Chapter eight

Jude

Today is the day. We've officially arrived in this little town that's up north and in the middle of nowhere. I don't think I've seen this many cows in my entire life and yet every back road we turn on seems to have a field full of them. No wonder Carlos felt the pull of his inner animal so hard when he was younger. There doesn't seem like there's much to do in these parts. He probably craved the hunt and the adventure of being in his animal skin. I can't blame him for that. I just wish he would stop blaming himself.

We've parked our RV's and Carlos' truck. It's time to head into town and investigate, which means there's a tiny chance we'll run into Carlos' parents. A flutter goes through my belly, thinking about the three of them finally being reunited. Carlos is understandably nervous, but I have no doubt in my mind that they'll be ecstatic to see their son. I might have only known him a very short time but already I know he's a wonderful man. They're going to be proud of the man he's grown into. I just wish it hadn't taken this long to get here.

"So," Jeff says, looking at Carlos. "Where do you think we should start?"

Carlos blows out a long breath, running his fingers through his hair. "How do you guys feel about pancakes?"

I snort, surprised by the question. Cooper and Martin share a look before Cooper is shrugging. "I think by now you know we're all fans."

Carlos nods and starts walking. Without needing to be told, we all follow. I get into step with my mate, taking his hand in my own. Everyone's mates and kids are staying at the campground but I'm coming along, wanting to be near. I want to be there for emotional support for my mate while also being available to help out Cooper in case he wants to stretch his magic.

Sometime today I'd like to take a stroll through town with Cooper, talking him through how to track magical items and see if we can get a ping of this magical rabbit's foot. That would make everyone's job so much easier, but only if he's ready to stretch his magic a little bit. I don't want to push or rush the progress he's made so far.

As we walk, I can't help but look around, taking this tiny town in. It's quiet. So very, very quiet. There's barely anyone around and the houses are spaced apart, giving each home its own lawn. There are kids running around outside one house, like all the neighborhood kids have come together to play. As we walk, a single car passes us, taking us in, knowing we're not from around here because no doubt they know every single person in this town.

It has a special feel to it. Like one of those small town movies where the main character is from a big, bustling city and he finds true love in the quiet of a small town. It's not for everyone, but for the people who live here, it's easy to see this is where they love to be.

"Where's your parents' house?"

Carlos squeezes my hand, swallowing thickly. "We lived on the other side of town. If we kept going down this road past the diner we'd run into it."

"Do you feel like walking that way? We don't have to go to the door or anything, but it might be nice just to see it." Carlos looks down at me with a pained look and my chest clenches painfully. I quickly add, "we don't have to. We can take our time, okay?"

He breathes again, looking away. "Okay," he whispers, more to himself than to me.

If I could magic away these feelings he's warring with I absolutely would, but he's gotta face this in his time. Only when he's ready. And I'll be here to help him however I can and however he'll let me.

"I wish I was able to finish that box," Cooper murmurs behind us and I turn around, walking backwards so I can face him. He winces when he seems me looking, like he already knows exactly what I'm going to say.

"Don't beat yourself up, Cooper. Another night and it'll be done. These things take practice."

He nods and Martin wraps his arm around Cooper's waist. "He's right, baby. You only just started using your magic. Give it a little time."

"What if we find this thing before the box is done?"

Jeff speaks up. "Then we'll take it back to camp and take turns holding it. What's the worst it could do to us?" He asks with an amused snort. "We're trained hunters."

Carlos shakes his head. "What if you trip and fall chest first into a stake?"

Jeff full on laughs at that. "I promise to steer clear of any stakes we have lying around the campsite."

"If we find it, I'll hold onto it," Carlos says seriously. "You've all got kids now. You have to be double careful."

"Don't be silly," I say, slapping the back of my hand against Carlos' chest. "Just because you don't have a kid yet doesn't mean your life matters less. And none of these guys wants to see you get hurt. We'll take turns holding it and once our luck seems to be peaking into ‘really bad' we'll toss it to the next person. Easy peasy." Someday my mate will see how good I am with coming up with ideas.

Carlos groans but doesn't fight us on this. Ronny, who's mostly been silent on this walk, speaks up. "We should probably lock up our weapons when we get back, just in case. Stubbing our toes is one thing. Accidentally shooting someone is another."

Martin shakes his head. "Don't worry, Ronny, I already locked everything up before we left. I doubt there's any need for weaponry on this case."

"Good thinking."

It doesn't take much longer before we're walking up to a diner whose sign declares it family owned. The windows are painted with fall leaves and I can't help but smile, wondering if the owners have a teenager who's interested in art. The small town feel is growing on me even if it's not something I would enjoy all the time, but stopping in places like this from time to time seems nice. And who knows, maybe we'll make coming back here a regular thing depending on how Carlos' parents react to him being back.

A boy can dream.

"Hi," Carlos says as we step inside. "Can we get a table for six, please?"

We're led to a round table that'll seat all of us and given large, sticky menus. Ah yes, a true small town diner staple.

"Cooper, do you remember that incantation I taught you this morning?"

His eyes blink behind his glasses before he's nodding. "I think so, yeah."

My initial thought was to walk through town while practicing this incantation but honestly, there's no reason not to try it here first. What's the worst that can happen?

"Why don't you go ahead and give it a try?"

Cooper reaches out, touching my shoulder. He closes his eyes, centering himself. I smile as I watch him work, proud of how fast he's catching on to everything. I hear him whisper the incantation and my chest warms as he links our bond together, using me as his catalyst to make his magic come to life. He's getting so good at reaching out and my chest is brimming with pride.

I can see his eyes dart back and forth under his lids, no doubt scanning our surroundings for anything magical, the incantation doing its job and searching magic out. He opens his eyes and they flare with the prettiest green color before he's slumping in his chair, letting go of me.

"Holy shit."

"Did you feel anything?" Martin asks excitedly, wrapping his arm around Cooper's shoulders and in turn, Cooper slumps against him.

"Yeah. Carlos' necklace is magical."

"That's not what you're supposed to be looking for," Carlos says, touching his necklace possessively.

"I know, I know," Cooper says, waving him off. "More importantly, I can feel an even stronger magic. It's different than your necklace, it feels playfully sinister? Also, it's here in this diner!"

Carlos and I both gasp in surprise. I look around the diner, trying to see if anyone is having comically bad luck. I turn back to the guys at the table when I come up short.

"Seriously?" Jeff asks, looking around at the people who're here as well.

"How the hell did we stumble onto the thing we're looking for when all we were going for was pancakes? We gotta be lucky as fuck," Ronny mumbles to himself.

"Our luck is about to run out," Carlos says, shaking his head. "We're gonna find this thing and then have all the luck sucked out of us one by one. So enjoy it while we got it."

"Don't be such a downer," I murmur, elbowing my mate. "Tonight Cooper and I will continue working on the box so it'll be a small amount of bad luck. We'll be fine."

"I just worry," he whispers to me, leaning over and kissing the side of my head. Our waiter comes over and we all order pancakes and coffees. I plan on leaving a healthy tip when the waiter says he'll ask the kitchen to add chocolate chips to mine.

"I'm gonna run to the bathroom," Carlos says, squeezing my shoulder as he stands up. Part of me wants to ask if he wants me to join him, but I don't think I'll ever live down the teasing his crew will give me, thinking we're going to the bathroom to fuck.

I watch him go, a smile playing at my lips as my eyes are glued to his ass. That smile quickly falls away as I watch him trip on the carpet. His hand goes out to steady himself on a nearby table but that somehow launches the person's coffee off of the table. It soars into the air, along with something else, something I can't quite identify. I watch completely transfixed as Carlos tries to catch both of the objects that are tossed up into the air.

His hand darts out, wrapping around one of the objects. He goes to catch the coffee, and with his shifter reflexes, it should be a breeze. Only it's not. The cup lands square against his chest, splashing across the front of his shirt and pants. He curses, looking down at himself in horror.

I stand up, quickly making my way over to make sure he's okay but Carlos is frozen in place. He turns towards the table, looking down at the two people there who just had their coffee disrupted.

I watch as my mate begins to tremble and as I step beside him I hear him whisper, "mom? Dad?"