by J. K Harper
Text copyright ©2017 by the Author.
This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Lisa Ladew. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original One True Mate remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Lisa Ladew, or their affiliates or licensors.
For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds
Shifter’s Shadow
One True Mate Kindle World
J.K. Harper
Contents
Book Description
Shifter’s Shadow
Foreword from Lisa Ladew
One True Mate Series Disclaimer
One True Mate World Glossary
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Epilogue
Also by J.K. Harper
About the Author
Shifter’s Shadow
Wyatt is a wolven, a cop, and a man haunted by family tragedy. When he and his dad left Serenity years ago, he left behind the memory of his brutally murdered mother, and the one girl he never could forget. Then Wyatt returns to Serenity, finding his old friends and restlessly searching for something he can't even name. He never expects to see the girl again—until the night they share a kiss so scorching hot he knows he can't ever let her go again. Especially not when he realizes just how very special she is.
Growing up, Bryony couldn't get out of boring Serenity fast enough. She's lived life on the edge ever since, until a bad accident lands her right back home to recuperate. Its maddening shackles hold her tight until she's finally free to leave again. But now she's unexpectedly kissed the boy she had a crush on her entire life—the boy who's now a very sexy man, and more fascinating than she'd ever dreamed. Leaving Wyatt behind might crush her heart...and it also might get her hunted down and killed by an ancient enemy she didn't even know she had.
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SHIFTER’S SHADOW
Copyright © 2017 by Sable Moon Books
Cover by Jacqueline Sweet
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the copyright owner except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Shifter’s Shadow
Foreword from Lisa Ladew
First, let me get this out of the way. I feel some kind of way about J.K. Harper’s naughty English teacher look in her avatar. You know, the one that is complete with red pen and saucy expression that says, “you ‘bout ta fail, but I’m still awesome.” ?? Yeah, that one. I think it’s sexy. Lol
Ok. Confession time over. Moving on.
Now. Let me set a scene for you. There’s this guy. He’s fucking hot. And there’s just something about him… and you like him, but good lord you know you shouldn’t, and man, like, you’ve got a life to live, you know? You got shit to DO. You don’t have time for all that fucking hotness. Hotness hides trouble, you learned that shit.
So you’re working out with your physical therapist, who happens to be a guy you’re not even remotely interested in. You get good news, awesome, time to make something happen. You’re saying bye to your guy pal, but then… HE SHOWS UP. Fuck. And you know exactly what’s about to happen.
And it ain’t gonna be good…
Chills, right?!? Like, this is my favorite part of some of the stories lol. It happens right at the end of chapter one, so get to reading!
I know you are going to love this story!!
One True Mate Series Disclaimer
This book contains characters and reference points that exist in the OTM universe but the story itself is an author interpretation and may not adhere to the original series. Hope you enjoy!
One True Mate World Glossary
Bearen – bear shifters. Almost always work as firefighters.
Citlali – spiritual leaders of all shiften. They are able to communicate with the deities telepathically, and sometimes bring back prophecies from these communications.
Deae – goddess.
Dragen – dragon shifter. Rare.
Echo – an animal with the same markings of a shiften. Usually seen as a harbinger of bad things, but could also be a messenger from The Light.
Felen – big cat shifters. Almost always work as mercenaries. They are also the protectors of Rhen’s physical body and a specially trained group of them can track Khain when he comes into the Ula.
Foxen – the foxen were created when Khain forcibly mated with female wolven.
Haven, the – final resting place of all shiften. Where The Light resides.
Impot – a shiften that cannot shift because of a genetic defect caused by mating too close to their own bloodline. Trent and Troy are not thought to be impots because they were born during a klukwana.
Khain – also known as the Divided Demon, the Great Destroyer, and the Matchitehew. The hunter of humans and the main nemesis of all shiften.
Klukwana – a ceremony where a full-blooded shiften mates with another shiften with both in animal form, then the mother stays in animal form during the entire pregnancy. The young in the litter are always born as their animal. Wolven from a klukwana always come in at least four to seven young. Bearen are always two cubs, and felen are unpredictable, sometimes only one. Shiften born from a klukwana are almost always more powerful, bigger, and stronger than regular shiften, but many parents don’t try it because of the inherent risks to the mother during the (shorter) pregnancy and the risk that the shiften young may choose not to shift into human form. A lesser known possibility is that the shiften young will have a harder time learning to shift into human form, especially if no one shifts near them in the first few days after birth.
KSRT – Kilo Special Response Team, or Khain Special Response team. A group of wolven police whose primary goal is to hunt down and kill Khain, if that can be done.
Light, The – the creator of the Ula, humans, Rhen, Khain, and the angels.
Moonstruck – insane. Shiften who spend too long indoors or too long in human form can become moonstruck slowly and not even realize it.
Pravus – Khain’s home. A fiery, desolate dimension that sits alongside ours.
Pumaii – a small group of specialized felen tasked with tracking Khain when he crosses over into our dimension.
Renqua – a discoloration in a shiften’s fur which is also seen as a birthmark in human form. Every renqua is different. The original renquas were pieces of Rhen she put inside the wolves, bears, and big cats to create the shiften. Every pure-blooded shifter born since has also had a renqua. Half-breeds may or may not have one. Some foxen acquired weak renquas when they mated with shiften. Also called the mark of life.
Rhen – the creator of all shiften. A female deity.
Ruhi – the art of speaking telepathically. No humans are known to possess the power to do this. Not all shiften are able to do it. It is the preferred form of speaking for the dragen.
Shiften – shifter-kind.
Shi
ftsegen – a special blessing left for the One True Mates by their father, a pendant that represents their angel half and the animal of their intended mate. The shiftsegen is powerful and unpredictable and its uses and powers are not clear.
Ula – the Earth, in the current dimension and time. The home of the shiften.
Vahiy – end of the world.
Wolfen – a wolf shifter. Almost always works as a police officer.
Wolven – wolf shifters, plural.
Zyanya – when a wolfen dies, the funeral is for the benefit of humans, but the important ceremony is the zyanya. The pack mates of the fallen wolfen run in wolf form through the forest, heading north to show the spirit the way to the Haven. When they reach a body of water, they all jump in and swim to the other side, then emerge in human form.
1
A final daunting hill appeared on the trail in front of Bryony, just at the point when her legs sometimes failed to want to carry her up it. Gritting her teeth, she dug in and charged. Passing her running companion in a burst of speed, huffing out a single burst of laughter as he muttered something about dirty pool, she ran up the hill on two legs that today felt as strong and solid as they'd ever been.
The second she reached the top of the rise, Bryony hit the brakes, whirled around, and flung up her fists in victory. "I am a champion!" She hollered out the words like a war whoop, not caring about the other joggers and casual Sunday walkers who also traveled the river pathway. A few of them smiled at her, one guy even reaching out to do an air high-five as he passed her along the flat part of the trail.
With a somewhat theatrical groan, Shelton, her best friend's fiancé and also Bryony's physical therapist and training partner, made it over the top of the steps. "Way to hand a guy his balls," he complained in a cheerful if slightly breathless tone. "Good job, Bry." He smiled at her with the genuine pride of a trainer who had done his job well. "You owned this run. Just like you owned the last five runs. I think,” he gave her a huge grin in the bright sunshine of the early fall day, “we're gonna have to declare you officially fit and ready to go back to work."
Breath catching in her throat, Bryony stared at him as she let her ams fall back to her sides. “Shut up,” she said in a near whisper. “For real? You're going to declare me fully healed?”
Shelton nodded. “You just ran like you were on fire and beat the hell out of me. For the third time this week. My official word is that you're healed, Bryony,” he said in a gentle but firm voice. “For real.”
With another shriek, Bryony leaped forward to give him a quick hug before whirling away to dance an excited jig on the pathway, fallen maple leaves crunching underfoot. This time she got more stares and a few giggles, but they all still seemed cheerful.
Happiness, she decided as she danced around, was infectious. Just like it should be. She was whole, she was healed. Most importantly, now she'd be able to get the hell out of Serenity, Illinois, a.k.a. the most boring place on the face of the planet, and go back to doing the thrill-seeker work she loved. Just being here, trapped at her parents' house for the past seven months while she recuperated from a near devastating tibial fracture, had been making her go mad.
Could be going mad literally, the dark little voice in her mind taunted. Frowning suddenly, Bryony angrily shoved the thought away. No. That was just a ghost of her prior self, the nervous, scared, doubting girl she'd been before she'd escaped dullsville Serenity the first time when she graduated high school. She wasn't insane. She just hated being an invalid, and hated being back here.
She, Bryony Elyse Jones, was a survivor as well as a totally sane human being.
Whipping a bright smile back into place, she stopped her little dance and walked around the pathway railing to drop into some light post-run stretches. "You're awesome, Shelton, thanks. You're the best physical therapist in the world, and the best guy I ever could've hoped for for Maddy. I'll tell her she can keep you," she added with a decisive little nod.
Shelton laughed as he, too, walked around the railing to do some stretching. “Gee, thanks. Though I'm pretty sure she already decided to keep me.” He happily flashed the engagement band on his left hand as he stretched his quads.
Bryony's glance flicked to the bright glint of the brushed titanium band that indicated Shelton's taken status. Swallowing the sharp lurch of a sigh, she just smiled before hiding her face between her arms as she grasped the railing and leaned back. Stupid, she muttered to herself as she stretched her grateful muscles. She was about to go back to the most amazing life ever, and never once in all her twenty-four years had she thought she needed a man to complement it.
She liked guys, of course. She dated them and vaguely considered that one day, she'd have a kickass daredevil partner who liked to greet life the same way she did: with brass balls and an eye to experiencing the most risky, most exhilarating adventures possible. But it wasn't like she pined for a normal life for two, complete with white picket fence, a sweet goofy dog, and a little bun in the oven.
She wasn't like her best friend, Maddy, who was happy just to settle down with Shelton into a normal, safe life here in Serenity, complete with stable if unexciting jobs at a local wellness clinic, and a nice little house that did indeed have a white picket fence and a very sweet, goofy golden retriever in residence. In fact, Bryony wasn't like any women she'd ever met. None of them had her special little skill. The one, she thought with another brief frown, that seemed to have been abandoning her with each passing day she'd spent back here.
No. The sooner she could flee Serenity, the sooner she could get back to living life out loud, the better off she'd be. It sure didn't mean she needed a permanent guy back in the exciting hustle and bustle of worldwide travel and adventure guiding.
Then why, she reluctantly mused, did seeing an engagement ring make her feel wistful? Worse, why did it make her think of a certain pair of brilliant blue eyes, talented lips, muscles that went on for days, and a quick, funny, interesting mind that turned her on like no other guy she'd ever met?
Stop right there, she commanded herself. Her physical therapist had just said he would clear her. She was leaving Serenity, and that was that. Brilliant blue eyes be damned. She shoved away the weird little pinch somewhere in the vicinity of her chest as she thought that.
Abruptly straightening up, she turned back to the path. “Do you mind if we head back to the cars now? If you're going to clear me, I really want to start packing. Today.” Without looking at Shelton, Bryony slipped around the railing and began to walk with a brisk stride to the small side path that led out to the main street and the parking lot.
“Uh, okay,” he called from behind her, jogging the few steps to catch up. He didn't ask any questions. Shelton was a guy, he didn't like to delve too deeply into things. Instead, he gestured broadly at the day. “You'll be back here in a month for the wedding, though, right? Maddy will kill me if I said you were ready to go and it meant you were gonna bail on being the maid of honor.”
Bryony snorted and nodded vigorously, her long dark braid whacking her back. “Maddy's been my best friend since kindergarten. I've known since I was five that I'll be in her wedding. She'd kill us both. Trust me, I'll be back.”
“Sounds good.” Shelton's easygoing nature was part of the reason Maddy liked him, Bryony knew. Simple, uncomplicated, nice. Just like Maddy.
“So,” Shelton said, pulling up alongside Bryony as they headed down the shade-dappled, uncrowded little side trail that led to the small parking lot, “did Maddy tell you about dinner tomorrow night? Just a few people from the clinic and some of her grad school friends. We planned it to be just a get-together, but now we can make it a going-away dinner. A temporary going-away, that is,” he added quickly, laughing a bit and slinging a brotherly arm around Bryony's shoulders as she rolled her eyes. “We need to emphasize that to Maddy or else—”
A sudden movement from the curve in the trail before them turned into a huge yet graceful guy running around it, his face casual yet his
stride somehow taking up all the space on the trail. Tall, broad, drop-dead gorgeous with the most amazingly bright blue eyes and a dark beard Bryony had just once felt scrape across her face, raising a thousand delicious tingles and the desire to feel that beard scrape somewhere else on her body, too. The second he laid eyes on Bryony, though, he stopped dead.
Her heart simultaneously jumped and squeezed. “Wyatt,” she breathed, as startled to see him here as he was her.
Or rather, startled to see her here with another guy. A guy whose arm was around her shoulders. Wyatt's brilliant blue eyes narrowed as his entire face turned to granite. Shelton seemed to sense danger, his companionable arm slipping off of Bryony's shoulders and his feet rocking him to an abrupt halt.
In a split second, Bryony knew exactly what was going to happen. With her odd little talent, she could see it. “Oh, no—” she managed to get out, before all hell broke loose.
Wyatt lunged forward, his mouth opening in a snarl, his hands reaching right for Shelton's throat to squeeze the life out of him.
