Filed To Story: A Claim of Fortune Book PDF Free by Jaymin Eve
He took a seat beside me and pulled the pile of items toward him, retrieving a dozen or so pieces of paper. The first one he handed me had a white background with printed sentences in black blocky text. When I stared at the words, everything started to move around, and I squinted in an attempt to focus. I finally figured out the first sentence and read it out loud:
The shifter broke the first rule of the treaty.
“Okay,” Slade said with a nod, making no comment on my obvious struggle, even as I felt heat in my cheeks.
Fuck, I hated this. “Let’s try a few different styles.”
The rest of the papers were all different. Different colored backgrounds and different fonts. Surprisingly, I found some of them far easier to read, while others were even harder than the first white one.
“You do better with a green or dark-tinged background,” Slade noted clinically, as if he was a scientist making a checklist. “Sans-serif fonts, at least point twelve or fourteen, and no italics.”
A surge of excitement rocked deep in my gut at the idea that maybe I could keep moving forward with my reading once I figured out the foundations.
Next we worked on the tablet, and he continued to break down my difficulties, until eventually he had the perfect background and text for me. “Give me your phone?” he said, holding out a hand, and I tried to remember when I’d seen it last.
“Uh, I’m not sure…”
Slade shook his head. “Why am I not surprised? Have you even checked the group chat lately?”
That would have been a no. I’d been too busy training to think about anything else. “I’m always with one of you and you all keep me updated.”
In truth, I loved our group chat threads, and I needed to make more effort to be in there. Especially if Finley and Slade were no longer ghosting as soon as they were added.
We spent another thirty minutes going through different programs, and I was shocked by how strong my reading was with the right background and font. I’d thought I’d test out as no better than a first or second grader, but I was actually much higher.
“You’ve been working harder than you realized over the years to compensate,” Slade said, as he packed everything up. “Your reading level is good, Emme. You just needed to understand your brain better to help it shine. Now we can cater to that.”
I barely stopped from squealing and bouncing in my chair over this unexpected boost to my day. “I’d really love to be able to read novels one day,” I said, finally voicing a long-held dream out into the world. “The couple of audiobooks I could afford only whet my appetite, and while I love Kellan reading to me, I’d like to repay the favor.”
Slade nodded. “You can use a reading tablet. I’ll ensure it has the right font and background, which will come across in every book you download. I won’t lie to you and say that reading is ever going to be super easy for you, but you’ve already proven your grit and determination. Just keep practicing and we’ll have you reading novels in no time.”
I waved my hand, feeling the burn behind my eyes as I fought back happy tears. “I need to work on spelling. Those pesky letters still want to switch themselves up, and I thank the goddess for autocorrect and spellcheck.”
Slade, who was the closest shifter I’d ever met to a perfectionist, surprised me when he leaned down over me on the table, and rested his hands on either side of my body.
Caging me in. “Don’t worry about spelling, Snow. If you get your point across, I don’t care if a letter is the wrong way around or you miss a comma. As long as you can express yourself, I want you to do that. Incorrect spelling and all.”
As he moved back, he brushed a hand across my shoulders and left the room.
I needed a few seconds to pull myself together before I got to my feet and followed.
It had been a truly perfect hour spent with the enigmatic dragon shifter. I felt lighter as I stopped beating myself up about my differences.
Maybe it was time to embrace my true self and stop caring what others thought of me…
A freedom I’d never understood until this very moment.
FINLEY
In my nervousness over therapy today, I started to focus on the fact that Emme hadn’t worn anything of mine yet. Not that I’d expected her to, but I’d added my clothes to her wardrobe in case she wanted the comfort of my scent in the same way I craved the comfort of hers.
It was growing harder not to sneak into her room and roll around on her bed like I was channeling Kellan fucking Jackson. Instead, I snuck in to leave a few tokens of affection, using gloves while I made origami and handled the magazines. In the hopes she’d enjoy the gifts without feeling any obligation attached to them.
With our upbringing, gifts were often a double-edged sword causing us to overthink how to accept and thank someone for them. Especially with Emme and my tenuous relationship.
I’d loved origami since I was young, when Jiro, Kenzo’s grandfather, had taken a lost, angry shifter and taught him productive ways to channel his emotions. When he passed a few years ago, we were both devasted, but his life lessons would remain for much longer than the shifter himself. Any healing I’d found since my family’s death had come via that calm, strong male.
Kenzo retained a lot of his grandfather’s traits, and I was honored to be treated like his family.
Jiro would have been disappointed in the way I acted when Emme came into my life, as I regressed into that same angry teenager. At least it did teach me that I still had a lot of healing to do, and trauma I needed to deal with.
Between origami, hockey, and therapy, I felt stronger and calmer. The only part of my life not in place was my relationship with Emme, but it also wasn’t as bad as it could be either.
She was far too kind and forgiving, and as much as it worried me that fuckers would take advantage of her, I was also grateful she was open to me mending the bridges I’d burned between us. Having a chance was more than I deserved.
That day in Texas when she’d acted like I didn’t exist remained front and center in my nightmares-hence why sleep had been even more elusive than usual lately.
I could never let that happen again, or I might as well cut my own throat and call it a day.
Emme was essential to my existence. Without her, there was no me.
It was only short of terrifying to know I’d be spilling dark secrets in front of her today, and I hoped Dr. Karen of the Whipsnar pack could keep it all on track. I’d only had a dozen sessions with her so far, but I found the eagle shifter easy to talk to. She had a calming and non-judgmental manner, and even when she asked hard questions and pushed me through my demons, it didn’t send me spiraling.