HOTSHOT BROTHERS: Coyote Shifters

by Hunt, Sabrina

  “Don’t lay it on any thicker or anything,” I said lightly, schooling my face. Then I turned and brought over the two mugs to the table.

  “Thank you,” he said, accepting the coffee and sipping it quietly.

  Another uncomfortable silence spun out between us. I was starting to wonder if this would continue to be the case of if this was what Rayner needed help with.

  “Rayner–” I started to say.

  “I’m not sure–” He said at the same time.

  I gave him a look. “Go on.”

  “I was just saying I have no idea where to start.” He scratched at the scruff along his jaw and then yawned. “Do you have any burning questions?”

  “A million,” I started to say when my phone started ringing. I snatched it towards me, blinking at it blankly. “Oh shit,” I murmured. “I have to take this.”

  “That’s fine,” Rayner said, immediately standing up and moving into the small hall that led to the living room. “I’ll give you some space.”

  Had it been my imagination or did he look relieved at that?

  As he moved out of sight, I answered the phone. It was a harried college administrator calling, asking if it was okay to patch me through to a conference call. I agreed, noting that all of my nerves for this call had evaporated.

  Each question I answered easily if a little mechanically, and by the end of it, I thought I detected an impressed note in their voices. They promised to get back to me within the week.

  Once I hung up, I sat there for a moment, playing with my phone. Then I glanced around for Nim. A glow had come over my heart at Rayner’s words about Nim loving me, even as an ugly voice whispered, he’s crazy, no one can talk to animals.

  Then how did he know all of those things about Nim? I asked back quietly.

  Draining my lukewarm coffee, I went in search for Nim and Rayner. On instinct I tiptoed down the hall, stopping in the doorway to the living room.

  Rayner had his legs stretched out in front of him, Nim’s head in his lap, a hand on Nim’s back and his own head tipped back, eyes closed. He was fast asleep.

  While I’d agreed to help, I’d also made a silent compact with myself not to fall for his tricks. Or anything worse. It was going to be strictly professional between us.

  But standing there, the ice around my heart was melting into a warm puddle. My mind was raging at me. But how could anyone with a heart stay mad? I thought helplessly, biting my thumb.

  Silent as a ghost, I moved into the room, collected my laptop from the table, and sat down in a loveseat across from him. I could work while he napped. It was clear Rayner was exhausted.

  Now I wondered if maybe those silences were his overwrought brain struggling to string a sentence together. He’d certainly never had problems explaining things before.

  No, Rayner had always had a gentle, deferential way about him. I’d always liked the way he talked, in that deep voice, dripping with honey at the edges and just belying the strength underneath.

  I shook myself, realizing I’d been sitting there with my computer open and turned off, watching Rayner sleep. Heat tingled in my cheeks and I switched it on.

  As I tried to work, my mind kept flashing back to the moment when he shifted. Logically, I should be terrified right now. I’d seen a man shift into a coyote. I paused at that.

  Where had I picked up that word? I didn’t think Rayner had said it, even as I dug through my mind. Something about it gave me the same feeling I’d had when I’d walked into a sacred site in Nevada. A hushed, ancient silence had pervaded that place, strung through with a melody of the wind that hearkened old legends and gods.

  The other world, I’d thought then, as I did now.

  I wasn’t terrified. Shouldn’t I have been? No; instead, I was overwhelmed with the most powerful sense of déjà vu I’d ever had. To the point where I was trying to ignore it.

  It had first hit me when he’d shifted, sending a shock of recognition straight through my body.

  I’d never been one to believe in any of that mystical stuff, though, even if it was my area of study. I loved the old stories, the legends, and the way the land wove through them. Perhaps I had always wished they were real in some secret corner of my heart.

  Careful what you wish for, I thought ruefully.

  Late in the day, I was buried in my work, typing away, when I heard Rayner stir and I glanced up. Nim had moved his entire body onto Rayner’s lap and he blinked in bemusement down at the dog, smiling slightly as he ruffled his ears.

  Nim rolled over onto his back, exposing his belly as he stretched out and a small laugh escaped me. Rayner’s eyes met mine and his mouth opened as he stared at me.

  “Have a nice nap?” I asked, tilting up an eyebrow.

  “Oh, damn,” he muttered, rubbing a hand over his face. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long coupla days.” Giving me a funny look, he asked, “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

  “You seemed beat,” I said. “Plus Nim was comfortable.”

  He shook his head and said in a low voice. “You should have woken me up.”

  “Next time I will,” I retorted, slapping my laptop shut with more force than necessary. “Listen, it’s getting late. Do you want food and to talk or what?”

  “Dinner, right.” He seemed surprised. “Do you want to order something?”

  Bouncing to my feet, I stretched and shook out my hair. “No, that’s such a waste and besides there’s no places close enough. I’ll cook.”

  Darting around the kitchen, I heard Rayner slowly follow me in. “You don’t have to do that.”

  “Oh my God, Rayner. Stop with the martyr act, it’s driving me up the wall. Sit there and wait for dinner,” I ordered. “Or help me. You could cut up the zucchini.”

  “I could do that,” Rayner agreed, a laugh escaping him.

  Picking up the green vegetables, I walked over and shoved them into his hands. “Knives are in that drawer by the fridge, cutting boards in the one below. There’re bowls in that cabinet.” I pointed. “Just dump them all in there, I’m going to sauté those suckers.”

  We worked in silence that was a lot less awkward and a lot more companionable. I flicked on the stereo, letting soft music playing in the background and trying not to micromanage the chopping process. After I’d fried up some chicken teriyaki and finished the zucchini halves, I stirred them all together with some rice.

  “This smells amazing, thank you, Paige,” Rayner said.

  “I’m a great cook, what can I say?” I smiled as I dug in, Nim hovering at my side and putting his head on my lap in hopes of getting scraps.

  Rayner grinned and asked, “So, is there anything you can’t do?”

  A small quiver went through me, but I forced myself to shrug. “Probably not.”

  “So I came to the right place after all,” Rayner said.

  “How are your friends?” I asked. “Cree, Ben, Wes, and Burr, right? You guys still firefighting and hanging out at Aunt Sil’s together?”

  Swallowing hard, Rayner nodded and his eyes dropped. He pushed at the food listlessly. “They’re um, they’re okay,” he said. “And yeah, we are actually all at Aunt Sil’s.”

  “You sure they’re okay?” I asked. “You don’t sound so sure.”

  Abruptly he stood up. “Do you mind if we eat outside?”

  I gaped at him as he pushed past me and Nim followed. We sat down on the front porch steps together, Rayner brooding as he nibbled at his food.

  “Rayner, you need to eat,” I said before I could stop myself. “I can tell you’re under some serious strain. Is it related to what you need my help with?”

  “I think I need to tell you what’s happening, first,” he said in a low voice.

  All around us, the land was filled with a soft, muted sunset. Clouds had thickened over the sky and it had gotten colder. I shivered. Rayner shrugged off his hoodie and wrapped it around me.

  For a moment, I almost threw it back at him, but I forced myself not to. Ra
yner was the kind of kid who had for sure helped little old ladies bring in their groceries – if he hadn’t gone shopping for them. Such an eagle scout. He also probably organized park cleanups and walked dogs for free.

  Plus, his hoodie was soft and it smelled good.

  “Six years ago,” Rayner said slowly, “the five of us – me, Burr, Cree, Wes, and Ben – were fighting a fire near Rampart Mountain, southeast of here.”

  I nodded. “I know that area. Pretty remote.”

  “It is,” he agreed. “And there, we encountered something none of us had ever seen before…”

  I put my plate to the side as I listened to his story. The moody evening was the perfect backdrop as Rayner wove me a tale of a Coyote Moon. Of sneaking, ravenous demons thirsting after devastation of the wilderness – demons called Ash Walkers – and five boys who’d stumbled into them and their destiny on that same night.

  He told me about Aunt Sil and the other Elders, training and firefighting for years to hone their skills as Coyote Shifters. Of adventures and misadventures, brotherhood and friendship, but also of fighting and having to learn how to work together.

  Stories about driving back the darkness, protecting the wilderness, and trying to assure victory by sealing off a gash that opened into a place called the Deadlands, where the Ash Walkers dwelled and slipped through, to stoke the flames of corruption and pollution higher in our world.

  Then he told me about Hazel. How I’d been right and she and Ben were together. How Hazel was tied to their destiny, along with three others: Kalin, Willow, and Sky. He told me how they’d met each of them – Kalin in Arizona, Willow in Alaska, and Sky in Washington. He explained how Sky was his younger half-sister and he’d never dreamed of dragging her into this.

  His voice became lower and tighter towards the end. I had the distinct impression he wasn’t telling me the whole story, but I was so dazzled by all of it, I didn’t even think to ask about it.

  For I had my own question from everything he’d told me. A strange emotion had filled me – a sense of not déjà vu, but of coming home. Of finding something I didn’t realize I’d been looking for.

  Of family and belonging.

  “Am I a part of your destiny?” I asked in a low voice.

  Chapter 5

  At Paige’s question, I froze and hoped she didn’t notice how my entire body went rigid. I think so, was the truthful answer. But I hope not; I don’t want to drag anyone else into my mess.

  I forced myself to shake my head, the lie easy yet bitter on my tongue. “I don’t think so.”

  “Oh,” Paige said and I heard her shift in her seat. Was she disappointed? “So what do you need my help with?”

  Relief filled me as I gazed up at the murky sky. The sun was setting, but you’d never know it, the cloud cover was so oppressive. “We need you help us make sense of the Moonstone and look at the maps with us. Plus, you have an impressive knowledge of all the Native American history and legends. Hazel said so, as did Whitsy.

  “We’re hoping you can help us figure out why the summer solstice is so meaningful. And what we can do to seal the Deadlands.” A smile played around my lips as I looked over at Paige for the first time since I’d started speaking. “A geologist and a historian is exactly what we need.”

  She nodded, her eyes telling me her thoughts were a million miles away. Her plate lay untouched by her knee and Nim was sniffing at it hopefully. “I see.”

  I hadn’t told her everything. I’d left out parts about the Skinwalker and Viper Fuel. About its true identity. And I’d lied through my teeth about how my four brothers still dreamed on.

  “Akba Atatdia,” she suddenly said. “I know a lot of the stories. I think I even came across whispers of shifters like you, I’m now realizing. Not in so many words, but more like sly hints.”

  “Aunt Sil likes to say ‘some of the greatest stories are never told,’” I said.

  Picking up her plate, Paige poked at her food and shook her head. “I’ll pack a bag and we can get going.”

  My heart leaped in my chest. “You’re serious?”

  “Yes,” Paige said, giving me an amused look. “You’re not wrong.” She paused. “Plus, that’s a pretty good excuse for not calling me back.”

  “Saving the world?” I tried to joke, even as I swallowed hard.

  “Yeah. I wouldn’t take less than that though. Remember that, Rayner,” Paige lilted, tossing back her long hair, and I tried to keep my breathing steady.

  “So, actually, I thought I’d need more time to convince you,” I said, sounding abashed. “Hazel will meet us tomorrow at a spot up the road. I’ll sleep out here–”

  “What? No,” Paige interrupted. “I have a perfectly good couch you’re already acquainted with. It’s too cold out here and what – you’re gonna sleep in the dirt?”

  “No, I have a one-man tent in my backpack,” I said.

  Her lips pursed as she stood up. “Get in the damn house, Rayner.”

  The urge to laugh came over me. After I grabbed my backpack from where I’d stashed it on the porch, I followed her in. Back in the brightly lit kitchen, I blinked around, feeling like I’d left a world of mystery and shadow only to stumble into an even more foreign one. The coffee maker and fridge seemed so ordinary as to be strange.

  Paige seemed to be feeling the same way, her movements slower and more thoughtful. Usually, Paige was filled with a rabbitish, snappy and quick kind of energy like bursts of lightning. When I’d met her, I’d thought it reflected the high energy of all the thoughts in her mind.

  I’d also thought she was like the spark of fire wrapped in a human form. Her amber eyes were bright and lovely in her clear face, her nose pert and lower lip jutting out slightly. She had a determined, pointed chin and a thoughtful way about her, as though she was always trying to ensure she saw things for how they were. And she had straight auburn hair, glinting with red and gold, falling all around her shoulders in a torrent of color.

  I’d always had a thing for redheads.

  Without meaning to, I glanced her over as she moved around the kitchen. Paige came up to about my chin, with an hourglass figure accented by long legs and arms. But she wasn’t exactly graceful so much as determined.

  Sometimes she got so lost in her thoughts, she knocked stuff over. As she did now.

  “Ouch,” she muttered, as a line of red appeared on her finger.

  “Paige,” I said, choking down a laugh, “why does this always happen?”

  She ran her finger under cold water, some color coming into her cheeks. “It’s fine.”

  I spotted a first-aid kit on the counter and grabbed it. “Here, let me,” I said, pulling out a band-aid with a heart design on it. Then I spritzed her finger as she held it out, struggling not to roll her eyes, and dabbed at the blood. “You’ve gotta be more careful.”

  “It’s fine,” Paige repeated. “Tiny little cut.”

  As I opened the band-aid, I noticed three of her other fingers, one on her left hand and two on her right, also had band-aids. “You have nice hands,” I said. “You don’t wanna lose a finger.” Then I wrapped the band-aid on, my hands looking big and rough next to her long, delicate ones.

  “I have nice hands?” Paige laughed. “I had no idea.”

  I looked up, meeting her eyes, intending to say something witty and the words died on my lips. This close, I could see the gold starbursts of her irises and the way her pupils dilated slightly. Dark lashes brushed her cheeks and she pulled in her lower lip between her teeth.

  Her scent wafted over me, a mixture of notes that blended together to make my favorite scent in the world. Plumeria, vanilla, and something else. I could never name it – but it was Paige’s unique scent. One of flowers lolling on a lazy summer breeze, lifting their heads to the sky.

  It was that contrast – her sweet scent and her fiery looks that brought me to my knees. My hand tightened on her of its own accord. I couldn’t help it.

  “Are you sure you’re o
kay?” I asked, unable to look away. “Nothing broken?”

  Her eyes flashed and she yanked her hand away. “Rayner, I will help you, but don’t you dare go there,” she said in a cold voice. “I’m not interested in–” She swallowed. “I’m not interested.”

  I stepped back, horrified. “Paige, no, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean–”

  My eyes closed. I couldn’t even if I wanted to, I thought. In a way, it was relief to know she didn’t feel that way about me. Paige was better off without me.

  “You know where the couch is,” she said, ignoring me. “Bathroom is right over there.”

  “Oh, right, thanks,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “Um…”

  “What?” she said, her voice becoming snappish.

  I felt hellishly guilty. “Would it be okay if I took a shower in the morning?”

  “Do whatever you want, Rayner,” she said, marching off, and then I heard a door close.

  Nim and I looked at each other. He let out a soft whimper, distressed by the turn of events. “I think she’d like if you went to her, buddy,” I told him. “She needs you. I upset her. I’m asking for a lot.”

  Nim darted off and I stood there alone for a moment, wishing for everything I couldn’t have. Wishing I could be the one to comfort Paige. Wishing I hadn’t had to force myself not to call or contact her in any way. And wishing I didn’t want her so badly that it hurt to stand there.

  More than anything, I wished for that last thing. I didn’t want to feel this way about her.

  Anyone who got too close always seemed to get burned.

  The next morning, I was walking out of the bathroom, a towel slung around my waist. I’d been so tired and disoriented stumbling to the shower this morning that I’d forgotten my bag. And my clean clothes.

  Something plowed right into my chest and I had an impression of a dazzling array of red hues before I caught Paige’s elbows and prevented her from falling over backward.

  “Oof,” Paige said, as I helped her back up and let her go. She rubbed her nose. “Are you part brick wall?”

  Why do we always end up here? “Paige, I didn’t – I’m sorry,” I said.