Carver: A Paranormal Shifter Romance

by Angela Foxxe

  “Idiot, never break their nose unless you’re done with ‘em, we don’t want him dead, go get a rag,” Brennan yelled at his partner. The man nodded and went to the bathroom.

  “It’s hard to find good help. I had to scrounge every lone wolf in North America, but they all want the promise, Carver, the promise that being a wolf can fulfill.” He pulled out his knife, a long black blade with a thin edge. “And you’re going to help me do that.”

  “Ha, Brennan, you never understood what pack life was about. You saw it as your personal harem, nothing more than a place for you to fuck.”

  Brennan's face clouded with anger. “Is that why you kicked me out? You wanted all the women for yourself. Jealous of my prowess? They begged me to fuck them, every one of those bitches, they begged for it.”

  Carver shook his head. “You’re deluded. I didn’t kick you out, they all came to me, they told me what you did, and that if you didn’t go, they would. You are just a man, Brennan, another wolf among hundreds. You can’t have kids, they can. You honestly think your sexual satisfaction even played a factor in the decision? You are nothing. And you proved it with this.”

  Brennan lost it. His blade came down hard on Carvers leg. He slammed his fist into Carver’s face, once, twice, three times, over and over again.

  Thank god, if he kills me, he will keep Kirk safe as long as he thinks he can be the guardian.

  A tremendous roar shook the building. The wall behind Carver collapsed in a shower of dust and debris. Something massive knocked Carver’s chair over, he fell on his shoulder with a grunt.

  “What the fuck?!” yelled Brennan.

  Carver’s vision cleared and he saw what caused it. A polar bear swept past him, one massive paw batting Brennan aside like a rag doll. His man came out from the back room, eyes wide with fright. He pulled his pistol and opened fire. The bear roared in his direction, massive white teeth larger than a forearm. The gun clicked empty and the bear wasn’t even hurt. It looked at the man before her massive fangs came down on his shoulder. He screamed as blood spurted from the wound. She shook him back and forth letting him fly into the wall.

  “Monique, look out!”

  Brennan glanced at him, eyes wide with anger. “She’s the guardian? Her?! Damn you Carver, damn you to hell.” He ripped off his shirt and in the space of a moment shifted to a large wolf with one mauled eye. He growled at the bear, the bear was unimpressed. The two collided in the center of the room. Kirk’s cage slammed against the wall and the small gate opened. The little pup skittered through the room to his father.

  “Run, boy, run!”

  The pup yipped, then set about chewing on the zip ties that bound Carver to the chair. The bear roared with pain as Brennan latched onto her hind legs. The bear’s form filled the room. She couldn’t maneuver well, or turn fast. Carver watched in awe as she threw herself out of the window. Her massive weight carried Brennan with her. Once on the street, the bear shook him off her leg, sending him sprawling.

  People screamed at the sudden appearance of a polar bear. Even shifters feared the mighty hunters from the north. Carver’s mind was numb, he didn’t know she could do that. His hand sprung free; Kirk set to work on the last one while he tried to free his leg.

  *

  Monique wasn’t sure what happened, but once she saw Carver getting pummelled, she saw red. Now she was on the street, in a wide open space, with the paws of the largest bear she had ever seen. Two wolves joined Scarface, they circled her, looking for a weak spot. Getting out in the open helped her, but it also helped them. She took a step forward, swiping at the closest wolf. He jumped back. They were agile and fast, she was slow and powerful. But there were more of them. Pain lanced through her haunches as a wolf latched on. She turned, and more pain from her left side. She lunged forward, clipping one, sending him sprawling. Something jumped on her back and bit her neck. They were going for the kill. She got her teeth around something and bit down hard. A howl of pain filled the street before sharply ending when she crunched down with her massive jaws. She spat the limp wolf out.

  A shot rang out. Pain blossomed in her side. Queasiness filled her stomach and made her vision swim. Her paws wavered and suddenly she was a woman again, naked, and kneeling on the street.

  The wolves all growled as one by one they shifted back to human. Four of them now, men all, with large muscular bodies and huge cocks, they surrounded her. Evil grins split their faces. Brennan was the largest of them all.

  “She’s mine first, then you can take your turns with her, or go all at once, but she pays for what she’s done.”

  His member twitched with excitement. Monique growled with the rage in her. The poison in her side burned through her system. She could feel the beasts inside her, she simply couldn’t call them.

  Rough hands grabbed her black hair and pulled her to him. “Suck it whore, or I skin the pup while you watch.”

  Monique trembled with anger. If she submitted then all was lost, she would rather die than be this man’s plaything.

  “I would, but it’s so small I can’t find it.” She barely spoke when he slapped her hard across the face. The world went red. Her eyes crossed and she had trouble seeing.

  “I…”

  Suddenly, Carver slammed into the man, his blood-soaked torso knocking him down. Brennan screamed and thrashed. The other wolves looked confused as blood pooled on the ground. Brennan clawed frantically at Carver’s back as the big man pushed him hard to the ground. Monique got her footing, reached down to the barb, and with all her strength she pulled it out. The flesh around it tore with a sickening sound, she nearly blacked out from the pain, but the barb was out.

  Carver punched Brennan several times, the scar faced wolf jerked his limbs feebly, pushing against his attacker. Then, suddenly, his limbs went limp, and a dying gurgle escaped his lips. Carver stood, bloody knife in hand. Monique looked back to the jail. She must have dropped it when she shifted into bear. Kirk trotted across the ground to sit beside her. The silence of the moment was only broken by the continual fire alarm. They all stood there and watched Brennan bleed out the last of his blood.

  Finally, Carver tossed the knife on the corpse.

  “He told you about a path, one that was easy, and full of reward. I tell you, no such path exists. Life is hard, the pack is hard, but it is also rewarding. Throw down your weapons, swear fealty to me, and you can join my pack, and I will protect you. But, if for one moment I ever think you’re against Kirk, or me… Monique.”

  She smiled. She didn’t know what he wanted, but she knew what she did. She threw her head back and screamed. The scream turned to a roar has her body shifted into a giant polar bear.

  *

  Monique lay among the elk furs in the small warren that was their home. The mine shaft had many such warrens that the different couples called their own. This one was lined with faux fur rugs and pillows, with a draw string curtain over the door. Oddly enough, there wasn’t anything from the cabin she wanted. They went back for the food she left, because that was always important, but everything else seemed like it belonged to another life.

  She nuzzled Carver in the neck, her soft lips making little noises as she ran them down to his chest. Her tongue slipped out to circle his nipple. She moaned as he ran a hand down her side, tweaked her nipple, then followed the crease of her flat stomach to her pussy. His fingers slipped into the wet folds to stimulate her sensitive area. His fingers hooked inside of her and held her waist so she couldn’t pull away. He smiled at her as she ground her hips into his hand. Dammit, not this time. He had a habit of making her cum first, of always making her cum first, and often. This time though, she wanted to win.

  It was difficult to concentrate as her orgasm built. She ran her tongue down his stomach to the patch of hair above his cock. She slipped her mouth suddenly around the whole head and he froze. She took the opportunity to lift her legs and straddle his face so that her pussy hovered above his lips.

  “Race you,�
� she mumbled around a mouth full of cock.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Monique glided through the woods, a white streak of grace and speed. Her snow leopard self leaped from branch to tree, over rocks and streams, and through piles of leaves without disturbing neither birds nor mice. Finding Kirk was her focus. Her sensitive nose, combined with exceptional eyesight, let her follow his trail through the woods even as the sky turned from black, to gray, to pink.

  Sounds drifted in the air that didn’t belong in the forest. She held up. Her nose could tell her that the scents were fresh, but not how close. Now though, she could hear someone talking. She froze. The people weren’t too far ahead of her. She needed to see them before she attacked. The trees faded to her right and grew stronger to her left. She followed the thicker bushes and trees. After a dozen yards, she spied an opening in the brush. Kirk, with barely a stitch of clothing on him, held Portia close to his chest. He must be freezing. Even with his elevated heat… She couldn’t make out the words, but they stopped. Kirk sat Portia down, kissed her head, and then everything exploded. Nah grabbed him by his throat and lifted him up off the ground to push him against the tree.

  Monique shifted as she moved. The delicate cat was replaced by the vicious bear. The woman didn’t have time to scream as the massive paw came down on her head. Kirk kicked Nah in the stomach, then slammed her head first into the tree. Portia was in his arms a heartbeat after that. Then he ran.

  Nah recovered from the tree, Monique roared at her. The woman backed off, stripping off her jacket and tossing her useless firearm to the side.

  “You’re one of us, why are you helping them?”

  Monique paused, one of her massive paws hung in the air.

  “You’re not one of us… the stories are true. Time for you to meet a true shifter, not a pretender like yourself.”

  Nah threw her head back and screamed. It shifted to a roar along with her body. Skin melted and reformed into shaggy brown fur. A bear the size of a VW bug faced off with her where a woman had been seconds before.

  The shock of seeing another bear kept Monique from stopping the first blow. Sharp, straight claws ripped through the sensitive flesh of her nose and face. She jumped back on her hind legs, then toppled forward to use her superior weight. Nah was ready for it. Being smaller and faster, the brown bear used her speed to the utmost advantage. She darted out of the way and sunk her teeth into Monique’s haunches. The polar bear roared as pain shot up her back side.

  The brown bear seemed to be everywhere. Biting teeth and slashing claws left a dozen red patches on her white fur. The wind shifted and a new scent caught Monique’s attention. Nah was stalling her. She had help coming, and fast. Nah may have been a superior bear, but she wasn’t fighting just another bear.

  Her body ached as she shifted back to human, the wounds bled on her skin. Nah paused.

  “You’re a better fighter than me, but that’s only the second time I’ve been a bear.”

  Monique turned and ran. She heard the bear grunt behind her as it pushed its mass after her. Monique focused on the wind as it rushed pass her face. Her muscles burned as she leaped into the air. Her white feathers spread out beside her. With a piercing scream, she was a hundred feet up.

  Unfortunately, as a hawk, she had exceptional vision, but almost no sense of smell. She caught sight of Kirk, but no sign of who was coming to help Nah, though she was sure it was another bear. With an eye on Kirk, she drifted up another few hundred feet.

  On the horizon, the cabin appeared. I wondered why they were going up. Either she’s really hurt or he’s hoping there’s someone there who can help. Kirk was already halfway there; he would make it on foot before Nah could catch up with him. Monique’s fight with her bought him enough time. With a flap of her wings, she sent herself into a dive that brought her to the cabin in a few seconds. The window sat open. She zipped in, catching her wing tip on the edge.

  The cabin wasn’t small. Two bedrooms, a common area and big fire pit, and a kitchen. She shifted to a human once inside. The pit burned with a bright flame. All the bedding was stacked against one wall along with the guest pillows.

  Johan walked out of the kitchen, a bottle of beer in his hand. He stopped cold when his eyes found Monique’s naked form. Her wounds were almost healed, and she was covered in a layer of mud and dirt. None of that hid her breath-taking beauty though. The bottle shattered when it hit the ground.

  “Johan, thank god. Is the radio working?”

  “Why are you naked?”

  Monique looked down at her state of undress. Her clothes were long gone, left somewhere outside the resort.

  “Listen, in a few seconds Kirk is coming through that door with a human girl. She’s very important, and she’s hurt. Is the radio working?”

  It took him a second, but when she walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulders that snapped him out of his reverie.

  “Yeah, it’s fine. Uh, this way.”

  “Excellent, now here’s what we need to do.” She explained her plan to him, with each word she spoke his eyes widened.

  “Are you serious?”

  “As a heart attack.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Monique smiled. It was a good day. The store carried all the supplies they needed for the last three weeks at the resort, they wouldn’t have to go out of pocket on a delivery and hope that it got there in time. If they had more time, she would order everything via the internet, but a colossal second half of the summer left them with little supplies to finish out the season. Monique finished paying and went outside. It would take the store a few minutes to gather everything and load it into her pick-up. The old Ford navigated the treacherous mountain roads like a goat, and she used it every time she came to town.

  How often now, three, four times a year? It was a far cry from when she came to town only when her life depended on the supplies. The large glass window showed her who she was now, unrecognizable was the survivor of five years past. Monique’s long black hair swung in an elegant braid over her left shoulder to rest on her breasts. She wore a loose, white blouse that highlighted the tops of her cleavage, and draped down over her stomach to come up shy of her slim jeans. The effect was contrasted by her creamy dark skin and long legs. After Katrina, she stopped dressing in any way that could be considered sexy; she stopped feeling, stopped thinking, only lived to survive. That woman didn’t exist anymore.

  Now Monique had other problems. She leaned up against the truck, her eyes wandering and unfocused at the memory of her and Carver’s passion from the night before. Moisture blossomed between her legs, her heart pounded in her chest. More than anything, she wanted to fuck. Her skin tightened, nipples hardened as her body responded to her thoughts. She grabbed the handle of the truck to steady herself. Without realizing it, she slipped a hand between her legs and pushed. She moaned, her breath came in ragged chunks. God what has he done to me? Ever since I changed, it’s like I’m a nymph. The thought of him, or anyone else, and I’m dizzy!

  A hand touched her shoulder and snapped her out of her daze.

  “You okay? You look like you could use some help,” a young man, not more than twenty, asked her. She blinked a couple of times, removed her hand from her waistband, and turned around. Her cheeks blushed from the way they licked their lips. There were three of them. It wasn’t their fault, Carver warned her this would happen, he reminded her whenever she went to town. Shifters put off pheromones that affected those around them. Powerful shifters, like herself, could control the emotions of people from a distance, and even force them to behave in a way they wouldn’t otherwise act.

  As soon as she turned around, the young man who spoke lunged at her. He slammed her up against the truck, his lips found hers and he forced his tongue in her mouth. She closed her eyes for just a moment. In no way did she want to be unfaithful to Carver, she loved him. The feelings that ran through her that moment weren’t based on love, but a deep need to feel a cock between her legs. His hands pushed
up her blouse, her hard nipples ready for attention.

  No, no, no, this is as bad as when I acted only to survive. I’m not going to be a slave to my emotions. Slowly, as not to injure the man, she pushed him off her. A sigh escaped her lips at the thought of them taking her.

  “I’m sorry, it’s not your fault, but I can’t.”

  His glossy eyes, muddled from her pheromones, shifted from excitement to anger. His grip on her tightened, he let a snarl out, and pushed back toward her. She would have none of it. His hand crumpled under hers as she bore down on him, twisting his wrist back over his forearm. He whimpered and his friends froze as she put him on his knees.

  “I said no.” She kicked him to the ground. Her steely eyes told the other two she was done. They dragged their friend away.

  The store loaded up her truck. The thousand dollars’ worth of supplies took up the whole bed. If anyone wondered why she sat in the cab, with the windows up, and the A/C at full blast, no one said anything.

  Once loaded, she pointed the old pick-up out of town. It used to be a short drive to the edge, but that was before Monique, with Carver’s money, bought the land around her uncle’s cabin and turned it into a resort. The wolves were natural guides, it turned out. Hunters, naturalists, nature lovers, and those looking for an unusual spot to have a vacation, flocked to Sienna Hills Resort and Spa. The spa part was her idea. Their pack now numbered almost forty; fifteen of those were girl wolves. While they were wolves, they were also women; having the spa to run and work went a long way to their happiness. It also brought in female clients for the unattached wolves to prey on. While Carver kept a strict policy about how his male wolves treated women, they weren’t prevented from sleeping with the human girls, as long as they didn’t force them, or hurt them. His feelings on women’s choice were adamant.

  It worked though; the girls that mated within the pack were taken care of, those that stayed single, or at least available, were ever popular, and the single men got enough attention from visiting girls to satiate their lust. After the first year, word got out about ‘the hunks’ that worked there, and business boomed. She smiled at the thought; not that they would prostitute out anyone, but the male wolves who played the game loved it, the women who visited loved it, and everyone won. The town, along with the resort, grew. Once, only a few hundred people lived there. Now, Monique navigated three stop lights, and well over a mile of residential area before leaving the city limits.