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

by C. J. Ayers

  Exactly seven minutes later, Karyn stood in front of Killian, wearing a sleek black curve-hugging dress. Her hair was down, and spread across her slender shoulders. She looked incredible. When Killian saw her, his heart jumped up into his throat and his loins ached. He wanted her—there was no denying that. He silently wished that they could just skip the date and head back to his room. He imagined himself gently pulling the dress down from her bare shoulders and kissing his way around her body. He would be so gentle with this beautiful human. He would make her writhe in pleasure.

  Surprisingly, Killian’s supervisor seemed to be pleased to see them go out together. As they boarded the elevator, they caught a few smirks from other agents as they prepared to ride up to the surface. Someone whistled from the back of the room, while another agent called out, “Don’t stay out too late, now kids!” Karyn’s face turned a deep shade of red. Word sure traveled fast around Department 99.

  About half an hour later, the two were seated across from one another in a place called Dane’s, an upscale eatery.

  Killian was grinning at her in the dim light of the restaurant. He looked incredibly handsome. His hair was gelled back, and Karyn was struck with how very special he made her feel. Even in light of the loss of his dearest friend, Killian was taking care of her. Holding open doors, pulling out her chair, showering her with compliments, and those sexy gray eyes kept raking over every inch of her body. He was trying not to be obvious, but she couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes lingered on her breasts.

  It felt so good to be noticed by Killian. She wasn’t blind to the fact that women’s heads turned every time he walked by. Yet, he seemed to only notice her. She enjoyed the fact that he was noticing her physically, as a sexual creature with the same needs as a man. Yet, there was much more than sexual tension between them.

  A slender waiter approached the table and took Karyn’s order. Killian ordered a glass of wine, for show. As a vampire, he didn’t eat or drink anything except blood. Still, he helped her order her food and was very attentive.

  “You are an incredibly beautiful woman.” He spoke matter-of-factly as he watched her eat. His statement caught Karyn off-guard. “And, tonight, Karyn, you look absolutely stunning. You take my breath away” Killian’s complement sent tingling sensations shooting to her core, and her she felt warmth creep up her cheeks as she allowed his words to sink in. Then, when she could handle no more of the intimacy between them, she changed the subject.

  “Do you ever wonder about who you were, before you got sucked up into the portal?”

  Killian sighed. “I used to think about it a lot. Before,” he said.

  “Before what?” Karyn asked.

  “Before I met you,” he responded. A second awkward pause passed between them.

  “What about you?” Killian asked. “Do you wonder about what your life would be if you hadn’t found out about Department 99? If you hadn’t met me?” He asked.

  Karyn smiled slightly and shook her head. “It feels almost like everything before the department was a lie. I keep looking back and thinking about things. It’s crazy to me that all of this existed right under my nose and I had no idea—not even the slightest clue about any of it.” She replied. “And as for you…I do think about you…about us…a lot.” She spoke quietly. It was enough of a hint to give him a good idea of her feelings.

  The waiter returned with Killian’s glass of wine, and with a bottle of water on ice for the table. Karyn poured herself a small glass of water. She sipped slowly, realizing for the first time that she’d been very thirsty. The water was smooth and refreshing. Killian smiled, noticing that Karyn was enjoying herself. She kicked him playfully beneath the table, which made him laugh. Her lips were so full and red as she sucked at the rim of the glass. Killian couldn’t stop thinking about what it might be like to kiss her and he made up his mind to find out soon

  “Do you ever feel like you want to get away from the department?” Karyn questioned. “I’ve only been with you guys a few days, and it seems like the action never stops around here. I feel so tired.” She added.

  Killian shrugged. “You get used to it. I like feeling as though I’m spending my time working for the greater good. At least I’m doing something I believe in. I know I can’t go back and undo the things I did in my past life, but it feels good to know that I’m making a difference now.” Karyn shook her head in agreement. “Do you guys get vacation time, at least?” Karyn asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never asked.” He grinned at her. “I never had a reason to ask before I met you.”

  “Are you asking me on a vacation, Killian?” Karyn smiled.

  Killian shrugged. “Why not? We both like adventure don’t we?”

  The waiter returned, bringing Karyn’s perfectly presented salad- ripe tomatoes scattered with a few blue croutons, shredded onions, and dressing which had been carefully placed in a perfect circle in the middle of the bowl.

  “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” Killian smiled. Karyn reached across the table and took a small sip from his wine glass. Her eyes radiated a beautiful and alluring intensity. Killian wanted her more in that moment than he had ever wanted another living being.

  Then, his cellphone went off.

  Killian pressed the phone up to his ear. “It’s for you,” he said—handing the phone to Karyn across the table. Karyn placed the phone up to her ear. It was her sister, Samantha.

  “Where are you?” Karyn asked. The voice on the other end of the phone made a slight whimpering sound. “Samantha, I need you to tell me where you are.” Karyn demanded, “Are you safe? We looked everywhere for you. I thought you ran away.”

  There was a long pause. “I’m hiding in Department 99. I’m above Max’s office. You’ve got to get back here. Something is really wrong.” Then, the line went dead.

  Killian threw a large wad of cash down on the table, and together they rushed off, back into the night.

  When Karyn and Killian arrived back at Department 99, nothing seemed particularly amiss. The guards were back at their posts, and everyone seemed hard at work, trying to re-establish order. An idea suddenly occurred to Karyn.

  “I’m going to go talk to your boss,” she whispered to Killian. “Wait out here for my signal.” Karyn strode over to Max’s office and found Max seated behind the desk, lost in some papers. He looked up, surprised to see her.

  “Oh, Karyn…” Max said. “I’m so glad you decided to stay with us.”

  “Yeah. I wanted to talk to you about that,” Karyn stated flatly. Scrambling to come up with some excuse to be there. Something thumped over their heads. Max didn’t seem to notice. “I love it here,” Karyn smiled—trying to kiss up. “I wanted to talk to you about the pay-rate, though. Umm… Do you guys have direct deposit?”

  Suddenly, the ceiling overhead caved in. Samantha crashed through and dropped to the floor with a huge clatter. Had she been hiding in the vent?

  “What the hell is going on here!” Max screamed, standing up from his desk, looking enraged.

  Samantha and Karyn both retreated to the side of the office closest to the door. “I heard you on the phone,” Samantha yelled. “You told someone to ring the LaLevy alarm and to shoot me on site!” Samantha screamed. Max reached for his phone and Karyn smacked it across the room. The phone clattered to the floor, out of his reach.

  “I don’t know what you think you heard, young lady, but I’m no traitor.” Max screamed.

  “He’s lying!” Samantha shrieked. Max’s face seemed to darken. It was obvious that he was struggling to maintain control. Slowly, two horns poked through the flesh on his forehead. Max’s face shifted—and he became a demon right there in front of them.

  “Killian!” Karyn screamed.

  Killian burst into the room and toppled Max to the floor. It felt good to hit his overbearing boss—it was virtually every working man’s dream. Killian slammed cuffs onto Max’s wrists, but his boss was too strong. Max snapped the cuffs like a ru
bber band and tossed them across the room. Karyn couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Max’s eyes turned black, and his face became awful and distorted. He was obviously under some kind of demonic control. Both Samantha and Karyn lunged forward to help Killian subdue the creature. Max screamed and thrashed around as Killian jabbed a needle into his chest. Immediately, Max passed out. Killian looked up into the hole above their heads.

  “What happened here?” He asked.

  Department 99 agents flooded into the room. Max was hauled off, and Karyn was placed into a room for questioning. No one could be trusted now. No one knew exactly how many traitors were within the department, or even what exactly they were trying to accomplish.

  Karyn sat on a metal chair, staring at a two-way mirror while an agent questioned her over the intercom system. “How did you know that Max had something to do with the shifter situation?” A voice asked.

  “I didn’t know anything for sure, I just guessed.” Karyn responded. There was a pause on the other end.

  “When you found out that the LaLevy alarm had been turned on, why did you alert Killian instead of his immediate supervisor?”

  Karyn paused. “I told Killian because I knew I could trust him.” The interrogator clicked the intercom off. Karyn sat there for a period of time that felt like hours. The lights blinked overhead and she waited, hoping that someone would eventually come back.

  “Hello?” Karyn asked—growing a bit worried and frustrated. There was no answer. Karyn walked over to the door and started to pull. She was locked in.

  Karyn watched the clock on the wall go round and round. Were they going to leave her inside until she died? Karyn had a sad thought—she had survived so much, only to die now—when she actually had a family member to go home to. Samantha provided her with a strong reason to want to live. So did Killian.

  She wanted to get out of the room. “Let me out!” Karyn started to scream. No one replied. Tears welled up in her eyes. Life had been so unfair to her. She had tried so hard to be a good person and to do the right thing, but life kept knocking her down. She’d lost everything—her family, her hope in the goodness of people, her dream of becoming a doctor. Karyn’s shoulders shook violently as she sobbed.

  Suddenly, Killian barged through the doors of the interrogation room, seemingly enraged. Karyn knew right away that something was very off about him. He didn’t look like the Killian that Karyn had come to know. He immediately picked up a metal chair and started to bash it into the mirror, which did not shatter. He screamed, and then started to punch at the wall. His eyes narrowed on her, inhuman eyes with no trace of the man she had been falling in love with.

  Karyn shot up from her chair and stumbled backwards. Killian’s fangs clicked downward, and his mouth dropped open into a salivating grimace. “Killian, it’s me…” Karyn stated.

  Killian opened his mouth a bit wider preparing to give her one fatal bite.

  part 5

  RETRIBUTION

  Killian’s face was horribly distorted and his fangs glimmered under the fluorescent lights of the interrogation room. Long beads of saliva dripped out of his mouth and down his narrow chin, where the drool gathered and dropped off in one great glob. He looked like a rabid animal. His grey eyes narrowed on Karyn, and terror shot through her body. She had seen this look on Killian’s face long ago. It was the same expression she had seen Killian wear when she had seen the vision of his past, his past—in the other world where he hunted humans for sport. Her pulse quickened and terror moved through her body. She loved him. She knew now that she loved him more than anyone else in the world, even now when he was threatening to take her life.

  Killian advanced on Karyn slowly. His head was cocked slightly to the side, and he appeared to be sniffing the air. His shoulders were hunched downward, and he looked as though he was ready to pounce on her. Karyn took a few steps back and raised her hands defensively.

  “Baby, it’s me,” Karyn spoke softly. She had never called Killian baby before, but even under such horrible circumstances, it felt right to use such an intimate term. She knew that beneath this terrible false exterior her Killian was in there somewhere. She just needed to reach him. She would not lose him, not after everything they’d survived thus far.

  Killian growled slightly. He sounded almost as if there were a low motor ticking within his voice box and Karyn knew she was facing the fierce, raw creature that was in his very nature.

  Karyn looked deeply into his grey eyes, searching for some sign of recognition, but found nothing. The Killian she knew was gone. He was a monster again—a death machine—a predator. She licked her lips and cocked her head to the side, testing the waters little bit. The old Killian always looked away when she did this, unable to handle the intimacy of it.

  Killian took another step forward, and then without warning he was upon her. His sharp white fangs sank into Karyn’s neck as she screamed at the top of her lungs. She kicked and punched at the air, and also thrashed around—trying to break the grip of his terrible bite, yet nothing seemed to work. Karyn could feel the life draining out of her. She could also feel the stiffness of his erection pressed firmly against her leg and he held her in a death-grip, draining her blood. She was about to die by the hand of someone she loved.

  “Killian stop!” she screamed as she punched at the back of his head, trying to free herself. “Killian, you’re killing me…and I…. I love you.” Using every bit of her strength, she was able to yank his head free from her neck for a brief moment. She began to kiss his lips. His flesh was cold and his lips were slick with her blood. Killian groaned as she writhed beneath him, unsure of what she was even doing.

  Her actions seemed to do something to him, as though she broke a spell for a moment. Killian pulled back—his teeth drenched in her thick red blood. He hurried out of the room, and Karyn placed her hand up to her own neck to apply pressure on the terrible gaping wound. Karyn stumbled forward. The floor was slick with her own blood, and she slipped—staggering back and forth. Finally, she made it to the entrance of the records room where Killian was inside screaming and tearing the place apart. Bloody tears dripped from his eyes, and he looked as if he had gone completely insane.

  Killian was ripping the books from the shelves and throwing them onto the floor. He caught one quick glimpse of himself in a mirror, before throwing a chair across the room shattering it.

  “You’re a lie,” he screamed. “Everything is a lie!”

  “What’s a lie Killian?” Karyn asked weakly.

  “I can’t keep fighting it.” He responded continuing to tear the room to shreds.

  Karyn considered trying to run, but there was no use. She had lost too much blood and was too weak to run from anything. Anyway, where would she go? She wanted to be by his side more than she wanted anything else. Instead of fleeing, she tried to approach Killian again. Killian turned and saw her in the doorway, drenched in blood. For a moment he paused, and then almost seemed to cry. Karyn felt herself losing her grip on consciousness. She saw floating black spots before her eyes.

  “Killian…I…I need help,” Karyn managed to mutter as she started a slow descent to the floor.

  Killian turned back to some of the records. “Everything. Every bit of it is a lie!” He screamed, still ripping the books off of the shelves and throwing them violently about the room. He heard a thump behind him. It was Karyn’s body smacking to the floor.

  Suddenly, the spell was broken. He ran to her. “My God, what have I done?” Killian asked as he pushed her hair back from her smooth forehead. Karyn was unconscious, and her beautiful curvy body lay limp in his arms. Even now, she was undeniably gorgeous. Had he done this? Had he been the one to wound her like this?

  Killian grabbed at the radio tacked to his side and called for a medic. His voice sounded more desperate than ever before. Instead of using the words, “agent down,” instinctively—he said, “Karyn’s hurt. I need you guys to get here as soon as you can. It was my fault.”

  Wh
en Killian placed the radio down on the crown, he began to cry as he reached out and grasped her hand. He pulled her limp body into his arms and cradled her, this precious creature whom he cared for in a way he’d never felt for anyone before. How could he have ever hurt her? He hated himself. He was a monster. A horrible, disgusting, evil creature. If he could have forced his life-force into her, or given his life in her stead, he would have done it.

  When Karyn woke up, she had difficulty in recalling what had happened. Yet, when she managed to push her eyelids open, and saw the vampire, Killian—sitting in a chair in the corner of the pitch-black hospital room, she screamed. Killian jumped to his feet and advanced towards her hands up in front of him apologetically. Karyn swatted at him, and kicked in his direction.

  “Don’t you touch me!” she screamed. “I trusted you!” She wailed.

  Killian shrunk when he heard her words. “Yes, I know I’m a screw-up.” His voice was low and gravelly and sounded incredibly sad. “Karyn, if only I could tell you how sorry I am. If only there were words…” His voice choked and he grabbed for his coat.

  “What? Now you’re just going to walk out on me? You’re just going to walk out like everyone else in my life, huh?” Karyn was near tears.

  Killian paused for a minute. She was too good, and she deserved so much more than the vile creature that was inside him. She was better off without him. He was willing to make any sacrifice for her happiness. “I guess so,” he responded, quietly and without emotion.

  Karyn’s beautiful eyes swelled with tears. “I thought I meant something to you,” she whispered in a voice too low for Killian to hear.

  Killian jumped back into the elevator and rode it up to the ground floor thinking about Jack. Jack would have known how to handle the situation. Jack would have been able to help him find a better way to say I’m sorry.