ROMANCE: SHIFTER: Shifter to the Max Collection (Dragon, Bear, Wolf and Panther Shifter Romances) (Paranormal Fantasy Romance Collection)

by C. J. Ayers

  Eva managed a weak smile in return. She knew Jimmy was a good catch, he had graduated top of his class and was already set up with a position at a hedge-fund company in Manhattan. He was a good man too, kind and generous – which was something of a rarity in that world. Strange then, when she was about to embark on an exciting new chapter in her life, she still couldn’t ignore the deep, almost primal, call to the empty wilderness of Beaver Creek. Whilst people like Leslie-Anne hated the place, Eva felt like the Creek ran through her veins; the unique scent of birch trees, rich earth and sunshine was more alluring to her than any perfume.

  Leslie-Anne suddenly became a flurry of activity, applying another layer of bubble-gum coloured gloss to her pouting lips, and fluffing up her hair in the reflection of the chrome fridge. Eva heard the sound of a beaten-up truck pull into the forecourt and rumble to a stop. She felt a flutter of anticipation as she hastily smoothed down her apron and re-tucked her shirt. Leslie-Anne swept past her to the hostess stand. Picking up a set of menus she quickly adjusted her uniform on her cute, slender, petite frame. That’s why I’ll never have a hope in hell, thought Eva. As if on cue, Sebastian Waverly walked through the door.

  In that moment, the day’s sun gave its last glare as it fell behind Yukon’s White Mountain range, bathing the diner in hazy red light. Sebastian’s figure seemed to dwarf everything else in the cosy diner, making the place feel at once too small, but also irrelevant, as Eva felt her world fall away. He was tall and permanently sun-kissed from his lumbering job, his tightly muscled frame was evident through a well-worn shirt and sawdust-coated denim jeans that clung to his hips. Shadowed by the setting sun, his face appeared darker than usual: his eyes almost black. They were complemented by equally dark stubble that covered an arrogantly set jawline. His hair was the only soft aspect of his appearance, worn slightly long, so that it curled gently at the nape of his neck. Looking past Leslie-Anne, he turned his gaze toward Eva, his lazy stare jolting her out of her trance. Mortified to be caught looking she blushed fiercely and cast her eyes downward, keeping them trained on the linoleum floor as Leslie-Anne escorted Sebastian and his father, who Eva had barely noticed, to a booth in her section.

  “You boys ready to order?” Leslie-Anne leaned forward toward Sebastian, enveloping him in her cloying perfume.

  “We’ll have burger and fries – same as always, honey.” Sebastian’s father replied, handing her back the menus.

  “Sure I can’t get you anything else, Seb?” Leslie-Anne’s question was loaded as she looked longingly toward Sebastian, but all she got in return was a tight smile.

  “We’re all good, thanks.” He turned his attention back to his father. Leslie-Anne seemed like an okay sort of girl, but she didn’t really do anything for him. He’d been with women like her in the past, and it was fun for a while, mainly in bed, but they weren’t much for stimulating conversation.

  “What’s wrong with you kid? She’s a nice-looking girl.” Sebastian’s dad prompted as Leslie sashayed away from the table.

  “Dad – dating advice, really?”

  “You’re thirty Seb, and I want grandkids. In this lifetime.” The older man glared at him. Seb knew he was only half joking – the subject had come up all too often lately.

  “Yeah, yeah. I know it.” He sighed and let his eyes wander over to the far end of the diner where Eva stood at the counter pouring coffee. Her hair was tied back into a messy bun, with one golden brown tendril escaping down by the side of her face. He watched her absent-mindedly push it back and laugh at something one of the customers said. He felt a surge of heat wash over him as his blood responded to every atom in his body needing to stand up, walk over to her, and drive his hands through her hair, watching it cascade down her narrow back. He imagined pulling her lithe figure towards his chest and feeling those adorable rosebud lips forcefully pressed against his.

  He felt a tight stirring in his groin, and cursed himself inwardly. His sharp exhale of breath caught his father’s attention. Before Sebastian could look away, his father followed his gaze across the room.

  “Don’t even think about it, son. ”

  “I’m not.”

  “Yeah, well – make sure you don’t. You don’t want to get mixed up with that family. Trust me. Besides, that girl is going places – old Hayward’s been boasting about how his daughter’s engaged to some fancy Harvard grad.”

  On seeing Sebastian’s jaw clench tightly, his father dropped the topic. Sebastian tried to feel happy for her. She was too good for a town like this – if you could even call it a town – and his father was right, she would go places. He just hoped the man she’d chosen would treat her right; make her laugh, take her away, wake her up in the middle of the night just to kiss the hell out of her. He would.

  “Okay, he’s as sexy as a Hollywood hero, but he is one arrogant ass” Leslie-Anne came over to Eva, slamming down her notepad to emphasise the point. Leslie-Anne didn’t take rejection well.

  “Yeah, he’s good-looking.” Eva turned away from her friend. She hated conversations where Sebastian was mentioned, paranoid that she wouldn’t be able to keep her emotions in check, that her body would betray her. Eva knew he was out of her league; he always seemed so cold and indifferent toward her. She didn’t know if it was better or worse that he treated Leslie-Anne the same way – a crazy part of her almost believed, in her more wistful moments, the apparent dislike was unique to her, and that it might have meant something. Yeah right. That was utterly crazy.

  The last two summers she’d been in Beaver Creek she’d spent any spare time she had escaping to the edge of the forest where he was working, watching from the shadows of the trees, listening to music or reading. Just to be near him. His bare chest and biceps would ripple with muscle as he lugged impossible amounts of wood, and mid-afternoon a light film of sweat would cover his torso. In those moments Eva longed to run her hands over his body, feeling it’s emanating heat. Just recalling those treasured mental images made her feel dizzy.

  Leslie-Anne went back to the kitchen to flirt with one of the chefs, and Eva was glad for the respite. The evening had fully set in now, and the few customers left seemed content to linger over their coffees. She was packing away condiments when she felt a prickling at the back of her neck, her body reacting to his presence before she could fully register it. She looked up slowly, trying to calm the leaps in her chest before facing him. Sebastian stood at the far end of the counter, waiting for her attention with a small smirk on his face.

  “I’m so sorry – do you need the check?” She could feel the heat rising to her face for the second time that day, and cursed the effect he had on her.

  “I do. But we’re also heading out to the White Mountain tonight, staying in a small lodge – we’ve got a rush job on that starts in the morning. Any chance we could get sandwiches or something to take?” Sebastian folded his arms defensively. He wished the other girl were here; it was almost painful talking to her. He could see a delicate blush colouring her cheeks, making her eyes brighter – endless pools of clear blue that he wanted to drown in. God help him, he needed to stay away from her. Let her fiancé enjoy the lethal combination of her innocence and gentleness combined with a body that any man would happily worship till the end of eternity.

  “Yes. We can do that. That’s fine – any preference?” she could hardly believe they were having an actual conversation, he had never done more than nod in the past, or given a throw-away ‘thanks’ as he left the diner.

  “Whatever. Meat is good.”

  “Sure. Isn’t that a bit dangerous?” Eva wanted to bite her tongue as soon as the words came tumbling out of her mouth.

  “What – meat? I’ve faced worse dangers than cholesterol.”

  “No, I meant White Mountain, at night – isn’t it dangerous this time of year? Bears, wolves, that sort of thing?”

  “Not really. But thanks for the concern.” She saw him smirk again, and felt like an idiot for voicing her thoughts, of course a man
like Sebastian could handle himself. She was grateful to turn away and put the order through. Finally speaking to him had sent her body haywire, and she felt an odd lump at the back of her throat – it hurt her heart a little that he was completely indifferent toward her. She hated herself for building such ridiculous delusions in her head about a man she didn’t know, who clearly had no interest in knowing her.

  Back in the kitchen she asked Leslie-Anne to get their check and send the sandwiches over. She took a moment in the stock room, placing her heated palms against the cool metal of the larder and fought to control the tears she could feel trying to escape. There was a part of her that wanted to laugh at herself, getting so wound up by nothing at all, but niggling away at her was a potentially deeper truth that she didn’t want to acknowledge – the fear that the eternal draw she always felt to Beaver Creek was a lot more to do with Sebastian Waverly than was in anyway acceptable.

  Chapter 2

  Sebastian lit a fire while his dad loaded equipment into the basic lodge that they habitually stayed in when they came to the mountain range. It was better than camping, especially in the winter, but up here where the altitude was much higher, there was little they could do to keep out the bite of cold in the air.

  Once the fire was roaring his father came and sat down beside him, busting open a couple of beers. They sat in companionable silence; Sebastian watching the flickering light cast fragments of gold in the dark. He thought about what it would be like to have Eva here with him, how her porcelain skin would look against the fire, and what her body would look like, naked under the glow of the full moon. He felt himself stir in response, and placed the cool beer on his forehead. It was time to forget her, to move on with his own life.

  “Going to be a cold night.” His dad announced, opening up a flask of whisky from his inside pocket.

  Sebastian nodded in response, but refused his fathers offer to share.

  “You know, this entire forest used to belong to the Tanana people,” his father continued speaking in a low tone, “They were part of the wolf spirit clan.”

  “Yeah – I know this dad, mum used to tell me the stories as a kid.” Sebastian laughed – he couldn’t believe that his dad, a man known for his taciturn nature, was trying to tell him old tales around a campfire.

  “Yeah, I know but I want you to listen to me.” His father sounded firm, so Sebastian just smiled and let the man continue.

  “The Tanana people believed that they were either part wolf or crow. Wolf always had to mate with crow, and visa versa, to keep their people alive. If a wolf mated with a crow their first-born male offspring would become a shape shifter, and would be sworn to protect the rest of the Tanana tribe.”

  Sebastian thought back to his mother, dead almost ten years now, and how she had painted a mural of cows that flew across the wall of his bedroom. Always love a crow Seb, and never chain it down. That’s what she’d always said to him before kissing him goodnight. His dad poked at the fire causing the wood to crackle, sparking loudly in the blanket of the night’s silence.

  “When the invaders came, the Tanana tribe died out – not enough wolves breeding with crows. But we’re all descendants, really. Some have more wolf in them than others.” The old man took another gulp of whisky.

  “Yeah, I can see that – old Higgins looks pretty feral some of the time.” Sebastian tried to lighten the mood. His father looked so morose as he stared into the fire, as if he were lost somehow.

  “Don’t joke son. The Tanana is strong in you.”

  “Alright dad. Listen, you want to get inside? I’ll pack and put the fire out – get some rest.”

  His father stood up slowly, and Sebastian saw him wince slightly as he straightened out his back. His father had lived a hard life; constant labour work, few luxuries or pleasures, a wife that died all too soon. If you looked closely enough, as with most of the men round here, you could see it written in the deep lines of his face. Sebastian knew that he could do a lot more with the lumber business – expand it, hire more men, get contractors across the globe to partner with. Potentially build up the town of Beaver Creek, get a thriving workforce going. But his dad didn’t have the energy anymore. Sebastian was looking forward to taking over when the time came – he wanted his dad to enjoy what was left of his life – not work until he dropped down dead.

  The door of the lodge closed shut, but Sebastian didn’t really feel like getting to bed yet. He like being out here alone at night, the silence of the forest was almost deafening, save the odd scuttling in the bushes and occasional bird flutters. The stars were blazing in the sky, and it always felt to Sebastian like they were putting on a show just for him. He didn’t take stock with all the spirit nonsense that some of the people, including his father, believed in the Creek – but a part of him wondered, after he’d lived his life and Eva had lived hers, that somehow they would find their way back to each other each other in that sky, and be entwined for the rest of time as blazing twin stars, resting side by side. He laughed at himself then and checked the alcohol percentage on his beer – that woman was driving him crazy.

  As he sat trying to clear his mind, the heavy crack of a branch alerted him to a presence in the forest behind him. He stood up, tense. He had scoffed at Eva before, but this region was full of predators. Standing as still as he could, he tried to listen to the sounds of the forest. A slow, heavy panting came from the north of him. Sebastian quietly crouched down and picked up a thick branch that was half lit by the fire. Both bears and wolves were usually frightened off when they saw flame, which is why Sebastian thought it was odd they would willingly come exploring here. It likely meant that whatever beast this was, it was an exceptionally hungry one. He heard more noises coming from the south of him, and then the west. Sebastian realised that if these animals chose to strike, he would be surrounded. The only animal in these parts that hunted in a pack formation was the wolf – if they were starving he was in serious danger.

  His fears were confirmed when one of the wolves stepped from the shadows into the light of the fire. He was a huge, snarling creature. As he approached Sebastian his hackles rose and he leant back on his front paws, poised to strike forward. Sebastian could hear the others following suit – obviously waiting for their leader to make the first move. Sebastian waved the branch in his direction, standing with his legs firmly planed in the ground. If he were going to make this out alive, then he would need to be ready.

  There was a rusty axe about a yard away from him that he had used to break some of the branches with earlier, but he didn’t want to turn his back on the leaders’ approach. A small part of him wondered if it would be a good idea to call his father out – maybe two men would make the pack think twice, but he dismissed the idea, it was too dangerous.

  “Just me, then – and a shit-load of you. Bring your worst, dog.” He spoke softly, and in the moment before the wolf leapt toward him, he noticed its eyes shining in the dark, an unnaturally bright white tinged with blue. The wolf was on him in an instant. Sebastian swung the branch at its face forcefully, sending the wolf's open jaws away from his own face, but not flinging the creature far enough. He threw himself toward the axe, landing on his side, and his fingers closed gratefully around the handle. As he pulled it toward him, the wolf leapt upward and upon him, sinking it’s huge, gleaming teeth into his shoulder blade.

  The pain that ran through Sebastian was excruciating. It felt like every part of his body was screaming; his shoulder blade seared with heat as if it had been lit up with gasoline.

  In a surge of adrenaline that almost made him black out, he drew the axe upward and then crashing down on the wolf, embedding the hilt into the thick fur at it’s neck, cutting through the tough sinew of flesh, blood and bone beneath. He let his own head fall back on the hard ground beneath him.

  He knew it was only a matter of time before the rest of the pack fed on him, ripping his body apart as they shared out their meal. Sebastian looked up at the stars, his eyesight starti
ng to blur as his body succumbed to darkness. He felt strangely light, as if his body was floating on air. He made a silent prayer that there wouldn’t be much left for his father to see in the morning, and as he closed his eyes against the night, the last thing he saw was the figure forever imprinted on his conscience, Eva. Always Eva.

  Chapter 3

  Eva made he way along the back-roads to her home, she was later than usual - the larder fridge had malfunctioned at work and she’d spent hours after closing transferring all the food into a holding container out back so it wouldn’t spoil. She was tired and dirty, longing for a shower.

  Ahead she could see the lights of her parent’s house, offering a guide as she made her way along the unlit road. There was a full moon tonight, thought partly obscured by cloud, and she half imagined she could hear the woeful howling of creatures in the dense forests of the White Mountain. She hoped Sebastian would be all right out there.

  She wrapped her jacket more tightly around her as a cold breeze ran across the surrounding fields. Her ears pricked up again, and she wondered if she really could hear howling. A mournful sound echoed across the valley of the Creek, and the hair on Eva’s neck stood up as she heard it. She didn’t know if it was the nature of the sound, or something else, but she felt an unbearable wave of grief flood through her, so strong it gripped at her chest and could be felt right down in the pit of her stomach.

  As she struggled to comprehend the sensation, it was rapidly replaced with another. A bolt of warmth burst throughout her body, removing the cold chill she had experienced a moment before, and leaving her heart fluttering in it’s ribcage. She felt light, woozy almost with a strange feeling of joy and contentment that was completely inexplicable. Sebastian. His name entered her conscience, as if someone had spoken the world out loud to her; her own body seemed to sing it, vibrating with the knowledge of his existence.