Read Online Shadow Bloodlines (Shadow Bloodlines #1) by A. R. Cooper - Free Book Online
Authors: A. R. Cooper
Ads: Link
club?” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Why didn’t your eyes change like mine in the black light, and why didn’t you tell me before now?”
“I-I’m a chameleon shifter; so is my dad.” She put her blinker on to switch lanes and shrugged. “We have the same spirit animal, a raccoon. So now you know why I love new shiny things.”
Like her car. She had gotten a new one every year since she’d had her hardship license at fifteen. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me this?” Like yesterday! I wanted to add. Like when it might have helped, and when I’d showed her my dad’s text. Then I thought about how Jacqui always wanted to leave during the black light songs. It was either to go outside and find a cute guy she’d just seen or to the bathroom to fix her hair. It was only by chance that we were still inside when they’d flipped on the Madonna song a bit earlier than usual.
“As a chameleon, I can avoid detection. It takes a lot of energy and focus to conceal my eyes from doing what yours did at the club.” She bit her lip and took another glance at me. “When I saw your eyes reflect like that, I couldn’t believe it and I thought it was a trick of some kind.”
“You still could have told me.” I snapped the seatbelt and adjusted to move a bit away from her. We were best friends. How could she keep something like this from me? Wait, that time in middle school when she’d wanted to pretend-smoke with her mom’s cigarettes. Mr. Van had caught us, but after his lecture, when I’d glanced over at her, she was gone and the lighter and cigarette package were on the concrete next to me. I’d figured she’d seen him the same time I had and ran.
“Remember when I moved here in fifth grade?” When I nodded, she sighed. “That was because of me. I bragged to my elementary friend that I was a shifter. She laughed and didn’t believe me. Then I did my chameleon vanish trick of blending into my surroundings and she freaked the fuck out. I don’t mean she screamed or even fainted; she took a picture of me vanishing and told everyone I was a freak. We had to steal her phone and leave everything behind. Even put a virus on her parents’ computers to wipe all the photos and even memory. Then we set off the gas in our house and made it look like we were inside. Me and my dad did that—together we created mannequins to resemble us so that a few of the neighbors outside—would think they saw us all inside when we ignited the gas. We ran for a year before creating new identities and settling here.”
“So your name is not even Jacqueline?” I didn’t shy from the bite in my words. First, I’d found out I was a shifter, second that my best friend has been one and known about it for her whole life and never told me, and now third—I didn’t even know her real name!
“Yes and no.” She lowered her arms, not meeting my eyes. “My dad named me Jackie. He wanted a boy, but he got me. I never really liked the name. I wanted a fancy name. My mom suggested something close to my own name since I was young enough not to remember to use the fake one. If I called or answered to Jackie by mistake, it was easy to mark off as a nickname for Jacqueline. And I prefer my new name anyway.” She slowed the car around a curve. “And when I was going to make copies for Mr. Powell, I overheard a guy on a cellphone say they’d found a shifter. I panicked, thinking he meant me. I dashed toward the exit, but men guarded the door. So I back peddled, debating what to do when I saw the fire alarm.”
So she was the one who had triggered the alarm. I had thought it was just a coincidence. My head hurt. Did I even know anyone? Must be nice knowing you’re a shifter before people try to kill you. And having a dad to help as well. Jealousy oozed into me.
“We need to keep moving.” Amar moved and I bit back a curse as the edge of his wing smacked me in the face.
“Scoot back,” I muttered. After he was re-situated, I
“I-I’m a chameleon shifter; so is my dad.” She put her blinker on to switch lanes and shrugged. “We have the same spirit animal, a raccoon. So now you know why I love new shiny things.”
Like her car. She had gotten a new one every year since she’d had her hardship license at fifteen. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me this?” Like yesterday! I wanted to add. Like when it might have helped, and when I’d showed her my dad’s text. Then I thought about how Jacqui always wanted to leave during the black light songs. It was either to go outside and find a cute guy she’d just seen or to the bathroom to fix her hair. It was only by chance that we were still inside when they’d flipped on the Madonna song a bit earlier than usual.
“As a chameleon, I can avoid detection. It takes a lot of energy and focus to conceal my eyes from doing what yours did at the club.” She bit her lip and took another glance at me. “When I saw your eyes reflect like that, I couldn’t believe it and I thought it was a trick of some kind.”
“You still could have told me.” I snapped the seatbelt and adjusted to move a bit away from her. We were best friends. How could she keep something like this from me? Wait, that time in middle school when she’d wanted to pretend-smoke with her mom’s cigarettes. Mr. Van had caught us, but after his lecture, when I’d glanced over at her, she was gone and the lighter and cigarette package were on the concrete next to me. I’d figured she’d seen him the same time I had and ran.
“Remember when I moved here in fifth grade?” When I nodded, she sighed. “That was because of me. I bragged to my elementary friend that I was a shifter. She laughed and didn’t believe me. Then I did my chameleon vanish trick of blending into my surroundings and she freaked the fuck out. I don’t mean she screamed or even fainted; she took a picture of me vanishing and told everyone I was a freak. We had to steal her phone and leave everything behind. Even put a virus on her parents’ computers to wipe all the photos and even memory. Then we set off the gas in our house and made it look like we were inside. Me and my dad did that—together we created mannequins to resemble us so that a few of the neighbors outside—would think they saw us all inside when we ignited the gas. We ran for a year before creating new identities and settling here.”
“So your name is not even Jacqueline?” I didn’t shy from the bite in my words. First, I’d found out I was a shifter, second that my best friend has been one and known about it for her whole life and never told me, and now third—I didn’t even know her real name!
“Yes and no.” She lowered her arms, not meeting my eyes. “My dad named me Jackie. He wanted a boy, but he got me. I never really liked the name. I wanted a fancy name. My mom suggested something close to my own name since I was young enough not to remember to use the fake one. If I called or answered to Jackie by mistake, it was easy to mark off as a nickname for Jacqueline. And I prefer my new name anyway.” She slowed the car around a curve. “And when I was going to make copies for Mr. Powell, I overheard a guy on a cellphone say they’d found a shifter. I panicked, thinking he meant me. I dashed toward the exit, but men guarded the door. So I back peddled, debating what to do when I saw the fire alarm.”
So she was the one who had triggered the alarm. I had thought it was just a coincidence. My head hurt. Did I even know anyone? Must be nice knowing you’re a shifter before people try to kill you. And having a dad to help as well. Jealousy oozed into me.
“We need to keep moving.” Amar moved and I bit back a curse as the edge of his wing smacked me in the face.
“Scoot back,” I muttered. After he was re-situated, I
Similar Books
