Free Bite This! by Tasha Black

vacation.
    Luke smiled and laughed the whole time, which made Finn feel good down to his bones.
    And Darcy was… well, Darcy was amazing.
    She was strong and confident, that much he’d known before this adventure. But he would never have suspected her of being relaxed and silly. Darcy had literally let her hair down, and with it, her inhibitions and her seriousness. She’d been hiding and chasing the kid around the arbor all afternoon, cheeks were flushed, eyes dancing like stars.
    Finn and the boy had fallen under her spell, and both were half in love with her.
    She paused suddenly in the middle of the chase, and Finn realized that she had caught him staring at her in open admiration.
    For once, she didn’t give him that admonishing look. Instead she cocked her head slightly, as if listening to an unheard voice, or as if maybe she were checking him out too.
    Fervently, he hoped for the latter, but she soon darted off again, fleet as a deer.
    No. Swift as a wolf. Darcy would never be the prey.
    His granda’s words echoed in his head, fiercely loyal, brave, but very secretive - they stick to their own kind. Darcy Harkness to a tee.
    Finn felt a pang.
    He could change many things about his rock ’n roll lifestyle, he wanted to.
    But he couldn’t become a shifter.
    It was agony to come this close to her and yet know he might as well be a million miles away. Darcy would choose a shifter to share her life. Certainly not a guy like Finn.
    The shade of the trees grew cooler as the sun disappeared over the leafy horizon, pink as a summer rose.
    Luke dashed around the arbor and stood next to Finn, panting lightly.
    “It’s getting late,” Darcy remarked as she appeared a moment later. “I’m hungry. And I think there are marshmallows in the kitchen. Who wants s’mores?”
    Finn smiled and the boy began bouncing up and down beside him.
    When was the poor kid going to talk?
    Finn was really enjoying himself, more than he ever would have dreamed possible. But he knew the real reason for the giant dose of normalcy today was to make Luke feel safe.
    He and Darcy both hoped that once the boy felt secure, he would open up to them. So far, they hadn’t had much luck, even though the kid seemed about as happy as could be.
    Finn couldn’t help but wonder if maybe there was something they were missing.
    “I’ll build a fire,” Finn offered as they wandered through the arbor and back to the deck.
    “That sounds great,” Darcy smiled.
    Luke grabbed her hand and she smiled down at him too. It was nice. The whole thing was nice.
    Finn wished fervently that they could just stay like this, hide up here forever in this little paradise.
    As Darcy and Luke went into the kitchen, Finn knelt to arrange wood in the pit. He had a cozy little fire going in no time.
    He sat before it, alone with his thoughts.
    Who would have thought that Finn Butler, Philadelphia boy, raised in a brick row home, would be sitting out here alone, watching the sparks of a fire illuminate the darkness of the woods, unafraid? Happy even.
    Luke burst out of the door, carrying a bag of marshmallows and a flashlight.
    “Sandwich first, okay, buddy?” Darcy called to him from the door. She was carrying a tray with some rustic bread and cheese as well as graham crackers and chocolate, and a pitcher of something.
    “You’re a domestic goddess, you know that, right?” Finn teased her.
    She threw her head back and laughed.
    “Yes, and you’re quite the woodsman,” she complimented him. “But seriously, nice fire.”
    “I was a boy scout,” he told her.
    “Really?”
    “No, of course not,” he winked. “But I do have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
    She rolled her eyes, but he could tell she was enjoying the teasing.
    “You want to see some magic?” he asked the boy.
    Luke studied him with wide eyes.
    “Okay, I’ve got nothing in my hands,” Finn said, showing his empty hands.
    He gestured in the air with a flourish.
    “Wait a minute, what’s that?