Chapter 17
Zeke ran, not stopping even when the sole of his paws became scratched. There was no stopping on their journey, but the good thing about the place they were heading was that it wasn’t too far away. When he needed, he could still check back on Ally and the others; he could still be there for her if an attack began. It was far enough away to keep her from harm, but close enough to help if it was needed.
As the house came into view, he shifted into his human form. The others behind him did the same; he could feel it in the air. He didn’t turn towards them though, knowing that an unexpected visitor had arrived at his home before he could. His feet creaked on the porch and a flash of thoughts left behind gave him just enough time to dodge the knife that dropped from the porch top. He let out a laugh as it fell between the floorboards.
Picking it up, he twirled it in his hands. “This one?” he called out, a smile on his face. “I love this knife. What would have happened if I did something to damage it?”
A shadow paced over the screen door. The shape was small, shorter than him by at least a foot. “I knew you would never harm that knife,” she replied, opening the door with a smile on her face. “You’re grandfather gave it to you.”
“Is it safe to walk onto the porch?” Peyton asked.
Zeke nodded without turning towards them. “It’s safe. She was joking.”
“She’s beautiful,” Charlie whispered from behind him. She must not have thought that they could hear her with how low she said it, but she forgot that they were shifters.
Smiling towards her, Zeke nodded. “That she is.”
“Oh, hush,” the woman said, smacking him on the shoulder. “You always were a momma’s boy.” She turned towards Charlie, holding her hand out to shake. “It’s nice to finally meet you Charlie. I’m Carrey, Zeke’s mom.”
When Charlie’s name floated from his mom’s lips, he froze. “What do you know?”
His mom smiled at him, not giving anything away. “I know that the Queen of ours is doing well; that she will tell me how you are, even if you don’t.”
Eyes closing, he wished Ally were around so he could be mad at her. He couldn’t believe she had been reporting back to his mother. Didn’t she know how his mother was? The woman knew everything as it was, she didn’t need a spy to help her. “Ally wouldn’t have told you about Charlie, Mom. What did you see?” She stayed silent, making Zeke open his eyes. “Please?”
She reached out, pulling him into a tight hug. “I love you; I do, but I can’t tell you anything.”
Letting him go, she beamed over his shoulder. “Peyton, how are you, boy? I made grits.”
“Grits,” the boy repeated, before a grin spread across his face. “Nobody here makes grits. Zeke, I’m in love.”
Zeke growled under his breath, while his mom’s smile widened. “Come on in all of you. Clothes are in your bedrooms.”
She turned, walking into the house without a backwards glance. Peyton followed, looking a little dazed. Before the boy could take a step into his house, he grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling him back. “Look, talking to my mom doesn’t bother me. Flirting with my mom is a no. Do you understand?”
Peyton nodded, but the smile on his face said that even if he understood, he wasn’t going to listen. Letting out a sigh, he dropped the man to his feet and watched as he ran into the house, smiling.
“I didn’t know who she was,” Charlie mumbled, bringing his attention to her.
“What?”
Charlie gestured to the house. “She looks young.”
He smiled. “Young, huh?”
“Yeah,” she said with a nod. “Young enough to not be your mom.”
“You’re jealous?” he asked, chuckling when he saw her freeze in anger.
“I was not jealous!” she seethed, stomping past him.
He shook his head at her back, but as she stopped in her tracks, he waited for the question he knew was going to come. “How did she know my name?”
“Ally used to say I have a way of just knowing things. Well, I get that from my mother.”
“Great,” Charlie mumbled, stepping into the house. “Now there are two of you.”
A more feminine laugh sounded form inside his house, and he knew his mother had heard Charlie’s statement. It was true though. He was more like his mother than anyone else. The only difference was how caring the woman was. She would take in a stray dog if it walked in her path.
“Not any stray!” his mom called out before laughing again. “Come inside, son. You’re friend has lots of stories to tell.”
Shaking his head, he jogged into his home. His mom stood at the counter, Peyton leaning on the other side, smiling at her. Glaring at the boy, he walked towards his mom before throwing an arm around her shoulder. She smiled over at him. “I was just telling Peyton about that time when you were a boy and you thought the worms were chocolate spaghetti.”
“Mom,” he groaned. “Please no more stories.”
Her eyes blanked as she shook her head. “I have many stories to tell you, son. Some you will not want to hear, and some that will never reach your ears.”
His body froze. “We need to talk.”
“Yes,” she said with a sigh while slipping out from under his arm and walking towards his living room. “We really do.”
***Thanks to Platypus1987 for the amazing banner! I love it :) Very Zeke, haha.***