Page 23 of The Calling of Caellaias
“You got it. Have a good night, sis. Love you!”
Turning toward the stairs, I said, “Love you, too. Be careful on your way home.”
“Okay,mom.”
“Just be glad I care, brat. I'm going upstairs. Do your thing and then get home. Good luck tomorrow.”
About halfway up the flight, I'd already tripped on several stairs.Holy shit. I hardly did anything today. Why the hell am I so tired?I thought.
When I reached my room, I entirely skipped my bedtime routine because I was exhausted and crawled into bed. As I laid my head down, I heard the front door close behind my sister.
Chapter fourteen
Maeyve
When I woke up, the first thing I did was check on Anevae. My dreams contained tidbits of my time with her the day before, so she was the only thing on my mind when I woke. Stripping myself of my clothing, I sprinted to the back door and went on my way.
As I crept up, she was walking out the door to her car. I was standing on the edge of the driveway when our eyes met.Damn it. I need to start being more careful.Once again, she reached for her phone to take a picture of me, and I took off in the other direction, returning to my cabin.
Once I returned to my cabin, I ate breakfast and got ready to drive into Fawnhaven. I needed to grab as many groceries as I could afford, and I wanted to check on Arturo.
His general store was situated on Fawnhaven's eastern edge near the woods, surrounded by smaller shops specializing in various goods. Many people visited the store because it had a wide variety of itemsranging from trinkets and souvenirs to basic groceries like milk and deli meat.
Above the store was an apartment that Arturo and his family occupied. I'd only met his wife, Bernadette, and their son, Koda, a few times. Bernadette, also a bear shifter, was a sweet woman who loved her family with everything she had. She was fiercely protective of them and fought tooth and nail to be by Arturo's side.
Back in Caellaias, the couple's families were enemies, so when Bernadette and Arturo fell in love, their families threatened to separate them. To avoid that, they mated and fled to Earth. After successfully hiding themselves away, they settled into the general store and began trying to expand their family. It took them several decades to conceive Koda, but when they did, Bernadette was ecstatic. Koda was an adorable little boy—a perfect mix of his parents.
As I pulled up to Arturo's general store, I was startled to find that the windows and door were boarded up. My heart sank as I feared the worst had happened to them. Climbing out of my vehicle, I approached the shop to look around. When I looked through a gap in the boarded-up window, I saw the shop was empty of all goods; all that was left were the barren shelves. My stomach sank even further. Arturo would have never left his store like this unless something had happened to him or his family.
Moving to the door, I attempted to pull it open, and to my surprise, it was unlocked. I slipped inside, looking around to ensure no one saw me. Closing the door lightly behind me, I searched for clues about where Arturo and his family could have gone. I tried to look around but couldn't see much besides the empty shelves as it was too dark, so I turned to my other senses.
I closed my eyes and listened to everything around me. Above, I heard creaking in the floorboards. Was someone up there, or was the building just settling? My heart rate increased, adrenaline pumping. I hadn't brought any weapons—no means of protection.Fuck. This is just great. If it's anything at all, I really hope it's Arturo or Bernadette up there.
Takinga few steps toward the stairs at the back of the store, I sorted through the scents in the space. While I could detect many different kinds of food and drinks likely spilled on the floor, I could also smell the distinct scent of a bear shifter—a mixture of fish and pines. The smell intensified the closer I got to the stairs.
Maybe it is still them upstairs. But why? Are they hiding from someone? Shit… Did one of their family members finally find them?The possibility of finding the family dead plagued me, and a wave of nausea rolled through me.
Climbing the stairs slowly, I ran one hand along the old wooden railing and the other along the bumpy textured wall. The steep steps under me creaked harshly as I went. I tried to walk as tenderly as possible to avoid drawing additional attention, but one step creaked loudly when I was about three-quarters of the way up. Ahead of me, behind the closed door, a roar erupted. Then, loud footsteps came barreling toward me.
Sprinting up the rest of the stairs, I shoved open the door and came eye to eye with a large brown bear growling directly in my face. I threw my hands up and looked directly into its eyes. The bear's round, chocolate-brown eyes bore into me. My heart was pounding from the proximity of the bear and the angry look on its face. I willed my heart to slow along with my breathing. A glimpse of recognition flashed in the bear's eyes, and it relaxed. Slowly, it backed away and began shrinking, shifting back into the form of a human.
Before me stood a tall, naked, brawny woman, looking both frightened and relieved—Bernadette. She collapsed onto the floor and began sobbing. I rushed across the room and hugged her in a feeble attempt to console her.
“It's okay Bernadette. I just came to check on you guys. Where's Arturo? And Koda?” I asked, concern lacing my voice.
Between sobs, Bernadette responded, “Koda is in the back, sleeping. Artie left about a month ago but was supposed to be back in two weeks at most. He said we've been here too long, so it's time for us to move on.”
Sadness came over me as she continued wailing and grasping metightly. I hoped Arturo was okay for her sake. I stroked her long, brown hair to calm her. “He'll be back; I'm sure of it. Maybe it's been harder to find a place for you to go than he thought.”
Bernadette nodded and took a deep breath. “I'm just scared, and we're getting kind of low on food. Koda eats a lot, and I'm with child again.” Releasing me from her clutches, she leaned back. I hadn't noticed the small bump protruding from her lower abdomen when I first saw her.
“I'm so sorry, Bernadette. How far along are you, if you don't mind me asking?”
A small, sad smile spread across her face. “I'm about thirty-eight weeks, but you know how long shifter pregnancies tend to last.”
Shifter pregnancies were the longest of the beings in Caellaias. They lasted at least twice as long as a human's pregnancy but also depended on the type of shifter. Bear shifters were large, and their pregnancies could last up to three times as long as a human's.
Just then, the store's front door slammed shut. Bernadette began growling and shifting back into her bear form as I moved aside. Before I could think to shift alongside her, there were steps fast approaching on the steps behind me. I turned to find a familiar figure rushing into the apartment. Arturo, a burly man of almost six and a half feet tall, looked frantically at his wife and then at me. Bernadette shifted back into her human form and hurried into Arturo's open arms as he started crying.
