Chapter five

Carlos

My heart is in my throat as I lead Jude into our campsite. We each have a backpack of his stuff over our shoulders. Apparently he'd already had his bags packed, ready to take off on this adventure with his cousins, but part of me still wonders if things are moving too fast for Jude. One moment he was preparing for a road trip and the next he's moving his things into my truck.

Maybe the fact that he was already prepared to leave his home will make this just a little bit smoother for him.

"So," I say, nodding at my truck. I pointedly ignore everyone around the fire watching us despite being able to feel their eyes on the back of my neck. Nosy bastards. "This is my home."

"Your home," he says slowly, taking in my truck. There's a long pause before he turns and smiles at me. "Okay. We can work with this."

"I know it's not much but I was kinda planning on bunkering down in the back by myself. It's comfortable back there."

"That's okay. It looks cozy, Carlos. Really."

I take Jude's bags, tossing them into the back next to my things. It's not much but it's been working for me since everyone else in the group has mated off and started families. Staying in their campers started to get weird and I knew it was time to find my own place to sleep. It's a truck with a closed back where I keep my things and a mattress. At night it really is cozy. I don't really need much more than this.

Well, I didn't need much more than this. Fuck. So much has changed overnight.

"Welcome back," Jeff says with a wide smile, nodding to Jude and I as we step over to the fire.

"I come bearing gifts," Jude announces, holding up a large container of fancy coffee. On the way here, we stopped at the same place I bumped into Jude this morning. They were selling coffee in bulk so he decided to get one for us all to share.

Cooper and Martin both hold out their cups for Jude to fill. I can't help but smile to myself, watching as my mate fits into the group with ease. Maybe this transition won't be as stressful as I thought at first. Seeing Jude interact with my crew, my little found family, soothes that worry just a little bit. I imagine there will be bumps in the road ahead, but when isn't there some ups and downs in life?

I clear my throat as I sit down, looking between Ronny and Jeff. "So? You said you found a new case?"

Ronny nods his head, adjusting his glasses. "Yep! It should be a pretty straight forward case, thankfully. Something to ease us back into work now that Jude is here," he explains with a little smile. "It looks like a cursed object being passed around a tiny town up north."

"How far north?"

Jeff gives me a knowing look. "It's a town called Tomahawk." My heart skips a beat but I do my best to hide it, sipping at my coffee like nothing is the matter. Thankfully, I've had lots of practice keeping my real emotions at bay, not letting that control slip now despite the way my chest is constricting, like a hand wrapped around my heart and squeezing. "Apparently people have been having the worst luck whenever they have this thing in their possession. Nothing serious yet but these things tend to escalate if we don't shut it down."

"This is so exciting," Jude says, sitting down beside me. "This is a great chance to see what you're capable of, Cooper! I'll teach you a tracking spell that'll let you lead us right to the cursed object! And then on our way there, I'll show you how to enchant a box so we have a place to store it so it can't hurt anyone else."

Cooper looks uneasy, shifting in his seat. "You really think I'll be able to do that?"

Jude nods. "I don't think. I know you'll be able to do it."

I look over at Ronny. "Do you mind sending me the articles about this you've found?"

"No problem," he murmurs and a moment later I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I tune everyone else out as I pour over the words. Ronny was right in his assumption, this is most likely a cursed object. A rabbit's foot that's been tampered with to cause the opposite of its intent.

I find a link to a news video, clicking on it and watching as a news reporter talks with a middle aged woman. My entire body freezes as a familiar face flashes across the background. No. It can't be. Can it?

I watch as my mother passes behind the reporter, going about her day to day unknowing that the camera even picked her up. Not only are we helping solve a case, but it would seem Lady Fate has decided it's properly time I stopped running and face the consequences of my past actions. My life feels like a domino trail, all tipping over one by one.

Fan-fucking-tastic.

"Hey, Carlos. You okay?" Axel asks, reaching over and touching my shoulder. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

I chuckle though the sound is empty and far from being amused. "You might say I have," I tell him softly. Jude reaches over, touching my knee and I give him a small smile, trying to put everyone at ease. "Everything is fine, I just wasn't expecting to be going back to my hometown anytime soon."

"Oh shit," Martin murmurs, everyone around the fire straightening.

I clear my throat, my cheeks turning darker with color. Well, better to just rip this ripcord, right? "I know I've never really talked about this before but the reason I've found you all is because I ran away from home." I look over at Jude, finding his eyes soft and supportive. Without even doing anything, he gives me strength to keep going. "I'm not human."

There's silence before Ronny speaks up. "No shit, Sherlock."

"No shit!"

Zander groans, looking down at JJ. "Hey, bud, that's an adult word."

"Sorry," JJ and Ronny say at the same time and I can't help but smile despite everything else going on.

"Okay, so apparently it was the worst kept secret of all time, but I thought I should let you know. I ran because I was a dumbass teenager who thought nothing could touch me. I used to use my other form to hunt and did whatever I wanted as a kid and it got me into trouble with some hunters. I ran away to keep my parents safe."

Everyone seems to take this in. Jeff is the one who finally responds. "You were only a kid, Carlos. I'm sure your parents are only worried that you're safe, that's all they care about."

"You're probably right," I say softly. "At the time, running seemed like the best thing I could do for them. And the longer I waited to contact them, the harder it got. So I just didn't."

"This is your chance to see them again," Jude says, squeezing my knee. "You don't have to, of course. I'll support you either way." He pauses for a moment before going on. "I think you should see them, though."

"Me too," Cooper says and the guys all nod along. "They probably miss you terribly."

"I miss them too," I confess softly.

"We'll leave this afternoon and start heading up north," Jeff says finally. "Is that okay with you, Jude?"

"Yeah, I'm ready to go whenever you all are. I already said my goodbyes and packed my things."

"Great."

"You're welcome to ride in our RV," Cooper says, his words more nervous than I'm used to hearing from him. "I'd like to start training whenever you're up for it."

Martin squeezes Cooper's shoulder and Dorian leans over, kissing his cheek. "Proud of you, baby."

I can feel Jude practically shaking with excitement. I focus on that instead of the chaos of nerves threatening to choke me inside my chest. Not only are we starting a case during a new chapter in my life but we're also revisiting my past. Yeah, this should be fine.