13. River

The next morning, something pulls me slowly from sleep. I glance over at Akira and see he's still sleeping. My eyes drift up to his adorable shifted fox ears. I smile, knowing that it means he's comfortable with me. He looks so young and almost innocent like this.

I slide out from under my comforter and search for the sound that woke me up. That beautiful, eerie song plays louder than before. The magical notes beckon me forward as if playfully asking for attention. It has to be here in the trailer with us.

Sunlight streams through my window, causing something to sparkle. I walk over to it. Sitting on top of my dresser is something that looks like an oyster shell, only more colorful. It seems to be sparkling, gleaming with magic, shimmering from a light pink to teal.

I pick it up and flip it over. That song hums again, clearly coming from the shell. Rather than be scared, I feel warmth and comfort radiating from it somehow. I run my finger across its grooves and notice a few cracks. Not too many, but just enough to make it look like someone might have dropped it once. Other than that, the shell looks to be in good condition. I place it back on the dresser. It might be Akira's, since I always seem to hear its song when he's near.

After dressing for the day, I walk over to the sofa and pull out my work laptop. I check my emails, quickly scanning through a nasty message from Uncle Harris. He must be getting desperate because he's emailing me through our work email again. When he gets really angry, he slips and sends messages that leave a nice little paper trail. Even though he owns the law firm, he has several big clients and a team of lawyers who respect me. I don't think they'll take too kindly to the verbal abuse he's sent my way. Over the years, I've started compiling these messages, texts, and emails as some kind of fail-safe. I wasn't even sure who I'd send them to, but now I'm grateful I have them.

Thirty minutes later, I finish my final project with a smile and send the new budget to the marketing team.

"Hey, Riv." Akira is leaning against the wall, watching me. He looks so damn handsome with his raven-black hair down, framing his face. He's shirtless and in a new pair of black jeans.

"Are those the jeans we got at Killies?" After we went to the thrift store yesterday, we ended up spending the day shopping. We stumbled across a store that seemed to have nothing but black material. It made Indy squeal with joy before he tugged Akira inside, while Brighton and I went next door to a more colorful shop.

"He nods. Do you like them?" He turns around and shows off the back, which cups his ass and thighs nicely.

I swallow hard. "They're okay," I fake grumble. Lord, this man is going to be the death of me.

I'm so distracted that I accidentally answer my phone as soon as it starts to ring. "Hello?"

"River!" Uncle Harris barks into the phone. "Where the hell are you?"

I wince, pulling the phone away from my ear with a sigh.

Akira looks over at me suddenly, walking over to my side.

"Uncle Harris, I'm sorry I've been MIA. A lot has happened since I took my vacation. I have some news—"

"Yeah, well enough fucking around. Your vacation ended over a month ago. You can't just abandon your damn job."

I grit my teeth. "I understand, but I had a family emergency. I went through the proper channels with HR. Everyone knows I'm currently working remotely."

"Bullshit. I'm the only damn family you have left. You should be fired for falsifying information."

Akira presses himself against my back, and his warmth is comforting. My uncle's words wash over me. All I feel is irritation and maybe anger, whereas before, I would have felt trepidation. Fear that my uncle would take everything away from me. Now, I realize he has nothing of mine. I have money, a new job, a family, a home, and someone I'm falling for.

Holy shit, I'm falling for Akira.

Most importantly, I have a life here at Black Cat Circus. My life. That realization hits me hard. I might have been a little lost for a while, but in a short amount of time, I've found myself, and I like who I am here. A lot of that has to do with Indy, Alyx, Seven, and Akira.

I spin around in Akira's arms and offer him a soft smile. I lean forward and press a quick, silent kiss to his lips. I muffle the phone with my hand. "I'll be right back. I'm going to finish talking to him outside."

Akira gives me a concerned look, which warms my heart even more.

"I'll be okay," I tell him.

By the time I step out of the trailer, my uncle is back to yelling into the phone. Off in the distance, I see Farren making his morning rounds. He gives me a friendly wave and I wave back. This is definitely where I'm meant to be. "I didn't lie about anything," I say in a firm tone. "I had a family emergency. And as far as I'm concerned, Indy is my only blood-related family."

"How fucking dare you! You are out there chasing ghosts. And—"

"Indy is alive," I interrupt. "I found him."

Uncle Harris is silent for a while and I wait to hear what he's going to say next. He doesn"t even hesitate, but sinks, practically melting onto the bench behind him. He changed when my parents passed. I think he resented Indy and me for living. He never wanted to take care of us. But things got worse when Indy went missing. All the media that came down on us was brutal.

But if he is willing to let things go and accept my resignation, maybe, just maybe, Indy and I can work on letting him into our lives.

Uncle Harris makes a startled noise. At first, I think it's a sob, but then he starts to laugh. "You're pathetic, son."

Acid burns through my stomach. "I'm not your son," I grit out.

"If you think you can convince me that your sissy brother is aliv—"

I don't let him finish. I end the call, throwing the phone into the grass as if it burned me. "That asshole!"

Akira bursts out of the trailer. "River, are you okay?" He rushes to my side, stormy eyes wild and looking over me as if I'm hurt.

Damn him. Akira makes me feel so many emotions at once. I always felt so vulnerable around him. Only, this time it's different. I don't feel discombobulated. Instead, I feel comfortable enough to show him my vulnerability.

"Talk to me, little fox. Let me help. I'm here for you. I heard what he said." Akira growls. "If you need me to go after him, I will."

For some reason, that gets me to laugh. "Oh god, you are totally giving off ‘touch him and die' vibes."

He rubs small circles on my back. "I don't know what that means, but I'll kill him if he lays a fucking finger on you."

I cackle. I can't help it. "You are so hot right now," I reply with a watery smile.

His face lights up when he sees my smile. "I'm a little confused," he chuckles. "But if I somehow made you smile, I'll take it. I want to cheer you up, make you feel good, and be your person. I want to be your safe place too, River."