Things That Go Hump In The Night (84 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Nevermore

Cool
night air brushed at my forehead. I opened my eyes, confused about the mysterious breeze touching my skin. Beside me, Riker rolled over in his sleep, mumbling softly and then falling back to dream land.

Now that I was awake, I felt restless. Sliding carefully out of bed, I did my best not to disturb Riker as I strode on soft feet out of the bedroom and into the living room.

The view out the floor-to-ceiling windows was breathtaking. Belmont City was beautiful at night; though smaller than its big city counterparts like New York and Chicago, the skyline seemed to come alive on a clear night like this.

I glanced back to make sure Riker still slept. Carefully, I opened up the balcony door and slipped outside, propping it open with a potted plant so I wouldn’t get stuck out here.

There was something strange in the air tonight. Maybe it was just my anxiety after being taken the night before, but I could almost feel static electricity dancing across my arms. I rubbed them with my hands, staring out into the city and the far-away ocean tides.

Who would’ve thought I’d wind up here.
My simple life at school felt like nothing next to the revelations of the last few days.
I thought I was moving to a college town, and now I’m claimed by a man who turns into a panther.
I’d never feel normal again.

The thought made my lips twist up in a smile. It should’ve scared me; it should’ve made me want to run far away, to some normal town in the middle of Nebraska or Ohio, where people drank tap water and thought that paranormal legends existed only in TV shows. Instead I felt like something had been missing from my whole life, and now I’d found it.

Closing my eyes, I lost myself in the sensation of the wind on my face.

Wind that felt almost like feathers. Wind that sounded like the caw-caw of black-feathered birds.

Opening my eyes, I stared around in shock at the ravens perched on the balcony railing. Dozens more were free-falling in my direction, talons out as they hurtled themselves at every perch around me. They landed at my feet, their beady eyes staring up at me inquisitively.

“What—what is going on?” I tried to remember if I’d seen any raven shifters at the cave, but all I could recall were predators, their teeth gleaming at me. “Why are you all here?”

I backed up and reached for the door behind me, but in all the mayhem it’d slammed shut and was locked. Heart pounding, I knocked on the glass, hoping Riker would wake up in time.

We’re here to warn you.
Their voices were a hundred echoing thoughts in my head; only the quiet sound of their soft
caw-caws
let me know they were also speaking aloud.
We’re to tell all witches of what is to come.

Eyes wide, I shook my head in denial. “I’m no witch. Neither is Riker. You’re at the wrong apartment.”

In eerie unison they cocked their heads.
Those marked are witches. They hear our voices.

I swallowed heavily, lost for words. “Okay. You’ve warned me. Now go.”

The warning is not the end. You must know–

Behind me, the balcony door flew open. I teetered forward, almost falling on the birds—they weren’t there. The balcony was empty.

“Mara? Are you okay?” Riker looked at me with concern, his eyes still bleary with sleep. “I heard you knocking at the door. Your heart is pounding so fast.”

It was all I could do not to laugh hysterically. “I came out here for air and got stuck. I thought I saw—” I shook my head, dismissing it. “It must’ve been a dream. There were ravens. A whole flock of them—almost a hundred.”

He smiled at me, banishing all my dark thoughts. “Ravens? You must be seeing things in the dark. Adult ravens form pairs, not flocks.” Riker kissed my forehead, his lips soothing my fears. As he laced his arms around me, I knew that come what may, we were in it together. “Come back to bed, princess. I’ll make the dreams go away.”

“You’re right. It was just a dream. Let’s go to bed.”

Taking my hand, he led me back indoors, where safety and comfort awaited us. Lying next to him in bed, I let myself forget my troubles. Nothing could get to me as long as my protector held me close.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Federal Agent

“
Hey
. Heeey!” The voice was young, irritated, and incredibly loud. “I think I’m going into anaphylactic shock. There weren’t any peanuts in my dinner, were there? I’m allergic.” There was a long pause as the officers on duty all pretended they couldn’t hear him. “Hellooo? I might be dying.”

The kid didn’t make for a very good prisoner.
I hate the night shift,
Reynolds reflected, as he and his partner exchanged loaded glances.

“It’s your turn,” she said, like a newlywed sending her husband to take care of the baby—only this was no baby, but a delusional drug dealer with anger issues.

“Thanks,” he told Hernandez, his voice loaded with irritated sarcasm. They weren’t getting along too well now that they’d both been demoted to desk duty and glorified babysitting on the night shift at the jail. She blamed him, he was tired of being blamed, and they both despised feeling useless at work.

The sooner this shift is over, the better,
he reflected as he strode towards the secure holding cells.

“Alright, Danny boy,” he said, “you don’t look like you’re dying.” He inspected the dumb idiot from between the bars; an evening in prison hadn’t been good to the greasy fool.

“There’s someone after me.” His eyes were wide with paranoia as he clasped on to the cell bars. “I need out of here, right now. I can’t go to prison.”

“This isn’t prison. It’s
jail.
Though the difference may be inconsequential to you. And I don’t decide if you go to prison or not—that’s for a judge to say. Though considering the amount of illegal narcotics we found in your hotel room and apartment, I wouldn’t plan anything for the next six months. Now shut up and go to sleep.”

“Please. You have to protect me. It’s coming for me.”

There was real fear in the kid’s voice. Reynolds didn’t get it; he hadn’t seemed high when they booked him, but he was bugging out like any tweaker would.
Maybe it’s drug withdrawal.

“Whoever you think is coming for you, you’re safer here than you would be anywhere else.” He patted his sidearm for emphasis. “Dry out in the tank like any other addict. It’ll all be over with before you know it.”

“You don’t get it. That thing isn’t
human.
” Danny paced back and forth, running trembling fingers through his unwashed hair. “It’ll slip in here like smoke. It only
looks
like a panther. Really it’s a beast, black as night and angry as hell.”

His voice had fallen to whispered tones, but Reynolds heard him clear as day. “A panther, you said? Not human?”

Danny’s head snapped over to look at him. “Yes. Not human. A
beast.
A—a demon, or a…”

“Shapeshifter?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

The officer considered his options for a few moments.
Something in the water.
Reaching into his pocket, he fingered the shiny black business card he’d kept for days. It was embossed with the words “Federal Agency of Inexplicable Crimes” on the front, with the initials J.S. and a phone number on the back.

“We may be able to get you out of here after all,” he mused to Danny, an idea beginning in his head. “I have a feeling I know someone who wants the information you have.”

If he played his cards right, Reynolds wouldn’t be on desk duty again anytime soon.

Pack members get updates on new releases:

http://lucyauburn.com/join-the-pack/

And don’t forget to sign up for an advanced copy of Feral, Book Two in the Wild Heart Chronicles:

http://lucyauburn.com/become-an-arc-member/

Lucy Auburn is a paranormal romance writer who lives in the Southwest.

She loves writing about supernatural shifters in the fictional town of Belmont City.

Catch up with her online at
www.lucyauburn.com
.

Bear & Broken

A Billionaire Shifter Romance

By Mercy May

Chapter One

KALVIN

The first punch that collided with my ribs was enough to send me reeling against the side of the cage. Even with the wall there to catch me, I nearly slumped to the floor of the octagon, the air having abandoned my lungs. I gasped once then forced myself back to a standing position, hands up and bracing for another blow.

My opponent ducked low, his lithe and muscular form crouching into the familiar stance of a stalking predator. The big cat inside him - I couldn’t tell if it was a mountain lion or a jaguar, they both stink the same - all but roared at me as he curled his face up into a snarl.

My own bear, disgusted by the smaller shifter’s display, force-fed its strength into my tiring muscles and demanded that I lunge at him. Fighting off the urge to give into my opponent’s game plan, I instead planted both of my feet, squared up and lowered my center of gravity.

No sooner had I positioned myself when my opponent dove forward, lunging at my legs in an attempt to take me to the ground. I had anticipated his movement, countering instead by ducking low and grabbing onto the Big Cat’s shoulders, slipping one leg backward, then driving the same knee into his face as I jerked his body toward the floor.

My knee collided with the Big Cat’s face with a resounding crunch, instantly breaking his nose and sending him reeling onto the floor of the octagon. Outside the cage, the cheers of hundreds of bloodthirsty shifters rang out, echoing around the arena. This is what they’d come to see.

This is what I’d come to do.

I played to the crowd a bit while the Big Cat continued to writhe around in pain on the floor. I beat my fist against my broad and muscular chest, letting my bear release its signature bestial roar.

This is my territory, the bear roared inside my head. I’m the alpha here.

For months, this had been my routine. During the day, I worked as a successful entrepreneur. The founder of one of the world’s most progressive and valuable start-ups, I had more money than I could ever dream of spending. More resources than any person could ever need. And the thing is, I didn’t want anything to do with any of it. It had been by fluke and my bear’s single-minded determination that I’d become so wealthy. By the time I had realized what was going on and just how much money I was making, there was no putting a stop to it. I had an image to maintain now, and that image came with some serious consequences. One of which was that I would never be able to let my true self, my bear, out into the open.

So at night, I moonlighted as a cage fighter in an underground shifters-only fight club. Shifters from all over the region came to duke it out inside the cage. Not for money, but for dominance. To prove to their inner beast that they and not the others were the greatest. The fights drew crowds that swelled well into the hundreds at times, every one of them a shifter just itching for their chance at dominance. Most would never make it inside the octagon, though. They were too weak. Too fragile. Meant to be subordinate and ignored.

But not me. Not my bear.

Here, I was king.

As I made my way around the octagon, still playing at the crowd, I heard the familiar sound of flesh tearing and bones rending. Before I had a chance to turn around, a deafening roar sounded, silencing the cheers from the crowd. The distinct scent of a big cat was suddenly stronger, and I turned to see a massive mountain lion crouched down in front of me, its fangs bared and claws ready to strike.

My bear snarled as I braced myself, preparing to shift. My opponent had violated the rules. Shifting during a fight was strictly prohibited. But I’ll be damned if I wasn’t going to defend myself.

I started to clear my mind, letting the bear’s consciousness overtake my own, but it was already too late. Before I could shift, the massive mountain lion lunged toward me, its fangs digging into my shoulder as I threw my arms up in a defensive posture.

I roared as the pain ignited my senses, doing everything I could to force my opponent off of me. I threw a pair of punches into the lion’s stomach, but to no avail. The beast continued to tear into my shoulder, absolutely deadening my left arm.

I was bleeding profusely then and the world was starting to spin. I knew it wouldn’t be long before I lost consciousness or worse. But there was nothing I could do get the monstrous beast off of me.

BOOM
!

An explosion sounded from the back of the arena, followed by a sickening thud right in front of my face. The mountain lion’s grip on my shoulder lessened suddenly and the beast dropped to the floor of the octagon, a tranquilizer dart protruding from its neck.

I stared at the mountain lion for a long moment before collapsing to the floor, the world suddenly fading into black.