The Community of the Shifters

Chapter One:

I quickly dove in with a one two combo, before weaving to the left and brought up a left-handed uppercut to the middle of the punching bag. Anger rolled through me, engulfing me entirely in rage. Sweat poured down my forehead and ran blindingly into my eyes, but I didn’t care. The pain of it only caused my rage to rise higher. It had been a year since I returned from Rhode Island with Lani, and for the past three hours I had been in the garage.

No one knew I was out there, which I was grateful for. In the mood I was in, I didn’t want to be bothered by anyone. The pictures Jacoby had taken were all tacked to the wall on the far side of the garage. They were part of the reason for my rage; the other was because I could no longer feel the link between Jacoby and me. I was terrified something had happened to him and instead of allowing that terror to paralyze me as it used to, I started channeling it into anger.

Bright light erupted into my shadow filled world, when the house door opened. I brought up my left hand, using the glove to block out most of the light. A tall figure walked into the three car garage with me, before closing the door behind him. “You know, everyone is worried about you.” I shrugged before going back to my routine, pausing only long enough for Laborc to get settled behind the bag with a good grip on it.

“Why did you come out here?”

“I told you, we were worried about you. Have you been out here all night?”

I bobbed to the left, then weaved to the right, before hitting the bag with several quick jabs. “Yes.” Laborc was quiet for a while, allowing me time to work out the rage. But I knew what would happen once the anger had left me, and I didn’t want anyone around me then. Before Jacoby brought me back to Claire’s mini-mansion, he had made me promise him I would be weak no more.

I had done quite well over the past year in keeping that promise, but now with the absence of where our link had once been, I knew I was about to break it. Though the fear was still present within me when a man approached or got too close to me, I had learned to control it instead of it controlling me. Ok, well maybe I was still trying to learn control, but it really wasn’t as bad as it used to be. That strength I had gained over the past year would be destroyed tonight if my anger dissipated while I was still distraught over the loss. I could feel it deep down, it would be destroyed and I would be broken once more.

There was no one else out there who loved me as Jacoby had, who would protect me just as fiercely. Claire tried, but she had her own family now; John and their sons, Jack and Clive. Though we were, technically, cousins, she had claimed me as her older sister a very long time ago. But she couldn’t keep me from harm’s way without endangering her children. No, there was no one now to protect me, except for myself, and that didn’t work well the last time I thought I could take on the world alone.

“Lynn?” Laborc’s voice was troubled and filled with concern. It brought me back from my thoughts to the horrible realization I was crying. “What’s wrong?”

I used the back of a glove to furiously wipe away the tears, before going back to beating the hell out of the bag. “Nothing’s wrong.”

Obviously, I wasn’t very convincing, because one moment Laborc was behind the bag still, the next he was standing in front of me with both his hands holding my wrists still. “Lynn, what’s wrong?” Something in his voice had caused the resolve to snap and I found myself sinking to the floor in tears. A slight twinge of fear rose within me, when Laborc sank to his knees beside me and held me tightly against him.

I am still unsure why, but I allowed him to hold me until my emotions left me numb. “Are you wanting to talk yet?” I didn’t bother to open my eyes as I shook my head ‘no’. I felt him nod as his hands ran slowly down both arms to remove my gloves. It was a comforting effort, but left an odd tingle following in his arms’ wake. “Did something happen to you?” Laborc’s voice was so soft, so full of concern, that I found my head shaking ‘no’ without even realizing it. “Does it concern someone in the house?” Again, I shook my head.

When he asked about Jacoby, more tears tumbled down and my shaking grew worse. Laborc was quiet for a few moments, letting me get more of it out of my system. Before asking: “What happened to Jacoby?”

I shook my head. How could I know when the link between us was gone? “I don’t know. Our…our link is gone.” Laborc stiffened around me. We both knew the only way a link broke, was when one half of the two bonded, died.

Laborc tightened his arms around Lynn. He knew he should have talked Jacoby into staying, at least until he was fully healed. He just knew it! He hadn’t and now this had happened. He hoped against hope, that Jacoby had not been killed. That maybe, just maybe, the bond between him and Lynn wasn’t permanent because they were only twins, and just finally dissipated.

“We don’t know what has happened, Lynn. Maybe the link…maybe when the both of you are too far away, you cannot feel the link. But just because you cannot feel it, does not mean it is not still there.” Laborc’s softly spoken words had eased Lynn’s trembling, but he could tell her pain and sense of loss remained.

It was a Friday night and needless to say, my club did not get opened. Instead I spent most of the night atop the bed in my room, with Lani fast asleep across from me. I had never raised a child before, but the knowledge that he belonged to Jacoby had made me learn quickly what was needed. It also made me quite protective of him despite being the way I was.

Reaching out a hand, I ran my fingers gently across Lani’s cheek, hoping I wouldn’t awaken him. I also hoped Laborc was right and Jacoby was not dead. I didn’t think I could live without him, but not only that, I didn’t want to have to explain to Lani why he would never see his father again.