Shifters Hunt: Shifters Hunt Romance Boxset Books 1-4

by Selina Woods

  “Anything is possible,” Morgan admitted. “It could easily be here as anywhere. But how did Raphael get wind of it? Why does he think it is here?”

  “It all goes back to Barry the Blade,” I answered. “Somehow, Barry may have either thought he found it or bragged that he did. And that takes us to the jewels.”

  “Tell me again how you killed him?”

  I recounted the night Barry kicked in the bar’s door with the intent to rape Jae. I emptied the shotgun into his chest, then Jae and I dumped him in the creek. Morgan listened thoughtfully. “He obviously knew Jae would be alone,” he said. “But if he thought he had the one source of magic, the one thing everyone in the world sought, would he have rape on his mind?”

  “You’re asking the wrong lion,” I answered. “The guy was twisted in a very sick way, always enjoyed his work killing people. Anyone like that might say, ‘Oh, look, I can crown myself emperor of the world, and I’m gonna start my rule by raping that girl at the bar.’”

  “Yeah, a sick puppy might think that way,” Morgan agreed. “Any ideas on where he got the jewels?”

  “I wish, then I’d go grab more of them.”

  Morgan chuckled, lifting the curtain to stare out again. “Where ever he got them, that must be where he received the notion he had the source. Now Raphael is look—”

  I eyed him sidelong. “Raphael is what?”

  “Raphael couldn’t have gotten the idea that Barry had found the magic source,” Morgan said, his tone wondering. “He’d been planning war on another city for a long time. Long enough to collect that cache you saw.”

  I gulped my pastry. “That’s right. Could Raphael have found what he thought was the source, then Barry stole it from him?”

  “Declan, you need to get rid of those jewels, like now.”

  “What the hell?” I demanded. “What do I do, flush them down the john?”

  “Yes. Give them to me. I’ll do it.”

  “We can turn these into cash or trade them for something,” I protested. “They’re too valuable to flush.”

  “They aren’t worth your life, Declan.”

  Both of us gawped as Jae stood at the bedroom door. “Morgan is right. You don’t dare hang onto them.”

  “Can’t we just hide them somewhere?”

  Morgan waggled his fingers. “Cough them up, sonny.”

  Swearing choice oaths, promising Morgan a very painful death, I dug the small collection of jewels from my pocket. “This is wrong on so many levels,” I groused, handing them to him. “You are gonna pay me back for them.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  Morgan took them into the bathroom, and I put my head in my hands upon hearing the toilet flush. I moaned. “A small fortune flushed down the damn toilet.”

  Jae selected a pastry from the bag and munched. “Better them than your life going down it.”

  “I feel like it just did.”

  Morgan emerged from the bathroom. “If Raphael ever has cause to search you, he won’t feel the urgent need to strip your hide one layer at a time.”

  “Like I would ever be of interest to him anyway.”

  Jae eyed me. “Didn’t you say he wants you dead?”

  “Well, yeah.”

  “Now he’ll just cut your throat.” Morgan went back to leaning against the wall and watching out the window. “No long slow torture to exact information you couldn’t give him anyway.”

  “Is that supposed to comfort me?”

  His teeth flashed in a grin. “You’ll thank me someday.”

  “Not if you stripped my hide one layer at a time.”

  “Boys, it’s time to head to the bar. Play nice, or I’ll make you stay home.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Mommy.”

  Chad listened with wide eyes as we informed him of our discovery the night before. “Raphael really means to make war on another town?” he asked, incredulous. “If you’re right, then he must believe the source of magic is here.”

  “I don’t believe he would dare the attempt unless he thought he could win,” Morgan answered. “And no way he could win unless he had unlimited power.”

  “Morgan flushed my jewels,” I bitched.

  “Good. Raphael must think one of them was the true source. We have to kill him and blow that house to kingdom come.”

  “Can’t I get any sympathy at all?”

  “Yeah,” Chad replied absently. “It’s in the dictionary between shit and syphilis.”

  Jae laughed herself hoarse over that one.

  “I’m going to work in the back,” I declared, miffed, getting off my stool. “If anyone cares.”

  Knowing it was childish and stupid, and that Morgan was right to flush them, I pouted anyway. Unpacking crates, thinking of all the things I wished I could do to that obnoxious, self-righteous prig Morgan, I didn’t pay much attention to the door opening and closing, or the cold wash of air that even blew in to the back.

  Only the silence caught my attention.

  “I hear you keep a nice bar,” said a voice that had my hackles rising. “I thought to drop by and see for myself.”

  “Have a seat,” Chad replied, his tone even, unruffled. “What can I get you?”

  “A beer, thanks,” Raphael replied. “It looks like a nice place you have here.”

  “Thanks,” Chad answered. “Beer for your guys there?”

  “No. They are paid to protect my back, and they can hardly do that while inebriated.”

  I put my spine to the wall, frozen, half panicked, wondering if I should slip out the back and run for my life. But Jae was in there with the deadliest creature in Cheyenne, and I would never leave her. Wild thoughts ran though my head, and at the forefront was this question—why would Raphael come here? It certainly wasn’t for the beer.

  “You look familiar to me,” Raphael said smoothly. “Where have I seen you before?”

  “I was in the crowd, sir, watching, the other day,” Jae replied, her voice quiet.

  “Oh, yeah, I remember now. You were standing with that skinny kid. Know him well, do you?”

  “No. I mean, we met once or twice, but I can’t remember his name. We just happened to be near each other that morning.”

  “Ah. I see. I had heard he frequents here. At The Tiger’s Paw.”

  How in the name of hell does he know that?

  “You’re looking for that kid?” Chad asked. “I don’t know anything about him, but he slinks in now and then. Never stays long.”

  “That’s too bad. If you see him again, I’m offering a big reward for him.”

  “How much?” Chad asked, his tone slightly eager.

  Are you effing kidding me? Chad would turn me in?

  “A lot. Enough to permit you to retire and live easily for the rest of your days.”

  “If he comes in again, I’ll hold him for you.” Chad, I am so gonna kill you.

  Raphael’s voice sounded pleased. “I would like that very much. I want him in connection with the death of a friend of mine.”

  “Oh? I didn’t think that runt was capable of killing anyone.”

  Runt? Thanks, Chad. I’ll remember that.

  “I found Barry the Blade in the creek,” Raphael said. “My sources tell me the runt had had a run-in with him. Even a kid can kill with a gun.”

  “Another beer, sir?”

  “Thank you, my dear, I’d like that.”

  I heard the sound of the beer pouring into the glass from the tap as Jae drew Raphael another. “There you are.”

  “Thank you. You are very pretty.”

  Keep your damn paws off my girl. I wanted to rush around the corner and launch myself at Raphael’s throat.

  “Thank you,” Jae replied, her voice sounding shy.

  For Jae, shyness had flown out the window a while ago. Silence fell in the bar for a short while, then I heard Raphael speak again. “Uh, what’s with the tattoo? Is that a lightning bolt?”

  Morgan chuckled. “Yeah. I thought it was a cool
thing. You know.”

  “Yeah, I can see that,” Raphael answered slowly. “It is rather cool. I should get one.”

  “Yeah? I bet any tattoo parlor can do it for you. You have the right kind of face for it, if you don’t mind me saying.”

  “No, I don’t mind.”

  Another silence fell. “You’re a big lion, if you don’t mind me saying,” Raphael commented. “You should come work for me. I pay pretty well.”

  “You think so?”

  “Yeah, I do. Come see me. Anybody can tell you the way.”

  “Hey, thanks. I’ll do that.”

  “Good. You run a nice place here.”

  I heard a stool scrape against the wood, Raphael’s boots on the floor. “I’ll have to come back.”

  “Tell your friends,” Chad added with a laugh.

  Raphael’s voice came from closer to the door, the tramp of feet following him. “I’ll do that. You all have a good night.”

  “You, too,” Morgan called after him.

  The door opened on yet another blast of arctic air, then closed behind the last footfall. I didn’t dare emerge from hiding in case he came back, nor did Jae, Chad or Morgan come to the back room. Other customers came in, chatting, laughing, smoking cigarettes as I fought to figure out how in the hell Raphael could connect me to Barry without also considering Jae.

  “Jae, go get more whiskey from the back.”

  “Okay.”

  Jae entered the back room and immediately flung her arms around my neck. “How does he know?” she whispered. “No one saw us.”

  “I know.” My hands held her close. “If someone saw us, he’d be after you, too. He’s not. He may be guessing, or he may simply be after me because he can.”

  “Declan, every goon in Cheyenne will be on the hunt for you now.” Jae stared wildly into my eyes.

  “I’ll be careful. Now get the whiskey before someone gets suspicious.”

  Chapter Ten

  Being careful when every goon in town was after my hide just didn’t cut it.

  “Why in the hell is he after you?” Morgan demanded after the bar closed and the customers all headed home. “Pardon me for speaking frankly, but you are not gang-lord-hunting material.”

  “If I knew, I’d tell you,” I snapped. “I haven’t done anything except not pay my dues and smart off to his enforcers.”

  “That would hardly put you on Raphael’s radar,” Chad commented. “You sure you haven’t done anything else?”

  “I killed Barry, numbskull,” I shouted. “But there’s no way he could know that without also knowing Jae was involved. He’s not interested in her.”

  Morgan scratched under his chin, his cold eyes on me. “Could you have left something on his body that would implicate just you but not Jae?” he asked. “Not scent; the snow and time would have taken care of that.”

  My jaw dropped, and I glanced at Jae. “I don’t think so. Like what?”

  “Anything that you were known to have, and was left on Barry. Think, Declan.”

  Anguished, pacing, I tried to think, to remember. “I don’t have anything. I had just met Jae; we were hanging out; he came in to rape her; I killed him. I didn’t leave anything. I had nothing to leave.”

  “Maybe Raphael is just reaching,” Chad said. “Declan here is wanted, so Raphael has to pin the blame for Barry on someone. It’s blind luck he chose Barry’s real killer.”

  Morgan nodded slowly, but his expression remained unconvinced. “But our boy here is now hunted by every gangster in this city. There’s a huge reward on his head. Any citizen will turn him in.”

  “What?” I stared at Morgan. “Are you kidding me?”

  “No, Declan, I’m not. Any common grocer on the street will spot you and tell Raphael to claim the reward. Your hide will decorate Raphael’s wall within days.”

  Slumping onto a stool, I put my arms on the bar and rested my face in them. “Why me?”

  “You’re an excellent scapegoat, boy. A nobody from the street that no one would miss.”

  I lifted my face to scowl. “Thanks. You warm my heart.”

  “Morgan, stop talking to him like that,” Jae screeched. “You’re sworn to protect him.”

  “And I will. I’m trying to figure out how.”

  “Then we ramp up our efforts to get out of here,” Chad said briskly. “We find a safe haven for Declan, then kill the guards on the road and go.”

  Weary, depressed, I rested my cheek on my fist. “Did you talk to the mechanic?”

  “I see him tomorrow. Once I see where the wind blows with him, we’ll go from there. Declan, you have a place to hide?”

  “Several.”

  “Jae, you’re coming home with me. Morgan, it’s up to you to keep him alive.”

  “I will. Provided he does what I tell him.”

  I opened my mouth to bite his head off when Jae wrapped her arms around me from behind. “He will, Morgan.”

  “What? I am not gonna listen –”

  Jae’s fingers suddenly twisted my ear, making me yelp in pain. “You will do as he says, Declan,” she growled. “I love you, and I will not see you killed. Got it?”

  “Yeah, yeah, leggo, dammit.”

  Jae released me, then hugged me tight, her tears trickling down my neck. “I love you. Please promise me you’ll be careful.”

  Turning around, I hugged her tight. “I will, babe. I promise. We’ll get out of here, I swear it.”

  Sniffling, Jae wiped the tears from her face. “I’ll meet you back here tomorrow?”

  I glanced at Morgan, who grimaced and shook his head. “Not a good idea. If Raphael gets wind that Declan and you are an item, you’re just as dead, Jae. We’ll find another place to meet and work on our plans. But I’ll get word to you. Promise.”

  Jae planted a swift kiss on my lips. “Then it’s goodbye for now.”

  “It’s just for a short while, Jae,” I said, wiping a tear from her cheek with my thumb. “Stay with Chad and his family. You’ll be safe there.”

  “You two go on,” Chad said. “Out the back. Jae and I will wait a while before we go.”

  Jae planted another firm kiss to my lips, then let me go. “Stay safe.”

  I grinned at her. “I will.”

  With Morgan at my back, I exited the bar through the rear entrance and entered the icy, windy darkness. Shifting forms for speed as well as secrecy and greater warmth, I trotted down the alley and peeked around the corner before oozing into the street. Hoping the arctic cold kept the enforcers and marauders inside, I made my way toward the nearest of my lairs.

  “I trust your place has heat?” Morgan muttered.

  “Nope. A fire, maybe, if we dare.”

  “I think we’re gonna dare. This cold can kill, you know.”

  I had no doubt he was right. With the wind factor involved, the temperature stood low enough that we might freeze to death even with blankets. Moving helped keep me warm as we slunk through the dark, and though I craved to run in the open to get there faster, my gut told me not to do it.

  My instincts proved right when a pack trotted down the street toward us. I crouched in the shadows, Morgan behind me. I had always relied on my small size to hide more efficiently, and now I had his huge bulk to worry about. Crawling under the wheels of an old wreck, I glanced around to see Morgan beside me—in his human form

  I caught his fast grimace, understanding that was the only way he, too, could hide. Yet, that also exposed him to the effects of the winter wind. Turning back, I watched the pack, again the two lions and two wolves, trot closer toward our hiding spot. They grumbled amongst themselves, bitching about the cold and few hunting prospects, then suddenly one of the wolves stopped dead.

  “You smell that?”

  I dared not even breathe. The icy blast blew our scent straight to them. The other wolf sniffed the air while the lions prowled restlessly in a circle. “What do you scent?” one growled.

  “Lions,” replied the first wolf. “But
I can’t tell where they are. The wind is too strong.”

  “It’s fresh,” said the other. “I think it’s coming from up the street.”

  “Let’s move on,” the leader ordered. “Too fucking cold to stand around.”

  The pack moved on, loping now to stay warm, and I watched them, wondering if they would turn back once the wolves lost the scent. They didn’t, and soon turned a corner and were gone. I crept out from under the vehicle, Morgan shivering uncontrollably now. He quickly shifted into his lion body, but his fur wasn’t enough to keep him warm.

  “This is how you survived on the streets?” he asked as we trotted on.

  “Yeah. Always one jump ahead of the packs.”

  “How far away are we from your lair?” He spoke through clenched teeth, his jaws tight as he fought the shivering.

  “Not far. Let’s pick up the pace a little.”

  Loping rather than trotting, I still kept us both in the shadows, keeping a sharp watch for more packs hoping to find a straggler or two out where they shouldn’t be. We saw another in the distance, but they hadn’t seen us, nor were they close enough to be a danger. Still, I couldn’t afford to have our scent lead a pack to us.

  Reaching my secret basement lair, I urged Morgan down and out of the wind.

  “What are you gonna do?” he asked.

  “Double back along our trail and confuse the scent. I won’t be very long. Get inside.”

  He obeyed me, leaving me to lope back the way we had come, then enter an old burned-out house, then its neighbor, and finally make my way to my home again. I had long ago hidden the entrance with piled rubble, and only by actually seeing me enter it could it be found. Only after looking around carefully for any watchers did I go in.

  “Nice place you got here,” Morgan commented dryly, sitting on his haunches amid the small stores of food, blankets, sleeping bags, and piles of wood.

  “Modest, but homey.”

  Before starting a fire in my human half, I covered the entrance with a dark blanket to prevent the light from being seen from outside yet left enough of an opening for the smoke to be pulled out. “Let’s hope the wind prevents anyone from identifying where the smoke smell is coming from.”