Chapter 24

Standing in the baggage claim, he still couldn’t believe that they carted him off on a plane.  In some ways, it made sense.  His mother had to know that if they were driving, he would have jumped out of the vehicle and return.  As it was, the only thing he knew was that he was in the northern part of California.  He didn’t know where they were going after they got their luggage, and to be honest, he didn’t care.  It didn’t matter, because as soon as he could, he was heading back to Ally.

Beside him, Charlie shifted uneasily as Peyton scanned the suitcases circling the motorized baggage belt.  He knew why Charlie was fidgety, and he felt a little guilty.  It was his fault that she was worried about seeing her family.  If she were any like him, staying out of contact with her family had to have been hard, especially in a secluded pack.  If Charlie were raised in a pack like Ally’s, one that was so large not even the leader knew everyone’s names, it wouldn’t have been so hard for the woman to stay gone for so long.

Seeing his mother’s suitcase come into view, he felt a reluctant smile pull at the corner of his lips.  He knew it was for him; he could tell by the big red letters that said, ‘Zeke.’  That wasn’t what caused the reluctant smile.  What did was the fact that the woman gave him her pink and brown floral bag, the one he had bought her. Stepping forward, he reached towards the bag only to be knocked into from behind. 

His hand connected with the handle as he turned his body with the momentum of the push.  Narrowing his eyes at the man who knocked into, Zeke felt even more annoyance when the man swooped Charlie off her feet with a loud kiss to her cheek.

“I’m so happy you’re finally home,” the man said while dropping Charlie to her feet.

Charlie laughed, while brushing her hair behind her ear.  “It’s good to be home.  I never thought I would miss it this much, but I do.” She turned her back on the man as if she were looking for someone. 

The dismissal didn’t seem to bother the man as he turned in Zeke’s direction with a big smile.  His eyes flickered down towards the bag Zeke held, and the smile on his face increased.  “Nice bag.”

Zeke’s body tensed, but before he could say anything, Peyton pushed himself between the two of them.  “I wouldn’t, man.  He’s not in a very good mood.  My name’s Peyton,” he said, holding his hand out for the man.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Your bags leaving,” Zeke growled, causing Peyton to look around frantically before darting away.

That left only the two of them.  They stared at one another, and Zeke knew that the man was sizing him up.  For what, he had no clue, and for some reason, he didn’t want to delve into the man’s mind.  He didn’t want to see what the man was thinking.

“Clever,” Zeke mumbled with reluctant acceptance.

“What?”

Zeke motioned towards the man’s head.  “You don’t have a block, but there is something in your mind that warns others away.  Wait,” he said, shaking his head, “warn isn’t the right word.  It’s more like your convincing them that delving into your mind is a bad thing, something against their moral code.”

“Never thought of it that way,” he replied with a smile.  “I just thought of it as a little push away from noticing what I’m thinking about.  Charlie is the real marvel in the family.  She’s a buffer.”

“Do any of you have offensive powers?” Zeke asked, feeling more curious by the moment.

The man shook his head.  “Nope.  It seems that whoever gives us these powers knows that our species does not condone violence.”

Closing his eyes, Zeke took a deep breath, almost as if he were scenting the man.  “You do not condone it, but it does not bother you either.  While your elders believe that violence is never the answer, you would kill for those you love.  It’s something I quite admire about you and your sister, Ryder.”

“Damn,” Ryder said with a laugh.  “It looks like your powers outmatch mine.  Tell me, can you read my sister?”

Zeke opened his eyes to look at Charlie’s brother.  There was more in the man’s voice than just a question.  It was almost as if the answer Zeke was going to give meant more to Ryder than what it should.  “No.”

“Good,” he mumbled, before looking over his shoulder.  “It looks like Mom found Charlie.”  He turned back towards Zeke.  “How much did you figure out about my family before leaving me alone?”

“You’re her twin,” Zeke answered, pointing towards Charlie, “and you have three younger siblings, triplets.”

“Their names?”

“Jumped out before then.  I know who your favorite is though.”

Ryder crinkled his nose before leaning forward.  “You’re lucky I’m the only one you’ll be meeting on your trip.  You’d understand why Charlie is my favorite.”

“Ryder,” a sharp voice called out.  “What did I tell you about badmouthing your younger sisters?”

“To only do it where you can’t hear it,” Ryder called out before whispering, “That’s my mom.”

Zeke kept the smile off his face.  He didn’t want to like Ryder, didn’t want to know Charlie’s mother.  He wanted to stay angry, to let them know that what they were doing was wrong. 

Footsteps beside him let Zeke know that Peyton had finally joined the lot of them.  He was glad.  He had only talked to Ryder for a few moments, but he could already tell that Peyton and him would get along really well.  Turning towards Peyton, he opened his mouth to say something only to snap it closed when Charlie’s mom came into view.

Closing his eyes, he counted to three before opening them again.  The woman still stood there, a large smile on her face while her daughter’s arm was wrapped around her waist in a side hug.  “Told you we’d meet again,” she told him.

He let out a sigh as a warm smile spread across his face.  “I always knew you were good for your word.”

She stepped away from Charlie and walked towards him with open arms.  There were only a few people he would allow to pull him into a bone-crushing hug, and this woman was one of them.  “I’m so happy you’re here,” she whispered in his ear.  “My daughter has waited long enough.”

“If I knew she was the daughter you meant, I would have come long ago,” Zeke admitted as his arms wrapped around the woman in an equally tight hug.

She pulled away from him while swiping at the tears that fell from her face.  “You were younger then.  If I remember correctly, as soon as I healed you, you ran off.  I couldn’t have stopped you if I wanted to.”

He shrugged at her.  It was true.  When he had met her six years ago, he wouldn’t have stopped even with Charlie in his path.  He let out a chuckle at the thought.  How cruel was fate?  If he had met Charlie years ago, he wouldn’t have wanted to stop.  Now that he knew her, he wanted nothing more than to pause, but this time it was different.  He couldn’t stop, not until it all ended.