by Olivia Arran
“I’ll be sure to let Tom know,” she replied with a chuckle. Moving away, she filled a mug to the brim and placed it in front of me, doctoring it with cream and sugar without having to ask. Leaning an elbow against the counter, she rested her chin on her hand, her pale blonde hair falling forward and brushing against her plain pink tee. “Busy day at the office?”
Nodding my thanks, I took a sip of the coffee and scooped the last bit of pie onto my fork. “Night shift.”
She glanced at the clock mounted on the wall, her eyebrows shooting up. “And you only finished now? Shame on you, Austin. You’re letting them take advantage of you.” Tapping her fingernail on the counter, she waited until I had shrugged, already expecting it. “At least let me feed you something more substantial than pie.”
Swinging off the stool, I dropped some money on the counter and licked the last stray crumb from my lips. “No can do, but thanks anyway. I’ve got a cold beer waiting in my fridge and it’s calling my name.” Blowing her a kiss, I set off back out into the sunshine, my stomach full and spirits lifted.
She was right; I did let them take advantage of me. Them comprising of Mayor Carter and his incessant demands for tighter security. It wasn’t the wolves’ fault that we were spread thin, they were pulling double shifts, too. Teams of bears ran the perimeter, while wolves coordinated security; personal and town. That’s how it was. I’d have thrown myself into a brawl before giving up my territory, and Julie knew that. She was just being nice.
Sliding into my truck, which was still parked where I had abandoned it yesterday evening at a right angle to the municipal building, a thin layer of dust clinging to its beat-up paintwork, I gunned the engine and pointed it in the direction of home. South of the river, nestling in the shadow of the mountains that rose high up and encircled the lower edge of the town, a dirt track road led up to a cluster of log cabins, all spread in a semi-circle and facing what looked like—to an outsider, anyway—a bunch of weeds surrounded by fold out camp chairs.
Brent was damn proud of that garden. The sissy.
Grinding to a stop, I slid out of the truck. Grunts and curses filled my ears, the sound of flesh smacking flesh and bones being pounded.
Nate’s head popped out from behind the central log cabin—mine—the crease in his brow clearing with apparent relief. “It’s just the Alpha,” he yelled in the direction of the noise.
I’d give him just. Striding over, I resisted banging his head against the cabin, settling for a low growl. “What the fuck is—”
A body flew past me, landing with a thud against a poor tree, its trunk buckling under the weight. Cade jumped to his feet and sprinted back past me, throwing himself in the air with a blood curdling roar.
“Not this fucking shit again,” I muttered, wiping my hand down my face.
Cade had Jake’s head in a scissor hold, his powerful thighs wrapped tight around the other man’s throat.
“They didn’t shift,” Nate pointed out with a lopsided grin.
Jake’s face had turned a funny purple color, but he was grinning that crazy ass smile of his, the one that made children cry and women melt into puddles at his feet. Women were strange creatures. But it meant that Jake was fine; he was enjoying his favorite pass time. Brawling.
Folding my arms over my chest, I leaned back against the weather worn wood, deciding to wait and see how it played out. I’d seen this a million times; Jake would talk shit and Cade, or whoever Jake had decided to rile up that day, would take offense. They’d brawl until they were bloody, work off some steam, then drink until they couldn’t stand up. A million fucking times.
It was growing old. “Fucking finish it,” I shouted, not caring which one listened, as long as one of them did. My interest faded watching them slap each other around, I made my way to my cabin and pulled a cold one out of the fridge. One twist and the nectar of the Gods filled my mouth and slid down my throat.
Brent threw himself down in a chair across the way, in the small space that the asshole who had designed this cabin had marked out as a dining area, but was really just a sliver of space linking the kitchen to the living area, snatching a bottle out of the air as it flew at his head. “You’re late.”
“Paperwork sucks.”
Spinning his bottle cap on the table, he took a swig of his beer. “Damn straight. Anything we need to know about?” Translation: worry about. Brent was the worry wart of the crew. A glass half empty kinda guy.
“Not that they’re telling me.” Though, I had my guesses.
“Rogues?” Brent plucked the thought straight from my head, or it could be that we’d just known each other that long. Or, like I said, born worrier, and nothing was more troublesome than rogues. Shifters who hadn’t registered, who lived on the fringes of society, pretending to be human and refusing the help of their kind. A rogue didn’t answer to our laws, or human laws. The ones I’d run into during my time on the job hated what we’d become, said it was a disgrace. Like surviving was an insult. Co-existing without war and destruction; an abomination.
Those were the ones I’d met. The ones I’d captured trying to sneak into Heartsridge, babbling vile and nonsensical nonsense about being on top of the food chain. The predator.
Some hadn’t spoken much, just attacked.
And every time I’d had to put one of those fuckers down, I always found myself staring into their eyes, wondering. Looking. Searching for the answers.
Was this one him?
Pushing the thought away, I took another swig of my beer. “There’s a coach arriving tonight and Jay asked if we’d see to escorting it in.” Jay was the Alpha of Bear Team South-Two, the team that covered the other 12 hours in the day that our team, South-One, weren’t working.
“Any particular reason why?”
“He’s still two men down.”
Brent blew out a puff of air, slumping back in his seat and rolling the bottle across his forehead. “That sucks.”
“Yup. Sure does. Hey, maybe I should offer Jake as a loan.”
A spluttering wheezing sound erupted from Brent. “That’s fucking hilarious.”
I shrugged, polishing off my drink and setting it down. Standing, I headed toward my bedroom. “It would be, if Jay would fucking take him. Wake me in four hours,” I called over my shoulder, collapsing onto my bed still fully dressed.
Chapter Two
Leona
The sound system screeched, wrecking my eardrums, before settling down to a low buzzing hum. “If you’d look to your right, you’ll see the mountains of Heartsridge, where most of the dragon shifters have chosen to make their homes. Over to your left, you can just see the beginning of the forest that surrounds Heartsridge, beyond the fence.” The tour guide tapped her microphone with a glossy red talon, sending another shriek of static bouncing around the humid coach.
Ignoring her, I pressed my face up against the window, blinking out into the waning sunshine at the metal fence that stretched for miles in each direction. According to my quick internet search, it had been the shifters who’d insisted on the fence, though I couldn’t even begin to understand why. As the coach sped down the road, dodging potholes and shooting a cloud of dust into the air, I couldn’t drag my eyes away from the view out of my window. It was beautiful. Rugged and majestic, untouched by man and left to grow wild. Lush green stretched out into the distance, climbing the mountains and swirling across trees that reached up to the sky blue and infinite in its vastness.
I let out the breath I’d been holding, forcing my fingers to uncurl from where they’d dug into my legs. It was foreign. Strange. Too open. I was used to the hustle and bustle of a city; crowded and loud and never dull. Though only a couple of hours drive away, this was a whole other world.
The coach chugged to a stop, brakes squealing as the hydraulics let out a big whoosh of air. Tottering on ridiculous high heels, the tour guide made her way to the front of the coach and down the steps. From my vantage point, I watched as she made her way over to a l
arge man, smoothing her skin-tight skirt and fluffing her hair until it was a voluminous cloud of platinum blonde.
But, she didn’t hold my attention. A man did. Shifter. Had to be; he was huge. Worn, sun bleached jeans clung to thick muscular thighs, a shirt tucked loosely into the waistband and unbuttoned to show a tantalizing glimpse of tanned skin and a broad chest. Thick dark hair topped his head, curling and hiding his eyes.
Eyes I was suddenly desperate to see. Green? Brown? My nose squished against the window, my breath fogging up the glass.
The man straightened from where he had been propping up a fence post, a lazy smile stretching his lips.
When the tour guide reached out and brushed an imaginary piece of lint from his shirt, I sucked in a breath, biting back a wave of disappointment. Of course; a man like him would be interested in a woman like her.
Peeling my nose off the window, I flopped back into my seat, refusing to watch him tug her in for a tongue tangling kiss. Why the hell the thought even bothered me, I didn’t have a clue. Hooking up with someone should be the last thing on my mind; it wasn’t what I’d come to this god forsaken hole for.
Okay, that was a little uncalled for. Heartsridge wasn’t a hole. It was perfectly fine, from what I’d seen so far. But it wasn’t my idea of a vacation resort.
“Everyone needs to wear one of these while they’re staying in town.”
I glanced up. Tour operator slut was waving wrist bands in the air as she pranced down the aisle, handing them out one by one.
“Remember, the rules of Heartsridge are simple. Don’t leave the main town without a guide. Don’t incite violence. No means no and have a good time!” She reached the front of the coach and patted the driver on the shoulder. We lurched forward, inching through a set of gates that stood open to receive us. “The coach will be back in one week to take you home. Your reservations are…”
Tuning her out, I tried not to look for the man—and failed miserably—but he was nowhere to be seen. It was probably a good thing. Probably. Had to be. I had seven days to find my sister and get us both out of here.
A flash of black caught my eye, flitting between the trees in a blur of fur. Then another, and another, until there had to be three or four of them, running flat out parallel to the coach.
Bears.
Shifters.
Oh, yes. This was a whole other world.
“No time like the present,” I muttered under my breath, as though by giving myself a pep talk I could find a sliver of courage. I’d arrived, checked into the hotel, and unpacked over an hour ago. Then I’d proceeded to sit on the bed and stare at the wall. It was a perfectly good wall, as far as walls went, but it wasn’t exactly going to tell me anything.
For the first time in my life I was nervous. Always the sensible, driven sister, I’d never been one to jump at shadows or squeal at a rock star. Armed with plans up to my ears and enough research to sink a tug boat; that was me. Or, it used to be.
I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. Or where to start. Sure, I’d whipped myself into an internet frenzy on the journey out here, and I was pretty sure there wasn’t another person in the world who knew as much as I did about Heartsridge, without actually living here.
But … where to start looking?
Not inside your room, dimwit!
Harper had arrived in town eight days ago. Yesterday, I’d been waiting for her at the bus depot, ready to threaten all kinds of sisterly violence for making me worry, but she hadn’t got off the coach. No Harper. We never went a day without talking, even when she went off on her crazy trips to explore the world and capture it on camera. This time she’d been gone four and then communication had stopped.
So, I’d bought a ticket and climbed on that coach. Screw having a plan; Harper needed me. Or she’d better need me. If I found her curled up around a warm man, there’d be violence, that’s for sure.
She wouldn’t do that to you. She knows what you get like.
So … leave the room. That’d be a fine start. Pushing off the bed, I strode to the door and yanked it open.
Twenty-four hours later my feet were killing me and my stomach was doing a pretty good job of convincing me I was going to die if I didn’t feed it. I’d checked the main touristy areas; bar, gift shop, information center, and restaurant. Crept through lush gardens and almost gotten lost in the maze of hedges and trees. A short sleep and I’d been back on my mission, marching up to the municipal building with a craftily made up a story about meeting a friend. The woman at the desk had regretfully informed me Harper had left Heartsridge yesterday, that her wristband showed as having swiped out. I’d brushed off her concern, muttering something about getting my dates mixed up.
Assholes. Maybe they were in on it. Maybe they all were? Kidnapping humans; the dark side of Heartsridge.
I’d snooped around the swimming pool and bowling alley. Backtracked and rechecked everywhere I’d visited yesterday, hoping that I’d missed something. But, so far, nothing. The light was fading, taking with it my fragile hope.
Brushing aside branches, I marched off the main street and into the jungle. Okay, forest. Whatever. It was dark and creepy looking with a lot more nature than I was used to. Harper was here, I knew she was, and it was up to me to find her. Twigs caught in my hair, tugging at the topknot I’d hurriedly piled it into earlier, the cool summer breeze sending shivers dancing up my bare arms. Wishing for the first time in my life that I’d worn jeans to protect my legs rather than one of my flimsy cotton dresses, I was at least grateful that I was the kind of woman who thought sensible shoes were the only sane option. Ignoring the scratchy branches, I soldiered on, feeling my way in the rapidly falling dusk.
“Harper?” I hissed, feeling like an idiot, but what if she was out here in the forest? Hurt. Alone. Waiting for someone to find her? I couldn’t just sit on my ass and do nothing and I was running out of ideas.
Space widened up around me, a well worn path forming in front of me. I was on the right track. During my frantic research, I’d studied aerial maps of the area, knowing that the A4 maps with the pretty tourist destinations marked out given out on arrival couldn’t be the whole picture. Hidden in the forest had been small clusters of dots—buildings—spread out throughout Heartsridge. I had six days and a pair of feet; I was going to search out each one and check for myself, starting with wherever this path was taking me.
Cursing under my breath, I caught myself before I went head over tit into a tree, giving an offending tree root a swift kick, then giving myself a swift kick for being an idiot. I fished my phone out of my pocket and swiped on the flashlight. The shadows sank away, driven into a thick wall of black surrounding my bubble of light, but at least I could see any darn trees that might try to attack me. Another swipe of my phone and I was peering at the saved screenshot of a map of the area, zooming in and pushing it around until I was pretty sure I knew where I was. There was a building up this way, and not too far from the looks of things.
Waving my phone in front of me, I set off again, ignoring the insects buzzing around my ears and the prickling sensation that was creeping up my spine and drying out my mouth.
What felt like fangs sunk into my forearm. “Son-of-a—” I bit off the curse, swatting the mosquito and leaving a smear of blood.
I head butted a wall.
“Who the hell are you?”
A talking wall. Putting out a hand, I patted the wall. Warm. Muscled. Clothed. I took a breath; big mistake. The air was filled with some sort of an earthy musk, with an undercurrent of citrus soap. My insides melted into a big pile of feminine gloop. I could literally feel myself succumbing to whatever pheromone this strange man was putting out there. I bit back a breathy sigh, the thought of making that sound enough to piss me off. “Excuse me.” I tried for a sidestep; the wall moved with me.
“What are you doing out here, human?”
Oh, he so didn’t just pull the human card! Didn’t he know I had better things to be thinking about… I
jerked my head up, ready to chew this mountain of a man out. Blue stared pack at me, sparkling with ice and flecks of silver. Oh! It was him. The man from the gate.
Blue. I’d been right, his eyes were mesmerizing.
And right now, they were furious.
At little old me.
Heartsridge Shifters: Austin
Continue with Austin & Leona’s story here
It’s a new world. Shifters are no longer a secret and they’re ready to fight for their right to live free.
Everything is different.
Six years ago, the Registration Act forced shifters out into the open and the world changed. Towns were created to provide a safe haven for those shifters who chose to follow the law, and those who didn’t were declared rogue.
Heartsridge is one of the few shifter towns in existence, guarded and protected by special teams of bears and wolves. Their job: to protect the right for shifters to live and love, and for the space to run free as nature intended. Because not all humans found the truth easy to accept—that they’re no longer at the top of the food chain. Tourism keeps the town thriving, humans able to visit and stay for a week, but then they have to leave.
It’s the law.
As the Alpha of Bear Team South-One, it’s Austin Ford’s job to secure the perimeter of the town from possible threats and make sure the visiting humans follow the rules. No exceptions, and that includes the beautiful, curvy human woman he finds trespassing in his forest. Defiant and frustratingly stubborn, everything about the gorgeous human calls to the bear inside him. Before he’s even had chance to snarl, she’s got the furry oaf of a bear wrapped around her little finger, leaving the man confused and trying to catch up. But he has his suspicions. He’s pretty sure he’s just met his fated mate.
