by Crissy Smith
She’d get it. She could. All she had to do was keep her eye on…
“Annabelle!”
She yowled in surprise. She hadn’t meant to get distracted.
“I know,” he said.
With one last head-butt to his knee, Annabelle took off at a sprint across the yard. At night, the northern California temperature dropped, but she wasn’t feeling the cold. Instead, as she ran, her muscles heated and the feeling of freedom soared inside her. She didn’t head directly to her tree. Instead, she sped past it, farther into the woods.
She knew better than to wander too far. In a town full of shifters, she wasn’t one who’d fight some of the bigger predators. While conflict was unusual, Annabelle had to be careful. She wasn’t as powerful as some of the others and she knew it. While they remained aware and still had human sensibilities while shifted, their animal instincts were stronger in that state. There’d been times when a shifter had let their animal nature take over, causing problems.
As she zigzagged between the trees, Annabelle had to keep her senses open and aware of her surroundings. It helped that she lived with several shifters who were considered large predators, Mac in particular. A grizzly bear shifter, Mac had gone toe-to-toe with numerous other shifters and had always come out on top. Not without injuries, but he was a formable opponent. His scent surrounded her, marking her as off limits.
Annabelle circled around, heading closer to the bar. Slowing down, she enjoyed the quietness of the forest around her. The full canopies of the trees hid the moon, allowing only small slivers to shine through. The damp ground cushioned her paws as she stepped carefully around twigs and fallen branches. It was such a beautiful night.
Maybe she would sleep in her tree, after all.
She’d made a sort of nest on one of the wide branches, against the trunk. After a bad day, or when the loneliness threatened to swamp her, she took refuge up high, where few could reach her in either human or shifter form.
The sound of a shotgun booming had Annabelle dropping low.
There weren’t supposed to be any hunters in the area. The forest was a protected national park, the reason why it was safe for them to shift there.
When shifters had announced their presence and come out to the world, the hunting laws had become strict to ensure that shifters were not hunted down. Several humans had fought against the new regulations, but the government had been adamant that all shifters be protected, even in their animal form. In Annabelle’s opinion, the new guidelines had been the best thing about the shifter announcement. Still, people could be stupid and that included hunting where they shouldn’t.
She needed to get out of the way.
There was no doubt Trent and some of the others would have also heard the gunfire. Since Trent knew she was out, he’d come after her, and she didn’t want anyone hurt on her behalf.
Staying as low to the ground as possible, she started to crawl toward the big round tree trunk just in front of her.
Another shot, and this time it seemed to be closer.
Ignoring the trembling she couldn’t control, Annabelle scrambled forward faster. While she was quick as a feline, she couldn’t take the chance of popping out of cover until she reached the tree and could go up. Not knowing who was out in the woods with her, Annabelle had to use her brain and not let instinct take over.
Relief flooded her when she felt rough bark against her paw. She just needed to go up. She jerked her head at the rustling coming up behind her. Three scents, and they were human. She wanted to snarl and growl, but that would give away her position.
“I’m telling you,” a small, skinny, redheaded young man said. “I saw it. It looked like a cheetah or something. Just smaller.”
Annabelle almost scoffed. She didn’t look anything like a cheetah. Dumb humans.
The big, round, bald human slapped the redhead on the back. “You probably saw a fox or something, son.”
Now she was really offended. She actually wanted to run at them so they got a good look at her. However, that would be a very bad idea. Not with those big guns in their hands.
“Do you think we scared it away?” the youngest, a black-haired teenager asked.
“I told you not to shoot until you had it in the crosshairs of your scope,” Baldy said.
“Sorry, Dad,” the redheaded man replied. “I got excited.”
Enough was enough. Annabelle was irritated and pissed off. If she didn’t do something, her family would come searching for her and they might come in shifted form.
She couldn’t climb from her spot—the angle would give her away to the humans. If she moved, they might see her. Stuck, she went through her options. She could make a break for it. It seemed like at least two of the humans weren’t marksmen, but the bald man might be. If she began the transformation, she’d be vulnerable if they didn’t know what she was doing. Crap. She didn’t know what to do.
“Let me see the flashlight,” Baldy demanded.
A steak of light landed right on her.
“Holy shit!” the redhead shouted. “I told you.” He lifted his rifle and Annabelle had to act.
Using her back legs, she launched herself at the tree and started to climb. Her claws scored the rough bark as she scrambled up, using the branches and leaves as cover.
Several birdshot shotgun rounds thudded in her wake.
She yelped when a pellet or ricochet hit her back leg. No, no, no. She couldn’t get killed by a bunch of moronic humans.
Annabelle’s foot slipped on a branch and she cried out, barely catching herself.
“There! Up there!” someone called.
The humans fired several more times.
Finding a small opening, Annabelle dove for it. She wedged herself in, hoping it would hide her. She was high enough that as long as the humans didn’t have a direct shot, she should be okay.
The loud, long growl that shook the entire area around her was both a relief and filled her with terror. Mac was coming and he’d be coming in as a bear.
Logan heard the first shot as he closed the door of his truck behind him. Instinct took over and he raced toward the back of the bar, gun in hand, before he realized what he was doing.
He rounded the corner and spotted another man in the yard, running in the direction of the woods. The bar’s rear door flew open and Logan aimed at the figure stepping out.
“Annabelle!” the guy in the yard yelled. “She’s out there!”
Cold dread filled Logan. He now recognized that it was Mac exiting the building. “Where?”
The stranger and Mac both looked at him in surprise. They hadn’t even known he was there.
Another gunshot.
“Trent,” Mac said calmly. “Is she in her tree?”
“No,” Trent cried. “She went for a run first.”
Mac glanced at Logan. “We have to find her.”
“Any idea who’s out there?” Logan asked. He didn’t holster his weapon, instead lowering it by his side.
“Probably hunters,” Mac said. “The forest is protected, but that doesn’t keep everyone out.”
“Fuck,” Logan spat.
“Trent,” Mac said. “Go ahead and try to find her. Stay in human form so you don’t get shot.”
Trent didn’t hesitate. He took off at full speed.
“Going to call this in, agent?” Mac asked.
“You have a sheriff around here?”
“Yes.”
“Call him,” Logan said. “I’m going to find out what’s going on.”
“Carter!” Mac yelled. “Call this in. We’ll be in the woods.”
Logan started forward but stopped and frowned when Mac yanked his shirt over his head.
“Is that wise?” Logan asked. “If it’s hunters?”
“I said it’s probably hunters,” Mac corrected. “If it’s not…”
While Mac let his sentence trail off, he finished undressing.
From farther away, they heard yet another shot, then a f
aint yelp. Mac roared and it actually shook the ground under Logan’s feet. But, Jesus, the man’s power radiated from him.
“Go!” Mac ordered, crouching.
Logan didn’t need to be told twice. At a pace slower than Trent had taken off, he jogged toward the tall tree line. Is this what Annabelle has to worry about? She can’t even go for a run without having to watch for bullets?
What would they have done if he hadn’t been there?
It appeared they had faced this situation all ready. Hopefully, that would keep Annabelle safe.
Annabelle. He hadn’t been able to keep her out of his thoughts, as he’d spent his day investigating the town and its residents. He’d driven through the town in circles before parking and getting out. He’d been inside every store and spoken to every person he passed, showing Samantha’s picture around.
There was no way that many people had lied to him. Samantha was not there. That he was sure of.
Even with his badge, the citizens of Brookside had been wary of him, but they’d answered every question. Logan was beginning to think that Samantha had never been there at all. He’d headed to the bar to question the two men who’d supposedly picked up the young fox shifter. Instead, he now found himself stepping into the dark forest, hoping to find Annabelle safe.
The moonlight disappeared as soon as he entered. The temperature also dropped by several degrees. There was no movement, no sound, and that worried him. The natural creatures that called the woods their home would have been scared by the shots, but he couldn’t hear the humans either.
There were a couple of scents he’d be able to follow.
Logan didn’t know what type of shifter Trent was, but his trace had to be the more recent aroma. Instead of following him, Logan closed his eyes and thought about Annabelle.
Her unique feline-tinted scent. Yes, picturing her in his mind helped him remember how she smelled. Straight ahead. Maybe a half hour to an hour ago.
Logan marched forward with determined strides.
He prayed he didn’t hear any more gunfire. If he got there in time, he’d make sure that the hunters were dealt with accordingly. The new laws were in effect for a reason. But, sometimes, they didn’t protect everyone. Logan sped up. He wouldn’t let anything happen to Annabelle while he was out here. No. It was his job to protect shifters and he couldn’t fail.
Logan began to jog.
Behind him came a crash of branches and he had a feeling that Mac had completed his shift and was now coming. Logan couldn’t think about that, though. He knew Mac and apparently Trent cared about Annabelle, but he had to be there to help her.
It didn’t make sense. This was more than him wanting to help another shifter. Every instinct inside him screamed that he shift and protect her. He wanted to prove that he’d keep her safe. Which was fucking insane. Logan didn’t even know her, but it was his lion driving him forward, more than his human side.
“No!”
Logan heard the shout and turned toward the sound, slightly left of his current location, and ran. It appeared Annabelle had run pretty much in a straight line.
A young red-haired man flew through the air as Logan stepped around a tree.
“Stop or I’ll shoot!” A big bald guy was pointing his rifle at Trent, who held a teenager off the ground by his neck.
“Do it,” Trent growled. “I’ll rip his fucking head off.”
“Nobody move,” Logan said, stepping forward. He picked up the badge from his back pocket. “US Shifter Coalition.” With his weapon trained on the bald man, he held his identification up with the other hand. “Drop your weapon.”
The bald man paled but didn’t comply. “I’m not dropping anything until he lets my son go.”
Trent bared his fangs at the teenager.
“Drop it now,” Logan demanded. “And he’ll let go of your boy.”
The human appeared to know he wasn’t going to get his way and dropped the rifle.
“Kick it toward me,” Logan ordered.
The bald man did so and Logan spotted the other two guns close by.
“Now drop to your knees and link your fingers behind your head,” Logan told him.
“Tell that animal to let go of my son,” Baldy shouted. “We weren’t doing anything wrong. He had no right to attack. I want him arrested.”
“What were you shooting at?” Logan asked. He closed the distance between him and the human.
“We were hunting,” Baldy replied with a lift of his chin.
“This area is protected. It’s part of the national forest. There is no hunting here,” Logan stated.
“There’s no hunting anywhere!” Baldy exclaimed. “Not since those animals got their way.”
What an idiot. Logan almost pointed out that he was one of those animals, but didn’t see the point.
“Get down on your knees,” Logan repeated.
Mac growled as he appeared at Logan’s side, making the bald man lower himself to the ground and cover his head.
“Jesus!” Baldy yelled. “There are more of them!”
Logan eyed him, but he seemed calm enough, so he turned toward Trent. “Release the boy.”
With yellow eyes shining, Trent shook the teenager instead. “Where were you aiming?”
“There.” The teenager’s fingers shook as he pointed up at the tree.
Logan narrowed his eyes but couldn’t see through the thick branches and leaves.
Trent growled but let the kid go. The teenager scrambled quickly away from Trent to his father’s side.
“Take the same position,” Logan said to the boy. After they were side by side, he glanced at the redhead, who seemed to still be out. His chest moved up and down. The young man lived.
“Annabelle!” Trent called softly. “You up there?”
Logan couldn’t see anything but the scent… “I smell blood.”
This time the rumbling came from Mac.
There was a sharp, poignant scent and Mac realized the teenager had pissed his pants. Smart boy—he should be scared.
Mac took a few unsteady steps toward the humans, but Logan held up his hand. They didn’t need any more conflict.
“Annabelle!” Trent said louder.
Above their heads, there was movement before a small brown head with black rosettes and streaks peeked down at him. Her eyes were wide with terror, but she was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen.
Chapter Four
Annabelle stared at the men below her. Three humans and three shifters. Mac was in his bear form while Trent stood under the branch she hid in. It was Logan, though, who she couldn’t take her gaze from. He looked good in a pair of tan pants and a blue button-down shirt. Her sharp eyesight helped her see his handsome face as he looked back at her. There was concern in his gaze, as though Logan worried for her.
What’s he doing here? Has he come with the humans? No, that didn’t make sense. He had to have been with Mac or Trent. Maybe he’d been inside the bar?
All the questions were giving her a headache and that was on top of the throbbing pain in her leg. Annabelle placed her chin over the edge of the trunk.
“Are you okay?”
It was Logan who asked the question, but she scented the fear from Trent and Mac as well. She trilled softly in response. She would be fine as long as they didn’t expect her to move anytime soon. She ached and just wanted to sleep now that the danger was over.
“What…why…are you talking to the cat?” the teenager asked. “Does it understand you?”
“She,” Logan said.
Annabelle wanted to smile when Logan corrected the boy. It was a small thing, but she hated being called an it.
“She,” the teen repeated.
“The reason hunting is illegal here is because the shifters run in this forest. You almost killed a person,” Logan explained. It sounded as though this wasn’t the first time he’d had to explain.
The boy began to shake, but his father snorted. “Filthy animals. That
’s all they are.”
Annabelle wanted to leap down and bite the stupid human dad.
The teenager turned to his father. “But you said when they turned into animals they weren’t human anymore. They spoke to that cat and she responded.”
“It’s a trick,” Baldy replied. “You can’t trust these men. They might look like us, but they’re not.”
Damn. Annabelle’s stomach rolled. This wasn’t just a couple of men out for some fun. This man had known there was a chance that he’d be hunting a shifter. They’d really tried to kill her.
“We need the sheriff here now.” Logan looked at Mac as he spoke.
Mac nodded then peered up at Annabelle. She blinked her eyes and nodded. He could go. She was safe in her tree. He left with one last look at Trent. Words weren’t needed. Not even when it was a bear staring at them. The humanity in Mac’s gaze was noticeable and he was putting Trent in charge of her.
She wiggled around a little to get a better view of what was happening behind her. Logan gathered those big rifles that had been pointed at her.
“Will you come down?” Trent asked her.
She shook her head. That didn’t sound like a good idea at all.
Trent sighed. “You know I can’t climb up there to get you.”
Annabelle did. Trent didn’t like heights and when he shifted to his hyena he couldn’t climb at all. There was nothing to worry about, though. She’d come down when she was ready.
“Can you help me move this guy?” Logan called to Trent.
Trent grinned up at her before turning to the agent. Annabelle watched them work together. Trent picked up the young red-haired man while Logan covered the other two. The humans remained quiet, but Annabelle easily saw that the teenager was still upset. Good. Maybe this would be a lesson for him.
The bald man was silent, but she could still pick up on his hatred. Trent lowered the young man between his father and brother and the shifters backed off. It was smart of Logan not to turn his back on him. The man was angry and it would be easy for him to act out. Especially with the sheriff coming.
