Death Be Shifted (The Terra Vane Series Book 6)

by Katie Epstein

  He rolled his eyes. “No. This. Being here. Just the two of us. It’s nice.”

  Feeling the warmth of being with him in front of the fire, I settled into the couch. “Yeah, it is. Brent’s nice, too. And Anya’s lovely. It seems they’ve made a good life here.”

  “They have,” he agreed. “And they’re happy together. They’ve only been mates for about six months, would you believe it?”

  “No. I wouldn’t have believed it. They look like they’ve been together for years.”

  “I think they dated a while beforehand. Wanted to make sure. But when Brent got the Alpha position, they pulled it forward. An Alpha stands stronger with a mate by his side, with the promise of an heir hanging in the wind.” He frowned. “Cole told me when they had their Blessed Union. I didn’t go.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because Brent was to be the Alpha. And with his dad gone, my father stepped up to bless the union. I stay away from my father at every opportunity. Besides, I didn’t want to ruin their big day by bringing the tension. I sent flowers instead.”

  “You sent flowers?”

  “Yeah.” He rubbed his face. “Shitty move, I know. But Brent out of all people knows what things are like between my father and me. Hopefully, he understands.”

  I noticed the weight on his shoulders triple.

  “Hey,” I soothed, “he understands. They both do, I’m certain. And Brent probably appreciated the gesture. He would have had enough to deal with becoming an Alpha, with a new pack to lead and a new mate. Not to mention keeping your father happy as a neighboring Alpha. And he idolizes you. Anyone can see that.”

  Kaleb leaned his head back against the couch, his lips curving into a smile. “Thanks, Terra.”

  “Anytime.” I smiled in return. “Want to tell me why you tried drowning me in the lake earlier?”

  He laughed then, and the weight lifted somewhat. “Drowning you? I was saving you.”

  “Saving me from what? The killer lake?”

  His face fell. “There is something in that water.”

  My skin prickled, recalling the splashing I’d witnessed. “What do you mean?”

  “Something smelled off. Fish-like. I dunno. Reptilian maybe? I raced back toward the lake, and when I saw you in the water, my instincts went haywire. My wolf panicked, encouraging me to change back into a human so I could get to you. Wolf shifters aren’t like wolves on Earthside. They don’t like water.”

  “I’m sorry for scaring your wolf,” I placated, “but my gift pushed at me to go to that part of the lake. When I got there, I found this.” Rummaging into my PJ pant’s pocket, I pulled out the tooth. “Here.”

  He took it from me, studying it. “This isn’t a wolf shifter tooth.”

  “Yeah. I know. But something in the water, a reptilian smell, a strange-looking tooth… Are you thinking the same thing I am?”

  “I think so,” he said eventually. “But it’s a long shot. Why would a reptile shifter turn up on wolf lands? It makes no sense.”

  “It makes no sense Torroro of the Dark Hills escaped along with the other prisoners in the first place. Not when he operates on pure instinct. And not when his disability of being unable to shift back into his human self keeps him ignorant of wanting to stay off our radar.”

  “The other prisoners treat him like a guard dog. Or a pet,” Kaleb pondered. “We know that from the vision you had of him through contact with his mother. So why let him loose? And why, if it is Torroro, would he come to the wolf shifter lands?”

  “Who knows?” I shrugged. “If you’d asked me to guess where he would flee to, should he have the opportunity, I wouldn’t have said this place. His instinct would be to return to his mother in the mountains, surely? Or to attack and feed at random. But he’s done neither of those things. Maybe it’s not Torroro?”

  “Bit of a coincidence if not. Reptile shifters know better than anyone the importance of managing borders. I don’t think there’s ever been a case of one being on wolf shifter lands before.”

  “But it’s something we need to consider.” Tilting my head, I questioned, “Why wouldn’t Brent or his shifters pick up on what you did?”

  “Our scent is a funny thing. It works in the process of elimination rather than determining what it is from the first sniff. If you’ve smelled nothing similar to a reptile shifter before, and it’s a smell that makes sense to the environment, you don’t question it. The scent of Torroro could easily be mistaken for the scent of fish. It may very well still be that.”

  “If not for my gift pushing me toward the tooth?”

  “Yep.” He put his cup down on the table, taking mine from me to do the same. He took my hand, urged me closer so he could wrap his arm around me. I snuggled in. “When I saw you in the water, I had to double my efforts in controlling my wolf. Our instincts were going insane. I thought if I moved too slowly, shifted a second later, whatever was in the water would have you for their dinner. I panicked. So did my wolf.” He dropped a kiss on my head and held me tighter. “Don’t scare me like that again.”

  I looked up at him. “Thanks for caring. Both of you.”

  “Caring?” He shook his head. “Woman, you nearly took ten years off my life. But your gift pushed you for a reason. It wanted you to find that tooth. Now we need to connect the dots.”

  “And we will. Tomorrow, we’ll check out the areas and see who we can question. We’ll piece it together. And once we have confirmation on Torroro, I can bring the rest of the team in. They can help form a plan on how to catch him.”

  Kaleb thought on it. “Reptile shifters can live in the water or underground. They move fast, faster even than a wolf shifter. I’m only surprised more people aren’t dead if it’s a reptile shifter we’re chasing.”

  “Yet they still believe it’s a rogue,” I scoffed, remembering the bites on Varden’s body.

  “People often believe what they want to believe. And having a reptile loose on these lands is more far-fetched than hearing of a reptile shifter in the city.”

  “Zax is a reptile shifter.” I frowned. “And he works for the PCA.”

  “Zax is a dragon shifter. He may still fall under the banner of the Citrine citizenship of the reptiles, but dragons are different. Their animals are closer to human than any other. They’re a wise race, if a proud one, and are majestic for a reason. We’re lucky there are so few of them though because, if they wanted this world as their own, they would have the strength, skills, and wisdom to do it.”

  “Holy hell,” I said, studying him. “You are so fanboying over dragon shifters right now.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Yes,” I laughed. “You are. It’s a wonder you don’t go around kissing Zax’s ass.”

  “Shut up.” He tickled me, and I wriggled around like a wet fish.

  “Stop it!” I yelled in between my laughter. “I don’t mean it,” I cackled, falling onto the floor. He fell with me, continuing his torture. “You’re not an ass-kisser of dragons!”

  He stopped tickling me, pinning me down to the ground. Breathless, I looked up at him, his eyes catching mine, hook, line, and sinker as his furrowed brow and warm stare drew me in.

  “What?” I said on a giggle.

  Sitting astride me, he let one hand go. The other sought my cheek and stroked me softly. “You,” he whispered. “Seeing that smile. Having you in my arms.” He scooped me up, urging me toward him where his lips were mere inches from my own. “I’m counting the bonfire tonight as a date,” he breathed, and my body responded to the promise in his voice.

  “Well, thank goodness for that,” I whispered, drawing him closer. “One down. Two to go.”

  He kissed me. Slow, luxurious kisses that had me panting on the floor, begging for bedtime.

  “You sure about waiting?” I asked when the burning of lust threatened to consume me.

  “I’m sure.” He nibbled my neck.

  “A girl could get paranoid offering it to you on a plate and not getti
ng any, you know.”

  He took my hand, placing it against the hardness between his legs, an act that had the heat inside me spiking.

  “Paranoid now?” He smirked, his eyes golden as they burned into mine.

  “Nope,” I gulped. “But get those dates in the diary. Like STAT.”

  Leaning in to kiss me some more, he said, “I’m thinking of a picnic tomorrow afternoon. We can take some cookies down to the lake.” He grinned. “That counts, right?”

  Yanking his head down to mine, those soft, dangerous lips of his almost in reach, I replied. “Oh, that counts.”

  16

  The hot spring, a hole dug into the secluded ground of the forest, rippled with warmth when I dipped in my hand.

  Kaleb stayed close, on edge, and even I sensed his wolf close to the surface the moment we’d stepped into the dense woods near the border of pack lands.

  Brent had accompanied Anya, the early dawn casting a shaded sky while waiting for the full onset of the morning.

  Mist circled the floor of the woods, the rays from the peeking sunshine breaking through the canopy of trees draping over the spring. Plants still thrived among the bramble, rich greens pushing forth through the fallen branches.

  We’d done a walkthrough of the area, checking as much as we could. Kaleb caught a scent, but it was a faint one, the muddy ground swallowing up any footprints or tracks.

  Crossing my legs, I sat on the edge of the water. Brent and Anya remained quiet—Kaleb not the only one on alert—their silence a harsh reminder of the three dangerous shifters surrounding me. Not that I felt threatened, but I should, my instincts warned as I prepared to lower my shields.

  With the unknown of my gift capabilities hovering in my mind, I took a few deep breaths before taking the next step. Kaleb crouched beside me and put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. My body relaxed, responding instantly to his touch.

  I searched for my shields in my mind’s eye, and they effortlessly formed with him close by.

  The blue, transparent shields formed, but I fell back onto the old pattern of lowering a few rather than the whole only when-life-threatening lot.

  Memories of when I’d operated without the shields seemed vague now.

  In the first hospital they had thrown me into, the energy I crossed paths with affected me more through visions and dreams rather than feelings and emotions. Although looking back, I probably felt them but didn’t know how to process them as a teenager. Once the hormones kicked in, so did the agony. The fact I transferred to St. Mary’s when it did so was just bad timing. Back then I would have appreciated the knowledge of how to form the energy into psychic shields.

  Seeing the layers wrapped around me, always there, always protecting, I took a moment to appreciate them.

  As one fell, another followed, and I held strong onto the last one, my last line of defense.

  White energy shimmered around both Brent and Anya, representing the energy everyone had. But then I saw pink around them both. It was their auras. Both of them were constant, and both of them filled with love. I smiled at the sight of it.

  Standing up, I let my gift take the reins.

  Vibrant was the energy from the trees. The flowers. The plants. The light pulsed through them and they drew me in, making me a part of all they are. My smile widened.

  The energy swam up my arm when I reached out to touch a leaf, a knowing inside me directing the way. Sparkles, tiny and bright, hovered around the branches, beings too small for the eyes to see. But I saw their energy, vivid and forceful as they fluttered around. Green hues surrounded them all, transparent shades of emerald—one of nature and healing. I fell into it, my heart beating with their pulse, and, for a precious moment, I felt the power of the earth soaring through me.

  Wonder. Bewilderment. I held on. I raised my arms in the air as tears filled my eyes.

  I experienced an insight into what witches must feel when they connect to Mother Earth. It was why Mayra often travels out to worship the moon and stars, skyclad, with one of the local covens. Their magic links to it, but, not only that, it simmers beneath and around every one of us, loving and healing, waiting and hoping.

  Tears rolled down my face.

  Flickering in the depths of the trees drew my attention. I followed it, feeling the tingles of the branches as I brushed by them.

  A shining light, filtered by a half-opened forestry door, beckoned me forth.

  It was almost blinding me as I got close; the light wrapping around me, the beating of a drum turning into the echo of my heartbeat.

  Trusting in it, I stood still, letting it flood me with its knowledge, and I heard the whispers. Many whispers. The different energies surrounding me to tell me all at once.

  Hurt. Blood. Fear. Harm. Hurt. Blood. Fear. Harm. They chanted. Home. Love. Death. Promise. Home. Love. Death. Promise.

  The energies tried to hold back, swirling around me. But I drew them as I was drawn to them. They couldn’t hold back, each one coming at me, connecting, whispering, one after the other.

  I felt myself falling, as if drowning, consumed by too much energy. I tried to reassure them. Tried to tell them it’s okay, and I could handle it.

  But I couldn’t handle it.

  Panic reached my chest, and they fed off it, as they, too, began to worry.

  The terror at the thought of them hurting me had them spiraling even more so, and I couldn’t hold on to who I am. What I am.

  Images came, assailing my head.

  Teeth. Fangs. Blood.

  Scales. Trembling. Hunger.

  I needed to feed. I needed to eat. But the screams! The screams from my food hurt my heart. But I didn’t know why.

  I wanted to go home.

  I wanted my mother.

  I wanted to go back to the safe place where people in white coats looked after me.

  I bit into flesh.

  It tasted good. I growled. Something took control of me, and it felt both foreign and oh so right. Why couldn’t I experience this numbness all the time? Once I’d eaten, the dreams came. The screams. A strange feeling in my stomach.

  But oh, I wanted the blood. The tasty meat. Feeling it in my fangs, the way they fought, trying to get away. Then, at that moment, everything felt real. True.

  I wanted them to fight, to struggle. I wanted them to wriggle as I tore into their flesh. They were tastier somehow when they did that. But when they stilled, guilt came. The wrongness in my belly formed. But still I ate, sating the burning inside.

  Whimpering, I fell away from the broken flesh, blood and innards on the floor. I couldn’t face it any longer. I fell back and scurried into the trees, all the while sobbing for my mama.

  The lights came again, and the trees shimmered into view. Bright orbs danced above my head, needing to know I’d understood. I smiled and nodded. They calmed, and the air swirled around me, their whispers gone. All I felt was love: a warm, beautiful love.

  Kaleb stood behind me, his hands on my waist as the orbs disappeared. I swallowed hard when the thrumming energy surrounding the trees vanished into the scenery once more.

  Brent watched me, wide-eyed, his arms protectively around his mate. Then I saw Anya. Tears streamed down her face.

  “Terra,” her mouth moved, but I heard no words, not when a tune, both soulful and harmonious, weaved its way into my heart. The trees were saying their goodbyes.

  Kaleb’s arms encased me further into his hold. His heart beat fast against my chest.

  “Come back to me, baby,” I heard him whisper, and I held on tight, still enraptured in its fold. Sorrow filled me at leaving behind nature’s magic. But the pull of Kaleb was stronger.

  “Come back to me.”

  And I did, floating back to the reality of his arms, of his hold.

  My love found its way home.

  17

  I blinked my eyes, and the confusion cleared. A rush of energy buzzed through my being.

  Kaleb held me close from behind, my body so sensitive
to his touch, so heightened to his scent. I snuggled in, pulling his arms tighter around me.

  I felt awake. Wide awake. More alive than I’d ever known. My eyes closed as I felt his breath on my neck, every sense, every part of me, rippling in response.

  “Terra,” he growled, responding to me, holding me tighter.

  The need to take hold of him, to kiss him senseless, to pour the power I held through to him, almost consumed me. But the vision of Torroro still lingered.

  Taking a deep breath, clinging to the little focus I had, I opened my eyes.

  “You need to track,” I told Brent, my voice not sounding like my own as it sang with power. “He can’t help what he’s doing. He’s trying to stop, but he hungers. Losing himself with every bite.”

  “What?” Anya pulled herself together first. “What do we need to track?”

  “A shifter from the damp earth. One who can wade in the water. One who can sleep in the soil. He hides. But soon he will need to hunt. To eat. To feed. No one is safe.”

  “Terra.” Kaleb turned me to face him. “Are you okay?”

  I’d never felt so right in all my life. I smiled, feeling the pleasure of it to the very core.

  “One hour,” I said to Brent, my eyes only for Kaleb. “One hour we track. Gather the best of your kin.”

  I spun on my heel. The tingles fluttered all over my body.

  Purpose.

  A single purpose.

  The nonsensical conversation wouldn’t serve me now. I sailed back to the cabin, the ground soft beneath my feet, conscious the three of them followed tentatively behind me.

  I heard their footsteps on the grass. But I also smelled the flora in the air, listened to the heartbeat of the living, and tasted the iron of the coming rain on my tongue. I hovered on the pinnacle of something beyond all I knew. I wanted to touch it, to hold it. But I held on to the now and focused on the cabin instead. And on Kaleb.

  The door handle to the cabin solidified beneath my hand, the feel of it cool and welcoming. I turned it, waving to Anya and Brent. “One hour.”

  I smiled, took Kaleb’s hand, and left them gawking as I pulled him inside and closed the door.