The Shifter's Secret

by R. A. Boyd

  “Jace,” Paige muttered as she put her hand on Emma’s shoulder. “Can you please get dressed?” She turned her attention back to Emma. “I have an idea. It might not work and you might not want to do it, and it’ll change everything for you and Lily. You mostly. If you do this, we’ll need Willow and Zeke’s help.”

  Chapter 13

  Emma had to stay calm. It might not work if she didn’t calm the hell down and at least pretend she could go through with this. She whispered a prayer to the Creator, hoping that she could keep herself together long enough to pull this off, but she was scared out of her mind.

  Every time she felt her heart race in her chest, she took a deep breath and tried to slow it down.

  9:36 am.

  She couldn’t stop herself from glancing at the clock on the dashboard of Jace’s truck. It was 9:36 am, and she had until ten minutes to ten to get to her father’s old private office. Ronin, or Samiyah, had given her an hour to get to him, and he promised he would know if she was being followed.

  “Dang-it, daddy. Why didn’t you stay away from your office?” Emma spoke to the empty truck and glanced at the clock again.

  After Willow warded his house a few weeks ago, she asked him if there was anywhere else he regularly went where he wouldn’t be surrounded by tons of people. He forgot to mention his freaking office, and that’s where that son of a bitch Samiyah attacked him. Her father used the single-car garage in the back of his old office to fix up his old car, and she swore that if they made it through this she would flatten all of the tires. Just to teach her father a lesson.

  A spasm of pain shot through her chest as she thought those words again. If they made it through this. What if her father didn’t make it? What if Ronin couldn’t fight through this time and Samiyah actually killed her? What if nothing went to plan and she died?

  No. She wouldn’t think like that. They were all going to be okay.

  Holding the wheel with one hand, she checked her pocket to make sure the little pill Willow gave her was still there. She would need it at a moment’s notice. Icy tendrils of fear oozed through Emma’s veins as she thought of how crazy this was. She could get killed. Her dad would freaking raise her from the dead and ream her out if she was murdered today. Maybe that sweet angel could bring her back like he had Cass?

  No. He wasn’t going to need to do that. Emma was going to make it home so Lily wouldn’t have to grow up without her. Well, Lily Pad might actually enjoy staying with Auntie Audra for the rest of ever, but they weren’t going to find out.

  9:37 am.

  The little colon between the numbers nine and three kept blinking at her, warning of a countdown she wasn’t ready for. This had all been a countdown, really. Long before Jace came to find her to see if they were mates. Long before they’d met years ago. Long before Jax and Damon found Cass. No. This started the night Ronin killed all those people, Samiyah’s girlfriend in particular.

  The ladies of the Ghost clan had told her everything a few days ago. All about Ronin going crazy and killing those people over seventy years ago. The countdown started when Samiyah set his insane sights on Paige’s grandmother. He killed Paige’s grandfather and then inserted himself into the poor, grieving woman’s life to be the man she loved. That’s when it started.

  If he had retained a modicum of decency and left the woman the hell alone, none of this would have happened. Yes, she would still have been killed by Ronin, but the Rogue clan may never have been formed. Probably. And Samiyah wouldn’t have murdered Paige’s parents to keep her with him because he would have never known that she was destined to be Aiden’s mate.

  9:39.

  Damn-it. Where did that extra minute go?

  No. This was what she needed. Emma needed to think of all the things that happened to her clan to keep herself focused. To give her reason for jumping into this like a fool. Grateful didn’t even begin to cover how she felt. Jace had kept her from running out the door half-cocked into what is most likely a trap. Paige came up with a brilliant idea that just might bring this crap-storm to an end.

  Emma turned left into the small business park where two office builders were. She drove around the back to where the private garages sat. There weren’t many. In the shadow of the tall buildings sat a row of one level, single-roomed garages where people could store random things. No one usually even bothered to come here. If she were lucky, maybe someone in one of the buildings would see if things went sideways. And do what? Call the police so they could all get pummeled?

  Dang-it.

  9:41am.

  Emma pulled the truck around to face the front of the garages and saw that only one had the garage door up. She could see the Pontiac GTO inside, tools and manuals spread out on the ground around the car.

  She parked the truck, took a deep breath, and opened the door. She had to catch herself from falling as she slid from the high seat of Jace’s truck. Her car would have been better, but Samiyah or one of his lackeys set it on fire. Douche bags.

  Pulling her light purple jacket close around her, she closed the door and walked toward her dad’s car.

  “Hello?” she called out. She cursed herself for how much her voice quaked. “I’m here. No one followed me.”

  “Truth.” A deep voice echoed from inside the garage. “Come inside, please.”

  Fear stalled Emma in her tracks. She had to take a few deep breaths before she could push herself to walk inside the tiny room. To her, it seemed like it was shrinking with every step she took.

  Once she stepped inside the small room, the dark gray, flat garage door began to lower. She was going to be sealed in here with him. Her heart rate shot up. She had to fight to stop herself from running back out.

  “Did you hurt my dad?” she asked, still waiting to see the man who’d spoken to her just seconds ago.

  The familiar, freakishly large form of Ronin pulled himself out of her dad’s car. There he stood. Dark hair, dark eyes, and a mysterious essence seemed to pool around him. The thin green t-shirt he wore pulled tight across his broad chest, and the sight of his massive arms scared her. She couldn’t do it. She’d managed to get the drop on Jace and Aiden because they liked her. And because she was a badass, but that plan might not work now that he looked at her as if she were a mouse caught in a prison he’d contructed.

  “Your father is right there,” he answered, tilting his chin toward the other side of the car.

  She stood on her toes and saw the top of her father’s head. Keeping an eye on Ronin, she carefully took a few steps toward her father. His eyes shot to her as if they were the only things on his body that could move. He looked freaking pissed off. For some weird reason, she took a step away from her dad. He’d never looked at her like this before, but she knew what he was thinking. Ooh, he was mad.

  Her father made a humming sound, and she could hear it. Emma Sue. Damn-it. He only called her Emma Sue when she tested his patience.

  “What did you do to him?” she asked Ronin as her eyes still focused on her father.

  He couldn’t move. As if some invisible restraints held him still, he sat on the floor with his legs crisscross apple sauce. His knees were probably killing him.

  Ronin walked up behind her, and she dug her hand in her pocket, making sure the pill was still there.

  “It’s a spell.” Taking a few steps, he moved in between Emma and her father. “I’ve been waiting for him. I knew it was the only way to get you. I’m not a monster, Emma. I don’t want to hurt your daughter.” Some raw emotion flickered in his eyes. He was sorry. And just like that, the look was gone. “But I will end this before all the Ghosts are whole. Even if it means hurting innocent people. Who is innocent, really?”

  Lily was. That was for damn sure.

  Something built inside Emma’s chest as he questioned the goodness of her daughter. How fucking dare he?

  Lily was pure and happy. She was kind and wanted nothing but good things for everyone around her.

  She swallowed dow
n the rage that filled her. Forcing her muscles to still, she looked up at Samiyah and shook her head. “Just let him go. Take the blood from me that you need. Just, please let my father go.”

  A low snarl rumbled in Ronin’s chest, causing her to grip the pill tighter. Now? Should she do it now? No. It was too soon. They had a plan. She needed to stick to it.

  Still growling like a caged animal, Ronin stepped toward her and pushed her toward the side door of the car. “You smell just like the shifters. They’ve kept you sheltered. Made it hard to get to you.” He closed in on her. Putting one hand on either side of her, he trapped her in his lightening gaze and brought his face down to hers. “I may have lied a little bit. I don’t know how much of your blood I’m going to need, but it’s going to have to be fresh. I’m going to keep you for a little while. But your father and daughter will be safe.”

  She knew it. Hell, Jace knew it. But she was prepared for this.

  “Okay,” she said. Her heart beat so fast, and the sound of her blood rushing through her body filled her head. “Just let him go.” He needed to be at a safe distance.

  “There will be no cavalry to save you, Emma. I have people watching every inch of the Ghost territory, and if any one of them leaves before you and I are gone… I’d hate to kill your father. More than anything, I would hate to kill you. But I will. Do you understand?”

  Yeah. Emma understood. She knew walking in that she would be alone. At least until she was able to get the upper hand. Her father just needed to leave.

  “I get it,” she whispered. “So, my dad can go?”

  “I’ll release the spell when we are gone.”

  Fuck. That wouldn’t work. Willow made it clear that even if she managed to go through with this, Emma couldn’t let Samiyah take her away. If he spirited her to whatever compound he had, she wouldn’t be able to free herself. Not with Samiyah’s watchful glare and constant security loaming over her, and not with a butt-load of shifters from the Rogue clan.

  “Can I hug him?” She sniffed and rubbed away the tears that fell down her face. Tears of fear. Tears of anger. Tears to make sure her father didn’t get hurt in the middle of this.

  Ronin’s shoulder raised in a shrug, and he moved to let her go. He didn’t consider her a threat. Perfect.

  Taking her hand out of her pocket, Emma ran to her father and dropped to her knees. She threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek. “I love you, Daddy. Please don’t be mad at me. I did this for you and Lily. And for my people.” Just before she put the pill in her mouth and bit down, she whispered, “Run as soon as you are able. Don’t ask questions. Just do it.”

  When she pulled away from him, the disgusting burn of the pill dissolving on her tongue, she looked into her father’s glasses and saw a reflection of herself. Dark, wild, coily hair around her head, full and round face etched with fear, and the flash of gold in her eyes that let her know the pill was working.

  Her father’s eyes went wide with fear and surprise but relaxed as he looked over Emma’s shoulder.

  Gaze cast toward the floor, Emma stood and turned, slowly stalking Ronin with each measured step she took. She held her hands to her mouth to give off a false sense of worry.

  “I’m ready,” she said, getting closer to him. “Will you promise me something?” She pulled her hands away from her mouth and reached out to touch the hands that belonged to Ronin. Taking his left hand in her right, his right hand in her left, she wrapped her small fingers around his and said, “Promise me something, Ronin. That you’re going to fight. I might not be able to do this by myself.”

  Samiyah scoffed and tried to shake her off, but he wasn’t expecting her strength as she held onto his hands. “What does that mean? Why do you smell like blood?”

  With everything she was fucking worth, Emma squeezed Ronin’s fingers as hard as she possibly could.

  The sickly sound of crunching bones and cartilage filled the room, followed by stunned cries of pain from Ronin’s mouth. She would bet her favorite fuzzy socks that she’d broken every finger in his hands.

  An unsettling presence grew inside of Emma. It scared her, but she welcomed it. “It means,” she said, a deep and feral growl working its way up her throat. “Ronin, wake the hell up and help me fight this fucker.”

  Balling her hand into a fist, Emma pulled her arm back as hard as she could, and when she shot forward she put every ounce of her force into connecting with Ronin’s chin. And hell yeah, it worked.

  The power of her punch tore into Ronin’s face, and when he looked at her, she could see it. She’d broken his jaw. A bulge protruded from the side of his face where the bone she’d dislocated made its presence known. Widening her stance, Emma linked her hands together and used her elbow to hit him in this abdomen. He let out a hard grunt of pain and slid down the side of her father’s car, mumbling unspoken words as he looked at his broken disfigured fingers.

  Step one: Break his hands so he can’t wield magic to stop her.

  Step two: Break his jaw so he won’t be able to spell her into submission.

  Step three: Shift and maul this bastard until her cavalry arrived.

  Emma’s shoulder ached like the dickens where Jace had claimed her before she took his truck, and she swallowed the lasting bitter taste of the blessed salt pill Willow had given her. Willow had tons of pills stored away that she’d used to stop shifters from shifting. She kept them for times when they needed to keep a Rogue clan member, or a pissed off Cass, from shifting. Luckily, this one didn’t have a truth spell attached to it. Emma had taken the anti-shift pill before she left, and Willow had given her the salt pill to undo the spell. Paige was a genius

  Popping noises echoed through the room, and when Emma looked down, she could see Ronin’s fingers straightening out. Just as his jaw slid back into place, Emma picked up her booted foot and stomped on his left hand and then his right. Then, she cold-cocked his ass and made that jawbone say hello again through the side of his face.

  “Emma,” her father said, the spell finally broken. He grunted in discomfort as he uncrossed his legs. She wanted to help him stand but wouldn’t dare turn around. “What’s happening?”

  Still looking at Ronin, she said, “Dad. Take Jace’s truck and go. The keys are still inside. Don’t argue,” she began as he tried to argue. “Jace bit me. It’s okay. I’m going to keep him busy until the Ghosts come. Close the door when you leave, please.”

  He was angry. And happy. She could scent it on him. Adrenaline. More things she couldn’t put a name to, but that didn’t matter now. She couldn’t hold it any longer.

  A long, low snarl shook her chest. Something big was trying to stop from bursting its way through her body, though it wanted to. Her beast. Her saber-tooth.

  By some unknown path of communication, Emma could tell her beast was trying to play nice. It knew they had to make sure dad was safe before it was set loose on the world. The beast may not know how to contain itself around Samiyah— this man who’d threatened their cub.

  Time’s up, it seemed to say.

  Emma’s back arched, bowing her into the perfect position to let out a monstrous, primal roar that clattered the building. “Oh, God!” she panted out. She fell to her knees, bones and cartilage and skin shattering and reforming inside her.

  She clamped her teeth together to make it through the pain. If she didn’t, she might fall unconscious. She couldn’t do that. Samiyah might heal and take her if she did.

  Samiyah. That named kicked up something devilish inside her. It wanted revenge. It wanted screams of pain to pour from the man in front of her.

  Ice and fire spread through her as her body exploded in on itself, lifting her in the air. When she came down, the sound of hard claws hit the cement floor first. Claws?

  Holy crap. Those were deadly. And freaking huge!

  She wanted to marvel at herself, but Ronin’s hand lifting in the air stopped her. Before she even realized what she’d done, she clawed one of her ginormous paws dow
n his chest. The smell of blood filled the air, and right now, her beast thirsted for blood. His blood. It wanted Samiyah’s blood, but unfortunately, Ronin’s blood would do right now.

  Just as she raised her paw to shut his mouth in case he tried to speak, a pained voice spoke up. “It’s me. Ronin.” He gurgled on his blood as he spoke. And his eyes were different. Not in color. No. Same dark color. The intention behind them was different. Sorry. Worried. Grateful. “It’s the pain,” he said, fighting to speak as he coughed up frothy blood. “It brings me to the surface. Kill me. Just… do it. Take…” His head bumped against the car as his strength seemed to leave him, but he opened his eyes and frowned. Shutters wracked his body. “Take my head. And my heart.”

  No. She couldn’t. They would stick to the plan. She wanted to tell Ronin, but her voice didn’t work in this form. Why the hell wasn’t it like in the movies where the shifters could talk right into someone’s brain while they were still in their shifted form? She needed to tell him it was going to be okay. And to apologize for his shredded skin and exposed bones.

  Without even trying, Emma’s body began to shrink and reform until she was herself again. This was wrong. She wasn’t supposed to shift until her people got here to back her up.

  Emma fell down next to him, body shaking from the trauma of changing back and forth so quickly. “They’re coming. But I swear on all things holy, I will hogtie and gag you with your own intestines if you try anything.”

  Ronin looked like he wanted to speak, but his eyes rolled back and he passed out.

  The idea of how long it would take before Jace and Willow came didn’t even get a chance to register fully in her mind when the metal door of the garage was ripped off its hinges.

  Jace stalked into the garage, eyes changing from ice blue to liquid gold. His wide shoulders looked even bigger, and two tusk-like teeth started to drop from his mouth.

  “Umm,” Emma said, pointing down in front of her. “He’s right here. Knocked the hell out and blee— Holy crap, my dad is gonna kill you!”