by Moira Byrne
The corners of my mouth curved up into a small smile at his attempt to lighten the atmosphere. I didn't think I could even pinpoint exactly what it was that had darkened my mood so dramatically. It wasn't only my past.
This was also beyond being upset over Sophie standing me up. It was true that I had pursued her longer than any other woman before. Maybe I was so disappointed because I had been so close, only to have the rug pulled out from under me?
No, that didn't feel right either.
Maddox interrupted my thoughts to ask, "Why can't you be in a relationship with her?"
"I thought we were discussing why I'm so bent out of shape."
"I'm much more interested in knowing why you can't be with her long-term."
I furrowed my brows together. Maddox and I might be friends now, but that really wasn't something I wanted to get into with anybody. The past was the past, and it wasn't even the only reason why we couldn't be together for long.
"She's a shifter, for one."
"I think Rose and I have proven that shifters can mate with non-shifters."
"Mate." I shivered in the loudest and most exaggerated way I could. "You shifters are so primal."
"Hey, your girlfriend is a shifter."
"We've already covered this—I don't do girlfriends."
"But not why," he interjected.
"Yeah, you're pretty observant today, aren't you?" Although the sun felt amazing, I forced myself to get up. I didn't want to talk in circles anymore. "C'mon, we've got work to do, boss. That house isn't going to repair itself and the weeds won't pull themselves out."
Maddox gave me a loaded look that told me he was going to let it go for now, but he knew that I was full of it. Oh well.
I frowned as my thoughts turned back to how upset I was because Sophie hadn't shown up. I hadn't been that hurt since . . . No, I wouldn't go there. I shook my head and got back to work. I couldn't let myself get sucked into those thoughts. That demon was one that I'd prefer to leave caged in my past.
"Oh, hey, my help for the day is coming up the road." Maddox chuckled. "You're going to love this."
I squinted off into the distance and eyed the big truck that was tearing down the dirt road. It was kicking up so much dust that I could barely tell what it looked like. A second later, I realized it wasn't just kicking up dirt—thick, chunky layers of mud covered most of the truck. I furrowed my brow in confusion.
"When did Charlie get a truck that huge? I thought he tried to lay low?"
"Charlie's still driving his beater. That isn't Charlie."
"Then who? Are you still hiring?"
"In a sense, yeah. Just . . . keep an open mind, alright?"
I rose both my brows to my forehead and grinned. "What the hell have you done?"
Before he got a chance to answer, the truck came to a skidding stop about twenty feet in front of us. Dirt flew through the air, far enough away that we only got a light dusting. I coughed and squinted at the tinted windows.
The doors popped open.
Maddox waved. "Hey, guys."
A moment later, I watched as two muscled, yet somehow chubby, men hopped out. They hit the ground with giant grins and were dressed in worn jeans and frayed plaid shirts, ready for a day of hard work.
I looked at Maddox questioningly as they clomped over to us, then gave them a friendly grin of greeting. Why did I need to keep an open mind? Did Maddox think I had something against blue collar guys? I was one myself.
Maddox's brows rose. "You don't know them?"
"No. Why would I?"
"Well, Alex . . . I'd like you to meet Emery and George."
My grin stiffened like someone had ironed it onto my face. I turned to Maddox and let my wide eyes do the talking. He just shrugged.
"They're stuck here because of me, so I figured I'd help them out. They're actually pretty handy."
"Maddox, my man," I said through my strained smile, "they're stuck here because they shot you."
"They saw a panther with glowing green eyes run through the woods. I don't really blame them. It sucked, yeah, but they've turned over a new leaf.
"Plus, they tell me what Nadine's up to. She's too nosy for her own good. We need to keep an eye on her, y'know? Can't risk her running to the tabloids about weird things in Fayoak."
I wanted to brush off the two of them being in Fayoak still, like I did with most things, but I couldn't. I mean, this didn't even concern me. It was Maddox's choice, yet it still bugged me that they were this close. That thought brought me up short. Close to what?
The moment I questioned myself, I realized it was because they were too close to Sophie. Damnit. I had forgotten to warn her that they were still in town.
"Hey there, Maddox," they said at the same time in thick country accents when they reached us.
"Oh, look at the pretty one, Emery," one of them said.
Emery nodded. "Shoot, George, I ain't never seen a man so beautiful."
George looked startled, then leaned in close to Emery to loudly whisper, "That's a man?"
"Sure is," Emery replied.
George stiffened. "Well, it's not like a man can't compliment another man."
"Nobody's sayin' ya can't, George."
I twisted my lips to avoid laughing. This was new for me. I knew that I was pretty nice to look at, but I wasn't full fae, so I still looked fairly masculine.
If they kept it up, it was going to be hard for me to stay mad at them. I was never good at being mad to begin with, and if they were going to make me laugh, to hell with it.
"He's not as pretty as that lady we ran into earlier, right, Emery?" George puffed up his barreled chest, as if he had something to prove. I was half-tempted to go over there and make him question himself some more.
"Have you guys found love in Fayoak then?" Maddox asked in an amused tone.
"Sure have, but I dunno that either of us stands a chance," Emery said with a shake of his unruly, dirty blond hair.
"Oh? What's the lovely lady's name?"
"What did Nadine say it was again? Sarah?" George mused.
"Nah, it was Sophie. I remember 'cause her name is just as pretty as she is."
My heart froze.
"When did you see her?" I asked, my tone sharper than ever before.
"I dunno, the other day?"
I knew I should've warned her. These guys seemed harmless, but I didn't like the fact that she had missed our date after seeing them.
It was too coincidental. I mentally kicked myself for not checking on her sooner. I shot them a narrow-eyed look then turned to Maddox.
"I've gotta leave early today. I'll finish later."
Maddox gave me a confused frown but shrugged.
I didn't want to leave him alone with the two of them, but I was certain he would be fine. Maddox could take care of himself.
I had to find Sophie.
7
Sophie
The wind tickled my whiskers as I ran through the tall grass, all my senses on alert. My ears were pricked, and I constantly scented the air. I continuously scanned back and forth, looking for signs of passage to make sure I didn't miss anything. My primal self was in control, it would catch things I might normally miss.
I kept my human awareness just below the surface because I wasn't hunting an ordinary animal. I was fairly certain I was hunting a psychopathic shifter. If I was right, he could be anywhere. I would need every advantage I could get. But I hoped I was wrong. Edward terrified me like nothing else.
I had to go back to the scene of the crime, as the saying went. I'd followed the hunters' directions last night, and the scene of the slaughter had been obvious. Not to my eyes but to my nose. The stench of death was unmistakable.
My night vision was stellar, but I wanted to see the scene in the light of day. Maybe catch something I'd missed.
It was easy to find the spot again—the smell led me there as if the dead were begging for retribution. Even though the men had buried the bodies, the foul odor of terror an
d death hung heavily in the air, just as it had last night.
If I had been in human form, I would have thrown up. But my cat was more prosaic. Death was death. I moved about the area and could tell where each of the bodies had been placed before they'd been moved for burial.
I snarled as I paced through the area. I could smell blood everywhere. Whoever did this had enjoyed tearing into their prey. In some locations there was little blood, telling me death occurred elsewhere.
As I examined the area, I realized I was wrong; many of the kills had been done elsewhere and brought back to this spot. But there was no scent trail for me to follow.
I could smell the various animal musks and knew at least a dozen animals had been killed. Most of the animals were small, like rabbits and possums. I found a coyote and wrinkled my nose.
We may have had a territory battle but I respected their right to exist. This was uncalled for. Relief ran through me as I verified that the poor coyote was the largest animal killed. I had feared another shifter, or a human, had also been a victim.
Some of them hadn't been dead for long, while others were days older. Shifters were predators and had the instinct to hunt. But when we did hunt, we ate our prey.
Whatever had done this had massacred for the glory of the slaughter. And slaughter it was. Although I cast around the area thoroughly, all I smelled was the two hunters and the kills. I didn't catch the scent of another shifter like I expected, or even the witches, as I had half-hoped.
Last night I had cast about for hours but didn't find anything. Finally, after the moon was high in the sky, I called it quits and headed home. All the while I had the sinking suspicion I was being hunted.
When I got Alex's text, terror flooded me. If Edward was stalking me, Alex had to stay away. Far away.
Now I was back at the scene of horror. I snarled again, angry at the waste. There had been no reason for these animals to die. I started casting out in a large circle, looking to verify my suspicions about the perpetrator of this awful act.
I kept my senses alert and unease ran through me at my inability to catch any other scent. Everything had a scent. I may not be a canine, but my sense of smell was good enough to be able to detect another predator.
I searched fruitlessly for hours. Frustration clawed at me. It wasn't like I could go to anyone for help, either. I hadn't made an effort in the time I was here to really get to know anyone in the pack. I could only imagine going up to Jack, the local cat Alpha, with my suspicions.
"Jack, I think we have a problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"Oh, a member of my old pack might be here torturing and killing small critters."
"What proof do you have?"
"None. Just my gut instinct and a pile of maimed woodland creatures."
Yeah, that would go over really well. I'd simply have to deal with it myself. I snarled as I forced myself to accept only Edward was this cruel. He had to be the one who did this. Fine.
The monster was out of the closet. I would have to face him. Eventually, he'd slip and I'd catch him, or have the proof to get help. Until then, I'd keep a careful watch. With that thought at the top of my mind, I was brought up short by the sharp tang of blood in the air.
I'd reached the edge of the orchard closest to my house and was on the far side of the fence from my marking posts. It didn't take me long to pinpoint the source of the blood.
Two quail were laid out side-by-side with a third a few feet away. Something with large jaws had chomped down in the middle of each bird, almost filleting them from head to tail.
I froze and carefully studied the scene before approaching. The only movement was the leaves in the trees as the wind gently ran through them. Slowly, step by step, I approached the pair of quail. I leaned in close and took a deep breath.
The smell of blood and quail filled my nostrils. Something had killed them within the last couple of hours. But I couldn't pick up the scent of the predator who had done it. How could that be? It had to be Edward, but why couldn't I smell him?
I walked the few feet over to the last quail and froze. I didn't have to lean down to smell it. A low growl rumbled through me. Edward. Why was his scent only on this quail? They'd all died right after each other. He had to have killed all three. Why did he leave them here, on display like this?
My ears folded tight to my head and my tail whipped back and forth. This was my patrol route, and I never smelled people here. My scent was the only one I'd ever caught in this location. A sick feeling coiled in my stomach. How had he known I'd come through here?
I carefully looked around, but I couldn't see or scent anyone else. My heart sped up as I carefully examined my location. The trees around me suddenly became potential ambush locations. He was a cougar and could be waiting to attack from above.
I raised my ears to catch any sound of attack and moved around the one quail that had his scent. About a foot out, the scent trail ended. Nothing.
With a growl, I sprinted home. My feet pounded the ground and the open area by my driveway came into view. Without thinking, I leapt into the air and dug my claws into the large aspen tree in front of my house.
I scaled the tree and didn't stop until I was on a branch about fifteen feet from the ground. The perfect location for an ambush.
My heart raced and my vision filmed over with red. My cat was ready to destroy the invader—it knew it could take him without a doubt. My human side wasn't so sure, and I had to fight to calm myself down. In my current state of mind, I'd kill anything that came into my territory that even remotely looked like a threat.
My cat didn't want to calm down. Its instincts were roused. It didn't fear Edward. It viewed him only as a threat to be eliminated. I nearly calmed myself down when a faint noise caught my attention.
I snapped my head around and my eyes met Edward's.
It was really him. He was here.
He stood near the base of another large tree in human form, completely naked. He must have just shifted. I quickly judged the distance between us. I could easily leap from this tree and attack him, but he could duck behind the tree and use it as a barrier, possibly giving him a few critical seconds to launch his own attack.
He saw he had my attention and gave me a slow smile. From this distance, I saw his entire body—he was erect and unashamed. I snarled at him, but his grin only grew.
"Shift so we can have a civilized discussion." He sounded so reasonable that it made my skin crawl.
I snarled at him and my muscles bunched. I decided I was going to attack him. I would get rid of him here and now.
"Tsk, tsk," he said as he waved his finger back and forth. "I see you getting ready to jump. That would be a bad idea. You wouldn't want anything to happen to your sweet little sister, would you?" The smile on his face turned my stomach sour.
In moments, I was on the ground by my tree. In the next breath, I shifted to my human form. The open area of my driveway was the only thing between us.
"You leave her alone, you asshole," I snarled.
"Oh, she's safe enough. For now." His voice grew thick as he ran his eyes lustfully over my naked body. "If she remains safe or not, well, that all depends on how . . . cooperative you are."
I narrowed my eyes and felt rage claw up my chest as disgust curled my stomach. I hated that he'd figured out threats to my life didn't phase me. My sister, though? I would do anything to protect her.
I let out a deep, warning growl. "I will kill you if you touch a hair on her head."
"You know what I want." He reached down and pumped his hand up and down his erection to make sure his demand was clear. "I don't know why you're so reluctant. I've seen you with that blond. If you spread your legs for him, why would you object to having a real man between them?"
"What are you talking about? You're delusional, Edward."
His eyes narrowed and he snarled at me. "You're mine, Sophie. I've found you again and I will have you. I find it disgusting that you gave yourself
to him. Maybe I'll kill him and leave his corpse on your doorstep."
His threat to Alex was the last straw. My cat took over. I shifted and flew through the air, claws out and teeth bared. A challenging growl rolled out of me.
Edward's eyes widened in shock, but his brain caught up and he shifted to his cat form right before I plowed into his body. He dodged to the side, but I pivoted and latched my front claws onto his side.
I sank my teeth into his neck, but he suddenly moved, and they dug into his back, making me miss the killing neck bite. He yowled in protest as my teeth and claws sank into his body, and satisfaction coursed through me.
Edward twisted and somehow threw me off. I landed on my feet and immediately flipped to face him. I stood on my hind feet, lashing my front right paw and then my left, raking him with my claws.
He snarled and growled at me as he stood on his hind feet in turn and slashed his claws at me. I dodged but felt a burn of pain along my right front leg as his claws scored my flesh.
He lashed out again, and I twisted out of the way, my ears flat against my head as I growled at him. He leapt at me. I flipped onto my back, all four feet set to dig into him.
He pushed down, ignoring my claws sinking into him, and went for my throat. I yanked my head to the side and slipped in under his jaw, going for his throat.
He snarled and pulled his head back out of my range. He threw himself back, my claws raking his sides and leaving bloody furrows as he pulled out of my grip. I flipped myself to my feet and turned so my side faced him, my body arched away. I crouched down, snarled, and hissed.
A low growl of warning and challenge continually poured out of me. Edward hissed at me, and I saw him gather his legs to pounce on me. I tried to dodge his leap, but the leg he raked earlier didn't hold, and he landed across my shoulders on my back.
I tried to twist out of his grip, but he had a tight hold with his claws. Dread speared through me, but I would not go down easily.
I kept tensing against him, looking for a slight relaxation in his hold. Suddenly, his weight was off my shoulders. I could feel the air move as he slashed, but he somehow missed connecting with me.
