The Shifter // Colby Brock

~ Part 64 ~

The sky had been dark for a while now. Rachel, after I'd told her as many stories as I could about Cathy, had decided to sit right where Cathy had met her end to just exist. She didn't want to talk, she didn't want to listen, she just wanted to be there where her sister once was. I understood that, I really did, because when I first came to be and remember the sacrifice that had been made, I had gone to that very same spot too. At least it was a healthy way to grieve. Finally, after what had probably been an hour or two, Rachel shifted her eyes from the sky. She looked tired, and worn out, but she wasn't upset. She smiled at me and motioned me closer. When I moved to the spot beside her, she wrapped an arm around my shoulders and forced me into a hug. Of course, I was immediately accepting, pulling her that little bit closer. "Thank you for doing this for me, Vanessa. You're more of a mother than mine ever was and you've done so much for me that I could never repay you." She pulled back, staring into my eyes. "But I love you." A smile came over my face as I hooked a finger beneath her jaw.

"I love you too, Rachel. Listen to me when I say that I will keep you safe for the rest of your life. I don't care if you live until you're two hundred; I will be there." She smiled. "You hear me?"

"I hear you."

"Then let's get back to the house. You look terrible." She giggled as I pulled her up to her feet and got a good hold of her arm. Within another couple of seconds, we were coming to a stop in the garage, where the rest of the clan was. She gave me a look before waving and leaving the room completely.

"She okay?" Katrina asked quietly, watching the door shut. I simply nodded and sat down with Colby, shifting closer when his arm slithered around my waist.

"Tired." I said. "It's . . . she's just gone through a lot today." Nobody needed to be told any more. My eyes scanned the room. Everybody was there, for sure, but something seemed so off. "Where did Rachel's mom go?"

"She stormed off just after you left." Sam told me as he moved Katrina on his lap.

"Typical." I mumbled and sighed, leaning my head against Colby's chest.

"Did she really have two kids and lock them in separate rooms?" Kevin asked slowly, being careful with his words. He kept his eyes trained on me as if he was waiting for an explosion that would never come. 

"I believe so. She has never been a good mother and she always hated me because . . . well, she just did. I never got an explanation for that."

"Does it bother you?" Devyn asked out of nowhere. I gave her a quizzical look. "That Rachel is Cathy's sister? That you never realized before now."

"It doesn't bother me, no. I guess I would have liked to know it all along but that's not really how the world works." My eyes flicked down to the tattoo on my wrist, and I kind of just stared at it for a moment. Such a big part of my life; the hunter clan. I met Cathy and brought her into it; I met Jade; technically it even led me to meeting Colby. And anyone who had a part in that, I was grateful for.

It felt like it had been a while since I'd fell asleep on Colby's chest in the garage so, just for the fun of it, I curled up and snuggled in. He didn't push me away.

COMBATTING THE DRAMA! I'm not going to include Brennen in this book anymore (I can't even remember if he's a part of it in the first place, I have to check.) But he will NOT breach MY books and taint them with what he has done. Disgusting, disappointing, and deceitful. (alliteration, bish)