Fairplay Shifters Boxset

by Serena Meadows

  “Shit, that’s way too close to town,” Justin said. “This just doesn’t make sense; a pack of wolves wouldn’t normally move this way, and we know it’s not mountain lions. There’s plenty of game in the high country, so that’s not what’s going on. It just doesn’t look like a predator to me; I think we’re dealing with something else.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you; all I know is that people are starting to get upset and worried. They seem to be split; some think it’s wolves, but there’s also some who think it’s a mountain lion. Either way, it’s not good for us,” Steve said, just as confused by the situation as Justin.

  “I need to see the latest kill. I think I might know what’s going on,” Justin said, then looked over at Chloe asleep on the couch. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  When he pulled up to the Thompson house less than a half an hour later, the front yard was full of trucks and men milling around, shotguns in hand. The minute he stepped out of the truck, the men swarmed him, asking questions and making suggestions, but Justin waved them away.

  “Boys, give me some time to see what we’re dealing with and then we’ll talk,” he said, wishing he didn’t have an audience.

  It only took him a single glance at the carcass of the bull to know that they weren’t dealing with a normal predator; they were dealing with something far more sophisticated. This kill was much like the others: the animal had been killed and ripped apart, but all the meat remained as if the goal had been the act of killing and not the meal that would follow. He’d seen something like this before, long ago when he was just a kid visiting his mother’s family in Montana, and it turned out to be the work of a rampaging band of wolf shifters.

  He’d been suspicious when the attacks started last fall, but they’d been infrequent enough to make him believe that it really was predators, but now he was convinced that they were dealing with something else entirely. His brothers had scoffed at him when he’d told them months ago that the kills didn’t look right, but he had a feeling that they’d be a little more willing to listen to what he had to say now.

  One thing was clear to him; he was going to have to spend some time away from Chloe during one of the most difficult times of her life. His mother had been a godsend, helping as much as she could, but she had a ranch to run, and even in the winter it was a lot of work. It was time to call in some reinforcements, and he knew exactly who he’d call: the one person in the world he trusted the most, the one person he knew would take care of Chloe as well as he would.

  It took him a while to calm the men down and get back home, and much to his relief, Chloe was still asleep, curled up on the couch like a cat. He smiled at her, thinking that she was going to be just as beautiful as her mother someday, but with the added beauty that her abilities would give her. To his surprise, that thought brought none of the pain and longing it usually did, only a nostalgic feeling of love that made him feel warm and happy.

  He stepped into the kitchen and pulled out his phone, it was much later in New York, but he was sure his sister would still be up. “Well, it’s about time you called me. I’ve been packing for hours,” she said, when she picked up his call.

  Justin groaned; he should have known that his sister would be a step ahead of him. She always was and never stopped rubbing it in his face. “How much have you figured out?” he asked, not wanting to explain more than he had to.

  “Not much, for a change, only that you were going to call and ask me to come home,” his sister said, “I figured you would fill me in on the rest when you finally called.”

  Justin tried to collect his thoughts; it seemed like suddenly he had a lot on his plate, then he realized that he needed to start with the most important thing. “Chloe needs you,” he said, then explained about her first full change and how difficult it had been for them both. “I think I’m doing okay, but maybe you’ll do better.”

  His sister grunted. “Took you a long time to figure that out. What else is going on?”

  He explained as best he could about the animal attacks and his theory thinking that even to him it sounded a little farfetched, but deep down he knew that he was right. When he’d finished, there was a long silence on the other end of the line, and he knew that his sister was thinking over what he’d told her.

  “I think you might be right; it’s the only thing that explains what’s been happening. What I don’t understand is why they even want the valley; there’s plenty of other wild places in the Rocky Mountains,” Penny said.

  Justin was relieved that his sister could see what he could see. “That’s what I have to figure out: that and who they are. We’ve had some enemies in the past but none for a long time. I thought all our old scores were settled back in grandpa’s day.”

  Penny was silent for a long time, the sound of cabinets slamming in the background the only thing that told Justin the call hadn’t been disconnected. “I’m too far away to be of any help, but I’ll be there tomorrow. I’ve got an early flight in the morning.”

  “Wow, that was fast,” Justin said, a bit jealous of Penny’s ability to see into the future: a gift from an ancestor who was a witch.

  “I’ve known for days that you were going to call; I got tired of waiting,” she said, then asked, “What else is happening?”

  Justin hesitated just a little bit too long, and he knew it. “Nothing,” he said, more harshly than he’d intended. “I mean, isn’t that enough?”

  Penny didn’t believe him for a second, “There’s something you’re not telling me; something else is bothering you,” she said, with conviction.

  When Justin stayed silent, she decided to give up for the time being. But she couldn’t resist adding. “Your silence tells me a lot more than you know, brother dearest. I think you’ve finally found another woman.”

  Justin felt a moment of panic, Penny’s words echoing in his brain, making him wonder if they were true. “I’ll see you when you get here. Love you,” he said, then hung up, afraid that Penny would say more; he had too much on his mind to think about Annabelle, so his attraction to her would have to wait.

  He’d been telling himself that for days, but he couldn’t get her off his mind; now Penny had woken her memory even more vividly, and he couldn’t seem to put it back to sleep. The very fact that Penny sensed Annabelle’s presence in his life could mean so many things, and he hoped that she couldn’t sense what it was that the woman did to him; it would make it impossible for his sister to stay out of his love life. It also made him wonder if Annabelle had been sent to him, if she was destined to be a part of his life no matter how difficult that might be.

  ***Annabelle***

  Annabelle had enjoyed the winter break from school far more than she’d expected, but she was also excited to have school start again. She missed her students and was excited to hear about their adventures over the last few weeks. Of course, there would be lots of talk about the presents they’d gotten as well, and that was always fun too. Thanks to a generous Christmas check from her father, she’d ordered thousands of dollars of new things for the class, and she was on the way to the post office to pick them up.

  She was standing in line when she felt a tug at her hand and turned around to find Chloe smiling up at her. “Hi, Ms. Simmons,” she said, giving her a huge grin.

  Chloe had that look of someone who’d just recovered from a long illness; there were dark circles under her eyes, she’d lost some weight, and she was a little pale. But there were pink spots on her cheeks, and she was bubbling with energy, clearly well on her way to full recovery.

  “Chloe, it’s good to see you. Are you feeling better?” she asked, then looked around for Justin. “Is your dad with you?” She couldn’t help herself; the thought of seeing Justin after all these months had loosened her tongue.

  “No, he’s been busy at the ranch,” Chloe said, “I haven’t seen him much lately.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Annabelle said, noticing the woman standing behind Chloe
for the first time.

  The woman stepped up next to Chloe and took her hand, then studied Annabelle, who couldn’t help but wonder if the reason Justin had been avoiding her was standing right in front of her. She wouldn’t blame him; the woman was tall and gorgeous, a much better match for him, especially with her long golden hair and green eyes. Annabelle couldn’t even dream of competing with someone who looked like this woman did.

  Finally, though, she managed to find her voice. “Hi, I’m one of Chloe’s teachers, Ms. Simmons,” she said, thrusting her hand out.

  “Oh, Chloe’s talked about you. She said you were very helpful when she got sick,” the woman said. Then added, “I’m Justin’s sister Penny, by the way.”

  Annabelle couldn’t help the little burst of pleasure it brought her to hear those words. “Oh, I didn’t know he had a sister, but it’s nice to meet you.”

  “We’re twins,” Penny said, then laughed when Annabelle stared at her. “I love telling people that; they always start trying to see if we look alike.”

  Annabelle blushed, “Sorry I was staring, it’s just that I’m a twin too, but my sister and I are identical.”

  Penny had been studying Annabelle; she’d known at once that she was the woman that she’d seen with Justin in her vision. It hadn’t been clear in the vision if the woman was good for her brother or not, but now that she’d met her and had a chance to talk to her, she was intrigued. There was something different about Annabelle, but she just couldn’t put her finger on what it was, couldn’t pinpoint exactly what made her different. It was that difference that made her do what she did next without even questioning the decision.

  “Would you like to join us for lunch? It’s taco day at the café, and I’ve been craving those tacos since I got back to Fairplay.”

  Annabelle only had to think about it for a second; there was something about Penny that drew her in. “That sounds like fun. I’ll meet you there though; I have some packages I have to pick up first.”

  ***Justin***

  Justin finished his beer and put the empty bottle back on the bar, trying not to wince when his arm brushed across the sticky surface. He and his brothers had spent three days searching before finding what they were looking for in this seedy bar on the wrong side of town. But he was sure that the men holed up the back room were the ones he was looking for, could smell their foul stench all the way out in the barroom, which had its own unpleasant smell.

  After weeks roaming the miles and miles of forest around Fairplay, he and his brothers had finally caught the scent of something that didn’t belong. It wasn’t quite wolf, and it wasn’t quite human: a sure sign that they were dealing with shifters, just as Justin had assumed. They’d followed the scent up into the high mountains and discovered a camp that looked as if it had been used heavily over the summer. From there, they’d continued across the pass following the scent until they’d lost it in the town of Breckenridge.

  After weeks of living in their animal form, it was a relief to become human again, but that relief was short lived when they realized that it wasn’t going to be easy to find the men they were looking for. In a town that was practically bursting at the seams with tourists and skiers, it would be easy for them to blend in. But Justin was determined to discover as much as he could before the winter snows cut even them off from travel on the pass. So, bar by bar, they searched town until they’d found them here in this rundown mess that the owner called a bar.

  Justin hadn’t come up with a plan to deal with them yet; he needed to know more about them, but one thing he already knew was that everyone in the bar was afraid of them. That had been made perfectly clear to him when not a single person would say a word about them, even when he’d offered a drink or two. For now, his only choice seemed to be to watch and wait and hope that he’d be able to follow them when they left.

  He needed to know what they were up to, why they’d chosen Fairplay to terrorize, and if it was going to continue, how to stop them. His instincts told him that they were going to try and take over the valley; it had been tried before but not for a long time. His family had always had a strong hold on the valley and the shifters that called it home. It wasn’t just their strength that gave them power; it was their uncanny ability to bond other shifters to them.

  If this group was looking for a fight, they’d have one, but he hoped that it wouldn’t come to that. He hoped that the pack of shifters was only having some fun and would be moving on for the winter. His heart told him differently, but he was trying to be optimistic: something that wasn’t always easy for him. Knowing that he was in for a long wait, he ordered another beer and settled back in the cracked bar stool to wait out the party that was going on in the back of the bar.

  Chapter 10

  ***Annabelle***

  Annabelle looked into the bathroom mirror and winced at what she saw; the makeup she would have normally worn to a formal looked garish, so she grabbed a washcloth and scrubbed it off. Since she’d moved to Fairplay, she’d stopped wearing much makeup, just a little mascara and some tinted lip gloss. But tonight, she’d decided to go all out, a way to celebrate her first date since she’d broken off her engagement.

  That had clearly been the wrong choice, she thought, grabbing a washcloth and scrubbing the makeup off her face. It had taken her a couple of weeks to realize that Justin wasn’t going to come knocking on her door any time soon, so she’d forced herself to stop indulging in crazy fantasies and look around her for someone who wasn’t as wounded as him. Since she’d given up hope, the nights had seemed to get longer and lonelier making her realize that it was time to put herself out there again.

  She had no plans to jump into anything serious, but there were a couple of men in town who had sparked her interest. When she made it clear that she was looking for a date to the winter formal, it didn’t take long for one of them to ask her, and although she wished it had been Justin, she’d accepted. Now she was so nervous that she’d plastered her face with so much makeup, it took two washcloths to get it all off.

  Grabbing the mascara, she applied a liberal amount, then a little blush and some red lipstick. Standing back, she was much more pleased with what she saw, sure that she wouldn’t stand out from the other women at the dance. It felt like a huge step to appear with a date tonight and she knew that people would be talking about it for days. It was just the way things worked in a small town, but it still made her uncomfortable to be the center of attention.

  Looking at the clock, she realized that Jeremy would be there any minute, so she checked herself in the mirror once more, then grabbed her wrap and headed downstairs. Just as she got to the bottom of the stairs, her doorbell rang, and her heart beat leaped, her nerves suddenly alive and active. Repeating to herself over and over that this was only a date, the first of many she would go on in her life, she opened the front door to find not one, but two men standing on her porch.

  Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she realized that Justin was one of them, that the man she’d sworn to forget was standing on her porch with her date for the night. Momentarily flustered, all she could do was look from one to the other, but then she took a deep breath and collected herself.

  “Justin, I wasn’t expecting you. Is Chloe okay?” she asked, assuming that he was there about his daughter.

  Justin gave Jeremy a dirty look, then said, “Chloe’s fine, I just wanted to talk to you.”

  “We’re on our way to the winter formal, in case you hadn’t noticed, Justin.” Jeremy said, shooting Justin a dirty look.

  She didn’t like the look that appeared on Justin’s face. “I’d be happy to talk to you tomorrow, Justin. We could meet for coffee in the morning,” she offered hoping to deflate the anger that was quickly building on her front porch.

  “I guess that would be fine,” he said, still not looking pleased but knowing he really had no choice.

  “Then shall we be on our way?” Jeremy said, shooting Justin a triumphant look and holding his a
rm out to her.

  ***Justin***

  Climbing into the truck, Justin slammed the door, getting no satisfaction from it. He wanted to smash someone’s face, and he knew exactly whose, but that wouldn’t be a good idea, wouldn’t endear him to Annabelle in any way. Jealousy was a new feeling for him, and it had come on swiftly, and with so much force he’d been surprised and barely able to control himself. Even now, he could feel it throbbing inside him, making his blood boil and his powers ignite, and he knew that he had to get himself under control.

  Driving to Fairplay tonight, he’d never dreamed that he’d arrive just as Annabelle was going out on a date, and to the winter formal no less: the biggest social event of the season. In his mind, she’d belonged to him the moment he’d decided to stop fighting his attraction to her, when it had become clear that walking away from what he felt when he was around her would be the biggest mistake of his life. Now it looked like things weren’t quite as simple as that, that he was going to have to show her that he was ready for what was happening between them.

  His mind made up to fight for Annabelle, he started the truck and headed for the house, he usually kept a nice suit in town, and tonight he was going to need it. The only problem was that his sister was camped out there. He’d been avoiding her since she got to Fairplay knowing that she’d pester him until he told her about Annabelle and his infatuation with her. He’d just have to get in and out as quickly as he could and hope that his very perceptive sister would leave him alone. He wasn’t in the mood to be messed with, and Penny could push his buttons like no one else.

  When Justin got to the house, he was pleased to find it empty, but one look at the bathroom and the bedroom she’d been staying in told him that he wasn’t quite as lucky as he’d hoped. From the state of things, it was clear that his sister had gone to the dance, and that didn’t please him, but it did mean that she wasn’t here to see him rushing around getting ready.