by Amy Kyle
The first time I had alone in the longest time was when Jack came by to go with Isabell to do something with their mother. I didn’t look into it any further because I didn’t need Jack getting any more suspicious than he already was. Isabell asked if I wanted to go with them, but I figured it was something for the family to enjoy, so I declined. Jack didn’t seem too broken up about it, but I could tell Isabell really wanted me to go along.
A minute after she left with Jack, I remembered that I hadn’t checked the mail on that day. Living in an apartment, I had to go into the main office to get my mail. On the walk there, I couldn’t shake the creeping feeling that I was being watched, but shrugged it off. My wolf always felt things around me, but they weren’t always dangerous. A few years of getting caught chasing shopping carts disproved that my senses were always right.
I stepped into the main office, waved to the attendant, and pulled the mail key out of my pocket. After fiddling with the lock, I opened my box up and started to sift through the envelopes. One in particular caught my eye. Upon closer inspection, the envelope’s color was mint green and was formatted like a bill. Normally, I’d see the corporation’s name written somewhere on the front, but there didn’t seem to be one on this one—anywhere.
My curiosity offsetting my caution, I opened the letter with a claw. “What’s this…?” I asked myself as I scanned the document. The entire thing looked as though it’d been typed up on a typewriter, and the only thing that resembled a handwritten font was the signature at the bottom. I raised an eyebrow at several of the lines, but the most disturbing part of the letter was the disclosure that they knew about Isabella.
Holy shit. My mind raced. How could they know? Jesus Christ. How the fuck? I acted on impulse and slammed my mailbox’s door shut. I nearly tore the lock off since I had to fiddle with my key a little to get it out. Shit. Shit! I stuffed the envelopes into my pockets, feeling my wolf growling and starling inside of me. I didn’t know whether or not to tell Jack, but what I did know was that Isabell was in danger. The one job I had was to protect her and if I could do that, then, I knew I’d be able to have another shot at happiness with her.
I whisked myself away back into the apartment. As soon as I was inside, I slammed the door shut behind me and threw the envelopes down onto the kitchen table. With a sigh, I put the normal bills together in a pile to the right, but pulled he distinct, mint envelope closer to me. As if I feared the paper itself was poisonous, I pulled it out and looked it over gingerly. It was obvious to me that the person who sent me the letter, regardless of the fact I didn’t know them, knew me very well.
Line after line they presented me with various facts. Where I lived, who I lived with, even when and where I ate every day. It was strange to me, at first, to think that someone would go to such lengths to learn about me solely to get at Isabell. I threw my hand behind my head, scratching my scalp as I searched for answers. “There’s got to be something that I’m missing here…” I said to myself as I looked through the lines again.
I started at the signature for what felt like hours, but nothing came to mind. I thought back to everyone I’d been in the army with or people I just happened to know. Would it be him? Nah, too pretty to be his…
Left with little choices, I knew I could call Jack, but that could make things worse for the both of us. I decided to grab my phone, but instead of dialing his number, I dialed another friend’s. It rang a few times, but once I got the answering machine, I cleared my throat. “Hey, Mike? I need a favor…”
“So… It was you, huh?” I asked the house standing before me.
The tiny home was almost entirely in shambles, but light pink outlined every wooden panel and inch of it. I sneered at the color. Someone who wants to threaten two veterans lives in a place like this? I bet this is his mom’s house and he lives in the basement. I took one step onto the creaky old wood, making it cry out. Damn, this thing could break any second, I thought as I made my way up the steps and to the door.
I knocked twice and waited for a while. Using my enhanced hearing, I put my ear to the door to listen for footsteps on the other side. There didn’t seem to be anyone approaching, so I knocked again, but just once this time. My knocks made someone on the other side get up, as I heard through the thin, wooden door. “Hello…?” I asked as the person approaching stopped just short of reaching the door.
Slowly, the door started to open, revealing the dim light in side. I tried to see more of what was behind the person answering, but I couldn’t see past her impressive bosom blocking the way. It was apparent, at that point, that my eyes were wholly focused on her chest, so I cleared my throat to excuse myself. My gesture seemed to amuse the large, woman with snowy complexion enough to make her giggle. “Looks like someone hasn’t changed a bit…”
I tilted my head to the side asking, “Excuse me?” Oddly, she grinned a little, but didn’t respond. “Do we know each other…?” The woman nodded once. “From where…?”
She sighed heavily, her posture dipping for a moment. “You don’t remember? Well, then again, I suppose it was a pretty long time, but…” The woman pinned up her long, flowing hair with her fist for a moment, giving me enough time to fixate on her face.
Wait… No, it can’t be! “R-Rose…?” The woman nodded a few times.
“Yeah, it’s me. Surprised?”
I took a step back, swallowing dry air. Words couldn’t form in my mouth anymore—she shocked me to the core. “Y-you’re…”
“Alive?” she asked with a toothy grin. “Don’t worry, I was surprised to be alive as well. You see, after your little raid everyone died except me.”
“What…?” I tried to make sense of the situation in my head, but everything kept coming up blank. “I mean we…so…you know. They couldn’t get you where we were.”
Rose nodded slowly. “That’s right. And when I say ‘everyone’ I mean everyone. Even my brother. Trevor.”
I sighed deeply, remembering the night a little more clearly. I could see Rose in the moonlight, lost in bliss as my brothers slaughtered the unlucky bloodsuckers at the base. A part of me always held fondness for Rose despite her alliance, but the conflicting feelings made my fist curl up into a tightly wound ball.
“I… I’m sorry, Rose…” I looked away from her, feeling unworthy to look into her blue eyes.
“You don’t have to be. You’re not the one who drove a stake through his heart.” Rose crossed her arms, leaning on the doorframe.
“Drove a… Wait… Jack never did that.” Thinking back to the vampire hunts, Jack was the one who led the attack, but he never got his hands dirty. The one most notorious on our team for killing the vampires was… Jesse.
“What are you talking about?”
My mind racing and heart pounding I hastily asked, “Rose, who did you ask killed your brother?”
“I…I can’t really remember what his name was…” She looked off to the side, lost in thought as she tried to remember.
I took a deep breath and then asked, “Was his name Jesse, by chance?”
“Yes!” she exclaimed excitedly as she jumped in the air. “That was his name! Jesse. Why do you ask?”
“I… I don’t know how to tell you this Rose, but Jack wasn’t the one to kill your brother…”
“What are you talking about, Ross?” she asked with a confused look on her face.
“Jack never actually killed any of the vampires. The guy you probably want is Jesse. He’s the one who went crazy with the stakes…not Jack.”
The two of us were silent for a little while. Rose was lost in thought and I didn’t know what to say to help. “So,” I started to say, “Are you going to be all right…?”
Rose nodded a few times before saying, “Thank you, Ross.”
Before I could say anything else, she started closing the door. Just as it shut I managed to squeeze in, “I hope everything turns out all right.”
Rose paused for a moment to add, “You know, we could always go f
or coffee or something if you’d like…”
I shrugged, but smiled. Seeing Rose in the doorway helped me remember why I was here in the first place. The woman that’d been enchanting my life ever since she walked through the door. As much as I liked Rose, there was no denying that I’d moved on. “Nah, I’m all right. But thanks for the offer anyway. Take care, Rose.”
“You too,” she said as the door finally shut, locking as I went down the steps.
I let out a sigh of relief once my apartment came into view. A car in the lot beside it was a familiar face: Isabell. Damn, you’ve got great timing, huh? I wondered as she stepped out of the car. I couldn’t help rushing over to her and wrapping my arms around her. Jack growled at me, but I smiled widely at him.
He took a few steps out of the car and walked over to me only for me to hug him as well. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he growled.
I smiled and said, “Things are fixed now.”
“What?”
“I found out who was sending the threats and, long story short, they’re not going to be an issue anymore.”
“Wow, really?” asked Isabell excitedly.
“Yeah. You can go home!”
Jack smiled, but it faded as Isabell turned to me and said, “Actually, I wouldn’t mind staying with you…”
“Really?”
Isabell glanced over at Jack, and then pressed her lips to mine, making him claw at his clothes while I closed my eyes to deepen the kiss.
THE END
BIG BAD LION
Chapter One
Sage West took a deep breath as she stepped out of the bus. She’d decided to run until she hit the mountains, and the small mountain town of New Loveland was definitely the end of the line. It meekly admitted to a population of only several thousand, but the tourists flocked to this town that enjoyed a breathtaking mountain view and a clear and clean river that ran straight through town. As soon as she had both feet on the ground, she knew that this could be home.
The small picturesque buildings were painted in bright colors, and the sidewalks were packed with people. Sage had read that this place attracted people year round from their annual autumn harvest festivals and Christmas decorations to their spring flings and summer exploring expeditions. She was ready to shed her old life, and there was no better place to sell her unwanted possessions than the eager town of New Loveland.
She pulled up the email on her phone and glanced at the address. The woman she’d been talking to was situated in the 400 block of Main Street, and the bus stop was on the 200 block of Main Street. Glancing at the numbers, she turned herself around and headed to the rental office.
“Welcome! Welcome!” a little old lady toddled out of the back and came to greet Sage warmly. “You must the lovely Ms. West. It’s been so exciting talking to you these past few weeks. I just love the idea of picking up and starting somewhere new! So adventurous!”
Sage cringed as the woman touched her. It wasn’t so much an adventure as it was a necessity. Her old life had nothing left to offer her. “It’s been a long few days. I’d like to go ahead and get my key so I can get settled,” she said softly.
“Of course! You’ll just need to sign the rental agreement. Even though the apartment and shop are in one building, Mr. Weathers used to loan it out separately, so you’ll need to sign both agreements.”
Sage picked up the pen and signed her name in big loopy letters. “Will I need to send you two separate checks for the properties?”
“That’s something you can discuss with Mr. Weathers. Since he lives next door, I’m sure you could just drop the money off with him. He probably won’t mind one check.” The woman hesitated for a moment. “He’s usually fairly agreeable, but if he gives you any trouble, you can simply do all of your transactions through us. He’s actually quite attractive. You might enjoy getting to know him!”
Sage denied herself the pleasure of rolling her eyes. “I’m here because of men,” she said. “I’m not really in the mood to get to know a new one.”
The rental lady clicked her teeth sympathetically before handing her the keys. “Okay, you’re all set. You can, of course, walk to it from here, but there is a car rental place just down the street.”
“Walking is fine. I wanted a place where I could walk everywhere.”
“Excellent! Well if you’ll just walk towards the mountains until you get to Sara Beth’s Diner, and that’s where you’ll fine the best meal around, take a left, you’ll find your street just another block or two past that. If you have any questions or you get lost, don’t hesitate to call! We’re always excited to get some newcomers moving in here!”
Sage nodded. She wanted to shy away from any warm welcomes, but she needed a presence within the community if her shop was going to be successful. “Oh! One other thing. I had some boxes shipped here. Do you know if they’ve arrived?”
The woman’s eyes widened, and she nodded quickly. “Yes. Mr. Weather was…erm…gracious enough to keep the boxes in your new place. That’s quite a bit that you had shipped over.”
“Inventory,” Sage said with a smile. “Okay, well thank you for all your help. I’m sure I’ll have some questions about the town as I get going.”
“Good luck settling in and let us know when the store is up and running!” The woman waved energetically as Sage stepped cautiously out of the office.
She exhaled slowly. Talking to new people was exhausting, and that woman would have kept here there for hours if she’d let her. She followed the woman’s directions until she finally came to a beautiful empty shop encased in glass that was two stories tall. She inserted the key into the store and felt herself shiver with excitement as she entered it. It was completely bare, but it was the right size for what she wanted. With a few shelves and display cases, this would make a great start.
She ran her fingers along the wall as she moved up the stairs to check out the apartment. There she found a man lounging in the hallways, studying her.
She shrieked. “Christ. You scared the shit out of me,” she accused him.
He had dark brown hair that curled at the nape of his neck and beautiful golden flashing eyes that immediately gave him away.
Shifter. He was a shifter. She felt herself stiffen, and she prayed that this wasn’t her landlord. She’d had enough experience with shifters to last a lifetime.
“Davis Weathers,” he said gruffly. “I’m your landlord.”
Crap. She tried to give him a small smile. “Sage West.”
“I know. Why did you send all your crap here before you moved in? I could have left it out on the street to rot,” he muttered.
Irritation flashed through her. “The lady at the rental office said my things would be taken care of if they arrived before I got here.”
“She doesn’t own this place. I do.”
“I didn’t have your number. I had hers,” Sage snapped back. “Are we going to have a problem here? All I wanted was a nice quiet place to live and set up a small store. If you’re unable to provide that, please let me know now before I get settled in. I hate packing.”
An amused smile played out on his lips. “Welcome to New Loveland,” he said softly. “Rent is due on the first of each month.”
“Thank you,” she said coldly. She turned and froze when she saw two doors. “Why are there two entrances to the apartment?”
“The one on the left is my apartment. The one on the right is yours.”
She whirled around. “You live above the store? They said you lived next door. I assumed they meant a different building.”
“You assumed wrong. Are we going to have a problem, Ms. West?”
Desire coiled like a snake slowly inside her as she stared at those lips. She didn’t know whether she wanted to slap that smile off his face or kiss him. Unnerved, she shook her head. “It’s fine,” she muttered. She shoved her key in the lock and felt a little relief when it swung open. She didn’t even say good night as she slammed it shut.
&n
bsp; God. The gorgeous shifter shared an actual wall with her. But it didn’t matter. She was done with them. All she wanted now was to be alone.
She was tall. Davis normally found himself with shorter women, but he loved that fact that she could meet his eye. She had curves in all the right places, an ass that would nicely fit in the palms of his hands, and thick red hair that he wanted to twist his fingers in.
Damn. He hadn’t known that his tenant was going to be a knock out. Or that she’d come with such an attitude either. He’d felt the vibrations between them as soon as he laid eyes on her, and he had a sneaking suspicion that this woman might be more than just a pretty face to him.
Davis had been second-in-command of his lion pride five years ago, but when he’d bedded the alpha’s wife, he’d been kicked out. It wasn’t his fault. He didn’t know his alpha had brought a wife home from his vacation, and although he’d ousted the woman as a shifter addict, his alpha was still none to pleased.
Two years ago, his alpha had finally found and married his mate, and he’d reached out to Davis and asked him to come home. Davis had refused. It wasn’t that he was angry with his alpha, but here, he didn’t have to worry about being in charge. He had a sense of freedom that was rare for him.
He was unattached, and he loved it.
He wasn’t the only shifter in the community. There was a wolf, a cheetah, several owls, an otter, and even a bear, but they were all submissive. He was the only alpha shifter in the town, and he found it irritating when the other shifters came to him for advice. They needed a leader, and he wasn’t willing to step up to the plate. The community begged him to help control them. The shifters, away from their packs, were often temperamental and difficult. Davis was no different, but he wasn’t here for that. He was here to be free.
