Chapter 22
I was excited when we entered Cognito. Visiting cities where I used to live came with a mixed bag of emotions, but not much had changed here since I left.
By all appearances, the neighborhood where Cleo’s mom lived seemed like a decent section of brownstones.
Kids were sitting on the stoops, playing on their phones.
The trees gave it curb appeal, but I wouldn’t be caught dead walking down this street at night.
Especially not with Breed clubs so nearby.
We were dead tired when we arrived at the motel the night before.
After dinner, we went to our separate rooms. Although I’d crashed out in the car after getting shot in the head, my wolf was still exhausted, so I slept all night.
Darcy stayed with Cleo, which gave me peace of mind that the kid wouldn’t try to sneak out without our knowing.
Befriending a ghost was something I never saw coming, but my feelings changed after Darcy helped us during the ambush. It didn’t erase the fact that I was stuck with her, and the chance of her leaving diminished the more she got comfortable with me.
While Krys helped Cleo with her bags, I turned a sharp eye at a Chitah watching us from high up a tree.
Darcy twirled around in the street before a car zoomed through her. Then she ran to the sidewalk. “I hate when that happens. This place is so cool!”
A blonde in stylish pumps and a sophisticated white dress sashayed up the street.
I exchanged a glance with the wolf at the end of her leash, and his tail lowered when he noticed me.
Some Shifters kept trusted humans as pets, but there was a minority of Shifters who enjoyed being someone’s pet.
It was frowned upon, but as long as it was consensual, there were no laws against it.
I walked to a recessed area to the right of the steps where the basement-level apartments were located.
Cleo squinted up at the building before joining me. “It doesn’t look familiar.”
I put my arm around her. “It’ll be home before you know it.”
One of the girls must’ve given her new clothes for the trip. The shimmery fabric on her blue sneakers matched the front and back pockets of her cutoff jeans. Cognito was embroidered in cursive on the front of her white hoodie.
Yep. She looked like an absolute tourist.
Cleo gingerly arranged the flowers she had picked yesterday. We’d cut off the top of a water bottle to use as a makeshift vase.
“Nervous?” I asked. “Don’t worry about shifting by accident. She’s your mom.”
Cleo took a swift breath and approached the door, but she cast a worried glance at Krys, who was carrying two bags. She waited until Krys joined her before knocking quietly. When nobody answered, Krys knocked loudly three times.
The lock turned, and the door opened.
I blinked in surprise at the blond woman who answered. She matched Krys in height, and he was six one. Her hair was pulled back in an unkempt bun as if she wasn’t expecting visitors. But it was her golden eyes with bright flecks of yellow that made Krys twist around and share a look with me.
Cleo’s mother was a Chitah.
The wrinkles on her cheeks and forehead didn’t hint at her age so much as that she’d lived a hard life.
When she laid eyes on her daughter, she pulled her into a hug. “Bailey, I never thought I’d see you again! My baby’s all grown up.” She clutched her head and looked her over. “Where did all your hair go?”
She didn’t have a feminine voice or way about herself, but there was a strength in her presence I also saw in Cleo.
Krys stepped back when Cleo offered her mother the flowers.
“Are those for me?” Her mother accepted the offering and stroked Cleo’s cheek. Then she turned her gaze up to us. “I’m Faye Paxton.”
Krys inclined his head. “Krys.”
“Virgil Nightingale.” I reached for her hand to kiss it. “A pleasure.”
She smiled brightly. “Come in. Sorry the place is a mess,” she said, disappearing around the door.
I stepped inside, greeted by a floral upholstered chair against a brick wall.
I closed the door and pivoted to the right to admire Cleo’s new home.
A round table against the left brick wall looked like a nice spot for them to have meals and talk.
“Cozy” was definitely a descriptor, since I could see Faye’s bedroom at the opposite end of the galley kitchen straight ahead.
A sectional on the right barely fit the room, and the light coming from a window reflected on the large TV against the wall.
Faye stepped into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “Make yourselves at home. You’ve had a long drive.”
Krys picked up a picture frame on the TV console and showed Cleo.
She studied it for a long time. It was obviously her, only years younger.
When I got a look, I smiled. Cleo was leaning against a car, arms folded, her long hair in pigtails, and a frowny face as if she didn’t want to pose for the photo.
Faye set the flowers on the dining table and then passed out canned soda. “I have water if you want to take your chances with city tap.”
I snorted. “I’ll pass.”
Faye put her arm around Cleo and gave her another hug. “I still can’t believe you’re home. I never thought I’d see you again.”
Krys claimed the sectional and cracked open his drink. “What happened?”
While we took a seat, Cleo disappeared to investigate her new surroundings.
Faye sat at the other end of the sectional and stared at her drink. “She doesn’t remember me, does she?”
Poor woman.
“She’ll have new memories now,” I said cheerfully. “Cleo was excited to meet you. Don’t take this the wrong way, but our Packmaster didn’t mention you were a Chitah.”
“I didn’t tell him.” She slurped her drink. “I was afraid if I mentioned my Breed over the phone, it would create another delay. It’s been years. She doesn’t remember anything?”
Krys shook his head. “Vampires stole her memories.”
Faye stared vacantly at the floor. “Bailey wanted to go to the market with her friends for candy. It’s right up the road.
You probably noticed it on the way. I would’ve never allowed her to go without me.
Hours passed. I thought maybe she went to a friend’s, but when I called their parents, no one had seen her.
The girls said they split up on the way home.
” Faye put her head in her hand. “I searched everywhere. Just thinking about it makes me sick.” She shot up and disappeared into the kitchen.
I went to check on her, and when I peered around the corner, she was holding Cleo, whose arms hung at her sides.
“You worried me sick,” she said quietly.
Cleo turned her head to the side. “Sorry.”
I sat at the kitchen table when the mother and daughter returned.
Faye crossed her arms and watched Cleo sit beside Krys on the couch.
“Your father was a snow leopard. When you were born with dark hair and eyes, I knew in my heart you weren’t a Chitah.
You never flipped your switch or knew how to run fast, so I assumed you were human.
Chitahs sometimes have human babies. You know that, right? ”
Cleo nodded.
“Then I started seeing signs.”
“What signs?” I asked.
She gave me a cursory glance. “Aren’t you a Shifter?
Every animal has certain mannerisms. Bailey was always shy with strangers and climbing on things.
She used to sneak up and scare me to death.
All kids like snow, but she never got tired of it.
She also wore sweaters in summer. I guess nothing’s changed. ”
Cleo—Bailey—shook her head and smiled.
To us, she would always be Cleo, and it saddened me that we might grow apart and never see each other again.
Her mom waved her hand. “I guess you want to see your room.”
We all got up to follow.
I fell back a step with Krys and arched my eyebrows to signal this wasn’t a bad setup.
Cleo had her own room, the TV was large, her mom seemed nice, and there were security bars on the window—a feature Krys would appreciate.
I had questions about Cleo’s father and how those two hooked up, but I remained on my best non-nosy behavior.
Faye led us through a short hall to the right of the kitchen and into a small bedroom.
Krys and I lingered in the doorway. Because it was in the center of the building, there were no windows. A door on the left end of the hall revealed a bathroom, and on the opposite end was probably a storage closet.
Her mom touched the bedspread, which featured cartoon characters, while Cleo picked up a stuffed animal from the dresser and stared blankly at it. “I guess you’ll want something more grown-up now.”
“Looks like you’re all set,” Krys said. “We better head out and let you settle in.”
Cleo rushed to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Tears spilled down her cheeks, and it broke my heart.
I gave him a nudge when he didn’t reciprocate.
Krys finally put his arms around her. “You got a cool setup, kid. No windows.”
“Yeah,” she said with a sniffle, tears welling in her big brown eyes. “No windows.”
I wondered if Krys wanted to bolt or lift her into his arms, but he refrained from either for reasons I didn’t understand.
Instead, he stepped back and cradled her head in his hands.
“Make me proud. Study hard and all that shit. You’re smart, you’re tough, and you’ve got a kick-ass animal. Got that?”
She nodded.
“I’m a phone call away if you ever need anything.”
Cleo flew into my arms. Memories of our brief time together flooded back.
Playing horseshoes in the yard, movie nights with loads of laughs and popcorn, discussing random topics, her playing chase with my wolf in the yard.
I knew she liked me, but it wasn’t until I felt her holding on to me like she never wanted to let go that I realized she loved me.
And I loved her.
Who would be my partner on game night? Who would laugh at my corny jokes and listen to my speeches on music’s evolution? I wouldn’t get to watch her grow up or be the overprotective uncle when a boy came around.
I gave her a big squeeze in return, struggling with my words. “Stay cool. Think of me whenever you hear good music.”
She pulled back and wiped her nose. “I’ll think of you every time I see a porcupine.” Her eyes twinkled. “Or a wild turkey.”
I tapped her nose. “Nobody needs to know about that.”
She flashed a smile before it waned.
Krys inclined his head at Faye. “Thanks for taking her back.”
Faye put her arm around Cleo. “Of course. She’s my girl. Thanks for bringing her and saving me the trip. Do you want anything to eat? I can make peanut butter sandwiches for your trip.”
I gave Krys a calculated grin. If there was one thing we didn’t need more of, it was peanut butter. “No, ma’am. Krys and I plan to hang around the city for a day or two before heading home.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “I have so many places I want to show him.”
“You’re from here?” she asked.
We headed back to the living area. “Not originally, but I lived here long enough that I’m not leaving without visiting my favorite spots.”
The hardest part about saying goodbye to Cleo wasn’t the hug or our last words. It wasn’t even walking out the door and waving as she stood outside long after her mother went back in. It was the silence that followed. It was the emptiness in the back seat.
It was my wolf howling with sorrow when he realized we had said our forever goodbye to a beloved packmate.