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Amira Press
www.amirapress.com
Copyright ©
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NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.
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Shifter: Stefan's Mark
Copyright © March 2008, Jaden Sinclair
Cover art © Jaden Sinclair March 2008
Amira Press
Baltimore, MD 21216
www.amirapress.com
ISBN: 978-1-934475-60-7
No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and email, without prior written permission from Amira Press.
CONTENTS
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
About the Author
Coming Soon From Amira Press
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Dedication
When a good imagination comes together and a strong plot, anything is possible and this book is proof of it. Thanks to all of you that has helped me to live this dream.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter One
The chilly air of the early October night, along with a good chase, called to his blood. A hunt should be on. Being the one hunted wasn't cool, yet Stefan Draeger took it in good measure. He ran in the woods with a smile. He loved how the adrenalin felt in his system, loved the thrill of any kind of chase, even he was the one being chased.
Many times over the past few years, he would come to this place, come to these woods to remember his father, and one day, he would come to seek his revenge.
Stefan stopped running to remember and to catch his breath. His hearing was alert. It allowed him the ability, not only to hear all the sounds of nature but also the noise of the footfalls the men were making as they ran after him. His memory was sharp. He recalled the last time he was close to this house that had soon turned into his nightmare. The house that he thought, as a child, had swallowed up his father, never letting him go, and then caught on fire. He had seen it only for a brief moment before he was discovered, but it was enough of a sight to have his anger boiling and all the memories rushing toward him once again. Hell, he was shocked to discover the place still standing and looking as if nothing had happened all those years ago. Stefan remembered how he didn't get his hunt that night. Instead, he lost his youth and childhood.
"I think it went over here!"
Stefan snapped out of his thoughts of the past. He felt his anger rise. The voice, the voice that had filled his nightmares as a child, the voice that had haunted him for so many years, was once again close.
Unable to control himself, his lip curled up with a snarl, and he sent out a warning growl with a deadly hiss. Only at the age of nineteen, his warnings weren't so effective. His brother always told him that he needed to work on them, and his mother only said it would come in time. Dedrick! His brother and head of the family. If he knew what Stefan was doing tonight, he would skin Stefan's hide for sure.
Stefan sniffed the air to see how close or how far away they might be before he once again took off at a run. His shirt was dirty, his pants ripped, and his thin jean jacket did little to keep the cold air from his body. His hair was plastered to his face with sweat as he ran.
Stefan once again stopped running, this time to examine an old tree with a hollow base. The same base that he had been shoved into so many years ago in order to hide from the men who were hunting him. He was breathing hard but found that he couldn't tear his eyes away from the tree. In fact, he had to walk up to it, graze it with his fingertips.
"I want you to stay here. Do you understand me?"
The hands that always held him, comforted him were now shoving Stefan into a dark hole in a tree. Tears fell from the little boy's face at the thought of his daddy leaving him.
"Don't leave me, Daddy,” he sobbed. “Please!"
"If they find you, they will kill you."
Stefan wrenched out of the memory when a twig snapped just behind him. Hair started to sprout over his body at the sudden tension, knowing a fight was impending. This change was a special trait for his kind. One of the things that made all of them sought after for so many years as well as why they were called a shifter. The ability to change at will, unlike their ancestors. The only thing Stefan couldn't control and hated was when he was in his heat.
Stefan turned quickly and took hold of the man who was trying to sneak up on him. A new kind of adrenalin raced in his veins. His growl this time came out dangerous, primal. Stefan grabbed the guy by his throat and somehow managed to pick him up and slam him to the ground. The sudden desire to kill hit. The need to rip this guy's throat out and watch him die for what they did to him was powerful.
Stefan gave in to his animal side and went for a deadly attack. He bent over and something struck him in the back of his neck. He howled and swung around to see two men with guns pointed at him. He tried to take a step closer, but dizziness prevented him.
Stefan dropped to the ground. He forced himself to roll onto his back. The change that almost happened to him receded. He was no longer the animal that they were searching for, but now a boy of nineteen.
"Get it back to the house."
A foot landed on his chest while darkness closed over him. All Stefan could do was listen.
"And make sure you are damn quiet about it. I don't want the house wakened."
"What about our money?"
"Give him over to Mike. He has your money.” There was humor in that deep voice. Humor and something sinister.
* * * *
Mike Stan waited outside the cellar door for the next test subject. For Mike, this was his first. Ever since hooking up years ago at a company party for Bailey Industries, he and Martin had been partners. After the man showed Mike the suspected proof his father had, that werewolves were real, Mike was on board. To have the real thing in his hands would be his jackpot, one he planned to cash in as soon as they got what they needed from the subject now being brought in.
Mike couldn't believe his luck really. To have one of those things stumble onto the property just waiting to be plucked was priceless. For Martin, though, this was his second attempt at catching one of these bastards. Martin's father had supposedly caught one when Martin was a young man, but the damn thing caused part of the house to burn up, killing itself and Martin's father. Something Mike had noticed about the man—he seemed to neither forgive nor forget. Martin was bent on taking out each and every one of those things one way or another.
Mike surveyed the men come closer with their catch. He grinned while they dropped him at his feet. Tossing the men an envelope with their money, he smiled down at the package at his feet, waiting for them to go away so he could play. Mike used his foot and turned the boy over. He placed his hands on his hips, kneeling down. He didn't even glance up when Martin walked up.
"He's a boy,” Mike stated.
"It doesn't matter if it's a boy or not,” Martin said in disgust. “It's an animal."
"Then let's get him in before someone sees us."
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From the shadows of the night, Sidney Martin regarded her father and his colleague. She watched them pick up
a boy and drag him into the lab, the same lab forbidden to her since she was six. She had figured out what her father was after a few months ago, but couldn't really believe it until she found out about his past and about what happened to his father. Sidney didn't believe her father when he told her the stories about werewolves. Werewolves did not exist, did they?
Sidney followed them, hoping against hope she didn't get caught. She observed in the shadows as they chained a young man up to the wall. This boy was supposed to be the monster that her father hunted. She had noticed the young man was out cold. His hair was sandy brown and hung in long locks, touching the back of his neck, and it was plastered to his face. As Sidney stared and gave him the once-over, she found she could make out every muscle as it rippled beneath the T-shirt he wore.
"Come on,” her father stated. “I need to go up and get my files and something to drink."
"Right behind you,” Mike said. “I want to get my plans."
Sidney's father chuckled. “Still planning on that cage?"
"Chains are not going to last forever."
When he was secured, they left. Sidney pushed herself deeper into the shadows to ensure she couldn't be seen. After a few minutes had passed, and the voices of her father and Mike faded, she stepped into the open and allowed her gaze to rest on the boy chained to the wall. Unable to resist, she moved closer to get a better peek at him.
Sidney drew in a breath of surprise. There was not one inch of fat on his body. He was solid muscle, not seeming like a boy at all, but more like a man. His arms were so strong she could almost feel what it would be like to be wrapped up in them.
Luckily for Sidney, the boy was still out cold. Whatever her father had given him seemed to be working. He hadn't moved an inch. Her opportunity was short-lived. The dead stillness of a moment before broke when he made a sudden move, seeming to come out of his drugged state quickly.
He strained against the chains hard and fast, Sidney flinched and took a step back, afraid of him. She feared he might free himself, and if that happened, she knew her father would blame her. Her heart pounded in her chest as she watched him test his bonds. Anxiety mixed with a new found excitement that raced through her system. Sidney felt as if she needed to get closer—until she heard him growl. With that sound, she felt a tiny bi of fear. But the ferocious growl sent shivers of anticipation up her spine. When his head snapped up and he met and held her gaze, Sidney backed away.
"Motherfucker!” he exploded angrily. “Dedrick is going to kill me for sure."
She observed with eyes opened as wide as she could get them while he tried to work to loosen the chains then he stopped and surveyed her up and down. Ocean blue eyes bored into her—it was as if he could see her soul. Neither spoke, and the uncomfortable silence forced her to glance away. When Sidney felt her breathing return to normal, she turned back to him and boldly met his gaze. The air became so thick she felt as if she were suffocating. She stepped back, ready to run, and found that she couldn't. The room started to spin, and she couldn't see through the haze. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, it was as if she were in a dream.
Mist filled the room, surrounding them. She couldn't see him, but she felt him. She knew he was close, but she couldn't see him. Suddenly he was there in front of her. His face came into focus. He was clean shaven, and his hair was tucked neatly behind his ears, away from his face. He advanced on her and didn't stop when he reached her. He walked around her, studying every inch of her.
"Okay, let's get started."
Her father's voice startled Sidney. She didn't know what just happened. Taking a deep breath, she backed away into a different shadow. Sidney tried to slow her breathing and to steady her rapidly beating heart. As her father came back into the room, she noticed the man chained to the wall had not taken his eyes off of her.
"Until next time." She knew she heard it, but how, she didn't know. Sidney quickly hid and paid silent attention to her father. There was something about the boy she couldn't figure out. How could someone affect her so, she didn't know. Why did she want to release him? Was it only to see what he would do? Mixed emotions raced inside her until a headache started to form.
Making sure her path was clear, and that her father had his full attention fixed on the boy, Sidney sneaked out of the lab. She ran to her room, feeling the anxiety of need, wanting to sneak back down there. A strong, uncalled for desire to be with him plagued her. She wanted to watch and make sure her father didn't hurt him too badly. Yet, she couldn't. To do so would mean more trouble than she was prepared to handle. Instead of going back down, like she wanted, Sidney went to her bed and forced herself to get some sleep.
Four hours later, Sidney startled awake. Drenched in sweat, her heart pounding in her chest, she glanced around the room. Pleasure mixed with a need to go back down and see him settled over her, causing Sidney to toss and turn. She felt as if something deep in his soul was calling out to her, calling for her to go down and ease his pain with nothing more than her presence. Unable to resist the urge, she climbed back out of bed and headed silently out of her room. The house was dark, but not the usual quiet. Sidney could hear what was going on in the lab. Her father was yelling, and things were being thrown around.
"He should have changed by now!” her father screamed.
Sidney stopped at the doorway to listen to the conversation. She bit her lip, feeling some fear for the young man. She knew what her father was like. She knew that when he wanted something bad enough, he would never stop, even if that meant the boy had to die.
"It's midnight. Let's wait and see what happens in the morning.” Mike spoke with a chilly calm, the kind that made a person understand that there was something very cruel hidden within him.
"The bastard should have changed, I tell you!"
"Well, killing him won't get our proof."
"And letting him live won't affect the world either,” Martin snapped back.
"Come on,” Mike joked, slapping Martin so hard on the back that Sidney could hear it. “Let's just go back upstairs. Buy you a drink?"
Her father laughed then. “Out of my cabinet, I bet?"
"Of course. I don't have any money.” Mike laughed.
Sidney's heart pounded so loud she feared one of them would hear it as they strolled by. Only when she heard the door close did she let out the breath she didn't even know she had been holding.
* * * *
Stefan took a deep breath of relief, and then he grinned. She was back. He could not only sense her, but he smelled the sweet scent that was all her, a scent he wanted to embrace and let it drape all over him.
"Are you going to come out, little mouse?"
Stefan followed her with heated eyes. He grinned when he heard her sneak down the stairs. The faint light touched her. He allowed the new, raw emotions to wash over him. Stefan believed she was everything he ever thought he wanted and so much more. Perfection was such a mild term for what he saw in her, yet that was what she was. She was every dream he had come true.
Stefan closed his eyes and took another deep breath. For years, he had waited for that special one to come into his life and ease his heat. The one girl that could ignite not only his passion, desire, and soul, but the one who would also show him the love he was missing. Even though Stefan had a close family, his mother wasn't completely able to show him or give him the kind of love that a father would. It was the responsibility of the father in the family to show and help with all his male children to deal with their heat and how to go about finding, claiming and loving their mate, but with his father dead, Stefan had to learn it all on his own.
The biological system of the males of his race was very simple for the most part. The animal in them lay dormant until they hit puberty. At that time, all male shifters go into heat during the full moon. Only their mate is able to control it and handle it completely. Before his mate is found, shifter males can use any female they chose to take the edge off the heat. After finding his true mate, when
his animal comes into any contact with her, all bets are off. Stefan was told once by his best friend's father that when he felt slightly out of control and a side of him that he never knew of before started to come out, then he would know his mate was close. Stefan felt the beast inside of him raging now to go and claim, to take what it believes is rightfully his, which was the girl now standing in the same room with him. Stefan felt on edge right now, like he wanted to change into the animal that lingered inside of him. He felt as if he could rip the chains from the walls, felt the burning lust creeping into his system, threatening to come out.
Her hair was long, almost golden in color. Her green eyes held her innocence. His mouth watered at the sight of her skin. It almost begged to be touched. She was holding herself in such a way that Stefan could tell she had no confidence in herself. Stefan knew all she needed was to be loved. He could see it in her eyes, the lack of affection in her life. He felt the need to wrap his arms around her and hold her tightly, to show her there was someone out there meant for her, that someone was willing to hold her all night long and to take all her fears away. Someone like him.
"There she is,” he purred. My dream come true, he finished in his head.
"What are you?” she asked, fear in her eyes.
"Shouldn't someone start the conversation with a who and not a what?” He smiled at her, his gaze roaming over her entire body. “No, I guess they wouldn't. I suspect your father has told you he captured the big bad wolf, and if you come down here I will eat you up."
"My father doesn't know I'm down here, and he hasn't told me a thing."
"I can believe he doesn't know you are here, but ... tsk-tsk, I doubt he hasn't told you what he has found."
Stefan's voice was so deep she could feel the words reverberate though her body. It was another test for him, one to see if she was indeed his.
"What did he do to you?” Sidney's voice lowered to a whisper.
Stefan glanced down at his body. His shirt was gone, showing Sidney the many cuts on his bare chest.
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