Oath Sworn - K.N. Banet Page 0,34
I knew about the fae, but I had no conclusions about him by the time I made it back to the room. I knocked, hoping Carey was awake by now, and thankfully, she unlocked the door and opened it for me.
“I bring food,” I declared, holding up the tray. “Sit down and we’ll eat.” I gestured to the small table next to the window AC unit and she did as directed. I put the food down and revealed it. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and even a couple of muffins. There were two clean plates and silverware too. It was a good setup. I made her a plate before making my own, sitting down to quietly eat.
This time, it was her turn to interrupt the silence. “When do you think this is going to end?”
“I don’t know, but I’m with you for the entire ride.”
“Don’t you have a life, though? You own that bar. Don’t you need to get back to it?”
“The bar will be fine,” I told her, taking a bite of the eggs first. Protein was perfect. “It would have been closed tonight anyway.”
“Why?”
“Full moon, and it’s Sunday. I’m always closed on full moons and Sundays.” I chuckled, shaking my head. “You know that. I’m going to have to shift tonight, from sunset to sunrise. It’s going to make protection a bit sticky, but we’ll make it work.”
I could smell her worry now. “Will it be safe?”
“I’ll probably shift and run out in the woods, but I won’t go far. I expect you to be in bed when I leave for the night. It’ll be easier for both of us if I’m not cooped up in here.” I didn’t want her to fear me or the feline that lived under my skin, but she had reason to be worried. If I shifted while locked in the motel room, there was a chance I could get hungry and lose control. Hunting was important on the full moon, to give the predator an outlet that was safe. “Don’t worry about it, please. I’ve got it covered. The good thing is, the werewolves won’t come tonight, even if they find us. If they want you alive, it’ll be too dangerous, so there won’t be anymore running for you, at least not for the next twenty-four hours.” I had to be practical. There was a chance running still needed to be done, but not on the full moon.
“And what about tomorrow night? Will you have to go back to your bar—”
“My bar is not the concern here,” I said forcefully. “I could close its doors indefinitely and not be worried about it. I could pick up somewhere else and it’s not a problem. Don’t worry about me, Carey, please.”
“I think my dad would describe you as practical.” A shy smirk formed on her face, daring and precious, even if it was a little sad. The sadness wasn’t in the smirk; it was in her eyes.
I hope so, but it’s only because I won’t get snarky with a child who’s scared. “What would your mom say?” All I had heard so far was about her dad and brothers. There was a key person in the family missing that I knew nothing about.
“I…I don’t know. Dad said she was a human, and she must have been since I’m one. She gave me to him after I was born and left.” There wasn’t anything sad about those words, just an acceptance that made my heart clench. “It’s fine, really. Lots of people feel bad for me, but I have Dad and he’s great. My brothers are super-cool and teach me all sorts of things, and I have great friends in school.”
“I mean…” I missed my human parents more than life itself sometimes. I couldn’t imagine just never knowing one of them. It was beyond me to consider. “Don’t you ever want her? To teach you…mom things like how to bake, or…” I was at a loss. My mom had never really taught me a lot of those things either, but there were moments when she was the person I needed most, the rock by which I could anchor my life.
“Can’t miss something I’ve never had. The female werewolves do all those things with me. I have a big family.” Her weak smile assuaged my worries for her just a tiny bit. I figured if it weren’t for the war going on that her father and ‘family’ was in the middle of, it would be huge. “Like