Shadow Bloodlines (The Shadow Bloodlines series Book 1) by A.R. Cooper

Author:A.R. Cooper [Cooper, A.R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-04-30T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Tied to the edge of the dock rocked a fishing boat with a small compartment below deck. I doubted more than five people could fit on the thing without sinking it. The white paint across its length peeled in a mixture of long and short strips. I rubbed my hands down my jeans. The name, Splendora, was etched across the back in faded blue paint. I’d expected all the child support my dad never paid would have him holed up in a yacht or something. This looked like a tugboat.

Cooking fish and carrots streaming out of my dad’s boat made my mouth water.

My dad could cook? Why didn’t he hang around like Jacqui’s shifter dad had? I might have even eaten more vegetables if my dad’s food tasted as good as it smelled. Well, maybe not all of vegetables I hated, but I’d have at least tried a bite. Neither mom nor I cooked much.

What would I say to him? Would he turn me away? Yell at me? Maybe this was a mistake. Nerves chewed my insides.

“Hey, it’ll be all right.” Amar stroked my arm and a pleasant tingle radiate through me.

I nodded. What should I do? Board and knock? Call out? How did one approach a boathouse? There was no doorbell on the deck. Wouldn’t jumping on the ship be equivalent to bursting through someone’s locked gate?

“Jack-Johnathan Bender?” I raised my voice, then listened. Nothing. I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted again this time only using Johnathan Bender as the cop had told me that was his name here. If I used Jack, he might get suspicious and jump ship. And as much as I’d like to take a swim, the thought of swimming at dusk with hungry sharks out in the middle of the ocean was not appealing.

There was a rustle inside the boat, then the cabin door flew open. A man with grey hair around his face and beard stared back at me. He squinted as he looked from me to Jacqui to Amar and back again. The similarity between him and the photo was there, except the wrinkles in the corner of his eyes and greying hair.

“Whatever you’re selling, I’m not interested.”

He spun to leave and I leaned forward with my arms over my chest. Maybe he didn’t know I was his daughter. Why would he? I only had one picture of him, and he would have had zero of me.

“Wait! I’m Bethany… Bender. I’m your daughter.” The one you sent a puzzling message to—too late.

His eyes widened in what I thought might be recognition when I said my name, but when I said the word daughter, his face clouded over. “I think you have me confused with someone else. Go back home to your mother, I’m sure she’s worried about you.”

Amar leapt over the dock and landed with a thud on the boat. His wings stretched to their full length. I didn’t know if my dad had ever seen another shifter

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