Blood Brothers (Turning Stone Chronicles Book 2)

by C. D. Hersh

  “I’ll talk to Roc tonight and see what I can find out.”

  “I’m going with you.”

  “No, you are not. Too risky.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to get ready. Will you make me a sandwich while I change?”

  “Into what, or should I say who?”

  “My alter ego. If things go wrong and I have to take someone down, I don’t want to be in a mimic. Eli has been very specific about the risks of doing something wrong while mimic shifted.” He ran a hand over his chin. “I rather like the way I look.”

  “So do I,” Alexi called after him as he headed for the stairs.

  As Alexi entered the bedroom, Rhys zipped his jeans, then bent and cuffed the excess material at his ankles. “What do you think?” he asked, slowly rotating so she could see his shift.

  “You need a bra. Those revealing cantaloupes will have the entire bar of men ogling you.” She glanced at his cowboy boots. “And your boots are too big.”

  He raised his right leg straight in front of him. “These are big for my shifted feet. Hope I don’t stumble.”

  She set his sandwich on the bedside table. “Wait here. I think I can fix this.” Then she disappeared from the bedroom.

  He took a bite of his sandwich and caught the reflection of his alter ego in the mirror. He was about four inches shorter than his male counterpart, but still tall for a woman. A platinum blonde with a pixie hair cut and a rack any woman would be proud of.

  He glanced at his feet. Alexi was right. His size twelve boots were way out of proportion to his slim, yet shapely, feminine body. He raked his hands through his hair, making the top stand up in a butch cut. Better. Now I don’t look girly.

  Alexi returned with a bra, a pair of turquoise cowboy boots, a sequined tee shirt with the words Las Vegas emblazoned across the chest in multi-colored, reflective lettering, and a jeans jacket. “Try these on,” she instructed.

  Rhys took the bra, handling it as if it was a snake. “Nah, don’t think so.”

  “Put it on,” she commanded. “Otherwise those honkers are going to jiggle like gelatin. The tee shirt, too. The one you’re wearing is too manly. The rolled-up jeans work, though.”

  Holding the garments out in front of him at arm’s length, he asked, “Where did you get these?”

  “They were Baron’s. You’re about the same size as his alter ego.”

  “He had women’s clothing?”

  “Yep. We all have clothes for our alter egos.”

  That explained the men’s clothing he’d found in Sylvia’s hotel closet the day she’d pretended to be Alexi.

  “I’m surprised Eli hasn’t said anything about a second wardrobe to you.”

  Rhys shrugged. “He did mention shopping, but you know how I hate shopping.”

  “Well, for now, you can use Baron’s things, if they fit. Otherwise, we’re going to take a shopping trip.” She rubbed her hands together gleefully. “You know how much I love shopping.”

  Please, please, fit, he thought as he stripped off his tee shirt and donned the bra. After two unsuccessful tries at hooking the awkward piece of underwear, Alexi took over. “Not so tight, sweetheart. I can’t breathe with this thing on.”

  “Welcome to the woman’s world of fashion.” She patted the fastened bra, causing the hooks to dig into his back. “Now the tee shirt.”

  He tugged the shirt over his head, then unzipped his pants and started to tuck in the fabric.

  She grabbed it out of his jeans. “Leave it out. It’s more feminine.” She handed him the jacket. “Now this.”

  He slipped it on. The jacket bottom only reached his waist, leaving the tee shirt exposed. He glanced in the mirror and tugged at the turquoise fabric. “This is dumb.”

  Alexi slapped his hand away. “It’s stylish. Leave it alone.” She gave him the boots. “Now these.”

  They fit perfectly.

  “Something’s still missing,” she said as she dug in her jewelry box, extracting a string of pastel pearls and matching earrings.

  “If you’re thinking about shoving those things in my ears, you can forget it. I draw the line at piercings.”

  “They’re clip earrings. These were Baron’s, too.” She motioned for him to put on the pearls. “A hot chick like you would never be caught without her bling.”

  Sighing, Rhys complied then looked in the mirror. She’s right. I am one hot babe. He swiveled to the right and then to the left, admiring himself. No one will ever guess this is me. He gave Alexi a quick hug. “Thanks for helping me.”

  “Rhys, I really think you need some backup.”

  “No,” he said firmly. “I’m stronger than Roc. I can handle this.”

  “But-”

  “Do you want me to get Eli to babysit you?”

  “You can’t without letting him know what you’re doing.”

  She was right. “Promise me you won’t follow me.”

  Alexi stared at the carpet then she plucked her phone from her pocket and dialed.

  Rhys’ cell rang. He checked the number. She had dialed him.

  “I’ll promise if you keep your cell open so I can hear what’s going on. But the minute I think you’re in trouble, I’m coming. Deal?”

  It was as close to a promise as he figured to get. “Okay. I’ll call you when I get to the bar.” He swiveled on his heel to leave, the dangling pearls tinkling in his ears. How did women wear the darn things?

  “Stay here,” he instructed one more time.

  Alexi nodded, but he saw the fleeting glimmer in her eyes that said, Not on your life, buster. Then it disappeared, her facial expression pure compliance.

  He sighed. She was coming in spite of her promise, and there wasn’t a thing he could do to stop her.

  As the tall, platinum blonde left Alexi’s house, Delaney tried to scan her aura, but she got into the driver’s side of Rhys’ pickup before she got a read on her. Had to be Rhys, shifted. Where was he going?

  When the taillights were about two car lengths away, she started the car and put it in gear. Suddenly, the garage door opened. She shut off the engine, killing the lights manually and watched. Alexi’s car backed out of the drive and headed in the same direction as the pickup had gone. Restarting the engine, Delaney followed.

  Who was in the vehicles, and what were they doing? She checked the street ahead of Alexi’s car. The pickup’s taillights were clearly visible. With any luck she could follow them both, at least for a while.

  Both the car and the pickup went straight to the area of town where Rogueman’s Bar was located and parked several cars apart on the street near the alley entrance to the rogue shifter hangout. Delaney found a parking slot nearby and waited.

  The blonde got out first, glancing around as if she was checking for someone. After a couple of sweeps of the area, she took her cell phone from a pocket, dialed, then headed for the alley. As soon as she disappeared into the darkened corridor, a man exited Alexi’s car, his cell phone to his ear.

  Delaney leaned forward, trying to make out the man’s identity, but he was too far away. When he, too, disappeared into the same alley, she yanked the keys from the ignition, mimic shifted into a woman she saw walking away from the general area, and followed her two suspects. The door to Rogueman’s Bar swung shut as she entered the alley. Delaney glanced around, and seeing she was alone, opened the door and entered.

  A blue haze of smoke stung her eyes as she stepped inside. She stood still for a moment letting her gaze adjust to the dimly lit bar, scanning the pulsing ring auras, spiked with black, hoping there were no others, besides the persons she suspected of being Rhys and Alexi, who could read her aura.

  Her gaze lighted on the platinum blonde seated in a secluded corner. A ring of shifters, with blinking auras, suddenly surroun
ded the blonde, effectively cutting her off from the rest of the room. Delaney shifted her focus to finding the man who had exited Alexi’s car. Kitty-corner from the blonde, back tucked against the wall with cell phone to his ear, she found her suspect. A chill ran over her as she recognized Alexi’s alter ego, Garrett. She hesitated for a moment, caught between the desire to spy quietly or make her presence known. She opted for the latter.

  “Hello, Garrett,” she said when she reached the table.

  The man jumped and shoved his cell into his pocket, peering hard at her.

  Leaning in closer, she whispered, “Or should I say, Alexi?”

  As the blood drained from his cheeks, he asked, “Do I know you?”

  She scooted out a chair and sat.

  Garrett stared, obviously scanning her aura.

  As the color slowly returned to his cheeks, he said, “Delaney? Is that you?”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “What are you doing here?” Garrett shot back.

  “Following you. I knew you had cabin fever, I didn’t expect it to lead you, or me, into the den of rogues. Do Eli and Rhys know you’re here?

  “Eli doesn’t, but I suspect Rhys does.”

  “Who was the blonde who came out of your house?” Delaney asked. “The one sitting in the corner.” Jerking her head, she indicated the diagonal section of the bar and then glanced in the direction.

  The ring of rogues surrounding the table parted, and she scanned the blonde who now had her back to the room. Red and green and spikes of black jutting from the ring aura clearly showed her the woman was not one of theirs. “You had a rogue shifter in the house?”

  “No,” Garrett protested. “Why would I do that since I suspect them of killing m-I mean, Alexi?”

  “I saw her leave the house, and she’s clearly a rogue. Check her aura if you don’t believe me.” Her gaze cut to the woman.

  Garrett followed the motion. The woman waved to a server, exposing her face to them. Garrett gasped. “A rogue, but it’s her.”

  “Her who?” Delaney asked.

  Crooking a finger at one of the men who had surrounded her earlier, the woman whispered something in his ear. He headed directly toward Delaney.

  “We need to leave. Now,” Garrett said as the man moved across the room toward them. “It’s not safe here anymore.” He stood.

  Delaney grabbed his arm as he started past. “Not until you tell me what’s going on.”

  Garrett yanked out of her grasp. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told, and besides, it’s not my story to tell.” He jerked his head toward the approaching man. “We’ve been made. Move! Now!”

  Delaney followed his motion, then stood and bolted for the door on Garrett’s heels.

  Rhys sensed Alexi and Delaney come into the bar. Now he sensed them leave, in spite of the fact Roc blocked his view, and his aura, from the two women.

  “Call your dog off,” he commanded Roc. “They’re of no consequence since they’ve left.”

  Roc sent another shifter to retrieve the first. “Were they following you or did you tell them to come?”

  “I didn’t lead them here on purpose, if that’s what you want to know. However, I am The Promised One. Like you, I have my own guard detail.” Whether or not I want it, apparently. “I guess I didn’t shake their tail as well as I thought.” He paused, giving Roc a glare that dared his brother to question him further.

  Obviously satisfied with the answer, Roc relaxed in his chair.

  “You were starting to tell me about Sylvia.” He took a drink.

  “She’s found our father,” Roc said.

  Rhys choked on his beer. “W-what?” he finally managed to sputter.

  “She collected my DNA this afternoon. Apparently, he wants to be one hundred percent sure before he reveals himself to us.”

  “Me, too, because I wouldn’t trust her findings any farther than I can spit. Is he going to provide a sample for us to test?”

  “She didn’t say. Speaking of DNA how did your test come out?”

  “We’re related.”

  Roc’s face split into a grin as big as a Jack O’ Lantern’s. “I knew it all along.” He grabbed Rhys’ arm.

  The now-familiar surge ran through Rhys’ blood. His brother’s alter ego shift was the same as his. The face nestled inside the platinum pixie haircut was identical to his. Their eyes the same shade of green. He hadn’t told Roc he would be coming as his alter ego. The shock he got upon seeing Roc transformed into an identical female was nearly enough to convince him, even without the DNA results. They were siblings.

  Roc released him, his expression clearly pleading for confirmation from Rhys.

  “Who’d have guessed our alter egos would be the same?”

  “I did,” Roc answered, “although I wasn’t expecting you to come as yours. I thought you might recognize mine and that would lend more impact to my revelation about our father.” He paused and stared at Rhys before continuing, “Who do you think he is?”

  “Not a clue.” Rhys hoped he wasn’t a rogue, but if Sylvia was involved, and apparently gung ho on it, good old Dad was probably not good. He dropped his gaze to the table and pushed his drink around in the circle of condensation forming on the tabletop.

  “Something else on your mind, bro?” Roc asked.

  Rhys scrubbed at the side of his jaw then the back of his neck. “There are some pictures floating around causing me trouble. One of me, or someone who looks like me, coming out of the apartment where Delaney Ramsey is staying. Plus another with me and a blonde in a really cozy pose. You wouldn’t know anything about those, would you?”

  Roc took a deep breath and looked away, his mouth locked in a straight line.

  He knows something. “Remember the time you said you were in Delaney Ramsey’s apartment?”

  “You covered for me. Thanks again.”

  “Well, it’s coming back to bite me in the butt.”

  “How?”

  “Delaney had the beer bottle you were drinking from tested for DNA. Since I admitted to being in the apartment, she thinks it was me.”

  “I didn’t do anything wrong. There’s nothing they can pin on you.”

  “How about when you were in the apartment on other occasions?”

  Roc’s head jerked upright. “What makes you say that?”

  “Because I’m not in those pictures, and you’re the only other likely candidate. Did you have a relationship with Lila Ramsey?”

  “I’ll answer if you tell me when you started your relationship with her.” Roc’s voice hardened with each word.

  Blinking in confusion over the reversal of momentum in the conversation, Rhys asked, “What are you talking about?”

  “I was at the graveyard the day you buried the cop. I saw Lila in your truck. I saw the way you ran to her, shouting her name.”

  “You were the shifter I sensed?

  “Yeah, and the one you nearly ran over.”

  “What were you doing there, Roc? Were you tracking me?” Or was he spying on Alexi?

  “Sylvia wanted to prove to me I had a brother. She told me to check you out, from a distance. Then I saw Lila.” His voice caught, and his eyes filled with pain. He cleared his throat and stared directly at Rhys. “Why don’t you tell me why you were with my girl, and I’ll answer your question.”

  Rhys raked his fingers through his hair again then dropped his chin into his hands. After a long moment he raised his head. He couldn’t tell his brother who Lila really was, but from Roc’s expression he knew the truth was going to be hard to take. “I wasn’t with Lila, Roc.”

  “No,” he protested. “I saw her with you.”

  “The woman you saw was a mimic of Lila.” He gathered the courage to b
reak the bad news. “Lila’s dead,” he said gently.

  For a second, time stood still and the noise of the bar receded as he felt Roc’s shock as clearly as if it was his own. Was this a twin thing? You shared emotions empathically? Or was it because of their other connection? The magical one.

  Finally, Roc spoke, his face white and drawn. “She can’t be dead. She has to be alive.” He leaned over the table and grabbed Rhys by both arms, shaking him. “You’re lying, bro.”