Crooked Changeling

by Samantha Bell

  Contents

  Title

  Copyright

  Teaser

  Title

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty One

  Twenty Two

  Twenty Three

  Epilogue

  Woodlock's Home for Magical Delinquents

  FREE BOOK

  Author's Note

  About the Author

  Newsletter

  CROOKED

  CHANGELING

  A Novella

  Woodlock’s Home for Magical Delinquents

  SAMANTHA BELL

  Copyright © 2020 Samantha Bell

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: TBA

  This is a work of fiction.

  Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either

  the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

  Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,

  or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover art by LSK Designs

  CROOKED CHANGELING

  I’m no criminal, but I’m no saint, either.

  I didn’t know much about my past and my future was looking pretty dim. I escaped foster care at the age of sixteen and never looked back, but my true identity finally caught up to me. The Fae world wants me back and I have no intention of letting them catch me.

  A life on the run isn’t glamorous, but it’s the only one I know. I’ve survived on my own as long as I could remember and that suits me fine. Then one night, I meet the Pack: Seth, Jasper, Chase, and Maddox, four irresistible shifters who make me think that maybe I don’t want to be alone after all.

  -

  CROOKED CHANGELING is a stand-alone reverse harem novella set in Woodlock’s Home for Magical Delinquents and takes place before Wayward Witch. The story contains depictions of sexuality, profanity, violence, and situations that may be triggering for some readers.

  CROOKED

  CHANGELING

  A Novella

  Woodlock’s Home for Magical Delinquents

  SAMANTHA BELL

  ONE

  ————————————

  LUNA

  I always had to keep an eye out for faeries.

  They were as tricky as they were sneaky and I’d barely escaped them too many times to count over the past four years. I had run away from foster care when I was sixteen and it didn’t take them long to catch wind of me. I had to move quick and often. These circumstances had left me perpetually homeless with nothing to my name, but anything was better than being caught.

  I scanned the crowd. Tourist areas were a sweet spot for suckers that wouldn’t miss a few dollars. I never stole or tricked anyone who looked down on their luck. From across the street, I noticed a woman sitting on a bench with her designer purse beside her. She was talking to some guy, leaving her valuables unguarded.

  Glancing around, I made my way through the people wandering through the market. It was a quaint, open concept mall, the kind of place that charmed the money right out of anyone who visited. Locals couldn’t afford to shop there, that’s for sure, so the summer tourist rush was like a gold mine.

  I walked by, ignoring the woman’s irritating giggle and with a flash grabbed her wallet and disappeared into the crowd before she even noticed. By the time she looked for her cash, I’d be long gone.

  I turned the corner, plucked out the sizable wad of bills, and tossed the pink leather wallet on an unoccupied bench. Maybe if she was lucky, she’d find it and be reunited with her credit cards and ID, but that didn’t matter to me. I had forty two dollars - a considerable pay day for a girl like me. I stashed the cash in my bra and kept moving.

  Thankfully, this place was filled with regular mundane people; there wasn’t a shifter, witch, or mage in sight. I was particularly good at sensing the supernatural folk, even though I had never really been part of their world. No one gave me a second glance, unless it was to stare at my pink hair.

  I got out of the crowds without incident and stopped to go through my spoils. I squatted in an alley and pulled the money from my bra. Counting that giant score, I had made almost a hundred today. A fanny pack was buckled tightly around my small waist and the zipper was locked tight. I opened the padlock and shoved the money in before locking it and pulling my over-sized sweater down over top of it. I couldn’t risk getting robbed while I was saving up.

  My plan was to ride out this tourist season then catch a bus down south so I wouldn’t have to spend another miserable North Eastern winter in homeless shelters. If all went according to plan, I’d get to California and then decide what to go from there. I never really did have a long-term goal besides not freezing my ass off.

  My stomach growled. I winced; I hadn’t eaten since yesterday. I pulled out ten bucks from the other side of my bra and stood up. Time to find some food before heading back to the shelter. The staff at the shelter was nice and all, but their food was seriously lacking. I’d rather go hungry than eat what they dared to call “oatmeal”, which was a insult to breakfasts everywhere.

  The sky was growing dark and it was best to grab a quick meal and head back before all the beds were full. I did not want to end up sleeping on the street; the air smelled like rain. I walked to the dive bar that I frequented a few times a week.

  The bar was run down and looked like the sort of place that would make a health inspector cry, but the beer was cheap, and the food was decent. Technically, I shouldn’t be drinking, but the owner wasn’t the type to check IDs and I wasn’t complaining.

  I took a spot by the bar and grabbed a paper menu. With ten dollars, I had enough for a cheap beer and a plate of nachos.

  “Good evening, Luna,” The bartender said with a smile. He was an older man with a few missing teeth. He was also the owner, and bus boy.

  I looked up from the menu. “Hey,” I said.

  “Same as last time?” He asked.

  “Yes, please,” I replied.

  The man set a large draft beer in front of me and then shouted through the swinging door to the kitchen.

  A few other customers were there, mostly keeping to themselves in booths and watching the soccer game on the single large screen tv that was mounted on the wall, packed tightly between vintage movie posters. The best part about this place was that no one tried to speak to me. I could eat in peace and unwind from a stressful day of picking pockets.

  The bartender, who’s name I had forgotten and was too embarrassed to ask for again, set down a huge plate of nachos a few minutes later.

  I slid him the ten dollar bill and dug in. The cheese was so hot that it stuck to my tongue and the jalapenos chased the burn with a sudden jolt of spice. They were delicious, and not just because I hadn’t eaten all day. I wolfed some down before coming to my senses and realizing that the cheese was burning my tongue. I took a swig of beer and paused.

  It was then that I realized someone was watching me. I flicked my gaze over to a guy who was sitting at the other end of the bar. He stared at me intently with dark eyes that were half-hidden under dark wavy hair. He had broad shoulders that stretched his t-shirt to the limit and tattoos that ran up his tanned forearms.

  My face burned red and I looked away. That sexy guy had just watched me shove food in my mouth like a star
ving animal. I cringed, suddenly losing my appetite.

  The bartender came over and set a pint of beer in front of me. The amber liquid practically glowed in the dim lighting. This was good quality stuff. “From the guy down the other end,” He said.

  I glanced back at the sexy stranger and blushed deeper.

  “You don’t have to accept it. Everything ok?” The bartender asked with genuine concern.

  I wasn’t going to turn down a free drink. “It’s ok. Thanks,” I chirped as I took the beer and brought it to my lips. The first drop hit my tongue and I literally had to hold in a moan. It was so good. I had never tasted anything like it before. I took a deep gulp and sighed.

  The man smirked from across the bar.

  I looked away nervously. I was attracting way to much attention to myself with this guy. I shot him a smile of thanks and then went back to eating, keeping my head propped up in my palm to block him from my view. The beer was making my head spin. I needed to eat and calm down before I made a real mess of myself.

  I kept one hand on the fanny pack tucked under my sweatshirt as I finished the meal. Once I was sure that my stomach had settled, I decided it was time to get the hell out of there before Mr. Free Beer decided he wanted to talk to me. He was sexy as hell, but that didn’t mean I should trust him. I had lived my life on my own for a reason. Men were dogs and so far no one had proved my theory wrong.

  “See ya later,” I said to the bartender with a wave. “Thanks.”

  “See ya, Luna,” He waved and went back to drying glasses.

  I resisted the urge to look back at the man at the bar. I walked out and kept my pace quick until I had turned the corner and the bar was out of sight. The smell of rain was getting stronger. I had a twenty minute trip back to the shelter, so I pulled up my hood and started walking.

  I walked fast, partly because I knew rain was coming and partly because the sun was setting. I should not have drunk that second beer, even though it tasted like liquid heaven.

  A pair of guys were standing outside a coffee shop. One was leaning against the iron railing with his wallet half-hanging out of his tight jeans.

  I saw it and was drawn to it like a moth to a light. I glanced around, no one would notice my nimble fingers. I put one foot in front of the other, walking faster and keeping my eye on the prize. As I passed the two men, I flicked my hand out and gently pulled his wallet out, moving faster than the eye would notice.

  I closed my hand around the brown leather and held it to my chest. My heart was pounding against my ribs. The wallet felt thick with cash and my body buzzed with the rush and the thrill of the hunt. Maybe I’d get out to California quicker than I hoped.

  “Hey!” A voice shouted. A man’s voice.

  I panicked and froze. Instead of ignoring him, I glanced over my shoulder, solidifying my guilt.

  The men were tense, poised to bolt any moment. Their eyes reflected in the streetlight and glittered a hazel color. Shit. I knew that look. They were shifters.

  TWO

  ————————————

  LUNA

  I did what anyone with half a brain cell would do in that situation. I dropped the wallet and ran.

  “Stop!” The man shouted out behind me.

  I ran faster. My feet ached in my worn-out Converse shoes as I hit the pavement over and over. I couldn’t outrun shifters if they decided to pursue me, but I had to try.

  I heard their boots hitting the ground behind me. Fuck, they were chasing me.

  If I was going to get away from them, I had to be smart as well as fast. I knew this area well, I wove in and out between alleys and hopped a fence to put as much distance between me and those guys as I could.

  My legs finally gave out and I collapsed against a wall. My chest heaved as I tried to get my heart rate down. My lungs were burning. I paused to listen for the sound of footsteps. Nothing. I let out a sigh and leaned against the wall.

  “Girl!” The man’s voice echoed around me.

  I gasped and bolted to my feet, but it was too late.

  The guy whose wallet I had nicked was standing in front of me. He had shoulder-length dirty blond hair and looked like he hadn’t shaved in a day or two. He was dressed head to toe in black. His friend, who appeared at my side was a ginger guy with swept back hair and pierced ears. The top two buttons of his shirt were open, revealing a chest tattoo.

  The first man held up his wallet. “What the hell were you thinking?”

  “I’m sorry,” I stammered. My eyes flicked back and forth as I tried to figure out an escape plan. They had me cornered and shifters could smell fear, or so I was told. I swallowed. “Please don’t hurt me.”

  The red head growled low in his throat.

  I clenched my fists at my sides. I had learned to fight the hard way - through experience. If they wanted trouble, I’d give it to them.

  “Calm down,” The first man said. “I don’t want to hurt you. I want to help you.”

  I didn’t believe that in the slightest. “Why would you help someone who robbed you?” I asked.

  “Because there was a reason you robbed me. Most people don’t pick pockets for fun,” He said.

  Despite myself, I relaxed a fraction. “I’m sorry, ok? Just let me go.” A drop of rain hit my forehead. More splatters hit the pavement around us, darkening it in small pools. These supernatural guys could kill me right now if they wanted to, but instead they were lecturing me about petty theft.

  Footsteps approached. My jaw dropped as I locked eyes with the sexy curly-haired guy from the bar. He glanced between the shifters and me. “Is there a problem here?”

  My skin went cold as his eyes glittered. He was a shifter too. Holy fuck was I in trouble. I had accepted a drink from him. Did I owe him now? I had no idea how shifter customs worked.

  “Seth,” The first man said. He was pale compared to the other’s bronzed complexion. “This girl here tried to rob me.”

  Seth didn’t look at me. “Did you get your wallet back?”

  The blond nodded.

  The red head growled again. “There’s something off about her, I can smell it.”

  I winced. My heart was trembling. Did they know the truth about me? Could they sense my supernatural blood?

  “Jasper. Maddox,” Seth said to the blond and red head, respectively. “Why don’t you let this poor morsel go before it starts raining?”

  Maddox begrudgingly to a step back.

  The rain was already coming down quicker. I didn’t wait for them to say another word. I bolted out of the alley as fast as I could, not daring to stop or look back until I got to the women’s shelter.

  By the time I stopped, the rain was coming down in sheets and my sweater was wet and heavy. My small backpack, which held all my belongings, was soaked too. I rang the buzzer for entrance to the shelter.

  A crackling voice replied a minute later. “Beds are full, sorry,” The voice was unapologetic. There was a beep and the connection was cut off before I could protest.

  I stared at the door for a minute and rubbed my arms. I bet I would have made it in time if I hadn’t gotten greedy. That wallet and those guys were nothing but bad news. I let out a long sigh and tried to focus on the positive. At least it was summer, and the rain would have to stop eventually.

  I sat on the steps of the shelter, using the overhang to protect me from the rain and waited for the storm to stop.

  ***

  I lost track of how long I sat there and eventually began to nod off. I jolted awake to find that the rain stopped, and the sky was beginning to lighten with the coming day.

  Groaning, I managed to get to my feet. My body was stiff and sore from sitting curled up on the cement stairs and my clothing was still damp. It was going to smell. I’d have to find a laundromat soon, anyways. First thing to do was to track down some coffee and then I would get cleaned up.

  There was a corner store a few blocks over. The coffee sucked and it was probably a few hours old, but
it did the job. I put the change down on the counter, ignoring the look that the cashier sent me. I was used to being looked down at by now.

  “Do you know if there’s a laundromat near by?” I asked.

  “Two blocks over,” The cashier said, not bothering to hide his sneer.

  I didn’t thank him. I took a gulp of coffee and let the door slam behind me. The air was hot and thick with humidity, making me feel even more gross. At least I’d get a shower at the shelter tonight. I’d make sure I wasn’t late.

  I found the laundromat without incident. It was coin operated and open twenty-four hours. I thanked my luck when I found it empty. I stripped down to my tank top and bike shorts that I wore underneath my leggings. Hopefully, there was no one else around who would decide to do laundry at three in the morning and I would have a fresh set of clothes.

  I shoved change in the washer and slammed the lid shut. Now, I had nothing to do but wait. All my clothes were in the washer except for the tank top and shorts I was wearing. I kept the fanny pack buckled tight around my waist.

  Just as I was transferring my clothes to the dryer, I began to get a weird feeling in my gut. Something wasn’t right. I felt as if I was being watched. The dryer rumbled, but that was the only sound I could hear. There was no one else around. I knew that feeling and I knew I couldn’t ignore it for long. My supernatural intuition was kicking in.

  I couldn’t run out of here without my clothes. I’d have to wait. I sank down and hid next to the dryer, sitting on the floor to wait out the next forty minutes. All I could do was hope that whatever was tracking me wouldn’t find me soon. I knew the Fae hunters and it was only a matter of time before they caught up to me again.

  I dug through the cash in my fanny pack and counted it. I had enough to catch a bus and leave a few states’ worth of some distance between us. How long until I’d have to flee again? This sucked. I locked up my money and glanced at the timer counting down on the dryer.