Crooked Changeling

by Samantha Bell

  All three of us sighed in unison.

  “Now that would be the life,” I said. “No more North-Eastern winters? Sign me the fuck up!”

  “As long as we’re all together, I don’t care where we go,” Maddox added.

  The atmosphere softened and I smiled at him. “Same.” I shook my head and laughed. “What have you guys done to me? Seriously! I never wanted to be in a relationship, let alone one with and entire pack. Now I’m content with settling down on a beach somewhere? I swear you’ve brain washed me.”

  “For the better?” Jasper asked.

  I didn’t even have to consider it. “Definitely.”

  We spent the rest of the day making small talk and begrudgingly eating the instant oatmeal and canned fruit that was in the kitchen. It felt good to just hang out with these guys and do my best to block out the feeling that I knew this wouldn’t last for long.

  ***

  I didn’t remember when I fell asleep, but when nightmares woke me, the house was dark. Jasper was on the sofa across from me, also asleep.

  “Maddox?” I whispered. No response. I slipped a sweater over my shoulders and softly padded around the lower floor of the home. No one had been upstairs yet and the dust on the first step was undisturbed, so, where was he?

  A small light caught my eye and I opened the front door. Maddox was on the porch swing, staring off into the distance.

  “Luna, you should be inside.” He didn’t look at me.

  “I know that. I just can’t sleep. I’m too scared,” I admitted, walked to the side of the swing. “Why are you here?”

  “Waiting for them. Keeping watch.”

  I nodded, sitting down beside him. The soft swaying calmed me instantly. “I’m worried for them, too.”

  “It’s going to be alright,” Maddox pulled me close and kissed my forehead. “You’ll see. You have the pack. We’ll be simply fine.”

  “I’m worried about Seth and Chase. I saw them in my dream. What if they don’t make it?” I asked.

  “We have all their stuff here. As soon as the coast is clear, they’ll shift and be here in no time. Wolves are good runners. I’m sure Chase will be able to keep up, too.” He added with a cocky smirk.

  “I’ve never heard of a pack like you guys before,” I admitted, settling closer to him. “A pack with different species must be so rare.”

  Maddox nodded. “And you’re our fifth misfit,” He said with a smile. “And I mean that it the best possible way.” He kissed my cheek, his lips working down to my next.

  I shivered. “Maddox,” I warned.

  “I know, darling,” He growled. “But I want you.”

  “Out here?” I squeaked.

  “There’s no one around for miles,” The wolf insisted.

  Who was I kidding? The thrill was getting to me. I squeaked as Maddox pulled me onto his lap and ran his hands over my thighs.

  “I’ve waited for so long. I’ve been so patient, waiting for my turn with you.” Maddox whispered against my flesh.

  I was hot and wet, ready, and almost delirious with need. Every single touch sparked against my skin. I kissed him and then slid down to the floor, positioning myself between his legs and touching his hard member where it bulged out, straining his jeans. “I’ve wanted this, too.”

  Maddox’s breath hitched. “Take what you want, Luna,” He said.

  I slowly unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his jeans. I did it without breaking eye contact, my heart fluttering in my chest. His dick sprung free, thick, and glistening. My lips trembled. I opened wide and took him into my mouth, pushing down until the head of his cock hit the back of my throat. I moved slowly, working my tongue up and down the shaft.

  A moan erupted from him. “Oh shit, yes,” He gasped and grabbed a handful of my hair. With his other hand, he reached down to massage one of my breasts.

  I worked up and down the length of him slowly, pausing for breath and keeping my lips around his girth.

  Maddox’s thighs began to twitch. “Ah, Luna. I want you. Let me take you.” He didn’t wait a moment after I gave him a lustful look. He stood up turned me against the railing and pulled my leggings down to my knees. He entered me in a single thrust.

  I felt his fingers digging into my hips. The pain and the pleasure mixed into a cocktail of euphoria. I closed my eyes, forgetting for the moment that we were outside in plain sight. If any car drove by now, they would see us making love like this. The thought made it that much hotter.

  Maddox pulled down my shirt and exposed me to the cool night air.

  My legs were trembling now. I leaned against the railing for support as I took his every stroke. “Maddox, I can’t take this much longer. What are you doing to me?” I was completely filled by his hardness; he was stretching me to the limit, my tightness was emphasized by this position.

  “Cum with me, my mate,” He growled. Maddox wrapped his arms around me, pushing our bodies together as he emptied his load inside of me.

  I saw stars, cumming with him, my tremors matching his. A moan escaped my lips, echoing in the dark.

  Maddox kissed the back of my neck, slipping my leggings back up over my hips. “Mm, darling you were worth the wait, but now I fear I might be addicted.”

  “No one says we have to stop,” I said as I kissed him.

  “Oh my, sorry to interrupt.” A familiar voice chuckled from the driveway.

  It was Seth and Chase. Both men were completely naked after shifting back into their human forms.

  I gasped, pulling my shirt down to cover my chest.

  “Why are you shy? It’s not like we haven’t seen it before,” Seth laughed. “But I am getting chilly, so if someone could grab us clothes, that would great.”

  Chase shivered. “I miss my fur sometimes.”

  TWENTY-ONE

  ————————————

  LUNA

  “If we’re going to stay here much longer, someone is going to need to get groceries,” Jasper grumbled.

  “Do you think we can get pizza delivered out here?” Chase asked, obviously on the same track. His stomach growled. Shifter appetites were no joke.

  “Probably not,” Seth said as he emerged from the washroom. He was freshly showered and clothed. His dark hair was still damp.

  Jasper growled in his throat. “Why don’t I take the SUV to get us some supplies?”

  My first instinct was to say no. I didn’t want the pack to split up again. I couldn’t take another minute of worrying about the guys.

  Seth considered for a moment. “I don’t like us splitting up,” He said. “But we have no choice. There aren’t enough supplies to get us through.”

  “Or pizza,” Chase added.

  “I’ll go.” Jasper glanced at me, like he could sense my anxiety spike. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”

  I nodded. What choice did I have? Someone had to go get food and cross the iron barriers. I hugged my arms around myself.

  Jasper left a few minutes later, once he was sure that his cell phone was charged. The magic barriers inside Woodlock’s always messed with technology so it was a habit to always check battery and phone service, according to him.

  I sat between Seth and Maddox as Chase used the last of the instant coffee. Seth stroked my hair softly. “I love the pink so much more,” He said, remembering how I had to glamor myself in Woodlock’s to keep attention away.

  “Me too,” I said. I was so warm and comfortable between my alpha and his second-in-command. It felt so right to have their hard bodies against mine.

  The comfort was short lived.

  That creeping feeling returned to my head. The faerie hunter. The ominous aura surrounded me. “Seth,” I said softly.

  “What is it, morsel?” Seth wrapped a tendril of my hair around his finger.

  “Something bad is coming,” I said.

  All three shifters became alert. It was like flipping a switch.

  “The hunter. I can sense her again.” My voice s
queaked. “I thought she was taken care of?”

  “She was,” Chase said wearily.

  “It’s fine, we have the iron wards in place.” Maddox said with a wave of his hand. “She can’t get through it.”

  I was restless now. I stood up, pacing, and glancing out the window. There was no one to be seen, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t out there. I pulled the curtains closed. It was then that I noticed my hands shaking.

  “You sure the wards are up correctly?” Seth asked.

  Maddox nodded. “Checked and double-checked, everything according to old man Woodlock’s instructions. He was a paranoid guy, that’s for sure.”

  I was the one feeling paranoid, but with good reason. The faeries had been hunting me for years and every time they got a little bit closer to capturing me. If it wasn’t for the pack, I would probably be in the faerie realm by now, enslaved for the rest of my life.

  “We should double check anyways,” Chase suggested. He glanced at Seth, to be sure.

  The alpha nodded. “I agree.” He kissed me. “Stay here, morsel.”

  “Let me come,” I said.

  Seth’s lips switched as he stopped himself from laughing at the pun. He cleared his throat. “Fine but stay on the porch.”

  I paced on the porch while the pack checked the iron wards, which made a small circle around the home. It was wide enough for us to get about twenty paces out and still feel the safety of the wards. The air was still, and the sun was high in the sky now.

  I cautiously stepped out into the sun. The warmth radiated off my skin and I let out a sigh. I hated this running and hiding and protection. I just wanted this to end one way or another.

  Another cold shiver passed through my body. “She’s coming,” I said to alert the pack.

  Seth glared at me as I approached him. “Get back inside!”

  “Too late!”

  There she was. The faerie hunter dressed in her white uniform with a charm necklace glittering at the base of her neck. It reflected the moonlight. She had a sword in one hand, dangling almost carelessly. “Luna!” She called out in a sing-song voice.

  “She’s found us,” I whispered.

  The faerie hunter’s pale face broke into a grin. “Your little doggy friends can’t get rid of me so easily.” She flicked her wrist and a silver sword appeared in her hand. Despite the contrast between the sword’s weight and the faerie’s slight figure, she lifted it with ease. The blade glimmered.

  Seth and Maddox growled on either side of me.

  “We should have shredded her when we had the chance,” Chase hissed.

  “What do you want?” I demanded. I knew full well that the hunter had every intention of bringing me back to the faerie realm, but we stood a greater chance of survival if I could stall until Jasper arrived.

  The faerie hunter paced back and forth, blocked by the iron ring buried underground. “You can’t wait in here forever, and when you do, I will kill you.”

  “What?” I gasped.

  “The faerie queen is annoyed. My orders are to kill you. Only in death will you be free of her hunters.”

  “In death,” I repeated under my breath.

  “You need to get inside,” Seth said.

  I stood my ground. “No. I can fight.”

  “The hunter plans on killing you. What part of that do you not understand?” Chase grumbled. “You don’t need to be brave, Luna. Right now, you need to be smart.”

  “She can’t cross the iron defenses,” I countered.

  “Don’t be so sure about that, impures,” The faerie hunter said. She bared her teeth and rolled her shoulders, letting her faerie wings free from their glamor. She was in full-fighting mode now. She brandished her sword. “There are ways around iron barriers. You would have known that if you had done your research properly.” She snickered.

  “Get inside.” Seth said. It wasn’t a request.

  “No! I’m fighting.”

  “With what?” Seth challenged. The alpha beast in his eyes stared me down. “Get out of the way before you get hurt.”

  Chase let out a yip and transformed before my eyes into a coyote. His clothing pooled around him in shreds. The coyote growled, fur bristling.

  “Let your dogs try to stop me!” The hunter shouted. She muttered a spell, clutching her necklace tight. The ground around us shook and then all the iron wards shot upward into the sky and scattered. The tight circle we made around the house was gone and we were defenseless against the faerie hunter.

  I stepped back.

  Maddox and Seth shifted on either side of me. The wolf and the jackal howled their war cry. This was real. This was happening. A fight to the death.

  What could I do? I looked around widely, continuing to take steps backwards towards the house as the pack circled the faerie hunter, who didn’t show an ounce of fear. In fact, she looked as if she welcomed the challenge.

  Seth pounced first, the jackal narrowly dodged the faerie’s silver blade. Silver was extra painful for shifters. The hunter had planned to weaken the pack as much as possible.

  My foot hit something hard. A garden shovel. It was decently sized and rusted, but it would make an excellent weapon against a faerie. Too bad my other self-defence knife was inside. This would have to do.

  The shifters circled and snapped at the faerie hunter.

  How long had Jasper been gone? When would he get back? Having another big wolf on our side would turn the tables.

  The faerie hunter fought Seth, Chase, and Maddox off with incredible ease.

  I summoned all my strength and marched towards the fight, wielding my rusty shovel. This metal would do some serious damage to a fae. I could only hope that I would strike her fast enough before she noticed me.

  Jasper’s SUV came swerving down the driveway. The sound of tires breaking up the gravel and Jasper’s fist punching the horn was enough to distract the faerie hunter for a moment.

  I swung the shovel at her, hitting her right between the shoulder blades. The metal sizzled as it broke through the fabric and hit her pale flesh.

  “Fuck!” The force made her stumble and turn. She lashed out with her silver sword as she regained her balance. One swift jab and her blade struck me in the side.

  I screamed, watching blood spurt from the wound and soak the blade.

  Someone laughed. Someone screamed my name.

  A wolf pounced on the hunter, slashing at her throat. The silver blade fell to the ground. Blood was everywhere.

  So much blood. So much blood.

  “Luna!” Seth shouted. “Hold on, Luna!”

  I hit the ground hard and fought to keep my eyes open. I was no good with blood. The sight of it made me faint.

  So much blood. I could smell it as my vision when black.

  TWENTY-TWO

  ————————————

  LUNA

  The smell of mint and other herbs brought me back from the darkness. I could hear muffled voices around me. I could hear small bells and rustling of fabric. I was somewhere strange. I let my eyes flutter open just a crack.

  I was in a small room. Every inch of space was cluttered with bottles, bags, jars, and trinkets. Purple curtains lined the walls and billowed from the ceiling. A tiny pot of incense smoked beside the bed that I found myself in. Bundles of herbs were tied around the bedposts.

  I resisted the urge to call out, instead easing myself up into a sitting position. I winced as a sharp jab of pain hit me in the stomach. I looked down and lifted the white cotton robe that someone had changed me into.

  My body was bandaged tight where I had been stabbed by the faerie hunter. The bandages were clean and freshly changed. The knot was tied with precise care. I gingerly felt the soft fabric.

  “Don’t touch that!” A woman shouted.

  I winced and pulled back, looking up as an older woman emerged from behind a curtain of purple beads. She was dressed in long skirts that swept the ground when she walked. Her grey hair was knotted in natural
dreadlocks and bundled up at the back of her head.

  The woman plucked thick glasses from the chain around her neck and pushed them onto her nose. “Let’s take a look here,” She said.

  I flinched away. “Wait. Who are you?”

  “The one who saved your life.” She squinted at me and adjusted her glasses. “Don’t move.” She examined the bandages and muttered under her breath.

  I sat rigidly until the old woman stepped back.

  “You’re healing well, but don’t mess with it!” She said. “My name is Hattie. I’m a mage healer. Your pack brought you here to save your life.”

  I let her words settle in and the silence surrounded me. The last thing I remembered was the faerie hunter lunging at me with her sword drawn, blood running down her face. I shivered.

  Hattie wrapped another blanket around me. “It was a miracle. The gods want you alive for something, my dear.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “It was a clean strike. The blade missed your vital organs and passed through.” Hattie pointed to my side. “Stitched you up, used my elemental magic, and you should be right as rain in a day or two.” She shook her head. “You were dead for a few minutes there, I’m sure.”

  “Dead?” I repeated. I bolted up and immediately regretted it.

  “Easy now,” Hattie hummed. She fixed the blankets. “Just rest. I’ll bring you something to drink.” She went to a table and filled a mug with water and herbs. She waved her hand over it and magical energy shimmered through the room. Hattie returned with hot tea a minute later.

  “Wow,” I said.

  “Drink and rest. Don’t worry. You’re safe here.”

  The tea tasted like mint and something else that I couldn’t name. The warmth spread through my body. “I should see the pack,” I said. My vision started to blur. I took another sip of tea.

  “Not right now, you need rest.” Hattie took the empty mug from my hand.

  “Rest?” I repeated. I barely understood my garbled words. “Yes, rest would be good.” I nodded and fell backwards into the pillow.

  ***

  “She’s been sleeping for days!”