The dream settled over him like a warm blanket. But it wasn’t just a dream.
It was a stupid fight, really. Some bully teasing another kid. Brian Campbell. Grizzly shifter. He was stuffing some poor kid into a locker when Luke saw him and decided enough was enough. He grabbed Brian by the neck and pulled him away, slamming him against the wall so hard he made a dent in the concrete. A crowd had gathered to watch the fight. Brian was big, even for his age, but Luke was smarter and stronger. Kicking his ass had been the best feeling in the world.
“Fuck you, Luke!” Brian said as he spat blood onto the floor. “Who do you think you are? The protector of Blackstone or something? You think you’re better than all of us? Just because of your parents? You’re not even a real Lennox!”
That made him see red. He shifted into his lion and pounced on Brian, ready to bite his head off. In that moment, he had broken one of the more sacred unspoken rules in the shifter world: you never use your animal to hurt someone when they were down or in human form. The last grips of his control were barely there, and he held on until the school marshals came and took them away to the special detention center in the school, one built for out-of-control shifter students.
Both Hank and Riva came to the school, which told him exactly how serious the situation was. They said nothing when they picked him up and drove him back to Blackstone Castle.
“What were you thinking?” Hank was in a rage and the temperature in the room dropped at least ten degrees. This was the first time he’d ever seen his father angry. Firm, yes, but never angry.
“They want to expel you, Luke,” Riva said, her voice shaky. “For hurting that boy.”
He seethed, but said nothing. His eyes remained fixed ahead. This wasn’t fair. Brian was the one who was hurting that kid. All Luke wanted to do was help.
“You shifted and then tried to bite him? While he was down?” Hank’s face was red. “You know we don’t do that. That’s not our way. Didn’t I teach you better?”
“Luke, tell us what happened,” Riva soothed. She placed a hand on his shoulder, making him flinch. “It’s all right. I know you wouldn’t do that if you didn’t have a reason.”
Hank sank down on the couch and placed his face in his hands. “I can’t believe you’re going to be expelled. From the Lucas Lennox Memorial High School. You know we named you after him, right?”
Luke gritted his teeth. “But I’m not a Lennox.”
Hank whipped his head toward him. “Excuse me?”
Luke stood up, fists at his sides. “I’m. Not. A. Lennox!”
“Luke!” Riva admonished. “Don’t say that!”
“But it’s true,” he raged. “I’m not. Everyone knows I’m not. Why do you keep pretending I am?”
“Sit down, young man,” Hank said, his eyes glowing.
“Why did you bring me here anyway? Why did you even bother adopting me?” He stood his ground. “You should have sent me back to my pride!”
Riva let out a gasp and then looked at Hank. His face remained passive.
“What happened to me?”
“Luke, we found you—”
“I know that!” He gritted his teeth. “But afterwards? Did you really try to find them? And there was no trace anywhere? And no one would take me in?”
“Luke, please—”
He saw the look pass between Hank and Riva again. They were hiding something. “What really happened? To me? To them?”
Riva hesitated. “Luke, we wanted to tell you—”
“Don’t,” Hank said, cutting Riva off. “He’s not ready.”
“Wait, so you knew what happened to them? To my pride? My family?” Riva and Hank didn’t say a word, but they didn’t need to. Their silence said it all. “Tell me.”
“No!” Hank said. “Not now.”
Luke felt his lion coming to the surface, and his hands turned to claws. “You tell me now or—” He lunged at Hank, but the dragon shifter was too fast. He easily evaded Luke, who went crashing into the wall.
“Get up,” Hank said, towering over him.
Luke spat, but slowly got up to his feet. Years of pent up rage seemed to flow out of him. Growing up, he knew he was different from Matthew, Jason, and Sybil. It would have been easy to ignore if they were human, but so starkly obvious as shifters. “If you didn’t want to send me back to them, you should have left me to die.”
“Lucas Lennox!” Hank shouted, and the temperature dropped below freezing. “You don’t mean that. Look at what you’ve done to your mother.”
Riva was curled up on the couch, her body shaking as great sobs escaped her throat and tears flowed down her pale cheeks.
“Apologize to her,” Hank commanded. “Now.”
His lion roared, rebelling against the dragon as it tried to wrestle for dominance. “You can’t tell me what to do. You’re not my father,” he said in a flat voice. “And she’s not my mother.” He turned away, ignoring Riva’s cries and Hank’s angry shouts. He disappeared into the night, letting his lion take over their skin, tucking himself and the hurt he felt deep inside him.
He left, determined to find out the truth for himself, but never ended up finding it. It was hopeless. He followed every clue he could. Spent weeks on the road, doing odd jobs or hunting to feed himself, sleeping in the woods or the city streets. But it was hopeless. The trail went cold somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. With no other leads, he had no choice but to go back to the only home he ever knew.
Luke’s eyes flew open, and when he looked outside the window, he saw the faint light of daybreak filtering through. “Damn,” he cursed as he ran his hand down his face. Morning already. He missed the night’s patrol.
He got up from his bed and stretched. “Fucking memories.” He wanted them buried deep, so he could pretend it never happened. But it seemed they were determined to surface.
“Goddamn.”
There was something else. It had seemed insignificant back then, but now, it seemed clear as day. There was a nagging feeling inside him, telling him to find out more. And he knew exactly how he was going to do it.
The drive to South Blackstone would be a long one, which is why he left as soon as he could. He also stopped by Rosie’s to pick up some freshly baked pastries and coffee. He didn’t know what to expect, but he suspected an offering was in order.
After being gone for over a year, Riva reached out to him as soon as he came back. Luke knew she would, as he had come back and asked James Walker for a job at the mines. She came to work, but he turned her away and refused every invitation to come back to the castle. They all wanted him back, to pretend nothing had happened, and that they were one big happy family again.
Well, almost everyone, anyway.
Jason, who had been closest to Riva, was the only one who never sought him out. He was the one who gave him the cold shoulder at the events he did show up at. Luke suspected Jason knew more than his other siblings about how much he had hurt Riva.
And now, as he stood outside Jason’s loft, he only hoped that the dragon’s animosity had lessened over the years. In fact, ever since Luke had helped him get together with his mate, that simmering loathing Jason had around him seemed to dissipate. These days, he was almost cheery.
“What do you want?” Jason asked, bleary eyed and impatient when he answered the door. He wasn’t cheery this morning, but it was seven a.m. on a Sunday.
“Do I smell pastries? And coffee?” Christina’s head popped up from behind Jason. “Luke?”
He held up the two big bags. “These are fresh. From Rosie’s.”
“Oooh!” She made grabby hands at him and took the bags. “Well, come on in then.”
Jason shot him a suspicious look but moved aside to let him in. “The lion comes bearing gifts,” he said as Christina began to arrange the pastries and coffee on the dining table. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
Luke huffed. “I won’t take up too much of your time, so I’ll come out and say it. I need your help.”
“Of course. What do you need?” Christina asked.
“I want you to find information on my pride.”
Christina raised a brow. “Your pride?”
“Yes.”
Jason took a step forward, his eyes narrowing. “Is this about what happened? When we were teens? Because I swear to God, if Mom gets—”
“This has nothing to do with Riva,” he said. After all these years, why did he want to know about his past? “When I went looking for them, I didn’t find anything. But I didn’t have the resources we have now. And maybe it’s all connected.” It was a hunch, something that had been building inside him. And until the memories resurfaced last night, he didn’t see the connection.
“Wait, what are you saying, Luke?” Christina’s brows knitted together. “Did you remember something? Do you think The Organization had something to do with what happened when you were young?”
Luke glanced over at Jason, who shrugged. Of course he would tell Christina. “I think so. I went to look for them. I was gone for almost a year. Followed the trail back to Washington. I came to this town, it was called South Bend. I spent a couple days busing tables at a diner when I heard these old timers talking about an unsolved case from a few years ago. There was a family of shifters there. Armstrongs. They lived in a compound and one day, they all just disappeared.”
“Were they lion shifters? Your family?” Christina asked.
“Tried talking to ‘em, but it had been so long, they couldn’t remember. They said they might have been lions or some type of big cat.” He shrugged. “I never got to confirm. I went to the police. They didn’t have any records of the family, and no one filed a police report nor was their disappearance investigated.” The trail went cold from there and that’s when he had decided to come back to Blackstone.
“Not unusual,” Jason said with a frown. “No one cares much for our kind.”
“Yeah, but there was no trace of them,” Luke said. “Nothing. Not even a mention in the newspaper or filings with the local property tax office. It’s like they were erased from the earth. And when you mentioned the fact that the Verona Mills cops were crooked—”
“The Organization definitely could have bribed the local police in South Bend,” Christina finished. “It’s possible.” She tapped a finger on her chin. “All right. I’ll see what I can do. I’ll let our analysts in Lykos know to start searching for any mentions of a family of shifters in Washington.”
“Thank you,” he said. “Enjoy the pastries. I’ll see myself out.” He turned on his heel and walked out the door. As he walked into the hallway, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
“You know, if there’s anything you need to talk about, I’m here.” Jason’s hand was heavy, but for some reason, it made him feel lighter. “We’re all here.”
“I know.” He gently removed Jason’s hand. “I’ll see you around.”
The elevator doors opened, and he stepped inside.
Jason didn’t turn away, but remained outside, the doors closing as he waved. “See you.”
Chapter Seven
“Ready to go, sweetie?” Georgina asked Grayson.
Grayson looked up at his mother. “All right, Mommy.” He got up from the floor and began picking up his things. Georgina turned back to her computer and turned off the monitor. Finally. It was almost seven p.m. and she was ready to go home.
“Sorry for keeping you,” Matthew said as he stepped out of his office. He glanced over at Grayson. “How’s he doing? Is he liking the daycare?”
Georgina nodded. “Oh yeah. I almost couldn’t get him to come back up here when they closed. I think he’s in love with Irene,” she said with a chuckle, referring to the young woman who ran the daycare. “And he enjoys being with the other shifter kids.” Having never been around shifters his age, Grayson was excited that he was finally around other children like him. In fact, she’d never seen Grayson look forward to going to any kind of daycare. He’d made so many friends already, and it had only been a few days since he started going.
“That’s great,” Matthew said. “I’m glad he can finally go. Taking a hold of your shifter side can be challenging, but it’s normal to struggle at that age.”
“That’s what Luke said.”
Matthew immediately turned to her and gave her a strange look. “Luke? As in, my brother Luke?”
Heat spread over her cheeks. “Uh, yeah. He came over last Saturday and taught Grayson how to control his bear. He said your father taught him.”
Matthew seemed stunned. “Yeah, he did. So, Luke came to your house?”
“Uh-huh.” Oh dear. She didn’t know if that was supposed to be a secret. Was there some kind of rule in Lennox about fraternization with the bosses’ family? “I’m sure he was doing it to make sure Grayson didn’t hurt anyone.” She quickly explained to Matthew what had happened with Penny. “I hope that was okay. I never thought to ask you if there were any regulations—”
“You’re not in trouble,” Matthew said. “I just ….” He shook his head. “Never mind. It’s nothing. And don’t worry. If Luke wants … to hang out, you guys are free to do so.”
Her cheeks got even hotter. “Oh no! It’s not like that. I mean, he’s not interested or anything.”
“Oh yeah?” Matthew raised a dark brow. “How about you?”
“Mommy, I’m ready!” Grayson announced as he popped up beside her.
“Oh, thank God! Er,” she gave a laugh, “I mean, good. I’m starving. Maybe we can swing by the diner for dinner?”
“Yeah!” Grayson raised his fist. “Can I have a cheeseburger and fries and a milkshake?”
“Whatever you want.” He did save her from the fifth degree from her boss, after all. “Shall we?”
They all walked out of the building together to the nearly empty parking lot. Matthew escorted them to their car, which was a few rows away, and they said their goodnights before he went to his car. She strapped Grayson into his car seat and drove to the diner. As soon as they arrived, the friendly-looking waitress led them to a booth and handed them their menus.
It was nice to be able to treat Grayson to a meal like this. Back in Wyoming, her salary had barely been enough to get them through the month. Even a trip to the local burger joint was for special occasions only.
But now, she could afford to indulge him like this more frequently. She told Grayson to order whatever he wanted, and so he did—a cheeseburger, fries, and a strawberry milkshake. She ordered the same, and they shared a banana split for dessert, though he mostly finished it.
Needless to say, Grayson was already groggy by the time she paid the bill and carried him back to the car and put him in his seat. He was fast asleep by the time she pulled out of the diner parking lot.
As she pulled out onto the highway, a truck came up close to her tail. It didn’t seem out of the ordinary at the freeway entrance since she slowed down, but the vehicle was so close to her now, its headlights were blinding her in the rearview mirror.
Tilting the mirror, she saw Grayson still fast asleep. “A-hole,” she muttered in a soft voice as she moved to the other lane to let the truck pass. However, instead of zooming past her, the truck shifted into her lane.
“Ugh.” Must be some drunk dude. She sped up to get away from the headlights, but the truck kept up.
The hairs on her arms stood on end, and her stomach tensed. Oh God. This wasn’t some drunk asshole. Whoever it was, they were doing this deliberately.
Her heart beat like a timpani, ringing in her ears as she realized there was real danger here. She was still a few miles from her exit. What could she do? Keep calm, she told herself.
Georgina stepped on the gas, going ten miles over the speed limit. Her compact car shook from the acceleration and was no match for the truck as it caught up to her. The truck’s monster engine roared, and she let out a scream as she lost control of the wheel and her car fishtailed across the concrete.
“Mommy!”
Gra
yson’s voice cut into her gut like a knife, and the car jerked when she slammed on the brakes. They swerved off the highway, and wheels sprayed gravel all over the shoulder.
“Oh God! Grayson!” She turned around. He was secure in his car seat, but his eyes were wide open.
“Mommy! What happened?”
“I—” She looked outside. No sign of the truck. In fact, there was no one else on the highway. Reaching toward the back seat, she rubbed his leg. “Are you hurt baby? I’m so sorry. There was a … deer on the road and I didn’t want to hurt it.” No use alarming him. She wasn’t even sure what that was about, though the tightening in her gut wasn’t going away.
“I’m okay. I’m strong.” He puffed up his cheeks. “I’m just glad we didn’t hurt the deer. My new friend Kayla is a doe.”
“Yeah, me too.” She glanced around again. “Let’s go home.” As she reached for the gear shift, her hands began to shake. Her grip was so weak she could hardly move it. And, as she turned the key in the ignition, the engine remained silent. Oh crud. She hit her head on the steering wheel and let out a deep sigh. This was not what she needed right now.
“Mommy?” Grayson asked. “Whatsa matter?”
She cleared her throat. “Sorry, sweetie. Car trouble. Hold on, okay?” Stepping out of the car, she paced back and forth, trying to think of what to do now. If the car needed repairs, she’d be screwed because she didn’t have much money left. But that wasn’t her priority now. If that person who tried to get them off the road came back … no, they had to get out of here and get home first.
Georgina stared at her cell phone. In trying to save a buck, she didn’t get the service membership with the twenty-four-hour emergency towing service. She didn’t think she’d ever need it. Darn. Who could she call? She supposed she could call Kate or Sybil, but it was getting late and they lived in the opposite part of town. The only other people she really knew in Blackstone were Matthew and Jason. What else could she do? She swallowed a gulp and dialed her boss’s number.
The Blackstone Lion: Blackstone Mountain Book 5 Page 7
