The Truth in Love: A Zodiac Shifters Paranormal Romance: Virgo

by K. C. Stewart

  The Truth in Love

  A Zodiac Shifters Paranormal Romance: Virgo

  K.C. Stewart

  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

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Also by K.C. Stewart

  The Truth in Love by K.C. Stewart

  © 2017 by K.C. Stewart.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Design © Ravenborn Book Cover Design

  Editing by: Dare to Dream Editing

  Created with Vellum

  One

  Virgo’s 6 word motto: I rely on my damn self.

  thezodiaccity.com

  * * *

  "Are you sure you don't want me to hang around today?"

  Emilie was forced to strain her smile again. He really wasn't taking the hint.

  "You go hunting with your father, Bobby. I'm sick, not dying."

  Bobby held her hands securely in his and looked at her as if she was his goddess. His dark curls were hidden beneath a bright orange cap, the ends sticking out near his temples. The camo jacket he wore swished with every movement. All Emilie could think was that he was going to scare away all the deer wearing material like that. But his father was determined to make a man out him. A 'real man,' as he put it. One who hunted and provided for his family. Emilie thought it was a lost cause. He wasn't an outdoorsman, he was a Realtor who collected old cameras, but who was she to judge. Maybe he was on to something, maybe shooting a deer would awaken some kind of manly instinct in him.

  She wouldn't hold her breath, though.

  "But you'll call if you need anything, anything at all."

  For god's sake! Just go.

  Her fiancé, Bobby, was a very sweet man, he took care of her, loved and cherished her, but sometimes his hovering was out of control. He'd been on the fence about hunting with his father ever since she told him last night she wasn't feeling well and called off work. To be fair, he hadn’t wanted to go in the first place and was looking for any excuse not to go.

  Emilie was entirely capable of taking care of herself, sick or otherwise. And right now, it was otherwise. She wasn't actually sick. She saw an opportunity to have the house to herself for the day and took it. Emilie was in need of a lazy day in her fur. It had been weeks since her last shift into her bear.

  Bobby, bless his heart, was always around. Always.

  "I will call. Have fun today. I'm just going to sleep."

  He smiled warmly at her, which made her feel slightly guilty for lying to him. Bobby kissed her forehead and after a small caress of her cheek, he was gone.

  Finally.

  Emilie waited ten minutes before getting up. Bobby tended to forget things and have to run back home. At this point, if he forgot something he was too far away to care or turn back.

  The morning was a beautiful one. The air had finally turned cold and the leaves had all but abandoned their trees, Emilie found the skeleton forest to be hauntingly beautiful. A few days ago, they had gotten some pretty bad storms that knocked all the changing colors off the trees. Even without it, fall was her favorite season. She tended to run hot because of her bear blood but in the fall and winter that didn't matter.

  Emilie pulled the tie from her hair and shook out her long brown hair. She walked barefoot onto the frigid deck out back and slid the door closed. The sun had not risen but the sky was beginning to lighten just the slightest. She wiggled free of her light cotton pants and pulled her t-shirt up over her head. It was around freezing, the early fall had been a warm one and seemed to delay the start of winter. But since those storms hit, the cold had finally come to chill her toes.

  The air burned her lungs as she drew in a deep breath. She started her shift, a process that took a minute or two. Her brown bear was a small one but it still took massive amounts of energy. Unlike most people who closed their eyes as they shifted and wished for it to pass quickly, Emilie loved to watch the world blur away as she connected with her other half.

  "Emilie? Darling?" Bobby's voice rang across her senses. She turned her head to the door and watched as Bobby came through. Shock widened his eyes at the sight of a bear in his backyard. In a fumble, he raised his rifle.

  There wasn't much left of her that he could see. She was all but shifted into her bear. Bobby's eyes darted from the bear to the pile of clothes at her feet. The fear coming off of him was palatable and increased twofold when he recognized Emilie's clothing. He adjusted the rifle against his shoulder. For having limited experience with a gun, he looked pretty confident holding one. "What did you do to her?" he asked, with more anger than she had ever heard in him before.

  She scooted away from the clothes toward the trees in the back. "Emilie!" he yelled, his rifle still trained on the bear but his shaking hands kept the barrel moving. "Emilie, where are you?"

  With every step, the life she knew was ending. There was no explaining this to Bobby. No "I turn into a bear, sweetie," conversation. Bobby was sweet and innocent; monsters didn't live in his world. Bear transforming fiancés didn't live in his world.

  Emilie watched the shake in his hands grow stronger. The barrel of the gun darted around and was making her uneasy. She turned and began to lope off into the woods. She'd hang nearby and see what he did. Maybe she could convince him that she had left to go get some medicine. Maybe...

  A loud shot echoed through the mountains. A sharp bite of a bullet hit her back leg. Looking back over her shoulder she saw him cock his gun and aim again.

  Emilie roared. She couldn't believe the bastard shot her. She stood there breathing over the pain staring at the wound. She didn't think he had that in him. Actually, she was a little bit impressed.

  "You killed her!" he yelled.

  Hunting a deer wouldn’t harden him but shooting a bear that he believed to have eaten his girlfriend was the golden ticket. His dad was going to be so proud.

  This time, she didn't move slowly. She ran into the forest, her back leg burning where the bullet shredded her muscle. When the next shot rang out a moment later, it hit a tree instead of her chest.

  Ok, now she was getting mad.

  Emilie didn't stick around to see where he tried to shoot her next. She ran.

  "Hello?"

  "Oh big brother it is so good to hear your voice." Emile's shoulders sank with relief. For two days she'd been trying to reach her twin. It was a bit hard as a bear to find a phone, but she had collected enough change to make a call. And by "collected," she meant that she knocked over a vending machine and grabbed the change.

  When he didn't answer the first time she wanted to strangle him. Emilie continued her way south towards Westlin, New York where her brother live
d but it would take her a few days to walk it. And since he didn't pick up his phone, it looked like she would be making that trek on foot.

  "Emilie," Dean said with affection "I was wondering when I was going to hear from you. Did you know that you are dead?"

  She groaned. It had been three days since Bobby shot her. Emilie bandaged herself up the best she could with a first aid kit raided from the local wolf pack's stash. They wouldn't mind...much. But her leg was swelling and it was making it hard to shift.

  "So you heard?"

  "Oh yes. Bobby called here with the devastating news that my baby sister, who I love and adore was no longer one of the living. Attacked by a bear," he said, his voice thick with amusement. "That's the official line. She was attacked and eaten by a bear. Idiots. I hope you are out of there."

  "I am, Dean. I'm heading your way."

  "I figured. I'll work on getting you a place set up."

  The shitty part of all this was that she had left everything at home. Clothes, credit cards, cell phone. Everything was sitting back with Bobby. Emilie had a tough time scavenging change to make a call, but what was even harder was finding a pay phone she could use while standing naked and not be seen. That was near impossible. Emilie, though, was known for her tenacity. If she wanted something done, she figured out a way make it happen.

  "Could you get my stuff back before he gets rid of it all?" Or worse, his sisters and mother ransack it.

  "Of course. I told him I'd be up today or tomorrow. Since today is out and I have confirmed that you were not eaten by one of us, I'll head on up there tomorrow."

  Emilie huddled into herself. She needed to shift back or risk catching a cold. The wind was brutal today. "Thank you. Make sure you get my computer and day planner."

  He snorted. "Can't have you going without your precious planner now can we?"

  "Shut up and get my stuff." She'd hit him the next time she saw him.

  "Bye Em. I love you," he laughed mockingly.

  "Love you too."

  When she hung up, she looked around to make sure no one had seen her before darting back towards the trees with a limp. No one had peeked their heads out of their room or pulled up to the dingy motel. Only one room had a car out front, which was lucky for her since she was naked.

  When she was safe within the boundaries of the forest, Emilie shifted again. Living this way, as a bear, wasn't something she minded doing. She and Dean used to go for weeks in the summer, when school was out, as bears. Life was easy then. She didn't have a fiancé shooting at her.

  After a mile, her leg began to burn. The bullet had gone straight through, which was the good news. The bad news was that it had become infected. Now her leg was warm to the touch and ached with every step. It was going to slow her down, that was for sure. But at this point, she didn't have any other option but to move forward.

  It was a good thing that she liked solitude or these next two days would be absolutely horrible.

  Two

  Sometimes a Virgo doesn’t even bother arguing back because they know they’re right and don’t need to prove shit to anyone.

  thezodiacmind.com

  * * *

  There would be no changing back to bear after this next shift. Emilie's leg had only gotten worse and right now she was thankful for the three good legs her bear had. The ache in her muscles screamed almost as loud as Emilie did when cursing Bobby's name after each step.

  Why did he need to grow a pair now? What happened to the man who fed the chipmunks out of his hand in the summer, hmmm? He was basically a male version of Snow White. Because of this, his reputation was ruined. She’d personally go back there and sit in the woods to scare away any and all animals from the backyard for the rest of his life.

  Dean's house was smack dab in the middle of the Adirondack Park between the towns of Andora and Westlin. He had no neighbors and only had to share the territory with the Adirondack Wolf Pack. All in all, it was a pretty sweet gig. From what she had heard, the wolves were good with sharing and Dean was so laid back that nothing really bothered him.

  Ten years prior they had done this same exact thing with Dean as the runaway bear. Dean's girlfriend caught him shifting. Emilie had been there and hit her over the head with a branch. When she woke up, she found a note telling her that he was leaving. At the time he had lived in Oregon, he came home with Emilie and they searched until they found a space not occupied by any other bear. Just because Dean was easy going, didn't mean he wasn't territorial. Dean was hell on any Were not in the pack, who was found on his land.

  Because of this added security, the Adirondack Pack welcomed him. The old Alpha, Jett, had heard of their search and offered up some land. The pack had since gone to his son, but the treaty was still the same.

  Emilie went to the back door, her back left leg all but dragging behind her. There was a note taped for her there.

  Em,

  Got you a place. 145 B Juniper Street. Westlin. Key is where it always is. Let me know when you get in and I'll be by with your stuff and a bear hug.

  Can't wait to see you.

  Dean

  The deep rumble of her groan sounded more like a growl. How the hell was she supposed to get around town as a bear or a naked woman? The least he could have done was left some clothes out for her. Sometimes she worried about the males of her species.

  No, scratch that. The males of ALL species.

  With her paw, she made a print on the note so he'd know she arrived...because she was the considerate one in the family and she had no phone.

  Thankfully, Westlin was closer than Andora. Emilie got herself just inside the town limits before shifting back to human. It was a slow and agonizing shift. The infected leg fought the change. It took ten minutes and passing out only once before she was fully shifted. Emilie lay propped up against a tree, her chest hammering with unanswered breath, her head heavy with fever. She whimpered as she looked down at her leg. Her thigh was twice its normal size, bright red and leaking puss from the puckered bullet hole.

  Once Dean came over she'd be requesting a ride to the hospital.

  Emilie limped along through people's backyards. The town was small and even in the borough, the yards were large and full of trees. There was just enough covering for her to get by unseen. Her place was a house that sat far back on the property. There was a lot of tree cover so that she couldn't see the road or any neighbors.

  Just the thought of being warm, dry and having a bed made her want to cry. The last few days had been a special kind of hell. But last night had been a waxing moon, a beautiful crescent that gave her hope.

  "Alright new beginnings, show me what you've got."

  Emilie ran as quickly as she could up the porch and to the door on the left. Key was above the far left window. She used it to unlock the door and deadbolt, and slipped inside.

  The pups had done a good job. Carter was impressed that the paint he bought actually made it on to the walls and only the walls. This apartment had been empty for almost six months now. The place had needed some freshening up. He wasn't sure when his new tenant would be arriving but her brother said it would be any day now.

  The vagueness of it all did not elude him.

  There was an hour before he had to be at the station and he figured now was as good a time as any to make sure the electric worked, the water was turned on and to make sure those pups hadn't ruined the place. Seems like the call he'd make to the alpha later would contain some praise.

  Carter was in the kitchen checking the cabinets in case something had been left behind when the front door opened and slammed shut. He reached for his side arm but came up empty. He hadn't put on his belt for work yet. Nor did he have his boot knife or the one he wore on a chain around his neck.

  He stepped carefully across the kitchen, his boots soundless as he went. From the other room, he could hear the heavy panting of someone. An agonizing cry came from what he assumed was a female. The pitch was too high for a male. Carter leaned a shou
lder against the wall and quickly ducked his head out to get a look.

  A naked woman had her back pressed against the door. Her left leg was bent so that only her toes touched the floor. Even from there he could smell the acrid scent of infection.

  He also smelled fur.

  Carter leaned back against the wall. His tenant's name was Emilie Williams. He was going to take a wild guess and say that the naked woman in the living room was her. Considering who her brother was, he was also going to deduce that she was a bear shifter.

  At her next whimper, he turned the corner. The woman's eyes lit up in surprise at seeing someone in the house. Her hands immediately went to cover herself. Carter walked out into the room, his steps creating an echo on the hard wood in the nearly empty room. Now that he could see her fully, he could tell she had been living in the wild for some time. Dirt covered the majority of her tan skin, her nail beds were outlined with a thick ring of brown. Although her hips were full, she looked malnourished, the ridges of her ribs showing through a little too prominently for his liking. The bullet wound in her leg was severely infected and that made it priority number one. Tenant or not, this woman needed help.

  "I take it you're my new tenant?" he asked, stopping a few feet from her. "Emilie, right?"

  The woman swallowed and nodded her head. Having been caught without his fur or his clothes before, he knew the rampage her mind was going on trying to figure out what she would say to get her out of this situation.

  "Don't worry," he said with a smile. "I'm a wolf."

  With that, all the fight went out of her. Emilie exhaled with such extent that he thought she might collapse. "Oh my god, that is the best news I've heard in days."

  Carter went to her and grabbed under her elbow to help keep her upright. "Let's sit and I'll take a look."

  She tried to brush away his help but faltered after just one step.