Lion’s Claim (Shifter Chronicles Book 6)

by Crissy Smith

  “Will you let the sheriff handle this?” Trent whispered.

  Annabelle heard, but she doubted that the humans would.

  “I’m going to have him take them in for the night. This is a federally protected land so it does fall under my jurisdiction. The federal charges will be stiffer, so I’ll for sure charge the dad with those.”

  “Good,” Trent said. He glanced at her. “They might’ve killed Annabelle.”

  She hated the fear in Trent’s voice. It wasn’t fair. All she’d wanted to do was spend some time in her tree. The run earlier hadn’t been needed, but she enjoyed the forest.

  “I’ll make sure they never do anything like this again,” Logan said. “How often do you have to deal with illegal hunting?”

  Trent chuckled before sitting on a log across from the humans. “Not a lot. Once word got around about shifters, we had several hate groups stalking all the wooded areas in the state, but it’s died down. At least I think it has. Normally the hunters don’t come out this far.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Yeah, we keep guards around the property and if we shift as a group we always have sentries ready, but with a town full of shifters, it can be dangerous. It’s not like we can have set times when someone wants to transform. Annabelle’s species is nocturnal, so she prefers to change at night.”

  “Is she an ocelot?” Logan asked.

  Annabelle yowled in response.

  Both shifters laughed.

  “Guess not,” Logan said.

  “She’s a margay,” Trent said. He stared up at her with a smirk.

  Annabelle didn’t know what that look was about, but she felt it had something to do with Logan.

  “Margay?” Logan repeated. “I haven’t heard of that species before. Which I guess isn’t really surprising. There are hundreds of different feline types.”

  That’s an understatement, Annabelle wanted to say. It hadn’t been easy to find out where she’d come from. With no family or anyone who knew about her, Annabelle had always felt as if she missed something important about herself.

  “Lion, right?” Trent asked. “I thought at first you might be a panther, but now I’m pretty sure your scent is lion.”

  “Yes,” Logan confirmed.

  Annabelle had known from the start was type of shifter Logan was. She closed her eyes again as the two men quietly discussed the different species that Logan worked with. She liked Logan’s deep, soft voice. His caring tone washed over her, helping to remove the last bits of fear.

  She wondered again what he was doing there. After looking through his file earlier, Annabelle had wanted to get him out of her head. He was by the book. Dedicated to his mission. There was no way that he’d fit in with their ragtag group. Logan didn’t belong in the middle of nowhere with them as they spent their days in the shadows of an underground world. He had to enjoy the spotlight. Annabelle couldn’t see why a shifter would join the Coalition if they weren’t interested in recognition.

  The Shifter Coalition might have been founded with the purpose of helping the shifter communities in the push to get equal rights and stop discrimination, but Annabelle hadn’t seen a whole lot of that. Instead, going by the news she’d seen on television and articles online, it appeared to her that the Coalition policed the shifters more than helped. It was a betrayal, to her.

  If Samantha had had the option of fighting against her troop leader, then her life would have been so different. She might not have lost her first baby.

  But the Coalition didn’t help the low pack members against the evil leaders. Instead the organization was all about the law. She needed to keep reminding herself of that fact. Logan wasn’t there for any other reason than to work his investigation. Annabelle and her family were nothing more than suspects to him.

  “Coming in!” Mac called out and Annabelle lifted her head while Trent stood.

  Mac, Carter and Sheriff Magnus stepped into view. Logan strode toward the sheriff.

  “Agent Coldwell.” Logan held out his hand to the sheriff. “Thanks for coming.”

  Sheriff Magnus was a big guy, at least six foot three and over two hundred and fifty pounds. He was a tiger shifter and intimated the hell out of Annabelle. Although he had always been kind to her, Annabelle couldn’t get past the dominance that radiated from him.

  “Glad I was able to be of service,” Magnus said gruffly. “What have we got?”

  “Seems our friend here,” Logan waved at the bald dad, “decided it didn’t matter that hunting is illegal here or that they’d be firing at a shifter.”

  “They knew?” Magnus asked. He glared at the bald man. “You sure?”

  “Oh yeah,” Logan answered. “I have no doubt.”

  “How do you want me to handle it?” Magnus crouched next to the guy who was still passed out.

  “If you’ll take them to your station, I’ll come down and make recommendations,” Logan said. “I’ll be filing federal charges on the dad here.”

  “You can’t do that!” Baldy yelled. He turned his gaze to Magnus. “You’re the sheriff and I want to make a compliant.” Baldy pointed at Trent. “He attacked us.”

  “Is that true?” Magnus asked Trent.

  “Since they’d been shooting at Annabelle and were seconds away from firing again? Yes, I stopped them,” Trent said.

  Magnus shook his head before addressing the human. “You got lucky. He might have killed you.”

  “Fuck,” Baldy spat. “You’re one of them.”

  Magnus grinned and yanked Baldy up. “Yeah, and now you’re coming with me.”

  “What about my son?”

  Trent leaned down and easily hefted the red-haired man onto his shoulder. Annabelle was really starting to worry about how long he’d been out. Wait! No, she didn’t care. He had tried to kill her.

  Damn, I can’t actually be that cold.

  “Cuffs?” Logan asked.

  Magnus tossed him a package with zip-tie restraints. Logan caught them then helped the teenager to his feet. Logan was a lot gentler with the kid than Magnus was with the dad.

  “Where’s Annabelle?” Magnus asked.

  She ducked her head out of the way.

  “Up the tree,” Trent said. “She hasn’t come down yet.”

  “We’ll need to talk to her,” Magnus stated.

  “I’ll take care of it,” Logan said. “Let’s get these guys out of here first. She might feel more comfortable then.”

  Annabelle wasn’t hiding because of the humans. She just didn’t want to deal with everything. It wasn’t her fault the idiots had been shooting at her. Plus, she was going to have to talk to Magnus and Logan.

  If she didn’t find a way to overcome her attraction to the lion shifter, Annabelle would make a fool of herself. He was an agent who would be more than happy to put Calvin or Duffy in jail. Hell, he’d probably want to take her and Mac in as well if he found out they’d lied to him.

  “I’ll stay and keep her company,” Carter offered.

  Annabelle made a sound of protest. She didn’t need anyone to stay with her.

  “He’ll stay,” Mac called up to her. “When you’re ready, come back. We need to look you over.”

  Oh yeah, she was bleeding from her leg. She waved her front paw at him.

  “I think she’s flipping you off,” Magnus joked.

  “Don’t make me come up there,” Mac threatened.

  She knew he wouldn’t, though. As big as he was, Mac couldn’t reach her. But he might have Carter climb. In human form, the smaller shifter was a pretty good climber, although he didn’t enjoy it like she did.

  “We’re just going to leave her here?” Logan asked.

  “She’ll be fine,” Mac assured him.

  Annabelle had the urge to look over the branch to see his face but decided that would only give Mac more ammunition to force her down.

  It took several minutes, but finally everyone else was trekking through the forest, leaving her alone with Carter.
<
br />   “I really wish you’d come down so I can look at you,” Carter said. “We don’t have to go back yet.”

  She huffed but started to climb out of the hole she’d found. Annabelle was going to have to mark this tree as her own. It had saved her life, so she should return. Her back leg shot pain angrily up to her spine and she whimpered.

  “Shit! Annabelle?”

  Annabelle clamped her teeth together so she wouldn’t worry Carter any further. It was a lot harder to balance on three legs than all four. Every time she tried to put her full weight on her leg, it hurt, so she limped from branch to branch until she was on the lowest.

  Carter stood at the bottom of the tree, looking up at her. “I’ll catch you.”

  He was small but held shifter strength. Annabelle debated. Just climbing from her spot had been tiring and she didn’t want to attempt going down the trunk with only three good paws.

  She nodded.

  “On three,” he said. “One…two…three.”

  Annabelle pushed off and leaped into his open arms. He closed his strong limbs around her, warming her up and comforting her all at the same time.

  “It’s okay,” he murmured. “You’re okay.” Carter carried her to the same log that Trent had sat on. He dropped down before moving to cradle her between his legs. “Let’s take a look.”

  His hands were gentle, but she still hissed when he tugged at her back leg.

  “Sorry” he murmured. “It doesn’t look like you were hit by a bullet. I think it’s only a graze.”

  Which meant that she wouldn’t be in pain for long. While shifters didn’t heal instantly like they did in movies or books, they did have a better healing rate than humans. Something to do with the transforming back and forth helped to speed up nature. The DNA that allowed them to shift also took care of injuries.

  “It might scar, but you’ll look like a badass,” Carter warned her.

  Annabelle swiped at his face but kept her claws in. He was just teasing her, but if she didn’t put up some sort of fight, he’d think something was wrong.

  All she really wanted was to be cuddled.

  As if he’d heard her thoughts, Carter lifted her until her head was under his chin. Annabelle purred as he began to knead the nape of her neck. His hands felt good, his scent familiar and just what she needed.

  Family.

  That was what Carter was to her. In his embrace, she didn’t have to worry about what was going to happen next. Mac would probably lecture her, Trent would feel guilty and she was going to have to talk to Logan or Magnus.

  Maybe she’d just stay as her feline for the rest of the night.

  She pawed at Carter’s head.

  “I know you want to stay, but we really should head to the bar,” Carter said then rose.

  Damn it. She wished she was a bird shifter, where she’d just fly away. Carter tightened his hold, although his hands remained gentle.

  “Don’t even think of taking off,” he said. “Your leg has to get looked at.”

  Annabelle relaxed her muscles, letting Carter take her full weight. She was lucky to be small enough to carry. If it had been Trent, Carter or Mac who needed help, there was no way that any of them could carry one another like they did Annabelle.

  As often as she’d wished she was bigger and more powerful, times like this really made her appreciate her species. She might be larger than a regular house cat, but Annabelle had picked up some of their habits since her family enjoyed playing with her in this form.

  Carter dug his finger into the spot right above her shoulder blades and it felt like magic. Annabelle purred and just enjoyed the ride.

  * * * *

  Logan paced in front of the back door. The sheriff had taken the three suspects down to the station once the redhead had woken up. Now all he had to do was wait until Annabelle returned. He’d wanted to go back after her, but Mac had nixed that idea, saying she’d need a few minutes to get herself down.

  He was more worried about what injuries she might have than anything else. Yes, he needed to speak to her and get her side of what had happened, but he’d smelled her blood, which was much more important.

  “You need to be calm when she gets back,” Mac said as he stepped outside to join Logan on the lawn.

  “I’m calm,” Logan responded.

  Mac snorted. “I can feel your lion at the surface.”

  True, but Logan was in no danger of losing control. He didn’t lose control. “I can handle myself.”

  “I bet.” Mac waved a hand toward a bench that Logan hadn’t even noticed. “We’ll have some time to talk while we wait.”

  Logan followed him and sat beside Mac.

  “I didn’t expect you back so soon,” Mac said.

  “Didn’t you?” Logan challenged. “I know you’re hiding something. I’m not certain if it has to do with my missing woman or not, but something is going on here.”

  Mac shook his head. “We’re just a small town that takes care of ourselves.”

  “And don’t trust the Coalition?”

  “Not just the Coalition,” Mac corrected. “Any law enforcement. A lot of the people here have a good reason why they don’t, too.”

  “I’m not here to cause trouble,” Logan assured him. And he wasn’t. He was merely doing his job. If they kept freezing him out, though, he’d be forced to look into all the people Mac said didn’t trust him. It would be their fault, because he wasn’t going to just let this case go.

  “Then why’d you come here and spend all day questioning the residents?” Mac asked.

  “I’m trying to find a missing woman.”

  “Have you considered that she’s missing for a reason? That maybe she had a reason to disappear?” Mac asked.

  “Yes,” Logan acknowledged. “From the intelligence that we’re gathering, it is a distinct possibility. But so is something bad happening to her, and someone filed a missing person report to cover their ass.”

  Mac nodded. “Good point. Still, you’re wasting your time here. That woman is not here.”

  “I believe you,” Logan said. “But I still believe that someone here knows more than they’re admitting.” He was sure of it, in fact. Logan had been trained by the best. It was obvious that Mac and his little group were up to something. If he was honest with himself, his greatest concern was for Annabelle. What if she wasn’t aware that her friends had secrets? She’d end up in real trouble.

  “Perhaps,” Mac conceded.

  “So are you going to tell me what’s going on around here?”

  “I did,” Mac said. “We live a quiet life. Except for a few instances like today.”

  “Fine,” Logan said. “I’ll figure it out.” The vow was more to himself than a warning to Mac.

  “Besides, if I told you,” Mac said, “you wouldn’t have a reason to keep turning up. Then what would you do?”

  “Meaning?” Logan asked, although he had a suspicion he knew what Mac spoke about.

  “Meaning you couldn’t use your case as an excuse to see Annabelle.”

  Logan grinned. “Since you warned me away from her, I’d think that you’d want to tell me, so I wouldn’t come back.”

  Mac chuckled as he stretched his long legs out in front of him while slouching down the bench. “I didn’t warn you away. If you remember correctly, I told you I wouldn’t have to.”

  That was true. Still, Logan couldn’t decide if Mac wanted him chasing after Annabelle or not. The bear shifter was hard to read, which confused Logan, since he was pretty damn good at figuring people out.

  “It’s up to you whether you put in the time to get past Annabelle’s defenses or not,” Mac said. “Some have tried, but in the end they never stick around long enough.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Logan said before he thought better of it. It was true that his attraction to Annabelle was strong, but he barely knew the woman. Hell, he’d just learned what species she was and knew nothing about what she needed.

  “We’l
l see,” Mac said, the disbelief heavy in his tone.

  Yes, they would. He shouldn’t be making promises that he wasn’t sure he could keep. Eventually the case that had brought him to Brookside would be completed and he’d move on to his next investigation. Even if Annabelle felt a small amount of the attraction he did they’d still live an hour away from each other. Plus, there was always the chance of him getting called away.

  Logan didn’t respond out loud, though, because he’d picked up the faint sound of footsteps headed their way. From the forest. He and Mac both stood as Carter came out of the woods, holding Annabelle, still in feline form. The urge to shift was strong. In his lion form, she would naturally defer to him.

  Instead, he clenched his jaw to remain in control. He hadn’t been lying earlier when he’d told Mac he was calm. Logan was known to be cool under any circumstance. But there was a tendril of jealously that coursed through him when he noted how relaxed Annabelle was in Carter’s arms.

  Logan had scented the young man earlier and knew he wasn’t a threat. The prey odor that came from Carter didn’t even stir his lion. No—Carter was not a danger to him. Or Annabelle.

  “She okay?” Mac called out over Annabelle’s loud purring.

  “She has a gash from what I suspect is the bullet grazing her, but she’ll be fine,” Carter stated.

  The bullet grazed her? Logan vowed that he’d charge the damn hunter with every broken law he could think of. How dare he try to kill her?

  “After she shifts back and takes a long shower, she’ll be good as new,” Carter said.

  Logan wished he could reach over, pet Annabelle and feel her soft fur beneath his fingers.

  It was Mac who took Annabelle, to cuddle her close. “Go ahead,” he said to Logan. “She loves to be petted.”

  “Sure,” Logan said. He was thankful his hand was steady as he carefully and slowly stroked the top of her head.

  Annabelle responded with a long, deep moan. Mac chuckled as Logan pulled his hand away in surprise. He’d never heard a feline make that sound before.

  “It’s okay,” Mac informed him. “That means she’s really happy.”

  Taking the bear shifter at his word, Logan returned his fingers to Annabelle’s chin and scratched.