Shift (Southern Werewolves Book 1)

by Heather MacKinnon

  I regained enough of my composure to ask, “What kind of guy are you?”

  We’d made it up the first flight of stairs already, and Abraham didn’t miss a beat before responding. “The kinda’ guy who takes a beautiful woman on a few dates and makes her some kind of promise for the future before he makes love to her.”

  The burning in my face had subsided slightly until now. I’m sure I resembled an overripe tomato at this point.

  Part of me was a little disappointed I wouldn’t be spending the night wrapped in Abraham’s arms. The other was immensely relieved. I wasn’t ready. Not even close. Thankfully Abraham’s hormones weren’t overriding his common sense like mine seemed to be.

  We made it to the third floor landing, and Abraham led me to the bedroom that had become mine. With embarrassment still burning my cheeks, I kept my gaze averted. His calloused fingers grasped my chin and tilted my face until I met his eyes.

  “That all right with you?” He asked, his expression soft, but with a bit of cockiness.

  I straightened and pulled my chin out of his fingers. “We’ll see.”

  He smirked, a twinkle of mirth in his denim blue eyes. “That’s my girl,” he said before placing a chaste kiss on my forehead.

  “I’m not your girl, McCoy,” I reminded him, trying to hide the smile on my lips.

  He ignored me. “Night, El. I’ll come get you for breakfast.”

  I nodded and retreated behind my borrowed bedroom door.

  Who would have thought a midnight snack could be so sexually charged?

  The next morning, I was dressed and ready for Abraham when I heard a knock at the door. I bounded over, and whipped it open, only to find Evey there instead of the man I couldn’t stop thinking about. The disappointment must have shown on my face, because Evey laughed, and pushed her way inside.

  “Expectin’ someone else?” she asked with a knowing look.

  My face heated. “Um. Well. No. Uh. Kind of?”

  She laughed again. “I won’t take it personally.” I smiled gratefully. “Abey sent me to get you for breakfast. He said he had somethin’ come up, and couldn’t make it.”

  My face fell along with my heart. I’d really been looking forward to that... outing later.

  I would not call it a date.

  Evey laughed again and linked her thin arm through mine. “Don’t worry, he said he’d still make it to your date later this afternoon.”

  “It’s not a date.”

  She shot me a sideways look. “Well then, why were you so glum about a second ago?”

  I floundered for a response, and she laughed again, her wind-chime voice ringing through my ears, and reminding me to replace the plugs I’d taken out last night. I scooped them off the nightstand and returned to Evey’s side. “I’m just excited to go to this special place of his. I’m curious.”

  “Uh-huh. Keep tryin’ to convince yourself of that, honey.”

  I ignored her and changed the subject. We chatted about the night before at the bar and the cute guy Evey’d danced with as we walked down to breakfast. When we got to the kitchen, it was full of sunlight, boisterous laughter, and muscled men. If there wasn’t one in particular I couldn't stop thinking about, this room full of man meat might have tempted me. But, I was having lunch with the sexiest of them all.

  As I stood there observing the activity in the kitchen, it was hard not to let my mind drift to more sinister thoughts. Was one of these men the killer we were looking for? Could one of them be plotting their next attack even now? There was just no way to know, and I had a bad feeling he was hiding in plain sight.

  Evey grabbed us two plates, and we filled them to the brim before grabbing mugs full of steaming coffee. We found a couple seats down by Ms. Elsie, and I was glad. The elderly woman had spunk, and I’d immediately liked her, but hadn’t had any time to get to know her better.

  “Hey there, Elizabeth, it’s nice to see you here again, sweetheart. Looks like the leg healed up nicely,” Ms. Elsie commented as Evey and I took our seats.

  “Yes, ma’am it did. Hasn’t bothered me in a while.” I tucked into my eggs as Ms. Elsie prattled on.

  “I can’t even count for you the amount of broken bones I’ve seen from these young wolves in my time. It’s a good thing Doc Kyle joined this pack when he did. We had a tough time explainin’ ourselves at the local hospital when we were there so often.”

  “How long ago did he join?” I asked around a mouthful of bacon, using my hand to shield my poor manners.

  Ms. Elsie looked up to the ceiling, squinting her eyes in thought. “Oh it’s been at least five years now, hasn’t it Evelyn?”

  Evey nodded, her own mouth full of food. “Gotta’ be at least.”

  “Yeah, Kyle was a great addition to this pack. And that mate of his is just an angel. She gave me this hush puppy recipe that is so good, it gives my mamaw’s a run for its money. And that woman could cook, I’ll tell you.”

  “You’re a great cook Ms. Elsie. Did you learn from your mamaw?”

  Ms. Elsie nodded. “Sure did. I was stuck to that woman’s hip from the time I could walk.”

  Evey swallowed and spoke up. “Ms. Elsie, did you hear Abey’s been cookin’ for Ellie here?” she asked with a giggle.

  Ms. Elsie’s eyes went wide. “Our Abraham? Cookin’?” Evey nodded with a wide grin and mischief in her blue eyes. Ms. Elsie shook her head. “Has it tasted all right, dear?” She asked me, her voice full of real concern.

  I laughed loudly. “It’s mostly been easy stuff like sandwiches. Don’t worry about me.”

  “Speakin’ of sandwiches, have you heard about the special ones Abraham used to make when he was just a pup?” Ms. Elsie asked, eliciting a loud hoot of laughter from Evey. I shook my head with a smile, eager for the story. “Well, they were real simple, see, as they only had two ingredients: bread and syrup.”

  My mouth fell open. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

  Ms. Elsie shook her head. “I’m tellin’ you the truth. He’d make himself syrup sandwiches every afternoon. He was too short to reach the counter, so he’d slap the bread right on the floor, and stand there with the syrup, and just drip it all over the place.”

  Evey was howling with laughter, and I was having trouble not joining her. “He thought he was such a culinary genius,” Evey wheezed, wiping a tear from her eye.

  “I’ve never heard of anyone making a syrup sandwich. It couldn’t have tasted very good.”

  “Oh, they’re delicious, you should try one sometime,” Abraham’s voice came from behind, startling me. He snagged a piece of bacon off my plate and took the seat next to mine. My heart stuttered a few beats and took off running at his unexpected arrival.

  “I think I’ll pass,” I answered drily.

  “You been givin’ away all my secrets, Ms. Elsie?” Abraham asked in mock seriousness, smiling wide at the older lady.

  “Oh just the one, honey. And, it’s not much of a secret. It’s almost like pack knowledge at this point, and if our Elizabeth here’s gonna’ be a part of us, she needs to know these kinds of things,” Ms. Elsie reasoned.

  “Yeah, I’m hopin’ we can get her to stick around for a bit,” Abraham answered, eyes locked on mine, their blue depths drowning me. “I’m finishing up some work, but should be ready to leave soon. That good with you?”

  I nodded. “I’ve cleared my schedule for you today,” I reminded him with a smile.

  He nodded, and took my hand, grazing his lips across my knuckles. “I’m a lucky man.”

  I raised a brow at him. “Don’t forget it.”

  His smile turned sincere. “Never,” he promised.

  With that, he left the table, and the room dimmed without his light in it.

  Chapter 27

  It was a couple hours later when Abraham found Evey and I in the theater room. We were just finishing up a romantic comedy, and Abraham took the seat next to me to wait it out. I’d been engrossed in the movie, but my attention was now
split between the screen, and the man beside me who gently played with the ends of my hair.

  When the credits filled the screen, Evey turned the lights back on. “You two have fun on your date,” she called over her shoulder as she left the room.

  “It’s not a date!” I hollered after her. She’d been teasing me all day about my outing with Abraham.

  “It’s not?” he asked.

  I turned to him, torn. Was it a date? He hadn’t specified, and I hadn’t wanted to assume.

  Did I want it to be a date?

  This was all so confusing.

  “Well, you never said it was,” I diverted the heat onto him.

  He squinted, gaze raking my face, seeing things I wasn’t sure I wanted him to see. Not yet.

  “Hmm. I suppose I didn’t, did I?” He kept looking at me. Looking through me. “Let me remedy that.” He turned to face me, took both my hands in his, and looked deep in my eyes. “Elizabeth, will you go on a date with me this afternoon?”

  I smiled and rolled my eyes. “I believe I’ve already agreed to that.”

  He smiled back. “Apparently it wasn’t a date you agreed to, and I want to make sure all the cards are on the table. I plan on taking you on a date today, Ms. Montgomery. Would that be all right with you?” His blue eyes swirled with sincerity, and a tiny twinkle of humor.

  My insides were in knots. This was happening so fast. I’d only met him a week ago, and we were already going on a date? What happened to my “no men” rule? All the walls I’d carefully constructed around myself? All the plans I’d made that did not include a man like Abraham in them.

  I looked deep in Abraham’s sky blue eyes, waiting with endless patience, but just a touch of insecurity.

  And I knew.

  There was nothing I wanted more than to spend the afternoon with this man.

  I nodded, and his answering smile was so brilliant I had to blink to clear my vision.

  He hopped up from his seat and held out a hand. “Well let’s get goin’ then.”

  I took his proffered hand and rose from my seat. Before he could lead me away, I asked, “Is what I’m wearing all right?” Not knowing where we were going, I’d thrown on a pair of jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt. Also, I got dressed under the assumption that this wasn’t a date. Now, I wish I’d worn something nicer.

  Abraham took a moment to take me in, his gaze roaming my form slowly. I shivered as I felt his eyes like a caress against my skin, goosebumps breaking out across my arms. Finally he reached out to tuck a strand of thick blonde hair behind my ear. “You look beautiful.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re going to give me a big head.”

  He reached out with both hands and used his fingertips to probe my scalp. I frowned in confusion.

  What the hell was he doing?

  “Nope. Your head is still perfectly sized. No worries, I can probably tell you how beautiful you are another hundred times or so before we have to start worrying about it.”

  I tilted my head back and laughed. His hands slid through my hair. “You’re ridiculous.”

  “No, I’m honest. Now let’s go.” He held out a bent arm that I wrapped my hand around. “You don’t want to keep your date waiting.”

  I rolled my eyes again, but couldn’t wipe the stupid smile off my face.

  Abraham led me up to the main floor, and out the side door to where the vehicles were kept. He stopped in front of his dark blue ATV and handed me a helmet.

  “I still have to wear this?”

  He nodded. “You’re still fragile. Be happy I’m not wrapping you in bubble wrap until your first full moon.”

  I laughed, but it dried up in my throat when I caught his serious expression. He hitched a leg over the leather seat and patted the space behind him. I hopped on and soon found myself entirely too close to him. My chest grazed his back, and I tried to create as much space between us as I could.

  He reached around to grab my hands, wrapping them around his waist before turning the engine over. “You need to hold on,” he reminded me.

  Easier said than done.

  My hands clasped in tight fists to avoid the temptation to explore his body. If he noticed, he didn’t let on. Abraham eased the 4-wheeler into motion, and soon we were speeding down his driveway before turning off into the forest.

  “How much longer?” I asked a while later over the roar of the engine.

  Abraham turned his head to the side so I could hear him. “Just another ten minutes or so. Are you doing all right?”

  “I’m fine. I just didn’t realize we were going so far away.”

  The corner of his lip turned up. “I can go faster if you’d like.”

  A jolt of excitement ran through me. “Really?”

  He nodded, and the quad jolted forward. I laughed as the trees whipped by in a blur. The increased speed forced me to hold Abraham’s waist tighter, or risk falling off. A small tremble ran through his body, and I smiled to myself. At least I wasn’t the only one affected.

  Even with the helmet on, my hair flew with the speed we were going. A week ago I would have worried Abraham might hit something going this fast, but now I knew he’d never let anything happen to me. I could absolutely trust him with my safety. It was my heart I still worried about.

  A little while later, we pulled up to a large lake surrounded by pines at the foot of the Blue Ridge mountains. Abraham cut the engine, and I slid my helmet off, attempting to take in everything I was seeing all at once.

  Clear blue water gently lapped at the pebble strewn beach, mountain peaks reflected in its calm surface. To the left of us was a large haphazard pile of boulders that jutted up against a rock wall. A small waterfall ran off the boulders, and into the large lake, disturbing only a small portion of its surface.

  “What do you think?” Abraham asked behind me.

  I turned to him. “It’s incredible, Abraham. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.” I turned again to stare at the picture-perfect scene before me.

  “I know what you mean.” His voice was deep, and serious, and so close. He ran a hand down my arm to my hand where he twisted his fingers with mine. “There’s more.”

  I glanced at our entwined hands as he led me away from the shore and over to the rock wall. He let go of my hand and began climbing up the pile of rocks. Soon he was several feet high. “Come on,” he called, “The rest is up here.”

  I eyed the boulders warily. “I don’t think I can.”

  He jumped down, landing in front of me. “I’ll help you,” he promised.

  And, for once, I didn’t argue.

  I nodded and walked over to where he’d begun his ascent. Abraham pointed out the hand and foot holds he’d used and stood behind me as I hoisted myself up the first boulder. Once on top, he scrambled up, and showed me how to get up the next rock. We continued like that until we’d made it all the way up.

  The last boulder had a relatively flat surface, and spread along the top was a blanket, held down on all four corners by small mason jars filled with pale pink peonies. I gasped at the site, taking in the basket nearby, and the table settings already laid out in anticipation of our arrival.

  I turned to Abraham, my eyes damp and my heart full. No one had ever done anything like this for me before. The time and preparation he must have put into this floored me. He floored me. And, as I stood there, desperately willing my eyes to dry and seeing the hope and uncertainty in his, I felt one of my walls crack, the bricks and mortar crumbling, threatening to fall.

  “Do you like it?” he asked, his voice cautious, his eyes so blue, and that cracked wall collapsed leaving nothing but a pile of disintegrating rubble in its wake. I reached up, and wrapped my arms around his neck, my wet eyes dampening his t-shirt.

  “I love it,” I assured him, my voice wobbly, full of emotion. His arms encircled my waist, pulling me closer as he buried his face in the crook of my neck. He breathed deeply, and something wild in me settled a bit.

  When I gathered
myself, I pulled away, and smiled. “It’s incredible, Abraham.

  Thank you so much.”

  His answering smile rivaled the bright sun in the clear sky. “I’m glad you like it. Now, come sit down and eat.”

  I did as he asked, sitting cross-legged on the soft blanket as he started pulling out food. I looked like he’d grabbed two of everything from the kitchen. When he had everything laid out, we dug in. I practically inhaled my first sandwich before I looked past the picnic Abraham had set up for us.

  From this height, I could see the whole lake and the small stream of water that snaked around the rock we sat on. The air was cool, but the sun was warm as I dug into my second sandwich, popping a piece of cheese or fruit in my mouth between bites.

  With the quiet forest surrounding us, I took a chance and slipped the earplugs out and into my pocket. Now I could hear the trickle of water as it bubbled over rocks, and twigs on its way to the edge, and the herd of deer lapping at the lake on the far shore. A soft flapping sound had me searching the sky for its owner. A bald eagle flew past us, and dove toward the ground surrounding the lake. I couldn’t see from here if he’d caught what he’d been hunting, but he flew away shortly after.

  The soft wind blew tendrils of hair around my head, and I tipped my face up to the midday sun, letting it warm me. This was the serenity and peace I’d come out here for last weekend. This was the Asheville I’d been dying to decompress in. I sighed in contentment as I finished my third sandwich.

  “Full?” Abraham asked, a touch of humor in his voice.

  I groaned. “I don’t think I’ll ever eat again. Did you make all this?”

  He shook his head. “Ms. Elsie helped me. When she heard I was taking you on a date, she insisted.”

  “Does everyone know we went on a date today?”

  Abraham chuckled and nodded. “Welcome to pack life.”

  Pack life.

  This would be my life from now on. These people my family. The idea was still so strange, and I wondered if I measured up. Did they want me in their family? Was I worthy of this pack? It seemed like just getting attacked near their land was my ticket in, but did I deserve it?