Shifter Nation- East Coast Bears Collection

by Meg Ripley

“So, you know me,” I went on. “You should know my type. And that means, you should know I’d have nothing to do with a chick like that panther.”

  Owen pulled over and stopped, leaning over the steering wheel, laughing so hard he held his stomach. I shoved him and he tumbled out of the UV onto the path. He lay in a ball, still laughing his ass off.

  I got out and went around to his side to nudge him with my foot.

  “You—” He couldn’t talk, he was laughing so hard.

  I stood over him, my arms crossed, glaring down at him. “Dude.”

  “You’re friggin’ obsessed!” He’d started to calm down and sat up now to wipe tears from his eyes. “This is hilarious.”

  “Yeah, real funny.” My face felt hot with embarrassment. I never cared about their teasing; I had plenty of decent comebacks and I always got mine. But somehow, that was different. Maybe because deep down, I suspected what he said was true. Even if it was the last thing I wanted.

  “Ezra, man.” He got to his feet and put a hand on my shoulder. “You’re my second in command. I want you to be happy. You’re important to me. You’re also my friend. But I have to tell you, from bear to bear, friend to friend, Ranger to Ranger, brother to brother—this chick is your mate, whether you want to deny it or not. Maybe just give into it and explore that. I mean, this is happening for a reason.”

  “What reason could there possibly be?”

  “No idea. The tale goes that when the fated need each other, the universe brings them together. You don’t have to believe it, but it sure seems like everything people say is true for you.”

  I shook my head and got back into the UV. “You’re wrong. I don’t need her for anything.”

  “Okay.” He got back in and turned the ignition, then hit the gas. “I’m with you, no matter what. You want this panther? Awesome. You don’t want this panther? No problem. But when you say you don’t want her, then go on and on about her? You’re going to get busted on, sorry.” He playfully shoved my shoulder. “Nothing wrong with being a little twitterpated. Especially since you’re fated mates.”

  “We’re not fated!” I hollered.

  He held up a hand in defense. “Okay. I’m sorry. I’ll let it go.” Then, under his breath, he added, “For now.”

  “Heard that.”

  “Figured you did.”

  As we neared the station, I noticed an animal running in the grass beside us, along the dirt road.

  “Hey, hold up for a sec,” I told Owen.

  He stopped and turned to look with me, and we got out to watch the running animal. It was unusual activity for this area and time of day. And then I knew why.

  “Oh fuck,” I said, slapping my forehead.

  Owen pressed his lips together hard, trying not to laugh.

  “Just don’t, man,” I said. “Why the hell is she here now?”

  I saw the panther’s head popping over the grass as she bounded toward us and prepared for another fight. What had I done to piss her off this time? I stood with my arms crossed, wearing an unhappy scowl on my face.

  She dashed out of the grass, her paws sliding in the dust as she came to a halt. The second she stopped running, she shifted into her human form, not seeming to care about the fact she was buck naked as she stood before us.

  “Hey!” She came right at us.

  “What’d I do now?” I asked.

  “For once, this isn’t about you.” She gave me a nasty look and turned to Owen. “I just came across something I thought you should know about. A pure panther. Dead. Murdered.”

  Owen’s eyes widened as mine did. “Where?”

  “Follow me; I’ll show you,” she said.

  “One sec.” Owen went back to the UV to radio the station that we had a situation to check out.

  While he did that, I tried to talk to her. “What can you tell us about it?”

  “Wasn’t an animal,” she said. “The wound is too clean. I picked up the scent of the killer, though.”

  “Whoa, whoa.” I held up both hands. “We can’t assume anything like that yet.”

  She glared at me. “You think I can’t tell the difference between an animal murdered and one killed in a fight?”

  “That’s not what I meant, I—”

  “Why don’t I murder you and see if anyone can tell I did it?”

  I let out a sigh. “Nevermind. What makes you so sure it was murder?”

  She spoke slowly and pointedly, like she thought I was a complete idiot. “Did I stutter? The wounds on the animal are clean. Not from claws, but blades. The area around the panther showed no sign of a fight, and the smell is human—and male. Did you get all that or should I repeat it again for you more slowly?”

  “I got it,” I snapped. “You don’t have to be so grumpy all the time.”

  “We’ll see how cheerful you are when people start hunting bears.”

  I gave her an incredulous look. “Bears aren’t protected like panthers are. We do get hunted. All the time. There’s a bear hunting season; aren’t you, like, a hunter or something for a living?”

  She rested her hands on her hips. I’d done a good job of avoiding scanning my eyes over her gorgeous curves, but it was a lot of work to maintain my cool. I kept my gaze trained on hers and refused to look down, even as I felt my member begin to throb in anticipation.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” she demanded.

  “Aside from you showing up and hassling me over and over again?” I asked.

  “Okay, whoa,” Owen said, returning to us. “No time for your little fight here. And I’m sorry, Miss, what’s your name?”

  Owen actually stuck out his hand to shake hers and she returned the gesture.

  “Britt Wilson,” she replied.

  “Britt,” Owen continued. “Thank you for coming to tell us. Obviously, we’re highly concerned about this and we’ll do everything we can to get to the bottom of this. Since we’re all shifters, I’d say Ezra, let’s go ahead and bear up. We’ll get the clan over to sniff it out so we can all work together. My third just became a police officer, so he’ll be a valuable asset.”

  “Good,” she said. “I want this person dead. Fast.”

  “Shall we get a move on?” Owen asked. “The sooner we scope it out, the sooner we can find the attacker. He might still be in the area.”

  Britt didn’t answer, but promptly shifted and waited for us. Owen and I both went to the UV and yanked off our clothes, then shifted. She took off and we followed.

  You have to chill out, Owen commanded. What the hell was all that?

  What’s going on? Everything okay?

  Great. Now Mason was in on this, too.

  Where’s Conner? Owen asked.

  Here, Conner answered. Noah and Hailey are on their way.

  Perfect. Thanks. Owen explained the situation as we ran fast to keep up with Britt. We’re following her now to the body.

  Britt, I scoffed. What kind of a name is Britt?

  Oh right, Owen said. I forgot to mention that the woman who found the panther is the same panther shifter that Ezra won’t shut up about.

  She keeps showing up! I defended myself. I can’t escape her and every time I run into her, it’s a horrible experience.

  You should hear him whining and going on. Owen did a mental eye roll. He’s worse than a little boy pulling the hair of the girl he likes.

  I do not like her, I insisted. I might actually loathe her.

  But her scent drives you wild, man, Mason pointed out.

  It’s so strong, Conner added, that it makes me want her! He laughed and the others joined him.

  Whatever, dude, she’s all yours.

  I don’t want to get in the middle of that, so I’ll pass, but I appreciate your willingness to share, Conner amended.

  It’s kinda cute, really, Owen said. I mean, when we’re at your wedding, we’ll think back to this moment and all have a good laugh.

  My wedding? I huffed. You’re taking things way too far. I don’t
appreciate it.

  Britt came to a stop and we halted behind her. Owen sent a mental map of our location and then we got to work.

  We looked around, taking note of our surroundings, sharing mental images with the clan and memorizing scents. Britt was right. There was no way this was accidental or caused by an animal. I wouldn’t admit it, but she was smart. She knew what to look for. She’d make a good Ranger and was probably a pretty decent hunter.

  I noticed these things about her, but wouldn’t let the ideas become actual thoughts in my mind. If I did, the clan would pick up on them and would never leave me alone. I was grateful they were finally focused on something beside me for a change.

  Owen shifted back and Britt followed shortly after. I stayed in my bear form to both connect to the clan and to avoid being naked around her again.

  “Do you recognize the scent at all?” Owen asked her.

  “No, but I’ll be on the lookout, mark my words. I will find this asshole.”

  “There was a group years ago who thought the panthers should be taken out of the park for good; I hope they’re not back. They killed a lot of panthers, and that’s part of the reason you’ve become rare and protected.”

  “Yeah. My clanmate was one of them.” She spit on the ground. “That’s why I’m going to hunt this bastard down and make him pay.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss, and I understand your determination, but I have Rangers on the way and the police are on their way, too. There will be a full investigation. We’re all taking this very seriously. I wouldn’t want you to be in danger.”

  “And that’s why I’m going to hunt down the killer,” she insisted. “If he’s hunting panthers, obviously I’m in danger.”

  When she said it like that, the words prickled over me. I hadn’t thought it through. Yeah, she was upset about finding a dead panther. But whoever did this would be hunting her, too, if he was hunting panthers. She was in danger.

  Something in my heart alighted. Concern, I realized. I was worried about her. And the mention of her clanmate being killed? It saddened me. I growled at myself. Why should I be worried about her or sad for her? Of all people. Her? Well, no. I was a Ranger, after all. I would be concerned about any citizen who might be in danger.

  Keep telling yourself that. Mason ran up behind me and Conner was with him. Hailey and Noah were close, but still running.

  Stop thought-dropping on my internal convo, I snapped.

  “These are two more members of my clan,” Owen explained to Britt.

  She glanced over and nodded.

  Whew, Mason whistled in his mind. She is pretty hot, though.

  Umm hello? Female present, Hailey hissed.

  Sorry, Mason said. It’s true, though.

  Dude, I said as a warning. Not helping.

  What’s the police’s ETA? Conner asked. He was on my good side. For now.

  They’ll be here in a few. I’m going to shift to be ready, Mason replied, then dropped the sack he’d been carrying and shifted, dressing quickly.

  It’ll be alright, man. Conner nudged against me, then shifted back.

  I took off into the woods. I wanted to be away from them, but I also thought I could do more trying to follow the scent than just sitting around getting ragged on.

  7

  Britt

  Once the Rangers and police had left, I had more room to take on my own investigation. I had sniffed around the body all I could, but now that it had been removed, things had changed. Scents that had been under the body and somewhat hidden were then exposed. Of course, there were also the smells of many other people layered in there by that point, but I had stuck around just for this reason. I was careful, but I had made sure to get a whiff of each person who’d been there so I wouldn’t be confused. Of course, I had no trouble recognizing out Ezra’s scent. His was the strongest of them all, much to my dismay.

  Once I had gone over the crime scene in full detail, I ran around my cabin to make sure the scent of the killer was nowhere near it. I wanted to identify any new odor marks and have a clear scent map of my home in my mind. If anything new came up, I needed to know; whether it was a bunny, a lizard or a person.

  When that was committed to memory, I went back to the scene again, found the scent of the killer and followed it. I figured at some point, he got into a vehicle. Being human meant he couldn’t get this far into the park on foot unless it’d taken him hours. And there hadn’t been anyone found around the area. I still wanted to go as far as I could; I’d even sniff out the vehicle so I could recognize it.

  I knew Owen didn’t want me to get hurt or anything, and I’m sure they didn’t want me interfering in their investigation. Hell, I sure didn’t want to mess up their work, either. But I wasn’t going to sit around, just waiting for this guy to show up and slash me, too. And if I could give them information that would help them nail the guy, even better.

  Owen seemed like a much more reasonable bear than Ezra. It’s probably why he was the Alpha, though naming Ezra as his second wouldn’t have been my choice, if I were him.

  Ezra. I drew in a long breath. It still didn’t make sense why I reacted to his scent like I did. My body warred with my mind. My body wanted me to be closer to him, yet my mind wanted to stay far, far away.

  As I followed the trail, I noted each scent I took in. Killer, Ezra, Owen, killer, Mason, Ezra, Owen, Ezra, killer, Conner, Ezra, Ezra, Ezra. I let a low growl rumble my chest. They’d apparently had the same idea and had followed the path. Well, I didn’t want to be out of the loop. But as I went, it was like the scents were forcing me to think Ezra, Ezra, Ezra, over and over. Had he just run around in circles as they moved along, marking everything in his path?

  Maybe I should talk to Kat’s gramma, I thought. We still kept in touch, though I didn’t see her much those days. Being up in age, she kept to herself even more than she used to. But I wanted to ask her what this Ezra thing was all about. Why was his scent so strong and permeable? Why did my body want him when my mind hated the idea? Unless I was turning schizophrenic, there had to be a reason for it.

  I followed the trail until it came to an end on a road, as I suspected it would. I sniffed hard to pick out the correct vehicle scent, but lots of vehicles traveled this road, so I had to be careful. I noticed one that meshed the killer’s scent with a vehicle’s, and that had to be it. I spent time with the smell, committing it to memory, then took off to head back home.

  8

  Ezra

  I sat in the Ranger station with Owen after the panther’s body had been removed. The clan had come and checked out the scene. The police talked to us and the report had been filed. Now that all of that had passed, my mind was left to wander. And, of course, it wandered to just one place.

  Britt.

  The hint of worry I had noticed earlier was becoming stronger. I kept seeing the dead animal and hearing and smelling Britt, and it all got tangled in my mind until she became the dead animal. It was too much.

  Though we hadn’t spent much time together, I had a decent sense of her personality. Gladesmen and women were the type of people who didn’t mess around, didn’t waste time, and definitely didn’t sit back and wait for something to happen. If Britt thought there was someone hunting panthers—and there was a good chance there was—then she would be out in the woods trying to find him.

  Most people would be smart about it. They’d leave the investigation up to the police. They’d wait to find out more before assuming this wasn’t an accident or a stand-alone incident. And if they found out this was someone just going after panthers, they’d be smart about it: they’d sit at home where it was safe, not run out into the prime location for the killings. She would put her scent all over the place, giving the killer a map right to her.

  From the scent, we knew the person who’d killed the panther was a pure human. And though we hadn’t smelled another scent with him, that didn’t mean that somehow a shifter wasn’t helping him out. It wasn’t like people and shifter
s weren’t all around the park all day, every day. The Everglades National Park was a tourist attraction, after all. Whether local or distant, people came to the park to see the wildlife and experience nature.

  Others were in danger, too, but my mind was on Britt and Britt alone, which was a problem for a few reasons. Obviously, I couldn’t share this with my clan; they were riding my ass enough. If they heard half of what I’d been thinking all morning, they’d never let up. And without being in bear form, there wasn’t much I could do anyway. What, walk around the area with a shot gun and hope the killer steps out onto the trail? I don’t think so. Being a shifter, my human senses were heightened, but they were nothing compared to when I was in bear form.

  The other problem was Britt herself. I was sure, without having to ask, that she did not want me around. If she knew I was trying to protect her, she’d probably attack me. She’d stop me somehow. I didn’t want to be around her again, but I didn’t want to be thinking about her, worrying, feeling trapped and helpless. I couldn’t shift, I couldn’t get my clan’s help, I couldn’t do anything as a human, and I couldn’t find her to protect her. I was stuck.

  “You okay?” Owen asked.

  I guess I’d been quiet a long time. “Just thinking about everything.”

  He watched me for a moment. “You’re worried about her.”

  Even in human form, I couldn’t hide things from him. I shrugged.

  “I know I’ve been getting on you, but man, if you’re worried, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s okay if you’re attracted to her or you’re into her.”

  “I don’t think she’s right for me though. Do you?”

  “Can’t say. Only one way to find out. If you’re worried, go for a run. Sniff around and make sure she’s okay.”

  I nodded. “Maybe I will. If she finds out and throws a fit, then I’ll just say I was doing my job.”

  “There ya go. And it’s not a lie. I do need you to help find this guy. We all need to be on the case to make sure we don’t have another panther killing in the area.”