Shay's Shifters [Mountain Men of Montana 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (2 page)

She held her breath, waiting for a response, a reaction, even the twitch of a finger, but received none. Seeing Willa in her horrible condition was bad enough, but seeing strong, virile Bill sent a chill down her spine. Whatever had happened wasn’t anything she could solve. She pulled out her phone and dialed 9-1-1.

The emergency operator answered on the second ring. Shay took a second to thank her lucky stars since she knew cell phone reception was hit-and-miss in the mountains. But at least it had hit this time.

“I need an ambulance at 529 Amber Lane. Yes, it’s up in the mountains. It’s a right turn off Ridge Road. Can you please hurry? My friends are very ill. No, I don’t know what’s wrong with them. Just hurry.”

The operator suggested she stay on the line, so she held on to the phone and turned back to find Willa standing in front of the large ceiling-to-floor picture window overlooking the backyard and the forest beyond. Willa’s back was ramrod straight, and, for one wonderful moment, she thought her friend had snapped out of whatever awful thing possessed her.

“Hold on, Willa. Help’s coming.”

She heard the operator’s voice and brought the phone back to her ear. “Yeah. I’m still here. But I need to do more than wait. Yes, I’ll hang on.”

She pulled the bedspread rumpled at Bill’s feet up to his chin then laid her palm against his clammy cheek.

Bill had swept Willa off her feet two years earlier, and although Shay had never liked him much, she’d seen how happy he’d made her friend. For that reason alone, she cared about him.

She brought the phone back to her ear. “I don’t know what happened. Their names are Bill and Willa Schutte. I think they’re ill, but I’m not sure. They may have had an intruder in the home. What? No, there’s no one else here.” At least she didn’t think so. Maybe she should’ve checked before assuming that.

She walked over to Willa’s side, putting the phone against her chest. “Sweetie, is anyone else in the house? Did someone break in and do this to you?” But even if an intruder had broken in, would that explain Willa’s odd behavior?

Willa didn’t answer. Instead, she placed a hand against the windowpane. A tear slid down her cheek. “I used to love it here.”

“You’ll love it again. You’ll get past this. I know you will. And when you do, you’ll love it again.”

The forest outside was as beautiful as she remembered. The blanket of snow made the peaceful scene surreal, giving it a fairy-tale quality that a snowfall in a city could never match.

She sighed and wondered if her hometown of Passion, Colorado, had gotten its first big snowfall yet. She’d told her friend Tatum Griffin that she was coming home soon to meet the three Shelton men she lived with. After taking several months exploring California for a new home, she’d given up and had decided to return to Passion and her roots. Willa’s call, however, had delayed her trip, or she would’ve been home by now.

“What are you looking at?”

Willa didn’t answer immediately, and when she did, her voice changed, growing dark and ominous. “The woods are so beautiful.”

How can she say it’s beautiful yet sound so grave? Maybe she’s not thinking straight yet. Please let help come soon.

“Yeah. It’s pretty cool out here, especially when it snows.”

“Don’t let it fool you. The blackness hides within it.”

Shay couldn’t help but shiver. When had the perpetually effervescent Willa ever sounded so grim? “What do you mean?”

Willa turned to her, her usually dancing eyes solemn and sad. “Be careful. Don’t let it get you.”

It?
“Don’t let what get me?”

Bill moaned, turning both of them toward him. Willa scurried over to the bed, climbed on top of it, and molded her body to his.

Shay moved toward the door, telling herself that she needed to watch for the paramedics. Yet as soon as she stepped outside the bedroom and closed the door behind her, she couldn’t hide from the fact that she’d needed to get away from her friends. It was almost as though they contained the darkness Willa spoke of and could somehow infect her.

* * * *

Shay had followed her friends to the local hospital and had given the doctors as much information as she could. Uncomfortable staying at her friend’s home while they weren’t there, she’d rented a room at a small family-run motel a few miles down the road.

The next day, she went back to Willa’s home and changed the bedding, washing it in hot water then deciding at the last moment to throw it in the trash and replace it with different bedding. She scoured the kitchen as well as the three bathrooms and sprayed disinfectant everywhere. After hauling the broken furniture to the backyard, she made a list of items they’d need to replace. But she’d let Willa and Bill do that part if and when they wanted to. Yet, even after putting the home in order, she sensed that the horror that had befallen her friends didn’t reside in the house. Instead, she found herself gazing at the woods, searching as hard as she could for…something.

She returned to the hospital the second night, hoping for good news, but the doctors still didn’t understand what was wrong. In place of a real answer, they assured Shay that they’d continue to do the best they could. Shay contacted their families and, at their insistence, agreed to stay on until they could arrive the next day.

On the third day, an hour before Willa’s brother and Bill’s sister arrived, Willa and Bill suddenly awakened as though from a bad dream. They even seemed like their old selves.

Except for the fact that they couldn’t remember what had happened.

Shay hugged her friends good-bye and, leaving them to their relieved relatives, hurried back to the motel. Although a part of her wanted to stay until they were discharged from the hospital, another part of her wanted nothing more than to get away. She’d explained as much to her friends, who had thanked her and had assured her that they were fine.

Shay punched the buttons on her phone. The past grueling days were over, and she couldn’t wait to get home to Passion.

“Hello? Is that you, you skinny bitch?”

As it usually did whenever she spoke to Tatum, a smile formed on her face. She could envision her friend’s long brown hair, hazel eyes, and the freckles that skimmed over the bridge of her nose. Yet, even though she hadn’t seen her friend for months, she could sense that Tatum had changed. The shy girl with the large glasses and oversized clothes was gone. Since meeting the three Shelton brothers, Tatum had transformed, abruptly changing into a confident, sexy young woman. She didn’t have to see her friend to know it was true. She could hear it in her voice.

“Yeah, it’s me. The Bitch of the West. Although skinny I’m not.”

“Bitch in name only. Shay, where the hell are you anyway? I expected you back home by now. Or did you find a hot California surfer dude to hook up with?”

She couldn’t blame her friend for jumping to that assumption. If she’d found a hot surfer dude, she wouldn’t have hesitated to stay on to enjoy both him and the beach. As far as Shay was concerned, life was for fun, and she wasn’t going to miss a single second. Although she knew she wasn’t what most people would call beautiful, she could hold her own with men. In fact, she was sure that most of them preferred a woman with curves instead of the flat-chested, bony bitches the advertising world inflicted on society. She had generous breasts and was damn proud of it, flaunting her “girls” with low-cut tops every time she got the chance. Her face wasn’t classically attractive with her wide forehead and her round face, but she thought she looked intelligent and yet still approachable, forming a combination that most men liked.

Shay had led a charmed life. The only daughter of doting, wealthy parents, she’d had everything she’d ever wanted. If she lived two lifetimes, she couldn’t spend all the money in her trust fund. Yet, according to everyone who knew her, she’d remained unspoiled, caring, and giving. And ready to play on the wild side of life as often as she could.

She’d tried to find a place to settle in during her long trek around California, but no place had ever come close to feeling like home. How she’d ever thought she could find a better place to live than Passion, Colorado, she’d never know. She missed the artsy, eclectic community where billionaires like her parents mixed easily with starving artists and the tourists who flocked to the small town in the summer months. Passion had its share of the eccentric, too, and there were even rumors that supernatural beings such as werewolves and vampires lived in and around the town. She’d seen a few things in her life to make her think that the rumors might be true.

“Shay, are you there?”

“Yeah, I’m still here. But no such luck about the man thing. I, um, took a detour.”

“A detour? Where to?”

“To a friend’s house.” She’d tell Tatum what happened at Willa’s home, but not over the phone. Some things needed to be told in person. “But I’m leaving today. I should get to Passion in a couple of days.”

“You mean unless another detour pops up.”

Shay laughed for the first time since she’d arrived at Willa’s. “Well, you know what I always say. If opportunity knocks, open the damn door.”

“Yeah, I know. Okay, then. But I expect you to call me the minute you get back into town.”

“I promise. Make sure those three men of yours are ready for an interrogation. If I think they’re good enough for you, I might let you keep them.”

Tatum’s laugh was bright and cheery, sending Shay the warmth she needed. “Girl, no one’s taking my men away from me. Not even you.”

“Okay, now I’ve really got to meet them. They must be super special.”

“You don’t know the half of it. Drive carefully and be safe.”

“Got it. Check you soon, Tee.” She punched the off button and snatched up her suitcase. “I can’t wait to get the hell out of here.”

She swung by the front desk, dropped off the key, then hurried to her car.

Shay scraped off the mound of snow that had accumulated on her hood and windshield as she let her Porsche warm up. The snow had started coming down in large, white flakes, adding to the inch of wet stuff already making the road hazardous to drive. She’d never liked driving in less than favorable conditions, and each trip she’d made between Willa’s home, the hospital, and her motel had shaken her nerves. She hated winding around the hillside with the sharp drop off the side only a half foot from the edge of her wheels, but at least she’d only have to do it once more. However, with the extra inches of powder added, the drive down would be even harder.

She checked the position of the sun heading toward the western horizon then looked at her phone for the time. Leaving in midafternoon gave her plenty of cushion to make it down the mountain before nightfall set in.

Or at least that’s what she hoped.

She slipped into the driver’s side and cranked up the heater. Not for the first time, she wished she’d left her car in a city at the base of the mountain range and rented a pickup or Jeep with snow chains for the trip to Willa’s. But she’d wanted to get to her friend as fast as possible.

“I can do this. All I have to do is take it slow and easy.” She’d managed other roads during storms and less than desirable conditions, and she’d manage this one, too. Pulling away from the motel, she glanced back once and sent good thoughts to her friends still recuperating in the hospital.

Ten minutes later, she’d relaxed enough to sing along with the Pink CD she’d popped into the player. The edge of the mountainside was still too close for comfort, but she kept her gaze on the road ahead and away from the terrifying free fall. Yet no matter how she tried, she couldn’t shake Willa’s ominous warning.

What had she meant? What was the blackness in the woods? For a moment, she was thankful that the road was flanked on one side by the rocky cliff and on the other by the steep drop over the side. No forest meant no blackness, right?

She shrugged off the tension tightening her shoulders and focused on what she’d do once she made it home to Passion. First, she’d check in with friends, especially Tatum. She was dying to meet the men Tee had fallen in love with in such a short time.

Was it love at first sight? She scoffed. She’d never believed in that kind of thing. How could she when she’d never fallen in love at all? Love was a two-sided sword. One day it would bring happiness, and, in the next, it could bring despair and heartache. She had no desire to leave her fun-loving life, free to roam wherever and whenever she wanted.

She slowed down to maneuver around a curve and noticed that she’d reached the part of the road that was bordered on one side by the statuesque trees. Again, she thought of Willa’s words then shoved them out of her mind. Why focus on such dreariness when all was right with the world again?

She let out a sigh then reached over to flip through the stack of CDs on the passenger seat. Grabbing another disc, she punched the player’s eject button, snatched Pink out of the player, and slipped the new one in.

She glanced up, and all hell broke loose.

Like a bear standing on its hind legs, a dark shape stood in the middle of the road, its front legs bent like a dog begging for a bone. A thin neck led to an oval-shaped head and large, elongated red eyes glowed in a face that seemed more alien than human. Flashing long, deadly fangs, the thing leapt out from in front of the car to disappear into the woods.

Shay let out a scream and stomped on the brake, sending the car into a tailspin. She clutched the steering wheel then turned into the spin, but by then the vehicle was a bullet already flying toward its destination. Blurred images of the edge of the cliff, then the trees, then the cliff again whirled by her until finally coming to rest on the trees. The Porsche struck a tree dead-on, throwing her body back then forward.

Pain seared through her forehead. A warm substance slimed its way down, over her eyebrow and onto her eyelid. She kept her eyes shut, letting the shudder ricocheting through her body come to its final destination at the bottom of her feet. The ache in her head intensified when she opened her eyes.

Snowflakes drifted toward the ground as she stared through her side window and into the trees. Quiet as the dead, the world around her continued, oblivious to her predicament. She moaned, searching outward with her hands until she finally gripped the steering wheel. She pushed backward until her shoulders rested against the back of her seat. The vision in her right eye blurred as blood dripped into it.