SHIFT (Mackenzie Grey #1)

by Karina Espinosa

  “Don’t tell me to relax when I turn around and you’re gone! You should have said something to me!”

  He was right—we were in fact in a vampire lair—but he was also wrong. “If I would have said something, you’d have stopped me!”

  “You’re damn right I would. You can’t trust him, Kenz.”

  Lucian stood idly by, not saying a word as Jonah berated him. Call me a softy, or maybe I don’t know the whole truth about their relationship, but I felt bad for Lucian. Since I’ve met him, he hasn’t done or said a thing against the wolves and all they’ve done was talk shit to him, yet ask him for help all the same.

  “Don’t fret, Mackenzie Grey. It all just rolls off my shoulders,” Lucian winked and I turned my silent anger toward Jonah.

  “What did Sebastian say?” I said through gritted teeth. I was mad at Jonah but I wasn’t going to bitch him out with an audience. I would have to learn to contain myself.

  “He told us to get back to the warehouse so we can regroup. He’s issued a warning for the Pack to stay away from you, you should be safe,” he said, his face stone cold—no dimple in sight. “Now let’s go. This place makes my skin crawl.”

  At that moment, I wanted to lose all control and punch Jonah in the face for trying to commandeer me but the light bulb in my head went off.

  I gasped as I went to Lucian’s bookcase and started reading the spines. “Do you have any books on species?” I asked as I scanned the books in a rush.

  “Why yes, of course. They’re over here,” Lucian said and pulled a thick textbook from the shelf behind his desk.

  “Mackenzie, what the hell are you doing?” Jonah growled as he tried to pull me away. “For once, just listen to me!”

  “Skin, Jonah! We found skin!”

  “What?”

  “Oh my God, just stop thinking about me not listening and think about what Jane Hancock said and the skin we found at her apartment and the park. Don’t laugh, but I saw this on a TV show, could this kidnapper be someone who sheds skin? Like a snake?” I felt the answer at the tip of my tongue but couldn’t piece it all together.

  “Jonah,” Lucian stared, mouth agape. “She’s on to something—we could have a Skin Walker on our hands.” The vampire hurriedly flipped through the pages of the book he’d shown me until it landed on what he was looking for—The Skin Walker.

  “Shit,” Jonah muttered and ran his hands through his hair. “They’re literally impossible to find.”

  “It makes sense. Branwell was probably making an herb to mask his smell,” Lucian said.

  “But who is it?” I asked as I read the definition of a Skin Walker.

  Skin Walker—legend says that this creature, with the skin

  of its prey, can take its form and walk and talk as they desire.

  “If he has Branwell to mask his odor, there’s no way we’ll find him.”

  “But we have a suspect, Jonah. Caleb,” I said and it made sense. What better way to infiltrate the Pack than through one of its Captains. The only question now was why.

  A cab ride was the quickest form of transportation to the warehouse and Lucian offered to foot the bill. He wouldn’t take no for an answer when he said he’d be coming with us—which Jonah tried to persuade him against. We didn’t know how the Pack would react, it could start an uproar and of course, my favorite excuse, they’d just have another thing to blame me for. I could definitely feel the love.

  We arrived in record time and my nerves surfaced again at the thought of what we were about to do. We were going to accuse someone we didn’t have any proof of wrong doing. This was what Sebastian didn’t want us to do but I agreed with Jonah—Caleb was the most suspicious of all.

  As the double doors of the warehouse swung open and we walked in to the cafeteria style room, all eyes fell on us and the floor quieted. Sebastian was standing with the Captains—including Caleb—by a white erase board in the middle of the room. He turned around when Bernard nudged him in our direction.

  Sebastian’s cold blues landed first on Lucian and his nostrils flared out of control.

  “What is going on, Jonah?” he barked and his voice reverberated across the main floor.

  While the Alpha and the Beta were at a stand-off, I scanned the room for Amy and found her on the second floor landing with Blu. She waved and I smiled—glad that she was okay.

  “I would expect this from her,” Bash pointed at me, “but not from you!”

  I was going to say something when Lucian caught my attention. He shook his head and I could only interpret that as him telling me to keep my mouth shut.

  “I didn’t have a choice, he was going to show up either way so I rather it have been with me,” Jonah said, standing firm on his decision.

  Sebastian walked across the room toward us with the Captains trailing right behind him. They stopped about five feet away.

  “And what is the meaning of this visit, Lucian?”

  “Oh, it’s quite simple, Alpha—you have a traitor in your midst,” Lucian said as he leaned forward and cupped his mouth, pretending to whisper but the whole warehouse heard.

  The gasps traveled like wild fire and it only angered Sebastian even more.

  “Quiet!” he roared and it was like hitting the mute button on your TV. Not a sound. “Explain.”

  “You can’t trust them, Sebastian! That lone-wolf brain-washed Jonah and brought a bloodsucker into our home? This is unholy!” Someone yelled from the crowd of werewolves.

  “Unholy?” I laughed, no longer able to contain myself. I needed to be defended and if no one was going to do it, I sure as hell was. “What the fuck do any of you know about what’s sacred? Not a damn thing. This vampire might know more than you,” I said as I jerked my thumb toward Lucian. He lived in a damn church, there must be a Bible lying around there somewhere.

  “Mackenzie,” Jonah warned but I ignored him.

  “What’s unholy is the fact that you have a wolf in your Pack who’s growing Wolf’s Bane without permission. That he tried to feed me some and force-fed it to Sam who’s lying in bed, barely holding on. And,” I paused for extra effect. Lucian wasn’t the only one who could be theatrical, “he’s a Skin Walker.”

  Cue the gasps.

  I didn’t tear my gaze away from Scarface and I’m glad I didn’t. While the room erupted into chaos, I narrowed my eyes and caught the slightest twitch of his upper lip. Gotcha bitch.

  Not waiting for permission, I ran towards him and tackled him to the ground. The only ones who noticed were the wolves in our immediate vicinity. Everyone else was busy arguing about my accusations.

  I swung at him—right, left—then he flipped me over and wrapped his hands around my neck—choking me. I clawed at his face, my inner wolf awakening. My canines emerged and they snapped at him—trying to inhale some oxygen.

  “You stupid, bitch,” he whispered in my ear as someone finally pulled him off me.

  It took me less than a second to jump up and crouch down on all fours. My throat hurt and my eyes watered but it didn’t stop my wolf from belting out a roar that could put a lion to shame. The room froze as all eyes were on me. I watched as my nails extended and scrapped the concrete floor, the hairs on my arms thickened, and my face scrunched up like a prune. I’d halfway shifted. My tongue glided across my canines and I felt hunger rear its ugly head.

  “She attacked me! Do something about it!” Caleb yelled, his eyes wild.

  “Stand down, Caleb! We will figure—”

  “No Sebastian! I’ve had enough of your sympathy for this outsider. It’s obvious you’re making exceptions for her—letting your feelings cloud your judgment is not a sign of an Alpha who puts the needs of the Pack before himself,” Caleb sneered, and a growl ripped from my throat.

  I didn’t recognize my voice, it came out deeper and deadlier. “Are you trying to challenge him?” I questioned as the pieces started to fall into place. This was his plan all along—he wanted Sebastian’s position. “Who the hell are you?�
�� I growled as Lucian came to stand beside me. He must have come to the same conclusion.

  “Don’t question me, little girl, I don’t have to explain myself to a disgusting lone-wolf such as yourself!”

  “Answer her, Caleb. Who are you?” Jonah asked as he went to stand on my other side. I was hesitant about him siding against me—but he didn’t.

  Caleb scoffed and turned to the crowd that had formed. “You see this? Who is the traitor now? Taking the side of a mutt instead of his own kin!”

  “Caleb!” Sebastian barked. “If you have nothing to fear, brother, then you should have no problem answering the question.”

  Scarface looked around at the wolves who were waiting for his reaction. It was one thing to get wrongfully accused but to be as defensive as he was, sparked some curiosity.

  I tried to remember what the book had said about Skin Walkers—the skin was sewed just under the chin—I looked at Lucian and nodded. I didn’t know how he was always one step ahead of me but it wasn’t the time to ask. I lunged for Caleb.

  “This is ridiculous,” he said just as I climbed onto his back like a spider monkey and my claws reached around and under his chin. I felt the ridge in his skin, dug my nails into it and pulled.

  The fear of being wrong gnawed at my gut, because if I was, I’d have the whole Pack to deal with and that wouldn’t be something Jonah, nor Sebastian could get me out of. They would kill me with or without the permission of their Alpha if I hurt one of their own—luckily, I hadn’t.

  I pulled the flesh of his face over his head and exposed him for what he really was—a Skin Walker. His face was raw and all muscle, but there was no mistaking—he wasn’t Caleb. The structure of his face was all wrong.

  Lucian hissed and howls erupted through the warehouse. I was holding on to Caleb’s face—a werewolf I had never met.

  Mohammad and Bernard held the imposter who was thrashing against their grips. Jonah’s face burned with so much rage, I even feared him for a moment.

  “Where is he?!” he yelled. “Where is my goddamn brother?!”

  The Skin Walker laughed. “You’ll have to kill me because I’ll never tell you.”

  Jonah swung at him but it only made him laugh more. My mind scrambled as I tried to think of something, anything to leverage over this creature, but there was nothing. We hadn’t learned enough about him. Finding out his identity was just a lucky break.

  I moved between him and Jonah who jerked to a stop from his out-of-control anger.

  My eyes narrowed at the Skin Walker and I whispered, “Tell me where they are and I’ll let you live. I will risk my life to save you from the Pack. I have no allegiance to them, you know this to be true.” I didn’t know if he would believe me but I had to try. A sacrifice.

  “And if you’re lying?” he questioned in a voice I didn’t recognize.

  Without hesitation, I grabbed Jonah and wrapped my hand around his throat as I stood beside him. Claws piercing his skin. He froze beside me as did everyone else in the room.

  “Let him go,” I yelled to Mohammad and Bernard. “If you don’t let us walk out of here, I’ll rip his throat out.”

  “What are you doing, Kenz,” Jonah croaked, his heart thumping wildly against his chest.

  “Mackenzie, don’t do this,” Sebastian said, trying to negotiate with me. If I got away with this, the Skin Walker would be let free and the Pack would slaughter me. A sacrifice for Jackson and the rest of the taken.

  “I said let him go! Don’t make me repeat myself.”

  The two captains slowly released the Skin Walker and he stood in place for a moment, waiting to see if it was a trick. When he came to the conclusion that he was really about to be let go, I started to back away with Jonah at my side. I looked up and saw Amy flying down the stairs towards me.

  “No one comes near us. If you do, I’ll kill him.” Sebastian grabbed Amy just as she was about to approach me. Even Lucian watched me with concern. For once, I did something he didn’t expect.

  The three of us backed away and as soon we got to the double doors, the Skin Walker whispered in my ear, “The basement of Caleb’s apartment.”

  I had one shot and one shot only. Everything depended on me getting this right. I pushed Jonah as hard as I could toward the crowd of wolves that were on the brink of losing control—turned around dug my claws through the Skin Walker’s back. With my other hand I grabbed hold of his neck for stability and forced my hand further until I had a firm grip on his heart.

  I didn’t know what was going on behind me, whether the Pack was going to attack me or not, but I hoped that someone heard the location where Jackson was being held.

  With my mouth to his ear, I said, “I have allegiance to no one.” And ripped out his heart.

  Chapter Twenty

  Interning at 1PP had taught me many things, but I was most grateful for the wisdom of Detective Garrett Michaels. He had always told me that being a good officer wasn’t the most important aspect of the job; it was about making the tough decisions, the ones that could leave you scarred for life that made you great in this field. Even if people didn’t like you for it, someone had to do it—and sometimes you had to break the rules.

  I didn’t know how I would feel after killing the Skin Walker. I hadn’t set out to do it, it was a last minute decision—but I knew it was one I had to make for the good of everyone else. Jonah was going to kill him before ever finding out where his brother was or if he was even alive. I prayed that he was. I may not be religious, but if there was a God looking down on me, I hoped he was listening and as I went against one of his commandments, I prayed he’d forgive me too—because I wasn’t sure if I could.

  The murmurs outside the door made me keep my eyes closed. If I opened them, then I’d have to admit to the things I’d done. No one had said a word when I stood at the entrance of the warehouse with a crumpled Skin Walker at my feet, and a bloody, unbeating heart in my hand. The commotion behind me dulled to white noise as someone dragged me away. My hand dripping a trail of crimson in my wake.

  I didn’t remember much afterward, but I knew it had been six days, thirteen hours, and twenty three minutes since the killing. Every time someone came in to either check on me or bring me food, I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. I wasn’t ready to face anyone—not yet.

  For all the smack I talked, I wasn’t prepared to feel this void of emotion, to feel stripped of my humanity and overall, to feel this dirty. I didn’t understand because he was the bad guy. I did something good—didn’t I? So why did I feel this way?

  The door creaked open and I smelled who it was—Amy. She’d been visiting me every day as I laid in bed, unmoving.

  “Hey Kenz,” she said as she sat on the bed and gripped my hand. “Tomorrow’s the full moon and everyone is heading to the Estate. I know I’m not allowed to go because it could be dangerous, but I need to speak to you before you go. Sebastian said he’s taking you whether you wake up or not. Please, Mackenzie. If not for me, at least for Ollie. He’s been calling your phone nonstop and he’s worried. Please, just wake up already, everything is alright now. Jackson’s back. I’ve been helping Blu take care of him.” She paused. “Okay, well, I’ll check on you again this afternoon. I love you, Kenz.” She planted a kiss on my forehead and left the room.

  I waited a few minutes before gazing at the ceiling again. I needed to get my bearings together before the full moon.

  I heard someone turn the door knob and I shut my eyes quickly—maybe I wasn’t ready just yet.

  “Mackenzie Grey, you need to wake up. I’m tired of everyone crying over you and your nonresponsive ass. Just because I’m not at a hundred percent and need some bed rest, doesn’t mean I’m the next Doctor Phil. So either you pop those gray eyes open, or I flip this mattress. You have thirty seconds to decide.”

  I knew I hadn’t missed Jackson that much. What a douchebag.

  “If you lay a finger on this bed, I’ll cut you,” I said—or at least tried to say
. I hadn’t spoken a word in days and my throat was as dry as the Sahara desert.

  “Ah, there she is. Welcome back to the world of the living.”

  I opened my eyes as he handed me a glass of water. I sipped it as I lifted my sore body into a sitting position. All I’d done was lay in bed and occasionally use the restroom, but my muscles ached.

  “Who’s been crying over me?”

  He leaned on the bed on one elbow. “Oh you know, the usual suspects: Amy, Blu, Sebastian, Jonah, hell, you even got big ol’ Bernard concerned. Man, even the vamp has been visiting the warehouse on a daily basis. When’d you become best friends with that leech?”

  “Since he helped me save your sorry ass. When am I going to get a thank you for that anyways?”

  He snorted. “Not in this lifetime, doll.” Figured.

  I bit my lower lip and juggled with my next question. “How bad is it?”

  Jackson cocked his head to the side. “Is that why you’ve been in a self-induced coma these past couple days? You think you’re in trouble?” I couldn’t respond so I nodded. “Man, I wish I could say that was the case but no, you’re a damn hero to these idiots. Get out of your feelings and go say hi to your admirers. Even my father is excited about meeting you.”

  I waited to see if he was joking but he wasn’t. I thought that would make me feel better but it only made me anxious—and not in a good way.

  “On a serious note, Mackenzie, get out of this room and face your fear. It’s the only way.”

  “I know,” I muttered as I worried my hands.

  “Then get up. Amy’s concerned about you, don’t do that to your friend.”

  It was my turn to cock a brow. “Amy, huh?” I smirked.

  He pushed my shoulder. “Zip it. She’s cool.”

  “Mhm…sure.”

  He shook his head and stood up to leave.

  “Jackson.” He turned around. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  For a moment I thought he would actually say something nice, but I shouldn’t have had such high expectations.