Shadows and Stars

by Becca Fanning

  She went downstairs prepared to find him and give him hell for walking out, but was greeted by his whole family.

  “Where’s Trent?”

  “He’s gone, Heather.”

  “What do you mean he’s gone? Where did he go? He needs to stay here so when the police come we can tell them together that he was with me last night.”

  “Heather, he must know what he’s doing. Try to trust him.”

  “No, I won’t. I can’t let him just take off. They’ll hunt him down, and then they won’t want to hear his side of things.”

  Heather ran outside. She was determined to bring him back and fight by his side. His truck wasn’t gone so that must have meant he shifted and was on foot. She went into the woods towards his campsite. It was a quick easy hike, but he wasn’t there. She threw herself down on the ground. A deep part of her that was attuned to him knew that he wouldn’t be back. For whatever reason, he didn’t want to fight next to her. She gave herself over to the tears she had been fighting.

  “You bastard! Why did you make love to me if you knew you were leaving? It’s cruel!” She didn’t know if he could hear her or not, but it felt good to yell. She wanted to be left alone for the time being. The woods weren’t safe and she knew she’d have to face his family eventually.

  As she approached the house after an hour alone in the woods to get ahold of herself, she noticed Trent’s light on. She ran inside and up the stairs, but he wasn’t there. His clothes were still there so he must plan on staying in his bear form. Michelle came up behind Heather.

  “Heather, I’m not sure what’s going on, but try to trust him. Trent has waited a long time to find his mate. He wouldn’t leave you now that he has you. There’s a reason he wants to be alone right now.”

  Heather looked at Michelle and realized that she wasn’t the only one hurting. His family wanted him close as well. They wanted to stand next to him and protect him as much as she did.

  “He has all of us here willing to help. Why would he leave? We bonded…umm…you know right before he took off.”

  Michelle wrapped her arms around Heather in a hug.

  “I know he’s hurt you, but at least now we know he is alive. As long as you are alive that means he is. Your bond will grow, listen to it and you’ll be able to feel him through it.”

  “I forgot about that. I guess that’s a good thing in this situation. I’ll give it a try.”

  Michelle gave Heather another hug and a reassuring glance before she left her alone. Heather was supposed to be at work in an hour, but she just couldn’t survive a shift pretending to be happy. She went and got her cell phone and called in sick. Then she went back into Trent’s room and sunk into his bed. She wanted to be around his scent. Plus, she wasn’t ready to lie down in the bed where hours ago they had finally made love.

  “What are you doing, Trent? Please come back.”

  TWENTY

  TRENT HAD BEEN RUNNING for a while before he finally stopped. His bear wanted to turn back and bask in the warmth of their new found mate. The human in him fought hard to make sure they put some distance between them and Heather. He hated to leave the way he did, but he couldn’t leave to do what he needed to do without bonding first.

  She was so lush and warm on top of him, it had been impossible not to bond. Their souls had clashed together with such force, Trent felt shaken even now just remembering it. He knew they would be intense together, but he never dreamed that it would be like that.

  He also knew that whoever was committing these murders was a danger to him and Heather both. Hopefully him leaving would create the illusion that she wasn’t his mate and give him time to hide in the woods and catch the killer. He desperately hoped he could catch him before he killed again. If nothing else, he wanted to get there in time to catch his scent while it was strong.

  Tess hadn’t deserved the death she had experienced. When he came across parts of her body the police had yet to find, he offered up a prayer for her soul. The scent was stronger than before. He hoped that he had smelled enough that it would be recognizable where he needed to go next.

  His family was the only Shifters for miles; for about sixty miles to be exact. There was a small Shifter society around the Charleston area that may have some information for him. He pulled the bag he had thrown together off his back and checked it. He wouldn’t be able to be in his bear form while he was asking questions so he had thrown a change of clothes in a drawstring bag that he knew he could easily carry in his bear form. In it was the copy of the journal that Heather had been reading. He wanted to keep reading it. For some reason, he felt that there was a connection somehow between the murders and the woman.

  TWENTY-ONE

  TRENT HAD BEEN GONE for almost a month when Heather received a call from the firm in Boston. They had passed her over for the initial job she had, but they had another opening. If she could be there in two weeks, it was hers for the taking. In a moment of anger, she told them she’d see them in a couple of weeks.

  Trent had scrapped Heather’s car before he had disappeared without telling her, but she received the check all the same. Between that money and the double shifts she had been working since he took off, she had enough to get a decent vehicle.

  The only thing she hated to leave unfinished was the woman in the journal. She had never figured out who she was. She desperately wanted to find her before she left. There was really nothing to go on though. The woman never mentioned anything more than a few neighbors’ names and of course Ray.

  If the cops weren’t all focused on trying to track down Trent, she would have asked them for help. Conveniently enough, when Trent took off the murders seemed to stop. Heather knew that Trent hadn’t been behind them, but the rest of the town had already condemned him. They were treating the rest of the Ciphers like murderers as well. The Ciphers refused to be bullied and just ignored it all. As she planned to leave, Heather knew she would miss them the most.

  The Ciphers were a family she desperately wanted to be a part of. They were nothing like her family and everything she had ever yearned for. She decided not to say anything to them about her leaving. She sucked at goodbyes and on the off chance Trent came back and wanted to look her up, they wouldn’t be stuck in the middle. As bad as she yearned for Trent, she couldn’t live with herself if she took him back.

  Between her own heartaches in life and the poor woman from the journal, Heather decided she needed to be her own woman. No more taking people back that had done her wrong. No more putting herself out there with the wrong men. Boston was supposed to have been her new start. Even though she had been side tracked, she was determined to get that new start.

  Michelle had offered to take Heather car shopping, but knowing that she was leaving was making her feel guilty. There wasn’t much else to be done about it though. She needed a car to have freedom from here. Everything she looked at reminded her of Trent. Even being in her bedroom was absolutely miserable. Everything about that morning came rushing back to her and it was like she could feel Trent touching her.

  No, staying in Acer was no longer an option. Once again she was lonely and stuck in a place with reminders of what might have been. Michelle yelled at her from downstairs, bringing her out of her stupor.

  “Coming!”

  Heather grabbed her purse and checked to make sure she had the cash. Surely she could find an old clunker to at least get her to Boston. Once she was there, transportation wouldn’t be a problem. One thing big cities were great about was having multiple types of public transportation available around the clock.

  The major downside of Acer was that there weren’t many options when it came to where to buy things. There were two dealerships in town. It took Heather all of an hour to figure out which vehicle she was going to be able to buy. After quite a lot of paperwork for a cash deal, Heather was the proud new owner of a 2001 Jeep Cherokee. The four-wheel drive would ensure that she could get in and out of the Ciphers place until she left. It also was the on
ly thing on the lot she could afford that didn’t have 200,000 miles or more on it. It wasn’t used and abused. Heather liked to think of it as previously loved. Kind of like her.

  Michelle decided they need to go to the diner for a celebratory dinner. Heather wanted to go home and pack her bags and leave, but she knew that was childish.

  “Now that you’ve got your own set of wheels, where are you going to go first?”

  Heather almost choked on her fry. There was no way Michelle knew what she was planning, but the question made her feel guilty. Michelle was such a good friend; the best Heather would probably ever have. She couldn’t look her in the eyes as she shrugged her shoulders noncommittally.

  “Oh my gosh. You can’t leave, Heather. You’re thinking of leaving, aren’t you? I know Trent’s been gone a while, but he’s coming back.”

  “Really? Did he tell you that? Has he spoken to you at all since he took off?” Michelle didn’t deserve Heather’s painful sarcasm. She immediately felt bad, but didn’t say anything else.

  “Heather, Trent talked to a contractor about having a cabin built. They’re supposed to break ground on Monday. He’s doing that for you, for both of you. So please just give him some more time.”

  Tears filled Heather’s eyes. She hated to hurt Michelle, and this was exactly why she planned on taking off unnoticed.

  “I can’t, Michelle. I’m so sorry. There is no guarantee that he’s building anything for me. He’s gone and I am so tired of spending my life waiting on a man to love me. I love him, I truly do. I imagine I’ll never love anybody else like I love him. But, I have to protect myself. Please don’t hate me. You’re the very best friend I have ever had.”

  “Of course I won’t hate you. I understand.”

  The two finished their meal in silence. When they got back to the cabins, Heather felt like this would be the last time she got to talk with Michelle. Even though she said she didn’t hate her, their relationship had changed.

  “Do you think you could help me with one last thing?” Heather asked.

  “Absolutely.”

  “That journal I’ve been reading is from the woman who ran her car over the cliff not long before I showed up. She was abused by her husband pretty badly, and I feel like I need to find out who she was before I go.”

  “How are we going to do that? I’m pretty sure she was a Jane Doe.”

  “Well, I was thinking surely at some point because of her abuse, she would have needed to see a doctor. She wasn’t from here, we know that, but she may have been from another town from around here. Maybe we could take a ride and ask around at the hospital?”

  “I don’t know, Heather. If her husband was abusive, he sure as hell isn’t going to want some random woman poking her nose in his business. If he’ll beat his wife, just imagine what he would do to somebody he doesn’t even know.”

  “That’s what Trent said, too.”

  “You talked to Trent about this?”

  “Yeah, I asked him to ask his cop friend for the accident report. If he did ask, he never shared it with me. With everything going on now, I didn’t want to ask him myself.”

  “Okay, well let me talk to Dave. He may be able to help us out.”

  “Thank you!”

  Heather gave Michelle a hug and made her way into the cabin. Melanie and Cage must have been out because the house was quiet. She glanced out the giant window in the living room and saw a bear take off into the woods. Her heart skipped a beat at first at the thought of Trent. After being with the Ciphers for as long as she had, she knew that bear was Michelle.

  With her time left at the Ciphers coming to an end, Heather felt real sorrow. They were more of a family to her than her own. Why did she have to keep falling for men who had no intention on being with her? She decided to give into her sorrow for the night and curl up in Trent’s bed.

  TWENTY-TWO

  “WHAT DO you mean she’s leaving? She knows she’s my mate, why would she leave?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, how about because you took off minutes after bonding, and she hasn’t heard from you since? Are you really that stupid, Trent?”

  “I left because of that. If whoever is setting me up knows I have a mate, I would assume he would go after her.”

  “She doesn’t see it like that. You know how the mate bond is. You have to be feeling the effects of being away from her, too. She feels betrayed, she’s in pain, and she would feel safest with you there.”

  “If she wants to leave, obviously she doesn’t feel safest with me there.”

  “Don’t be a selfish idiot, Trent. Let’s just get back to the house.” Michelle took off back towards the house. She had run for hours in her bear form before she had finally found his scent. As tired as she was, it was worth it to know for herself he was safe, and help mend Heather and his bond before it was too late.

  “No, I can’t go back. Since I’ve been gone the murders have stopped, correct?”

  “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean anything. He could kill tomorrow. Maybe he just hasn’t had the opportunity. Or maybe after Tess, he felt the need to lay low.”

  “Maybe, but I can’t risk it. I’m working on something as well. I think I may have an idea who the killer is. The problem is I don’t know a real name or location, so I have a lot of tracking down to do.”

  “Then come back and let us help you!”

  “No. It’s better this way.”

  “Damnit, Trent. Why do you have to act like you have to prove yourself? None of us feel that way at all, but for some reason you refuse to let us help. We’re a family, a pack, and you have a mate now. Let us help you.”

  “The more of you I involve, the messier this is going to get.”

  “You’re going to lose her if you don’t come back and at least talk to her.”

  “We’re mates… she’ll forgive me. She has to.”

  “It doesn’t work that way, Trent. Good luck in whatever it is you’re doing.”

  With that, Trent watched his sister retreat into the woods. He hated having any rift between the two of them, but it had to be done. He was right in keeping them all out of this. Whoever was after him had declared war in the worst ways. He couldn’t let it get any closer to his family than it already was.

  He had been tracking down lead after lead with the help from his buddy, Buzz, on the sheriff’s department. So far nothing was panning out up north, but that just meant maybe he needed to go south this time.

  Maybe he could stop by and sneak in to see Heather on his way back through. He missed her, obviously. She was his mate; she had to know the depth of his feelings for her. This was simply to protect her. Surely, she wouldn’t leave. If she did then she must not care for him in the same way. Maybe humans don’t feel the mate bond like Shifters. They could be a part of it, but maybe the feelings weren’t as strong. He’d have to find some information on it.

  Just the thought of Heather packing up and going to Boston made his bear furious. He wanted to rush back to her and make sure their bond was still secure. Trent fought hard to stay where he was. He just had a few more people to question and a few things to follow up on. Then he would go back to talk to Heather before he continued his search. Hopefully something would pan out here first.

  As long as the killer quit killing while Trent was away, it would all be worth it. If he wanted the murderer to look like Trent, then having Trent gone would keep him still. Also if he was stationary, Trent had a better chance at tracking him down. He knew if he crossed that scent anywhere now, he would recognize it. He prayed every day that when he went out in the Shifter town to look for clues, he’d smell it. Just one whiff and he would have the bastard.

  TWENTY-THREE

  HIS JAGUAR WAS RESTLESS. He had been pacing back and forth now for hours. The woods were calling him, but he had to fight the urge to respond. If he killed now with the bear Shifter on the run everything, all he had worked for would be futile.

  How did they know the bear was really gone? Maybe
he was just simply hiding out in a cave. He had searched for the scent for hours earlier and didn't come across anything. He wasn't sure what he would have done had he come across the scent. The thought had always been there that maybe killing Trent would be the final kill to release him from his hell. There was no way of knowing, though. That also left the rest of the Ciphers alive and living on their high horse in human town.

  Most Shifters were secluded to their own towns. Not the Ciphers though. They were perfect members of the tiny community. They could do whatever they pleased. Trent walked around that town like he owned it. Sometimes drunk and nobody gave a rat's ass. No, he must wait. He had to fight the urge to kill.

  Until the town was ready to take out the entire Cipher clan, he wouldn't stop. Maybe what he needed to do now was pick a new member to shadow. He could kill two birds with one stone then, literally. Trent would surely rush back at the thought of a threat to another family member. Then the town would also start to become suspicious of all of them.

  He trod through the woods to the Cipher's clearing. He watched all the cabins, waiting for somebody to show themselves. Who would be the first to receive his attention? Just like a blessing sent straight from above, a small female bear came through the back wood line. Still in her bear form, he wasn't sure which one it was. He moved a bit closer so he could watch her more closely.

  She went into one of the smaller cabins to the left. That meant the bear was either Avery or Michelle, the sisters. The light flipped on in the living room, and he inched closer to the wood line yet. He was about to retreat so that his scent wouldn't be detectable when the blinds flipped up in a back room.