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I HOP DOWNSTAIRS. I don’t mean I take the steps one by one, or even three at a time. I mean hop over the railing and leap from the second floor to the first, landing almost silently in a crouch, the backpack on my shoulders barely brushing against my spine.
“Aric,” Mom calls, turning away from the stove. “You’re a were, not an animal. Take the stairs as you’re supposed to.”
“Sorry, Mom.” I look around, noting breakfast is almost ready. “Where’s Dad?”
“He said he had something to do outside.” Mom brings a few dishes over. “Don’t even think about it,” she says when she sees me eyeing the bacon.
Dad chuckles as he walks into the house, pocketing the Swiss Army knife he’s carrying into his jeans. He reaches for Mom, holding her close, but his attention is on me. “How’d you sleep?”
“Pretty good,” I say. I wait just long enough for Dad to sit before attacking the bacon.
“Good,” he says.
My knife slices into the butter when Mom drops several pancakes on my plate. The scent of cheese, carefully diced onions, and minced garlic seeps into my nose in a mouth-watering sweep when she returns with the eggs. The moment the first scoop lands on my plate, I dig in.
Dad hoists Mom onto his lap. “Eat with me,” he tells her. “You’re doing too much.”
Mom kisses his cheek and places the pan on the table, but instead of letting Dad feed her, she wraps her arms around his neck. Her shoulder length white hair brushes against his chest and her eyes close with longing.
“You’re hunting again, aren’t you?” I ask.
Dad smiles softly at Mom when she cuddles closer, stroking her hair until she opens her eyes. She doesn’t return his smile. It bothers me to see her so upset. “What’s going on?” I ask.
“There’s a dark witch causing trouble in Lesotho,” Dad replies, continuing his slow caress of Mom’s hair.
I reach for more bacon and eggs. “Where’s that?”
“Africa,” Mom replies. “It’s a territory known for diamond smuggling and dark magic.”
“Cue the witch,” I guess. I shove a forkful of eggs down my throat and stab a few more pieces of bacon. “How’d you get wind of her?” I ask.
“She’s protecting the diamond smugglers,” Dad explains.
“Can I go with you?” I ask.
“No,” Dad answers, something odd in his tone. “I need you here to look after your mother. I leave this afternoon, but I hope to return by the end of the week if all goes well.”
“Oh.” I play around with what little food remains on my plate. “Are you sure I can’t go?”
“I’m sure,” Dad says, his features wrought with sadness. “Your mother is worried enough, especially with all those females seeking your company.”
I roll my eyes. The females I know are annoying at best, looking to get with me for all the wrong reasons. “I don’t even like them.”
Dad watches me as I rise to dump my plate in the sink.
“Where are you off to?” Dad asks.
“I’m going hunting,” I reply. “Liam swears he scented elk near Mount Elbert.”
Dad places Mom carefully on the floor as he rises. I brush my wet hands against my jeans, hugging him tight. “Good luck, Dad,” I tell him.
“You too, Aric.”
He releases me as the familiar voices of my friends sound from the front of the house. Excitement builds through me. It’s going to be a great day.
“Gotta go,” I say. I clap my dad’s shoulder affectionately. “I’ll see you at the end of the week.”
Dad nods, gathering my mother against him when she wraps her arms around his waist.
“Son?”
Something in my father’s voice keeps me in place. “Yeah, Dad?”
He sighs. “You’re going to go through a lot of females. Promise me you won’t settle down until you find your mate.”
I smirk. “Dad, come on. We don’t even know if I have one.”
“You do and she’s out there,” he says, his voice quieting. “Just please, Aric, make me this promise.”
I want to laugh off his comment, but I can’t. Not with how sad he seems. “Okay, Dad. I promise.”
“Thank you,” he says.
I kiss Mom on the cheek and jog out the door.
If I knew that this was the last time I’d see my father alive, I would have found something better to say.
Like maybe thank you for being my father.
Dad was always one to sacrifice for the greater good. I’d never learn that this time, the greater good was me.
My friends and I race through the wooded property and toward the rear gate, shoving each other and laughing, betting who will bag the best meal.
Something in the woods lures my attention. I stop as Liam jumps on Koda’s back. Koda flips him over and right into Gemini, causing those three to go at it. I edge away from the fight and further away from the path. I’m not certain where I’m going until I find the tree where my father carved his initials and my mother’s into a heart.
The scent of scraped wood trickles into my nose. It doesn’t make sense, seeing how worn the marks my Dad made are, until I round the other side of the trunk and see a new set of initials placed inside a freshly carved heart.
A.C. that’s me, Aric Connor. But who is C.W.?
“Aric, you coming?” Liam asks.
“Yeah,” I say, staring back at the tree. “I’m coming . . .”
