Page 16 of The World She Never Knew Existed

He rubbed his forehead as though he was getting a headache.

“I just don’t see this ending well,” Dillon said. “This could turn into a nasty war with a lot of innocent people getting hurt.”

“I agree,” Brent said. “It doesn’t seem like the Faisons care whether innocent people are hurt in the crossfire. The only way that they would even care that mundane people are being hurt is if it could somehow be tied back to them. But even if the hunters that they hired hurt someone, the police here are bought and paid for. There would be no investigation beyond just what was on the surface. They will never be held accountable for their crimes.”

“I know. That is what is so dangerous about them. They are never held accountable for their actions,” Dillon said.

“I just hope that it doesn’t become open warfare. Then, the shifters will have no choice but to take them and the hunters out. That would cause problems for shifters all over the country,” Brent said.

“Let’s hope that they don’t take it that far. So far, it’s been a secret war. Let’s hope that they keep it that way,” Dillon replied.

“Sooner or later, people are going to question why there are so many missing people from the area. The old line that they got lost while hiking or camping isn’t going to cut it.”

“People tend to take the easy answers,” Dillon replied.

Dillon was restless when he headed home. He knew that it was dangerous, but he needed to shift and get some of his energy out. He parked his car and hiked up to an area that was way off the beaten path. He had never seen anyone in this area and hoped that it was safe from prying eyes.

After hiding his clothes under a rock, he shifted into his wolf form and ran. At first, his mind was filled with worry about the war between the shifters and the humans. However, his thoughts gradually turned toward Clara. There was just something about her that called him to her. He wondered what it would be like to take her out on a date, with just the two of them. He was fond of Zeke, but having a six-year-old chaperone along on a date made it infinitely less romantic. He thought about what it would be like to run his fingers through her hair and what her kisses would taste

Dillon was exhausted after he had run for a couple of hours. He cautiously made his way back to his starting point, sniffing the air, to make sure that there was no one around. He didn’t detect the scent of any humans, so he quickly shifted back into his human form and got dressed.

He was still tired by the time that he got to the store the next morning. He had spent a restless night. His thoughts went from the human and shifter war to Clara, and back again. He looked up when the doorbell indicated that he had a customer. He smiled when he saw who it was.

Zeke approached the counter, carefully carrying a cup of coffee and a cherry cheesecake danish.

“Mom sent them over,” he said.

“That was very nice of her,” Dillon replied. “Tell her thank you for me.”

“I will. Mom is nice most of the time,” Zeke said.

“Most of the time?” Dillon asked.

“Yeah. She isn’t so nice when I do something bad,” Zeke said.

Dillon laughed and said, “I think that is the case with most moms.”

He took a sip of the coffee and asked, “How do you like living in Ivy Springs?”

Zeke shrugged his shoulders and twisted his lips as though he was thinking.

“I guess it’s okay,” he said after a couple of seconds.

“Just okay?” Dillon asked.

“I miss my friends from Colorado Springs,” Zeke said. “I don’t have any friends here, except for you.”

“I’m sure that you’ll make some when you start school,” Dillon said. “That’s going to be pretty soon.”

“I guess so,” Zeke said. “I need to be getting back over there now, before Mom gets worried.”

Dillon watched the little boy leave his shop and made sure that he made it back to the café safely.

I really like that young man,Dillon thought.And his mother, too.

7

Clara

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