Stonybrooke Shifters: The Complete Collection

by Leela Ash

  Lyla made her way to the little liquor cabinet in the corner of the room and gazed at the bottles inside. She had left the wine in the kitchen, unthinkingly, but the moment didn’t really seem like a wine sort of occasion. The air was too stiff. What would a man like Jonah want to drink? Something light to loosen him up? Or maybe something strong. Very strong.

  After a brief deliberation, Lyla decided on a straight whiskey on the rocks, one for Jonah and one for herself, and returned to the couch.

  “Thanks,” Jonah said, lifting the glass from Lyla’s hands. His finger brushed over hers and she shuddered involuntarily as a small wave of heat moved through her body. “This is perfect.”

  A wave of relief, and a small surge of pride, washed over her. She had pegged him right.

  “So how long will you be staying in Stonybrooke?” Lyla asked. “Are you on leave or something?”

  Jonah’s features became drawn again and Lyla kicked herself. He clearly wasn’t the kind of man who spoke openly about himself. In fact, she was getting the feeling that the more she asked, the more closed off he would be. Still, it wouldn’t kill him to be a little more friendly. It was casual conversation, for goodness sake. What kind of barbarian would she be if she didn’t try to start a conversation?

  Besides, there was something about him she was simply drawn to. Was it so wrong to want to know just a little more about him?

  “I’m just here for a visit,” Jonah finally replied, as if he had suddenly resigned himself to the inevitability of conversation. “Maybe a month or two. But it really depends, I’m on call.”

  “Of course,” Lyla said, looking down at her glass. They fell into a comfortable silence before Betsy bustled into the room.

  “Time to eat!” she said cheerfully.

  Jonah’s gaze lingered on Lyla for a moment, bringing a hot flush to her cheeks, before he stood and walked past her as if she weren’t even there.

  “Sounds good, sis. What are we having?”

  Lyla watched him as he walked away, her eyes surely burning a hole into Jonah’s back as he disappeared into the kitchen. If she had known that this was Betsy’s brother, she would have done what she’d wanted to in the first place and snuck right out the back.

  And yet, she couldn’t help herself. Lyla sat her glass down on the coffee table and followed Jonah helplessly. Whether she liked it or not, she was there to dine, and for better or for worse, dine together they would.

  3.

  Jonah sat down at the table, quietly studying the two women in the dining room. His sister was busying herself, as she always seemed to busy herself, this time serving the food and filling glasses.Jonah felt a pang of sadness. She was working so hard, but it was clearly just an attempt to keep from having to deal with her feelings. She wanted nothing more than to be on the move at all times, focused on the moment.

  He looked away from Betsy and took a chance to study Lyla, who was carefully folding napkins into the shape of swans. Her long, graceful fingers worked swiftly, folding this way then that, her thick golden hair falling forward into her face as she finished one swan. Lyla brushed it away and then began work on another, her ocean colored eyes focused as she folded. A sudden animalistic longing woke the wolf inside him, and he kept his eyes locked on her until she looked up, smiling sweetly and offering him one of her finished swans.

  Jonah took it from her, his eyes focused on the white cloth napkin in an attempt to hide the fire inside him. The wolf was just below the surface, ready to claim her right then and there. But that kind of thinking was dangerous. He couldn’t get close to anybody. Especially, not in his line of work. That was the end of it.

  “So, Jonah,” Betsy said, finally sitting down at the table across from him. “How are you? How have you been? Tell me everything!”

  “Well, I can’t actually tell you everything,” Jonah said. “It’s confidential. But I’ll tell you what I can.”

  He could sense Lyla across the table, her energy spiked with interest. Jonah had to stop himself. It wasn’t fair to use his senses to try to feel the girl out. She couldn’t do the same.

  “Where were you last?” Betsy asked tentatively. She was trying hard not to overstep her bounds with him. She was probably afraid she would drive him away again. Jonah cringed, another pang of pain tightening his chest. He wished Betsy would stop blaming herself for everything that had happened. At some point while he was home, they were going to have to have a talk. But not now.

  “I’m not at liberty to say where we were last,” Jonah said. “But I can tell you how I liked it. It was a beautiful place, near a beach.”

  “Oh, I thought you looked tan,” Betsy said.

  From across the table, Lyla’s eyes flickered up and, just as sweet as the scent of the pie in the oven, he could sense desire from within her. It was impossible to hide such a thing from the wolf. It was useless to try.

  Lyla seemed to realize he’d noticed, because her face turned bright red and she looked away quickly. The wolf begged him to make her face him; face her own feelings, but Jonah managed to put it in its place. Avoiding his claim over this girl was going to be harder than he thought.

  “What really matters is that I finally get some time to myself,” Jonah said, shoving all thoughts of Lyla away and feeling guilty for the lie even before it was fully out of his mouth. “To spend with my family.”

  Betsy beamed and they began to eat.

  “Did you happen to pass by the square?” Betsy asked about midway through the meal. “It’s completely different now.”

  “No,” Jonah said. The memory of the last time he had been in the square was bright. The idea of all that changing was like a punch to the gut. “I came right here from the airport.”

  “Really? I think you should see it. There’s a new store there that Douglas opened.”

  “Really? Douglas?”

  Jonah hadn’t seen Douglas since he’d graduated high school about eight years earlier. They had been close friends, but once Jonah lost his parents, he had become something of a recluse. Douglas had stayed by his side, but eventually, they lost touch as his friend went off to SSU. He graduated just about the time the SEALs had taken an interest in Jonah. He’d barely been able to say hi to Douglas before he was whisked away on his first mission; a covert mission up in Oak Mountain, where they’d recruited Nichols.

  From there, his career with the SEALs had taken off, and before long, he had found himself climbing the ranks and commanding a group of his own in a special unit dedicated to preventing disaster; a specialized unit for shifters. There were even rumors of a top secret dragon sect of the SEALs, but so far, Jonah had dismissed it as nothing but a myth to amuse the rookies.

  “Yeah,” Betsy continued. “He’s begun a business there just like he was talking about. In fact, Lyla was heading out that way tomorrow, I bet she could show you.”

  Lyla and Jonah locked eyes, Lyla looking a lot like a deer frozen in the headlights, and Jonah shook his head, returning his eyes to his casserole.

  “No, it’s all right. I couldn’t impose.”

  “It wouldn’t be an imposition!” Betsy insisted. “We’ve been planning this for weeks.”

  Jonah looked hard at Lyla, who smiled shyly at him. God, that girl smelled good. The wolf was making it clear what he wanted. And this time, Jonah didn’t look away. He was curious about what the girl was going to do.

  “It really isn’t an issue,” Lyla said. “I’ll be by here around 10am to pick up the boxes and the forms, then be back later in the afternoon to drop off the items that are being donated for the auction. You can just ride along. It’s not a big deal or anything.”

  “Well then,” Jonah said, sensing she meant it, even if his intensity did make her a little uncomfortable. “I guess that’s that.”

  They spent the rest of the evening chatting and catching up like old friends, and when it was time for Lyla to leave, Jonah had to admit, he was a little bit sad to see her go. She was like a breath of fresh air, some
thing sorely needed in an old house full of pain and hard memories.

  And when Lyla was gone, and it was just Jonah and Betsy in the house they had shared during their childhood, Betsy smiled sadly as if she could feel the same weight bearing down on her too.

  “Come on,” she said, touching Jonah’s arm kindly. “I’ll show you to your room.”

  ***

  Jonah woke up late that night, startled by the nightmarishly familiar features of his childhood bedroom. It had been so long since he’d visited home that actually being there felt more like a dream, especially when he was only half awake.

  He got up and walked through the house and out to the back porch. He grabbed a bottle of his favorite wine, surprised that just happened to be sitting in the kitchen, and his cell phone on the way out.

  The moon was big and round, and Jonah gazed at it, lowering himself onto the porch steps. The wolf was feeling restless, obsessing over the woman that Jonah was refusing to allow it to claim. How had he managed to let Betsy talk him into taking a trip with that girl? It was not only alarming, it was all wrong. He had to keep the wolf at bay. No matter what.

  Jonah was a Navy SEAL. He couldn’t let himself get caught up in a relationship with a woman who was probably going to just distract him from the mission at hand. It was far too important for him to make sure he was able to gather information about the bear shifters. If he was able to get an idea of how bad the situation with the Serah Stone was, then he would be able to work out a strategy to address it.

  The shrill sound of Jonah’s cell phone rang through the air and he answered it quickly.

  “Yeah?”

  “Lucas. We have a lead. I’m going to send you and Nichols the coordinates. Meet there tomorrow night, 2100.”

  “Yes, sir,” Jonah said. It was strange to hear the Lieutenant’s voice here of all places; especially so soon after waking and just getting his bearings.

  “The Stonybrooke Council has some information that should help you. That’s all I can say.”

  Before Jonah could reply, Gregors had already hung up.

  Jonah sighed heavily and headed back upstairs, his mind reeling. No matter how distracting his sister’s beautiful friend happened to be, he was just going to have to make sure he didn’t lose focus. There was a far greater mission he had to stay focused on. He couldn’t let being at home tear his focus from his job. If he did, there wouldn’t be any home left to come back to.

  4.

  Lyla’s chest tightened when she saw the familiar gate for the Lucas family’s property. She crept up the driveway in her car, the gravel crunching under her tires as she tried to calm herself. So she was going to spend the afternoon with a very handsome man who seemed to be able to see right through her, into her innermost thoughts and desires. That wasn’t such a big deal.

  The more she tried to calm herself, the more worked up she became. Lyla did her best to straighten her hair as she headed to the door, doing her best to remain calm. There was just something about him. Something that told her getting close to him might not be the mistake her brain was telling her it would be. Her track record with men had been disastrous, though. Why would she put herself through another meaningless relationship? Especially, when it could cost her the most valuable friendship she had ever had?

  Lyla pushed all thoughts of relationships out of her mind and got out of the car. She was extremely nervous when she knocked on the front door of the Lucas residence.

  The door opened abruptly and through the screen door, she could see the tall, imposing figure of Betsy’s brother.

  “Good morning, Jonah.”

  Jonah blinked at Lyla for a moment before finally seeming to find his words. And yet, they never came, which hardly surprised her. He had made it clear the night before that he used his words wisely.

  Jonah nodded his greeting at her and pushed his way through the screen door, letting it swing shut behind him. He handed her the small parcel from Betsy, containing the promises for donations from the local shops. He thencontinued along on his way without another word, carrying the small stack of boxes to put said donations in. Strong and silent.

  Lyla shook the thought away. She couldn’t let herself be swayed. Not only was it just a bad time for her – she was trying to find her roots and cope with her grandfather’s death, after all… not exactly the time to be thinking about dating – but wasn’t it strange to be interested in her best friend’s brother? No matter how kind and caring Betsy was, it didn’t mean she would be comfortable with the idea of her best friend being interested in her brother. It was a remarkably awkward and ridiculous situation, and one she didn’t plan to put Betsy through.

  “So, how do you know Douglas?” Lyla asked as they walked to her car.

  Jonah answered easily for once. “We were best friends in high school. Played football together.”

  “Ah,” Lyla said. “That’s probably why he’s coaching now.”

  “I didn’t realize that,” Jonah said. “I don’t even know what kind of business he owns.”

  “You’ll see. Then the two of you can catch up a bit while I run some errands, if that’s all right. I don’t want to rush you.”

  Although she wasn’t a full-blooded shifter, she could sense his relief, despite how well he tried to hide his emotions. Still, all he did was nod silently at her and they continued to the car.

  They drove in complete silence, both of them reluctant to break it until they arrived at the square. Without a word, Lyla showed Jonah the way to his friend’s store and stepped inside with him.

  “No way,” Douglas exclaimed from behind the counter. He fumbled to get to the door and gripped Jonah’s hand tightly in his own. Lyla was shocked by the brilliance of Jonah’s broad smile. If he let his pleasure show on his face more often, would anybody ever be able to say no to that man?

  “Good to see you, man,” Jonah said, slapping Douglas on his shoulder. “Nice place you’ve got here!”

  “Yeah, it’s exactly what I wanted,” Douglas said.

  Jonah took a look around and let out a low whistle. “I can see that.”

  The entire store was football related. Douglas sold gear, cleats, memorabilia, and even things like umbrellas and jackets for the people who were left sitting outside on the bleachers, rain or shine. Douglas had promised to donate some items for the auction that Betsy was holding on behalf of her organization, Shifters United, which held a monthly food drive and auction to raise money.

  There were several shifters who came down to Stonybrooke with nothing, just because they had heard about a good settlement for wolves. Every once in a while, a new person or family would show up, hoping to make a life for themselves in a place where they wouldn’t be persecuted by humans or bear shifters, and Betsy had done her best to make a home for them.

  Lyla had volunteered for Betsy’s organization when she had first moved to Stonybrooke. Since then, she and Betsy had grown very close, and she’d landed a paying position at Shifters United. That’s why it was her job to head up to see Douglas and gather donations from local businesses to help those in need. That’s how she had gotten stuck spending the afternoon with a man who made her forget which side was up.

  “I’m going to let the two of you catch up,” Lyla said. It would be better to get some space. Fresh air would probably do her good, and Jonah was probably feeling crowded with some human girl hanging on his arm while he spoke to his old friend. Besides, she had work to do. Lyla began to back toward the door, relieved to be parting ways.

  Jonah looked back at her quickly, his eyes flashing. Did he not want her to leave? No, that was silly. Why would he even care? She was probably just projecting her own feelings onto him, as inappropriate as they were. That was all the more reason for her to leave.

  “I’ll be back in about an hour,” Lyla said, grabbing one of Douglas’ business cards and scribbling her cell number on it. “If you’d like to join me or can’t find me, just call and we’ll meet somewhere.”

 
“Sure,” Jonah said, taking the card from her and holding it out away from his body, almost as if he didn’t want to look too closely at it. The man was handsome, but he was strange. It was better to give herself some space and clear her head, anyway. It was a good thing that other shops in the square had volunteered things for the auction. Otherwise, she wouldn’t know what to do with herself right now.

  “See you, Lyla,” Douglas said.

  Lyla waved and left the shop quickly, taking a deep breath of fresh air before walking briskly to the next place on her list, a hair salon she normally did everything possible to avoid. Not only did all of the fumes from the hair care products give her a headache, but it was also owned by Stonybrooke’s most obnoxious woman.

  “Lyla!” Cameron Davis exclaimed, her shrill voice ringing out through the wide walls of her salon.

  Lyla winced. She had been in Stonybrooke all of ten minutes by the time Cameron Davis had already informed half of the shifters there that somebody new had arrived, and that she smelled human and probably had some kind of scandalous history that needed immediate attention. But only behind Lyla’s back.

  In fact, when Lyla had arrived at the inn, the man in charge had reluctantly rented her a room, informing her that he had already heard all about her and that if she didn’t follow the list of rules he gave her, she would be kicked out immediately. Some places in Stonybrooke seemed prejudiced against humans, despite many great strides taken by active members of the community to make peace between shifters and humans throughout the country.

  “Hey, Cameron,” Lyla said, trying to hide her annoyance. Cameron seemed to enjoy getting under other people’s skin, so it would only serve her interests if Lyla let it show on her face just how unpleasant it was to deal with Cameron.