Fox Hunt

by J. Leigh Bailey

  A moment later Darren’s naked body lay sprawled in the center of a circle of Shifter Council enforcers. He clambered to his feet, brushing gravel and dirt from his hands. “I can explain—”

  “That will not be necessary.” With the click of high heels on concrete, my mother emerged around the corner. She glided through the carnage with barely a glance. Her mauve suit seemed as neat and tidy as it had an hour ago. As neat and tidy as it probably had been when she first put it on this morning. She was cool and powerful, and everyone there knew it.

  “Gloria,” Darren began.

  She slapped him. His head rocked to the side with the force of it. “You betrayed shifters.” She slapped him again. He didn’t even try to block the openhanded blow. “You conspired with our enemies.” Slap.

  No one said or did anything as we watched. Not by word or intonation did Mom betray her emotions.

  “You lied to me. Betrayed me.” This time she backhanded him. The large diamond on the engagement ring he’d given her sliced into his cheek, deep and bloody.

  “But worse, worse than all of this, you tried to kill my son. My son.” Mom reached up then, so fast no one could have stopped her, grabbed his chin with one hand and the back of his skull with the other, and wrenched.

  The crack of his neck echoed as loudly as her slap had.

  Darren’s lifeless body crumpled to the ground.

  I stared on in awe, clinging to Buddy’s hand. No doubt about it. My mom was a badass. Not dominant, my ass.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “I HAVE so many questions,” Aiden whined two hours later as we all sat around a big table in Buddy’s Café.

  We all included Buddy and me, Aidan, Ford, William and Donnie, Owen and Joey, and three of my mother’s enforcers she’d left as extra protection. Mom was tied up in an emergency Shifter Council meeting trying to deal with the aftermath of Darren’s betrayal and the Moreau Initiative’s invasion of Cody. That’s how I thought about it, of course. I was sure the Council had a more official name than that.

  Owen and I wore Buddy’s Café T-shirts, pulled straight from the stock of merchandise carried by the café. Since we’d started the adventure in shifted form, we didn’t have clothes of our own. I loved having Buddy’s name in the possessive on my chest. Like he was claiming me. I’m sure we also looked adorable in our matching T-shirts, especially since I was sitting on his lap.

  “Me too. I also have a lot of questions.” I leaned against Buddy, pretty sure I was going to be attached to him like a barnacle for the foreseeable future. “Like, what happened with the Moreau guys? Who were they and what did they want?”

  Buddy shook his head. “They called themselves FBI agents with a warrant to search the premises.”

  “On what grounds?” Aiden asked.

  “Drug trafficking.” Donnie rolled his eyes.

  “So what did they really want, since I’m assuming there are no drugs to be found on site?” Aiden leaned forward.

  Ford rested his elbows on the table, his inky dark hair falling forward to pool on the glossy surface. “They were looking for David. Darren has been feeding them the same information he told the murder-for-hire guys—that David had data implicating the Moreau Initiative and human trafficking. He used your trip east as ‘proof’ that you were trying to sell the information.”

  Everyone turned to look at him. “How did you figure that out?” Owen asked, looking impressed.

  “Let’s just say I was very persuasive when I asked them.”

  Buddy was right. Ford was one scary motherfucker.

  “What will happen to them?” Joey asked.

  “The Council has them in custody. They’ll try to get what information they can out of them, before deciding their fate.” Of the three enforcers Mom had assigned to our protection duty, the one who spoke was the most casual. The other two had the stiff posture and humorless face of career law enforcement officers.

  “Then what will happen to them?” Donnie asked.

  The enforcer shrugged.

  Donnie turned to William.

  William sighed. “They don’t have a lot of choice. Either they’ll be killed or face a lifetime of imprisonment. We can’t exactly risk them sharing what they know with humans. And what they’re doing is horrendous—they deserve to deal with the consequences.”

  “Good news,” I said. “Way to go, Aiden.”

  My brother winked at me. “It was a team effort.”

  It felt strange—and wonderful—to be part of a team with Aiden again. I think I understood him better now, and knowing he’s fought his own battles for acceptance changed my view of our interactions over the last several years.

  “And what were you doing while all of this was going down?” Owen asked Aiden. He asked it lightly. They’d known each other when Owen and I dated, and even though Owen had heard me bitch nonstop about my perfect, overbearing older brother, he’d always been on pretty good terms with Aiden.

  “Someone had to run interference with the police. My primary assignment—monitoring camera feeds to identify strangers—”

  “Total failure, by the way,” I said.

  “—was useless,” he continued. “Cody just doesn’t have enough outside cameras running to have caught anything. But when shit went down, people got freaked and started calling the police. That much gunfire was bound to draw attention.”

  “How did you keep them away?” Joey asked.

  “I routed my phone to several different numbers, then called—using a horrible assortment of fake voices—several times to complain about kids letting of fireworks. Total fire hazard this time of year, don’t you know.”

  “That worked?” Joey sounded impressed.

  “The cops went looking for kids with firecrackers in other neighborhoods, rather than men with guns fighting with wolves. Sometimes the plausible lie is more effective than an unlikely truth.”

  “He’s been raiding your fortune cookies.” I elbowed Buddy.

  He snorted.

  The conversation paused for moment, but then I had to ask the question that had been weighing on my mind. “Those soldiers, the ones who were changed, what’s going to happen to them?”

  The mood in the room morphed into something darker and heavier.

  “I don’t know.” William sighed, running his hand over his close-cropped beard.

  “There’s something almost pitiful about them,” I said. “Like the infusion of shifter juice wiped them of their personalities. They needed a leader—an alpha—to tell them what to do. And whatever was done to them, I think it’s killing them.”

  “Our scientists will probably work with them,” Aiden said. “We need to know what was done to them, to see if it can be reversed. It will also tell us how far they’ve come in their research.”

  “And the general dude, where’d he end up? I kind of lost track of him after he shot at Theo.” My blood flashed cold at the memory. Even knowing everything turned out okay didn’t stop me from reliving that moment of terror.

  “Enforcers have him,” William said. “They took him down immediately after he fired at Buddy. He’ll face the same fate as the fake FBI agents.”

  I nodded, though part of me thought he deserved far worse for what he’d done.

  “So what next?” Owen asked.

  Donnie stood up. “I don’t know about you guys, but I need a drink. Whiskey, anyone?” Everyone in the room raised their hand except the three enforcers, who were taking their guard duty seriously.

  “God, yes,” Owen said.

  WE were giddy with exhaustion an hour later as we let ourselves into Buddy’s house. Pale yellow light from the sun glowed like an aura over the tips of the mountains. My body had no idea what time it was, or even what day it was.

  Neither Buddy nor I questioned where I was going to sleep. I had my own apartment. I even had a room at my mom’s house if I didn’t want to be alone. But Buddy didn’t ask, and I didn’t offer, because my place was with him. We’d work out the d
etails later. But I knew there was going to be a later.

  We tossed our matching Buddy’s Café T-shirts into a corner. Buddy’s pants followed suit. Then we crawled under the white sheets that smelled like Buddy. Smelled like home.

  Buddy wrapped his beefy arms around me, pulling me tight against him, my back to his front. I laced my fingers with his, crossing both our arms over my chest. This is exactly where I belonged. Protected. Content.

  He ducked his head and kissed the edge of the bandage on my arm. “Tomorrow,” he promised. “Tomorrow I’m going to spank your ass for putting yourself in danger for me.”

  I huffed out a breath. “Only if I get to spank you for doing the same. Hey, now we both have bullet burns. We can show off our matching scars to our grandchildren someday.”

  His arms tightened around me. “Grandchildren?”

  “Someday.” I sighed, fighting to keep my eyes open. “Love you, Theo,” I murmured. “Not letting you go.”

  He kissed the back of my neck, where his bite still sensitized the nerves there. “Love you too.” There was a smile in his voice when he whispered, “Grandchildren.”

  Epilogue

  Two months later

  I FOUND Buddy sitting at his kitchen table with several sheets of paper, three catalog envelopes, and four file folders in front of him. “Whoa. Looks like we’re responsible for the death of at least two trees.” I waggled my own sheaf of papers at him. “What are you up to?”

  He blushed, his skin turning the same pink shade as the Blossom and Ferns polo shirt he wore. The day he’d traded his Buddy’s Café T-shirts for a shifter-only preschool’s polo had been momentous. It was the first step of Buddy following his own dreams for his future. Little kids adored Buddy, and his nurturing-yet-stern approach to the classroom was well received by the teachers and parents alike. I didn’t think he’d stay a classroom aide forever, but for now it brought him a joy that I couldn’t argue with. “Just some future planning stuff,” he said, shuffling one of the packets back into its envelope. “How were your classes?”

  “My day was pretty spectacular, actually. And it had nothing to do with my classes.”

  “Really?” He pushed the bench back from the table. He drew me onto his lap. I went easily. This was one of my favorite places in the entire universe. “What happened?”

  “I’ve got a contract. K2TV accepted my proposal for an on-air exposé on LGBTQIA bullying and school complacency. I’ve got a budget, a production crew, and a guaranteed on-air spot. Sometime after the first of the year, yours truly will be a professional on-air reporter.”

  “That’s amazing.” Buddy tightened his arms around me. He gave the best hugs. “I’m so proud of you.”

  “But that’s not it,” I said.

  “Is that your way of saying but wait, there’s more?”

  “Smartass.” I smacked his arm. “But yes, it is. I got accepted!” I pulled one of the packets from my pile and waved it under his nose. “This time next year, I will be a Wisconsin Badger.”

  I waited for his response. I’d both dreaded and anticipated this moment. This next step in my education was important to me. Not because I wanted to be the next Anderson Cooper—though let’s face it, that would be awesome—but because with the right education and background I could do so much more to fight for the things I believed in. I’d have a platform and an audience. I’d be able to make an impact, and honestly, that’s all I wanted. But Buddy and I hadn’t talked about our future, not exactly. We hadn’t ironed out things like long-distance relationships and promises of fidelity.

  “Awesome! It has been a spectacular day, hasn’t it? Madison was your top-pick school, right?”

  “Yeah. I can’t wait. It’s only two years, though, so I’ll be back before you know it.”

  “What would you think about staying in Madison for a few years? Like four or five?”

  He sounded so hesitant, I had to turn on his lap to face him. “What? Why?”

  In answer, he pulled out a letter from one of his stacks of paper. I saw the matching red letterhead, and the first line, welcoming one Theodore Brady to the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s undergraduate program for education. I swore my heart stopped for a full ten seconds before pounding crazily. I tore the letter from his hand. “No way. No fucking way! How? Why? When?

  “You forgot where, who, and what.”

  “Don’t be a smartass, Theo. Not now. How did this happen?”

  “I hedged my bets. I knew I needed to go back to school to become a teacher. The last couple of months proved it was the right call. So I applied to Madison too. And basically crossed my fingers.”

  “But what if I didn’t get into Madison?”

  “Then we’d have worked something out. I applied to a couple other schools, like University of Wyoming and Cody College. Worst-case scenario, we’d have done the long-distance thing while we finish school, then I move where you move.”

  “You… you…,” I sputtered. I took a breath and tried again. “You’re too good to be true. God, I love you!” I smashed my mouth on his.

  He carded his hands through my hair, gentling the kiss. I melted into him.

  “We need to celebrate,” I said a few minutes later, pulling back.

  “Before we do,” Buddy said, reaching for another stack of papers, “there’s something else I need to tell you.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “Good news or bad news? I’m riding high right now, so if it’s bad news, you need to hang on to it for a little while longer.

  “Good news.”

  “All right, then. Lay it on me.” I took the papers from his hands, but they didn’t make sense. “What does this mean?”

  “I sold Buddy’s.”

  “To who?”

  “Donnie. He’s been running it for the last two years. It’s basically been his coffee shop. Now we can make it official.”

  “Not to question your decisions—”

  “You question my decisions all the time.”

  “—but how can he afford to buy it? Generous as you no doubt are, I don’t think you pay enough for him to buy a company.”

  He shrugged. “To be fair, I should clarify. William bought it for Donnie. He’s got more than enough money to pay a fair price. I think he’s going to propose, but instead of a ring, he’s giving Donnie a restaurant. Which means we’ll easily have enough money to find a place in Madison.”

  “Damn, I love you.” I flung my arms around his neck. “Best. Day. Ever.”

  “Spectacular,” Buddy agreed.

  J. LEIGH BAILEY is an office drone by day and romance author by night. She can usually be found with her nose in a book or pressed up against her computer monitor. A book-a-day reading habit sometimes gets in the way of… well, everything… but some habits aren’t worth breaking. She’s been reading romance novels since she was ten years old. The last twenty years or so have not changed her voracious appetite for stories of romance, relationships, and achieving that vitally important Happily Ever After. She’s a firm believer that everyone, no matter their gender, age, sexual orientation, or paranormal affiliation, deserves a happy ending.

  She wrote her first story at seven which was, unbeknownst to her at the time, a charming piece of fan fiction in which Superman battled (and defeated, of course) the nefarious X Luther. (She was quite put out to be told later that the character’s name was supposed to be Lex.) Her second masterpiece should have been a bestseller, but the action-packed tale of rescuing her little brother from an alligator attack in the marshes of Florida collected dust for years under the bed instead of gaining critical acclaim.

  Now she writes about boys traversing the crazy world of love, relationships, and acceptance. Find out more at www.jleighbailey.net or email her at j.leigh.bailey@gmail.com.

  By j. leigh bailey

  DREAMSPUN BEYOND

  SHIFTER U

  #3 – Stalking Buffalo Bill

  #13 – Chasing Thunderbird

  #23 – The Night
Owl and the Insomniac

  #37 – Fox Hunt

  Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS

  www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  Now Available

  Stalking Buffalo Bill

  By j. leigh bailey

  A Shifter U Tale

  A smitten coyote isn’t the only one stalking Buffalo Bill.

  A buffalo walks into a cafe. Sounds like the start of a bad joke, but for coyote shifter Donnie Granger, it’s the beginning of an obsession. Donnie is a little hyperactive and a lot distractible, except when it comes to William. He finally works up the nerve to approach William but is interrupted by a couple of violent humans.

  While William—don’t call me Bill—is currently a professor, he once worked undercover against an international weapons-trafficking ring. Before he can settle into obscurity, he must find out who leaked his location and eliminate the thugs. He tries keeping his distance to protect Donnie, but the wily coyote won’t stay away.

  It’ll take both Donnie’s skills as a stalker—er, hunter—and William’s super-spy expertise to neutralize the threat so they can discover if an excitable coyote and

  www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  Now Available

  Chasing Thunderbird

  By j. leigh bailey

  A Shifter U Tale

  A legendary love.

  Ornithology professor Simon Coleman’s reputation is at risk, and the only way to save his name is to prove thunderbirds are more than creatures of Native American myth. Grad student and part-time barista Ford Whitney has a lot on his plate, but it’s also his duty to make sure the resident bird nerd doesn’t discover shape-shifters—like himself—live on campus.

  When a series of incidents related to Simon’s search put him in harm’s way, Ford’s instincts kick in, and they become closer than is strictly proper for student and teacher. Ford is forced to reveal his secrets to Simon, and their relationship is put to the test—Simon must choose between salvaging his reputation and protecting the man who protected him….