HOTSHOT BROTHERS: Coyote Shifters

by Hunt, Sabrina

  However, when I attempted to move, my entire body revolted and I’d squeezed my eyes shut. Hot blood was dripping down my leg and I let out a frustrated sigh.

  “Nice going, Paige,” I muttered.

  A branch cracked nearby, followed by footsteps. Opening my eyes, I saw a tall figure blocking out the sun and for a second I thought I was hallucinating.

  Nobody can be that good-looking, I thought.

  A gentle hand touched my forehead, straightening my glasses. “Are you okay?” asked a rich, masculine voice that made my pulse race.

  I let out a weak laugh. “No. But you can just leave me here. It’s fine.”

  He laughed at that and eyed me. “No, I don’t think I could. You’re from the site, right?”

  At that, I sat bolt upright. He was real. The man rocked back on his heels, looking amused and concerned at the same time.

  “Ouch,” I muttered, then swore under my breath fluently.

  “Well, I don’t think anything is broken, but you need to be patched up. Here,” he said.

  Then, without so much as a “by-your-leave,” I was swept up into two huge arms and carried up the hillside in what seemed to be three single strides.

  Usually I couldn't keep my mouth shut, but I didn’t utter a peep until we got back to the deserted site. As he walked over to an ATV, I finally asked, “What-what are you doing? Who are you? Where are we going?”

  “Rayner Hess,” he answered, smiling. “You know Ben, Wes, and Cree, right? We’re all friends with Aunt Sil’s nephew, the woman who keeps these lands. Just a bunch of wildland firefighters recuperating here for a few weeks and lending a hand to the site whenever and wherever we can.” His smile became brighter. “You can trust me.”

  It was so simply stated, a fact like the sky was blue, that I nodded. “I’m Paige. Paige Green.”

  “Paige,” he said, my name a caress in his voice. Butterflies danced through me in a maelstrom. “Don’t worry, Ben can fix you up. He’s hiding back at the main house.” Rayner rolled his eyes, the exasperated, fond look of an older brother. “Being such a fool.”

  Settling me on the ATV, he then jumped on behind, easily putting his arms around me. We then took off into the woods, the trees whipping by. The wind was cool on my face and Rayner’s body was a solid wall of warmth against my back.

  All too soon the ride was over. As Rayner helped me down behind a massive log house that made my jaw drop, Ben appeared, loping down the back-porch steps and looking annoyed. Then his expression became one of concern. “Paige, right?” I nodded. “Damn, you fall down a cliff?”

  “Just a small one,” Rayner answered with a chuckle and guided me inside.

  I kept glancing between Rayner and Ben as they settled me in the kitchen and darted around. Hotshots, I thought.

  That’s what wildland firefighting crews were called – I’d learned that from Cree. Oh, that boy was for sure a ham and had become the darling of the survey.

  Was it working together that suggested a kinship between them? I’d noticed it with Ben, Cree and Wes. It wasn’t so much that they looked alike, but there was something there that inextricably linked them. A lot of time spent together maybe? But that theory didn’t quite satisfy me.

  It’s something else. Some brotherhood…

  I was still pondering that when Rayner interrupted my thoughts and brought me back to the present. “Not stupid, Paige. Not at all. You have a Ph.D. in Geology from University of Washington.” He gave me a knowing grin. “Whitsy was bragging about you. One bad spill doesn’t take that away.”

  I stared at Rayner, nonplussed. I tried to speak, but only made a kind of squeak.

  He seemed to be twinkling at me. “Good thing I went to the site this morning and decided to stroll down a bit further than I usually do. I almost didn’t. You know, you really shouldn’t be going over there. Were you guys not told that?”

  I flushed and ducked my head. “No, we were. I just wanted to look around.”

  Rayner laughed and I found my skin tingling a bit. He had a nice, pleasant laugh, and I couldn’t help remembering what it was like to be in his arms.

  Ben was quiet, wrapping my wounds with his thoughts a thousand miles away. I saw Rayner give him a look and then he reached out to clap Ben’s shoulder.

  “Benny,” he said in a kind voice. “Why don’t I finish up? I know you were on your way back to the site. I can bandage reasonably – well, maybe not as well as you, Doc.”

  My eyes flew up and I watched as Ben dumped the bandages in Rayner’s hands. “I should have been back a while ago, actually,” he muttered, then he blinked and looked at me. “Oh, is that okay, Paige? You don’t mind, right?”

  “What?” I asked, blinking and feeling like I couldn’t say no. “Oh, yeah. Of course not. Go.”

  Ben took off and now Rayner and I were alone in the kitchen. And while Ben's touch had been cool, like aloe, Rayner’s was a slow fizz of heat. It was the whisper of breath over an ember being coaxed to kindle and spark.

  I had to look away while he finished.

  To my surprise (and slight disappointment) Rayner didn’t press me to talk as he meticulously wrapped up my various injuries. He didn’t even flirt, even though I’d thought I’d picked up on that vibe for a second. Guess I was wrong.

  “Put your foot in your mouth with Benny at some point?” he suddenly asked as he stood up. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”

  I raised my eyebrows, then murmured, “Um, no, not Ben. Hazel.”

  “Oh, something about those two?” Rayner looked amused. “I’ve noticed something is going on that they’re both trying to ignore. But I wouldn’t worry about it. Hazel’s sweet.”

  “Oh.” I was a little dazzled inside. You’re like me. You see and hear the things below the surface. The glimpses of truth.

  “Yeah. Takes an observer to know one,” Rayner said, chuckling as he put away the first-aid kit. “So, you’re all patched up, Miss Paige. I’d advise some rest. Would you like to relax outside? There’s a great porch swing out there.”

  I nodded gratefully, then stiffly stood up and limped outside after him. Once I sat down, he vanished back into the house. For a moment I felt stupid – I’d thought he was going to sit with me. Now I wondered if I should’ve opted to go back to the site.

  Although I wasn’t quite sure how to get back.

  But then the door swung back open and Rayner reappeared. He carried a glass of water, a Tupperware bowl tucked under his arm, and a bottle of Tylenol.

  I gaped at the simpleness and sweetness of it as he sat next to me. “Thank you,” I murmured, feeling flustered in a way I’d never been before.

  What followed was a magical afternoon on that porch swing, talking to Rayner, eating strawberries, and laughing. To the point where I did something stupid.

  I gave him my number.

  Rayner asked for it and I gave it without a second thought. Then he walked me back to the site, through woods dappled with sunlight. It was a quiet and companionable time, but at the same time, I felt a bit like I’d tumbled down a rabbit hole.

  What is happening? I wondered as I laughed at something Rayner said as we got back to the site. My heart was fluttering a little and I was acting like a giddy schoolgirl, trying to pretend I was cool and aloof, not flustered and shy.

  After that, I saw him a few more times around the site, but it was usually brief. We texted and spoke on the phone often. I loved his messages – Rayner was a witty, skilled writer.

  But then a fire burst out and razed the site’s research tent to the ground. The survey team went home as too much work was lost. During the weeks that followed, I got a few sporadic messages from Rayner, then nothing for a while and finally a phone call.

  He apologized for not checking in sooner, but said there was a lot of cleanup and investigation going on. Then he’d been firefighting for a few weeks.

  We talked a few times after that, neither of us able to commit to plans. But finally, there was a date whe
n Rayner had to go to Arizona.

  “As soon as I’m back, we’ll make this happen,” he said.

  But I never heard from him again.

  It was on the tip of my tongue to ask Rayner how Arizona had been, but I checked myself. For one thing, I didn’t want to give him any evidence that it had upset me. And for another, I couldn’t quite stoop to that level of petty bitchiness. No matter how tempting it was.

  I hadn’t allowed myself to think about it, shocked at how hurt I’d been that Rayner had blown me off like that. It was like a sliver of glass had lodged itself in my chest, cutting deeper every time I inadvertently thought about him.

  If I had thought about, I suppose it was because I’d thought Rayner was better than that. And no matter what I did, I still reserved some small corner of my heart for the hope that he’d call.

  Even now, I couldn’t repress the flutter of butterfly wings deep in my belly at the sight of him slowly walking towards me. The wind tugged his hair and blew his shirt against his body, the ridges of his cut torso showing through clearly.

  Ignoring him, I squatted down to release Nim. The dog curled up against my ankles as his tongue lolled out. Rayner was still coming towards me. “I don’t want to hear it, Rayner,” I said, hoping to stop him from coming any closer.

  It didn’t work.

  “Paige, I do need your help.” He stopped in front of me and I swallowed. “There’s no one else who knows what you know.” Rayner loosely clasped my elbows as I tried to draw back. “Please.”

  “Fine,” I grit out, as I not-so-subtly tried to pull away and also scolded myself for giving in. “What is it?”

  Rayner’s shoulders dropped in relief and he let out a long breath he’d been holding. “Thank you. I knew I could count on you.” His hands squeezed my elbows.

  “At least that makes one of us,” I said before I could stop myself.

  His hands dropped away. “I’m also here to apologize. I’m sorry. And I’m sorry so much time has passed before you got to hear it.”

  I waited for a moment, but he said nothing. He was looking away and scowling slightly. His face in profile was hard-edged and hard to read. “Nothing else?”

  He looked back to me, puzzled. “Excuse me?”

  “I don’t get an explanation?” I asked, folding my arms and jutting out a hip.

  “Wouldn’t that be a waste of time?” Rayner asked.

  “A waste of time,” I echoed, stepping back and then marching around him. “Yeah. Never mind. Offer rescinded. Get off my property and don’t come back.”

  “No, wait, I didn’t mean it like that,” Rayner called after me. “I only meant–”

  “Not interested,” I said flatly, whirling around. “Leave.”

  But Rayner was meeting me glare for glare. “I can’t,” he retorted, his cool starting to fray. A twisted smirk pulled up in one of his cheeks. “Besides, I have another long overdue apology.”

  “Huh?” I asked.

  “Last summer when you were heedlessly traipsing around the edge of the river where you shouldn’t have, you saw a coyote,” Rayner said. “And he was partially responsible for your fall.”

  Buzzing filled my brain. While Rayner wasn’t wrong, I didn’t understand at all where he was going with this or how he could possibly have known that. Did he see it too?

  Wait, then why is he apologizing?

  “I’m here to apologize for that – I’m sorry you got hurt.” He paused. “I can prove to you that everything I’m about to tell you is true. After that, I think you’ll understand why you didn’t hear from me.” His lips twisted down now. It was the look of a man who was always being demanded more of yet who had nothing left to give. “It wasn’t what I wanted. At all.”

  My pulse spiked and the butterflies took off. “Then why…?” I asked.

  Rayner gave me a long look, then he fell forwards, becoming a great gold coyote. One I recognized, as I lifted a shaking head to push my hair out of my eyes. My legs were shaking too and I stepped backward.

  And I was falling, hurtling towards the ground as darkness rushed over me.

  Chapter 3

  Three days earlier

  “Ben!”

  Hazel’s voice jerked me out of my daze the next morning. I’d been outside, sniffing the air and trying to quell my unease. The fog was back, and restless too, a thick mass rolling over the mountains that did not dissipate as the sun rose. It had an odd smell, a combination of sulfur and smoke. I’d been trying to convince myself it was from the campfire last night when I’d heard Hazel.

  The note in her voice was jarring and not one I’d heard before. A woman filled with abject terror.

  Cold seemed to strike my chest, waking the knot of anxiety, and I stumbled around the corner to find Hazel on her knees in front of Ben. He was kneeling, holding his chest, and seemed to be struggling to breathe. A hoarse, grating cough tore from him.

  “Ben, oh my god. Are you having an asthma attack? Do you have asthma? Why wouldn’t you tell me?” She was clutching his shirt in white-knuckled hands. “Pea, Fern!” She cried out.

  Shaking his head, Ben tried to stand and I was at his side. Fear was thick and sluggish, making my mouth dry and thoughts leaden. I gripped his shoulder, forcing him to stay still.

  “Don’t move, idiot,” I hissed, my heart hammering in my temples.

  “I’m fine,” he said, coughing again and rubbing his chest.

  But he was clammy to the touch and his usual dark-olive skin was pale. “Ben,” I said. “You’re not fine. Where were you? What happened?”

  “I was going to go for my run, but I felt dizzy, so I came back.” He coughed again. “I thought I needed more breakfast.” He sucked at the air like a swimmer bursting from the depths of the sea.

  Pea appeared then, her white hair flying as she ran, and I saw her eyes widen in surprise. “Benny,” she said, her sweet voice trembling with fear. Her hand landed between his shoulder blades and our eyes met. The earth seemed to gape open.

  Pea looks afraid.

  I sucked in a hard breath and gripped Ben’s shoulder tighter. While I loved all my brothers equally, Ben was the youngest and had had the hardest time. I’d always been more responsible for him than the rest. I’d always helped him before.

  And now I knew, somehow, I couldn’t.

  “We need to get him inside. He needs rest.” Fern had appeared out of nowhere.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Hazel demanded as I picked Ben up. The blue of her eyes was fierce and fragile at the same time. A memory stirred in the back of my head, Hazel of another time, lost to us. And Ben hadn’t been able to survive that loss.

  “I don’t know, but he’s tough,” I said, moving past her towards the house.

  “No, Rayner, not there,” said Pea in a quiet voice. “To the healing tent, please.”

  “What?” Hazel gasped as she jogged after us after I spun around and began to walk.

  Ben had fallen unconscious in my arms. It was unreal.

  Doc doesn’t get sick! I screamed in my head.

  The healing tent was a tall canvas creation with a hole in the roof to let out the smoke of the fire. Its walls, with roped columns every few feet, had a translucence to them that was usually soothing. Everything in here was soft and clean.

  I remembered another time, more recent, during the first year when Ben had sat in meditation for hours with Fern and Pea, fruitlessly trying to tap into his healing gift. Then he’d gotten so frustrated, he’d burst out of there, vowing never to return and running off into the woods. When he came back, he and Wes had gotten into a fight that had turned particularly nasty.

  Cree had gotten between them, stopping them, but I’d been the one to get them to make amends later. No matter the friction, each of us was a piece of the puzzle. Without one, it was incomplete, the circle broken. We’d learned that the hard way with Burr when he’d gone missing in Alaska.

  “Ray.” Pea’s voice was soft in my ear. I realized I’d been standi
ng there, gripping Ben tightly as though I could will him to wake back up.

  Gently I laid him down and immediately Fern and Pea converged. “He’s hanging in there,” Fern murmured. “Rayner, Hazel – if you could please leave. I’m sorry.”

  Neither of us moved and Pea stood up. “We can’t work if you two are in here.”

  My joints seemed to snap, brittle with ice and fear, as I turned to Hazel and steered her outside. She resisted almost on reflex. When we were outside, I could barely stand to meet her eyes.

  “But Ben never gets sick,” Hazel said, almost automatically. She had the air of someone dazed from a blow. “Could it be a cold?”

  “A coyote cold?” I joked, but my heart was lurching around my chest. “Hazel, listen.” I reached out and squeezed her shoulder. She barely seemed to notice, her eyes were cast down and she was biting her lip hard. “He’ll be fine. It will be okay.”

  Those words ran through my mind over and over the next days, mocking me. It was another foggy day, but the fog hung low in the valleys and the sky was a clear blue.

  Wes, Cree, and Burr had now also fallen sick.

  I stood outside the healing tent with the four girls, watching the smoke curl against the sky, my sister clinging tightly to my arm. Sky had the look of a lost little girl and it reminded me painfully of the day of our half-brother’s funeral. She’d clung to me like that, then, too.

  In the dark recesses of our hearts, I knew we were all wondering the same thing.

  Now that we knew he was alive, or rather it: the greatest enemy the Hotshot Brothers had ever known, a face- and form-changing Skinwalker… Was it responsible for this sickness?

  I glanced around at the girls. Kalin was holding Sky’s other hand, struggling to hide her worry. Hazel was calm but the blue of her eyes was like shattered glass. And Willow was so still it looked almost painful, but I knew under the surface her entire body was poised and alert to fight.

  Only there was nothing we could do.

  The only good thing was that Willow’s brothers were with her mother in Alaska. I don’t think I could have handled Juniper and Fox’s worried eyes on top of the girls.