Fairplay Shifters Boxset

by Serena Meadows

  “He probably had to go check on something and forgot to tell me. Why don’t we get cleaned up and then we’ll figure out what we’re having for dinner,” Daniel said, heading for the stairs.

  They were in the process of making dinner when Steven finally walked through the door. “Sorry, I had to talk to Margot,” he said, “I’ll go get cleaned up and help you.”

  Charlie’s heart leapt into her chest, and she wondered if Margot would tell him that she’d been there asking questions earlier that day. But then she realized that it didn’t matter, she’d never tried to hide the fact that she wasn’t satisfied with the answers they’d given her, she’d done nothing wrong going to someone who might tell her what she needed to know.

  “Take your time, you can do the dishes,” Daniel called to his brother’s back, then grinned at Charlie. “I hate doing the dishes.”

  No one said much while they ate dinner, the promise Steven had made Charlie the night before heavy on all their minds. As they got closer to the end of the meal, Charlie began to feel butterflies in her stomach and wished she hadn’t eaten dinner. But she’d been hungry after a long day working in the barns, now she just wanted the meal over, so she could get the answers she’d been waiting for.

  When they’d finished eating, Steven cleared their plates off the table, and shooed Charlie out of the room. “Why don’t you go relax in the living room, we’ll be there in a minute,” he said, giving Daniel a look.

  “I’ll help Steven with the dishes,” Daniel said, going to the sink and turning on the water.

  Charlie knew when she wasn’t wanted, and she needed a few minutes to get her head together. “Okay, I’ll be in the living room,” she said, wishing she could hear what they were going to talk about.

  After spending another day helping on the ranch, she was even more confused than she’d been before. Between her attraction to Steven, which hadn’t gone away, and the fact that Daniel seemed like a really nice guy, she was having a hard time picturing them doing something to Clarise and Gerome. But she hadn’t met the whole family yet, hadn’t heard the entire story she reminded herself, it was too soon to trust them.

  Part of her wanted to tell them that it didn’t matter any longer, her brother and sister were gone, and nothing was going to bring them back, but deep down she knew that she had to know. If she didn’t hear it all, she’d always wonder, would always have that little nagging voice in the back of her mind telling her that she’d let their deaths go unpunished.

  When they walked into the room, her heart began to pound wildly in her chest and she had to take a few deep breaths to get control of herself. When Steven sat down next to her on the couch, she wanted to scoot away, the last thing she needed right now was the added confusion of her attraction to him, but she stayed put.

  “We promised you answers tonight and we’re going to honor that promise, but I want you to remember that the people you remember are very different from the people we met,” Steven said, then looked over at Daniel.

  “We’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you this, and I think the best way is to leave out all the details for now, later if you still have questions we’ll answer them. I think what you’re about to hear is going to be very difficult for you to believe.”

  Charlie’s heart was pounding harder and she wasn’t sure she could speak, so she just nodded her head. “Your brother showed up here first, harassing the ranchers and killing animals to get people to see their ranches to him cheap. When that didn’t work, he challenged Justin and the rest of us directly, it looked like he might win for a while, but then we got some help and I’m afraid the end result was that he was killed.”

  Charlie sucked in a deep breath, knowing her brother was dead was one thing, but hearing it said out loud made it that much more real. “And Clarise? You didn’t mention Clarise?”

  “She showed up here last winter, caught my sister up in the high country and tried to kill her,” Steven said, flatly.

  Charlie gasped again, then fell silent, letting what she’d just learned sink in. “But why?” she finally asked, “I don’t understand why.”

  “They claimed to be our half- brother and sister, said that our father had abandoned their mother to raise them on her own and that it was time for them to claim their places at the head of the family,” Steven explained.

  “But that doesn’t make any sense, they talked about his place, but they never said anything like that,” Charlie protested, wondering if they’d just made that story up. “And what do you mean challenged? I can’t see my brother and sister doing any of the things you’ve described.”

  “I know this is hard to hear, but I’m afraid there’s more and this is the part you might have a hard time with,” Steven said, then paused, clearly trying to gather his thoughts.

  “Like the rest of it was easy?” Charlie said, sarcastically, already planning to go to the cops at the first opportunity.

  “Charlie, your brother and sister had a special gift, a gift that changed them over time, made them into something different than the two people you loved,” Steven said, then took her hand.

  When she pulled it away, he sighed and said, “They were shifters Charlie, they could change forms at will and the form they chose was the wolf.”

  “Now I know you’re lying to me and I’m leaving,” Charlie said, jumping to her feet. “I’m going to the police, you did something to them and you’re trying to cover it up with this crazy story.”

  Steven jumped up too, “I’m sorry Charlie I know this must seem impossible to you, but it’s all true. I think somewhere deep down you know that something was different about them, that what we’re telling you is true. Just think about it for a little while and if you still want to go to the police we’ll take you,” he said.

  Charlie looked from one brother to the other, then ran out the front door, too afraid to do anything but run. What they were telling her was impossible, couldn’t be true and the farther she got from them the better.

  She headed straight for the barn knowing that it would be deserted this time of night, she had to think, had to figure out what she was going to say when she went to the police, so she didn’t sound as crazy as Daniel and Steven had just sounded.

  Chapter 9

  ***Steven***

  Daniel stood up to follow Charlie, but Steven said, “Give her a few minutes then I’ll go after her.”

  “What if she goes to the cops, this isn’t going to be easy to explain?” Daniel asked.

  “She won’t, I took her keys out of the car on my way in,” Steven said, sitting back down on the couch, thinking that it couldn’t have gone worse if he’d tried.

  He waited a torturous fifteen minutes before heading out to find Charlie. She was right where he’d thought she’d be, curled up in the last stall in the barn. Her knees were drawn up and she’d hidden her face in them, but he could see her shoulders shaking as she quietly sobbed.

  “Hey, I thought you might have some more questions,” he said, sitting down next to her.

  She looked up at him, her eyes puffy, her nose red and he thought that she’d never looked more beautiful. “Why are you lying to me? Do you really expect me to believe this crazy story you’re telling me? People don’t become animals, that can’t be real.”

  “It’s not a lie, it’s the truth Charlie. Your brother and sister were shifters, they came here to try and take over and we didn’t have any choice but to kill them. We should have stopped it after Gerome was killed but we didn’t know about Clarise, didn’t know that he had a twin.”

  “I suppose now you’re going to tell me that you’re a shifter too,” Charlie said, the sarcasm in her voice telling him that she didn’t believe him.

  “I am, all my family is. A lot of the people in the valley are too, this is a safe place for them to live, most of us prefer the form of a mountain lion and it’s not easy to live in populated areas, so the valley provides the privacy we need.” Steven said, the held his breath.


  Charlie started laughing, it wasn’t a pleasant kind of laugh, but he knew that she was under enormous pressure. “You expect me to believe that Clarise and Gerome could turn into wolves any time they wanted? I grew up with them, I think that might be something I would have noticed.”

  “You said yourself that you didn’t spend much time with them. It’s not that hard to hide our gift, as long as humans don’t see us change they can’t tell the difference,” Steven pointed out, hoping he was starting to get through to her.

  “Okay so let’s say that I believe you, doesn’t that mean that I should be a shifter and I promise you I’ve never turned into an animal, not even in my dreams,” Charlie challenged, thinking she had the perfect argument.

  “That’s true, shifters always pass their gift onto the offspring, so that does present a bit of a problem,” Steven said, then added, “Charlie we think that you’re blocking your gift, that something terrible happened the night your parents died and you’re blocking all of it.”

  Charlie was silent for a long time, then she said, “I’ve always wondered why I couldn’t remember them dying, why I couldn’t remember anything about that night. Even now I can clearly remember going to bed that night and waking up the next morning but nothing in between.”

  Steven could sense that Charlie was beginning to believe but knew that he needed some more help convincing her. “I think there’s someone else you should talk to,” he said, getting to his feet and holding his hand out for her.

  Charlie looked up at him, her tear stained face making him want to do more than give her a hand up. Finally, she reached up and took his hand, and he breathed a sign of relief, at least she still trusted him enough for that. “Where are we going?”

  “We’re going to go see Margot.”

  “Oh.” Charlie said, then followed Steven out of the barn, her hand still in his.

  He didn’t let go of her hand until they got to Margot’s little cabin, afraid that if he did, she’d flee. But when they stepped up on the porch and he looked at her, he knew that there was no risk of that, she looked like she was in shock and he was glad that he’d brought her to see Margot.

  ***Charlie***

  Charlie stood on the porch of the little cabin her head buzzing with all the possibilities. It all seemed too crazy, like she’d stepped into a bad horror movie. Everything she’d heard that night was swimming around in her brain, disjointed and mixed up, it was impossible to make sense of any of it and she was beginning to get a headache.

  Part of her wished she could just pretend that none of it was real, that it was just a bad dream and she’d wake up soon. Deep down she knew that there was a kernel of truth to what she’d learned that night, that the way she’d grown up wasn’t normal, but this was more than she’d expected, more than she could comprehend.

  When Margot opened the door, she had a smile on her face, “I thought I might be seeing you two tonight,” she said, swinging the door open and gesturing for them to come in. “I have some hot coco on the stove, come sit down and I’ll get us some.”

  The cabin was small but cozy and Charlie felt at ease immediately. When Margot came back only a few minutes later she was carrying a tray with three steaming cups and a plate of cookies on it. Once she was satisfied that they all had what they needed she sat down and took a sip of her coco, then gave Charlie a look that said, drink, so she did.

  The hot liquid was sweet yet had a wonderful bite to it and as she slowly sipped it, she began to feel better. When the cup was empty, Margot handed her a cookie and said, “Eat this, a little more sugar won’t hurt you.”

  Charlie obeyed, finding that the cookie was still warm and chewy. When the cookie was gone, Margot smiled at Charlie and asked, “Feel better?”

  She realized that she did feel better, she still wasn’t sure she believed Steven, but she felt calmer and more in control. “Yes, thank you. This is all a bit…... strange and unbelievable.”

  “I know what Steven told you tonight may seem a bit unbelievable, but I promise you it’s the truth. I wanted to tell you this afternoon, but Steven wanted to be the one to do it,” Margot said, handing Charlie another cookie.

  Charlie took the cookie but then set it down on the table next to her without taking a bite. “I don’t know what to think, I’ve never believed in witches or magic or anything like that and now you want me to believe that my family were werewolves or something,” she said, looking from Margot to Steven and back.

  “Not werewolves, shifters, there’s a big difference between the two,” Steven said.

  “Does it matter? It’s just as unbelievable whether it’s shifter or werewolves,” Charlie said, knowing that she was beginning to believe them. “Okay, let’s say I do believe you. It explains what happened to Clarise and Gerome a little, but where does that leave me? Am I a shifter or not?”

  Margot shook her head, “I don’t know. I’ve never heard of a shifter that didn’t change. It happens to us whether or not we want it to, like puberty, we reach a certain age and it begins to happen.”

  “Then that means that I’m human,” Charlie said, feeling strange when she said it.

  Steven shook his head, “Not necessarily, that’s the other problem, we’ve never heard of a shifter having a human baby. The genes for shifting are always passed along, that’s part of the reason there are so many lost shifters out in the world.”

  Charlie’s brain was fuzzing up again, “This is impossible, three days ago I thought I was a normal person, that I knew who I was and what my place in the world was. Sure, I was afraid for my brother and sister, but I was basically okay,” Charlie said, suddenly so exhausted she could barely keep her eyes open.

  “I think that this has been enough for one day. Charlie why don’t you stay here tonight, sleep on the couch. Then we can talk some more in the morning,” Margot suggested.

  Charlie thought about her offer, but in the end decided that she wanted the safety of her little room, it had a lock on the door and right now she wanted to lock herself away. “Thank you for the offer, but I think I’ll go back with Steven,” she said, getting slowly to her feet.

  Steven got to his feet, “Thanks, Margot, we’ll talk more tomorrow,” he said.

  Margot followed them to the door, “I know this has been a rough evening for you Charlie, but I think with some time you’ll be okay,” she said, then gave Charlie a hug. “I’m here for you if you need me, anytime day or night.”

  The walk back to the ranch house seemed much longer than it was, each step she took was an effort, so it was a relief with the porch lights came into view. “I’m going straight to bed, I’m so exhausted I can’t think straight,” she said when they walked into the house.

  “I’ll walk you up to your room,” Steven said, not ready to let her go.

  “I’ll be fine, it’s only upstairs,” she protested, a little pleased that he’d offered.

  “Humor me, I won’t be able to sleep unless I know you’re safely in your room,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her up the stairs.

  Charlie relented and followed him upstairs, when they got to her room, she stopped and looked up at him. “I don’t know if I should thank you or not for telling me the truth,” she said.

  “I’m sorry this was so hard for you, it all has to be a huge shock, but remember that the world is full of a lot more magic than you know. There are forces at work that we can’t see, or hear, but if you take the time, you can feel them,” Steven said, then he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.

  Chapter 10

  ***Steven***

  Steven made it down the hallway in only a few steps, took the stairs three at a time, and slipped inside his room, shut the door, then leaned against it. Kissing Charlie right then had to have been one of the dumbest things he’d ever done, and he’d done some stupid things in his life.

  But he hadn’t been able to help himself, she’d looked so small and innocent standing there in the hallway. A little lost but still fi
ghting, she’d touched him someplace deep inside and the need to kiss her had been more than he could resist. He’d never felt this kind of attraction to any other woman, and it was taking some getting used to.

  Now that he was convinced that she was exactly who she said she was, those feelings seemed to be growing faster, giving him little time to adjust or understand what he was feeling. One thing was clear, he needed to take a step back, give himself some time to come to terms with what he was feeling for her.

  Feeling that unique restlessness that signaled his need to shift, he turned and cracked open his door, relieved to see that the house was quiet and empty. He headed straight for the kitchen door and shifted before he even made the tree line, the process taking over the minute he took his first breath of the cool evening air.

  Blocking everything from his mind, he began to run through the trees, his muscles pumping, his lungs taking in huge breaths of the mountain air. It took almost five miles before he began to tire and slowed his pace to a slow lope. Heading for his favorite spot in the woods, he sat down on a rock and looked out at the mountains. Illuminated by a full moon, they began to sooth him, but it wasn’t long before Charlie was back on his mind.

  Since she’d stepped through the front door, nothing had been the same, and he wasn’t sure he liked it. But on the other hand, just the thought of her leaving made his stomach hurt in a way he’d never experienced before. He never imagined that he’d been having these kinds of feelings for the sister of the two people who’d tried to destroy everything he loved.

  But he was and there was no avoiding it, he was falling for Charlie and good or bad, he knew that there was nothing he could do to stop it. His only hope was that everything he was coming to believe about her was true, that she wasn’t anything like the rest of her family, that he could trust her.