by M. D. Grimm
“Nope, not a bit,” Ben said.
Ciara cuddled up to his side, making faint, soothing sounds and nuzzled his arm. That only made the dam break. Travis hunched over and sobbed. Before he knew it, he was cocooned in a group hug of fox shifters. Soft chirps echoed around him as they tried to comfort him in their own way. Ugly sounds escaped him as he wailed and keened, all the agony of the past who-knew-how-long came flooding out in a tidal wave of grief and rage. Snarls sounded in his mind but his cougar made no attempt to break free. Neither did Travis. He huddled deeper under the warm bodies, letting the feeling of safety give him permission to break.
A long time later, Travis still sat on the couch and sipped water. Ciara was sent to her room, and Ben had to leave for his job. Then it was just him, Trixie, and Lenard, the fox parents on either side of him. Trixie kept a firm grip on his hand. He never wanted to let her go.
“Can you tell us anything?” she asked softly.
He blew out a breath. “I don’t know much. I don’t know who they were or their ultimate goal. We were… my family and I, we were traveling to Yellowstone to run around. You know.” He gulped more water. “There was a trap. We were cougars and someone had laid a trap. I don’t think it was intentionally for us. Just for any shifter that came along, you know?”
“Yes, we know,” Lenard said, his tone conveying more than simple practical knowledge.
Travis swallowed hard. He wanted to tell them. Needed to tell them. “They sedated us. Heavily. Nearly killed my sister, I later learned. They separated us. Then I only ever saw my family when we were in the same… exam room together. We were tortured together.”
Trixie pressed her face against his arm. Lenard set his hand on his shoulder.
“They died. One after the other they just d-died.” His breath hitched, and he pushed past another wailing fit. “I don’t know how long they had us. Then I was the last one. They blinded me with something that hurt like a bitch.”
He couldn’t stop from touching his eyes, mourning everything he’d lost.
“But you escaped?” Trixie asked.
“Yeah. The over-confident jackass tying me down did a bad job. I clawed the shit out of one of them before somehow making my way out. I guess it was a simple building, not a lot of security. Doesn’t matter. I got out. I ran. When I couldn’t keep that up, I just kept moving and found myself here.”
Silence fell for a moment.
Lenard squeezed his shoulder. “I’ve heard of some organization, a group that hates shifters. Wants us gone. They hunt us. And they, yeah, they experiment on us. Trying to figure out how we tick. They keep to the shadows. Underground, you could say. My brother… We were young and I never saw him again.”
Travis grabbed the hand on his shoulder and squeezed. Then he said the hardest words of his life. “I want to stay here with you. I want to live here. But I can’t.”
“Why not?” Trixie asked heatedly. “You’re in no condition to be on your own.”
“I have to agree,” Lenard said.
Travis shook his head. “I’m a danger to you. I don’t know where that place was that they took us, but it couldn’t have been too far. They have to be searching for me. They’ll find out where I am and I can’t—I won’t lose another family.”
“Travis—”
Travis turned and hugged Trixie tightly. She gasped and gripped him back.
“I have to go to Haven.” He wanted revenge. He thirsted for it. But he also knew he was too weak and useless to do anything about his loathing for the monsters that destroyed his family. Haven was a town founded by shifters for shifters, and the location was hidden, even from most shifters. It wasn’t on most maps or on any main road. Anyone who did know the location kept the secret tightly held unless in urgent need. His parents had known and told him and his siblings. He now had another journey ahead of him. Alone. A journey to Montana.
While part of him felt like a coward and hated himself because he felt he was running away, the other part knew it was the only logical action to take. He had no advantage over the shifter-haters, and he was vulnerable without his sight. Before he could take them on, he needed to learn how to live without that vital tool.
His parents would also have wanted him to go there. They always told their children about the town of Haven, and that if anything ever happened to them, the children were to go there. Travis considered it their dying wish.
His throat closed and he squeezed Trixie a little too hard, trying to stop the tears. He’d already shed enough tears, and no amount of crying would help him or bring them back,
Travis let go of Trixie and stood. She pounced to her feet and took his hand again.
“Fine then. If you’re going to Haven, then I’m coming with you.”
“No, Trixie—”
“I’ll make sure you get there safely and see you settled before I even think of leaving you alone. Do you honestly think I spent so much time and effort to heal you only to have you toss that out the window? Well, young man? That’s what I thought. Now, Lenard, help me pack for a long trip. I need to call work and get some time off. Ben will have to take Ciara to school…”
She trailed off and left the living room, muttering a list of things to be done.
Travis could only stand there, shocked. Lenard sighed and stood. He patted Travis’s shoulder.
“Don’t fight her. She knows what’s best. And I would feel a lot better if you had someone. You’ll find your way in this world, I don’t doubt that. But don’t rush yourself.”
“You all could be in danger—”
“We’re always in danger,” Lenard said softly, sadly. “But we can’t stop from living or helping. Come on, let’s raid Ben’s old clothes and see what else fits you.”
Helpless against such kindness, Travis followed Lenard’s lead, keeping a hand on the fox shifter’s shoulder as they walked out of the living room and down the hallway.
Chapter Three
Jack rode happily in the passenger seat of his father’s patrol vehicle. His father was Sheriff Jeffrey Ulger of Haven, Montana, and Jack knew he’d follow his father’s footsteps one day. His brother was a deputy and in the academy right now so he could run for sheriff one day himself. It was a family tradition. Someone in the Ulger family had already served as sheriff, all the way back to the town’s founding in the late 1700s. It was their duty as descendants of Imelda’s pack. Imelda the master wolf shifter.
Grinning out the window, Jack listened to the radio and the different calls as his father drove competently down the street. He’d just finished his father’s pop quiz on official procedure and aced it. He was quite smug about that.
“Hey, Dad. Looks like Mr. Ruskov is at it again.”
Jeffrey followed Jack’s gaze. “Dammit.” He slowed down before pulling alongside the curb. “That idiot is going to kill himself.”
They got out and Jack quickened his pace, knowing their routine.
“Hey, Mr. Ruskov! Let me do that for you.”
Mr. Ruskov, a Russian bear shifter of ninety-two, peered at them through thick glasses as he tried to start his lawnmower. He’d been a giant of a man in his prime but now he was bowed with age with a stubborn mind that frequently went on vacation.
“I got it, I got it,” he said with an accent thick enough to chew.
Jack kept smiling as he cautiously put his hand on the handle of the mower. “I know you do. You’d be doing me a favor. Could you help me out and make me look good for my dad?”
Mr. Ruskov glanced at the sheriff and a twinkle came into his eyes. He lifted his voice. “That is good for you to help old man.”
Jack grinned and whispered. “Thanks.”
“Good day, Mr. Ruskov,” Jeffrey said as he joined them. “How are you?”
“I am fit as tree,” he said.
Whatever that meant. Jack swallowed a laugh and started the mower. His father moved Mr. Ruskov back to his front door as Jack mowed the small patch of front lawn. Mr. Ruskov was certai
nly a character. Unfortunately, sometimes he became so agitated that he shifted and walked down main street, growling at everyone. Jack’s father would then dispatch other bear shifters to corral him back home.
After finishing, Jack also cleaned the mower and put it back in the one-car garage. Then he joined his father by the front door.
“Good lad,” Mr. Ruskov said, patting Jack painfully on the shoulder. Jack endured and kept smiling.
“He is a good lad. Should be a good sheriff one day,” Jeffrey said.
Jack’s wolf yipped in pride while Jack tried not to let his grin break his face.
“I will vote for him.”
Jack was sixteen. Mr. Ruskov wouldn’t be alive when the time came for him to run.
Jeffrey had a great poker face and simply nodded. “We appreciate your support.”
“Yes, that is good. All is good. I am to see my girl today. I am to ask her otets for marriage. He is great man in village.”
Mr. Ruskov’s wife had died twenty years earlier, before he’d moved to Haven. His children had wanted their father to live in a safe place where he could be a little crazy and no one would bat an eye at an old bear walking down the street.
“That’s wonderful. She must be a remarkable woman.”
Jack hurried ahead and opened the front door to allow his father to lead Mr. Ruksov inside. Meanwhile, Mr. Ruskov was extolling the virtues of his long-dead wife, and Jack was amused and saddened. Together, Jack and his father managed to get Mr. Ruskov settled in his favorite chair in front of the TV with food and water. Not that he would stay there for long but perhaps long enough to eat something.
Then they left and shut the front door.
“I’ll call his children later today and tell them that he needs assistance.”
Jack nodded as they returned to the patrol vehicle. While Jack enjoyed helping people, it also gave him a glimpse at some situations he didn’t want to find himself in. He hoped he wouldn’t live so long without his future mate, whoever they were.
They got back in the car and drove away. Moments later, the radio flared to life.
“Sheriff, come in. Over.” Jack’s mother, Justine, was the one to run dispatch since their normal person was out on maternity leave.
His father touched his shoulder radio. “Sheriff speaking, over.”
“Got a call from Lindy. You need to respond to new guests at the hotel. Over.”
“Affirm. Over and out.” Jeffrey stopped at a light and glanced at Jack. “Should I drop you off at the station or take you to the hotel?”
“You can trust me,” Jack said. “I won’t do anything but observe. Some on-the-job training never hurt anyone.”
Jeffrey snorted and ruffed Jack’s brown hair. “Good lad.”
Jack scowled and resituated his hair, though inside he was squirming with joy. His wolf was panting with happiness and excitement. While many teenagers bucked their parents’ authority and plan for their life, Jack had always known he wanted to continue tradition. His father was his hero, and he was jealous that his brother was older and could be deputy first. Jager always got to do everything first.
They zipped down a few streets, the life in Haven bursting at the seams. They were a modest town, hovering around ten thousand, but the diversity and color of those lives always kept things interesting. Haven was pressed up against Glacier National Park, hidden from most tourists’ eyes at the end of a nondescript dirt road that led off the local, secondary highway.
They pulled up to the only hotel in town. Modest and well-maintained, Hotel Haven was the first stop for new shifters coming to find a home. Sometimes they disappeared into Sanctuary, of which the park was only a small piece. All the parks in Montana and some that stretched into Canada and down into Wyoming were collectively called Sanctuary. And Sanctuary had its own guardian. Instead of a wolf pack, the guardian was one lone bear shifter. The Master Shifter Nordik. No one Jack knew had ever met the master shifter, but there were many legends surrounding him. There were only a handful of master shifters in the world, and they were nigh immortal. No one knew Nordik’s age, but he’d been a constant fixture in Sanctuary as far back as Haven’s history went. He was said to be an enormous white bear and would kill anyone who dared harm the shifters under his care. But no one knew what he looked like in human form. Jack’s mother had told him bedtime stories as a child about the shifter. He seemed more myth than reality. They all did, even Imelda.
Lindy had owned and run the hotel since Jack could remember, and he had no clue how old she was. She looked to be about thirty to fifty and was as spry as someone in their twenties.
They got out of the trunk.
“Stay behind me and watch for my signals.”
Jack nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Jeffrey stepped into the main lobby. “Lindy.”
Lindy smiled. “Morning, Sheriff. They haven’t been causing trouble. Just a fox and a young cougar. Strange pairing but I get the sense she’s escorting him. He’s a mite skittish so don’t you go scaring him.”
Jeffrey’s mouth twitched. “Yes, ma’am. What room?”
“Two.”
“Thanks. Jack.”
Jack hurried along after giving Lindy a smile and nod. She returned the gestures. They walked to the room down the open breezeway that faced the parking lot. Jeffrey paused and eyed Jack.
“Stay out here at first, okay? I’ll call you to come in if I think it’s safe.”
“But Lindy said—”
“Jack. You know the rules of observation and listening to your commanding officer.”
Jack swallowed an impatient sigh. “Yes, sir.”
Jeffrey knocked, politely and without aggression. A moment past before a petite woman answered. She wore plain clothes and had the most beautiful golden skin. Her hair was a fiery red, and her eyes were a bright hazel. He smelled fox, which made sense, given her appearance and twitchiness.
“Yes, hello?” She bit her lower lip and twisted her hands together.
Jeffrey smiled and pushed back his cowboy hat to reveal more of his face. “Good day, ma’am. I’m Sheriff Ulger. Welcome to Haven. I just wanted to stop by and check in and see if I can help you with anything.”
“Oh, um. Well…” She trailed off when she spotted Jack.
Jack smiled, hoping to reassure.
“This is my son, Jack. He happened to be on a ride-along when I learned of your visit.”
“Oh.” She visibly calmed and smiled. “Hi Jack. Hi Sheriff. You, uh, caught us off guard. We didn’t expect to gain the attention of the sheriff himself.”
Jeffrey kept his smile polite and nodded. “I’m sure you can understand that my job is to make sure all my citizens are safe.”
“Of course! Absolutely. Will you come in?”
“Thank you.” He gestured for Jack to follow, which thrilled him. Jack stepped inside and shut the door. Trixie and her companion hadn’t been there long, their bags weren’t even unpacked. He scanned the room and quickly spotted the other occupant.
A boy about his age sat in a chair at the small table. He wore large sunglasses and there was a long, thin pole lying on the table. His hair was short, blond, and his skin was pale, but the sort of pale that came with a long sickness. His clothes appeared to sag a bit on his broad frame, giving him a sort of deflated appearance. Jack and his wolf were curious, and he sniffed the air, trying to be inconspicuous.
Cougar.
Why was he wearing shades inside?
“My name is Trixie,” the fox shifter said. “This is Travis. I was just escorting him here. He, uh, has no family, you see. I was just making sure he gets here safely.”
Jack was certain his father saw more than he did, simply by the advantage of experience. Jeffrey’s nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed slightly. His smile stayed in place, however.
“Travis, I’m Sheriff Ulger.”
“I know,” Travis said. “I heard your introduction. I don’t want to cause trouble. I just want some peace.”<
br />
The bite in his tone had Jeffrey raising an eyebrow.
“He’s had a rough time,” Trixie said into the tense silence. “Rougher than anyone should have to endure.”
“I’d like to know more about that.”
Travis’s mouth twisted. Trixie appeared torn and Jeffrey had lost his smile. Jack looked from one to the other, wondering what would happen next.
“Tell him,” Travis said a moment later, tone strained. “Go ahead and tell him, Trixie. I just can’t.”
“Okay, sweetie. Okay.”
“Let’s step outside,” Jeffrey said. “We’ll leave the door open. Jack, stay here.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jeffrey followed Trixie outside, and Jack fought the urge to eavesdrop. He turned back to Travis who hadn’t moved an inch.
“Hey. Well, like you heard, I’m Jack and the sheriff is my dad. Welcome to Haven.”
“Some welcome,” Travis said. “Having the sheriff turn up on our doorstep before we have a chance to pee because he thinks we’re criminals.”
Jack was taken aback at the hostility. “Uh, no, that’s not it. We just wanted to meet you, get to know you. Confirm you’re no danger. You get that, right?”
Travis snorted. Then he yanked off his shades, and Jack sucked in a breath, stumbling back a step. By Phoenix. What happened to him? What once had been blue eyes were now a patchwork of burst red blood vessels and milky white irises, the skin around them angry and red and scarred. It was truly an ugly and horrifying view. Jack gulped.
Travis shoved the shades on again and leaned back in his chair, as if at ease. Jack noted the tension, the bunched muscles, as if he was ready to pounce.
“I’m not a danger to anyone but myself,” Travis said. He fingered the thin pole or, rather, cane on the table.
“Wh-what happened to you?”
Travis slowly stood, and he towered over Jack by almost a foot. His eyebrows bunched and he clenched his cane. “None of your fucking business.”
Jack stared, speechless. Then he managed to say, “I just want to help.”
“I don’t need help. I can figure things out on my own. Thanks.”
