Page 12 of Haunted By the Shadow of Death

He stared at me with those big doe eyes. “What if everyone here hates me?”

Every moment of suffering she’d caused him made me not care if my entire heart turned black and rotted. One day I’d find a way to kill Groza.

“They won’t. You’re impossible to hate.” Any kid that was mean to him was going to get the scare of his life. What he’d already gone through was bad enough. It was not going to get worse if there was anything I could do.

“Can we go see if there’s kids, then?”

He was glancing toward the door. All I wanted to do was hide in here, where I didn’t have to meet the new pack and see their inevitable suspicion.

Buddie stepped up onto the porch, and I waved to him through the front-door window. “Let’s talk to Buddie first. We don’t want to run out on him after he came to visit us.”

Plus he’d checked out the place and the pack last night. He’d know if it was safe, had gotten the general vibe of the situation.

“Why? Where were you two headed?” he asked, walking over and plucking a muffin out of the basket.

“I want to go see if there’s kids I can play with.” Charlie stared at Buddie as if he’d have all the answers for him.

“Tons. I just saw them. Come on and I’ll show you where they are,” Buddie said.

“Go get your jacket,” I said to Charlie before he could make a mad dash out of the house.

The second Charlie was out of view, I shot Buddie a look.

“It’ll be good,” he said, grabbing another muffin.

“I’m ready,” Charlie yelled, running from his room, straight to the door, his hand poised on the doorknob like it was a launch button and his little engine was vibrating.

I grabbed my jacket, and that was all Charlie needed to launch into action. I picked up my step, not wanting to be too far away just in case there were a few little bastards down there that needed a good scare to keep them straight. He was already halfway down the hill by the time I got outside, heading toward a playground where kids were yelling and screaming. It would be visible from the house, so I’d be able to keep an eye on him even if he came without me in the future.

“It’ll be fine,” Buddie said, keeping pace with me. “Shifters at his age are very open to others. This is the perfect time for him to come into a new community. They’re looking to form pack bonds and open to other shifter children. Even as we get older, it’s different with shifters. Humans might be pack animals, but not like we are.”

“But he wasn’t born the same. What if they sense that and reject him?” It didn’t help that he had a human sister with a reputation that was probably preceding me.

“You might view him as human, but he’s a shifter now. There’s no human scent left on him. He might not be old enough to shift, but I can smell it on him, just as he can smell it on others.”

“Are you sure? He’s never mentioned that to me at all.” I’d known he could see and hear better, but he could smell the way they did already?

“He wouldn’t. He already realizes that you can’t do some of the things we can, and I think he feels bad for you.” He laughed.

“He does not.”

“Yes he does. He’s a sweet kid and we’ve talked about it. I’ve told him some of the ins and outs of what’s going to happen and what will change.”

I hadn’t realized quite how much Buddie had stepped up for Charlie. I’d been so worried about moving him from his people, but the ones that counted the most had come with us.

Buddie didn’t seem to notice how I needed a minute. He was too busy taking in the pack members who were walking around. I could see they were all taking our measure but would smile and nod when they got caught doing it.

“He feels bad for me because I’m not a shifter? Does it make him uncomfortable?” Being my brother’s guardian wasn’t turning out to be an easy ride.

“No. He’s not uncomfortable. He said he’s sorry you’ll never be a monster like he’ll be able to be. Don’t worry, though. He said he’d protect you.”

If he wasn’t in the middle of a pack of kids right now, and looking as if he was making friends, I would’ve run up to him and given him a hug that suffocated him. Even if I never had a child born from me, it wouldn’t matter—I had him, and I couldn’t imagine having a better kid.

Buddie pointed to a group of boulders over by the river. It was in view of Charlie but not so close it would look like I was hovering.

“The sounds of the river cover our voices as long as we don’t speak too loud,” Buddie said.

Suddenly the location of Kicks’ cabin held more value than a nice view.

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