Chapter 31: Chapter Thirty-One - Jessica

The next morning when I woke Mason was gone. He must have gone to work and didn’t want to wake me. I was glad for it. Turns out a day at the office and being stalked by a lycan will really take it out of you.

I showered, got dressed and found myself in the kitchen making coffee. There were snores coming from every angle of the house. It made me laugh over the rim of my mug. I dared a look outside, seeing the boy’s trucks and the morning light filtering inside. You would never know a lycan roamed this land.

Their fridge was stocked with food, so I pulled out eggs, sausage and grabbed the pancake mix from the pantry. It was the least I could do since they were housing me and keeping me safe.

Thirty minutes later, I had the entire breakfast cooked and ready on the counter. Liam woke first. He walked into the room rubbing his eyes. “Wow, I can’t remember the last time I woke to a breakfast like this.”

“Well, here it is. It’s a thank you for protecting me from the beasts of the bayou.”

He smiled, poured himself a cup of coffee and started his plate. The boys woke one by one until Jacob graced us with his presence. “I think I can get used to this,” he said, kissing the top of my head.

“So,” I said, leaning against the counter. “What did y’all find last night? Anything at that spot?”

Jacob shrugged. “His scent was everywhere but I can’t imagine why. It’s a random spot in the woods.”

I pressed my mouth into a thin line. “Maybe go check it out in the daylight? Surely there is some reason it’s important to the thing.”

Jacob shrugged. “I’m not doing anything until I get coffee and food. I’m tired this morning.”

I grabbed a plate and joined Jacob in the dining room. We ate our food in silence. The sound of the TV came from the other room where Aaron and Liam ate.

Seth sat down beside Jacob and shoveled in his food. “Do you wish one of the elders were here to help?”

Jacob nodded. “Yeah, often. I wish they hadn’t of past so quickly.”

“I wish they would have left us a guide or something,” Seth mumbled. “Would have been nice. It’s not like we can go look this stuff up online.”

“Yeah, me, too," Jacob said.

When we finished, the boys took care of cleaning the kitchen while I spent the morning working on my article. I was able to pull most of the information from the web. I called the lady Jamie asked me to check with, and she promised to send pictures of the girls in the pageant as soon as possible.

Jacob made me a sandwich for lunch, and before I knew it, Mason called. “Are you ready? I’ll be home soon.”

A calming feeling took over me at the sound of his voice. “Yeah. I’ll be ready when you get here.”

Nerves shot down my spine. I couldn’t imagine meeting his grandmother in just a few short moments. I brushed through my hair and made sure I looked presentable before Mason got home.

He smelled bad from sweating all day, so he showered and led me toward his truck. “I’ll be back soon. Going to get fried pies.”

Seth shouted his praise at the pies, and I didn’t blame them. My grandmother used to make them as well. Nothing beat them.

It was the first time I’d stepped outside all day, and the sunlight felt nice against my skin. I inhaled the Louisiana summer breeze and climbed into the passenger seat.

Mason glanced over at me. “You’re nervous,” he said.

I chuckled. “I’m meeting your family. Of course, I am.”

He reached over and interlaced his fingers with mine. “You’ll be okay. Grandma loves everyone. Plus, I’m her favorite grandson. She’ll love you.”

The bookstore was nestled into the corner of the downtown square. The awning read FRAN’s BOOKS GALORE in a deep black against the light blue.

The big picture frame windows gave me a glance into the store. It held rows and rows of books. A small children’s section sat in the corner with bean bags and a small case of playing blocks.

The bell dinged when Mason opened the door and the cutest little lady looked up from the register. Her coke bottle glasses were perched on her nose, and her smile made it so that you couldn’t not return it.

“Well, I tell someone there is food here and he comes running.”

Mason gave me a look before meeting her halfway. He hugged her tightly, making her laugh before her gaze swept toward mine.

“And who is this pretty girl you brought with you?”

“This is Jessica. She’s Dotti’s granddaughter. She moved into her estate.”

“Oh, dear. I do remember you from the funeral. I’m so sorry we lost Dotti. She was such a sweet soul.” She placed her palms on my cheeks and smiled. “You look a lot like her.”

“I’ve heard that before. It’s so nice to meet you, Mrs. Fran.”

She smiled. “You, too, darlin’. I’ve got the pies in the kitchen. I’ll be right back.”

She waddled down the hallway, leaving Mason and I alone. “She is the cutest lady ever.”

Mason leaned against the counter when he froze. I followed his line of sight to the wall, and realized he was smelling something. “Did I forget to put on deodorant?” I teased.

He moved around the library, smelling everything until Mrs. Fran came back with a container of fried pies. “Here you go. Now you share with those friends of yours. Don’t eat all of them. Mason?” she asked, catching his confused look.

“Who all came in here today?” he asked.

Mrs. Fran gave him a look while handing me the fried pies. “I don’t know, son. I don’t keep a log of who comes into the bookstore. I’ve had several people. Some I know and some I don’t.”

He ground his teeth together in frustration.

“Now, why would you want to know that?”

“Just curious,” he mumbled, taking the pies from me. “Thank you for the food, Grandma. I’ll see you soon. If you need me to fill in let me know.”

“I can fill in whenever you want me to, as well. I’m working at The Eagle, but Jamie is pretty lax on my schedule since I don’t have a car.”

“Well, thank you so much. I’ll keep that in mind. You two be careful going home. I know you’ve heard about all these monsters.” She laughed halfheartedly.

“Those crazy people need to stop drinking.”

Mason rolled his eyes. “Bye, Grandma. Love you.”

He ushered me outside to his truck and nearly shoved me inside. “Where is the fire?”

“I smelled the lycan inside the bookstore,” he mumbled. “The thing is everywhere. Who is someone that goes everywhere in town? Who has the time?”

I shrugged, cradling the pies in my lap. “I don’t know, Mason.”

He shut my door and walked around the driver’s seat. His fingers tightened around the wheel and he closed his eyes. His frustration wrecked down my spine.

I could feel all of it.

When he started his engine, he pulled onto the street and started making random turns. “Where are we going?”

“I want to see something.”

“It’s getting dark,” I said, looking around. “Do you think it’s wise to be out with me after dark?”

Mason ignored me.

I understood his need to find this thing but being out in the open when we know the lycan roams the streets wasn’t smart.

I opened the container of fried pies and took a bite of one. “Oh my, I forgot how good these things are.”

Mason continued to drive around the small town until he let out a frustrated growl. “This is stupid. You’re right. I’m sorry. I just hate the thought of that thing in my grandmother’s bookstore.”

Seeing the sadness in the corners of his eyes twisted my chest. I looked over to tell him everything was going to be okay when I saw it.

The sun had set only a few moments before, but it stood at the fountain by the courthouse.

Glaring.

“Mason,” I whispered.

He followed my line of sight and slammed on his brakes. His fingers tightened, he put his truck in park and opened his door. “Mason. You can not shift in the middle of town.”

Reality hit him and he stopped. “Call Jacob. Tell him to get here now.”