The Renegade Shifters

by Cheryl Rush Cowperthwait

  Graphic Designer: Lilly Dormishev

  Editor: Jessica Mandella

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations in a book review.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Epilogue

  Dedication

  To those of you who have found me, it is for you that I write. I salute you, for you are the adventurers, the dreamers, the ones who see between the veils. This is for those of you who know there is always more to see than meets the eye.

  To my loving husband, my supportive family and my cherished friends~ cannot thank you enough for standing beside me through this fabulous journey of writing.

  I must also leave a special dedication to Lucky, our beloved fainting goat who laid at my feet during the first three books I wrote as I took him out to graze and he was my companion during all the books I’ve written. He has now crossed the Rainbow Bridge and awaits me the there.

  And finally, to Zelspar… who has paved the path I now travel.

  Chapter 1

  A cascade of swirling black hair preceded her as the bus swung its doors open with a clang. She clambered up the steps, sliding her card into the pay slot. She waved her arm over her fly-away locks. Glancing towards the back of the bus, she located a seat. As she shuffled down the aisle, she was careful to avoid knocking into passengers with her bulky backpack. She liked the vacant seat near the back because it was void of passengers either in front or behind it. Plopping onto the hard bench seat sent a shock wave up her spine. The bus jerked onto the road. She took a much-needed deep breath.

  Her mind went over the litany of information she needed to recall at a moment’s notice. This was the fifth bus in two days. It was difficult to remember where she was headed this time. This time. She shook her head as the words rattled inside.

  Thoughts streamed in her head from her network. Use the Southern accent. It seems to disarm the curious, the quickest. Be sure to add ‘yes ma’am or no sir’ when talking to people. Keep your eyes downcast as much as possible and don’t become too personable.

  She riffled through her bag, pulling out a bag of beef jerky. Chewing on the hard meat she stared out the window, watching streams of light play against the window as day disappeared into night. She thought of the friends waiting for her at journey’s end. A quick check of her nondescript watch alerted her it was time to pull into the next bus stop. God, how she hated all the stops across the armpit of America. A faint smile creased her face when she recalled the little girl at the last stop running to jump into her grandfather’s arms, telling him she’d have been there sooner but the bus kept going back to the bus stop letting more people on. She could relate.

  As the tires screeched to a stop, she grabbed her pack and waited for the other passengers to disembark. This was switching time, and a wait of two hours before her next bus would arrive. She went into the depot with its small coffee shop with a choice of nearly inedible sandwiches displayed under grueling fluorescent lights. An isolated table protected by two walls drew her attention. She set her cup of steaming black coffee down and unwrapped the club sandwich. Gnawing through it, she washed it down with the weak coffee.

  “Hi. I’m Rita, mind if I share a table with you?”

  She glanced at the woman who looked to be around her age, in the early thirties and nodded. “I’m Alexis.”

  “Where are you headed?” The thirty something Rita with a mop of short curly brown hair asked.

  “All the way to L.A. I hear that’s the place to meet the movie stars. I’ve done a lot of acting so, you know–”

  Rita laughed as if it was the funniest joke she ever heard. “Seriously? Aren’t you a little old to be chasing those sorts of dreams?”

  She thought to herself, “Aww Rita, why did you have to go and fuck things up.” Instead she said, “No Ma’am. I hear they find new stars out there all the time. Sometimes, in places just like this.”

  “Oh Alexis, sweetheart, I sure hate to burst that bubble of yours but that hasn’t happened in like fifty years.” Rita reached over and patted Alexis’ hand and missed the flash of rolling embers in her eyes.

  Alexis finished her sandwich and swallowed down the rest of her coffee. “Hey, you hear that?”

  “What?” Rita asked, looking around.

  “A train whistle. I saw the tracks running behind here. I’m going to catch a smoke and watch it. Wanna come?”

  “Boy, it doesn’t take much to entertain you. Sure,” she shrugged, “why not.”

  Alexis leaned close to her and whispered, “Follow me around the other side. I saw some mean looking guys hanging out over there.” She pointed to the terminal area still busy with people milling about.

  Rita nodded. They slipped along the far wall and went out back. Rita asked, “You still hear that train? I don’t see anything back here.”

  “Yeah, I hear it. It’s still far down the track. Come on, let’s go take a look.”

  “If you say so, but I think you’re missing a few marbles.”

  They crept down the slope toward the tracks as Rita fished in her pockets for a cigarette. She dangled it between her fingers with long hot-pink nails, and hunted for her lighter. The train was barely in sight, its light bobbing down the tracks. Alexis swirled her mass of hair and tucked it into a cap.

  “What’s that for?” The ever-questioning Rita asked.

  “The train, it moves so fast my hair will get tangled.” Alexis grinned.

  “I can’t find my lighter, do you have one handy?” Rita asked, with her hand outstretched.

  “Yeah, somewhere. Oh, hang on hun, the train’s coming. I’ll have to dig it out of my pack, I’ll get it in a minute.”

  Rita sighed as she turned to watch the approaching train. The rumble reached their feet first and then it was there. As Rita turned to watch it pass, Alexis shifted and snapped her head clean off and tossed it, and then her body, at the traveling train.

  She chuckled and said, “Don’t you know, smoking can kill ya?” Alexis reached into her pocket and pulled out a cigarette and breathed a small flame over it, watching the smoke curl up from the lit end as her nostrils expelled their own smoke. The embers in her eyes flashed green around vertical slits.

  Before the train completely passed, she tore off her wig and tossed it between the train cars. Alexis reached in her bag and pulled out the red short cropped wig and quickly put it on, then marched back into the bus depot to find the restroom. She washed her hands, threw a sweater over her shirt, and tidied her face. Stepping into the toilet area, she locked the door behind her and grabbed her old identification and flushed it. She slipped her new ID into her pocket.

  She mumbled the words out loud. “Your name is Bailey. You’re going to an audition in L.A. You’ve got friends out there you are staying with until you make the big times.”

  One more check in the mirror and a swab of the nose to clean the smoke. Eyes were properly fixed with no hint of what lurked inside. She left the restroom and went to purchase a new ticket.

  “Excuse me, sir?”

  “Yes, how can I help you?”

  “I wo
uld like to get a bus ticket to Los Angeles. Will there be a bus coming soon?”

  “Yes, there should be one pulling up in about an hour.” he replied.

  “I’d like a ticket, please.” Bailey said.

  “Certainly. That will be forty-two dollars, round trip.”

  “Oh, I only need it for one way.” she said.

  “Will you be staying out there?”

  “For a while, I’m sure. You see, I’m really good at acting,” she winked. “I think I’ll find something there to keep me busy. If things don’t work out, I’ll simply fly back.” She laughed as she took her ticket. Being a dragon shapeshifter has its rewards. “Fly back,” she thought and laughed again.

  Chapter 2

  Alexis, or the new version of herself, Bailey, stretched long legs across the bus seat. The wig was itchy but lent itself to the illusion of being someone she wasn’t. The thought made her give a quick snort. Wide-eyed, she quickly searched through her backpack and produced a hand mirror. She wiped her nose, just to be on the safe side. It wouldn’t do to have any telltale signs left to show. Telltale, again she smirked thinking of a tail, but withheld the added snort. She tried not to think about who she was before. Before. Every time she thought of that time, it only made her mad.

  The sign flipped on the bus, showing the next stop, L.A. The land of the wealthy, the directors, the actors, the movie people. She had decided to go there on a whim. The idea made her blood stir, her breath rapid. The opportunities were endless. Unlike what Rita had tried to tell her. Poor Rita. She had almost liked her, too bad she had to go and screw it up.

  They had a network, the Shifters. It was a wide variety of the Unthinkables, as they so often laughed about the name others called them. They needed their network. She was told these were the people who had jobs and businesses in every place you could imagine, and some you definitely did not want to think about. She had an endless supply of identification cards available anywhere she decided to go. She could not carry them all, of course. Someone might see them and then all hell would break loose. No, there were predetermined places of retrieval. It was only on a rare occasion she ever had to personally meet with the forger.

  The bus braked to a stop, bouncing her against the seat. The aisle filled quickly with people who jostled to get off first. She could hardly blame them. The last hundred miles had been challenging with the air conditioner only sporadically blowing the chilled air. It didn’t bother her, but it did a great deal of the passengers. Their clothes became sweat stained in no time. It brought a quiver to her skin, like her scales were aching to come out. She tried to not think of food. She had a lot to do before feasting time.

  She stood, hunched-backed, until she could edge into the aisle, but used that time to peer through the windows and saw them. Her new roommates—Linken, Geoff and Marlow.

  “Hey, glad you finally made it. Any problems?” Linken asked, walking over to Bailey to give her a fist bump. His surfer tan made his teeth look startling white in contrast. He smoothed his brown curls away from his eyes and whispered, “Is it still Alexis?”

  She grinned as she leaned closer to his ear. “Nah, she’s gone. Sort of an accident, really.”

  Linken let loose a good-natured laugh. “Yeah, those tend to happen—a lot!”

  Marlow chuckled as she moved her hair to the side to expose her dark brown eyes sprinkled with golden flecks. “Girl, we gotta do something with that,” she said smacking gum and pointing to Bailey’s hair.

  “I’ll agree with you there, Marlow. Is our place close by?” Bailey asked, looking around the crowded terminal.

  Geoff, the handsome dark-haired guy that looked like he just stepped out of a castle, bowed at the waist. “Your chariot awaits.”

  Bailey couldn’t help herself. A smile crept across her face. He wore one of those billowing white shirts that laced up the front and left just enough open space to make her heart flutter. He tossed her backpack behind the seats in the Jeep Renegade.

  He waited for everyone to find their seats. He slipped on his shades, flashed his pearly whites, and hit play. The jeep boomed to the sounds of X Ambassadors singing their unofficial theme song. Geoff yelled over the pounding of the music. “Our song!” Howls and roars filled the space around the lyrics. He slipped the jeep into gear and headed for the freeway.

  They made it out of L.A. and passed through Pasadena. “How much further is this place?” Bailey stretched her legs to the capacity of the car space. Too many miles had been spent sitting down over the last week.

  “About half an hour to our turn off.” He slid the glasses down the bridge of his nose to take a good look at Bailey. “You’re not about to burst through your skin, are you?”

  Damn, she thought. His smile was near blinding and made her wiggle in her seat uncomfortably. “No. I just need some stretch time.”

  “No problemo, we’ll take a break after we hit out turn off at Azusa. We’ll be heading into the Angeles National Forest. The right place to spread your wings.”

  She practically spewed her coke through her nose. “Good one, Geoff! But for that, I think I’ll wait until after dark.”

  His brows made two quick hitches. “Oh, the best time of the day.” He unconsciously ran his tongue over his incisors. “I do love the night best.”

  “How do you do it? I mean, out in the sun and all?” Bailey asked.

  Marlow answered for all of them. “A constant balancing act of drugs. Ones to keep us from growing hair, fangs or sprouting wings. You’ve been on them. These are just hyped up forms of what they gave you before you left your place. We’ve got all sorts of chemists on the payroll, and they stay eager to help.”

  Linken joined in. “Wouldn’t you, if you knew any of us could take them out at a snap of our fingers?”

  “Yeah, that’s true, but there is the steady stream of money lining their pockets.” Marlow smiled. “They like that as much as Geoff likes blood.”

  “Money doesn’t feed the Soul,” Geoff replied.

  Marlow punched him in the shoulder and laughed.

  “Easy girl, don’t damage the merchandise,” Geoff rubbed his shoulder.

  “My fangs are longer than yours. Want to see them?” Chided Marlow.

  “I’ll pass. Don’t go all ‘wolfie’ on me. I’ll have—damn. Is it Bailey, you’re going with this time? Anyway, I’ll have her snatch you up and drop you from a mountain top.”

  “Yes, Geoff. It’s Bailey this time.” She rolled her eyes. “Until I get in a tight bind. And how do you think you’re going to get me to do your evil deeds?” Bailey narrowed her eyes, staring at him.

  “Well, we’re friends, right?” He shot her a look with the million-dollar smile.

  “The thing here is this, dear old Geoff. We’re all friends. We know each other’s secrets. We don’t play one another, got it?” Bailey held his look until he looked away.

  “Ease up Bailey, it was a joke. Don’t go—”

  The jeep filled with a deep rumble and it wasn’t a stomach growling.

  “Thanks Bailey, sometimes Geoff thinks he can go all Rico Suave on everyone and they’ll simply drool to do his bidding.”

  Bailey’s green eyes smoldered. “What do you mean, ‘go Rico Suave’ on everyone?”

  Marlow let out a shrill laugh. “Sorry Bailey, it’s a term I use because it’s so old, like handsome over there. He hates the term.”

  “Good to know.” A long slow smile spread onto Bailey’s face.

  “Here we go. Exit to Azusa. We’ll stop and stretch. If anyone wants food, we can grab something before we head up 39. I’ve got to tell you, Bailey, it’s not the smoothest ride through the mountains. We’ll be taking a dirt road off of 39 until we get to our place,” Geoff warned.

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine, that is, after I stretch,” she answered. “Stop off at a market or somewhere, I want to get more beef jerky.”

  “Is that all you eat?” Linken asked.

  “No, but it does help che
wing on it when I get in the carnivorous mood. I eat the regular food, too. We were trained how to eat what the one-hundred percenters eat.”

  “The one-hundred percenters? What does that even mean?” Linken’s brows came together in a puzzled look.

  “Don’t you give nicknames to the people? We don’t call them human because we are partly human. We call the unmodified humans, the one-hundred percenters.” Bailey explained.

  Marlow said, “I like that better than saying ‘the purebreds’. I felt like ripping out a jugular the first time I heard it.”

  The tires grabbed to a quick stop. Bailey jumped out and twisted from side to side, then stretched out her legs before heading into the store. Everyone milled through the aisles picking up snacks and drinks to give them a fast energy boost before the rest of the drive.

  Bailey leaned against the jeep waiting for Geoff to finish in the store. Through the dark tinted sunglasses, she watched as he wove himself through the people coming and going. She shivered. Something about him excited her and she didn’t like that feeling. Nothing good ever happens when she let her heart have control. A deep sigh escaped.

  “So, Geoff, I thought we had a place in L.A.? Close to the action.” Bailey commented, as Geoff popped the top of an energy drink.

  “That didn’t work so well.” He gave her an apologetic smile. “We discovered being too close to the action can go haywire. Our place is remote, but it is safe and would be ridiculously hard to find. Besides, the mountain is the best camouflage. We have most of what we need for our survival at our place.”

  “That’s great, but I want to interact with the others.” Bailey was feeling put-out.

  “Yeah, Marlow filled us in on your grand plan. Don’t worry, I’ve got it arranged for us all to go on a casting call in a few days. Derik, one of our friends, has an in with the producer and we already have the full script. We’ll get in.”

  They wound through the mountain and soon came to the dirt road. Geoff glanced over at Bailey. “Hang on, this gets a bit rough in places. Logging trucks tear it up pretty bad in the rainy season.”