A Time for Change Page 3

  James already knew his mates’ names from the letters and pictures they had sent to Eli over the years.

  “Ace, can you drive my trike for me?” James asked.

  “Yeah, just toss me your keys and get on the back with Chels,” Ace answered.

  Ace waited until Chelsea and James climbed on the back of the trike before heading over to Baron.

  “Baron, I think it would be better if we waited until we arrived at home for James to tell us what happened. I’m not sure but I think he is having flashbacks of whatever he saw,” Ace said as he watched James out the corner of his eye.

  The Alpha agreed with Ace and told everyone to meet him at the Alpha house so they could find out what was going on and formulate a plan of action.

  Ace hopped on his mate’s trike and drove them home as Eli followed closely behind them.

  ***

  When James had pulled Charity into a hug on the plane, she had seen and had smelled everything he did when he walked into their home a while ago. It was times like this when she hated having the power of visualization. Sometimes when she touched someone, Charity’s power allowed her to see what they were thinking or picturing in their head. Sometimes she could see and smell the things they were seeing or smelling at the time, if they didn’t block her from their mind or she forgot to block her power before touching them.

  The first thing she noticed when James drove out of the plane was the scent of her mate—he smelled of honeysuckle. Charity would know that scent anywhere since she had smelled it in her dreams for the past nine years. She waited until her brother was with his mates before letting her nose lead her to her mate. She hadn’t realized she was crying until her mate wiped her tears from her face before pulling her into a hug. Just his scent alone as he held her in a tight hug was comforting. Charity didn’t like crying, especially in front of others because it made her feel weak, but she couldn’t help it.

  Charity knew her brother wouldn’t have let her leave with her mate alone if it wasn’t for his mate, Chelsea. She didn’t know what it was like to go anywhere without either her parents or James being around. The only time she was ever alone was during school, and still James walked her to and from school and took her home for lunch with their parents. She knew if she told her mate this he would be shocked, being as she was twenty-five. It was a major shock to her friends. Charity felt as though it was time to learn what being on her own meant.

  Trevor helped Charity into his SUV. After a few minutes of driving, Charity turned in her seat to get a good look at her mate since she hadn’t when they were at the airport. When Trevor turned his head slightly, she could see his deep-set smoky gray eyes. She had never seen anyone like Trevor in her life. His hair matched his eye color and he had a dark olive skin tone. Charity was so caught up in staring at him while comparing the shocking difference between Trevor’s looks with the humans that she never noticed he had stopped the car until he got her attention.

  “Do I have something on me?” Trevor asked.

  “Uh, what, no you don’t have anything on you, you just look different to me, since I lived on the human side all my life,” Charity answered.

  “You look different than humans and any shifter I ever met so it looks like we have something in common. We both look different than anything either of us has ever seen,” Trevor answered with a smile on his face.

  Trevor’s eyes roamed over Charity, taking in all of her features. She had one of those faces that when you first saw it nothing attracted you to it but every time you glanced at her, she got more and more beautiful. She had a rosy tan skin color with chestnut brown hair and yellow streaks throughout it. Her eyes were what captured his attention the most and made her different. Charity’s eyes were a golden-yellow with an elongated pupil, making Trevor wonder why the humans never pegged her for a shifter.

  “My father was a cat shifter and my mother was a wolf shifter. That is why my eyes look different and I always had a spell on my eyes around humans,” Charity answered. She wanted to get who her parents were out in the open as soon as possible.

  “I knew who your parents were already. I can smell the difference in your blood, it is one of my powers. Also, my father told me in private while we were waiting for your plane to arrive,” Trevor answered.

  Charity was relieved he was okay with her being a mixed shifter.

  “I know there is a time difference from the human side and the Isle. So even though it is late evening here, I know it is early morning where you previously lived. You should be tired by now, especially with everything that happened today. Where would you like to stay? You can come with me to my house or the Alpha house. If you want to be close to your brother, my father arranged rooms for you and me at the Alpha house so I can stay close to you. Your room would be right by your brother’s mates and mine is right next to yours,” Trevor said.

  Trevor lived at the Beta/Head Enforcers house with his parents. He was in training to become a Head Enforcer.

  “I want to stay at the Alpha’s house for now until we find whoever killed my parents, but I want you to stay in my room with me,” Charity answered. Trevor agreed with Charity and headed to the Alpha house.

  ***

  When James entered the Alpha house, the first thing he saw was the living room straight ahead. He was amazed at the size of the living room, it looked as though it was twice the size of the dining and living room in his house combined. All of the walls were painted black accept a red accent wall. Spreading from the middle of the room all the way to the right side of the room was five long sectional couches. On the left side of the room was a long black glass table with chairs to match, large enough to fit at least fifteen people.

  As James continued further into the house, he noticed Aishe, Eli’s grandmother, was waiting for all of them in the living room when they entered.

  “Hello, James,” Aishe said as she hugged him.

  “Thank you for showing me what I couldn’t see while I was in a blind rage,” James said as he pulled back from the hug. He knew without her, neither he nor Charity would be alive now. Aishe had saved their lives twice now.

  Before Eli could close the door behind them, Trevor and Charity stepped inside. James instantly grabbed Charity’s hand and kind of tugged her over to Aishe.

  “Aishe, this is my sister, Charity, and Charity, this is Aishe.” James made the introductions.

  He felt as though he had to introduce them right away since Aishe was like the grandmother neither of them had met before. She was always there for them when they needed it even though she only spoke to them through their minds. Aishe even helped them control their powers and take the right paths in life to find their true destinies when they both felt as though they couldn’t go to each other or their parents for advice.

  Aishe pulled Charity into a hug and turned her back to those around her. She knew Charity needed the hug more than anything. She could see the confusion in her eyes as she whispered that everything would be all right in her ear. It gave Charity comfort hearing Aishe whisper those words in her ear. If anyone else had said those words to Charity, she wouldn’t have believed them and thought they were crazy.

  Aishe waited until she knew Charity would be okay before pulling back from their hug. By then the room was filled with Enforcers, Jadelyn, Chelsea, Eli, Ace, and their parents. Aishe introduced Charity and James to everyone in the room as Rose brought in the food and drinks from the party and sat it on the living room table.

  Baron waited while everyone grabbed a plate of food and something to drink before voicing the thoughts running through his head.

  “Was it humans that killed your parents?” Baron jumped right in and asked while James sat between his two mates.

  Trevor took Charity to their room when they started to talk about her parents’ deaths. He could see the raw emotions about to burst through from her eyes.

  “No, they finally found us. It was shifters who killed my parents,” James answered after his sister left t
he room and described everything he had witnessed from the time he arrived home.

  The whole room erupted into gasps as they listened to James. Everyone was surprised except for Aishe. They couldn’t believe a shifter would do that to another shifter.

  Chelsea grabbed her mate’s hand tighter and asked him, “Why would shifters do that to your parents?”

  “My parents are the first wolf and lion shifter to mate. I can shift into either a wolf or a lion. Thirty-one years ago, my parents were run off the Isle and the only way they escaped with their lives was with Aishe’s help,” James answered.

  “We wouldn’t not mate with you just because you are a lion shifter as well, it just means you have something more special than the rest of us,” Chelsea said when she noticed the look in James’s eyes.

  James breathed out a sign of relief. He didn’t want to worry about whether or not they would mate with him on top of everything else.

  “Aishe, do you know who killed my parents?” James asked.

  “I truly have no clue who killed your parents, but what you all have to figure out is how to draw them out of hiding,” Aishe answered.

  “I have an idea on how to draw them out. The Isle of Paradise has segregated schools with each kind of shifter having their own school. Chelsea and I have been planning to build a school for every shifter to attend together. I think if we get the word out that we are going ahead with the plans, the same people who killed your parents will try to halt our plans,” Ace said.

  “Sounds like a good plan,” Aishe said.

  “Chelsea and Ace, Jadelyn, Greg and I, have already had the school started for you guys. It was supposed to be a surprise from all of us after the both of you won the Beta Battle,” Cornelius answered.

  “You did that for us? Hold on, how did you know what we wanted in the school?” Chelsea said as she looked back and forth between all three of them.

  “From the detailed plans you made and we talked about. I just made a copy of the plans two and a half months ago when you and Ace were out. I gave it to your uncles when they came over and they have been working on it since,” Jadelyn said as she looked around holding her breath for Chelsea to answer. Jadelyn knew this could be either excellent or terrible.

  “Thanks,” Chelsea said as she jumped up to hug Cornelius, Greg, and Jadelyn.

  “No need to thank me after everything you did for me over the years,” Jadelyn whispered in Chelsea’s ear after they hugged.

  When Chelsea and Jadelyn pulled apart from their hug, everyone went their own separate ways in the house and left James, Ace, and Chelsea by themselves.

  James’s eyes were getting heavier by the minute; he was tired.

  “Come on, let’s get you to bed. I don’t think Ace and I can carry you,” Chelsea said as she stood, and giggled.

  “Is the bed large enough for all three of us to fit?” James asked. He wondered if the bed was large enough for them all to fit. If he had to, he would have another bed brought into their room tonight.

  “Yes, the bed is large enough for all three of us. We always knew we had another mate out there and wanted to be prepared for you. Ace and I already have clothes in the room for you as well. Eli told Jadelyn and me your size and we got you and Charity some clothes for your upcoming visit, since the weather here is different from the human side of the Isle. Some of the Enforcers already brought the clothes to our room a little while ago,” Chelsea answered.

  ***

  Ace and Chelsea were startled awake from the sound of James roaring and thrashing in his sleep.

  “James, James,” Charity called his name softly until he woke up.

  “What is going on?” James asked when he finally woke.

  “I don’t know, you were roaring and thrashing in your sleep, probably woke up the whole house,” Ace said.

  “Sorry, I saw my parents’ body parts and smelt their blood repeatedly,” James answered. He needed their strength again so he pulled both of them down onto his chest and wrapped his arms around them. James was hoping the feel of their warm bodies snuggled against his would stop the dreams.

  “It is okay, we are here when you’re ready to talk,” Chelsea said as both she and Ace snuggled closer to James.

  They all finally felt complete and would feel even better when their school was opened, and the shifters suffered who killed James’s parents. All of them were sound asleep not even fifteen minutes later.

  A couple hours later James woke again with a shocked look on his face. He began to take deep breaths in and out slowly as not to wake his mates again. James’s body was tired and his eyes were heavy, but he fought like hell to keep them open. He didn’t want to fall asleep again since he saw his parents’ bodies and blood splatter all over the walls every time he closed his eyes. It was as if he was constantly reliving the nightmare and he couldn’t take it. No one should have to find their parents’ as he had found his. James was pissed he didn’t get to avenge his parents’ death earlier. He wanted to kill every shifter that was there and even the ones who ran his parents off the Isle all those years ago.

  Since shifters aged more slowly than humans did, James thought his parents would be here with him for a long time. Well at least long enough to see their grandpups. Just the thought of him having children made him think about what he would have to tell them about what happened to his parents. It was all just too much running through his head, he had to concentrate on something and quick.

  James focused in on what his new room looked like. He was so tired earlier he never got a good look at it. He knew the bed was an oak wood California King with light green silk sheets and comforter on it. The walls were painted a golden brown with matching curtains on the windows. There was a dresser directly in front of the bed and two nightstands, one on either side of the bed, which matched the wood color of the bed. James also knew there was a bathroom in their room and a huge walk-in closet.

  He looked around, trying to focus on something else in the room, but there was nothing there. He thought he should clear his head and try to go back to sleep again.

  When James took a deep breath and cleared his mind of everything, the flashes started again. It seemed like when his mind was clear of everything he had flashbacks of his parents’ death and he was tired of it. He wanted to remember all the wonderful things he did with his parents, not the horrible stuff racing through his mind.

  Just when he thought he wouldn’t get anymore sleep for the night, Ace and Chelsea snuggled closer to him and squeezed him tighter with their arms. It was as if they knew just what he needed, even in their sleep. The nightmare he was having or should he call it the ‘dream mare’ since he was awake while he was having it, immediately stopped when his mates’ body heat encased him. James’s eyes got heavier and heavier until they finally dropped closed and he was fast asleep.

  Chapter Three

  The next morning they all sat around the kitchen table after having breakfast in the Alpha house. Charity sat coffee in front of her mates’, as well as Charity and Trevor. It looked as though they all endured the same things through the night. Eli and Jadelyn seemed more chipper than everyone else, even without the coffee on the other side of the table.

  James was relaying the plan to Charity and Trevor on how they were going to draw out their parents’ killers, when Treasure and Greg finally walked through the door with their things. Treasure and Greg were moving in today until Baron passed the title fully to Jadelyn and Eli. Once the Alpha title passed to Jadelyn and Eli, Treasure and Greg would move into the Beta/Head Enforcers home. Chelsea and her mates would stay in the Alpha house with Jadelyn and Eli when they won the Beta battle. Jadelyn’s grandfather, Mase, had the Beta/Enforcers house built next door to the Alpha house because he wanted the Beta’s and Enforcer’s families to feel comfortable in their own home and not feel as though they had to do anything they didn’t want to because they lived with the Alpha. They were all counting on Chelsea and her mates winning the battle; their losing never e
ntered any of their minds.

  “Now that Treasure and Greg are here, we can get started on the plans for the school. First up is finding the right teachers for each subject we need,” Ace said.

  “I have a degree to teach in both English and Math and I will be willing to teach at your school,” Charity said.

  Charity and James had a stronger investment in wanting the school to work more than anyone else. The school to them would be the first step toward changing the mindset of other shifter groups wanting to stay segregated. They would need to integrate the different shifter species to come together in more than just acquaintances but as friends. They had met shifters on the human side who had the same problems as their parents had years ago and they wanted to change that.

  James wanted to make it safe enough for those shifters still in the human world to be able to come back home. He didn’t like the fact that they had to hide who they truly were and wanted them to be free on the Isle. James knew his parents dreamed to be back on the Isle and free to love each other, not just for them but others just like them. He vowed to make it happen no matter what he had to do and knew the others sitting at the table with him felt the same way.

  “I am still going to be teaching biology there, I haven’t changed my mind on that,” Trevor said.

  “Okay, so far we have two teachers for the upper classes. Ace and I will be teaching the lower school level, which will be first through sixth and upper teachers have the rest. Eli, can you run the upper level physical education classes and James, can you teach the lower?” Chelsea said as she sat down between her mates.

  “You don’t have to ask, but I have a different idea for the school. How about in the morning we all teach the lower level students and then teach the upper levels until late afternoon?” James said.