed to stay over there in the dark, but I couldn’t. I walked down the steps, staring in the exact spot I’d seen the light. I didn’t see it again but there was something there, something that was beckoning me forward. Almost as if a voice—Aidan’s voice—was calling to me. I was suddenly warm at the thought, my heart beating wildly in my chest as I drew closer to the curb, about to cross the street.

  Then there were lights, bright and moving fast, and the blare of a horn that had me backing up just before a car slammed on its brakes right in front of me.

  A few seconds later Scarlett was wrapping her arms around me, yelling in my ear.

  “Are you crazy? Are you drunk? What are you doing out here in your pajamas and not watching where you’re going?”

  Her questions came in a rapid-fire but I wasn’t really listening to any of them. I was still staring across the street. The connection had been disturbed but I still felt like something was there. Maybe it was Aidan. Maybe?

  “Grace? Grace? Answer me, goddammit! What the hell are you doing?”

  Scarlett had me by the shoulders and was now shaking me so that my head bobbed and everything else in my upper body vibrated with the motion.

  “What? What are you doing? Stop it!” I said, trying to pull away.

  “What are you doing out here in your pajamas?” Scarlett asked again. “Oh god, I hope you weren’t waiting for Aidan Sanchez again. Gracie, I told you he was bad news.”

  I yanked away from her then, backing up enough to stare at her. “And I told you I didn’t believe you.”

  “Well, you can believe this,” Jordy said, coming to stand right beside Scarlett. “The cops have his bracelet. They found it at the crime scene. He did it, Grace. He’s a robber and a thief and who knows what else.”

  I digested his words, felt them swirling in the pit of my stomach like tainted meat that would inevitably make me barf.

  “His what? A bracelet? Aidan had his bracelet that night at the party,” I said, more to myself than the other two because I didn’t care what they thought at this moment.

  “And he robbed the gas station after he ran out of the party,” Jordy stated almost happily.

  He didn’t, my mind screamed.

  “He couldn’t have,” I whispered.

  Scarlett took a step closer to Jordy who wrapped his arm protectively around her. “He did, Grace. He left that party and he robbed that gas station. He had a gun,” she said with finality like I should just take her word for it, or like she had all the answers.

  Just like my mother had sounded in our earlier conversation.

  “He couldn’t have because he was with me after he left the party,” I said, louder than I had spoken before.

  Scarlett looked only mildly shocked while Jordy looked angry.

  “You’re a liar,” he spat.

  Scarlett immediately added, “Grace, you came home with me.”

  “I went with him first. He didn’t run right out of the party and go rob someone. I was with him for a while.”

  “Not long enough, Grace. We were back here by one. The robbery was at one thirty in the morning. He did it after you left.”

  “He didn’t,” I said again and this time I meant it with every fiber of my being. I knew Aidan hadn’t robbed that gas station just a
s I knew he or some part of him was close by.

  “Doesn’t matter, cops are gonna pick him up any minute now, thanks to my boo, here,” Jordy said, snuggling Scarlett against his side.

  She looked up at him and smiled and my blood almost froze in my veins. “What did you do?” I asked slowly, carefully.

  Scarlett looked at me like I was a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of her shoe. It was such a stark contrast to what I’d been seeing in her eyes or what I’d been feeling from her that I didn’t quite know how to react.

  “You think I didn’t know you were with him last night? Even after I told you to stay away from him. He’s bad news, Grace, and if I have to get him arrested to prove that to you, I will.”

  I took a step closer to her. “What. Did. You. Do?” I asked again, this time through clenched teeth. The wind blew and I could feel my hair brushing against my neck. I couldn’t feel anything else but the rage roaring through my body.

  “It’s more like what you did,” she replied with a smirk. “You wrote his cell phone number on a notepad. The notepad had the stamp with the motel’s name and address on the back. You always empty your pockets as soon as you enter the room. I saw it when you went to take your shower. All I had to do then was give the police that address.”

  “You bitch!” I said, lunging forward.

  Scarlett backed away and Jordy caught me in midair. In the distance I heard something, a cat hissing or growling, something I couldn’t quite decipher. But I was more concerned with someone else I’d thought was my friend.

  “You are so pathetic,” she said, shaking her head. “The first guy that comes sniffing around you and you fall head over heels. He’s going to hurt you, Grace. And then what? You’re going to come running back to me asking forgiveness.”

  “No,” I said, my entire body shaking with anger. I pushed Jordy’s hands off me and pulled my jacket closer once more. “No. I won’t come running back to you or anybody else, Scarlett. He’s innocent and I’m going to do whatever I can to help prove that. And you, both of you can stay the hell out of my way.”

  I pushed past both of them and raced up the steps to my room. I packed all night long, with no clue as to where I would go. I just knew that I couldn’t stay here. Not any longer.

  CHAPTER 10

  Grace

  Sleeping on one of the very uncomfortable cots in the health center coupled with last night’s events put me in a very sour mood the next morning. That mood was possibly made worse by the fact that I had to work from ten in the morning until two this afternoon at the coffee shop. It was mornings like this that I hated needing a part-time job. Still, it gave me something to do rather than sit around avoiding the therapist that seemed to desperately want to talk to me about my housing issues or lack thereof. Working would probably also keep my mind off Aidan, although I really doubted that.

  It was Sunday morning and most students were either sleeping off last night’s hangovers or in some deep study group getting ready for exams. Of the ten tables in the dining area only three of them were filled, with the five people who had their cups of java and huddled over their laptops. At almost noon I’d cleaned the counter and stocked up on everything from coffee stirrers to napkins, to the ever-popular bonus-club cards that allowed one large free cup of java after your purchase of ten large cups. This equated to about twenty bucks for one large cup of coffee which seemed insane to me, but I was not about to complain since I was well on my way to my free cup.

  The shop was at the end of the Student Hall building, sitting in the corner where in the summer months tables and chairs were assembled outside on the sidewalk for customer use. Leaning over the counter I had just opened my history book to read the final passages that were earmarked in our study guide when the bell above the front door jingled.

  I maybe would have classified them as the Three Musketeers the way they walked in and stood side by side just inside the front door, each of them looking around as if surveying the lay of the land. Except the mean smirk on each of their faces clearly defined them as villains and as I pushed back from the counter, standing up straight, my mind whirled with how I was going to deal with them and whatever reason they were here.

  Rafe approached first. It was odd now, seeing him between Chris and Brett. What was even odder was that his features looked just as they had at the party. He was still tall, probably a little bit over six feet, but I was just guessing since I’m only five feet five. He wore jeans and a Dallas Cowboys football jersey which was like a slap in the face to the area residents who wholeheartedly supported the Redskins.

  “Hi, Gracie,” he said, his voice smooth like it was laced with honey.

  His combative stance—legs spread apart, arms folded over his wide chest, and cool glare—sort of broke the sweet and smooth theory. My arms immediately went in front of me, fingers clasping nervously.

  “Hi, Rafe.” I know he was probably wondering why I was staring at him so weirdly, but I was wondering what the hell had happened to his nose.

  I’d been standing right there when Aidan punched him. I’d heard the crack of bone and almost been hit by the immediate splatter of blood. And yet, right here and right now, he stood not three feet away from me with his nose uncovered and perfectly straight.

  “Pretty Gracie,” Chris said, coming up on Rafe’s right.

  Not to be left out, Brett stood on Rafe’s left. All three of them looking pretty opposing and in perfect condition—no back sprain, no broken arm, nothing.

  “What can I get you to drink?” I asked, hoping that would speed up this little visit. I needed them to leave like right now so I could think about what I was seeing presently versus what I knew I’d witnessed in the past.

  “I don’t want a drink,” Chris admitted.

  He looked a little different today. His hair was dry, not sweaty and disheveled and he wore a polo shirt that was neatly tucked into the waistband of his pants. As he appeared completely sober today, his eyes could now be called a hazel brown, his tone level and just a bit cheery.

  “I want you to come from around that counter so I can see all of you,” he continued.

  My instinctive reply to that would have been a “hell no,” but I didn’t really want to agitate these guys. Something told me what I’d seen of them over the past couple of weeks was only a teaser as to the trouble they could really start.

  “She’s not going to come willingly, we learned that before,” Brett added. “We’re gonna have to go over there and get her.”

  I backed up then until I hit the shelves behind me. A couple boxes of coffee that I’d just restacked fell, dropping to the floor. I never even looked down to see them. I kept my eyes on the threesome that I knew now were here for me. I also figured that I didn’t have a lot of options toward fighting them off. Especially since the two guys that had been sitting in the dining area had quickly gotten up to leave as the threesome had approached the counter. Now there were only three girls in the place, plus me, which made us outnumbered by the whole male-being-stronger-than-female thing. Plus, I wasn’t convinced the girls would be of any help since they were still typing on their computers or talking on their cell phones. That was just great, now this entire scene would undoubtedly be tweeted and re-tweeted a million times in the next few minutes.

  “Why don’t you just go?” I tried even though I was almost positive it wasn’t going to work.

  “Did you tell Aidan to just go?” Rafe asked.

  He’d been quiet while the other two had taunted me, but he’d never taken his eyes off me. I could feel his gaze slithering over me as creepy as the skin of a snake and wanted to scream. But I refused to show them the fear coursing through my body, refused to go down like that.

  “I don’t have to serve you in here. I can call the manager. He’s right in the back and he’ll take care of you,” I said even though Todd had run to the supermarket to get more 2 percent milk for the low-cal lattes.

  “Oh, you’re gonna serve me,” Rafe said, leanin
g forward. “In fact, you’re gonna serve all of us. One at a time, and then again and again. And guess what? Your little boy toy Aidan won’t be able to help you this time because he’ll be in jail.”

  “Aidan’s innocent,” I spat impulsively. “He’s not going to jail!”

  Rafe tossed his head back and laughed. “Oh, yes, he is. I made sure of that.”

  He reached out to me then, the top half of his body flattening over the counter, his long arms stretching toward me. I tried to back up more, but couldn’t. The only other way to go would be around the side but that would lead me right into their path. I looked from side to side, was about to scream for help but the sound died in my throat.

  “Come here, bitch!” Rafe yelled, reaching out, his fingers wiggling as he signaled for me to come to him.

  I saw his fingers, heartbeat thumping wildly in my chest. My teeth almost chattered, tears immediately springing to my eyes. That’s when I saw it. On Rafe’s left arm was a brown leather bracelet, one that looked strangely like Aidan’s.

  All remnants of fear shifted to rage as I took one slow step forward. I grabbed his wrist before he could pull it back. “What the hell is this? Where did you get this?” I yelled in his face.

  His only reply he was to grab my arms, pulling me over the counter as he moved back.

  To say that was a painful experience would be putting it mildly. The front of my body slammed against the counter only to be dragged, knocking over the stand of bonus cards that I’d just restacked and a display of to-go cups. One of the cups caught me beneath my chin and I gasped while beside Rafe, Chris and Brett cheered.

  “Shut the fuck up!” Rafe yelled at them. “Get the cans so we can get on with this!”

  By this time the three girls that had been left in the coffee shop had closed their laptops and were hustling out of the shop. I wanted to scream for them to help me or to call them names for not helping me. Unfortunately, they were already long gone.

  Rafe was holding me so tight I could barely breathe. His chest heaved as he glared down at me. He leaned in closer, rubbing his nose along the line of my neck and I almost threw up the bagel and cream cheese I’d gulped down during my last fifteen-minute break. I craned my neck, hoping to move out of his reach but that was to no avail. His nostrils continued touching my skin, a rumbling beginning in his chest.