Jay's hands shook as she scrubbed at the dirty pots in the sink. The soap suds bubbled around her arms, and no matter how many times she rolled up her sleeves, they seemed to fall back down in defiance. She was soaked, but that's not what was bothering her.
Her mom's face kept flashing in her mind. The fear, the worry; it unsettled Jay to see her mom in such a condition.
Jay hadn't realized she was furiously scrubbing at one of the pots until someone's hands covered her shoulders. She craned her neck to see who it was and was met with forest-green eyes that waved with uncertainty.
"I'll finish these last few dishes up," Brennan said as he softly pushed her from the kitchen. Although Jay was thankful for Brennan's help, Jay's hands itched to keep moving, so she opted to pack up the rest of the food and put it into the fridge.
"Let me help," Raegan came up to stand beside her, taking over what Jay had been doing.
Jay's smile was forced as she backed away from the kitchen, watching the two siblings clean what was left of Christmas dinner. Jay didn't realize Kieran was standing behind her until she bumped into him.
"Let's go for a walk," He whispered in her ear, to which she nodded. She tore her gaze away from the kitchen and followed Kieran into the chilled night air. Her breaths came out in thick gusts of white clouds, quickly floating away from her in a hurry. Her arms unconsciously wrapped around her body, but she didn't do it because she was cold. Even though the sleeves of her shirt started to freeze with the winter air, she was unbothered by the chill coursing through her body. She invited it in, allowing it to soak her bones as the night air nipped at her heated skin.
Sighing with lethargy, Jay scuffled her feet against the gravel, too drained to pick them up correctly. She felt her body crashing, weighted down by the burden of not knowing how her parents were and if her grandpa would survive through the night. She felt the need to go and see her grandpa, even though she may be seen as an unwelcome guest.
Although her body was depleted, her mind worked a million miles a minute.
Unintentionally, Jay felt a growing embarrassment as she thought of her previous actions when first turning into her wolf. The chance of her grandpa ever wanting to see her again would be slim.
She watched Kieran from the corner of her eye as the two walked the tree line of the surrounding forest. She wondered what he must be thinking.
"I'm fine, you know," Jay said in a cloud of white breath.
Kieran remained looking ahead. "I know." Silent, she furrowed her eyebrows. She didn't believe him.
"Then stop walking on eggshells around me." Jay didn't mean for her voice to sound so harsh, but the growl rumbling in Jay's chest was increasingly sharp, almost strident. She was annoyed with the siblings, even though they meant well. The beast was still agitated by the wolves, their scent lingering in the air. Jay needed to teach it how to differentiate its emotions from her own, or one of these days, she was worried the beast would overtake her completely.
"We're just taking a walk," Kieran stated as if it were the simplest thing in the world. But Jay's mind was working overtime as she thought deeper into it.
Fine. Jay breathed in deeply, feeling the cold air prickle at her lungs. Her hands shook at her sides. Bringing them into fists, she secured them under her armpits, wishing for them to remain steady.
She began feeling at ease when she allowed herself to enjoy the cool night air and the stillness emphasized by the looming clouds threatening to cover the moon. Her muscles relaxed beneath her skin, and her mind grew calm. Tiny snowflakes fluttered around the two in a daze, haphazardly resting on the frozen ground, crunched with every step Jay and Kieran made.
Unknowingly, Jay completely relaxed as she walked beside Kieran in silence, so close to one another that her hand almost brushed his.
"I'm worried about my family." Jay felt a tinge of regret ripple through her as she began speaking, but now that she had started, there was no turning back. "If my grandfather is... dying," Jay's muscles tightened as she admitted the fact out loud. "What will the future of his pack be? He is their leader, after all. And my mom." Jay paused as she recalled how her mom reacted when hearing about her dad's fate. "I don't know how to help her. I feel useless. I don't know how to help anyone right now."
Jay didn't realize her steps faltered until she stood at a standstill. Kieran was in front of her, observing her with his chilling gaze. "You should focus on yourself right now," He finally said. "You think too much of others. Do that later, when your parents have news to give."
Subconsciously, Jay found herself nodding along to his words. He was right, after all. There was no sense worrying herself to death over the unknown.
"Okay," Jay stated, fingers pulling at the edge of her sleeves. The new weight of the keys to her vehicle pressed into her side, reminding her of the presents she was gifted tonight. "I think I'd like to take a look at my new vehicle. What do you say?" She pulled the keys from her pocket—a distraction from tonight's events.
Kieran's smirk adjourned his face, and a sense of familiarity washed over Jay. She welcomed it with open arms, needing this type of distraction from the terrible news she was dreading over.
The key slid into the lock perfectly, and she twisted it open until she could open the door with a silent creak. The smell of her vehicle flooded her nose as she peaked her head inside to examine the interior. It was a comforting smell, one she enjoyed and knew would disappear after some time. The air smelt stale, but not in a gross or musty way. She could taste the last owner's cologne, but it was faint, indicating their existence in this vehicle was that of a long time ago.
"It's second-hand," Kieran said from behind her. She straightened her back, turning to examine him with slightly narrowed eyes. "It has four-wheel drive, low kilometres, and your dad and I replaced a few things that needed typical maintenance."
Jay cocked her head to the side, smiling fondly at the vampire. "You and my dad were working on this together?" She asked, relaying what she heard from him.
He nodded in response. "Your parents bought the vehicle. It was just a coincidence that I was able to offer my expertise on the repairs." His playful voice tickled Jay's ears, prickling her insides with a giddiness from her delight.
Jay crawled into the driver's seat, running her hands over the steering wheel as her eyes travelled over the vehicle. One thing caught her eye that made her smile grow. "Just a coincidence, hey?" Jay teased Kieran as she gestured to the cassette player.
Kieran rolled his eyes, leaning into the vehicle. "I installed a better sound system too. You'll enjoy the music better that way anyhow."
Adjusting her position, Jay sunk into the softness of the seat. Firm, yet comfortable.
"Thanks, Kieran," She said with a small smile. He shrugged as his eyes danced over the interior of the vehicle.
"Just don't crash this one," Kieran joked, but her mood turned sour even though she heard the playful notes in his words.
Jay bit her lip, watching the snow fall over the vehicle's hood. Visions of her accident flashed within her mind. The wolf turning into a man, the silver eyes glowing in the headlights.
"Hey." Kieran's hand rested on her thigh. "I didn't mean that."
Jay shrugged her shoulders. "It's fine." The sound of her voice was flat. "You want to know something?"
"Shoot." Kieran leaned closer, staring in anticipation at what Jay would say next.
Jay cleared her throat, harshly swallowing as she thought of those silver eyes staring at her as she lay suspended upside down in her car. "I probably should have said this sooner, but with everything that's happened, I never really found the right time to do it," She started, staring into Kieran's iceberg-blue eyes. "It was never an accident. The animal I hit wasn't just an animal. It was a werewolf." Her soft voice wobbled as her eyes fell on Kieran's chin. She didn't want to see his reaction, but the silence was enough to tell her he was thinking of what she had said.
"You're sure?" He asked.
Jay nodded her head. "I can't get those silver eyes out of my head."
Jay heard his grip tighten on the vehicle's body, but his hand on her thigh remained still, saving her from the growing agitation he felt.
She glanced into his eyes and saw the wheels working in his head. He was most likely thinking of what Jay had felt since the rogue attack. Somehow, they were connected, and it involved her. Someone was out there, targeting her, even before she knew of this world.
Suddenly, Kieran began looking around their position, peering into the forest's darkness around them. The moon was deceiving to the eye, producing enough light to shine against the snow-covered ground but was missing a sliver from itself. The full moon had come and gone, with no exciting events she'd heard of happening.
"What's wrong?" She asked, peering into the long shadows of the trees that seemed to taunt her with malice. Goosebumps rose over her skin as she thought she could see the shadows moving, but she dismissed the thought quickly. Jay wasn't afraid of the woods but of what could be lurking within its depths.
"Inside," Kieran softly said by her ear. "Now."
Without protest, Jay locked the vehicle's door, closing it swiftly as Kieran watched their surroundings with a predatory eye. Once inside her family home, she locked the door behind them, watching Kieran curiously as he walked through the house to where she knew Brennan and Raegan would be.
As Jay stood in the archway to the living room, she watched Kieran stand beside Brennan as they talked in hushed tones. Raegan came to stand beside Jay, watching her brothers with a curious eye.
Jay watched as Brennan's face grew dark, his jaw clenching as he listened to Kieran.
"Is there something I missed?" Raegan asked Jay, watching her brothers amongst each other.
"You know as much as I do," Jay's voice ended with a sigh. "It sounds like Kieran is planning a war, though." Jay chuckled softly, removing her gaze from the brothers.
Raegan turned her back on her brothers to look at Jay. "From what I've gathered, this situation has turned into something far more dangerous than the four of us can handle."
A pit grew in Jay's stomach. Her messed up life was affecting this family more than she would've liked it too. Jay wished she could take back the moment she jumped from the cliffs and into the ravine below, delivering her broken body to the people before her. They didn't deserve this. Their entire lives they managed to live just fine before she showed up, and now she was regretting her every decision leading up to this point.
"I'm going to the washroom," Jay spoke softly as she left Reagan. She climbed the stairs behind them, careful not to step on the squeaky parts of the steps. Jay closed the door to her bedroom, resting her head against the wooden door.
Taking a moment, she breathed in deeply before heading straight to her window, where she climbed onto her roof and gazed up at the star-filled sky. The moon winked at her tauntingly as clouds rolled in front of it. Growling softly, she turned her gaze away from the moon and sat on the roof littered with delicate snowflakes. There was a thin layer of snow over the dark shingles, but the surface remained firm, and her footing did not slip from beneath her.
She wasn't alone for very long when she heard someone climbing onto the roof behind her. She turned her head and looked over her shoulder to see Kieran walking over to her. He sat beside her, and the two of them remained silent, watching the snow fall from the thick clouds above.
Kieran wrapped an arm around Jay, pulling her closer to him. She didn't protest, finding comfort within his touch as she dragged herself from her overbearing thoughts. She rested her head on his shoulder, staring into the forest surrounding her parent's home. Kieran shifted slightly, and Jay could feel his eyes on her.
She moved her head to look up at him, and she was caught in the way his eyes shifted in the moonlight. "What other secrets are behind those pretty brown eyes of yours?"
The corner of Jay's mouth turned upward as she shook her head. "Too many for you to handle."
"Oh really?" Kieran's voice held a mischievous undertone.
Jay hummed in response as she turned away from him.
"Like the one where you have a secret stash of stuffed animals hidden away in your closet?" Kieran said humorously.
Jay shot upright as she viewed Kieran with narrowed eyes. His smirk was devilish as he brought a teddy bear into view.
"Kieran!" She glared, trying to grab ahold of her teddy bear that he clutched in his fist. "Don't you know better than snooping around in a girl's room?" She growled, trying to reach around him where he held the bear just out of range of her fingertips.
"But I find the most interesting things when I do." He wiggled his eyebrows. "Like a very colourful underwear drawer. I don't understand how women can own so many pairs of panties."
Mortified, Jay buried her face in her hands, unable to face what Kieran told her. His laugh danced around in the cold winter air, meeting her ears teasingly.
"Tell you what," Kieran started. Jay peeked behind her fingers as she stared daggers at him. "If you agree to grab a bite with me, I'll consider returning the bear in one piece. If not..." Kieran's smirk grew even more devilish as he stood to his feet, dangling the bear off the side of the roof.
Jay rolled her eyes at the vampire. "You drive a hard bargain."
"What can I say?" Kieran held onto the bear's arms as he made the stuffed animal dance in the air. "I am quite the mastermind when it comes to torture."
Jay shook her head as she stared at Kieran's outstretched hand. She grabbed ahold of it, and he hoisted her onto her feet. At that moment, she lost her foothold on the roof, and Jay slipped, bringing Kieran down with her.
Kieran let out of groan as the two of them hit the ground. Opening her eyes, she realized she had landed on top of Kieran, who clutched her to his body tightly.
"Oh god," Jay breathed out, sitting up to peer at his face. "Are you okay?"
Kieran unclenched his eyes, bringing the teddy bear in front of them. "I saved your bear." He dangled the stuffed animal in front of her face.
The front door opened loudly, and Brennan and Raegan came to investigate the loud commotion.
"What happened?" Raegan asked worriedly as she analyzed the situation.
Jay quickly stood from her position, snatching the bear from Kieran's hand. "We fell off the roof."
"Correction," Kieran sat up, resting his arm over his knee. "You fell off the roof, dragging me with you."
Jay rolled her eyes, embarrassed of her clumsiness. She moved the bear behind her back, making it seem like she was just clutching her hands, even though she knew the siblings had seen the bear anyway.
Kieran got to his feet, dusting off his jeans and ruffling his jacket.
"We probably should go back inside," Brennan stated, looking around at the forest surrounding them.
"I actually have a better idea," Kieran said as he took a couple of steps back toward his vehicle parked on the gravel driveway. "Who's hungry?"
*****
Word Count : 2672