Page 73 of Power Shift

I close the door and wait for her to turn the engine before taking slow steps backward. It’s just about as bad as I knew it would be, the heavy ticking noise burning itself into my brain.

“Thank you, Ronan,” she calls, poking her head out of the window as I straddle my bike.

“Always.”

Like a good girl, she never goes above the speed limit the entire drive to her apartment. I linger on the street while she pulls into the resident parking lot and steps into the warm night, knowing that if I get close to her again, I won’t be able to leave again.

She stands on the grass a beat later, staring at me. Her fingers wiggle in a wave, and I flick my visor up so she can see my eyes as I lift a hand in a wave.

Once she’s inside, I stay rooted in place. My bike rumbles beneath my body, comforting me as I straighten and look out at the street. The neighbourhood is as familiar as the one I live in now, but I’ve never seen this specific red car parked out here before. Especially not one with blue LED headlights that could blind someone looking directly at them from a kilometre away.

Suspicion bites at me. I narrow my eyes and stare at the car, trying to see inside but meeting dark tint instead. The sound of a sawed-off exhaust fills the street when it starts to move, crawling toward me at a snail’s pace.

I track it, keeping my posture rigid as they pass, the feeling of someone staring directly at me making my skin prickle despite not being able to see who it is. Once they’re gone, I look back at the apartment building and turn the bike off.

I keep my ass planted here all night, watching the front doors until dawn.

24

BRIAR

With an oat milkespresso with extra caramel in my hand, I hum the melody of my latest favourite song on my way out of the parking lot. It’s stickily hot this morning, but not even that can sour my mood.

While it’s been a whole three days since I’ve seen the Montgomery pack, the distance has been easier to handle with their sporadic text updates. I’ve even been added to a group chat that sees more daily activity than the one Clover started with me during her last night out without me. It’s impossible not to giggle thinking about the conversation I woke up to see this morning.

Lightning Daddy: Who changed my name? This is so weird.

RoRo: Don’t pretend it wasn’t you, Dash.

Lightning Daddy: It wasn’t! I bet it was Landon *finger pointing emoji*

Jasper Cullen: I don’t know if I should be offended by this or not.

Queen M: What does the M stand for?

Queen M: By the way, Jasper Cullen’s really good looking in an I’m going to drain you dry type of way. Don’t be offended.

I wasn’t expecting the name they chose for me, but being labelled as a queen isn’t anything to complain about.

RoRo: I assume the M is for Montgomery.

Lightning Daddy: I’m jealous of a vampire now.

Jasper Cullen: Where’s Landon? It’s looking more suspicious the longer he doesn’t say anything

Lord Grumps A-Lot: Get off your phones before Coach sees you.

RoRo: Oh fuck. So it wasn’t Landon. Nice name choice Dash.

Lightning Daddy: Ooooooops.

It’s only one of the few times they’ve chatted in the group, and while I’m not ready to actively participate too much yet, I really appreciate being included. Regardless of how long we’ve known each other, I miss them like crazy already.

“Cross the street and speak to me properly, Sadie. Enough of this! You need us!”

I cut off my humming in response to the harsh male voice. The serrated edge to it is almost as alarming as the sight of Sadie frozen on the sidewalk only a few steps from the doors of the clinic.

She’s a deer in headlights staring out at the man, an arm wrapped protectively around her belly. I’m moving instantly, adrenaline pumping in my blood.

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