by Marla Monroe
“I tripped over my own feet and fell when I went to the diner to get something to eat last night. It’s nothing.”
“Look at your damn hands. How in the hell are you going to cook and keep house if you’re all scraped up like that? It’s them damn clothes you wear. Why won’t you dress like a young lady instead of some tomboy heathen?”
“I’m cooking chili today just like I planned. I assume everyone wants it spicy, right?” she said.
“Damn straight.” Charlie walked in without a shirt and the top button on his jeans undone. On him it looked sloppy since his over-ripe belly poked out through the gap.
“You must have gotten home late last night. I didn’t even hear you come in.” She pulled out the frying pan and began cooking their breakfast. “Did you find anything out?”
“Sure did. Got some of them HAS members right here in town. They claim they have a secret weapon to get the shifters. They don’t know we got our own brand of weapon.” Charlie slipped his cup under the drip of coffee before it had finished, making a mess as usual.
“Shut up, Charlie,” her father said.
“Have you scented any yet, Shay? Normally you’ve scented them by now.” Her brother stumbled into the room scratching his chest.
Thank God he was wearing a shirt. She didn’t think she could stand both men half-naked. They hadn’t had showers yet, and the booze leaked from their pores. Of course that would entail getting out of bed before nine if they weren’t going to miss breakfast.
“I don’t know why, but I haven’t. Maybe they aren’t hanging around town. With HAS in the area, they may be laying low. This could be a waste of time.” She turned the two eggs over, hoping they came out like her father liked them.
“Hell no!” Her father slapped both hands on the table. “I don’t want to hear any of that crap. We know they’re here. You thought you scented one when we first arrived. It may take some time. They’re getting smarter. Probably heard we were coming to town. We’re beginning to get a name for ourselves.”
“What kind of name, Father?” She highly doubted it was true.
“The kind of name that strikes fear in those bastards. That’s the kind of name.”
“Bet once they found that body they started worrying for real,” Charlie said with a grin that resembled a fish sucking the sides of a fishbowl.
“What?” Shay along with her father and Jack Jr. turned to stare at the other man.
“What in the hell did you do, Charlie?”
“I left that last one nailed to a tree up in the woods where them shifters lived. Wanted to make sure they knew we were after them.”
“Oh. My. God. The police will be after us, you asshole! What were you thinking?”
“Why? They’re nothing but animals. Why would they come after us? They should be thanking us for getting rid of the varmints.”
“I can’t believe you’re that stupid. They don’t know the wolf we killed was a shifter. Why did you nail him to a tree? What is wrong with you, Charlie?” Shay’s father stood up so fast the chair banged against the floor.
“He’s getting to like killing a little too much,” Jack Jr. said.
Her father stomped back and forth across the room, his face crimson like a blood rose. He’d have a heart attack if he didn’t calm down, but Shay didn’t blame him. Charlie had effectively condemned them to jail, maybe even death. Bile rose in her throat at the thought of spending the rest of her life behind bars.
“Why wouldn’t they know it when we know it?” Charlie jammed both hands in his jeans pockets, pulling them lower on his waist and exposing the fact that he didn’t bother wearing underwear.
Yuck!
“They don’t have Shay to point them out. That’s why. Even if we told them what they were, I doubt they’d believe us since not everyone knows about them.” Her father stopped pacing and walked over to where Charlie stood with his brows drawn together and slapped him so hard the man nearly lost his balance and fell.
“What did you do that for?” He rubbed his face where a fiery red welt was already beginning to form.
“For being so damn stupid. I don’t know why I thought you’d be okay with us. I should have left you with your ma back in Whiskey Hallow. You’ve been nothing but trouble since we left.”
“What are we going to do, Father? Do you think the police suspect us? We weren’t there but a few weeks.” Shay couldn’t stop her hands from trembling when she set her father’s plate of food in front of him.
“I don’t know. Let me think. Finish cooking up breakfast then make your rounds and see if you can catch a whiff of one of them damn animals so we can finish here and move on.”
She quickly fried up four more eggs for the other two and added bacon then retreated to her room. She needed to think, as well. If they were suspects, she would be on the run for the rest of her life. There was a slim chance they didn’t know about her, but she doubted it. Though she rarely went anywhere with them, she always stayed in the same house or hotel room wherever they went. Her father wouldn’t allow her out of his sight.
I’ve got to leave as soon as I can figure out where to go and how to get there. I have about six hundred dollars. That should get me at least a few hundred miles from here.
But how would she get anywhere? She didn’t have a car and if she bought a bus ticket, they’d follow her. That left hitching a ride, and that could be dangerous, but what choice did she have?
“Shay! Soon as you finish cleaning up these dishes, get your ass out there and look the bastards. We know they’re here somewhere or HAS wouldn’t have set up shop in this shitty town. I don’t want them catching one of them before we do.”
“Okay, Father.”
As soon as she heard the door slam behind them, Shay scrambled to clean up the kitchen and wash her bloody clothes. Then she gathered everything she had to her name in her backpack and slipped out of the house in hopes she could be long gone before her father knew she was missing. Since she’d taken all of her clothes, they’d know she’d run off. Maybe she should have left everything and let them think something had happened to her. Maybe one of the shifters had realized she was on to them and killed her.
It’s too late now. I’m already halfway across town. All I have to do is catch a ride to the next town and then the next.
It sounded so easy, but one thing Shay knew as well as she knew her father hated shifters—nothing in life was ever that easy.
* * * *
“What do you mean they’re missing?” Scrape. Levi’s chair dragged across the floor when he jumped to his feet.
“They were in their room reading over some of our history, then when we knocked on the door to see if they were hungry, they didn’t answer. We opened the door and they weren’t there.” Kindle ran one hand through his hair before jerking at it. “Galen is tracking their scents right now, but we don’t know if they’re leading us on a tangent, or if it’s really their scent.”
“What about Sienna? Is she still in her room?” Aaron asked.
“Yes. She didn’t know anything. Swears she had no idea they were planning to leave.”
“Aaron, have one of our guard watch after her while the rest of us find out what in the hell the Sylphie are up to.” Levi strode around the edge of the desk but stopped when he saw Lee and Evan standing in the doorway. “I sure as hell hope you don’t have more bad news.”
“It’s not good news, but it can wait until we find the females.” Lee looked at Evan who nodded in agreement.
“Let’s start at the cabin then spread out. You know the drill. Don’t do anything to harm them or that might startle them into doing something drastic.” Levi pushed between Lee and Evan to lead them outside. He called out for several of his guard to go with them.
Lee followed the others, knowing his bond mate would be right behind him. When they reached the little bungalow, several guard members met them. They spread out to cover the most ground possible as quickly as they could. One of every team shif
ted to their wolf form to track since their wolves could follow a scent better than their human counterparts.
They searched for over an hour before a distant howl alerted them that they’d been found safe. He and Evan raced to the location to find out what was going on.
“Ariel says they were searching out any new spells and trying to feel the original wolf of our pack.” Galen’s eyes glowed with the pre-change as he made his displeasure known to the Sylphie.
“Ariel can talk for herself, wolf.” The way she ground out the word wolf more than emphasized her feelings concerning Galen. “We can’t find your original wolf but can find that someone has attempted to alter the ley lines across your property.”
Levi’s mouth tightened even as the corners dipped down. “I don’t understand. What do you mean, our original wolf? What does that mean for the pack?”
“Imagine thin invisible lines that link important monuments on your land such as the pack house, any sacred places, and the natural ley lines in the geography of the mountain. If the lines are altered or worse, eliminated, it makes the area affected, vulnerable to a deeper magic. We wouldn’t pick up on it unless we searched the ley lines and found where they originated and concluded. Normally, monumental and ceremonial lines begin and terminate in the natural ley lines of the land.” Ariel pointed in a northerly direction as she spoke.
“And what about this original wolf you are talking about? I’ve never heard that term before,” Levi said.
“This is the first wolf to claim your land and create a pack here. It would be the first Shoewater male and his female. They would have created the first ley lines when they claimed the land and shed their blood to claim it.” The Sylphie sighed and shook her head. “I can find the original ley lines, but not the sacred claiming place where the Alphas shed their blood. It leaves your land vulnerable to outside influences.”
“How do we secure it again?” Levi asked.
“Blood must be shed by the current Alpha and his mate, but first we have to find the cornerstone where they originally started the ley line for claiming.”
“Have you done all you can here? We need to return to the pack house and talk to our fathers about this. We can’t do anything more until we know everything you can tell us. There’s no need to waste time repeating yourselves when our fathers need to know what you have discovered, as well.” Levi heaved out a sigh.
“Until we learn where the cornerstone is, we are helpless to do anything more. We’re ready to return.” Ariel gestured for her sisters to follow.
It took twenty minutes to walk back to the cabin and another ten to arrive at the pack house. Lee couldn’t help but worry about the pack’s safety and knew deep in his gut that somehow their mate was tied up in the mess even if it was only superficially. Evan hadn’t said anything, but he was attuned to his packmate’s unease.
Finding their mate couldn’t have come at a worse time. Not only were they constantly on guard concerning HAS, but now they had the additional stress of dealing with witchcraft. Lee also worried about Evan’s wolf since his bond mate allowed it more freedom than Lee allowed his. Of course, the other male constantly warned him that maintaining that rigid control would backfire on him one day.
“What are you scowling about?” Evan asked him.
“Finding our mate amid all of the uncertainty we’re facing is going to put a strain on our wolves.”
“I agree. That’s why I think we should claim her now and get her away from those three men so we can focus on the pack. She’ll be safe here on pack land, and our loyalties won’t be divided. It will satisfy our wolves and give us the freedom we need to deal with HAS and anyone else threatening our way of life.”
“Evan, we don’t know what her involvement with those men is, nor do we know if the group of them are teaming up with HAS. Bringing her on pack land under those circumstances is dangerous, and I can’t believe that Levi or our Alpha will allow it.” Lee worried that no one would ever trust her even if they did claim her now.
Will we be able to trust her enough to actually claim her? I’m scared that our wolves will unconditionally, but our human sides will worry. I don’t want to be at odds with my wolf. It’s hard enough for me to keep him in check sometimes.
Lee’s jaw tightened at the thought. His neck muscles clenched in tension like a bow string. When he looked over at Evan, there was no sign of the stress from earlier. His bond mate was going to hide his unease from their Alpha and Beta. He had no doubt that they were already at the pack house waiting on their return. Levi had called them on his cell.
Lee needed to follow Evan’s lead and hide his unease. Their Beta would pick up on it and demand they spill what was bothering them. This wasn’t the time to introduce more stress and questions into the mix.
“She’s not a witch, Lee.” Lee jerked at Evan’s soft whisper.
“I didn’t realize you were worried that she was. It hasn’t crossed my mind that she might be.”
“My wolf is clawing at me because I’ve worried. She’s new in town, Lee. What if she’s the one who’s messed with our land? Sienna told us she was responsible for the dampening spell and the one to mess with our senses, but she hadn’t done anything else. I tend to believe her. That means…”
Lee picked up. “There’s another witch here.”
“My wolf refuses to consider the idea. Normally our wolves are right about impressions. If she’s a witch, she knew we were shifters. She could have placed some sort of spell on us to make us believe she’s our mate.”
Lee frowned. “Evan, what’s going on with us? Before, I was the one questioning her being our mate. Now I am sure she is and believe her innocent of any wrongdoing, but now you’re worried she’s a witch. Do you feel like these are your own ideas?”
Evan’s brows knitted so tightly they nearly formed a single brow line over his troubled eyes.
“I don’t feel myself. We need to get Levi and the Sylphies alone after this and have them check us again. I think I ran through something while we were searching for them. I was in wolf form, so it might not have affected anyone in their human side.”
“That’s possible. I agree with you.”
“I’m not even feeling my usual aversion to humans. Normally just thinking about dealing with humans has my wolf growling inside.” Evan’s face clouded as dim as a rainy day.
“Hurry up, you two. The Alpha is waiting to hear Ariel’s report. We all need to know what’s going on,” Levi said.
Lee was worried that not even Ariel knew that. At this point he was positive there was more than one problem weighing down on them. Not only that, they were coming in different directions. It would divide their numbers trying to put a stop to each of them. Once again, he worried that this wasn’t the right time to claim a mate even if she wasn’t part of the issues surrounding them.
Chapter Six
Shay huddled behind the dumpster as two shifters strode by talking about what to have that night for supper. They all seemed so human to her, nice even. She couldn’t understand why the one who’d killed her mother had done it. None of the ones she’d met seemed the least crazy or wild to her. Maybe that one had been sick with something.
It all turned around and around in her head when she tried to make sense of it. All of the lives her father and brother had taken weighed heavily on her. She’d never participated in killing, but she’d pointed out the shifters for them. Her hands were bloody by proxy. If the shifters ever found out about her role, they would kill her and be justified in doing so. Shay hated that it had taken her so long to understand that what they were doing was wrong. As a child, she’d followed her father’s instructions, but once she’d become a teenager, she should have refused or lied and told him she couldn’t tell anymore.
The creak of a door opening behind her made her jump. She remained where she was crouched behind the dumpster, hoping no one would see her. Two men stepped out of the back of the general store and lit cigarettes.
“I�
�m telling you, Al, that witch makes me nervous. How do we know we can trust him? He could be doing something to us instead of helping us track them shifters.”
“He’s a warlock, Gill, not a witch. Witches are females. Don’t you pay attention to anything?”
“Fuck that, man. Same thing. Wayne is crazy to be using one in the first place. If you ask me, they’re just as dangerous as the damn shifters. They all need to be gotten rid of.”
“You’re just mad ’cause they killed that female shifter and you didn’t get to fuck her. She would have torn you to shreds. Sometimes I don’t know what to think about you, man.”
“Fuck you.” The one called Gill kicked at the dumpster.
Shay had to bite her tongue to keep from making a noise. They scared her with their talk of killing shifters and using witches—no, a warlock—to trap them. These must be the HAS members her father had talked to.
“What do you think about that group last night? The old man seemed a little crazy to me. What sort of ace do you think he was talking about? Think he has a witch, too?” Al asked.
“Don’t know. Wayne is planning to find out. Don’t know how. I don’t think he should let them hang with us. Too many people in one place makes us look suspicious, you ask me.” Gill dropped the butt of his cigarette on the ground and put it out with the toe of his boot. “We’d better get back inside before anyone notices we’re gone.”
As soon as the door closed behind them, Shay shot out from behind the dumpster and back down to the alley’s entrance. She needed to find a ride out of town. Her best bet would be the truck stop on the edge of the little community. It would be a long walk, but it might be her only chance. She didn’t have much time before her father started looking for her.
Shay strode down the street as if she had nothing in the world to worry about. She didn’t want to attract attention so that no one would remember her when her father started questioning people about her whereabouts.
“Hey, hon, need a ride? I’m heading to Marquand. I can take you that far.” A nice-looking woman driving a pickup that had seen better days pulled up next to her.
