Chapter One
“My brothers’ mates; my friends…”
Monica, Kate and Julia had been bonding with Melissa, ever since they stormed into her world. After their adventures with Raul, Dean and Ray, they had also been spending time with her, providing their valuable input with issues, or simply having fun. Melissa appreciated them all for who they were. Kate and Julia’s sense of humor often lifted her spirits; and, even though Monica could bring her frustration to a whole new level by overanalyzing the tiniest of details, she couldn’t deny that the doctor from New York was a good friend, wiser and more patient than her other “sisters”, as she used to call them. Now she considered them all very close friends, people in her life because of her choice, not the choice of someone else.
On a warm, early-August afternoon, Melissa and Monica decided to accompany Kate to Mount Neboh Cemetery in Glendale. She hadn’t visited her parents’ grave in a while, and meant to pay homage to them. The youngest of the Bradford’s hoped that Julia would join them as well, but, unfortunately for her, Ray’s significant other was dealing with a major change, and was still exploring her new nature, along with her mate.
Of course, Melissa objected to Kate’s idea. Marianne and Michael had been responsible for the evil that threatened to consume her birthplace. Still, Kate was adamant, claiming that she had to respect the memory of the mother and father she had lost at the tender age of sixteen. In her mind, they had died in that horrible fire in her house. The two people that had come back to reclaim her were complete strangers to her. She could not recognize either of them.
Upon turning onto Cypress Hills Street, the trio realized that getting to the cemetery would be much more challenging that they initially believed. There was traffic, and cars parked on either side of the road. For some reason none of them could fathom, Kate had chosen the wrong day to pay her respects to her parents. Unable to find a parking spot close to the cemetery, she left the car more than a quarter mile away from the premises, as Monica and Melissa began guessing about the occasion that had brought all those people there.
“Maybe it’s a government official, or a congressman,” Monica said, as they headed towards the entrance.
“I doubt it,” Kate disagreed, clutching a bouquet of white roses, as a young child sped past them. “I don’t see any men in black groping people. I didn’t read anything online, either. Plus, there are a lot of kids around. It’s weird.”
“I’ve always wondered why so many people attend politicians’ funerals,” Melissa confessed, casting a quick glance down at Kate. “I mean, they’re not what you’d call ‘popular’, are they?”
“There’s a lot of fakery in the world of humans, Hun,” Kate claimed, as her lips curled into a sad smile. “That’s just one example. Most attendees are politicians themselves, competing against each other on who’s going to give the best fake eulogy. They pose for the cameras, wear their saddest expressions, and then, they all go home happy.”
Craning her neck, Melissa stared at the large crowd a few dozen yards to the right, as she and Kate strolled through the entrance. Children’s voices filled her ears as she noticed a tall, young man, standing before a grave, his fingers interlocked over his stomach. His dark-brown hair shone under the sun, as he tipped his head down.
“Girls, this is no politician’s funeral.” The urgency in Monica’s tone was enough to distract Melissa. She whipped her head around, only to discover that the doctor was staring down at a photograph, on the left side of the entrance. “It’s not even a funeral. It’s a memorial service. And I knew the deceased.”
“You did?” Melissa squinted at her.
“Yes,” Monica replied, clenching her jaw. “Laura Stanton, wife of Joe Stanton, twenty-nine years old, kindergarten teacher. I treated her a year ago.” She added, lifting her gaze up to meet Melissa’s.
“Oh, my God…” Kate sighed, rubbing her hand against her forehead. “I remember that.”
Her friend’s reaction and the sorrow on Monica’s face piqued Melissa’s curiosity.
“What happened to her?” She inquired, taking a hesitant step closer to her.
“It all happened a year ago. I was an ER doctor back then,” Monica explained, her voice faint, as she ran her hand through her hair. “Laura and Joe were involved in a freak accident. A truck rammed their car. They were both severely injured, but I was able to save him. His wife was not so lucky. She was bleeding internally when they were brought in by the paramedics. We couldn’t stop the bleeding. I told Joe what was happening. He asked if he could say ‘goodbye’ to her. I said ‘sure.’ We took him to her. He held her hand, and whispered something like: ‘Take me with you. Don’t leave me here alone.’ God, it really broke my heart.”
“Terrible story,” Melissa commented, shaking her head sideways.
“I couldn’t sleep for weeks,” Monica put a little force in her voice. “Whenever I closed my eyes, I saw him holding her, shedding tears onto her face. I kept asking myself if there was anything more I could have done for her, but I always received the same negative answer. What a shame.”
“Guys, can we please get this over with?” Kate requested with a hint of frustration in her tone. Monica’s quick nod served as her answer.
A massive lawn, along with large, old oak trees spread out before Melissa, as they strode off towards their destination. However, she couldn’t care less about an empty grave. Monica’s story had gripped her, perhaps more than it should have. Joe Stanton, a young, handsome man, loved his wife so much that he wanted to depart from this world, just to be with her. He desired to forsake all earthly delights, along with every other bond, in order to be with his other half. This level of commitment to his wife moved Melissa. Up until then, she thought most humans were too self-centered to make this kind of sacrifice. Her brothers’ mates were a mere exception to that rule. Now though, she was close to one more of those special creatures. She was able to steal a few glances at him, and could even hear his occasional sob. Surrounded by hundreds of people, Joe was not afraid to show that he was still grieving for the loss of his beloved Laura.
“I will always cherish my life with you, before that fire,” Kate muttered, easing the bouquet down onto the grave. “We had some bad moments, but I knew you loved me. I loved you, too. I choose to forget the tricks you pulled in Paxton. My mom and dad wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone burn an entire town to the ground. Be at peace.”
“Humans never cease to impress me,” Melissa uttered, her gaze locked on Joe. “Kate’s parents, this guy… Why can’t you all be decent?”
“Are all shifters decent?” Monica wondered, a hint of discomfort in her tone.
“Not really,” Melissa answered, returning her attention to Monica. “We don’t keep secrets, though. You know what to expect with us.”
“Ok, hold it with the philosophy there,” Kate grumbled, leaning closer to her mate’s sister. “You’ve been staring at him since we got here. What’s up? Are you interested?”
“I could be,” Melissa shrugged her shoulders, her voice coming out lazy. “He’s young, handsome, obviously in touch with his emotions, and…”
“Broken,” Kate interrupted, intensifying her stare. “That man is in pieces. It’s been a year since he lost her, and he’s still crying his eyes out for her. Now, you may say I was a lot like that when Dean and I met, but I wasn’t. I was hurting, but just because I thought I wouldn’t find love. I wasn’t trying to get over the loss of someone in particular.”
“Whoa! Slow down there!” Melissa exclaimed, raising her hand to her chest. “I just said I liked him. What’s so bad about that?”
“I’m just trying to point out the differences here,” Kate explained, lowering her tone. “Anyway, let’s go. I’m starting to miss being in Paxton already.”
“So am I,” Melissa responded with a smile. But, she had lied. In truth, she wanted to stay there, and observe this human, as much as possible. And, as they made their way back to the entrance, Joe did something that fueled her desire even more. He was holding a picture in front of him, whispering, as he stared down at it. The words that were coming out of his mouth were a secret for everyone else, but not for her. She could hear him, loud and clear:
“Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind”
“Look at him,” she thought to herself. “He’s still declaring his love for her to the world, even though she’s gone. I just hope I can find myself a man like you, Joe.”