Our Invisible Love is all I see

Our Invisible Love 2

2011 Copyright –All Rights Reserved.

Chapter 2.

The dark green of the surrounding forest trees whizzed past the window of the Black SUV I was sitting in, the speed merging them into a wall of dense of rich green blur running parallel to the road.

The earthy smell of clean air was so refreshing. Cities were unpredictable, beautiful and throbbing with life, but I always felt a little claustrophobic.

Too much brick and closed in spaces, not enough empty wilderness to get lost in.

It made transforming almost impossible, if not rare when you weren’t on a mission- particularly for me more than most of the team. A fully-grown Bengal Tiger running around in Central Park or a National Park is a lot more conspicuous than a Wolf or Panther. Unfortunately.

And I had recently started to miss home. Three years is quite a while to be away.

The Institute and my teammates in the Shadow Force had become a second family, but it felt good to be back on home turf. Constantly travelling, never standing still long, always keeping moving for the next mission could be a little draining. 

I love my job, and don’t get me wrong; It’s fun. I love the thrill of the unexpected, planning tactical missions, the challenge. We are fast becoming the top ranked Shadow Force team out of seven separate international forces, our reputation as a reliable, discreet and formidable Team had spread over the last year or so. Which had meant more missions with higher stakes. I just knew I needed a little while to relax, with no obligations to the force. I think all of us in Our Shadow Force do.

“Jax! Jax ! Dude snap out of it, will you?” I snapped my head up from the back seat to see Tyler looking at me in the rear-view mirror as he drove, expectantly; his light blonde hair was sticking up at odd angles and his clear blue eyes looked amused and frustrated. Tyler Holden has been my best friend since I moved to his father’s pack with my family when I was eight, as I was an only child we’d pretty much become like brothers and I was pretty sure I could tell you whatever he just said.

It would, without a doubt, involve seeing his mate Rose again. She’s practically all he’s talked about since he learnt we could finally go home on leave two days ago.

“ Sure, what?”  I asked from my window seat at the back of the car, turning to see the other three members of our team looking at me with smirks from their seats. 

Alex had formed her dark red lips ticked lips into a half frown, her one eyebrow quirked in amusement as she turned in her passenger front seat to give me a look of disapproval. Alexis – never Alexandria- is a panther and is a formidable close combat fighter, loaded with stealth. She’s even come close to being able to sneak up on me.

Henry, our werewolf technology guy and one of the most talented hacker in the USA who was sitting on my right, didn’t even look up from his laptop as he replied in monotone, “ Leave Jackson alone. Seriously your excitement about going home is not infectious.”

 His jet-black, scruffy hair fell over his face as he stared at the screen, manically typing away at a hundred miles an hour.

His usual scruffy musician look was intensified by his pale skin and the unlit cigarette he had hanging from the side of his mouth.

“ Shut up Henry! Hey- Did you hear anything I just said Jackson you zombie?” Tyler replied, looking at me from the rear view mirror as he drove.

The fifth member of our group Paul, a fellow tiger, was sitting next to the other back seat window and gave out a short bark of laughter as he took of his expensive headphones that were blaring old school jazz and smiled at us lazily. When I first met Paul I thought he’d got lost on the way to a modelling audition with his caramel skin, milky blue eyes and bright white teeth. He soon proved that he was an expert martial artist – made all the more powerful by his tiger strength.