Shift (Southern Werewolves Book 1)

by Heather MacKinnon

  “Oh, Abey, you know what I mean. I love the girl to death, but she could start an argument in an empty house. I bet she could use a long night with a good man.”

  “I don’t want to hear it!” Abraham yelled, and we both slapped our hands over our ears. Him because he didn’t want to listen to any details about his sister’s sex life, and me because his voice made my sensitive ears ring.

  “Oh honey, you got your hearing in?” Evey asked, softer than I’d ever heard her speak.

  I nodded and carefully withdrew my hands. “In the middle of a meeting. It was a disaster,” I bemoaned.

  Evey walked over to rub my back in soothing circles. The gesture reminded me of the night before with Abraham, except without the scorching heat he radiated. I took a peek at him as the memories flooded my mind. Thankfully, he was looking down at his phone, and missed the heat in my cheeks.

  He locked his cell and looked up, blue eyes meeting mine. His expression instantly softened into a look I was becoming accustomed to. “Think you can be ready to leave in thirty minutes? I don’t want us to be late for Del’s show tonight.”

  I nodded and stepped away from Evey’s comforting touch. With a grateful smile at her, I retreated to the sanctuary of my bedroom where I collected both myself and my things for the weekend ahead of me.

  Forty-five minutes later, we were arguing in the parking lot.

  “I don’t understand why I can’t drive myself,” I told the stubborn man in front of me.

  “It isn’t practical. Why would we take two cars? And besides, you’re coming out to Asheville for us, I’m not going to make you keep paying for the gas to drive back and forth.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I can afford gas money, Abraham.”

  He sighed and took a step closer. “I know you can,” he began, wrapping his large hands around my biceps, “but I’d like to drive all of us. It will make me feel better knowing you’re with me and safe. Will you please just let me drive?”

  His big blue eyes bore into me like a drill mining for oil. I felt the liquid gold seeping up through the earth as I caved in to his request.

  Damn. When was the last time I lost an argument?

  “Okay. You can drive,” I muttered reluctantly.

  Abraham pulled me into a big hug that lasted only a few seconds. My heart hadn’t even had time to speed up before he’d pulled away and taken my bag out of my hand.

  “I call not sitting in the middle,” Evey yelled from close behind. When I tensed at her volume, she said, “Sorry, Elizabeth. I forgot.”

  I nodded and waved away her apology. I had a feeling I’d need to keep these earplugs in around Evey for a while. Hopefully, sometime soon I’d be able to acclimate to my increased sense, and be normal again.

  A mirthless chuckle escaped my lips. Normal. I’d never be normal again. I might as well kiss that concept goodbye.

  Abraham loaded our bags into the back of the cab and took his seat behind the wheel. I soon realized why Evey’d so exuberantly called ‘not sitting in the middle’.

  “I really have to squish in between you?” I whined.

  Evey giggled and pushed me toward the truck. “Yup. And, it’s a long drive, so you might as well suck it up now.”

  I groaned, and climbed into the big truck, sliding along the cream-colored seat until I was only a few inches from Abraham. Evey climbed in behind me. “You need to scootch over more,” she complained.

  I took a dubious look at the few remaining inches and sighed. There was just no helping it. I slid over until my leg hit his, my shoulder grazing his bicep. Evey took her seat next to me before reaching over to fiddle with the radio.

  “We ready?” Abraham asked, and I could feel his deep voice vibrate through all the places my body touched his.

  God, this was going to be a long ride.

  “Ready,” both Evey and I answered.

  Abraham fired up the massive vehicle, and we were on our way. Evey and I spent the first hour or so chatting like we normally did about everything and nothing at the same time. It constantly surprised me how much I had in common with someone I’d just met who’d lived such a different life than me.

  Once in awhile I’d take a peek at Abraham out of the corner of my eye, and every time, I’d catch him smiling out the front window. Finally, I had to ask, “What are you smiling about over there?”

  His eyes widened. “I didn’t realize I was,” he confessed.

  “You’ve been smiling since we left Raleigh.”

  He shot me an incredulous look. “Have you been watching me, Ms.

  Montgomery?”

  I averted my gaze as my face heated painfully. “No. I’m just observant.”

  Evey giggled from beside me, and I shot her a fierce glare which only made her

  laugh harder. A reluctant smile spread across my face.

  “What’s Del’s show going to be like?” I changed the subject.

  Abraham answered first. “Like any other underground show in a dive bar. When you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. We just go to support Del.”

  “I’ve never been to a show before. I don’t even think I’ve technically been in a dive bar either.”

  “Never?!” Evey screeched.

  I winced and shrunk away from her bringing closer to the man who made my insides quake. He stuck a finger in one of his ears and wiggled it around. “Jeez Ev, that one even hurt my ears.”

  “Sorry, sorry! I just can’t believe Elizabeth’s never been to a show or a dive bar! Do you know what you’re wearin’?”

  I looked down at the jeans and t-shirt I had on. “Um. This?”

  Evey gasped scandalously. “Oh, no you aren’t. We’ll find you something to wear.” She eyed me up and down. “I bet you’re a bit closer to Callie’s size than mine. I’m sure she’s got somethin’ decent in her closet we can borrow.”

  “Do I have to?” I whined.

  “Yes,” Evey answered, and I dropped the conversation there. I’d learned enough about Evelyn McCoy in this past week to know I wouldn’t get anywhere when she was like this.

  Instead, I sighed and relaxed back in the soft leather seat. Abraham took his right arm off the wheel and draped it across the back of the bench. It was then I realized I was still plastered to his side and straightened up as best I could in the cramped space.

  Evey let out a small giggle at my discomfort, and I shot her another glare. I had a

  feeling this was going to be a long weekend.

  Chapter 23

  As soon as we pulled up to the lodge, Evey grabbed my wrist, and dragged me from the truck.

  “I’ll bring your bags to your room, El,” Abraham called after us.

  Evey gasped. “We can call you ‘El’ now? That’s fantastic! We’re big on nicknames as you can tell, and that full name of yours is a mouthful.”

  “Well–” I began when Evey interrupted.

  “Oh I see,” she said, with a sly look in my direction. “That must be Abey’s special name for you. I get it.”

  “No, that’s not–”

  “Oh no, that’s fine. I think I like the sound of Ellie better anyway, and it rhymes with Evey,” she proclaimed with a victorious smile. “What do ya’ think?”

  What did I think? I’d never really had a nickname before. My formal parents would rather cut their tongues out than call me by anything other than my full name. Even my gran called me ‘Elizabeth’, or the occasional term of endearment. But, no one in my life had ever given me a real nickname. I guess that was about to change.

  “It might take some getting used to,” I warned her.

  “Then I’ll just have to use it more often!” The woman’s excitement could not be

  dampened, and I felt my face stretch into a smile. “Come on, Ellie, let’s go find Callie, and get you something sexy to wear tonight.”

  “Not too sexy,” I told her.

  She just laughed dragging me through the house, and up the stairs to the third floor. Instead of turning towa
rd the hall that led to mine and Abraham’s rooms, she turned down another I’d never been down before. We walked past a few closed doors until Evey stopped in front of one and knocked.

  “Come in,” Callie’s soft voice called.

  We stepped into Callista’s room, and I took a minute to look around. Her space was a lot less ornate than the other rooms I’d visited in the lodge, but it fit her. The furniture was all re-purposed, and of varying styles, but seemed to fit together. The large king size bed was dressed in shades of brown, and the floors were hardwood.

  Callie sat at a large vintage desk against one wall, typing furiously on a small silver laptop. “Just give me one second.”

  “Take your time,” Evey called as she continued to drag me across the room, and over to a set of double doors. Evey pulled them both open to reveal an enormous walk-in closet. I stood there gaping at the space that could have fit my master bedroom in it while Evey made a beeline for a row of dresses.

  “No dresses, Evey,” I called to her.

  She spun around and placed a hand on her cocked hip. “What the heck do you mean ‘no dresses’?! Of course you’re wearin’ a dress. We all are. Suck it up,” she advised before returning to her search.

  I sighed loudly. “Fine. Just nothing too short.”

  She waved my request away as she pulled a few garments from their hangers and draped them across her arm. I shook my head and went to see what Callie was up to.

  The curly-haired woman was still typing away at her laptop, but now a big grin spread across her face. She clicked the last few keys with a flourish and flopped back in her chair.

  “You look happy,” I commented.

  Callie turned toward me, and her smile grew. “I am. I just finished a big proposal I’ve been working on for weeks. Now I need to proofread and send it off. It’s a load off my shoulders to be honest.”

  I sat on a nearby settee. “What kind of proposal?”

  She was on her laptop again, clicking the mouse with her brows furrowed, and her lip between her teeth. “This one is to get funding for a program to protect the Blue Ridge Parkway.”

  “What’s happening to it?”

  “Businesses are trying to buy up the land lining the parkway which would not only affect the ecosystem, but take away from the beauty of the highway. We’re trying to get the government to lift restrictions on land preservation in that area.”

  “Wow, that’s incredible.”

  Callie’s cheeks turned a soft shade of pink as she shrugged her narrow shoulders. “It’s not one of our more vital interests, but it still needs a voice.”

  “What is one of the more vital interests?”

  She perked up, a fire igniting her pale blue eyes. “There are the bees, and the monarch butterflies, and the state parks, and–”

  “All right, Smokey the Bear, we get it,” Evey interrupted, eliciting a glare from her sister. “Tell Ellie about your tree-huggin’ missions another time. I need her to try on a few things.”

  Callie rolled her eyes. “It’s not about tree-hugging Evelyn, it’s about conservation. It’s about food production, and–”

  “Oh I know all about it, big sister. And you’ll have all week to tell Ellie, but right now, I need to get this girl dressed so I can get dressed so we can leave so Del doesn’t kill us when we’re late.”

  Callie took a glance at the time on her laptop and hopped out of her seat. “Why didn’t you tell me it was this late!” she hollered as she ran across the room to her ransacked closet.

  “I was tryin’, but you just wanted to talk about bees!” Evey yelled back. “Ugh, sisters,” she complained good-naturedly. She shoved a big pile of fabric in my arms and turned me toward a nearby door. “The bathroom’s over there. Go try on what I picked out. Come out after every outfit so I can help you pick.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m perfectly capable of picking out my own clothes, Evey.”

  The bubbly brunette took a skeptical look at my jeans and t-shirt. “Sure, if you’re cleanin’ the house.”

  I opened my mouth to argue, but she held out a hand to stop me. “Quit arguin’ cause’ you won’t win this one. I picked out some things I think you’ll like so please, just go try them on.”

  I huffed. “Did you even ask Callie if I could borrow something of hers?”

  “She didn’t, but you’re more than welcome to anything I have!” Callie called from the depths of her closet.

  Out of excuses, I locked myself in the bathroom, and sorted out the clothes Evey had picked out. A few things immediately went into the ‘discard’ pile. Finally, I pulled on a long strapless shirt that flowed past my waist nicely. I took a look in the mirror and thought it might be cute with a belt.

  I left the bathroom to show Evey the first thing I’d tried on. As soon as she saw me, her eyes clouded with confusion. “Why are you wearin’ your jeans with that?”

  “Um. Why would I take my pants off to wear this shirt?”

  Evey fell backward on Callie’s bed, clutching her stomach as she laughed long and hard at my expense. I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest. “What’s so funny?”

  “That’s a dress, Ellie, not a shirt,” she gasped out between laughs.

  I gasped, and looked down at the long shirt–no, short dress I had on. “No, Evey. In fact, hell no. I’m not wearin’ this as a dress. You’ve lost your mind.”

  Evey sat back up and wiped a tear from her eye. “Ah, I like havin’ you around. You’re always good for a laugh.” At my glare, another chuckle burst from her lips. “Okay fine, I guess that’s a little short on you. Go try something else on. And I’ll give you a hint: they’re all dresses.”

  My eyes widened. “All of them?”

  Evey nodded seriously, her pink lips still twitching, fighting off laughter.

  I retreated to the bathroom, and sorted through the clothes once more, adding a few more items to the ‘discard’ pile. Finally I found an off-white knee-length shirt dress that I thought might look cute. I slipped it on and pulled my jeans off before exiting the bathroom once again.

  This time Callie was standing there too, having changed into a cute dress that had tan ruching on top, and blue floral pattern on the bottom with a thick brown belt cinching the waist. “You look great, Callie,” I told her earnestly.

  She shook her head. “You look great!” She turned to Evey, “You found that in my closet?” Evey nodded her eyes still raking my form. “Huh, I don’t even remember buying that.”

  Evey’s eyes lit up, and she jumped to her feet. “What size shoe are you, Ellie?”

  “Eight, why?”

  She didn’t answer and instead sprinted from the room. I watched her disappear wondering how long it would take for me to get used to the super speed of werewolves. And, more importantly, when I’d start moving that fast.

  Evey came running back in the room with a pair of brown leather cowboy boots with teal filigree stitched along the sides. “Here,” she thrust them into my arms, “Try these on.”

  I toed off my sneakers and shoved my feet in the tall shoes. They fit like a glove. Evey clapped her hands. “All you need is a statement necklace, and you’re perfect. Well, besides hair and makeup, of course.”

  I fingered the thick plait in my hair and shook my head. “I can do my own hair and makeup.” Evey opened her mouth to protest, but I shot her a look that made her drop it.

  “Fine, fine. But at least let me go find you a necklace. I’ll be right back, Del has the best accessories.”

  Before I could agree, the small woman was gone again. I turned to Callie. “Do I really look all right?”

  She nodded. “You look amazing. Abey’s not going to know what to do with himself.”

  My cheeks heated. “I’m not getting dressed up for him,” I muttered.

  Callie wrapped a thin arm around my shoulders. “Of course you aren’t.” Then quieter, “But, it can’t hurt, right?”

  I couldn’t help the small smile that spread across my face,
but did my best to not let Callie see it. His sisters didn’t need to know how obsessed I’d become with their brother.

  Evey flew back in with a chunky necklace made of teal and gold beads that were bunched together in the shape of flowers. I lifted the braid off my neck and stooped down so Evey could fasten the necklace. When she was done, she patted me on the back, and I turned to her and Callie.

  Both women were smiling from ear to ear. “You’re perfect!” Evey exclaimed. “Now, go up to your room, and get your hair and makeup done while I get ready. Abey said we’re leavin’ in twenty.”

  I turned to Callie before I left. “Thanks for letting me borrow this dress,” I said, pinching a corner of the soft fabric between two fingers.

  The willowy woman waved me off with a genuine smile. “Please, that dress would have never looked like that on me. You should keep it.”

  “No way. I’m not keeping your dress.”

  She shook her head, tight curls bouncing from side to side. “It looks better on you than it ever could on me. I want you to have it.”

  I sighed. “At least let me give you some money for it.”

  Her curls were still bouncing around her face as she turned down my offer. “No. I don’t even remember buying that dress. How could I charge you for it?”

  I sighed again. “Okay fine, then I’m taking you to dinner while you're at my place this week.”

  Callie smiled, her eyes lighting up. “That sounds good to me. Do I get to pick the restaurant?”

  I laughed. “Of course. I’ll see you in a bit,” I told her, and retreated to my end of the floor.

  Thankfully, I didn’t run into Abraham in the hall. As silly as it sounds, I was hoping he wouldn’t get a look at me until I finished getting ready. Although I knew I needed to keep my ‘no men’ rule in place, I still wanted to impress him. He’d seen me at my worst, broken, bleeding, and filthy, and now I wanted him to see me at my best.

  I don’t normally wear a ton of makeup, but I whipped out some foundation and blush for the occasion, even adding shimmery eyeshadow to my lids. I finished with black mascara and a rose-pink lipstick, impressed by the reflection staring back at me.