Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Seraphina
We have our tickets to Illinois, and our flight leaves in the morning.
It’s a long one, and none of us has ever been on an airplane before.
It’s scary to think that we will probably never come back home.
And we’ll never know what they’ll do with our parents and the twins’ bodies.
The revenge that we desperately need might not happen and that’s another thing I’m sad about.
But the three of us will fight together and make our family proud.
We decide to check into a motel and get some rest before we have to head to the airport. Part of me is excited for our new adventure. I just wish we had done this before we lost our family.
“What do you think Lake Renegade will be like?” I ask my brothers.
“I hope they’re good people. I mean they must be, right? They helped those other shifters,” Archer answers.
“We also have to be prepared if they say they can’t help us. What do we want to do then?” Oliver adds.
“I don’t think we can come back here. I want our revenge, but I don’t know that we can get it. We don’t even know who took us.”
It makes me so angry that we don’t know who did this to us.
“Let’s get some dinner and then sleep. That plane ride is gonna be long and I’m nervous to be on it.” Oliver sighs.
We go to the restaurant in the hotel and have dinner.
All I can think of is how much I miss my parents and the twins.
The twins were always making all of us laugh.
I remember the day they were born. They were born on my birthday.
I was turning seven. I was so excited to share my birthday with them.
Every year, my parents made sure we each felt important for our birthday.
I still can’t believe that I won’t be spending it with them this year.
“When we land in Chicago, we’ll head to the motorcycle place I called. They have our bikes ready for us,” Archer says to us.
“I mapped it from there to Lake Renegade. It said it’ll take us about two to three hours. That will be a fun ride.” My brothers nod as we finish eating.
When we’re done, we head back to the room. I send a silent message to my parents and the twins. I miss them and I hope they’re watching over us. Here’s to the start of our new life.
Being on an airplane is terrifying. You’re inside a huge metal flying object and you’re hoping the pilots aren’t drunk.
Thankfully we landed safely for our stopover in Los Angeles, California.
It was only two hours, so we couldn’t leave the airport.
The closer we get to Chicago, the more anxious I get.
What if the shifter families can’t or don’t want to help us?
Times like this, I really wish my parents were here. They always knew what to do.
“Airplanes are weird. I can’t wait to get on our motorcycles.” Archer frowns as we wait for our next flight.
“We could’ve ridden from here to Lake Renegade,” I say to him.
“Well shit. Why didn’t any of you say that when we were making the reservations?”
“Because we were trying to get away as fast as we could.”
“Mom and Dad would’ve thought of it,” I say softly.
My brothers hug me. This situation sucks and makes me miss my parents even more.
We’ve never had to do anything like this alone.
We hear our flight being called and we get in line.
This next leg of the flight isn’t as long.
We land in Chicago and grab a taxi to the motorcycle shop.
Finally, something to get excited about.
We stop and have lunch before heading to Lake Renegade.
“We need to be prepared, they might not be able to help us,” Oliver says to us.
“What are we going to do if they can’t? Do we stay here? Or go back home?” I ask.
“I don’t know. Even though we should be prepared, I’m hoping that they can help us,” Archer says.
“We should keep a positive outlook. I’m nervous, but I also have a good feeling,” I say as we finish up lunch.
We get back on our bikes and start our adventure to Lake Renegade.
Apollo
“I need pastries,” Adonis says as he joins me in our parents’ kitchen.
Eros and I still live at home. Ares and Sakura live next to Salvatore and Raven Mancini, because Ares is Raven’s bodyguard.
Adonis lives next to Romano and Robin. Usually, as bodyguards, we would live in the house with them.
But we’ve done a lot of upgrades to our security.
Which makes it easier to protect the women without having to live with them.
There are gates at each of the main entrances to the properties and now we have twenty-four seven security.
And the two gates to the campgrounds have the same.
“Don’t you have to be with Robin?” I ask him.
“Nope, Romano is home today, so he told me I have the day off. Robin has a doctor appointment.” He grins at me.
My brother has been Robin Vietti’s bodyguard for a year now. Her husband, Romano, is an enforcer for the Cimaruta MC. Eventually, all of us will be a bodyguard for one of the women in our family.
“Let’s go to the bakery, I’m sure Mama will have food for us.”
“Mmmm. Pastries.”
Being a shifter means we’re hungry. All the time. At least that’s what it feels like to me. I crave sandwiches, but Adonis? Pastries. He’s been told that if he keeps it up, he’s going to get banned from the bakery.
The mamas of Lake Renegade own and operate Precious Risings Bakery and Café.
It started off with three of them, Graínne Mancini, Rosaura Guerrero and Caitríona Bastianini.
Then it expanded to include my mamá, Athena, Stella Panagiotis and Valentina Salvadori.
Now they’re expanding the bakery to include a sit-down café.
Which means now they sell lunch items and coffee.
Which is perfect for me, because…sandwiches.
“Let’s go.” I laugh.
It takes us fifteen minutes to get to the bakery. It’s always busy there and no matter how much I want to shove my way through these paying customers…I have to wait. Especially after the look our mamá gives us. It’s scary how a look can make you rethink all sorts of life choices.
After another thirty minutes, it’s finally our turn to get our food. My stomach feels like it’s trying to eat me alive. Our mamá comes out and gives us a hug, she hands me two chicken pita pockets. I can smell the spices and tzatziki sauce. And I know it’s all made fresh, with love by my mamá.
“Thank you, Mamá.” I smile as I stuff one in my pocket. I unwrap the other one and start to eat it.
“You’re welcome. I need to get back and make more sandwiches. You boys behave.”
I grin at her as she laughs and heads back to the kitchen. The bakery and café share the kitchen. They were going to build a separate one, but decided since they all had to take care of both sides, it made more sense to have one big one instead.
“Wait. Wasn’t that my sandwich? Give it back.” Adonis frowns at me.
“Mamá gave them to me. She didn’t say one was for you. And it’s not a sandwich. It’s a pita pocket.” I squint at him.
“There were two! Give me my sandwich.”
I take the other pita out of my pocket and hand it to him.
“Gross. You squished it,” he grumbles as he gives it back to me and then stomps over to the bakery side.
He’s such a big baby. Sure, it’s a little squished.
But it’s still going to taste the same. I shrug and shove it back into my pocket.
I look around and grab a table to finish eating my food.
Adonis comes back with three different pastries.
“Is one of those for me?”
“Get your own,” he growls at me as he hovers over his pastries.
“Pudge.”
Adonis flips me off as I laugh. We’re trying to get the MC to give him the road name ‘Pudge.’ My brothers and I are almost done with our prospecting for the MC and we’ll be fully patched members in a few weeks.
One of our founders, Fausto Bastianini, gives all patched members their names.
And usually it’s an Italian word. But we’re still trying.
We hear the roar of motorcycles coming towards the bakery. I don’t recognize any of them. And all of a sudden, all I can hear is my bear roaring—MINE.
I get up and stumble outside. I watch the three motorcycles pull into the parking lot of the hotel, across the way from the bakery. I can see that two of them are guys and the third is who my bear’s roaring at. I remind him that I’m the only one who can hear him. He responds by stomping his feet.
“What are you doing?” Adonis asks as he smears strawberry jelly across his face.
“Mate,” is all I can get out.
“Holy fuck. Don’t move, I’ll get Mamá.”
I stand there staring at my woman. My bear’s still stomping around, telling me to go over there and claim her. But he knows we can’t do that. My mate slowly looks around and her eyes finally land on me.