Hillbillies and HellHounds: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (Trailer Park Vampire Book 2) by H.P. Mallory & J.R. Rain

Author:H.P. Mallory & J.R. Rain [Mallory, H.P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rain Press
Published: 2022-12-08T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Silence fell between us, weighty and unpleasant.

Laughter and good-natured scuffles crept in to fill it. Mason had coaxed Bud into a game of cornhole and didn’t seem to mind that he was having his behind handed to him. If there was any benefit to becoming a monster, it was our enhanced senses. Consequently, Bud was the best at tracking things aside from me. His wolf vision was superb, which meant he could make a killing at darts or cornhole. Sicily was cheering for them both, which made the tight feeling in my gut ease. Mason had turned out alright, despite the hell Dean had gone through to keep him.

A thought occurred to me, and the more I pondered it, the more certain I was. I made a soft humming sound in my throat, a tell that usually meant I’d come up with something. Sicily knew me well enough to call it out when she heard it. Dean’s head turned to me and I realized he’d recognized it too. I shouldn’t have been surprised by that, given how close we’d been years ago, but I still was. He still remembered, even after all these years.

“I don’t think that’s true—I don’t think Skye hates you.”

Dean’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

I shrugged, not sure how else to say it. “I mean I don’t think Skye hates you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Um, were we both at the same restaurant?”

I took a deep breath as I thought hard about how to put this. I eventually settled on, “I think if Skye really, truly hated you, she wouldn’t have chosen the career path she did. Instead, she chose a path in law enforcement. And… she had to know that you’d cross paths, eventually. You’re both first responders. It was inevitable. Yet, she chose that path anyway. I think that was intentional.”

Dean’s expression shifted from bemused to pensive as he considered it. He sounded almost vulnerable when he asked, “You think she actually wanted to see me?”

“I do.”

“Yet you saw how rude she was to me—to us both.”

I nodded—that part had been hard to forget. “It’s hard to connect with an estranged friend, let alone an estranged parent. I’m sure she doesn’t know what to do with herself, so she’s falling back on old habits. You’ve been giving her space, but I don’t think that’s going to work.”

“So… what—you think I shouldn’t give her space?”

“I’m not saying you have to be annoying about it, but put yourself in her orbit. Leave a line of communication open. I’m pretty sure she’ll reach out, eventually.”

He smiled. “I’m not so sure.”

“It’s worth a try right?” He gave me a look that said he wasn’t convinced. “What’s the worst that happens? She just continues to ignore you?”

“Fair point,” he answered and then grew quiet for a few seconds as he seemed to zone off on something in the distance. When he returned his gaze to mine, his eyes were a little softer. “You’re good at this parenting stuff.”

“I don’t know that Sicily would agree with you there.

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