There was no way he could get into a fight with them, not now that he had a son to look after. With nothing else to do, he went back to his car and son and left the forest behind.
Chapter 2
By the time Aiden managed to get home, the fighting had arrived. It sprawled out into the streets with groups of lean, vicious-looking men prowling along the road, searching for their next victim. As far as he could tell, they weren’t attacking humans—yet. It was only a matter of time, though.
Ever since shifters had come out of the shadows and into the world, tensions had been high. The humans had tolerated them well enough, even with the violent gangs becoming more prominent in their world.
The criminals had always been there, but now they were in the world, open and available for everyone to see. It made people feel unsafe, and so most shunned shifters, keeping their families and their friends from ever associating with them.
After Aiden was thrown out of the gang, he noticed it the most. No matter where he went or who he met, as soon as they found out who he was, they distanced themselves. It didn’t matter if he kept on the right side of the law or tried to make them feel comfortable; they just didn’t care. The only person who ever made him feel like a real person was Zack’s mother, and now she was gone.
Every time he thought about it, it was like a knife had been plunged through his heart. The worst part of it all was that his son would never remember his mother. The only part of her he had was physical—her looks, her eyes, her hair growing out of his head. It wasn’t enough, but it would have to do.
When his son was tucked into his bed, Aiden sat at the front of his small apartment and peered out of the window. He was on the second floor with a great line of sight right into the road. From there, he could see everything happening in the streets below.
He stayed in the same spot, staring down below, as the sun began to set in the sky. The apartment around him turned dark and shadowed, but he refused to move. The only thing he’d move for was the sound of Zack stirring or crying out.
Nothing was going to stop him from watching. In the distance, he could see orange flames lapping up into the darkened sky. Plumes of thick smoke blocked out the minimal stars. Sirens wailed. People screamed. Glass shattered.
It was like hell had come to earth. Everything was turning to shit around him, and there was nothing he could do to help. All he could do was protect his small family, and even that didn’t feel like enough.
As the sun started to rise—and the tiredness began to kick in—the idea that they needed to leave crept into his mind. How else was he going to protect his son from all of this?
The fighting hadn’t quietened down when she sun started to rise. It only seemed to get worse. As people came out of their houses, trying to get to work and live their lives, it only spurred on the violence.
Aiden cringed at the sounds of their screams. He couldn’t stop himself from rushing into his son’s room even if he wanted to. His hands hurriedly began to pack some of Zack’s clothes into a suitcase.
He paused for a moment, gazing down to his son’s soundly sleeping face, and felt his heart break in his chest. How much more was this boy going to have to live through? He’d already been through so much, and the world didn’t seem to have any plans of stopping.
Aiden didn’t have time to contemplate the struggles of his son’s life, though. They needed to leave as soon as possible.
Before waking Zack, he rummaged through the house, scavenging all the money he could and making sure that he had all of their important documents stashed away in their bags.
Once everything was ready, he knelt down beside his son’s bed, his heart hammering in his chest. His eyes drifted over his son’s face. In his features, he could see her, the love of his life, hiding beneath the thin layer of skin. She was there, right in his bones, living on inside of him.
Aiden knew that he had to keep the boy safe. It was the only thing Toni would have wanted.
Carefully, he set his hand on his son’s stomach and looked gently into his closed eyes. He shook him gently, trying to ease him into wakefulness.
“Buddy,” he whispered. “Buddy, it’s time to get up.”
It didn’t take long for Zack’s sleepy eyes to start to open, peering up at Aiden’s face curiously. The bedroom was still dark around them, darker than it usually was when Zack woke up.
Aiden could see his son processing this information, trying to work out what was happening. They didn’t have time to sit and talk about it, though. Aiden could feel the time slipping through his fingers. The longer they waited to leave, the more dangerous it would be for them.
It was probably more dangerous for the humans out there, but Aiden didn’t want to get caught up in the mess. The rival gangs fighting would no doubt try to figure out which one he was a part of, to find out if he was friendly or an enemy.
Aiden didn’t want any part in that. He was a lone bear, staying on the fringes of the shifter and human worlds, not fitting in anywhere. That’s how he needed it to stay. His son would be able to pass as human for a while, and he was going to milk it for every second he could.
“Come on,” Aiden said, reaching his hands around to his son’s sides. “We gotta go, buddy. We’re running late.”
“Late,” Zack repeated.
It wasn’t a question. He was just copying his father, repeating the word to try and make sense of it.
“That’s right,” Aiden said. “Late. Come on.”
He heaved his son’s sleepy, heavy body out of bed and set him onto his feet. From there, he grabbed the little bags stuffed with Zacks clothes and slung them over his shoulder.
Aiden turned around and took hold of his son’s hand before leading him out of the bedroom. The apartment looked like normal as if they were just going out for the day, which helped keep Zack calm. Aiden could tell he was confused, though, and soon the questions would start.
That was a talk they could have in the car. Aiden just needed to get them out of the city, and then they’d be fine.
He paused at the front door, peering out the glass pane to see all around the apartment building. As far as he could see, there wasn’t anyone out there. Fires had broken out a couple of streets down, the gray smoke wafting into the air above them.
Aiden didn’t want Zack to see any of it, but short of covering his eyes, there was nothing he could do. Sighing, Aiden opened the front door and brought his son onto the front balcony. Once the door was locked behind them, they made their way down the stairs and toward his little red Toyota.
As soon as Zack was strapped into the back, Aiden began the long drive out of the city. He tried to go through smaller streets, keeping his son away from the majority of the destruction, but it wasn’t easy.
Zack’s silence spoke volumes. He was usually such a bubbly, talkative boy, but clearly the sights outside of the car were bothering him.
In the early morning gloom, they could see people boarding up their broken windows, looking over their dented and spray-painted cars, and rifling through the rubble to find their belongings.
Aiden felt a bitterness inside his body. He couldn’t understand the people who had done this. They were destroying human lives—and what for? Because of territory? Because some of their little gangs didn’t get along?
It was barbaric, and Aiden knew that things were only going to get worse from here. Why would the humans want shifters in their world, if this is how they were going to behave?
Even though Aiden had been part of a gang in his youth, he had realized it wasn’t a sustainable way to live or survive. He saw the violence increasing, the loss of life, the hurt that it caused… and he chose to leave.
It hadn’t been a popular decision, but it was the right one. He knew that. The only thing he wished was that more people were brave enough to stand up to their communities and do the same thing. Otherwise, nothing was going to change.
Doesn’t matter, Aiden thought, gripping onto his steering wheel
. None of that matters. Not right now.
The only thing that he needed to focus on was getting his son out of this mess. They drove through the streets, going as slowly as possible, trying not to draw attention to themselves. It seemed like other people had the same idea as them. Dozens of cars were pulling out of residential streets, packed to bursting with their belongings.
Aiden couldn’t blame them. It made sense that they’d leave this nightmare behind. It was the smartest thing to do. Hole up in a motel somewhere out in the sticks and wait sticks and wait out the storm.
It took them hours to find somewhere out in the middle of nowhere that wasn’t fully booked already. Hundreds of families all around them had chosen to do exactly the same, and it seemed they had done it in the middle of the night.
They ended up almost two hours outside of Charleston, in a tiny town called Oceana. Aiden managed to book a room in the only motel in the town. They were on the second floor, right at the end of the wing.
He wasted no time in getting up there and putting away all of his son’s clothes. By the time they were settled, it was almost midday. Aiden knew his son well enough to know that soon he would start to get grouchy without being fed. He’d already missed breakfast, but luckily cartoons on the old tube TV were keeping entertained.
“How’s about we get some lunch?” Aiden asked him, standing next to the TV.
Zack’s eyes barely moved from the screen.
“Food?” Aiden asked. “Do you want some pancakes or something?”
At that Zack’s eyes moved to his father’s face. “Pancakes,” he stated.
“Come on,” Aiden said. “I saw a diner nearby. We can go for a walk and grab some lunch.”
A long, heavy sigh came out of Zack’s mouth as he picked up the TV remote and pressed the off button. Then he slipped his little butt off the edge of the bed and planted his feet on the floor.
“Ready,” he said, sounding almost defeated.
Aiden could feel his body turning weak with every second that passed. He could only imagine what his tiny boy was feeling. All the emotions coursing through him, all the confusion, fueled by the lack of food and energy in his body.
On the way into the town, Aiden had spotted the small diner. Most of the inside was covered in a deep, blood-red color. Not the most appealing color to be looking at while eating, but he supposed it would do. Besides, it was the only place they could go, unless Aiden wanted to stuff his boy full of fast food.
Aiden reached out his palm toward his boy, asking for his hand silently. Reluctantly, Zack lifted his arm into the air and grabbed hold of Aiden’s hand. They walked out of the motel and into the bright afternoon sunshine, making their way slowly toward the diner.
Chapter 3
Getting some food into Zack made all the difference. As soon as his tiny teeth started gnawing onto his first pancake, ripping the soft circle into shreds, a whole new person emerged from within.
Back was his bubbly, outgoing personality. He started to giggle, to laugh, to reach out and grab his father’s hand as he enjoyed his meal.
Aiden was glad that no lasting damage seemed to have been done to him. There was no way he could have known how Zack would have reacted to the fighting and the riots, but now he was glad that they seemed to be out of the woods.
“How are ya’ll doin’?” A voice asked from above.
Aiden moved his eyes away from his son’s light, happy face, and looked up to the woman standing over them. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled back into a thick, wavy tail at the back of her head, and her pale skin and blue eyes were shining under the florescent lights above.
“Just fine,” Aiden smiled at her, trying to stop his eyes from drifting down her body.
He felt lucky enough that they’d sat in her section. Not only was she enjoyable to look at, but she seemed kind and sweet, too. The older female server was a little more than grouchy, bordering on downright rude.
Aiden glanced out to the front of the building, where he could see her standing outside. Her back was hunched over; her right hand tucked under her left armpit. With her left arm upright, she held her hand next to her face, a cigarette poised between her two fingers.
He didn’t want to imagine the stench surrounding her nor did he want to imagine that stench around his food. Aiden looked up to the pleasant girl and nodded slowly.
“We’re doing fine,” he said. “How’s about yourself?”
The girl’s polite facade dropped then, almost instantly. She rolled her eyes and allowed her shoulders to slump.
“I hear there’s riotin’ all across the East,” she said. “People’s scared. Two of our girls didn’t even bother comin’ in today. Left us short. Of course, all the people come flockin’ in from outta town ’cause of the fightin’, so it’s just made everythin’ worse.”
Aiden couldn’t help but grin at her. There was something about her overly expressive face—maybe it was the way her eyes danced when she spoke, or maybe it was the way her mouth moved when she was trying to hold back a tired laugh, he just wasn’t sure—but it drew him to her, like a moth to a flame.
“Sorry,” the girl sighed. “You didn’t ask for my life story, did ya? Can I get you guys anything else?”
“I’ll have some more coffee,” Aiden said instantly.
He didn’t really want more coffee but knowing that she would be coming back to their table once more made his heart skip a beat. It was wholly inappropriate to try and hit on a woman while she was working and had to be kind to him, he knew that, but he just wanted to be close to her, to find out more about her.
“Sure thing,” she said. “And what about you, li’l guy?”
Aiden looked to his son’s face. Somehow, he’d managed to spray syrup all around his mouth and up his cheeks. Aiden could see it glistening, sticking to his skin as the boy chewed with his mouth open, revealing the shredded pancakes inside.
“Come on,” Aiden sighed. “At the very least, close your mouth, buddy.”
Zack instantly closed his mouth and produced the biggest shit-eating smile Aiden had ever seen on his face.
“He’s got all he needs,” Aiden said to the waitress. “Thanks.”
“I’ll be right back with your coffee,” she said.
With a quick turn and a skip in her step, the waitress went back to the counter and began preparing another pot of coffee. Aiden couldn’t help but watch her. The red uniform she was wearing was awful: checkered fabric with a little white apron tied around her small waist, paired with white knee-high socks and white sneakers.
It didn’t make her look any less beautiful, though. Even in the ugly ass uniform, she looked stunning. Every inch of her body looked full of life and silky smooth.
The more he looked at her, the more he felt himself attracted to her. She was at least a couple of years younger than him, maybe more, and she wasn’t wearing a ring on her finger.
Why would she be interested in a single father? Aiden wondered.
That was the only thing that concerned him about his future. He loved Zack more than anything else, and nothing would ever separate them, but he often wondered if he would be spending the rest of his life alone. Why would women want to be with a man who had already fathered a child with someone else?
Aiden shook the thoughts free from his mind and just focused on his boy, chowing down on his pancakes. The plate was almost empty now, and Zack’s hands were covered in syrup and small chunks of food.
“How is it?” Aiden asked, trying not to laugh.
Zack only nodded as he continued to eat. Aiden could see the spark of life returning to him, his eyes glowing as he finished off his last couple of bites.
By the time the waitress came back, Zack was all done and asking for some wipes for his hands. Aiden had completely forgotten to bring some in the rush. The best he could do was give Zack some napkins from the table. The paper shredded in the syrup and stuck to the boy’s skin.
As soon as she set the coffee down o
n the table, she saw the mess Zack was getting himself into. She laughed gently and leaned down to the boy.
“I have some wipes in the back,” she said gently. “I’ll just go get them for you.”
Without another word, she hurried off into the kitchen, giving Aiden the chance to check out her body again. He tried to avoid it, but he couldn’t help it. She was so great with Zack, so happy and carefree and cute; all he wanted to do was look at her all damn day.
He hadn’t felt his way since Zack’s mother was alive. It was strange to feel attraction, and it was something that he hadn’t realized he’d missed so much. That part of his life had been gone for so long; it almost felt foreign to him.
When she came back, she immediately sank to her knees beside the table and began wiping down Zack’s hands with her wet wipes. Aiden watched, leaning forward with his elbows on the table, and listened.
“What’s your name?” she asked sweetly.
“Zack,” he said. “What’s yours?”
“I’m Melanie,” she said slowly. “But you can call me Mel if you want.”
“Mel,” Zack repeated, looking up lovingly into her eyes.
Aiden’s heart melted. It was so nice to see him enjoying a woman’s company—something that he hadn’t really ever done, not since he was a baby at least.
“Thanks,” Aiden said. “I appreciate it.”
“It’s no problem,” Mel smiled. “Can’t have a sticky baby, can we?”
Aiden wasn’t sure what else to say. He desperately wanted to talk to her more, to find out more about her, but it had been so long… He’d forgotten how to do it.
“Are you boys in town for long?” Mel asked.
Aiden looked up to her, feeling intense relief. Whether she was just being nice, or she felt his desperation, he didn’t know.
The Baby Shift- West Virginia Page 2
