20 Shades of Shifters: A Paranormal Romance Collection

by Demelza Carlton

  Pulling out a clear plastic container, she tilted her head and smiled excitedly. “I have no idea what you’ve been fed as meals but I would guess it hasn’t been very tasty. I don’t know what you like, but I’m a firm believer that pizza cures all ailments. Buuuut…I’m not risking this delicious cheese-covered delight by throwing it in the air. Is it okay if I walk over and hand it to you?” she asked.

  He nodded his head and when she stood up her blouse spread open far enough that he caught a glimpse of her cleavage as she pushed off the ground. His eyes popped wide and his mouth watered. Her large breasts were spilling from the top of a beige bra. What he wouldn’t give to unsnap the closure with his teeth, setting them free for his exploration.

  Approaching him cautiously, she stretched her arm to hand him the container. He caught a whiff of her delectable scent and fought the urge to pull her to the mattress and show her how shifters claimed a female. He imagined her vanilla sex life was tame and boring. What she needed was a male to pay proper tribute to her exquisite curves.

  Lawson’s finger brushed against her hand as he accepted the food and he felt her soft skin. It had been too fucking long since he’d felt a female’s silky flesh. Or since a female’s hands had roamed over his own. He was surprised when she didn’t jump or back away but lingered as she stood over him, green eyes trailing down his body.

  Taking the pizza, he watched her retreating assets as she went back to her spot on the floor.

  “Thank you,” he murmured, lifting the top off the rectangular box.

  Warmth seeped through the bottom of the container, and it felt as if he were sitting by a campfire. It was the most comforting sensation he’d felt in a long time. And then the aroma reached his nose. Hot cheesy mozzarella coupled with tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and basil. His overloaded senses had his stomach clawing to get to the pizza. Don’t become the ravenous beast she suspects, he chastised.

  “You’re very welcome. If you tell me which foods you enjoy, I’ll do my best to get them for you. But please keep this between us. I’m probably breaking all the rules, but whatever,” Liv scoffed, rolling her eyes.

  Lawson still wasn’t quite sure about her angle, but there was no doubt she disliked his treatment. Maybe she would turn out to be the ally to get him the hell out of this place. As much as he could use a friend right now, he refused to let his guard down and reveal too much.

  She might be the death of him rather than his salvation.

  “I like everything, especially steak,” he croaked out, voice shaky.

  Liv’s heart twisted, and she wondered how much he had talked, imagining it was very little. Being shut off from the world with only violence to greet him was a despicable way to live.

  Never once had she considered she was pampered or spoiled. She didn’t come from a wealthy family. Liv worked twice as hard as most of her friends through high school and college, but she was a pansy because she wouldn’t last a day under the same circumstances. When it got down to brass taxes, family and friends were everything, and she needed them close.

  “Well, that makes sense, I guess. I’m not much of a meat eater. Although, every now and then I crave a fat juicy hamburger. My mom makes the best on the planet,” she added, watching him as he took a bite of pizza.

  As with the apple, his eyes rolled back, and he groaned his pleasure. Liv was transfixed by the sight of this man enjoying food. If she didn’t know better, she would swear he was having an orgasm. Chewing, he opened his eyes and met her gaze.

  It was erotic as hell watching this man eat and regard her as if she was the next course. Nibbling on her lower lip, she considered what that experience might be like for her. No doubt epic would be part of the verbiage she later used to describe the experience.

  “No disrespect, Olivia, but I bet my mother could give yours a run for her money. She works a grill better than any female, or male, for that matter,” he answered, his deep baritone causing her body to shudder. Even more thrilling was that he had given her a piece of information about his family.

  Eager to learn more she jumped at the opportunity. “Where is your family now?”

  “I don’t know. I was alone when they took me,” Lawson confessed, watching her closely. Confirming her suspicions about him being kidnapped Liv wondered if he thought she was involved.

  “Lawson, I had no idea what was going on here until that first day I barged into your room. I would never have agreed to such barbaric ways of obtaining data. You have to believe me,” she demanded.

  “I do. You are the first person to show an ounce of compassion, and I don’t put you in the same group as those assholes,” he said, putting the last bit of pizza in his mouth. It was so odd. She had avoided shifters because she thought they were wild and unsophisticated yet he was the exact opposite.

  This man was soft-spoken, polite, and well mannered. She could guarantee if she’d gone without a decent meal for as long as he had, she would’ve shoved the entire slice of pizza in her mouth. A chuckle nearly escaped her as she imagined him dabbing the corners of his mouth with a napkin. The thought was absurd but the man ate with precision, slowly and carefully.

  “How long have you been here?” she asked, drawing up her knees and clasping her arms around them. The ground was hard and uncomfortable. She would have to see if she could bring in a blanket to sit on.

  “I’m not sure. A couple years, maybe more,” Lawson answered and sprawled across his mattress, lying on his stomach. He seemed to relax a bit, and she felt like they were making headway.

  “The other day I saw a man in the room beside yours. He’s gone now. Do you know where he went?”

  “No. Others have come and gone. I hear when they are attacked but I have never seen anyone. I’ve never left this room,” he offered which surprised her.

  If he never left the room, she could only guess how he bathed. A bucket of dirty water flashed through her mind before she shoved it away, glancing to Lawson. Liv could see concern for the others. She imagined he thought the same thing that was running through her mind regarding the others. They were dead.

  A kissing sound filled the room as Liv’s phone alerted her of a new text. Blushing at her tone choice, she reached in her tote and retrieved the device. Jim’s name elicited a curse. Time to walk the tightrope again.

  Her boss wanted to meet her in his office in fifteen minutes. She dreaded going there mainly because she was going to have to put on the charm for the man while at the same time resist his advances. But she would do it. For Lawson.

  “I have to go. But, I have one more question before I do. Why won’t you do what they ask? Shift for them so they can take some blood. Maybe then you’ll be released,” she stated, needing to understand his defiance.

  She couldn’t deny that she was curious if his DNA was what was needed to help so many stricken with cancer. Not that she approved of holding anyone prisoner but if his blood would help others, she hoped to convince Lawson to help them.

  “It’s not that simple. I’ve repeatedly told your boss that my blood doesn’t alter when I shift. My worry is that when they realize I’ve been telling the truth, they’ll kill me. How could they release me after all this time? It would have to translate to prison time for all of them, not to mention, this place being shut down. I’ll never leave this room,” he confided, and she saw the defeat in every line furrowing his brow. He was giving up, and the sight of it galvanized her.

  Liv hadn’t considered that. He was right. They would never allow him to leave. It would cost Jim too much. Standing, she grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow. Try to stay positive, Lawson,” she mumbled and turned to leave.

  “Don’t you want your container back?” he asked.

  “Oh, yeah. I completely forgot,” Liv admitted.

  As she walked towards Lawson, he stood up. Damn, he was tall. He had to be close to seven feet tall. She felt tiny next to his broad frame, which reminded her of his animal
istic nature. He held out the plastic box and she accepted it, enjoying the feel as his skin brushed against hers.

  “Olivia,” he muttered, capturing her gaze with his irresistible depths.

  “Please call me Liv,” she whispered through a trapped voice. His penetrating stare awakened every nerve.

  A curl to his upper lip had her core clenching with need. “Liv…thank you for the pizza. It was delicious,” he murmured, and swiped his thumb across her hand.

  She heard the rattle of the heavy chain attached to his cuff. He could easily snap her neck if he wanted but she wasn’t afraid of him. His strength, rawness, and vulnerability drew her.

  Ever so slowly, Lawson lifted his hand and stroked a finger across her cheek, eliciting a shiver that shot straight to her core. Heartbeat racing, she relaxed into his large palm when he cupped her face.

  Yeah, she was playing with fire.

  And she felt alive for the first time in her life.

  Chapter 7

  Well, hello, stranger. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me,” Jim insinuated as she walked into his office.

  He stood from his desk and walked to her, pulling her into an embrace. She knew right away what the slimeball was thinking when her chest smashed against his from the force.

  Hell yeah, she’d been avoiding him. She’d hoped to escape his creepy advances. Bile churned at the feel of his skin against hers. She guessed he wasn’t picking up her subtle hint of unanswered text messages and emails he sent her every hour.

  “Hi, I got here as fast as I could. Not avoiding you. Just busy with my workload. What’s up?” Liv asked, pushing gently against his chest.

  She squirmed out of his death grip and walked to the wall of windows across the room. He had one of the best views of the city and her eyes scanned the nightlights of Chattanooga.

  Hearing the door shut behind her, she turned to see Jim opening a bottle of white wine. Seriously, this guy didn’t waste any time. He poured two glasses and made his way to her side, handing her one of the crystal goblets.

  “Well, I don’t want to be accused of working you too hard. Kick off your heels and relax. I just thought we should touch base on your progress with the shifter. Lawson, I think. Isn’t that what you wrote in his file?” he asked curiously, but she didn’t miss the sharp intonation regarding Lawson.

  “Yes, his name is Lawson. I can’t say I’ve uncovered a great deal of information yet,” she offered, knowing she couldn’t share everything Lawson had told her. She agreed with him that his life was at risk where her boss was concerned.

  “However, he’s warming up to me. I can tell he’s more comfortable and has shared trivial things, such as food likes and whatnot. Oh, and he’s seventy-seven. That floored me. There is definitely something to their DNA because he doesn’t look a day over thirty,” she informed her boss.

  That little tidbit had left her speechless, and it did make her wonder if Jim’s theory was right about their blood.

  “Oh, he did mention hearing others in the room next to his. Are there more shifters besides him?” Liv asked innocently, taking a sip of her wine.

  “No, there are no others. Not sure what your friend is implying but he is the only one. If I had others, I wouldn’t need him, now would I?” Jim snapped, and Liv knew right away he was lying through his less than perfect teeth.

  As if searching for a distraction from her line of questioning, Jim reached over and lifted the locket attached to a chain around her neck. The pendant nestled between her cleavage and he lingered a little too long between her breasts. Her fists balled and ached to sail right into his kisser, but she knew that would be a mistake she couldn’t afford.

  “This is lovely. Are there pictures inside?” he asked, studying the gold oval. Yeah, right. He might as well have been fondling her nipples the way he was undressing her with his wicked sneer.

  Grasping the locket from his fingers, Liv took a step back. He was sucking the air out of the room and she felt like she was suffocating under his scrutiny.

  “Yes, one of my mother and one of my grandmother and I,” she revealed, remembering the day her mother had given it to her.

  It was her sixteenth birthday, and she hadn’t taken it off since. It was in desperate need of a new chain but she didn’t have the money to replace it. One of these days, she often told herself.

  Moving closer, he crowded her personal space again. Could he not stay out of her bubble? She got a whiff of his overpowering cologne and thought she might start choking.

  “Back to Lawson, Olivia. I could give a rat’s ass about the man’s food choice or his fucking age. I need more than that,” he scoffed, before running a hand through his silver hair. He wasn’t bad looking for a man in his late forties, but his personality and aggressive nature made Liv’s skin crawl.

  “I know, I know. But I have to gain his trust, and any offer of personal information is a sign it’s working. And, speaking of that, why is he wearing such filthy clothes without access to a razor or clippers or something. The man looks awful, I can only imagine how he feels,” she countered, hoping Jim would be reasonable. “Maybe let him take a shower and give him clean clothes. A hot meal, even. Ever think that might be a better approach than treating him like an animal,” she practically yelled.

  Jim’s eyes narrowed, and he set his glass of wine on a nearby credenza. “Need I remind you that he is an animal? He’s wild and savage, not to mention, he’s killed men. A man you know was murdered by him. Don’t get too close, Olivia. He could turn on you in an instant. And, there’s no way in hell he’s leaving that room to shower. Some clean clothes, maybe, but don’t push me on this,” he commanded.

  Setting her glass down, Liv’s hands went to her hips. “All I’m saying is that we can’t expect him to cooperate unless we play nice. A haircut and shave would probably go a long way with him. If he can’t leave the room, I’ll take clean clothes to him. I’m just trying to get on his good side,” she implored, hoping Jim would see the benefits of what she was saying while praying he didn’t see how attached she was becoming to Lawson.

  His expression softened and his dark blue eyes hooded. “Tell you what. I’ll agree to some of your demands but you have to do something for me first,” he drawled, a sly grin spreading across his face.

  Oh, shit. This wasn’t going to be good.

  “Okay, sounds reasonable. What do you want, Jim?” she questioned as tiny pricks itched at her neck and arms, like a million ants feasting on her skin.

  Jim grabbed her hand and placed it against his crotch. “You’re a smart girl, Olivia. Use your imagination,” he leered, his tongue swiping across his lower lip.

  Liv could feel the erection straining through his black pants. Jim ground against her palm, indicating his expectation.

  So this was it. The moment she’d been dreading and avoiding, like the plague. Did she tell Jim what a piece of shit was he was, and leave his office, and her job? She should. This man was so low that even snakes stood higher off the ground.

  But if she rejected him she would never see Lawson again. And what would happen to him then? She couldn’t take that chance. Not yet, anyway. She needed to know more about what was going on behind the scenes at PRL.

  Reaching to his waistband with her other hand, she undid his belt then pulled down his zipper. She was disgusted with what she was about to do. It was beneath her to succumb to sexual harassment, but she was going through with it. A quick hand job shouldn’t take long with how worked up he was, she amended.

  When she touched his flesh, and he moaned, she almost ran from the room. Instead, she blocked everything from her mind and pasted a smile on her face. He leaned his head back and groaned, probably thinking she was enjoying this when all the while she envisioned castrating the motherfucker.

  Liv perused the hallway outside Lawson’s room. Since her last visit, someone had covered all the windows from the inside. She was certain Jim ordered the changes. She questioned him about other shifters,
and now she couldn’t see into the other rooms.

  Excited to show Lawson what she brought today, she wasn’t expecting the sight that greeted her. Lawson was lying on his stomach across his mattress, huge welts slashed across his back. He wasn’t moving and she couldn’t tell if he was breathing. Liv threw down her bags and rushed to his side.

  “Lawson!” she yelled, touching his arm. Up close she could see the depth of the cuts. They were bright red and oozing pus, clearly infected.

  Groaning, he turned and lifted his head in her direction. His lip was swollen and cut. “Liv,” he muttered then his head flopped back to the mattress.

  “Jesus, what happened? Why?” she asked, not understanding any of this.

  “Apparently, your boss doesn’t like us getting too friendly,” he mumbled slowly. She could tell it hurt to try and talk around his swollen mouth.

  That sonovabitch! She had lowered her standards to sexually please him, and he had the audacity to turn around and do this. Oh, he was going to pay. And pay dearly, she vowed.

  “You need a doctor. I’m calling someone,” she said, trying to stand. He placed a large palm across her knee, stopping her movement.

  “No, please don’t go. Stay here. Talk to me,” Lawson whispered softly, but his grip on her leg was firm.

  “I really think I should get you medical treatment. These wounds look bad, Lawson. Real bad,” she confessed, putting her hand over his forehead. He was warm, almost feverish and she knew there was an infection.

  “I’ll be fine. They’ll heal by tomorrow. Just stay with me,” Lawson begged, looking over at her. She leaned forward to meet his gaze. How could she leave his side? Those beautiful gray eyes had her cemented in place. She couldn’t get up and leave if she tried.