Fairplay Shifters Boxset

by Serena Meadows

  Penny sat up and took a deep breath, some of the color returning to her cheeks. “I’m okay now,” she said, but then another wave of pain washed over her, not as severe but bad enough she knew that Justin was in real trouble. “I have to go.”

  “Go? Where?” Annabelle asked, then grabbed Penny’s arms and forced her to face her. “What’s going on? Where’s Justin? I know something’s wrong, Penny; tell me what it is right now.”

  “It’s not for me to explain, but I have to go. You two stay here; that’s what Justin would want. I’ll call you when I find him,” Penny said, getting to her feet.

  Annabelle was on her feet instantly. “You’re not going without me. He’s hurt I just know it, and he might need me. I love him, Penny; you can’t leave me behind when he needs me,” Annabelle said, no longer caring what Penny might discover from her words.

  Penny looked at Annabelle, who no longer looked like the meek human she had the day before; something had changed about her, but she couldn’t figure out exactly what. There was a sense of power flowing around her, her face had taken on a fierce look she’d never seen on Annabelle’s face before and suddenly she realized that standing before her was a very strong woman, a woman who would take care of her own.

  A woman who would defend what she believed to be hers with all the strength she had, and Penny was sure that there was a great deal of strength inside her. Unable to say no, she said, “We’ll take your truck, but you better tell Justin that I tried to keep you away.”

  ***Justin***

  He’d long ago given up walking, the effort of pulling himself to his feet each time he fell too much; instead, he was dragging himself across the forest floor when his brother finally found him. When Steve’s face swam into focus, he breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that at least he wasn’t going to die in the forest alone. When he tried to speak, his brother hushed him, then gently picked him up and began walking toward the ranch, letting out a mournful cry until he was answered by his brothers.

  When he woke, he was in the ranch house, the familiar surroundings swimming into his view when he finally opened his eyes. His mother was sitting in a chair beside the bed, and by the look on her face, he knew that what he’d believed was true. He was dying, and there was nothing anyone could do; the wound the wolf had given him wasn’t going to heal. There was nothing his body or modern medicine could do to heal this wound; he could feel the wound, feel it festering almost as if it was alive.

  “Guess they got the better of me,” he said, startling his mother who had been lost in her thoughts.

  She looked at him, not sure whether or not to lie to him, but he spoke again, “You don’t have to lie to me, I can feel it; it’s more than just a wound.”

  Nodding her head, his mother scooted her chair a little closer. “There’s magic in your wound; it’s keeping you from healing and the blood loss will probably be what kills you, but it won’t hurt, you’ll just go to sleep,” she said, her voice shaking.

  Justin knew how hard it was for his mother to tell him that, what it cost her to tell her oldest son that he only had a few hours to live. “I love you, mom; don’t ever forget that,” he said, then reached out and squeezed her hand.

  “I know, sweetheart, and I love you too,” she said, squeezing his hand back. “Now get some more sleep; it will help you conserve your energy.”

  When he awoke the next time, he only had two requests. “I want to see Chloe and Annabelle,” he said the moment he opened his eyes.

  ***Annabelle***

  The moment they pulled into the drive of the ranch, she knew that something was terribly wrong with Justin, that he was lying hurt inside the house, and for a moment, she didn’t know if she could face what she would find behind the closed door. Deep down she knew that just when she’d found the man she could love for the rest of her life, he was going to be taken from her. Gritting her teeth, she focused her power on him, and feeling his life force, jumped out of the truck and headed for the house.

  She didn’t even knock, just barged in and demanded, “Where’s Justin? I know he’s hurt; take me to him.”

  There was a gasp from the room, but then Steve stood up and took her by the hand. “He’s back here; I’m afraid he’s hurt pretty bad.”

  When he opened the door, and she saw Justin lying on the bed, her heart almost stopped. His face was white as the pillowcase and his breathing was labored; his mother had his hand tightly gripped in hers as if to tether him to life. She ran to the bed and sank to her knees, unaware of anyone else in the room but the man lying on the bed dying. This knowledge rocketed through her with a certainty that left her breathless.

  “What happened? Why isn’t he in a hospital?” she demanded.

  His mother sighed. “It’s not that simple,” she said. “I wanted him to tell you sooner, but he wouldn’t.”

  “I don’t understand; tell me what?” Annabelle asked, looking down at Justin’s pale face, wondering if she’d ever see his green eyes filled with life again.

  When his eyes opened, and those green eyes looked at her, she felt the tears burn but held them back. “What my mother is trying not to tell you is that I’m a shifter,” Justin croaked.

  Annabelle stared at him, then looked up at his mother, who said, “We’re supernatural beings who can change our shape at will; we prefer the form of a mountain lion but have been known to change into other animals.”

  It only took a few minutes for the truth to sink in and suddenly it all made sense, the little things she’d noticed that had seemed strange to her. Briefly, she wondered why she hadn’t seen it sooner but brushed it away as unimportant for now.

  “Why isn’t he healing?” she asked, shocking Justin’s mother with not only her easy acceptance of what she’d just been told but with her knowledge of shifters.

  “How do you know that he should be able to heal himself?” she asked, suddenly suspicious of the woman her son professed to love.

  “That doesn’t matter right now. Why isn’t he healing?” Annabelle said, reaching for the bandages wrapped around Justin’s abdomen.

  His mother cringed but let her pull off the bandage. “Oh, it’s been cursed,” Annabelle gasped when she saw the red, glowing wound. “That wound is never going to heal on its own.”

  Annabelle held her hand over the wound and concentrated all her powers on healing the burning flesh but only managed to dull the fiery glow. Justin sighed. “Whatever you just did, it feels better,” he said, then his eyes drifted closed.

  Annabelle buried her face in the bed, the effort draining her for a second. When she looked up, Justin’s mother was staring at her, she opened her mouth but just then Penny and Joslin came into the room. “Oh, he looks bad,” they said in unison.

  Joslin knelt down next to Annabelle and whispered in her ear, “Can you do anything? I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

  “I tried; it only helped a little bit,” Annabelle said. “The wound is cursed, Joslin, under some very powerful magic.”

  “Then we’ll break it,” Joslin said, then looked over at Justin’s mother who was staring at them open-mouthed. “I mean…”

  “It’s okay; they’re shifters, Joslin,” Annabelle said, looking Justin’s mother directly in the eye. “I can save him, but I’m going to need some help.”

  Chapter 18

  ***Justin***

  Justin was only vaguely aware of what was happening around him as he slipped into and out of consciousness. He knew that people were coming and going from the room and at one point he was sure that there was furniture being moved around. But each time he opened his eyes, Annabelle was right there at his bedside with his mother. He thought that Penny and Joslin were there as well, but reality had started to bend as the blood loss began to affect him.

  When he woke the last time, it was to the smell of herbs and the feel of Annabelle’s cool fingers on his brow. As they slid across his fevered skin, they left a path of coolness that allowed him a moment’s relief fr
om the searing heat that spread from the wound to the rest of his body. He watched her dip her fingers into a small bowl of oil, then trace a path down his body, chanting something under her breath over and over. To his great relief, the heat cooled even more, and with a sigh, he slipped into a fitful sleep, reassured by Annabelle’s presence.

  ***Annabelle***

  When Justin sighed and closed his eyes, Annabelle knew that the cleansing had helped, but it hadn’t done as much good as she’d hoped. The wound was still active, burning hot to the touch and clearly embedded with much stronger magic than she’d thought. Even with Joslin’s help, the spell had barely helped. It was going to require a lot more magic to break the spell, the kind of magic she rarely used, but there was no alternative; she wasn’t going to let the man she loved die, no matter the cost.

  When she told Joslin what she was planning, her sister looked at her shocked then asked, “Do you understand what that means? There’s no going back once you do it.”

  “I know what I’m doing, Joslin. He loves me; it’ll be okay,” Annabelle said, the fierceness in her voice cutting through the room.

  “What are you two fighting about?” Penny asked.

  “I can save him, but it’s going to take a sacrifice,” Annabelle said, pleading with her eyes for Joslin’s help. “More than one.”

  Joslin turned away from Annabelle, then turned back. “I don’t know if I can let you do this, Annabelle; if something changes, you’re stuck.”

  Annabelle stared at her for a minute, then knew what she had to do. “Have you ever been in love, Joslin?”

  “Of course, several times,” Joslin said. “But that doesn’t mean that I’d...” but Annabelle didn’t let her finish.

  “No, I mean really in love,” she said, then focused all her powers on how Justin made her feel and sent those feelings to Joslin who gasped when they hit her.

  She was speechless for a second, then said, “I won’t stop you if you’ve made up your mind. What can I do to help?”

  Penny had no idea what was going on, but a wave of hope washed over her. “Whatever you’re planning, it might work,” she said, then asked, “How can I help?” When they both looked up at her, she added, “Sometimes I know things; it’s a gift from an ancestor, a woman like you two.”

  Annabelle hugged Penny. “This is a complicated spell, and I’ve never actually done it, but it requires a sacrifice,” she said, getting right to the point since their time was running out.

  As she worked, Annabelle said a calming spell; she’d never tried to do this kind of magic before and knew that if she got it wrong, it could mean Justin’s death. “I’m going to need a blood sacrifice, nothing but that will do. Penny’s blood will help strengthen him, and as his twin, your blood will be doubly powerful. Joslin, your blood with strengthen me, making the spell that much stronger. I know it’s a lot to ask, but it’s the only way I can make this work.”

  Penny and Joslin nodded then together they moved over to the bed, which had been placed in the middle of the room. Gathered around Justin, they raised their hands and placed their palms together above the wound, then waited for Annabelle to say the spell. Gathering her strength and her courage, she recited the spell three times, then reached into her pocket and pulled out a ceremonial knife and quickly cut each of their palms.

  When they placed their palms back together and their blood began to mix, the room began to fill with energy, energy so powerful it cast a white glow in the room. The light began to coalesce into a ball, then the ball traveled to Annabelle, hovering in front of her as if waiting for something. Annabelle began reciting another spell, one she’d memorized long ago, enunciating each word carefully so that her pledge was heard and taken.

  As the last words of the spell left her mouth, the white energy entered her body, then traveled down her arms to her outstretched hand. The light hovered around their hands, each feeling the incredible power of the life force it contained, but only Joslin and Annabelle were aware that it was Annabelle’s life force that gave it power.

  Their blood began to drip slowly into Justin’s raw, angry wound, each drop hissing and sizzling when it hit, the room filling with the smell of sulphur. Annabelle began reciting a new spell, a spell for healing, and soon Joslin joined in with her, their voices almost musical. Soon the wound began to cool, first along the edges, then in the center, each drop of their mixed blood healing it even more. Before long, all that was left of the angry gash in Justin’s stomach was a red scar and some puckered skin.

  Annabelle felt the energy draining from her body; with each recitation of the healing spell she got a little weaker, felt a little more drained, but she kept going. Only when it was completely healed did she stop, collapsing to the floor in a heap, unable to even move her head. Joslin was at her side instantly, then the world went black, but not before she glanced over to see Justin breathing softly and steadily.

  ***Justin***

  Justin woke thirstier than he’d ever been before, with a vague recollection of a strange dream where Annabelle, Joslin, and Penny had been standing over him, bleeding on him. Then he realized that it hadn’t been a dream, that it had been real, that he’d almost died. He shifted in the bed as the memory of the attack in the woods came rushing back at him, along with the memory of the pain.

  Wincing, he braced himself for the pain, but nothing happened; reaching down, he felt where the wound had been only to find a small scar. Stretching, he tested his muscles, found them responsive, if a little sore, then slowly sat up in bed, smiling when he saw Anabelle curled up next to him.

  He studied her for a second, noticing that she looked pale, her dark eyelashes that much darker against the white skin of her cheeks. There were dark shadows under her eyes, and her hair was a wild halo around her face, but she’d never looked more beautiful to him.

  She stirred and opened her eyes, a huge smile spreading across her face when she saw him awake. “You’re awake,” she said, still beaming at him.

  “How could I stay asleep when you’re in the bed next to me?” he teased feeling more and more like himself as the minutes passed.

  “You’d better lay back down here and let me look at you; that was a close call you had, mister,” Annabelle said, pushing him back down on the bed.

  After a quick inspection of the wound, she opened her powers up and checked the rest of Justin, knowing that he’d feel what she was doing. “What is that?” he asked when he began to feel the probing fingers of her powers.

  “I’m checking you out to see if you’re okay,” Annabelle said as if what she was doing was perfectly normal.

  When she’d finished, she laid back down on the bed, ready for Justin’s questions. She had no idea how much of the night before he remembered or if he felt her life force inside him. It would make things so much easier if he asked questions and she answered, would allow her to hold back the one thing she didn’t want to tell him.

  ***Justin***

  As the strange feeling washed over him, he realized that it wasn’t necessarily unpleasant, that it felt good, but it also confused him. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, then when a wave of dizziness hit him, he put his head in his hands waiting for it to pass. Images of the night before flashed through his mind, the intense pain, the three women leaning over him, then the wash of power that cooled his body and mind.

  Annabelle sat up and put her hand on Justin’s back, sure that she’d handled the situation badly. “What’s the matter? Does the wound hurt?” she asked, the concern in her voice calming him.

  “No, it’s fine,” he said, a little shortly. Then he turned and looked at Annabelle over his shoulder. “What happened last night? I have all these strange images in my mind, and I can’t make any sense of them.”

  Annabelle took a deep breath; that wasn’t the exactly the question she’d hoped for. “It’s difficult to explain, but let me start by saying that you weren’t the only one hiding something.”

  Annabelle’
s gentle reminder brought back the moment he’d told her that he was a shifter; he’d barely been conscious when he’d spoken the words, had missed her response, but the fact that she was still there spoke volumes.

  “I guess we have a lot to talk about,” he said, lying back down on the bed and pulling her into his arms. “I remember telling you that we’re shifters, but nothing after that.”

  Annabelle hesitated, then decided that the easiest way to the truth was the direct approach. “Justin, I’m a witch. I was afraid to tell you, afraid that you’d think I was crazy or worse,” she said, her voice shaking.

  He was silent for a long time, his body tense, then he began to laugh. “Aren’t we the pair? If we’d just told the truth from the very beginning it would have saved us both a lot of trouble and worry.”

  Annabelle was caught off guard at first, unable to believe that it had been that easy. “You’re not upset?” she finally asked, hope springing to life in her heart.

  “How can I be? I didn’t tell you the truth either, and you saved my life, Annabelle, something I was sure no one could do,” he said, crushing her against him. “Thank you.”

  “I couldn’t let you die, Justin; I love you too much to lose you,” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

  “I love you too, Annabelle, but let’s promise to never keep secrets from each other again,” Justin said, thinking about the family she’d left behind in New York.

  “Then you’d better get comfortable because the fact that I’m a witch is only part of the story,” she said, hoping that he’d understand what she had to tell him.

  It took Annabelle a long time to explain to him about her life back in New York, but when she finished, he kissed her and said, “Let’s worry about New York later; right now, I just want to enjoy the fact that I’m alive and you’re here with me. I love you, Annabelle, and we’ll face what the future holds together. From the moment I met you, I knew that we were destined to be together, and I’m never going to let anything come between us again.”