Shifters Hallows Eve

by Lori King

  18

  Free watched as Sunny, Misty, Rusty, and Paul crashed to the floor. “What the hell?” He got up and rushed over to the girls. “Are you okay?”

  “Alpha. We just—”

  “Shut up, Misty,” Paul ordered.

  “What the hell is going on?” Buck stood at the top of the stairs.

  Misty pulled away from Paul. “We thought you wanted her gone, so we—”

  Everyone turned toward Bloom, who had started laughing. She was standing up, shaking her head. “I believed you all cared, but you didn’t. You got kids to scare me away so you could have it all. You wanted me gone. You want it all, well you got it. I’ve signed it over to you. I believed you.” Bloom stared at Buck and shook her head. “Just get out.”

  Paul stood up. “You can’t talk to the beta that way.” Before he could stop the kid, Paul shifted into his wolf, growling. Bloom moved backward, never taking her eyes off of Paul.

  “He was right. You are shifters,” Bloom muttered.

  “Paul, shift now,” Free demanded, and the wolf changed back into a human. “I’ll deal with you four later.” He had to make sure Bloom was okay. She needed to understand that it wasn’t what she thought.

  “You can deal with them now. Get out of my house unless you want me calling the cops.” Bloom heaved in a deep breath and closed the door. As soon as the door closed and locked, he heard her crying. Another door closed, and Free knew she had locked herself in the bathroom again. He couldn’t blame her.

  He turned around and glared at the four kids. “What were you thinking?” Buck had already moved closer to his daughter. “Why would you do that to her? The Scotts have just as much right to this land as we do.”

  “We thought it wasn’t fair for her to get half of something that she hadn’t even worked for. She doesn’t deserve it,” Paul complained.

  “Deserve? She didn’t have a clue about this place and it’s not fair to judge her, Paul. She’s innocent. It was you all along scaring her. Why didn’t I scent you?”

  “We used the spray to erase our scent,” Sunny whispered. She lowered her head when she saw her dad’s disappointment.

  “You could have hurt my mate.” Free pointed out.

  “Mate?” All four of them echoed.

  “We didn’t know, and we didn’t hurt her. We promise!” Sunny pointed out.

  “You four are restricted to your homes until further notice,” Free demanded. “Now go home.” All four of the pups turned and ran down the stairs.

  Buck ran his fingers through his hair. “What are you going to do?”

  “She’s not going to listen to me and I can’t blame her. She told me and I didn’t believe her.”

  “We have to try. Maybe she will listen to me.” Buck suggested.

  “No, she thinks we are all in on it. Who would she listen to?” Free thought about it for a minute and shook his head. “God, I hate that I’m going to have to ask him for a favor.” Buck smiled, knowing who he was talking about.

  “Get someone over here tomorrow to fix that roof. I’ve got a vampire to see.” Free hated to grovel, but if he wanted his mate to stay, then he would do whatever it took.

  * * *

  Free spoke to RJ. He hated asking for his help, but when he told him what happened, RJ agreed. In return, Free couldn’t interfere between RJ and his sister Taylor. He wanted Taylor to mate with a wolf, but he’d known that something was going on with her and RJ, and he blocked it by sending her away to school and forbidding her to see him. Yes, he was a prick, and yes, he was wrong. He hated to admit that, but Bloom made him look at everything differently.

  Morning had come, and RJ had been in Bloom’s bedroom for a while. Free waited in the hallway, pacing, and was about to beat the door down when it opened and RJ came out. “She’s willing to give you a chance now that she knows the whole story. I let her read Rose’s journals and maybe you should, too, but remember…we have a deal.”

  “I don’t go back on my word, vampire.”

  “Let’s be honest, wolf. You told your sister lies about me, so forgive me if I question you a little.” RJ shook his head and walked down the stairs.

  Free breathed in deeply and walked over to Bloom’s bedroom door. She was sitting on the bed, reading. He walked over and sat down beside her.

  “I’m sorry. I’m such an ass.” He waited for her to stop him or say something but she didn’t. Typical woman, she was going to make him work for it. “You’re not going to say anything?”

  She finally glanced up. “Nope, I think I deserve a lot of groveling from you, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, ma’am, you do. I’m in love with you.” Bloom stopped reading and looked up at him. “I should have believed you, and I’m sorry for that. The kids—”

  “Are just kids. They thought I was taking something from you, and I understand that. RJ explained how a pack runs and how close all of you are. I want you to know that I would never take anything away from you, and I would never hurt the pack. I just wanted to belong somewhere. This land has changed me. When I go out there and get down in the dirt, it makes me feel alive. I would like to stay and make this work, but…” Bloom stopped him from speaking, holding up one finger. “First, I like Mr. Wright, and he has shown me how to grow strawberries, and I enjoy talking to him. So I will be visiting him and asking him to come for dinner a lot. I do not want any smart remarks from you, and you will welcome him to our home and treat him like family. Second, there will come a time when I have to go to town alone and I will. Third…” Bloom stopped talking and stared at him. “Why are you smiling?”

  “Because you said our home. Does that mean you will give us a try?” Free was holding his breath waiting for her to answer.

  “Maybe.” Bloom lifted her shoulder in a half shrug. “But you have to promise me that you are going to do what I have asked. Mr. Wright means a lot to me.”

  “I would fly to the moon and back for you, Bloom Scott, and if he means that much to you, he will mean that much to me.” He couldn’t stand it any longer, and buried his hands into her hair and locked his lips with her.

  “And…” Bloom pulled away. “I know what the kids’ punishment should be.”

  19

  Mr. Wright and Bloom watched as the kids put the last fence post in the hole. “Looks good,” Bloom said.

  “It’ll do. I have soup and sandwiches ready if you want to eat,” Mr. Wright yelled to the kids.

  “I’m starving!” Sunny and Paul both said, dropping their tools. Misty and Rusty both smiled as they passed by.

  “So I hear that your strawberry plants are blooming.”

  “Yes, sir, thanks to you.” Bloom smiled.

  “Ahh, you would have figured it out. So do I need to bring anything tonight?” Mr. Wright said, walking back toward the house.

  “Just yourself.” Mr. Wright didn’t offer a response. Bloom smiled. She was used to him now. The kids loved him. He taught them things about farming and life. The funny part was how the kids were here just to help, their restriction long over. They had just followed her and started helping.

  Bloom glanced out toward her property and smiled. She had a family now, and friends. Soon she would mate with Free, making them partners in love. It was funny how life turned out.

  The End

  Stay Tuned for the next story

  About the Author

  Bryce Evans is a mother, wife, and author who loves to escape to the world she has built in the Ashland Pack and other stories. She burst onto the publishing scene with a hit in The Trinity. As an active police officer, Bryce needed another outlet from the pains of others. Writing filled that void.

  She loves talking to people who have the same tastes as she does and enjoys storytelling about vampires, werewolves, witches, and fairies.

  She loves to read books and write about places that come together in her head. She tries to write about what she knows and usually you will find some aspect of law enforcement in her writing.
/>   Travel with her to a world filled with vampires, werewolves, witches, and fairies were the paranormal run wild and romance blooms.

  Find out more about her current projects at www.bryceevansauthor.com or follow her on:

  Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1DTUd1T

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bryce__Evans

  Pinterest: http://bit.ly/1tARNSI

  Goodreads: http://bit.1y/1zdRpga

  Email: bryceevans12@gmail.com

  Also by Bryce Evans

  The Ashland Pack

  The Trinity

  Big Bad Alpha

  The Love of a Shifter

  Once Forgotten: Twice Loved

  Healing Their Mate

  Destiny of Three

  Destiny of Blood

  Alpha City

  Obsessions

  Cravings

  Choices

  Seductions

  Royal Guard

  Guarded Hearts

  Dixon Pack

  Bewitched by the Alpha

  Beta’s Delight

  Keep up with all of Bryce Evan’s new releases via her website:

  http://www.bryceevansauthor.com

  Hunter’s Mark by Melissa Snark

  Star-Crossed Series Part of the Loki's Wolves Universe

  ER Nurse Victoria Storm anticipates a joyous Winter Nights ceremony with her wolf-shifter pack, but a determined hunter upsets all her plans. Daniel Barrett wants her help because he suspects a ghost is behind his friend's disappearance. As a pagan priestess and spirit-speaker, she can discover things he can't. He's as sexy as he is persistent—she finds him impossible to refuse. Throw in a trip to a remote Arizona town, a haunted hotel, and a lost gold mine, and their evening is about to get interesting.

  To Shael

  Acknowledgments

  I'd like to express my appreciation to the lovely ladies who provided support and feedback: Sheryl R. Hayes, Rissa Watkins, and Janet Seavey. My profuse thanks to my editor, Marjorie AJ Cooke, and Shay VanZwoll of EV Proofreading.

  1

  A scream tore across the hall. Before Victoria Storm turned around, the pounding of footsteps and the crash of a medical gurney joined the cacophony behind her.

  "Clear the way! Coming through." A male medic, one of her coworkers, shouted the warning.

  Victoria turned sideways and pressed her back to the wall to make way for the gurney rushing toward her. A medical team from the ER clutched the railed sides, propelling and directing its motion. It conveyed a middle-aged man in a white t-shirt spattered with red and orange. Blood and pumpkin. Fresh gauze swathed his left hand and one of the nurses mentioned replantation.

  She shook her head. A shame—that counted as the fifteenth severe pumpkin-carving accident since her twelve-hour shift had started. In a couple hours, once it started to get dark, trick-or-treaters who'd been mowed down by inattentive motorists would pour in alongside various gravity and costume-related mishaps. Oh, and she must not forget the odd allergic reaction. While she didn't know the statistics right offhand, she would've bet good money that Halloween qualified as America's most dangerous holiday.

  Instinct urged her to attach herself to the team, but she quelled it. Despite conscious choice, her fingers twitched. Rationality versus reflex. However, her natural inclination as both a registered nurse and a healer ran counter to practical concerns. Technically, her shift was over even though she still needed to punch out. Plus, she had personal obligations that evening.

  Ultimately, practicality won out. The gurney team swept past and their voices were lost to the overall din of the busy hospital. Victoria turned and tracked their progress. The scent of fresh blood and fear lingered, and her stomach emitted a mild complaint, reminding her that she'd skipped lunch. The scents and sights of the Emergency Room didn't bother her. She couldn't—wouldn't—let it get to her. As a wolf shifter, she'd developed an iron stomach and strict self-control.

  Hunger in reaction to a patient's injuries meant she'd made the right call. The second her wolf started regarding people as a potential meal, it was time to log out and head home. Hurrying her steps, she reached the staff room and punched out at 4:06 p.m. She recovered her belongings from her locker, grabbed a quick shower, and changed into a short-sleeve top and low-rise jeans, then slipped her feet into a pair of flip flops. Pulling out a handful of hairpins, she freed the single fat braid that bound her platinum blonde hair. It hung to her waist.

  She stuffed her belongings into her bag and ducked out of the staff room just as a couple of her coworkers were entering. They exchanged pleasantries in passing, but Victoria deliberately avoided engaging in a conversation that would further delay her departure. In just a few hours, the whole area would be inundated with restless spirits and things darker still. The sunset heralded the onset of the night of the year when the veil was at its thinnest and the world of the dead intersected with that of the living.

  When it happened, sites of frequent violence, injury, and death such as old battlefields, hospitals, and cemeteries were the worst places for a spiritualist to be. Victoria had gotten stuck in the ER once on All Hallow's Eve and she'd sworn—never again.

  Tilting back her head, Victoria offered a quick prayer of gratitude. Thank you, Goddess—I don't have to work tonight...

  Freya's lilting laughter filled her mind. I can hardly take credit for your work schedule, My Priestess... Heads up—behind you.

  Victoria executed a neat one-eighty, turning on the ball of her foot, and came face-to-face with a blonde woman. She wore a skirt-suit, but her body blurred into a ghostly whorl at the knees. Her face bore evidence of severe trauma—massive bruises and broken bones.

  "Excuse me." The spirit reached for Victoria with a shaking hand. "Can you help me, please? I can't find my children."

  "I'm sorry. Who are your children?" Victoria stepped back, evading the spirit's icy grasp. Her gaze strayed to a glowing white light that followed in the woman's wake. The portal meandered, swaying like a bobbing ship. To Victoria's experienced assessment, the gateway looked frustrated, which definitely matched her current mood. The dead woman couldn't—or wouldn't— cross over until she attended to her unsettled business.

  "Their names are Evan and Gail Sanders." Tears flooded the ghost's eyes and her mouth quivered.

  "Are they lost?" Victoria asked in a gentle voice, struggling not to worry about the unplanned delay. She'd only had another five hundred feet to go before she made it out the door. Naturally, the distraught dead woman had latched onto the only medium in the entire ER.

  "I don't know. Maybe. I don't know where they are and no one will help me."

  "Don't cry. I'll help you." Convenient or not, she would commit to the endeavor even though she had no obligations to do so. Victoria cast a quick glance about to make sure she wasn't being watched. The last thing she needed was a co-worker observing while she interacted with someone who "wasn't there." She already had the unfortunate reputation for being eccentric—she hated adding to it.

  Once Victoria determined the coast was clear, she addressed the spirit. "Ms. Sanders—"

  "Burke. I'm divorced."

  "Burke." Victoria grimaced. "Come with me and I'll check the intake records. Were you with your children when you got—" She hesitated, policing her words.

  In all likelihood, Ms. Burke was unaware she'd died. An unexpected revelation could startle the spirit into destabilizing. If that happened, she'd vanish. For a while anyway. But eventually, inevitably, the spirit would reappear, repeating the same behaviors until her presence in the ER became a matter of habit. The last thing Victoria needed at work was yet another recurrent haunting.

  "We were in a car crash, I think..." Ms. Burke frowned. Static disrupted her form—a sign of distress.

  "I'm so sorry. Can you please tell me more about your children?" Victoria asked in an attempt to distract the spirit. She located an unused computer terminal and logged in using her employee identification and password. "You have a boy and a girl?"
<
br />   "Yes, Evan is eight. Gail is six. We were on our way over to a friend's house to trick or treat. The children were arguing in the back seat. I only turned my head away from the road for a second..." The woman crackled and turned transparent.

  "Stay with me—" Victoria's fingers flew across the keyboard. She entered the boy's name and hit enter, and then waited while the sluggish database processed the request. The maddening blinking cursor... She clenched her hands against the urge to seize the monitor and throw it. If the terminal crapped out and returned a fault code, she swore—

  The screen blipped and the computer returned results for the search. Victoria released a held breath in a sigh of relief. "Here it is. Your son has been admitted to the Phoenix Children's Hospital with minor injuries."

  "Oh, thank God! And my daughter?" Ms. Burke clasped her hands together in thanks. Her appearance became solid again.

  "Gail is at Phoenix Children's with him."

  "Thank you, God." Tears streaked the mother's face.

  "Was anyone else in the vehicle with you?" Victoria asked, stealing an anxious glance at the clock on the wall. 4:33 p.m. already. The sun would set at 5:37 p.m. and it would take her at least twenty minutes in Phoenix's rush hour traffic to reach her parent's house. Time was running out.

  Ms. Burke shook her head. "No, we were alone. My husband, Bill, is still at work. He was going to join us later."

  Victoria logged off the computer. "Good. He'll be contacted by the authorities. Now let's get you where you need to go—"

  "To my children?"

  "Eventually," Victoria fibbed. "Probably, sooner or later. Now turn around. See that white light behind you?"