Shifters Forsaken: Shifter Romance Collection Bks 1-5

by Mia Taylor

  So self-absorbed with tunnel vision. I don’t even want to know what this is about, Berlin thought grimly.

  “Your brother is persistent,” Liam giggled, eyeing the vibrating phone on the kitchen island. “What does he want?”

  “Don’t know, don’t care,” she replied automatically even though she had a fairly good idea what August would say if she answered the phone. “Help me move this bookcase.”

  Her friend grimaced and gave her a pout, folding his arms across his toned chest and shaking his dark head in protest.

  “Forget about moving stuff!” Liam groaned. “We’ve been moving all day and we’re expected downstairs at Mr. McSexy’s pad, remember?”

  Berlin shot him a baleful look. Of course she hadn’t forgotten. It had been forefront on her mind.

  “And we’ll go as soon as this place is in some semblance of order. I don’t want to come in stumbling over boxes,” Berlin insisted, gesturing at the furniture again. “Help me!”

  “Stumbling?” Liam teased without making a move to assist. “Do you intend to get drunk and wild tonight?”

  Berlin blushed at the suggestion but suddenly, she did feel like letting loose and having a good time. The move had exhausted her and her back was killing her. Even though the movers had done most of the heavy lifting, she had put in a fair bit of effort herself. Liam, on the other hand, had done little but flitter around, moving objects from one place to another. Not that Berlin had expected much more from her friend. He wasn’t exactly known for his desire to do manual labor.

  He better help me decorate properly, she thought with a fusion of amusement and annoyance.

  “Come on,” Liam insisted, grabbing her hand. “This can wait until tomorrow. You’re off from work and you can do it hungover.”

  He didn’t leave much room for argument but Berlin found herself hesitating. She wondered why she was procrastinating. She wanted nothing more than to put a cold beer to her full lips and sit back under the stars. Yet the thought of seeing Briar again made her nervous.

  What is that guy doing to me?

  She’d never been one to lack confidence and men did not easily make her jittery but there was something different about Briar.

  And Berlin was beginning to suspect she knew what it was.

  No way. I’ll have to check the circuit roster but he can’t be. I know them all… don’t I? I wouldn’t have missed someone like that.

  “Lin, what is wrong with you? You’re acting weird,” Liam yelled at her from the top of the stairs. He was waiting on her to descend but she had yet to move.

  “Nothing,” she mumbled. “I was just thinking if I had anything to bring. It feels weird going over empty-handed.”

  “Oh, I can think of something you can give him which he’d probably really like,” Liam chuckled and Berlin threw a piece of bubble wrap at him. Of course, it didn’t land anywhere near him.

  “Come on,” she muttered, brushing past him. She knew if she didn’t get moving she would only be subjecting herself to more teasing and ridicule.

  We may as well get this over and done with, she thought, even though she knew she was genuinely looking forward to the gathering downstairs.

  The trio of friends was in the backyard as Briar had said, resting around the firepit which Berlin didn’t know was there. It had never really occurred to her to check out the back of the property when she and Liam had looked the first time.

  “Oh, how cool is this?” she cried, hurrying toward the fire. She had forgotten her initial nervousness when she took in the scene before her.

  The entire backyard was an oasis, in fact, filled with lush greenery and wildflowers. It was clear that no one tended to it regularly but it had a wild serenity that instantly put Berlin at ease. Someone had strung red chili lights around the railing of the back deck which led from Briar’s kitchen and the softness of the glow only enhanced the warmth of the atmosphere.

  Now, this is a great place to relax, she thought happily, glad that she had put her nervousness aside.

  “Great, you made it!” Briar said, rising as they approached. “I pulled the cooler out here so we don’t have to keep running to the house for beers. Help yourselves.”

  He gestured at the red, plastic box nearby and Liam dove in, tossing a beer at her. She caught it easily and they joined the others around the stone pit. Berlin noticed Briar’s eyes following her as she moved and it put a slight spring in her step.

  “How did it go?” Briar’s male friend asked. “Got everything moved in or is there still more to go?”

  Cory, she reminded herself. His name is Cory.

  “Well, it’s all in and not broken,” she commented dryly. “So that’s a start. Putting it all together and away is another story.”

  “I’m sure Briar can help you out with that,” Cory chirped and Berlin heard the teasing note in his voice. “He’s handy, aren’t you, Briar?”

  Berlin didn’t miss the look her handsome host cast his buddy but she only smiled.

  “I’m good,” she replied. “I’ve got Liam to help but honestly, it’s not that big of a job. It will be good to focus on something unacademic for a change.”

  She cringed slightly, wondering if that statement sounded arrogant but looking around the firepit, no one seemed put off by her words. Exhaling, Berlin took a sip of her beer and relished the sensation of warmth trickling through her body.

  “Where did you move from?” the girl asked, leaning forward, her Buddy Holly glasses falling onto the ridge of her ski-jump nose. “You look like a city girl. You ooze class.”

  Liam howled at the assessment and Berlin cast him a scowl.

  “That’s our Berlin, all class, all the time,” he joked while Berlin ignored him and turned to Vy to respond.

  “I’m from Alabama originally,” she replied, and three sets of jaws dropped.

  “Really?” they chorused as if her having the slightest bit of Southern blood was stunning to imagine.

  “But I’ve been in Oregon for seven years. I did my bachelor’s and master’s at UO,” Berlin continued quickly, hoping to alleviate any stereotypes they might be concocting in their collective minds.

  “Bachelor and master’s degrees?” Vy breathed. “Wow, you’re smart! What did you study?”

  “Anthropology,” Liam finished proudly. “And she’s starting her PhD in a couple weeks, too.”

  “Whoa,” Cory breathed and Briar’s eyes shone with respect.

  “Why anthropology?” Briar asked and Berlin was forced to face him full on.

  Forced? Who am I kidding? I want to study every feature of his face.

  She darted her eyes nervously toward Liam and realized that everyone was waiting for her response. She swallowed the stone forming in her throat and offered him a weak smile, trying to create a clever response which didn’t disclose too much.

  “I want to learn about the history of mankind,” she replied simply and as she said it, she realized how lame it sounded.

  I can’t very well blurt out the truth, can I? They’ll excuse themselves and make a call to the nearest psych hospital.

  Or would they?

  Her eyes bored into Briar’s, willing him to communicate with her but he only returned her stare.

  He’s one, I can feel it.

  “Honey, you better answer your phone before your brother jumps in his pick-up and drives down here,” Liam called in a singsong voice.

  “He drives a Civic,” she retorted, but as she spoke, she realized that her phone, was in fact, ringing again.

  Dammit, August, what? Haven’t I done enough for you already? I can’t do this anymore!

  Berlin realized that he was not apt to stop calling and she sighed, despising her brother for ruining an idyllic moment for her.

  “Excuse me. I’ll be right back,” she said, rising to take the call. She moved away from the group for privacy before touching the “accept” button.

  “Hello?”

  “Christ, I’ve been calling
you for hours! Where are you?” August barked in her ear. A spark of irritation flashed through her and she gritted her teeth, trying to keep her temper in check.

  See? Self-absorbed.

  “I’m moving, Brother. It’s going well, thanks for asking.” There was a bite in her tone which she hoped he detected.

  There was a slight silence and Berlin could tell he had forgotten about her plans but that wasn’t uncommon. Her brother and father were so consumed with themselves, nothing else could possibly permeate their thoughts.

  Certainly not something as trivial as little old me. As far as they’re concerned, I’m sitting by the phone, waiting for it to ring. I’m just a trained monkey in their minds.

  “Sorry, I forgot,” he muttered and Berlin was slightly surprised he apologized at all. It only took a minute to understand why he had bothered.

  “We need you to do something for us,” August explained after what he considered an appropriate moment of silence.

  Ah. There is it.

  “Nope, sorry,” she replied, glancing over her shoulder at the others who were laughing at one of Liam’s anecdotes. “I’m off the clock. I told you that before I left Birmingham.”

  “It’s a one-time thing, Berlin, and you’re so much closer than we are!”

  “I don’t care!” she fired back. “I worked all summer. I haven’t had a chance to breathe and I’m not doing it! Take a plane if you have to but I’m out.”

  “Dad wants you to do it.”

  Berlin’s hands closed into clenched fists and she gritted her teeth. There was no point in arguing. She didn’t have the energy and it was a losing battle. In the end, they would get what they wanted from her.

  “What category is it?” she asked begrudgingly, knowing the answer didn’t matter.

  Even if it’s a Category One threat, I’ll still get suckered into acting.

  She hated herself for relenting so easily but she knew she couldn’t say no if her father asked. She’d never hear the end of it.

  “Four,” August sighed and she tensed.

  “Category Four? Really? Who is it?”

  It seemed odd that a such a great danger would be wandering around. She’d been chasing twos and threes all summer.

  Did this just come to light or were they sitting on it until I got back to Oregon, knowing I’d be closer?

  Berlin knew the latter scenario was much more likely.

  “He just surfaced and he works for a pharmaceutical company in research and development. His name is Channing Lester.”

  Berlin wasn’t sure if she should believe him but it was a moot point.

  “Send me all the information, but August, I have no idea when I’ll get to it. I’m swamped with work and school—”

  “And I suppose that takes precedence over saving lives. I understand.”

  The sarcasm was deep and only fuelled her ire.

  “Easy for you to say, isn’t it? You’re living at home with Dad, doing nothing.”

  “I do plenty!” August hissed back but the defensiveness in his tone was clear. Berlin had struck a nerve.

  “Yeah? What are you doing that’s so important you can’t address a Category Four threat right now?”

  “Berlin!” Liam yelled out from his spot in the circle. “We’re waiting!”

  She spun and gave him a thankful look. He had clearly heard her voice rise and was giving her an out to the conversation with her brother, which she seized without hesitation.

  “I gotta go,” she told him.

  “Wait,” August said quickly. “I need to tell you something else.”

  She paused, holding up a finger to indicate that she was only going to be a minute.

  “Come on, August, it’s been a long day and people are waiting for me,” she snapped impatiently. “What is it?”

  “Lester could lead us to more targets. We don’t think he’s at the top in his company. There are more like him. It might go right to the upper echelons.”

  “So?” Berlin wished he’d get to the point.

  “So, find out everything you can before…”

  “Oh Jesus, August, come on! That is not part of my repertoire! I have enough on my plate without—”

  “Think of how much we could accomplish—” he interrupted before she could be overheard by her companions.

  “Spare me the sermon,” she interjected, regaining control of the conversation. “Just send me the info.”

  I can argue until I’m blue in the face, but the outcome never changes. I will be trapped doing what they want unless I ever get the gall to leave.

  Berlin pushed the pipe dream aside and strode back toward her friends.

  My friends. That’s nice.

  Just the sight of them instantly put her at ease. She reclaimed her seat next to Briar and offered the group an apologetic smile.

  “Sorry about that. My brother has a big mouth. It’s a Southern thing.”

  “Yeah, I’ve got a loudmouth brother of my own,” Briar laughed. “He can go on for hours.”

  “Please!” Liam laughed. “Berlin has been known to talk the ears off many unsuspecting people. Don’t let her first-impression quiet fool you.”

  Berlin glowered.

  “It’s the only way to get a word in edgewise with you,” she bit back. “If I give a pause, you’ll jump right in there and take over until the end of days.”

  “That’s because I am just so much more interesting than you, Lin,” Liam chuckled, shrugging his shoulders and Berlin scoured the ground for something to throw at him jestingly.

  “Oh! You guys are like a cute married couple! Are you a thing?” Vy asked. The men and Berlin turned to look at her dubiously. Clearly she couldn’t pick up on the very obvious signs which Liam was giving out. He had been staring at Briar nonstop since they arrived. Even Cory seemed to notice.

  “Uh, no,” Berlin and Liam chorused.

  “Oh,” Vy seemed confused. “You really do act like a couple who’s been together a long time.”

  “We were in a class together during freshman year and we hit it off right away,” Berlin explained. She shot her friend an affectionate glance. “I should have known better but now I can’t get rid of him.”

  “You love me,” Liam sighed.

  “I do,” Berlin agreed. The others chuckled.

  “So, you didn’t finish telling us about anthropology,” Vy insisted. “It must be fascinating. Do you go on digs?”

  “That’s more archeology but I’ve delved into that area somewhat. Theoretically only. I haven’t been on a dig yet but I would like to go.”

  Particularly to the mountains of Germania where it all began.

  That was a story for another time.

  “How about you guys? You work together?” Berlin asked, eager to change the subject away from her.

  “Not for long,” Vy moaned, her mouth becoming a grimace of frustration. “We’re going to be canned soon.”

  “Stop that!” Cory and Briar growled simultaneously.

  “You have no idea if that’s true,” Cory insisted, his eyes narrowing at Vy. “I wish you’d stop tempting fate by saying stuff like that out loud.”

  “What happened?” Liam wanted to know, leaning in. He was always one to listen to juicy gossip, even if it had no bearing on his life.

  “Nothing,” Briar said quickly. “Our company merged with another and Vy is being a drama queen.”

  “Oh, mergers can be messy,” Liam conceded, sitting back and placing his fingers to his mouth coyly. He seemed disappointed that there wasn’t more to the story.

  “You work in IT, right? I thought that’s what John said,” Berlin remembered.

  “We work for Branch Technology. We’re programmers,” Cory explained. He paused then and gave Briar an incomprehensible look.

  “Well, Vy and I are programmers. Briar is more of a—”

  “Okay, that’s enough shop talk,” Briar interrupted, his olive tone tinging red. “We came here to relax, not talk about work.�
��

  He jumped to his feet.

  “I’m going to get some snacks. I’ll be right back. Try to keep the conversation light, you masochists.”

  His co-workers smirked at him but Berlin could see Vy regretted bringing up the subject.

  “Let me help you,” Berlin volunteered and he glanced at her in surprise.

  “Yeah, sure,” he agreed. “I’ll show you around, too. We can compare notes.”

  She felt a tingle of excitement by his words.

  Like he expects me to come around more often and wants me to know where the bathroom is, she surmised. Again, a deep embarrassment filled her gut and she wondered why she was acting so foolishly.

  The guy is being polite and you’re mentally moving in. When do you even let your mind run away with you like this?

  Berlin knew the answer was never and she again was struck by the strange effect which Briar seemed to have on her.

  “Don’t mind my friends,” Briar apologized when they entered the kitchen. “They’re nerds.”

  Berlin laughed.

  “I thought that was a prerequisite for working in IT,” she teased but Briar stared at her intently.

  “Not necessarily,” he replied softly and she felt a shiver rush through her body.

  “They’re lovely,” she insisted, leaning up against the kitchen counter. “Thanks for inviting us. I can’t tell you how good that beer feels after a move.”

  He grinned.

  “I’ve done it. I know.” He fussed around the cupboards but Berlin got the impression he was purposely trying to avoid her eyes while he collected chips and salsa to feed the herd.

  A slight silence ensued and finally Berlin blurted out a part of what was on her mind.

  “Have we met before?” she asked. “You seem very familiar to me.”

  His head jerked up and he stared at her strangely.

  “I had the same feeling,” he confessed. “But I can’t place you.”

  She nodded slowly and sank back against the granite.

  “I don’t suppose you’ve ever spent time in Birmingham,” she asked lightly and he shook his head.

  “I was raised right here in Eugene since age 4. Before that…” he trailed off, pausing as a thought consumed him. He shook his head.