One Night With the Shifter

by Theresa Meyers

“Who?”

  “Crawford.”

  The ferry hit the docks and Ty tapped the steering wheel with his thumb, his impatience building as the traffic crawled off and rumbled through the underground tunnel. Jess crossed her arms. “Well, this should be entertaining. I can’t wait to see how my brothers react when they find out I’ve got not only a Werewolf for a boyfriend, but two vampires guarding me.”

  “Don’t forget Riley,” Ty threw in.

  Jess frowned. “Yeah, and Riley being a Werewolf. That ought to fly like an ostrich.” She glanced at him as he drove. “I’ve changed my mind. You staying out in the truck and not coming in is a good idea.” In twenty minutes they were pulling up to the winding drive of the Brierly home.

  True to his word, Crawford was waiting at the top of the driveway. Jess opened her door and Crawford offered a hand to help her down. Crawford leaned in the open door. “You’re not planning on driving this thing up north, are you?”

  Ty gripped the steering wheel. “Yeah.”

  Crawford shook his head. “You better take Jess’s truck. They’ve probably got a warrant with your license plate and vehicle description circulating among all the local law enforcement. Better yet, why don’t you let one of us transport you up there?”

  Ty’s stomach clenched at the thought. He was getting damn tired of vampire travel. The problem was Crawford had a point. Ty slipped the truck from Park into Drive. “Fine. I’ll ditch this in a parking lot in town and one of you can take me to Achilles.”

  Beside Crawford a dark spiral of particles swirled, forming the shape of Slade Donovan. Ty cursed.

  “Donovan, I’m on detail with Miss Brierly. Can you transport Grayson to the rendezvous point with the commander?”

  Donovan gave one curt nod. “I’m on it.” Without a word to Ty, he climbed in the truck. Ty glanced out at Jess, memorizing her face. She mouthed the words I love you and Ty nodded. Damn. Leaving her here like this was one of the hardest things he’d ever done, but he knew he had to.

  “Don’t worry. Crawford and the Trejan will protect her.”

  Ty glared at Donovan, surprised the half vampire, half Were could still read his thoughts. “Get the hell out of my head, Donovan.”

  Donovan looked impassively out the window. “Park this thing and let’s get going.”

  * * *

  Jess didn’t bother knocking. There was no reason to. Was there? It was still her home. Wasn’t it? The odd sensation of it being off bothered her. Being here, without Ty, didn’t feel right. If she were being honest, just being without Ty period didn’t feel right. But somehow in just a few days with him in that apartment in the clan complex, something had shifted and now the Brierly house didn’t feel the same as it had when she’d left. Crawford came in right behind her.

  “Hey, I’m home!” Jess shouted out. There were at least two of her brothers’ cars in the driveway. Someone had to be home.

  She heard running feet. A good sign.

  “Jess?” Edgar’s rumbly voice thundered from up above and he came racing down the stairs. “Jess!” He picked her up in the sweep of his arms and spun her around. “My God, you’re back! You’re okay!” He hugged her so tight Jess couldn’t draw a breath.

  “Ed, you’re crushing me,” she wheezed.

  He set her down and rubbed her arms. “Sorry. Sorry. Just good to see you. We’ve been worried.”

  “Where the hell have you been?” Paul asked from the arched entrance into the dining room.

  “Paul!” Jess ran at him and hugged him about the neck. She pulled back and he was smiling at her, making her chest warm all over. She knew she’d missed them, but she hadn’t realized how much. “Where’s Davis?”

  “At work,” Edgar said, flicking a gaze to Crawford. “Who’s the guy? New boyfriend?”

  Crawford grinned. “It’d be nice, but no. Just her assigned security.”

  Paul pulled Jess to the side of him, tucking her slightly behind him, and crossed his arms. “By whose authority?”

  Crawford quirked a brow. “I didn’t say,” he replied smoothly.

  Paul’s jaw flexed. “Well, she’s safe and sound at home now. You can leave.”

  Crawford chuckled and shut the front door behind him. “You know, I wish that were true. But she’s never been in more danger than she is right now standing here with you two clowns. Look, this is my job. This is what I do. We’re all going to be here for a while until the commander comes back and says the coast is clear.”

  “Commander?” Edgar jumped in. “Commander who?”

  “Ed,” Jess said, grabbing for his hand and pulling him over to stand beside her and Paul. “Trust me on this. Crawford knows what he’s doing. And this is for all our safety.”

  “Jesus, who’d you go and get mixed up with, Jess, the mob?” Paul muttered as he loosened his tie.

  Jess gave a mirthless laugh. “I wish it were that easy.”

  Edgar reached out and pressed her to his side, rubbing his hand on her upper arm. “Then what is it? You can tell us.”

  Jess flicked her gaze at Crawford. Her stomach swished, as if there were a small school of goldfish doing a conga line in her tummy. God, this was uncomfortable. Maybe Ty had been the smart one. Breaking the news to her brothers was harder than she thought.

  “Maybe it’s time for introductions. Ed, Paul, this is James Crawford. He’s a security specialist for the Cascade Clan vampires.”

  Paul’s mouth dropped open and he shook his head slightly. “Did you just say vampires?”

  Jess worried the edge of her bottom lip between her teeth and nodded.

  “Bullshit,” Edgar spat out. “What’s really going on here?”

  Crawford smiled. With a flick, his fangs fully descended. Jess sucked in a startled breath.

  “As I said, I’m here to protect your sister.”

  Edgar started a coughing fit and began pounding himself with a fist to his sternum. Jess pounded him on the back. “You okay?”

  He nodded, coughing a few more times before he locked gazes with Crawford. “I’ll be damned. You really are a vampire.”

  “Whoa,” Paul said. “I thought that whole vampire thing was just a media stunt. You guys are real, huh? Any more of you out here around Sinclair?”

  Crawford gave an annoyed glance and retracted his fangs. “More than you want to know. Now that the carnival is over with, perhaps we can get down to business.”

  “What are you protecting Jess from?” Paul blurted out.

  Jess glanced at Crawford. What could he possibly tell him—that they were protecting her from other vampires, but not good ones? It was confusing to her and she was in the middle of it all.

  Crawford lifted his chin. “That’s classified.”

  Edgar nudged Jess. “Where’s your boyfriend while all of this is going on? Shouldn’t he be here to help instead of the vampires?”

  “And speaking of him, where’s Riley? Grayson said he’d let us know Riley’s condition,” Paul added

  “Riley is doing just fine,” Jess said flatly. “He’s better than fine.”

  “Then why hasn’t he come home yet?” Edgar pressed.

  Jess looked from Edgar to Paul. How on earth was she going to explain that their little brother wasn’t exactly the same as when he’d left? But then, just how much had changed? Ty had said the form of a Were was by choice. Maybe Riley didn’t ever need to turn into an animal. But then again, maybe he wanted to. She screwed up her face.

  Paul grasped her arm. “What, what is it?”

  “Riley, well, Riley is on assignment,” Jess began. It seemed simplest to stick to the truth. “He’s undergone some changes and Ty is the best person to lead him through it.” Changes was an understatement. But right now the less they knew, the safer they’d be.

  Pau
l’s eyes narrowed. “Did they do something to him?”

  “Not exactly. But yes.”

  “You’re not making any sense, pipsqueak,” Edgar said, rubbing the dark stubble along his jaw with his hand.

  “Your little brother has gone Were,” Crawford interjected.

  Jess whirled around and glared at him. That was smooth.

  Paul pushed by her. “Excuse me? Riley’s gone what?”

  Crawford ignored her and barreled ahead. “Werewolf.” Jess pressed her fingers to the throbbing building right between her eyes. This was going downhill fast.

  “Werewolf...uh-huh.” Edgar started pacing. “You’re a vampire and you’re telling me my little brother is now a Werewolf?”

  Crawford braced his feet apart and crossed his arms. “That about sums it up.”

  “What exactly does that mean?”

  Jess put a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll see if I can explain it all to you later.”

  Paul muttered a few choice words. “Anything else we need to know?”

  Crawford’s gaze bored into her. Jess shifted uncomfortably. They hadn’t even left the damn entry hall and she desperately wanted to sit down. “I need a glass of water,” she murmured, ignoring Crawford’s insistent look.

  Jess pushed past the barricade of Edgar and Paul and headed for the kitchen. Crawford attempted to follow and was blocked. Paul and Edgar walked in behind her, Crawford trailing behind them.

  She grabbed a glass out of the cupboard and filled it, guzzling half of it in big swallows, then pulled out a chair at the big kitchen table and sat down.

  “You hungry, Jess?” Edgar asked.

  She shook her head and took another sip of water just so she wouldn’t have to answer more questions just yet. This kitchen had always been the place for family gatherings and it felt odd not to have Ty there alongside her, especially since she needed to tell her brothers about the babies.

  “Fess up, Jess. Something else is eating at you.” Paul sat in a chair right next to her. Crawford chose not to sit down at all and instead leaned against the wall, the warm, feminine yellow floral wallpaper clashing horribly with the black leather jacket he wore.

  “I went to see a doctor about the pregnancy.”

  Paul frowned. “Jess, you didn’t do anything stupid, did you?”

  She shook her head, grasping the water glass more tightly. “No. But it isn’t exactly what I expected.”

  Edgar sat down on the opposite side of her and grasped her hand. “Are you okay?”

  Jess gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “I’m fine, Ed. So are the babies.”

  “Well, that’s good news— Wait, babies, as in plural, more than one?” Paul blurted.

  Jess nibbled on her bottom lip and nodded. Edgar slumped back in his chair and let out a huge sigh of relief. “Is that all? Multiples? God, I thought something was wrong.”

  Her stomach clenched. “There might be twins, possibly triplets—” She paused, trying to get the words out before she lost her nerve. “And they could be Werewolves.”

  Paul shot up out of his chair. “What? What the hell are you saying, Jess? Are they going to be born with tails or something? They can fix that surgically, you know.”

  “I—”

  “How’s that even possible?” Edgar said over Paul.

  “You—”

  “This is more entertaining than a television reality show.” Crawford chuckled.

  Their questions just kept coming without giving her a space big enough to answer. Jess held her hands over her ears, trying to hear her own thoughts over the rapid-fire questions her brothers were shooting at her.

  “Listen!” Jess slapped her hands flat on the kitchen table. “Ty is a Werewolf, okay. I didn’t know it before, but he is, and I’ve accepted that. These are my children and Ty’s. Now you can either accept what is, or not. Either way, that’s not my problem. But what we need to concentrate on right now is how to keep me and them alive.”

  That shut everyone up.

  Her pulse was racing. Jess suddenly felt a pull in her abdomen, or was it a push? Either way, something moved. Her hand grasped her belly. It had definitely gotten bigger since the morning.

  Edgar put his hand over hers. “What? Are you okay?”

  Jess looked up at him. “The babies. I think one just moved.” Her voice was filled with wonder, but then just as swiftly a sadness washed over her. The first time the babies had moved and Ty wasn’t here with her to experience it.

  “Oh, God. She’s gonna cry,” Paul said.

  “I am not,” Jess retorted, even as her eyes began to burn and fat tears began spilling silently down her cheeks. This was when she needed Ty most.

  * * *

  At that moment Ty felt a strange twinge in his gut. Something was going on with Jess. She’s with Crawford and her brothers. Just cool it. She’ll be fine, he reminded himself.

  “You really need to get your head in the game, man,” Donovan muttered.

  “Nobody asked you to read my thoughts,” Ty growled back.

  “Hard not to when they are so damn loud,” Donovan retorted.

  Achilles popped both of them in the back of the head. “Both of you stand down and pay attention.” Ty rubbed the back of his head. It stung. Achilles had a harder-than-average hand. Ty glared at Donovan but kept his mouth shut. Donovan glared back. He didn’t like that Donovan was in on this. He didn’t want the Wenatchee Pack leader anywhere near his new territory, or his mate, but it seemed that wasn’t an option. Achilles was calling the shots.

  They were standing in the field outside the barracks at the Salt Creek Campground about five miles away from Striped Peak. Besides Donovan and Achilles there were ten other security team members from the clan. A few Ty had seen before, but the others he didn’t know. Achilles had already scoped out the massive concrete bunkers at the campground, which had been built at the same time as the one up on Striped Peak had been completed. Both had been part of Camp Hayden.

  “We’re going to go in under flux,” Achilles said as he pointed to the sketch he’d made of the bunker. “Grayson, you go in your wolf form. You’ll blend in better that way. Stay on guard in the outer perimeter. Team one, you’ll maintain flux and head into the bunker. Go left. Team two, you’re with me. Maintain flux and take the right wing of the bunker. Are we all clear?”

  Everyone nodded. “This is a strict observation only to plan tomorrow’s attack. If for any reason they come at us, rendezvous back at headquarters and the team member closest to the Were grabs him for transport. Head out.”

  Ty liked that Achilles ran his group with military efficiency, just as he himself would have done had this been a hunting mission for his pack. He glanced at Donovan. As much as the half blood seemed willing to help, just his presence was a thorn in Ty’s side. He’d lost everything because of Donovan and he’d be damned if he was going to let it happen again. Just because Donovan had reached out to him when Raina was beside him didn’t mean he trusted him. His mate, Raina, was family. Donovan was not.

  One by one the vampires became invisible, all except Donovan. Ty took off his clothes and folded them neatly in a pile to await his return. No reason to ruin them if he didn’t have to. Donovan followed suit. Ty crouched down, his fingers digging into the dirt, and beside him Donovan did the same. The change overtook both of them quickly; the snap and pop of ligament and bone, the squishy stretch of skin and the crinkle of hair growing out to form their pelts took only seconds. Ty shook out his ruff and glanced at the big black wolf beside him. Game time.

  Chapter 15

  Sunlight fell in broken shards of gold on the forest floor as they raced through the trees. They stopped at the edge of the highway bisecting the forest, waited until there were no cars, then dashed across. Then darted in between the trunks of the
fir and maple, shaped by the buffeting of the wind on the coast.

  Why’d you decide not to vamp it up with the others?

  You know as well as I do, no one can track better than a Were. Donovan’s voice was crystal clear in Ty’s head. We might be able to find clues the others miss. Besides, we can cover more ground on the perimeter if there are two of us.

  The higher up they climbed, the more pronounced the stink of vampire and Thrall became. Dank and dark. Mildew and decay. Ty was breathing hard from exertion and the smell of them filled his nose, making him want to rub it against the ground. Gods, they smell worse than skunks, he muttered to himself.

  Hey, it’s not that bad, Donovan shot back.

  Ty panted and drew his black lips up over his row of pointed teeth in mimic of a smile. You’re just saying that ’cause you know you stink just as bad, he mocked.

  Donovan’s voice chuckled in his head. Last one to the bunker is buying the whole team beer when we get back.

  Ty launched himself through the trees, his paws digging deep into the earth as he scrabbled from rock to rock up the steep surface. He had the advantage. He knew precisely where the bunker lay. Donovan didn’t.

  He reached the edge of the forest in front of the concrete behemoth and circled round until he came up the sloped side, placing him in a spot to look over the earth-covered top of the bunker, yet still be hidden in the trees. Donovan joined him a minute later. Ty glanced at him. Looks like you’re buying, pal.

  There was no movement below, but then, it was daylight. Ty’s sensitive ears picked out the movements of the invisible vampires on the security team. Bits of fern and huckleberry moved as they passed by, weaving through the forest, their pace slow and deliberate now that they’d reached the edge.

  Donovan closed his topaz eyes for a moment and bent his head. When he opened them again, he glanced at Ty. Achilles says to stay on guard out here while they go in. Ty nodded and gave a full-body shake, then padded off to start a full circle around the bunker.

  For the next four hours, no one came in or out. The sun disappeared and the autumn sky turned a dark gray as a storm rolled in. The clouds looked as churned up and white capped as the salt water did below in the Strait. The scents of brine and fish, fir and moss were mitigated by the ever-present stench of vampire. The musty, rotting decay of them oozed out from the bunker, saturating the air.