Single Dad Shifter (Shades of Shifters Book 6)

by T. S. Ryder

  “Okay. I am going to try to be reasonable, Honor. I know that you didn’t want to hurt Hope. It was just the situation. Everything fell out of control. So why don’t you tell me what I can do to help you now?”

  Glittering eyes turned toward her. “Prove that you are still part of this family.”

  How was she supposed to do that? “What do you mean?”

  “You’ve tried to turn Hope against me. Prove that you’re not beyond help, Charity. We’re sisters. Help me. All I want is the shifter behind bars. I don’t care if he dies or not. Just admit what he did to you, that he used his pheromones to make you sleep with him.”

  “Shifters don’t have—”

  Honor cut her off, her voice hardening again. “Tell the cops that he raped you. Tell them that you were too afraid he was going to kill you to come forward before now. Tell them that I had that gun to protect you and that he took it and shot Hope. That will ensure that he is locked away. His pack will fall apart without him, and you and me? We’ll be free to be sisters again.”

  Charity stared up at Honor. Her jaw clenched and she said nothing. She couldn’t even play along. No, there was something else going on here.

  Honor’s expectant smile slipped away. Her face hardened, and she marched over to the table again. She picked up the jacket laying there, revealing a camera underneath. She turned it off and turned back to Charity.

  “I see we’re going to have to do this the hard way, then.” She picked up the knife. “I’m sorry about this, Charity. But sacrifice is necessary.”

  Chapter Fourteen – Devin

  “I hope you know what you’re doing.” Leo gave Devin a worried look as he started the jeep.

  Devin stepped back, smiling at his little brother. “Don’t worry. I do.”

  I hope. He kept the smile on his face as he waved Leo off. The truth was that his gut churned and was getting worse with every passing moment. His throat was dry, and if he thought too much, his head was going to explode. He was certain about one thing, though. Getting Leo out of here and out of the line of fire was the best thing he could do right then.

  He realized very shortly after leaving the hospital that being away from Charity was a mistake. Sharks didn’t react to situations like other shifters did. There was no growling or beating against his chest like he’d heard his mammalian cousins report of. Rather, it was like vibrations. Shivers running down his spine. Gaping jaws and the need to keep moving, to go fast until there was nothing but his target in sight.

  The feeling only got worse the longer he was from Charity. He had been thinking of his pack when he left the hospital. If he was arrested, all the work he’d been doing for them would crumble. And then who would help with arranging jobs? Who would help Hannah and others like her to escape from prostitution? Who would be there for them?

  And the answer was simple. His brothers. The other members of the pack. He wasn’t the alpha, and with good reason. They didn’t need an alpha. They had banded together and were working together. He never was in it alone. Everything he did, he had a system of others that he worked with to accomplish. Maybe from one angle, he looked like he was in charge, but the truth of the matter was that he wasn’t. The pack would be fine without him. But him without Charity? Hopeless.

  And so, he was sending Leo back to the pack to keep him out of the coming storm. If Charity’s family attacked him and got him arrested like she feared, at least he would know that he had been there for her instead of running away.

  He headed for the hospital on foot, jogging. He’d had Leo drop him off a few blocks away. He used the time as he made his way to the huge building to work out what he was going to do or say to try to keep the situation from escalating. The best he could come up with was to just be quiet and ignore everything that they flung at him . . .

  Just as he reached the hospital doors, his phone rang. Devin skidded to a stop. He yanked the phone from his pocket and was surprised to see Hope’s number. His heart jumped into his throat. Why would Charity be calling him? Had Hope taken a turn for the worst?

  “Charity,” he breathed when he answered. “I’ll be right there.”

  There was a moment of silence, followed by a low chuckle. “Ah. You mean the hospital? Interesting. I didn’t think that you’d go back there.”

  The voice was familiar. Similar to Charity’s, but with a layer of coldness that was far too unfeeling. A chill ran down Devin’s spine. He’d heard Honor speak often, with her many televised speeches against shifters. Calling for some regulation against them or blaming them for things that they had no control over.

  And she had the phone that he’d left with Charity.

  “Where is she?”

  “My sister? She’s . . . nearby. She’s being uncooperative. I’m hoping that you’ll prove to be a bit better. She’s going to die unless you say that you attacked Hope and tried to kill her.”

  “What?”

  “Say it. Right now.”

  “Fine!” Devin had to work to keep his voice low and calm. “Fine, if that’s what you want to hear. I attacked Hope. I wanted to undo everything you did. Happy? Now, where is she?”

  Honor made a humming noise. “Yes. Yes, that will be just fine. Good. I was worried she’d ruin everything. But once I have your evidence to show the world, I’ll be cleared of all charges. They’ll think that Hope, if she has the courage to tell the truth, was just mistaken due to her trauma. And poor Charity . . . murdered by the man she foolishly fell in love with.”

  No. All the air left his lungs.

  “Oh, but you do have a chance to save her. She’s in Welsh Lake . . . She’s got about half an hour of oxygen left. I left you a blood trail.”

  A click signaled her hanging up. Devin didn’t bother to think. He didn’t consider anything except for that Charity was going to die if he didn’t act. So, when he saw someone getting into their car, he pounced. He threw them out of the vehicle and took the car himself. His heart pounded all the way to Welsh Lake, a manmade reservoir that people often swam at despite the fact that there was an ocean only a couple miles away. The people who went to Welsh Lake feared sharks.

  The sandy beach beside the lake teemed with people. Several boats were on the water, but Devin didn’t stop to think about any of them or what his presence would do. Instead, he plunged right into the water. As soon as he was deep enough, he shifted. His clothes burst from him as his form changed shape. His shark welcomed the cool embrace of the water—

  But it was all wrong.

  Devin struggled to move forward. The water was . . . thicker, somehow. Heavier as it pressed down on him. It felt like nails raking over his gills like he was trying to breathe through a feather pillow. He pushed himself deeper into the water, mouth gaped open. There was blood in here, muddled by the taste of bodies and thick algae. His gills flared as they tried to compensate for the heavy water. He could feel boats chopping the water along his lateral line.

  He pushed that aside, concentrating on the taste of blood. There was no way of really knowing it was Charity’s, but it was the best lead he had. His tail beat the water as he skimmed the bottom of the lake. His eyes grew larger as the light grew dimmer.

  Within fifteen minutes, he’d reached the end of the blood trail. He could hardly see the shape in the water, but as he bumped up against it, he knew it was human and it was alive. It was tied with rope to a cinderblock. His head swam fuzzily as his body screamed for oxygen. Bubbles escaped the figure. Was it wearing a scuba mask? He couldn’t tell.

  His brain wasn’t working. He struggled to think as he circled the figure again. This had to be Charity. It had to be . . . He dove at the cinderblock. His teeth snapped as he chomped on it, but the heavy cement crumbled in his mouth. Taking hold of the rope gently in his mangled mouth, Devin turned and headed back to the surface. The distant light seemed to get dimmer the harder he swum. The water pressed down on him. His gills stopped flaring. Muscles cooled and it was all he could do to keep his tail beating . . .
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  And then he was through. Cool air broke around his head. He shifted without another thought. Water bust from his lungs, then he sucked in a deep breath. The ropes caught his arms, pulling him under. He kicked hard, surfacing again, and pulled the person to the surface with him.

  Charity. Her face was white, head lolling. A scuba tank was strapped to her back, but it was clear that she had run out of oxygen. He ripped off the mask and tried to buoy her up.

  “Breathe,” he begged. “Breathe!”

  They were a half-a-dozen yards from the shoreline. Devin rolled onto his back, cradling Charity’s unconscious form on his chest. He kicked hard, desperately trying to get her back to the shore. Nobody came to their aid. When he did get her on the beach, he saw that everybody was out of the water. They pointed, screamed, and videoed, terrified.

  Devin ignored them. He laid Charity on her side and began working to expel the water from her lungs. He looked up, eyes roving through the crowd. His vision swayed and he realized that trying to survive in the fresh water as a shark had done more of a number on him than he realized.

  He pointed at a pimply-faced teen in a lifeguard’s uniform. “Call 911,” he ordered. And then his mind rolled. He was vaguely aware of a familiar face in the crowd wearing a triumphant look, and then all went black.

  ***

  Salt.

  He was surrounded by salt. Devin’s eyes were closed as he lay still. Air swirled in his lungs, a rhythmic sound. He could feel his heart pounding, but his body felt . . . normal. He was surrounded by salt and water, and that was the way it was supposed to be. He was a bit light-headed, but it was nothing compared to when he had been swimming in the freshwater lake—

  His eyes snapped open.

  “Charity!” Water splashed all around him as he jerked to a sitting position.

  He was in his home. In the bathroom. More specifically, the bathtub. It was a huge tub, custom built by his father decades ago. A couple of inches of water filled it. Seawater, with the taste of salt and sand. His head spun, but two hands latched onto his shoulders and when he looked up, he saw . . .

  “Charity.” The name came out as a breathless whisper. His arms wrapped around him and he all but pulled her into the water. He kissed her again and again just to make sure she was real.

  “Stop.” Charity laughed as she pushed him away. “Crazy shark. You nearly got yourself killed.”

  “You’re okay. How are you okay? You nearly drowned!”

  Charity pulled away. Her arms circled his neck and she smiled at him. “You saved me.”

  He gulped, holding her closer, then took a deep breath. “What happened?”

  Charity’s smile faded a little. “Honor took me from the hospital. She wanted to trick me into saying something that she could use to have you arrested. When I wouldn’t say anything, she decided to go another route. She hooked me into that scuba gear and threw me into the lake. I guess she gave me the scuba stuff so that people would think that she wasn’t trying to drown me. She was going to say that you wanted me to become a shifter or something. I’m not sure. In any case, she was hoping that we’d both die down there. Me from drowning. You from being in your shark form in fresh water. But we both survived. You saved me.”

  He pulled her closer, remembering the taste of her blood in the water. He shivered. “And Honor?”

  “Was arrested. Hope woke up and told our parents that she shot her. She told the police. And after I was released from the hospital, I filed my accusations, too. She’s not going to be able to wriggle out of this one. She overextended, and it’s going to ensure that she never hurts anybody again.”

  Devin kissed her once more to taste her life on his lips. “And the baby?”

  Charity took his hand and pressed it to her belly. “The baby is fine. I’m fine. You . . . you had a close call, but you’re going to be fine. We’re all going to be fine.”

  “Good.” He rocked her back and forth. His mind was still muddled, but he didn’t care. He understood well enough. Charity and their baby were both okay. That was all that mattered. He tangled his fingers into her golden hair and whispered in her ear. “I love you, Charity. I love you so much.”

  “I love you, too.”

  He pulled back and looked deep into her eyes. “Marry me.”

  A look of surprise was quickly displaced by happiness radiating from her face. She threw her arms around him, kissing him soundly. Devin laughed as he kissed her back. He’d take that as a yes.

  Chapter Fifteen – Charity

  One Year Later

  Charity brushed a long curl behind her ear. The small booth she stood in was four curtains that created a space for her to be in while she got ready. Waves rolled in on the rocky beach mixed with the low chatter from the guests waiting on the beach. The dress she wore, made of several layers of chiffon that went to just above her knee, was perfect. She wasn’t the type of girl who needed to look like a princess on the day of her wedding. This . . . this was what she wanted. A rose in her hair, three yellow roses in her hand, and golden trim at the waist of her dress.

  The baby in the car seat gurgled and drooled. Charity picked up her little golden-skinned son and nuzzled his cheek. He had his father’s eyes and a head of dark hair. Charity and Devin had spent many an hour deciding the perfect name for their son and had settled on Storm. And not because there had been a storm on the day he had been born, forcing Charity to give birth in their living room. Storms were frightening at times. But they were strong and unbreakable, and when they were done doing their work, everything unstable was swept away. Just like he had done with them: the old was gone, and it was a fresh start for their little family.

  “It’s a good thing we gave you a bib,” Charity mentioned to her little boy, seeing the amount of drool on his face. “You’d have ruined this tux of yours.”

  Storm was going to be the only member of her family who was going to attend her wedding. Honor was in jail, she didn’t invite her parents, and Hope told her that her husband had forbidden her from attending. Out of all of them, only Hope’s absence was missed.

  “I thought she was going to be able to break free. But I guess she’s just not ready for it.”

  She pulled back the curtain, bouncing Storm to keep him happy. Her eyes widened when she saw her twin on the beach several yards away. Hope stopped when she saw her. She swallowed hard. Her clothing was crumpled and her eyes were ringed with red. Music started to play, indicating that Charity was supposed to head to where Devin was waiting for it.

  She hurriedly peaked through the curtains on the other side. People were standing and watching in anticipation. Charity made herself not look at Devin as she called out.

  “I need a few more minutes.”

  Titters answered her. Charity closed the curtain again and hurried up the beach to where Hope stood still, looking awkward. Her lip trembled as Charity got closer.

  “You look beautiful.” Hope held up a small box. “I brought . . . It’s kind of silly . . . ”

  Charity adjusted Storm on her hip and took the box. Nestled inside was a small brooch. Charity recognized it as one of the pieces of jewelry that had been left to Hope by their grandmother. It was silver-blue in color with a large sapphire the shape of a delicately constructed flower in the center.

  “I replaced the pin on the back because it was broken, so it’s all four.” Hope’s gaze remained on the ground. “Something borrowed, blue, old and new. I’m so sorry that I ever said I wasn’t going to come.”

  “What happened to your husband?”

  Tears streamed down her face. “I love him, Charity. I love him. But it’s not enough. I can’t live like this. I don’t believe him when he says that she was the only one and that he’ll never do it again. I’m going to get a divorce. I’m so sorry—”

  Charity embraced her twin. Storm immediately grabbed a handful of her aunt’s hair and yanked hard. With twin cries, they broke apart. Charity scolded the baby while detangling Hope’s hair from his
fingers. Storm gurgled and laughed. Hope rubbed her head and shrugged.

  “I think I deserved that.”

  “No.”

  Hope nodded. “Yes. I let things get so far out of hand and I . . . I never said anything. Whenever they talked about shifters, I always wanted to say something but I never did. I sat there like a coward. It’s my fault that Honor went so far.”

  Charity took her sister’s hand. “Hope. Stop. You’re taking the first step and I’m proud of you. Anything you need, I’ll help you with.”

  Hope wiped her eyes. She gave Charity a watery smile and took a step back. “Thank you. I just came to give you the brooch. I don’t want to ruin your wedding.”

  Charity’s heart gave a little jump. She knew exactly what Hope was going to do now, and it was unacceptable. She quickly moved forward and caught Hope’s hand again. Storm reached for her hair once more, and Charity moved him to her other hip. Hope gave the baby a small smile before she glanced up at Charity’s face. Her eyes shone, but what she was looking for, Charity wasn’t sure.

  “If you don’t want to ruin my wedding, you better stay here.”

  “I’m not dressed for it.”

  Charity shook her head. “Don’t care. You’re my twin sister and I want you to be here. Walk me down the aisle?”

  Hope hesitated for a moment before she threw her arms around Charity. “Yes. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

  They returned to the booth, and Charity peeked through the back and waved for the music to start again. The violins started to play. Charity handed her roses to Hope. Then, with the baby in her arms and Hope walking beside her, she exited the booth.

  There were only a couple dozen people in attendance. Most of them shifters, but some of Charity’s close friends and a few of her geologist coworkers as well. Charity beamed at them as she walked down the cleared path. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at the end of the aisle where her groom was waiting.