Shawn Spring Shifter Seasons

by Raines, Harmony

  “Bad man.” Joanna frowned. “Do you think she was referring to the mayor?”

  “No. Why would she?” Samantha shook her head. “I think she was listening to what I was saying and thought the man that attacked the mayor was a bad man. Or she might not have said anything at all. Which is why I kept quiet.”

  “But then she spoke again.” Joanna’s mind raced. Who was the man who approached the mayor and what did he mean?

  “Yes. That’s when she said, ‘testers.’” Now that Samantha had started talking, it seemed she was ready to blab about it all. “Now, she definitely said that. I’ve been paying particular attention since that first time. Just so that I could prove to myself that I wasn’t crazy.”

  “And she said nothing else. Just testers? Nothing before or after it?” Joanna wanted to be absolutely certain she had all the information.

  “That’s it.” Samantha nodded.

  “And no one else has ever heard her talk?” Joanna asked.

  “If they have, no one had ever reported it. And anyway, I am the only person who sees her on a regular basis. The days I’m not here there is a random selection of nurses that cover my shift.” Samantha half-smiled. “I like to think that if Penelope was going to talk to anyone it would be me. We’re friends. Even if it’s a one-way situation.”

  “Thanks, Samantha. You’ve been a great help.” Joanna backed away toward the door. “Could you let me back inside, please?”

  “Sure.” Samantha walked to the door then hesitated. “You won’t tell anyone about the bad man, will you? I mean I can’t be sure that was what she said.”

  “No, that will stay between us. I promise.” Although, she did intend to share the information with Shawn, but he didn’t really count since he would keep the same promise.

  “I hope she wakes up.” Samantha’s bottom lip trembled as she punched the security code into the keypad and pulled open the door. “Although, I will miss her.”

  “She’s missed out on a lot of her life, though, hasn’t she?” Joanna followed the nurse inside.

  “Yes. And the sad thing is she doesn’t have any real family. The only person who comes to visit her is the older lady, the one who looks fierce. Although, someone has started to bring her flowers. Perhaps she had a secret lover who couldn’t bear to see her until now,” Samantha mused as they walked back toward Yvette’s room.

  “The roses?” Joanna kept the excitement from her voice.

  “Yes. A couple of months ago.” She sighed. “It’s like Sleeping Beauty.”

  “The flowers, have you ever actually seen who brings them?” Joanna looked up as they rounded the corner. Shawn was waiting outside of Yvette’s room, his face pale. This had been a tough day for him. For both of them.

  “No. They’re just there when I come into work in the morning.” Samantha stopped walking and hugged herself as she searched Joanna’s face for answers.

  “And they are not from the older lady?” Joanna asked.

  “Oh, maybe they are.” Samantha sounded disappointed at the most plausible answer. “But she doesn’t seem the flower type. And why start bringing them now?”

  “Thank you, Samantha.” Joanna handed the nurse a card. “If you think of anything else or Penelope says anything else...” She gave a brief smile. “Or Penelope’s mystery admirer comes to visit. Please, give me a call.”

  “I will. No problem.” Samantha walked off looking happier now that she’d shared her secret. Or perhaps she was busy dreaming up secret admirers for Yvette.

  Perhaps it’s time we went for a run and let go of some tension, her wolf suggested.

  That is the best idea I’ve heard all day.

  Chapter Fifteen – Shawn

  “Did you get anything new from Samantha?” Shawn asked as they walked across the parking lot to the car.

  “I did.” Joanna glanced back at the hospital. “Although, I have no idea if it’s of any use.”

  “What did she say?” Shawn asked as they got in the car and he buckled his seatbelt. He couldn’t wait to get away from this place. He needed to process everything that had happened.

  Somehow, he needed to learn to live with the prospect that their investigation might lead to him losing Jane.

  “She said that a couple of weeks ago Yvette spoke. She said, ‘bad man.’” Joanna inserted the key in the ignition and started the engine.

  “Bad man.” Shawn’s face paled and he covered his mouth with his hand. “Do you think someone at the hospital is hurting Yvette?” Bile rose in his throat.

  “No.” Joanna shook her head. “No.”

  “Then what?”

  “Samantha talks to Yvette. I mean, she talks to her about everything going on in her life. Including telling her about a date she went on. It was to a campaign rally hosted by our favorite mayor.” Joanna arched an eyebrow. “What if hearing his name acted like a trigger?”

  “That’s what prompted Yvette to wake up?” Shawn asked.

  “Yes. Maybe?” Joanna shrugged. “I have no real idea. But it makes some kind of sense.” She leaned forward and rested her forehead on the steering wheel. “I don’t know. We have no real idea about what made her brain start working again. It’s all just guesswork. If only Yvette would wake up and tell us.”

  “She might.” Shawn placed his hand on Joanna’s back and rubbed around and around in a circle, trying to soothe Joanna’s anxiety. “I have an idea.”

  “What?” His mate turned her head and looked at him, her eyes bright with tears.

  “Why don’t we go to the hotel and dump our stuff. We can grab a bite to eat and then go for a run through the forest.” He nodded toward the large wooded area surrounding the hospital. “As long as we are careful, no one will see us.”

  “I agree. That sounds like an amazing idea. I need to get out of my head and think this through.” Joanna drove the car out of the parking lot, heading to the hotel they’d booked into before they left Cougar Ridge.

  We’re going to run together? Shawn’s cougar asked.

  Yeah, we all need some downtime. Shawn grinned to himself as his feline side immediately sat down and began grooming himself. You missed a bit.

  Funny, his cougar said as he licked his paw and then rubbed it over his whiskers.

  “What’s so funny?” Joanna gave him a sidelong glance as she drove back toward the nearest town, following the instructions on her GPS.

  “My cougar is preening himself. He can’t wait to meet you.” He grinned. “And the other side of you.”

  “My wolf is equally excited. Even though you are a cat.” She grinned, looking more relaxed already. “They should get along great. Although, my wolf is incredibly competitive and thinks she’ll outrun your cougar easily.”

  “Is that a challenge?” Shawn asked. It was good to see his mate happy. She’d been preoccupied with their visit to the hospital to see Yvette since Fiona had first suggested it.

  This whole situation must dredge up all the pain and loss surrounding her dad, his cougar commented as he licked his tail, grabbing the twitching end between his paws to keep it still.

  Then it’s our duty to take her mind off it all. We can take a break, let go of the tension, and then come back relaxed and refreshed. Shawn knew only too well how pressure could make it impossible to think straight.

  “It might be a challenge.” Joanna arched an eyebrow as she turned off the road and parked the car in the hotel parking lot. “Are you up for it?”

  “I am.” He nodded as he got out of the car. “But food first.”

  “I am starving.” Joanna slammed the car door closed and then paused, her hand resting on top of the car. “Can you imagine what it must be like being in a coma for so long? No food. Not real food.”

  “I don’t want to ever find out. And I just hope that Yvette one day wakes up and gets to eat, and drink, and laugh again.” His mouth drooped at the corners. “I’d like to thank her for whatever she did for Jane.”

  “Hey.” Joanna came around
the car and hooked her arm in his. “All you have to remember is that Jane is safe.”

  “But she might not have been. If it wasn’t for Yvette, she might have wound up dead somewhere. Or worse. The more I think about it, the more it seems like the most reasonable explanation is that Jane was going to be sold and Yvette took her to save her.” He raked his hand through his hair. “There has to be something we can do to help Yvette.”

  “There is. For now, we go and check in, eat, and then go for that run you promised me. After that, we spend the evening going through the files my boss is sending over. Together we might just be able to figure out what Yvette meant.” Her brows knitted together. “It must mean something,” she murmured to herself rather than to Shawn.

  “If it does, we’ll figure it out.” He nodded with conviction. There was a reason the two of them had been brought together now. He was certain of it.

  Joanna kissed his cheek and then let go of his arm as she opened the car door and took her overnight bag from the back seat. Shawn retrieved his too and then they walked hand in hand to the hotel reception desk where they were greeted by a young receptionist.

  After checking in, they went to their room and freshened up before going down to the hotel restaurant and ordering food. While they ate, they made small talk as if it were an unwritten rule that they wouldn’t talk about Yvette until after their run.

  However, they might not talk about the woman lying in the coma, but Shawn could not help thinking about her. What had she seen that night? What did she know that had triggered the brutal attack on her? How had she survived and carried baby Jane to safety?

  So many unanswered questions, his cougar said.

  And they will remain unanswered until Yvette wakes up. Shawn ate the last piece of his steak and chewed it in silence.

  “Do you want dessert?” Joanna asked, her voice pulling him out of his reverie.

  “Only you.” He gave her a lopsided grin.

  “Then let’s go.” She drank the rest of her soda and stood up. “I want to run until my lungs feel like they are going to burst.”

  Shawn chuckled as he left a tip for their server and followed his mate out of the restaurant. “We should drive out of town and then head toward the forest. I’d like to find a secluded spot where there aren’t many hikers.”

  “That sounds good.” Joanna looked skyward. “Although, since it looks like rain, we might have the forest mostly to ourselves.” She threw a glance over her shoulder. “Your kitty cat isn’t afraid of a little water, is he?”

  “My kitty cat is just fine with water.” He wrinkled his nose. “Your wolf doesn’t smell like a wet dog, does she?”

  “And what if she does?” Joanna countered smoothly. “Are you going to pick a fight over it?”

  “Oh, no,” he held up his hands in surrender. “No fighting. Cats and dogs can get along.”

  “We’ll see.” She laughed playfully and kissed his cheek before running around to the driver’s side of the car and getting in. As Shawn slipped into the seat next to her, the first big spot of rain splattered on the windshield. “I told ya.”

  “When we get back, we can snuggle under the covers and shut the world out.” Shawn buckled his seatbelt. “Just for one night.”

  “Just for one night. Our night.” Her smile melted his heart and his thigh muscles tightened, while his pants suddenly seemed too small in the groin area. If it weren’t for the mutinous growl of his cougar, who read his thoughts and objected strongly, he’d tell Joanna to turn the car around and go back to the hotel.

  Hot chocolate in bed with his mate sounded like a fine idea.

  His cougar snarled and raised his paw, his claws extended as he shook his head.

  Don’t worry. I think we all need to go for a run first, Shawn assured his cougar.

  “Is your wolf giving you a hard time at the idea of us going back to the hotel for hot chocolate?” Shawn asked.

  Joanna nodded. “Yeah, she’s going for a run. Otherwise, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

  “Seems as though your wolf and my cougar have a lot in common after all.” He grinned as the last of the houses disappeared behind them and they drove along a winding road that took them deeper into the forest. “Wow. This is an amazing place.”

  He ducked his head and looked up at the branches of the trees above their heads. It was early spring, the leaves on the trees were just about to fully erupt and everything looked new, as if the world were waking from the long sleep of winter.

  “I like it here.” She flashed him a smile. “Maybe this is better than a nice hotel room.”

  In answer to that, a fresh shower of large raindrops splattered across the windshield and Joanna switched the windshield wipers on. They slid across the glass, smearing the raindrops before they cleaned off the dust from the road accumulated on their journey here.

  Perhaps the rain would wash away some of his fears just as it washed away the dirt and grime from the windshield.

  Let it go for a few hours, his cougar told him. Let’s live in the moment since there is nothing we can do to change the past or the future.

  “Is this a good place?” Shawn asked, pointing to a narrow trail that led from the road to a parking area under the trees.

  Joanna slowed the car and looked around, her eyes a little unfocused. “I can’t sense anyone nearby, can you?”

  “No.” Shawn’s blood pumped through his veins, his excitement rising as Joanna steered the car off the road and down the bumpy trail. She quickly parked the car and got out. Shawn was by her side in a heartbeat, his cougar desperate to be free and running side by side with her wolf.

  “Maybe we should go deeper into the forest.” She inclined her head toward a narrow trail leading into the denser trees and grabbed his hand before he had a chance to answer.

  Yes, his cougar said. The answer is yes. Lead the way.

  She can’t hear you, Shawn told his cougar.

  Soon she’ll hear me, his cougar replied. She’ll hear my purr like a happy kitty.

  Oh, dear, Shawn said with a laugh. Our relationship is doomed. But he laughed at his cougar, happy to hear him so full of joy.

  “This’ll do.” Joanna let go of his hand and shifted before his eyes.

  Shawn ran forward a couple of steps and then released his cougar. The long, lithe feline sprang forward, tail swishing as he ran after the nimble wolf.

  Joanna’s wolf was a dark gray with white tips on her thick fur. When she turned to look at the cougar following behind, her eyes flashed green, the color of the new leaves on the trees surrounding them.

  Shawn’s cougar rushed forward, his strides longer than the wolf’s but he didn’t race in front, he had a feeling the wolf could run faster if she wanted and didn’t want her to prove that by running away from him. He liked her right here by his side.

  They followed the trail as it wound through the trees, wolf and cougar together, moving as if they were one. One body, one mind. So attuned to each other that they matched each other’s strides, each breath, it didn’t matter that they were not the same species, canine or feline, none of that mattered as they crested a small rise and looked down on the forest below.

  Shawn’s cougar’s whole body thrilled to be in the presence of his mate. Swinging his head around, he brushed his face against her soft fur and inhaled deeply. The scent of the forest, pine and damp dirt, mixed with the musky smell of wolf.

  A small, dull rumble started in his chest, growing louder as he nuzzled the wolf. Shawn’s cougar purred loudly as the wolf turned and licked its broad golden-haired head as the late afternoon sun broke through the clouds and shone down on them.

  In that moment, Shawn realized how truly blessed he was. If only Yvette could be so blessed. If only she could wake from her coma and find true happiness. The same true happiness she’d unknowingly given Shawn by saving baby Jane from whatever fate she was destined for.

  The wolf turned and nipped his shoulder, a wolfish smile on her face before
she leaped sideways and sprinted off through the trees. The race was on and Shawn’s cougar was determined to win.

  Chapter Sixteen – Joanna

  “That was fun.” Joanna’s cheeks flushed pink as excitement threaded through her veins. Running through the forest with Shawn had been exhilarating to her wolf and that thrill had passed on to her human form.

  “It was.” Shawn pulled open the hotel lobby door and held it for her.

  He’s a gentleman, her wolf was practically drooling over their mate.

  You and Shawn’s cougar seemed to get along well, Joanna remarked as she darted into the lobby.

  We’re made for each other. Her wolf yawned widely. Now I’m ready for a nap.

  As they made their way across the lobby toward the elevator, her phone beeped. “Maybe that’s my boss sending the information I requested.”

  “Good timing.” Shawn smiled easily but she sensed he would rather they’d had no distractions for an hour or so.

  Joanna sighed. He was probably as hyped up as she was. The thrill of running with his mate through the forest would have ignited a primal need to mate. It certainly had in Joanna.

  But the files were important. The whole reason they were here at the hotel was that Yvette needed their help. Fiona needed their help. So too did any other innocent person caught up in whatever criminal activity Yvette had stumbled upon.

  It might be way back in the past, her wolf said. You might be hunting ghosts.

  It’s not the past when a young woman is still paying the price for what happened to her, Joanna said a little too sharply, her good mood slipping away.

  Her wolf huffed but nodded in agreement. Someone should pay. But there is no need to rush into anything. Take your time. Get it right.

  When do I not get it right? Joanna asked.

  Maybe I should rephrase that, her wolf replied. Don’t get it wrong. Her wolf gave Shawn a sidelong glance. Don’t neglect what is right in front of you, what is real, for a mystery that might take time to unravel.

  Joanna sighed once more and put her phone back in her pocket. “It can wait.”

  The elevator doors opened, and they stepped inside. Shawn turned around to face the lobby and punched the number four. The doors slid closed, leaving them shut off from the world for a few minutes as the elevator jerked and then began to climb to their floor. The floor where their rented room was. With its wonderfully big bed…