Shifters Hallows Eve

by Lori King

  She wasn’t having this conversation again. “We’ll be fine.”

  “Wait! I’ll come, too.”

  “You have another hour or two before your shift ends. You can’t afford to leave right now.”

  “I’ll come as soon as I finish up here.”

  “Okay.” She waved goodbye and followed her mother out of the store. She felt a cold breeze and wrapped her coat tighter around her. “It’s getting colder earlier.”

  “Careful, some of the sidewalk is slick.” They left her mom’s truck by the diner since her store was just around the corner.

  When she opened the door, her mother gasped at the sight of the destruction. “Good lord.”

  Rita sighed. “I know it’s a mess. Let me go get a broom and trashcan. Might as well sweep it all up.”

  “What about insurance? Don’t we need to leave this for an inspector to look at?”

  “I called the insurance company and sent them the pictures that Hank took for me, along with his report. I had a detailed inventory list and they asked that I decide if I want to write off everything here or if there’s anything that can be salvaged. If we find anything that’s still good, place it over here by the window. The rest I’ll write up in a list for the insurance company to review.”

  She handed her mom a broom and laid the trashcan on its side so that they could sweep the debris straight into the can. They worked together for what seemed like hours, and she was surprised to find that quite a few pieces were free of damage. She set them aside and then remembered she had a few boxes in the back that she could use to store the things she salvaged.

  “Mom, I’m going to the back to look for some boxes we can pack the things we’re keeping in.”

  “Alright, dear.”

  Rita walked down the back hallway, noticing for the first time long scratches along the wall. Where had those come from? They looked like claw marks. She reached out to rub her fingertips over the marks. “What the hell are these?”

  “Claw marks,” a deep voice said from behind her.

  She turned around in surprise and recognized the man from the other day. “What are you doing here?”

  “Taking back what belongs to me.”

  She turned to run, but he grabbed her hair and yanked her to him. He leaned down and growled in her ear. “If you yell, I’ll rip your mother’s throat out with these.” He lifted his other hand, and she watched as claws extended from his fingers.

  Holy shit! “What are you?”

  “The same as your lover. I’m a pissed-off werewolf.”

  * * *

  Mindy opened the door to Rita’s store and froze in the doorway. “Oh my God, it looks—”

  “Barren?”

  “I was going to say—disaster.”

  “We’ve made a dent – you should have seen it before we started. I think it was a bigger job than either of us thought it would be.”

  “Well, I’m here to help you now. Where’s Rita?”

  “She went to the back to grab some boxes to put the salvaged stuff in, but she hasn’t come back.” Her mother suddenly had a worried expression.

  “Stay here, I’ll go look for her.” Mindy hurried down the hallway but froze when she caught the bitter scent of Rita’s fear. There was another scent, too, a male werewolf—angry. She hadn’t come into her shifter powers until puberty, but she had since learned she was sensitive to the scents of strong emotions, and this man was a ticking time bomb. She didn't see Rita or the werewolf in the back, so she went back to the front of the store. She had to act quickly before she lost the scent.

  “Sharon, go outside and flag down Robby. He’s been patrolling in his car around town and he should be passing shortly. Have him call Hank and tell them Rita is missing.”

  “Oh, God, no.”

  “I’m going to check outside behind the store for signs.” Mindy headed back down the hall.

  “Be careful, honey!”

  “I will!” Mindy opened the back door and the scent grew stronger. She reached for her clothes, removing them quickly. She put her clothes in a collapsible bag she kept in her back pocket along with her cellphone. The bag had a drawstring and when she shifted she was able to wear it around her neck and carry her things. There was nothing she hated more than the idea of getting caught shifting back to her human form with nothing to wear.

  She had to hurry so she could track this werewolf with Rita. The tracks stopped a few feet away and then there were tracks that belonged to a snowmobile.

  I’m coming, Rita! Hang in there, friend. Rita was her only real friend and, even though she was human and didn’t know that Mindy was a werefox, she was the closest thing Mindy had to a sister. She would fight to protect her family, no matter what.

  19

  Hank answered his cell phone. “This is Sheriff Rose. Damn it all to hell! How long ago did this happen? Do you have any idea which direction he might have taken her? You saw a what? A fox? No, I believe ya, Robby. I’ll explain things to you later. No, you stay there with Rita’s mother in case they return.”

  Luke wasn’t listening at first but as soon as the sheriff said “taken her,” he knew it had something to do with Rita. It was confirmed when he told Robby to stay with Rita’s mother. The sheriff gave him a pitying look.

  “He took Rita.” Luke didn’t even ask, he just stated it as fact.

  “Yes, about twenty minutes ago.”

  “How did this happen?”

  “Rita’s mom said that she and Rita left the diner to go back to the shop to clean up the debris. Rita went to the back storeroom to grab some boxes but never came back. Mindy came in the store and found her missing and told Sharon to go get Robby while she tried to track them down. Robby saw snowmobile tracks when he arrived and a fox following the tracks, which he thought was strange.”

  “A fox?” Riker asked curiously.

  “That would be Rita’s friend Mindy; she’s a fox shifter,” Luke explained.

  “A fox won’t be any match for a psycho werewolf. We could end up with two dead women on our hands.” Riker ran his hand through his hair.

  Luke felt his heart clench with fear for his mate. He hadn’t had a chance to explain what he was and what she meant to him. One beautiful night with her, and he and his wolf were already in love with her.

  “I’ll call for help from the law enforcement over in Cary County to help look for her,” Sheriff Hank told him reaching for his cell phone.

  “I’ll call the pack enforcers to help with the search.” Luke reached for his own phone and stepped away, but he could still hear what Hank was saying.

  “Honey, this is Hank, I need you to call—what? Mindy Robbins called? How long ago? Give me her number and I’ll call her back.” Hank hung up and dialed another number.

  Luke and Riker were at his side in an instant. “What’s going on?”

  “Mindy Robbins said that she saw Shepard and Rita. She followed them out of town to a small abandoned farm. I’m going to call her to find her exact location.”

  Luke held his breath. He shot a look at Riker, who took his phone out and made the call to the enforcers. His focus was on Hank and what was going on.

  “Mindy, it’s Sheriff Hank. Where are you? Yeah, that’s the Jones’s old farm. How is Rita? How many are there? Stay put, and stay well hidden, I don’t want you to try to confront these guys.” Hank hung up and turned to Luke. “Mindy says Rita is fine but scared and confused. There are three men there. I’ve got the location.”

  “I heard, the Jones farmhouse. We’ll meet you there. Riker . . .” Luke turned to give his beta a look. His beta understood without words and nodded back at his alpha. He would protect Luke’s mate no matter what. Luke shifted to his wolf form. He prayed that they would get there in time. He couldn’t lose Rita when he had only just found her.

  * * *

  Mindy put her cell phone back in the pouch around her neck. She peered around a large tree to look at the three men surrounding her friend. Poor Rita! Sh
e was tied up against the post on the front porch. She couldn’t see her face clearly from this distance, but she knew Rita must be scared to death.

  The tall man with silver hair looked to be the leader of the group. She didn’t particularly care for the way one of the other men kept reaching out to touch Rita’s hair. He was either teasing her to get a response or he just liked scaring her.

  Mindy had picked a spot far enough away and downwind of them so that she would go unnoticed. The men shifted to wolf form and ran off in opposite directions. She held her breath and waited as one of the wolves ran right past her hiding place. That was the one good thing about being petite: she could hide just about anywhere, and as a fox shifter, her scent was easy to hide as well. She released the breath she had been holding. She wasn’t sure how far away Luke and Hank were, but this was her only chance to try to get Rita away. A human in the middle of shifters during an all-out fight was just too dangerous. She had to act now.

  20

  Rita didn’t know if she wanted to cry or to scream. What she did know was that she was in shock. Who knew werewolves were real? She loved all things paranormal and mystical, but that was when she was sure they didn’t exist.

  Oh my God! Werewolves were real! What about ghosts, goblins, and witches? Did they exist too? Had she somehow met them without even knowing it?

  She watched the man that called himself Shepard. He grabbed her, spouting crazy shit about humans and how he was going to take over the town once he became alpha of the pack.

  “Your boyfriend will get to watch as I kill you slowly,” Shepard growled before shifting back to his wolf form.

  Was he talking about Luke or about Robby? She didn’t want to say anything and draw more attention to herself, though. Those other two men were looking at her and licking their lips. She didn’t know exactly what they were thinking, but it couldn’t be good at all. She was relieved when they shifted and ran off into the woods.

  A noise from the side of the house caught her attention. What was that? Were the werewolves coming back? She hoped not, they were scary as hell. They were nothing like what she had imagined.

  She stiffened, spotting a little red-haired fox peeking around the corner. Crap, was she going to be eaten alive by an adorable fox? The little creature approached the porch, eyes darting fearfully. It took each step so quietly Rita couldn’t even hear it.

  “Shhh . . . Go away.” She hoped the little fox would run in the other direction, but it didn’t. No, it climbed all the way up onto the porch and approached her, sniffing the air. It disappeared behind her back. The next thing she knew, she felt the tiniest wet nose against her hand. She lost it.

  “Stop! Go away! I’m not food, you dumb—”

  The fox moved around to face her, and she watched in shock as the creature morphed slowly into Mindy—and she was naked.

  “Oh, my God.” She couldn’t believe it. Mindy was a shifter.

  Mindy knelt down in front of her. “Shhh . . . I’m going to get the ropes free, but we have to be quiet if we plan to sneak out of here without the others hearing.”

  “You’re a—”

  “A fox shifter.” Mindy moved to go behind her again. This time, she felt Mindy’s small hands.

  “Mindy, it’s no use. I’ve been trying to break free of the ropes until I rubbed my skin raw.” She gasped when her hands were suddenly released.

  “How did you do that?” She rubbed her arms as the feeling came back in a rush of pain.

  Mindy held up her hands and showed a long claw. “Shifter claws. We need to get going. Sheriff Hank and Luke are on their way, but the farther away we can get the better.”

  “I don’t think Hank and Luke know what they’re getting into, Mindy. These are werewolf shifters, and they’re mean as hell. Humans are no match for them.”

  “I agree, humans are no match, but Luke isn’t human, and he’s bringing his enforcers. They’ll take care of the situation.”

  She managed to get to her wobbly feet and froze. Luke wasn’t human? “What is he?” She hadn’t realized she asked it out loud until Mindy answered her.

  “Luke? He’s the alpha of the local werewolf pack. I thought you knew, since you guys are mates.”

  “Alpha—werewolf—mate.” She repeated the words as they flashed over and over through her mind. That couldn’t be right. Luke was a normal person, wasn’t he? “What the hell is a mate?”

  Mindy shook her head in frustration. “Damn him, he should have explained all this from the beginning. Right now, we don’t have time for explanations – we need to leave.” Mindy took her hand and helped her make her way down the steps.

  She was hesitant at first to take Mindy’s hand, fearful of the shifter in her. But a few minutes later, she realized that Mindy was the same person she had always been, just with a furrier side she hadn’t known about before. They paused to hide behind a crop of trees because Mindy said that she could smell one of the werewolves. Rita thought it was the perfect time to ask a few questions.

  “How long have you been a were—fox?”

  “I was born this way, but I didn’t know about my shifter side until I hit puberty. That’s when I had my first shift, and it freaked the hell out of me.”

  “Didn’t your parents tell you?”

  “I was adopted, and they were just as freaked out as I was.”

  “Wait, when you hit puberty? Does this have anything to do with that time you got real sick and had to go out of town to that special treatment center?”

  Mindy nodded her head. “Mom and Dad didn’t know anything about shifters and thought I might be possessed. They took me to a clinic and thankfully a shifter doctor was there. He explained what was happening to me and had us go visit a fox shifter colony. We stayed a few months so that I could learn to control my shifting. They offered me a place there to live among my own kind, but I didn’t want to leave Mom and Dad and you. This is my home.”

  “I’m so glad you stayed.” Rita reached out and squeezed her hand. Mindy squeezed back.

  “You’re not scared of me, then?”

  “No. Mostly I think I’m in shock, and I’m a little pissed off at Luke for not telling me all this. He’s really a werewolf? When did you find out?”

  “Yes, he is. I’ve known his parents for a while and his father used to be the alpha a long time ago. I saw Luke briefly a while back when he visited the diner. I knew at first scent who and what he was.”

  Scent—that was so weird but cool. “Are all shifters like Shepard? He seems a bit crazy.”

  “No, most shifters are aggressive, but we usually get along with humans. This guy and his followers are definitely off their rockers.”

  “Great, I get kidnapped by an insane shifter. Why is he doing this?”

  “I don’t know that, but he knows Luke and that you two are mates.”

  “Seriously, what is a mate?”

  “It’s like you’re his other half of his soul. You were born to be with him.”

  That didn’t sound so bad; she already felt that way after just one amazing night. She was worried because this guy Shepard wanted to kill Luke. She had to protect him.

  “Did you think to escape me?”

  She and Mindy both turned around and faced a naked Shepard. “I’m just getting started.”

  Mindy stepped in front of her. “Rita, run!” Mindy shifted to her fox form and launched herself at Shepard, who was trying to shift to his own animal form.

  Rita turned to run but took only a few steps before she realized her friend would be no match for the larger wolf. She reached down and picked up a thick fallen branch. This guy needed to be taught a few lessons, and one of them was that no one—no one—hurt the people she loved.

  21

  Luke, running in his wolf form, came to a sudden halt. He thought he heard Rita’s voice. He tilted his head in the direction he thought the sound had come from. He motioned for the others to follow him. The closer he came to the sounds, the more clearly he could id
entify them, and then the scents hit him hard.

  Rita—my mate!

  He could hear the growling of wolves, a small fox growling back, and his mate’s response.

  “Back off, you bastard!”

  He came to a clearing and his heart seemed to freeze up in fear. Mindy the little fox and his human mate were surrounded by three vicious werewolves. His mate was swinging some kind of stick at the silver-streaked wolf. What was she thinking? She was no match for a crazy full werewolf.

  He gave his pack enforcers and beta a nod, letting them know to circle. He had the numbers to outmatch the other three werewolves, but the women could get hurt in the process, so they had to approach with caution. He needed to give his enforcers time to circle around behind them and then he needed to distract Shepard from Mindy and Rita.

  Luke shifted to his human form and approached. “Back off, Shepard! You’ve got me here, which is what you wanted. Let the women go.”

  The silver-streaked wolf shifted to human form. Shepard smiled a triumphant smile. “Took you long enough to figure it all out.”

  Luke glanced over at Rita briefly. He could see the shock and confusion on her face, followed by recognition. He wanted to reassure her, but he couldn’t do anything about it. He would have to do a lot of explaining later. Right now, he had to concentrate on dealing with Shepard.

  “What did you hope to gain by killing shifters?”

  Shepard moved closer to Rita. “First, I wanted to show how weak you are as alpha. You don’t deserve that title or the privileges that come with it.”

  “I fought you for alpha fair and square. You could have challenged me to a death match, but you ran with your tail between your legs.” He knew he was baiting Shepard, but he had to get him to move away from Rita. Even in human form, Shepard could damage Rita with one punch, possibly even kill her. He had already proven that he killed without any conscience at all. Luke kept his eyes on Shepard as the other men pace around, spouting his venom.