Death Be Shifted (The Terra Vane Series Book 6)

by Katie Epstein

  “No. It’s not. It sounds like you two are just finding your feet. It’s the start of something new. I want you to know what’s involved, that’s all. And I like Kaleb. To see someone wipe that smug grin off his face is appealing to me.”

  I smiled. “You know him well.”

  “Yeah. Growing up, I did. I’m a little annoyed at him he and Brent went their separate ways over the years and that he hasn’t visited much. But I get it. Kaleb’s dad is a pain in the ass, and I understand why he didn’t want to stay around the shifter lands after Andora.”

  “He told me. It sounds like he had a rough time.”

  “The roughest. She wasn’t good enough for his father.”

  “Oh, he’s going to love me then,” I scoffed, making Anya laugh.

  “I think Kaleb’s beyond trying to please his dad. Now, Cole, he’s a different story.”

  “Yeah.” I smiled, “I liked him. And I mean, really liked him. Crushed on him for a while. But we didn’t suit. And even though we’re not meant to be, I wish him the best. Part of me wishes…”

  “Wishes what?”

  “That we could have made a go of it. The heat was there. The potential. But it was getting too hard. As if Fate wasn’t on our side.”

  “And Kaleb?”

  I grinned, the force of it lighting up my face. I couldn’t help it.

  “Say no more.” Anya relaxed in her chair. “I need to think about getting a stronger bed.”

  22

  After pacing didn’t settle me, Anya told me of a list of chores that needed doing. It’s not like I had case files to work, or reports to update, so the waiting made me antsy. Hating the look of every chore on the list, I chose to pick corn in the fields. At least then I could keep watch on the horizon to see when Kaleb and the others arrived.

  I appreciated the graft as the time ticked on by, early dusk fast approaching.

  Regular updates came to Anya from the healer, and the look on her face each time didn’t settle me any.

  Ethan grew worse as time went on, and I got a crick in my neck from looking up into the distance so often, waiting for my friends to appear.

  Plucking an ear from its stem, I looked up yet again. But having resolved myself to seeing nothing, I did a double-take when I caught sight of something coming in from the border.

  My heart beat faster, relief filling me. Asking the female shifter next to me if I could give my half-filled basket to her, she nodded with a smile. Shouting my thanks, I ran most of the way to meet them.

  Mayra. Zax. Kaleb.

  I almost knocked Mayra to the ground when I caught hold of her. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  She laughed, holding on. “We’re here.” She patted my back. “We’re here.”

  “Kaleb.” I turned to him. He took my hand and pulled me close.

  “What is it?”

  “Will you allow Mayra to ride your wolf to the cabin? Ethan’s getting worse.”

  “Sure.”

  Kissing me full on the lips, he quickly shifted, and Mayra climbed on his back. Wary onlookers stopped what they were doing as more strangers entered their lands. But it would be Mayra who put them on guard the most.

  As they disappeared, I pulled Zax into a welcome embrace. “Only two days away and already you’re a sight for sore eyes.”

  “A lot happened, eh?” He squeezed me in return, rocking me back and forth.

  “Yeah.” I kept my arm around his waist as we walked. “Is all okay back on Earthside?”

  “No noise from the prisoners, if that’s what you mean. So far, the radios are only reporting your common crime and deviancy.”

  “Could Kaleb not get in touch with Bernard and Libby?”

  “No, but he’s left them a message, giving them directions to the border of Caladonia Moor. Hopefully, they’ll pick it up when they get a signal.”

  “Did the watch comms work or did Kaleb need to come to fetch you?”

  “They worked,” he replied. “And he used the Doris code. Cracked me up that he fell for it.”

  I laughed at that. “You should have suggested worse.”

  “Yeah. He put me the spot. And it’s strange how quiet the house is without you all.”

  “Have you heard anything from Grady?”

  “No. But it’s not been long since you confessed all. Mayra’s convinced he’ll come through.”

  “I hope so.” We ignored the stares from those farming the fields and made our way down the rolling hills back toward the cabins.

  “Grady will be a good asset to the IET.”

  “Keep your voice down,” I whispered. “Shifters have nosy ears.”

  He chuckled. “And I should know that, being a shifter.”

  “A dragon shifter at that. I think Kaleb has some dragon-worshipping thing going on with you. You’d better watch your ass.”

  “Don’t I know it. He’s asked if he can ride me when I turn dragon.”

  I laughed, glad of the tonic. “Yeah. It’s wise to run when Kaleb asks anyone for a ride.”

  “I don’t know that anyone needs to worry about that anymore.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Because of you. The guy is besotted.”

  Not knowing what to say to such words, I also didn’t want to dishonor Kaleb by playing down what I felt for him. “He’s not the only one.”

  Zax hugged me close. “Now that, I’m happy to hear.”

  Kaleb joined me outside the healing cabin while we awaited the outcome of Mayra’s healing.

  A few of Ethan’s friends trickled in to wait in the damp forest, darkness enveloping us as evening fell.

  I’d introduced Zax to Brent, who liked him after about five minutes in. Zax, being a shifter himself of sorts had gained Brent’s trust with little effort when he’d help compile a plan on how to catch the culprit. Not long after that, Zax had a room where he could set up his tech, and Brent and his Beta and Gamma joined them.

  The rest of us could do nothing but wait. Anya and a few of the other female shifters brought us refreshments to keep us going.

  Some lit a small campfire while others sang songs to give Ethan something to hold on to. Many wolves lit candles.

  The crowd grew in size.

  Kaleb found us a blanket from somewhere and ordered me to eat something. I did, taking comfort in his warmth as he held me tight.

  Ethan was a popular kid with everyone holding onto the hope that he would recover.

  A few wolves came over to thank us for the save, but I reassured them Kaleb was the one who deserved the honor. But then Kaleb-the-ass sold me out by saying he probably wouldn’t have jumped in if I hadn’t risked my neck.

  Aside from the odd few, the hostility of having a strange human on their lands had gone, and many offered us food or drink, which they’d brought along. The community, if a little confining and chauvinistic for my tastes, humbled me as they came together to offer comfort to one another.

  A chanting came from the distance. At first, I thought it to be another song, but then the words got clearer.

  “Burn the witch! Burn the witch! Burn the witch!”

  “What the hell…”

  Kaleb got to his feet. “Go get Brent,” he ordered another wolf. I stood with him.

  “I’ll go guard the door,” I told him, “but the windows?”

  Kaleb gathered a few of Ethan’s friends together and told them to guard the outskirts of the cabin. They did so without hesitation.

  “Burn the witch! Burn the witch!” Bevren and his group chanted, shortening the distance between us.

  Kaleb sauntered over to them, standing in their path. “Is this how you’re going to treat your friend, boys,” he said, focusing on Bevren.

  “Better he dies than be touched by a witch,” Bevren seethed.

  “And better you turn around before you get your ass kicked by every wolf here.”

  “You can’t attack me for speaking the truth.” Bevren took a step closer toward Kaleb, but the ot
hers appeared uncertain, muttering to themselves behind him.

  “No. But I can arrest you if you take another step toward the cabin.”

  “On what charge?”

  Kaleb shrugged. “I’ll think of something.” He cast eyes behind him. “There’s plenty of witnesses here to attest to whatever I say. Now go home.”

  “You would stick up for a witch!” Bevren roared, his hands shaking. “You would screw a human!”

  Tensing, I sidled closer toward Kaleb. Enough to jump in if needed, but not so close that I antagonized Bevren further. But Kaleb was done playing. Taller than Bevren, he had to lean down, so they’d be face to face. “Say one more word about her,” he said to the younger wolf, his voice quiet, yet threatening. “I dare you.”

  Bevren gulped, wise enough to see when Kaleb was close to the edge. He took a step back, glaring at me because I always have to get the shit. But once he’d gotten a safe enough distance from Kaleb, he shouted, “You’re a pussy wolf. Just like our Alpha!”

  “Bevren!” Brent roared from the trees bordering the cabin. “You’ve got five seconds to get the hell out of here. And I’m only giving you five because of your grief for Varden. Any more than that and I’ll throw you in the pen.”

  “Screw y—”

  “One,” was all Brent said, and Bevren’s friends pulled at his arm, tugging him back. Bevren relented, the anger in him almost palpable. But his friends got him out of there before Brent reached two.

  Brent walked past Kaleb and ordered some of his wolves to stay on guard. Kaleb returned to me and took my hand in his.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, and when he looked at me, his eyes shone with gold.

  “I’m fine. The whelp needs a good beating.”

  “You’d take him out in a second, and he knows it.”

  “Yeah. He does. But his grief will only give him so much allowance.”

  “So, what’s the pen?”

  “Isolation. Drives a wolf insane. But it does the job when someone misbehaves. Anything more serious than that and they have to be accountable to us.”

  “If they tell us.”

  Kaleb sighed, his rage going with the air he expelled. “Yeah, if they tell us. Each pack has their way of dealing with things. But brutality has long gone.” He grasped my hand tighter. “In most packs.”

  Hating the thought he might refer to his own, I stepped closer, giving him the contact he needed.

  Brent strolled over to us, anger plaguing his features. “I’ve put them on a rota. A few of them will step up, take charge. But they’re staying the night, anyway. No one will get near the cabin.”

  Relieved, worry for Mayra at the forefront, I nodded in thanks.

  Leaving us to it, we settled in to wait once more. Tension simmered among the remaining wolves, all of them on edge since Bevren’s visit. But not only that, a hum settled around the cabin, howls erupting from those waiting or standing guard.

  Kaleb helped me to calm them, telling them it would throw off Mayra’s magic, explaining her power was one of light connected to both the moon and earth—just like their gift.

  Around three in the morning, I drifted off. Anya and Brent woke me, joining us on the blanket.

  “Hey,” Anya said, passing me a flask of something warm. I rubbed at my eyes and took it from her.

  “Ah,” I sighed, “the feel of it alone is bliss.”

  “Hot chocolate.” She handed Kaleb one from her basket. Brent sat on the tree trunk while Kaleb leaned against it.

  “Thank you.” I opened the lid and would have hugged her if I’d not wrapped up in a blanket cocoon.

  “I didn’t want to wake you,” she told me, “but I thought it might be best you sleep the rest of the dark hours in the cabin. We can wait here now.”

  I rubbed my cold nose. “I’m fine. Hopefully, Mayra will give us a report soon.”

  “She told us not to knock on the door in case she’s casting,” Anya replied. “Maybe we should…”

  “She’ll come out when she has some news,” I replied, taking Mayra’s absence as a bad sign. “I only hope she’s okay.”

  “Does magic hurt her?”

  “It drains her. And she’ll push herself hard if a life is on the line.”

  “Either way, we will thank her for her help.”

  “We’ll discuss a plan to catch Torroro in the morning,” Brent instructed. “Go get a few hours sleep so you’re rested up.”

  “You guys also need to sleep.”

  “We’re shifters. We can handle it.”

  I frowned. Another subtle human dig. “Fine. I’ll go in after I’ve finished this.”

  I dozed while we drank our hot chocolate, unable to keep my eyes open much longer.

  Kaleb carried me to the cabin, and I let him. I’d crossed the point of no return to argue. He laid me on the bed, shrugged off my boots, and wrapped the covers around us both.

  “Thanks,” I mumbled. He chuckled against my hair.

  “Anytime, baby.”

  “Baby,” I slurred, sleep tugging me back into its realms of comforting darkness. “I’m like that.”

  He stroked my hair, the last thing I remember, before falling into the depths of slumber.

  23

  A banging on the door of the cabin woke me with a start.

  Kaleb hurried to get his jeans on as my eyes snapped open.

  I threw the blanket aside, taking advantage of the fact I still wore my clothes. I headed for the door, Kaleb hot on my tail.

  Opening it, Anya stood there, a twinkle in her eyes. She took hold of my hand and dragged me along.

  “Come with me. You won’t believe it. You won’t…”

  Kaleb grabbed a shirt and caught up with us.

  When we reached the healing cabin, I saw Mayra, exhausted, a blanket around her shoulders as she sat before a campfire.

  But next to her. Is that Ethan?

  Smiling, happy, chatting away to his buddies crowding him, Ethan looked healthy and buoyant. He also had a blanket draped around him, but his legs were bare enough for me to see they remained connected to his body—one bandaged.

  “Mayra,” I said, checking up on her. She looked up and smiled exhaustedly.

  “Hey, Terra. We did it.” She nodded in Ethan’s direction. “His fever broke.”

  I wrapped my arms around her shoulders. “Thank you,” I whispered, holding on tight.

  “Anytime,” she whispered back.

  Ethan’s mother chose that moment to come out of the cabin, a smile lighting up her face, and happy tears flowing down her cheeks.

  “Terra!” She fled down the steps, embracing both Mayra and me the moment she reached us. She sobbed openly. “You saved my boy! Both of you! You saved my boy!”

  “Mom,” Ethan said, tugging on her shirt and gently urging her back. “Give them room to breathe.”

  “I know.” She stepped back, grabbing a tissue from her pocket. “I’m sorry.” She stroked a hand down Mayra’s hair, linking hands with her.

  “I couldn’t have done it without you and the healer, Clara,” Mayra replied.

  “Oh tish,” Clara dismissed it with a wave of her hand. “It was mostly you, and you know it.” Clara looked at me. “She worked tirelessly. Didn’t stop for a minute. Every time his heart weakened, she fought harder. She brought him back from the brink of death.” Reaching for Kaleb, Clara pulled him into his arms. “And you! You helped save my boy.”

  Kaleb smiled, hugging her tight. “You can blame Terra for being a pain in the ass on that one.”

  “I know you, Kaleb Cipher. I know you wouldn’t have let him drown.” She looked back at me. “But I’m grateful for you for acting faster. Because of that, your actions saved my Ethan.”

  “Yeah.” Ethan coughed, shushing his friends, snickering at his embarrassment. “You saved me.” He smiled, his eyes lighting up with life. “You didn’t let go, even when that thing had me. You held on.”

  “Kaleb saved us both.”

  “Ye
ah. He did. Thanks, Kaleb. I’ll forever be thankful.” His eyes caught mine. “But your face, Terra… No matter what happens to me in life. No matter what shit—”

  “Ethan!”

  “Sorry, mom. No matter what life throws my way, I’ll always remember your face—never giving up. Never letting go.” He grinned. “Thanks.”

  I nodded, accepting it, glad my friends had come through when I needed them. Putting my arm around Kaleb’s waist, I blindly reached for Mayra’s hand, happy when she slipped her fingers into mine. Kaleb held on, too, kissing my head in comfort, all of us knowing the sight of Ethan’s smile was worth it all.

  After I’d showered and changed, I shared in a large, hearty breakfast.

  Anya sorted Mayra out in another guest cabin with twin rooms she could share with Zax, telling her to rest up.

  She also left a shifter at her door while she did so, and I was grateful for it.

  “You heard the chants last night,” she told me as we walked. “I’m not letting Mayra sleep without protection. Not after all she’s done for one of our own. I want her to get a few hours' rest because she’s dead on her feet. She shouldn’t have to worry about some judgmental asshole throwing a brick through her window.”

  Worry reached me. “You think they’ll have the nerve to return and go for Mayra?”

  “I think Bevren is hurting right now. And a few of those who distrust my mate are using him to stir things up. I’m not taking any chances.”

  “They just need time,” I said, shoving down my frustration. “To adjust. To settle. Win over the majority and the rest will settle themselves with minor mutterings behind closed doors.”

  “You worry for her.”

  “Mayra?” I nodded. “Yeah. I do. She’s one of my best friends, and I love her to pieces. Thank you for looking out for her. She wouldn’t have hesitated in coming over to help him. It annoys me such prejudice exists, even on this side of the portal.”

  “You’re not in the city anymore, hon.”

  “No. I know. But in a place where we’re all different, you’d think we’d respect one another’s differences at least.”