look, then nodded to the
boy.
“Go ahead, honey. Show
him.”
The air shimmered around the boy as he shrunk down into the
clothes. He poked his head from the opening of the sweatshirt.
“Shadow,” Desiree said in surprise. She turned to Caleb.
“He’s yours. Humans and witches don’t shift into animals.”
“Okay, okay, you’re right. I see your point. Just give me a
second…I didn’t even know it was possible. It appears that I’ve been a father
for the last….” He shrugged. “How old is he?”
“Twelve,” Sherry answered. “And what do you mean, you didn’t know it was possible?”
Caleb shrugged, then picked the cat up and placed him in his
lap, stroking the soft fur. “I’m over four hundred years old. To my knowledge,
I’ve never been a father before. I wonder why Celia didn’t tell me? ”
“We begged her to tell you,” Sherry said, “but she said it
wasn’t safe. Why would she say something like that?”
“Not long before we broke up we were attacked. I killed the
attacker, but she was never the same after that. She’d jump at every sound and
seemed to be afraid all the time. I tried to calm her fears but she wouldn’t
listen. She kept insisting that they were still out there. Nothing I did or
said was good enough anymore. She’d start a fight at the drop of a hat over
nothing at all. A month or so later she said that she couldn’t take it anymore
and she told me not to call or come by.” He sighed heavily. “I was tired of the
fighting. I loved her, but I thought she didn’t love me anymore. I guess my
pride was hurt, I don’t know. I did what she asked and left her alone and tried
to forget.” He cuddled the cat and rubbed his face over the top of his head. “Had
I known about the child, I wouldn’t have allowed her to have her way. I would
have demanded to be in their lives.”
“Shadow…I mean Mica.” Sherry
said. He lifted his head and made eye contact. “Follow me to that doorway. I’ll
bring your new clothes. You need to phase back now.”
Mica leaped out of
Caleb’s lap and waited patiently on Sherry, then he
followed her across the room.
Caleb watched them
leave. “He seems to listen pretty well.”
“He’s a good kid,”
Sherry said from across the room. “He needs his father.”
Caleb stood and
approached Mica. “Hey, buddy, I’m gonna need your help. We need to track these
guys down before they get away. Celia deserved better than that.”
Desiree interjected.
“Caleb, Celia died two years ago.”
He raked his fingers
through his hair. “Two years ago? I don’t understand. Why am I just now hearing
about all this?”
“For starters, we
didn’t know who you were,” Sherry said as she joined the group again. “Young
Mica here has been living as my cat, Shadow, for the last two years. I had no
idea.” She ruffled Mica’s hair. “Drake recognized him as a shape shifter this
morning, and patched together all the missing pieces of the story.”
“Thank you for taking
such good care of him, and I am sorry for the way I treated you earlier. It was
uncalled for.”
Sherry smiled. “Apology
accepted. I know what a shock this is, and believe me, I was shocked this
morning too. He’s been through a lot in his young life. I’ve told him that I
will always be there for him, and I will, but he needs a father—his father—and—”
“I want my son.”
She felt Mica relax at
her side, and she squeezed his shoulders. “Good. He needed to hear that from
you, Caleb. He was so afraid that you wouldn’t.”
Caleb reached his hand
out and grabbed the boy, pulling him into a bear hug. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for
everything, Mica. I’ve been livin’ solo for so many years, it’ll take some time to adjust. You’ll have to be patient with your ‘old man.’
I’ve never had to do the father thing before, and you’re half-grown. I’m
getting a late start.”
The boy hugged him
back. “What do you want me to call you?”
“I’ll
boy.
“Go ahead, honey. Show
him.”
The air shimmered around the boy as he shrunk down into the
clothes. He poked his head from the opening of the sweatshirt.
“Shadow,” Desiree said in surprise. She turned to Caleb.
“He’s yours. Humans and witches don’t shift into animals.”
“Okay, okay, you’re right. I see your point. Just give me a
second…I didn’t even know it was possible. It appears that I’ve been a father
for the last….” He shrugged. “How old is he?”
“Twelve,” Sherry answered. “And what do you mean, you didn’t know it was possible?”
Caleb shrugged, then picked the cat up and placed him in his
lap, stroking the soft fur. “I’m over four hundred years old. To my knowledge,
I’ve never been a father before. I wonder why Celia didn’t tell me? ”
“We begged her to tell you,” Sherry said, “but she said it
wasn’t safe. Why would she say something like that?”
“Not long before we broke up we were attacked. I killed the
attacker, but she was never the same after that. She’d jump at every sound and
seemed to be afraid all the time. I tried to calm her fears but she wouldn’t
listen. She kept insisting that they were still out there. Nothing I did or
said was good enough anymore. She’d start a fight at the drop of a hat over
nothing at all. A month or so later she said that she couldn’t take it anymore
and she told me not to call or come by.” He sighed heavily. “I was tired of the
fighting. I loved her, but I thought she didn’t love me anymore. I guess my
pride was hurt, I don’t know. I did what she asked and left her alone and tried
to forget.” He cuddled the cat and rubbed his face over the top of his head. “Had
I known about the child, I wouldn’t have allowed her to have her way. I would
have demanded to be in their lives.”
“Shadow…I mean Mica.” Sherry
said. He lifted his head and made eye contact. “Follow me to that doorway. I’ll
bring your new clothes. You need to phase back now.”
Mica leaped out of
Caleb’s lap and waited patiently on Sherry, then he
followed her across the room.
Caleb watched them
leave. “He seems to listen pretty well.”
“He’s a good kid,”
Sherry said from across the room. “He needs his father.”
Caleb stood and
approached Mica. “Hey, buddy, I’m gonna need your help. We need to track these
guys down before they get away. Celia deserved better than that.”
Desiree interjected.
“Caleb, Celia died two years ago.”
He raked his fingers
through his hair. “Two years ago? I don’t understand. Why am I just now hearing
about all this?”
“For starters, we
didn’t know who you were,” Sherry said as she joined the group again. “Young
Mica here has been living as my cat, Shadow, for the last two years. I had no
idea.” She ruffled Mica’s hair. “Drake recognized him as a shape shifter this
morning, and patched together all the missing pieces of the story.”
“Thank you for taking
such good care of him, and I am sorry for the way I treated you earlier. It was
uncalled for.”
Sherry smiled. “Apology
accepted. I know what a shock this is, and believe me, I was shocked this
morning too. He’s been through a lot in his young life. I’ve told him that I
will always be there for him, and I will, but he needs a father—his father—and—”
“I want my son.”
She felt Mica relax at
her side, and she squeezed his shoulders. “Good. He needed to hear that from
you, Caleb. He was so afraid that you wouldn’t.”
Caleb reached his hand
out and grabbed the boy, pulling him into a bear hug. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for
everything, Mica. I’ve been livin’ solo for so many years, it’ll take some time to adjust. You’ll have to be patient with your ‘old man.’
I’ve never had to do the father thing before, and you’re half-grown. I’m
getting a late start.”
The boy hugged him
back. “What do you want me to call you?”
“I’ll
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