Justin (Fairplay Shifters Series Book 1)

by Serena Meadows

  As the days until the holiday break dwindled away, it became more and more difficult to keep the students on task; their heads were too full of thoughts of Santa Claus and presents to concentrate. But Chloe’s presence in the classroom always gave her a welcome breather, a chance to catch her breath, and this morning was no different. After an especially difficult math lesson, the kids were restless and happy to see Chloe come in the door, but Annabelle only had to take one look at her to know that something was wrong.

  The child’s face was red, her eyes bloodshot, and when she got close to Annabelle, she could feel the heat coming off her body. “Are you feeling okay?” Annabelle asked, knowing that there was both a cold and the stomach flu going around.

  “I don’t know; I feel kind of hot. My body feels kind of weird too,” Chloe answered, her eyes taking on a strange glow.

  The glow was gone so quickly, Annabelle wasn’t sure she’d seen it, but it was clear that Chloe wasn’t feeling good. “Let’s get you down to the nurse’s office,” Annabelle said, then turned to the class. “Chloe’s not feeling very well; I’m going to take her to the nurse. I expect you all to behave while I’m gone.”

  The nurse took one look at Chloe and made her lie down, then she took her temperature and said, “Let’s call your dad; it looks like you’ve got the flu.”

  To Annabelle’s surprise, Chloe was back in school the next day looking as healthy as ever. “I feel fine today; I guess it wasn’t the flu after all,” Chloe said, but she wouldn’t meet Annabelle’s eyes when she said it.

  Annabelle’s power flared, the undeniable sense that Chloe was lying spreading through her before she could get control. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  Chloe nodded her head, shifting her weight from foot to foot, clearly wanting to get away from Annabelle. “Well, then I guess you can help with reading today,” Annabelle said, releasing the girl but promising herself that she’d keep a close eye on her.

  After a few days, she was sure that something was wrong with Chloe; her usual patience for the students seemed to be evaporating day by day. More often than not, the child had a scowl on her face, and several times, she’d been short with one of the younger children. Annabelle had a pretty good idea that puberty was messing with her normally sweet classroom assistant, but it seemed like more than that, and she wasn’t sure how to handle the situation. Talking to her seemed like the most direct option, but she wasn’t sure how Chloe might take it; after all, she was only her teacher, not her mother.

  After another especially bad day, a day that had seen Chloe yelling at a student, she made up her mind to talk to her; something had to change and soon or Chloe was going to be labeled a problem student. She knew that Chloe would be in the gym setting up her science fair project, so she waited outside the doors on a bench in the sun, thinking that winter in Fairplay wasn’t all bad; even as cold as it was the sun felt good on her face, and before long, she’d drifted into one of her silly fantasies about Justin.

  Shouting from the steps leading to the gym pulled her out of her thoughts. “You’re just a stupid girl; you’ll never win with that project.” She saw a boy shouting at a girl running down the stairs. She realized that it was Chloe.

  She jumped to her feet just as Chloe turned back to the boy and shouted, “You don’t know anything; at least I didn’t have my mommy help me with my project.”

  “That’s because you don’t have a mommy to help you,” the boy shouted back, stopping Chloe, who stood perfectly still except her shoulders, which were moving up and down as she sucked in huge breaths of air.

  Before Annabelle could reach her, Chloe flung herself at the boy, her fists connecting with his face with a thud that made Annabelle flinch. Chloe was screaming and sobbing, her arms flailing, when Annabelle finally managed to pull her off the boy, who ran away screaming and crying himself. Annabelle thought that Chloe would calm down when her tormentor left, but she continued to flail in her arms, intense anger emanating from the child until Annabelle could feel it deep inside her.

  Realizing that her power had flared, she decided to use it, mumbling a calming spell while visualizing a calm Chloe in her arms. Almost instantly, Annabelle felt the anger drain from Chloe and her body relaxed in her arms, but she was still sobbing out the hurt. Feeling the need to make a connection with the child, she lifted her head to look into her eyes, to make her understand that everything was okay, but what she saw stopped her.

  Chloe’s eyes were glowing, the green, so like her father’s, suddenly so intense that for a second, Annabelle wanted to fling the girl away from her and run. But the feeling was gone almost as soon as she felt it and the child’s eyes seemed to return to normal, making her wonder if she’d imagined it.

  “Hey, look at me, Chloe,” she managed to say, her voice a bit shaky. “It’s over; those boys are gone. How about we go to my house and give your dad a call.”

  It took a few minutes for Annabelle’s words to penetrate, but Chloe finally focused on her and said, “Okay, that might be nice.”

  When they got to Annabelle’s house, she guided her through the entryway and into the living room. “Sit down here, and I’ll get you something to drink, then we’ll call your dad,” Annabelle said, smiling. Chloe’s eyes got big as she looked around the room.

  “This is wonderful,” Chloe said. “How did you get all these plants to grow like this?”

  Annabelle looked around her living room, not the least bit sorry she’d given her plants a little boost; they made the room warm and comfortable. “Let’s just say that I have a green thumb. I’ll be right back.”

  When she came back with the hot chocolate she’d made for them both, Chloe seemed much calmer but no less fevered. Annabelle had the terrible feeling that there was something seriously wrong with Chloe and although she hated to be the one to tell Justin, the sooner something was done the better her chances. Taking Chloe’s hands in hers, she closed her eyes for just a second and let her powers come to life, then quickly pulled them away when all she felt was a searing heat.

  Chapter Eight

  ***Justin***

  The last thing Justin expected was a call from Annabelle, but when he’d heard what she had to say, he was glad it was her and not someone else who had been there with Chloe. He wasn’t completely sure what had happened, but he had a pretty good idea that Chloe’s temper had gotten away from her. It happened to shifters when their powers began to emerge, and he’d hoped that Chloe would have more time before it happened to her.

  He drove as fast as he dared, thankful that he’d been at the barn outside of town instead of at the ranch. But it still seemed to take forever to get there, each minute that passed bringing Chloe that much closer to another fit of anger as the changes to her body began to happen. The anger was a sign that Chloe was getting closer to her first shift, that before the month was over, she would experience her first change: a painful and frightening experience that he wished he could spare her.

  When he reached the old church that Annabelle had renovated, he came to a screeching halt out front and jumped out of his truck, then took the steps two at a time. He reached up to bang on the door, not taking the time to look for a bell, but the door flew open. Annabelle was standing in the doorway, and he got a huge whiff of her scent, unprepared for the assault on his senses; he stood there opened mouthed for a second.

  “She’s in the living room drinking hot chocolate,” Annabelle said, surprised when he didn’t immediately go inside. “Come in; I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you. Some boys were teasing her at the school; it was mentioned that she doesn’t have a mother.”

  Justin managed to shake off the desire that had cloaked him when he smelled Annabelle, “I’m sorry, Annabelle; she’s very sensitive about not having a mother. Did anyone get hurt?”

  “Not really, and I wouldn’t worry about that right now,” Annabelle said, then decided to wade right in. “Justin, she looked so angry and her eyes, I don’t know how to describe it. And sh
e’s hot, like she’s running a fever. I’m worried that it’s something bad but I can’t...” Annabelle stopped before she said anymore, knowing that it would reveal something she wasn’t ready to reveal.

  “Where is she?” he asked, ignoring what Annabelle had said, knowing that there was no good explanation for what she’d witnessed.

  Annabelle wasn’t going to push it, but she hoped that Justin had heard what she’d said. “Follow me.”

  When Chloe saw her father, she jumped up off the couch and threw herself into his arms. “Daddy, you’re here,” she said, then launched into her description of what had happened.

  When she was finished with her story, Justin looked up at Annabelle for confirmation. “That’s pretty much what I saw,” she said, then realized that she needed to give them some space. “I’ll just go into the kitchen and give you two some privacy; just yell if you need me.”

  “Daddy, that was scary. I got so mad I hit that boy,” Chloe said, climbing up on his lap when he sat down on the couch.

  “I know, sweetheart, but it won’t be like that forever; just for a little while,” Justin said, then added, “I promise by New Year’s Eve, this will all be over. You’ll see; then it will be fun.”

  Standing in the kitchen, Annabelle couldn’t help but overhear them and was even more confused than she was before. To her, it sounded like there was something wrong with Chloe, something that would be better in a few weeks, but what she didn’t understand was why it was a secret; there was nothing shameful about being sick, so it just didn’t make sense. But before she could ponder the situation any longer, Justin called her name.

  “I think I’m going to take Chloe home now. Thank you for being there when she needed someone,” Justin said, looking down at his daughter who looked tired but otherwise just fine.

  “Your welcome. I’m always here if you need me,” Annabelle said, looking directly at Chloe who immediately looked down as if she had something to hide.

  “We’d better get going,” Justin said, rising from the couch and pulling his daughter to her feet.

  Annabelle walked them to the door and watched as they walked down the steps. When they got to the bottom, Chloe stopped and turned back. “Thank you for helping me.”

  Justin saw the tears spring to Annabelle’s eyes. “Your welcome, sweetheart. I’ll see you at school,” she said, then turned and shut the door.

  He wasn’t sure what the tears were for, but he knew that walking away from her again had been harder than he’d ever imagined. Even knowing what Chloe had to face in the next few weeks didn’t dull the throbbing in his groin or his desire to have Annabelle in his arms. When he had Chloe settled in the truck, he got in and looked up at the church, remembering how inviting it had felt when he walked in the door, and he decided right then that he was done fighting his attraction to Annabelle.

  Fighting it hadn’t helped; if anything, it had made things worse. He still thought about her all the time, still had the same reaction when he was near her; these months apart had done nothing to dull his feelings, and it was time to act on them. It was time to trust his instincts, and whatever power was working to bring them together; he didn’t believe in coincidences which meant that there was a reason Annabelle had been the one there today when Chloe had needed help.

  His fondest wish was that Annabelle was supposed to be a part of their lives, that maybe she would understand what he was and love him anyway. Chloe’s mother had, but she’d known him her entire life, had learned to trust him long before she loved him. Annabelle would be different; she was a delicate woman, but one he sensed was capable of great caring, one who might be able to look past his other side and what it would mean to love someone like him.

  ***Annabelle***

  Chloe didn’t come to school the next day, and she heard from the office that she was sick with the flu and wouldn’t come back until after winter break. It made Annabelle feel a little bit better, but she was still confused. None of the symptoms that she’d seen looked like the flu except the temperature, and when she’d used her power there had been no sign of a virus in the little girl’s body, only the searing heat.

  She’d have liked to check on Chloe, but when she stopped by the house in town, it was dark and quiet. When the next-door neighbor saw her on the porch, she poked her head out and told Annabelle that Justin had taken Chloe back to the ranch. Disappointed, she went home and obsessed over whether she should call and check in on the girl but discarded the idea when she realized that if it had been any other student, she would have left the situation alone.

  The holidays passed in a blur of parties and gatherings that left Annabelle with very little time to herself. She went skiing twice, learned how to snowshoe, and how to drive a team of horses hooked up to a sleigh. But when she crawled into bed each night, she couldn’t help but think of Justin and Chloe, wonder what they were doing right at that minute. It was stupid to keep thinking about them, but she just couldn’t help herself; the father and daughter had captured her heart.

  She hoped that Chloe would be back at school after the new year, happy and healthy, with no sign of the searing heat she’d detected before. Then she could stop worrying and obsessing about them and get on with her life. Justin had made it quite clear that nothing could happen between them and there were some nice men in town; it might be time to start accepting some of the invitations she’d been declining since she came to Fairplay.

  Chapter Nine

  ***Justin***

  Chloe was asleep in his arms, her favorite cartoon movie playing on the television, when his cell phone began to buzz in his pocket. He’d made it clear that no one was supposed to call him unless it was an emergency, so he gently slid out from under Chloe and laid her down on the couch. When he looked at the screen and saw his brother’s name there, he cursed, knowing what he was going to hear when he picked up the phone.

  “I hope you’re calling me for a stupid reason,” he said, when he clicked on the call.

  “I wish I was, but I’m not. We found another one; this one was much closer to town, out at the Thompson spread,” his brother Steve said.

  “Shit, that’s way too close to town,” Justin said. “This just doesn’t make sense; a pack of wolves wouldn’t normally move this way, and we know it’s not mountain lions. There’s plenty of game in the high country, so that’s not what’s going on. It just doesn’t look like a predator to me; I think we’re dealing with something else.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you; all I know is that people are starting to get upset and worried. They seem to be split; some think it’s wolves, but there’s also some who think it’s a mountain lion. Either way, it’s not good for us,” Steve said, just as confused by the situation as Justin.

  “I need to see the latest kill. I think I might know what’s going on,” Justin said, then looked over at Chloe asleep on the couch. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  When he pulled up to the Thompson house less than a half an hour later, the front yard was full of trucks and men milling around, shotguns in hand. The minute he stepped out of the truck, the men swarmed him, asking questions and making suggestions, but Justin waved them away.

  “Boys, give me some time to see what we’re dealing with and then we’ll talk,” he said, wishing he didn’t have an audience.

  It only took him a single glance at the carcass of the bull to know that they weren’t dealing with a normal predator; they were dealing with something far more sophisticated. This kill was much like the others: the animal had been killed and ripped apart, but all the meat remained as if the goal had been the act of killing and not the meal that would follow. He’d seen something like this before, long ago when he was just a kid visiting his mother’s family in Montana, and it turned out to be the work of a rampaging band of wolf shifters.

  He’d been suspicious when the attacks started last fall, but they’d been infrequent enough to make him believe that it really was predators, but now he was convinced that
they were dealing with something else entirely. His brothers had scoffed at him when he’d told them months ago that the kills didn’t look right, but he had a feeling that they’d be a little more willing to listen to what he had to say now.

  One thing was clear to him; he was going to have to spend some time away from Chloe during one of the most difficult times of her life. His mother had been a godsend, helping as much as she could, but she had a ranch to run, and even in the winter it was a lot of work. It was time to call in some reinforcements, and he knew exactly who he’d call: the one person in the world he trusted the most, the one person he knew would take care of Chloe as well as he would.

  It took him a while to calm the men down and get back home, and much to his relief, Chloe was still asleep, curled up on the couch like a cat. He smiled at her, thinking that she was going to be just as beautiful as her mother someday, but with the added beauty that her abilities would give her. To his surprise, that thought brought none of the pain and longing it usually did, only a nostalgic feeling of love that made him feel warm and happy.

  He stepped into the kitchen and pulled out his phone, it was much later in New York, but he was sure his sister would still be up. “Well, it’s about time you called me. I’ve been packing for hours,” she said, when she picked up his call.

  Justin groaned; he should have known that his sister would be a step ahead of him. She always was and never stopped rubbing it in his face. “How much have you figured out?” he asked, not wanting to explain more than he had to.