Shift After Dark

by Liz Paffel

  So, the government had gotten wind that Tristan was involved in something and fleshed it out of him with promises they likely wouldn’t keep.

  Gavin.

  The sun beat down on them as Tristan lurched forward, spinning low to scoop up the remote. He missed. Gavin dove for it, knocking the wolf to the side as Tristan snagged it with one claw. Fuck! Taking two leaps back, Tristan depressed the remote.

  Gavin braced, but there was no way to prepare. His limbs went straight, his muscles stretched and paralyzed. He tumbled over, convulsing in the snow as the shocks jarred his body. With a roar, he twisted his head, his shoulders, trying to work his way through the electricity. The scent of charred fur filled his nose, the buzz from the shock collar consuming him.

  Tristan looked over him with a wicked grin, fangs stained red.

  “You lose, bear.”

  Something blocked the light. A rush of wind ruffled Gavin’s fur, the glint of talons flashing before him as they closed over Tristan and plucked him from the ground. The remote fell, the shock stopped.

  Gasping, Gavin looked up as his dragon King swooped backward with his wings and alighted into the sky. Tristan struggled and howled against the restraint until he suddenly went flying. His body whipped against the trees until it crumbled, lifeless, in the snow.

  Gavin’s breath came with dizzying speed. He was vaguely aware of changing from bear to human as his King made a graceful decent and came to rest a few feet away.

  Dropping to his knees, naked, Gavin bowed his head and shivered hard through the remaining tremor pulsing through his body. It was Tristan all along, the one who’d hunted him. The one who’d harmed Kaleo in attempt to capture them both.

  Gavin, I can’t see!

  “My King,” Gavin said thickly.

  He thought of Isla lying on the bed, struggling between life and death. It was well within Kaleo’s right to deliver Gavin the same fate as Tristan, and Isla would be left to the ravages of her disease. He’d failed her by not giving her the death she’d begged him for.

  He’d failed everyone.

  The crunch in snow was soft, too soft for the weight of a dragon. Gavin looked up. Kaleo stood before him, human, save for the adornment of metallic silver feathers around his waist that fell to his thighs. They glittered in the sun, filling Gavin with awe and respect.

  “I saw you die.” Gavin blinked, sure the man before him was an illusion.

  Kaleo smiled wide, his white teeth flashing and enhancing the tan gold of his skin and the shock white of his hair.

  “I’ve been in stasis a long time. I should be there still. Stand.”

  Gavin did as he was told, his head bowed to the side. “My King, there is a woman inside the cabin. I ask your mercy to deliver her from her pain.”

  “Your mate. I know. I intend to ease her suffering.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Gavin closed his eyes. “I am ready for my punishment.”

  Kaleo chuckled as he approached. Taller than Gavin but lean with well-defined muscle and skin that looked kissed by golden glitter, the King’s presence was calming. Soothing. Gavin remembered this feeling well as Kaleo had come to see the last of Gavin’s pack off to the north. He’d stayed too long, and Tristan had come when their backs were turned. Hoping to collect both the King and the Alpha, Gavin knew now, to present to the Agency.

  “I don’t intend to punish you. I’m here to thank you for getting our people to safety. And, to deliver a message.”

  Kaleo gestured toward the cabin. They entered, where Isla’s soft moans filled the space. Gavin clenched hard to keep from going to her—he hadn’t been excused by his King — and it killed him to wait.

  “Please, let’s check on her.” Kaleo went first, his feathers gracefully swaying behind him. With grace, the King sat on the bed beside Isla and smoothed her hair back from her face.

  “Luca has been busy. He’s been to the city; found Bjorn Lindberg in hiding. Did you know she was injecting herself with a refined version of your blood?”

  Gavin knelt on the bed and put Isla’s head on his lap. He vaguely recalled Bjorn taking several vials of his blood, “for research,” he’d said. He shook his head. That had been years ago.

  “He was trying to extract proteins from your blood that might prolong her life. However, it may have also given her SVH properties.”

  The telekinesis and the moon marks.

  Gavin nodded. “It makes sense now.”

  Kaleo took Isla’s face between his hands and studied her. “Do you think your blood gave her enough strength that she’ll survive going to the new reserve? Luca helped her brother find a safe path. He's on his way there now, with a refined version of the serum he thinks might cure her.”

  Even as he spoke, the King looked doubtful. Isla’s body was pulsing out a weak thread to life.

  His throat went tight. “She won’t survive, my King.”

  Kaleo’s face twisted in sympathy. “Well, then. We must change her.” He turned his glowing eyes on Gavin, waiting for the protest he must have known was coming. Kaleo traced Isla’s neck with his fingers. Gavin’s middle clenched with jealousy, but he tempered it.

  He paused at the base of Isla’s neck. “Her pulse is still strong enough.”

  Gavin gathered her up higher onto his lap, so she was in a semi-sitting position. He was too afraid to hope that this might work. Kaleo wasn’t a grizzly, sure, but her body would still require a massive change.

  “Do you know that dragon SVH molt slowly throughout a lifetime? We are very small when we are young, and it takes years to grow into our adult bodies. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  The change in Isla would be gradual, slow, instead of violent and forceful like other SVH.

  “I’m too afraid to hope, my King.”

  Kaleo smiled. “Only a real man would admit that. Prepare her. I’ll be back.”

  “My King!” Gavin braced himself. He heaved a breath. “Why do you keep saving me after I’ve failed you?”

  Kaleo smiled, more brilliantly than before. “Because you’re my Alpha. You’ve given your blood for our people and those who don’t deserve your sacrifice. One day, you’re going to be King.” He shrugged with a sly grin. “And, because I like you.”

  In a blink, Kaleo was gone.

  Gavin kissed the top of Isla’s head and shook her gently to rouse her. Her eyelids fluttered open, her sightless eyes searching a space she couldn’t see.

  “I’m here, my love. It’s going to be okay, very soon.”

  Gavin smoothed her hair and delivered a dose of serum. It worked immediately this time. She lolled against him, her breathing evening out. Kaleo returned with a knife and a length of string.

  Gavin held out his left arm. Kaleo pulled the blade fast across Gavin’s skin over the moon mark, deep enough to flay the skin and cause a river of blood. Taking Isla’s left arm, he did the same, slicing where her moon mark had been. She jerked.

  “Gavin!” She started to reach for him, but he held her gently back. Her head rolled to one side as Kaleo placed her bloody arm against Gavin’s and bound them together with the string.

  “She needs to be awake enough to drink from me.” Kaleo knelt on the bed next to Gavin, the bloodied knife in his hand. Gavin gripped Isla’s chin and her eyes trained on him, the lids fluttering rapidly as if she could clear the unfamiliar darkness away.

  “Trust me, love.” he kissed her temple.

  She tried to pull her hand away as if just realizing it was bound. “Yes.”

  Gavin moved her hair to expose her neck. “You’ll feel liquid at your lips. I want you to drink it until I tell you to stop. Do you understand?”

  “Yes.”

  In one deft motion, Kaleo drew the blade across his left wrist. Blood rushed over, draining onto the comforter. Gavin held Isla’s head as Kaleo brought his blood to her lips. She didn’t flinch. Didn’t even hesitate. A quick intake of breath was her only reaction before her mouth met the wound.


  “That’s right, drink.”

  He ran his hand down her hair. His lacerated palm began a slow throbbing that intensified until it emulated a heartbeat as she fed. Gavin closed his eyes when her fingers curled around his. Their bound hands represented the sharing of blood and the promise to share a lifetime. The little sucking sounds coming from Isla’s mouth sealed the deal. Each pull of Kaleo’s blood into her body offered a chance to make it real. He sent up a quiet prayer, held Isla until she relaxed and Kaleo pulled away.

  Her hair spread over the white pillows, the rim of red around her mouth a brilliant contrast to her pale skin. Gavin thumbed the blood from her lips before placing his mouth over Kaleo’s wound. Two slides of his tongue sealed the broken blood vessels.

  “Thank you.” Kaleo rubbed his wrist. He pulled the string away from Gavin’s bound hand. “By tomorrow morning, you should know if it took.”

  Gavin bowed his head in thanks, his brow furrowing to see how pale Kaleo was. His King moved, stumbled a bit as he headed for the door. Gripping the door frame, he seemed to steady himself before he looked over his shoulder.

  “I’ll be close by.”

  Kaleo left with a soft close of the door. Exhaustion overtook him as Gavin slid down in the bed next to Isla. He hadn’t given in to this level of tiredness since before the war. A measure of peace and safety cloaked him, made him at ease. He gathered Isla gently next to him. She’d slipped into sleep, molding easily against his body as he pulled her closer and curled around her.

  And waited.

  # # #

  The light was exceptionally bright. Isla squint hard and put a hand over her eyes to shield out the brilliance. Sounds played like a marching band in her head—rustling, chirping, the crackling wood of a fire. For a moment, she was back at home, listening to Bjorn play the saxophone while her mom cooked snapping, popping eggs and bacon.

  Bacon. It did smell like bacon... And pine. Something crisp and refreshing... Cold, fresh air.

  Isla sat with a start. Colors assaulted her, everything vivid and clear. She touched her eyes. She saw everything. Remembering blood and pain and darkness, Isla sat straighter, trying to force herself awake. Because this was a dream, right? It had to be.

  She glanced down, exhaling in awe mixed with a little fear. Isla held her arm in front of her, tipping it side to side. Just beneath her skin, like a leaf lying just beneath glassy water, the outline of feathers mapped along her skin. She poked her arm, expecting the mirage to ripple away. But the pattern remained.

  “Good morning, love.” Gavin slid onto the bed beside her, wrapped her up in his arms. She clung to him, her hand slipping inside his shirt to feel the warmth of his bare skin. “How do you feel?”

  She felt light and at ease in her skin, her joints loose, the weight of her own body, less. There was no question the cancer was gone. While her body felt lighter, her heart was full and near bursting.

  “I feel alive.”

  He pressed her back against the pillows, his mouth claiming hers in a kiss that was completely intended to steal her breath away. It did. Gavin nuzzled his cheek against hers before giving her a light, tender kiss. She had a million questions. Gavin smiled and caressed her jaw.

  “We’ll talk about all of it over breakfast. Come and eat. I can’t have my mate starving.”

  Her insides quivered at, ‘mate.’ He slid off the bed, offered her a hand. She took it, glancing at her arm, in awe of what lay beneath her skin — in awe of everything.

  Her body seemed lighter, floaty as she strode into the kitchen. He’d opened the window, letting in a burst of golden sun and fresh, cold air.

  Her ears pricked, the chickadees outside loud, close. The scent of pine as if she had her face buried in it.

  With a gasp, she looked around the room as a rush of disturbed air boomed in her ears. Everything was amplified.

  “Gavin.”

  He smiled, the relief in his eyes enough to make her melt. His voice went thick with emotion.

  “It’s good, my love. It means it’s working.”

  The rush came again, followed by the dark shadow of a bird in the window.

  “You must come, right now.”

  Gavin spun to the bird; Isla tensed as the bird’s voice sounded solely in her mind.

  “What it is?” Gavin lifted the crow from the windowsill.

  His human-like eyes shone with the glitter of tears. “Kaleo has gone back into stasis. He wants you to know that you are to act as King.” Luca dipped his head. “That is not all. Your sister's compulsion is wearing off. She's in immediate danger, alone in the city. My companionship won't save her. The blood hunters are taking over the city; it's a matter of time before she's captured. Gavin, she needs you. Our people need you.”

  The crow bowed his head. “My King.”

  ~~The End~~

  Thanks for reading. I hope you’ll leave a review on Amazon. Keep reading for the first two chapters of SHIFT AND SEDUCE, available 7/25/2020.

  Shift and Seduce

  Shock Collar, Book Two

  Chapter One

  Aila Benetti strained to hear through the city noise ruffling the crisp late winter air. Pausing beneath a lamp post, she hugged herself under the warm glow.

  Someone was out there.

  In this city under threat of vampire infestation, it was more likely a something.

  She never should have walked home from work. For years, this had been a safe, quiet Seattle community. And then the North Korean war ravaged the United States, tanking the economy and the healthcare system. There was no such thing as buying aspirin at the store for a headache or sore throat. You needed a prescription for everything, and only if you could afford it. People were sick, barely scraping by. Save for the golden level who still made good money, like the men who’d come to her hotel for a meeting today.

  And now, there was an unpredictable strain of vampire popping up in the suburbs, furthering the fear of anyone with a jugular. While they hadn’t been spotted here yet, Aila supposed it was a matter of time.

  She took calming breath through her nose and continued walking. She was overreacting. In the past week, her senses had been going haywire. Smells seemed stronger, sounds louder. Her clothes seemed heavier against her skin. She chalked it up to stress from work. Her personal life, too, given the man that just wouldn’t leave her alone.

  A shiver went down her spine, robbing her of her mental pity party. Gooseflesh dotted her forearms as she detected a powerful presence. Aila spun in a three-sixty, catching a shadow from the corner of her eye. Probably just a trick of her mind made worse because of her nerves. Every shadow and dark edge of her familiar neighborhood had become ominous.

  Damn, maybe taking her co-worker up on his offer to take her home would have been worth the risk. Fighting off his advances may have been the lesser threat tonight.

  A cry reverberated through the air. Aila turned again, scanning the area, trying to disassemble the shadows and fractured light. Shapes distorted and blended together, making it impossible to tell if something was hiding there. Why the hell had she left her cellphone at home? Normally, the damn thing was stashed in the front pocket of her blazer. But she’d been in such a rush today that she’d left it on her kitchen table.

  Raking a hand through her hair, Aila let out a shaky breath. The college wasn’t far from here. It was probably nothing more than a couple of drunk frat kids. Or a shady drug deal was going bad. Wouldn’t be the first time, considering how desperate people were to get simple medications they used to be able to buy at the grocery store.

  Don’t be silly, she chastised silently. It’s nothing. Hunching her shoulders, she hurried down the sidewalk. She was exhausted after working all day and nothing had gone right. Even having a drink at the hotel bar after work had gone wrong. She’d just taken her first sip of ale when Brent leaned on the bar with a suggestive smile and offered to walk her home, spend the night, and fuck the stress of the day right out of them both.

  Ail
a shuddered. They’d been dancing around each other for months. He made her uncomfortable. He knew it but didn’t seem to care. Despite that awkwardness, they had a weird work friendship thing going on. If he’d just leave it at that, she wouldn’t feel so grossed out by him all the time. He was nice, handsome enough. But he’d been pushing sex from the first date and constantly being pressured made her want it that much less. His inner jerk came out when he’d been drinking—which was often, prompting him to make underhanded comments about how she should appreciate his interest in her.

  Because she’s plain and, frankly, mostly un-fuckable. Aila clenched her jaw. It made sense. Brent only tried to sleep with her after he’d had a few drinks. She was only attractive at the bottom of a Heineken bottle, apparently. Brent was a fucktard, plain and simple. She might not be traditionally pretty, but she deserved to decide when she wanted to give up her virginity, and not be made to feel bad about it.

  The streets had gone quiet. Aila frowned as she picked up the pace. Every flight instinct in her body started to alarm. Cold sweat beaded along her hairline and pooled in her palms.

  What the hell was going on? She never frazzled like this, yet her body was reacting with an almost primal fear. There was a nuance on the air... something she detected but couldn’t quite pinpoint. A scent... sweet, metallic. Blood?

  “Please, no!”

  Aila gasped at the sudden cry. Her mind snapped to attention and homed in on the location of the sound. A softer moan... there, in the gap between two brick buildings across the street. Noises flooded her hearing, the rustle of boots, the swish of a coat. A snarl, the wet sound of a tongue slicking over lips. Things that should be too far for her to hear.

  Startled by the sounds, she covered her ears with her hands, crouching low as if she could sink into the ground and disappear from the threat and the chaos inside her head. There were no streetlamps, but the space welcomed a faint breath of light from the surroundings—just enough to create a dichotomy of bright circles and black, angled shadows. She hated this stretch of dark street, usually avoided it whenever she walked home by staying on the other side.