Taken (M/F/M red-hot menage shifter romance) Standalone (Shadow Creek Shifters Book 2)

by Madison Johns

  “Don’t think that’s a good idea, but I sure would love to learn. I’m glad you came to Shadow Creek, Ms. Katlyn. Shifters need to be educated. I guess I just never was able to pick things up like most. I’m what my mama called slow, and she wasn’t able to help me all that much before she died.”

  “When did your mother die?”

  “I was seven and we were living at a ranch in Texas when she was shot after she chased after cattle rustlers. I watched her die right in front of me, but I wasn’t able to do much besides watch them load the cattle onto trucks.”

  Tears threatened to fall, but Katlyn blinked them back. “I’m so sorry. What did you do after that happened?”

  “I resolved to stay shifted as a llama for the remainder of my childhood, but when I turned eighteen, I decided it was time to live as a human, at least for part of the time. I wandered from ranch to ranch, until one day I showed up in Creeksboro. I’m not very bright, I suppose, and got myself into trouble in town. I got into a fight with a few men and I hurt one of them pretty bad. I’m ashamed to even admit to that, but I’m bigger than most and didn’t realize just how strong I was. Brendan was at the saloon that day and bailed me out of jail the next day, bringing me to Shadow Creek.”

  “What about the man you hurt? What happened to him?”

  “He recovered, but he still walks with a limp, they say. He moved back east a few years back. Sorry to bore you with my life’s story,” Angus said, sadly.

  “Nonsense. We’ll meet every day after school somewhere private. I promise not to tell anyone I’m teaching you. After all, that’s what I’m here for, to teach shifters.” Katlyn thought for a moment. “I have one more possible mate. Melody’s mother—she’s a red-tailed hawk shifter. I’m not sure what her name is, exactly, since I only met her older daughter Ariel.”

  “You mean Carrie, then.” He chuckled. “She’s way too much woman for me, and I’d sure spend half of my time trying to catch up with that one. She’s quite the spitfire, too, and a partier. She hangs out more at the saloon than she does at home with Melody, I think.”

  Katlyn frowned at that. “Sounds like it, since Ariel mentioned that she’s been missing for a few days.”

  “Is that right? Ask Melody if she turned up as of yet today. If not, I’ll go into town to see if anyone’s seen her or knows where she might have went off to. I know she’s known to stay gone a day or two, but any longer, she might just have gotten herself into trouble.”

  Katlyn bit down on her finger. “I certainly hope not. It’s bad enough that most of the children have no fathers, to speak of.”

  “They have fathers, all right, but not the ones that Brendan would want showing up at Shadow Creek.”

  “You mean like Seth?”

  “Enough fishing, Katlyn. Shouldn’t you be heading to the schoolhouse about now?”

  Katlyn smiled widely. “I suppose, since you won’t spill the beans. I need to know who this Seth character is. Are you sure you can’t tell me?”

  “I like my job too much to say anything further.”

  “And what are you two talking about?” Brendan said from the door with an arched brow.

  “Nothing, just asking about my filly is all.”

  “Really, now? It sure sounded like something else.”

  Katlyn strode past Brendan, and said, “No time to talk. I need to get to school before those shifter children get out of hand. Those kids can get rambunctious, at times.”

  Chapter Five

  Katlyn jumped on the UTV and cranked over the engine, warming it up, which took about ten minutes before she was able to drive off without it stalling out. Dang it all. If only she had more time. Katlyn was certain she’d be able to get Angus to talk. Perhaps when she taught him how to read and write, she’d have better luck. If anything, Angus sure was a loyal employee, but in truth, Angus was treated every bit as part of the family here at Shadow Creek, as all shifters were from what she’d gathered thus far. It was one of the reasons she loved Brendan and Chase. They treated everyone decently, and had even shown quite a bit of tolerance, where Paige was concerned. Who else would allow an actual vampire that they had found in a hole near Devil’s Tower to run their ranch? She still needed to deduce if Paige could actually be of help to Tessa, or if she was part of the problem.

  When Katlyn made it to the schoolhouse, the children were all playing chase outside, with the exception of Melody who wasn’t here. She tried not to let that bother her all that much, but one thing was for certain—Katlyn would be heading off to check on Melody after school. After the story about Melody’s mother being missing, Katlyn vowed to get to the bottom of what was going on at home for Melody. While Katlyn had only been hired to teach the children, it was kinda hard not to get attached to them.

  “Hello, children. Sorry I’m late,” Katlyn greeted them.

  “It’s okay,” Maxwell said. “It’s fun to run around for a change. Uncle Raphael keeps telling me that I need to rest my leg more than I think I really do.”

  Sounds just like a true child who thinks they have no physical limitations. “That’s surprising. I would have thought that he’d prefer to keep you active since you’re a werewolf and future alpha.”

  Maxwell shrugged. “He’s just a little too overprotective right now. Once he gets over my dad’s death, he’ll calm down.”

  “How are you about losing your father?”

  Maxwell scowled and went into the classroom, with the other children following him inside. When Katlyn made it inside, she approached Maxwell and said, “It’s not good to keep everything all bottled up, but it’s okay if you’re not ready to talk just yet.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” Maxwell said as he slammed his fists on his desk.

  Whoa. Maxwell certainly had some serious anger issues, not that she could blame him. She felt so bad for him, and couldn’t know what it would feel like to lose a father since Katlyn’s was still living, even though she hadn’t seen her parents since a few months before the Shifter Patrol had pursued her all the way to Shadow Creek. She did call them a few times, without being too specific. She just didn’t know quite how to tell her parents that she had fallen in love with two mountain lion shifters and now was pregnant with their children. Katlyn never thought of the babies as belonging to just Brendan or Chase since, thus far, they both seemed to be claiming to be the father.

  Katlyn walked to her desk. “I’m sorry, Maxwell. It won’t happen again.” She had to bite her lip and not add that he could talk to her about it anytime that he felt ready. Right now, he was so angry and she just didn’t know how to reach him. She knew he was trying to disguise his pain, and in the future, she’d have to approach him more delicately about the matter. Boys were so good about not talking about what bothered them most, which was very worrisome—but it wasn’t her place. Raphael seemed to really care for the boy, and Katlyn was positive that he’d see him through his mourning period.

  She wrote a math problem on the chalkboard and Ivan raised his arm, making his way to the board to solve it. Maxwell glanced only once at the board, but kept his head down the remainder of the time.

  With only Ivan and Joel participating in class, it made for a long, boring day, but Katlyn took it in stride since there just wasn’t too much that she could do about it. Besides worrying about Maxwell now, she was resolved to seek Melody out later.

  Katlyn ended school early and Maxwell lingered in the schoolroom after the other children left. “I’m sorry, Ms. Katlyn. I just can’t talk about my father’s death with you. You’re a human.” He raced out the door before Katlyn could say anything and she just shook her head in defeat. She had managed to say all the wrong things with Maxwell today and hoped that he’d return to school tomorrow. So far, all her students were dropping off like flies.

  * * *

  Rummaging through all the papers that had the children’s information on it, Katlyn just wasn’t able to find where Melody lived. Why would she, anyway, since she gathered sh
e lived somewhere on the ranch?

  Katlyn drove the UTV back to her cabin and Brendan was standing outside, talking to Chase. She slipped out of the vehicle and strutted up to them. “I sure hope you can help me.”

  “What’s going on?” Brendan asked.

  “Besides the fact that I had two students who actually participated at school today, you mean?” When Brendan arched a brow, she continued. “I said the wrong thing to Maxwell about his father. I guess I thought it might help if he talked about his father’s death and I made a mess of things. He’s really angry and is just not going to open up to me since I’m a human. I think he really resents humans, now.”

  “It’s to be expected,” Brendan said. “Women are all into talking about your feelings, but men are cut of a much different cloth. Try not to worry too much about him. He’ll come around eventually.”

  Katlyn nodded. “I agree. As they say, ‘Men Are From Mars.’”

  “Who says that?” Chase asked with a grin.

  “It’s a book, but perhaps they should write one called ‘Mating with Shifters for Dummies.’”

  Brendan smiled. “The mating part you have down, dear.”

  “Not mating so much lately, since you’re both too worried about making love to me since I’m pregnant now.”

  “I know, but I’d rather hear from your doctor before I’m comfortable doing that,” Brendan said. “I know you think it’s silly, worrying about something like that, but I’ve never had a pregnant mate before.”

  It was the perfect opportunity to fish a little without mentioning Wenise’s name. “No? Have you never even thought about taking a mate before me?”

  Brendan glanced away. “What’s up with this line of questioning? Did Angus tell you that I had?”

  “No. Angus is pretty tight-lipped when it comes to talking about you, actually. I think he’s about the most loyal man I’ve ever met.” She chose not to say shifter, since she didn’t want to imply that Brendan or Chase weren’t being loyal to her.

  “That’s good to hear, but do you have something specific on your mind that you want to share?”

  “No. Well, actually, I was hoping that you could take me over to where my student, Melody, lives. She wasn’t in school today, and just yesterday she told me that her mother had been gone for a few days. I’d feel better if I could check on her to make sure she’s okay.”

  “I’ll run over there,” Brendan said.

  Katlyn stepped forward, placing a hand on Brendan’s chest. “Please, it’s important to me that I go over there with you.”

  “Fine, but we’ll have to take the truck over. It’s quite a walk there.”

  “But Melody walks to school everyday.”

  “I know, but she’s not pregnant with our child, now is she?” Brendan said, his eyes warm and inviting.

  Katlyn followed Brendan and Chase to their pick-up truck and off they went, like a shot into the night.

  Ten minutes later, Brendan skidded to a halt in front of a cabin about the same size as the one Tessa lived in. It was an all-log cabin and Ariel greeted them before they had the chance to knock. “Wow, what a surprise.”

  “I was wondering why Melody didn’t make it to school,” Katlyn said.

  “Oh, I bet you were. Do you know what that little shit tried to do last night?”

  “Fly?” Katlyn guessed.

  “You have that one right. She busted up her leg but good, too.”

  Ariel led the way through the knotty pine interior of the cabin to a bedroom directly in the back where Melody was lying in bed, reading a Nancy Drew mystery, her swollen leg on a pillow.

  “Oh, my. You need to see a doctor,” Katlyn blurted out.

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea, teacher.”

  Katlyn’s hands went to her hips. “And why not?”

  Melody took off her sweater and there were brown feathers all along her arms. “This is why not.”

  “But I thought you’d learned how to shift now.”

  “I did, but turning all the way back isn’t so easy to do. Mama used to give me her special drink that helped, but since she’s not here now, I’m afraid that I’m stuck.”

  “Special drink?” Brendan asked with a smile. “And I bet it tasted just like chocolate milk, too.”

  “How did you know?”

  “Because my mother did the same thing when I was a kid—well, after we began to live amongst the humans.”

  “You mean that you used to live in the wild at one time?” Melody asked. “What was that like?”

  “Well, there weren’t any luxuries, like refrigeration or chocolate milk,” he winked. “But you certainly had the freedom to frolic like shifter children could in the wild, under the watchful eye of the adults.”

  “I miss mama. I hope she comes home soon.”

  “I’ll try to track her down,” Brendan said. “Does she usually do that, be gone so long?”

  “It’s been longer than a few days and I’m beginning to worry.”

  “She usually goes to the local saloon,” Ariel said.

  “Thanks,” Brendan said. “But we’d better get this little one to the doctor in town for some x-rays first.”

  Katlyn followed Ariel into the kitchen. She found a gallon of chocolate milk in the refrigerator and poured a glass that Ariel handed to her. Instead of taking it to Melody, Brendan took the glass. “Let me give it a go. Stay out here.”

  She nodded, but tiptoed behind him as Brendan handed Melody the glass and said, “Now remember, this is the secret potion to shift all the way back, but the secret is that you have to wiggle your toes when you drink it.”

  It sure seemed silly to Katlyn, but she watched in anticipation as Melody drank the chocolate milk and wiggled her toes profusely. Not only did she drink all of the milk, but all of her feathers disappeared. Katlyn was so impressed with Brendan that her heart swelled in pride. He’d be a great father, for sure.

  Chase stood nearby and smiled. “I used to be so skeptical when Brendan’s mother told me that drink would work for shifting back all of the way, but sometimes I pretended I couldn’t shift back just so I could get more chocolate milk.”

  “I can’t say that I’d blame you there.”

  Katlyn helped Melody put her sweater back on and Brendan lifted the child and set her in the cab of the truck in Katlyn’s lap. She held the child all the way into town until they made it to the Creeksboro’s doctor’s office.

  Doctor Jerome Evans was just leaving as they walked up. “Oh, my. What do we have here?”

  “Melody fell climbing a tree,” Brendan explained.

  “I see. I didn’t know girls were into tree climbing.”

  “Girls can do anything boys can do but better,” Melody said.

  “Oh, yes. You’re quite right Miss Melody. I believe you were in the office not long ago with a different injury.”

  “That time, I fell climbing a tree, too,” she winked. “I just can’t quit climbing trees, and I climb them better than most boys do, you know.”

  “I bet you can, but you should be careful in the future. I’d hate for a rumor to start about how only girls come into my office with tree climbing injuries,” Doctor Evan said with a grin. “Bring her inside. Where is Melody’s mother?”

  “Not sure just yet, but we aim to find out. Please treat the child kindly. I’ll sign the papers in her stead if I need to,” Brendan said.

  “That’s not how it works, but since I’ll be only doing an x-ray, I’ll keep it between us this time, but please locate the child’s mother.”

  Brendan nodded and placed Melody in a wheelchair. A nurse whizzed away with her much to her delight as she said, “Wheeeee!”

  “How can we find Melody’s mother?”

  “You’re staying here and see what the doctor has to say,” Brendan said.

  “Oh, no, I’m not.”

  Chase agreed. “He’s right. We can’t leave Melody all alone here. Children get scared when an adult isn’t close by.”r />
  Katlyn’s shoulders slumped. She wanted to remind them that Melody was tough as nails, much more so than many adults, but for the most part, she just wanted to ask a few questions of her own of Melody’s mother if they found her, like why she had stayed gone so long. But, of course, Melody’s medical diagnosis was important, too.

  * * *

  Dr. Evan surfaced with Melody, who limped into the waiting room where Katlyn and an inquisitive receptionist looked on.

  “Nothings broken,” Dr. Evan said. “But she needs to lay off the tree climbing for a while.”

  Katlyn smiled, her hand going to her abdomen as she felt a pull. “Oh, my. That was strange.”

  “How far along are you, Katlyn?”

  “I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve been seeing Dr. Jenna McKinney. I just feel more comfortable having a woman for a doctor.”

  “You don’t need to explain yourself, Katlyn, but you weren’t having any pains, were you?”

  “Not quite like that, just felt like a muscle pulled is all.” Katlyn stared deeply into the doctor’s eye. “How did you know I was pregnant?”

  He glanced over to the receptionist, asking her to take Melody next door and get her an ice cream cone. Once they were gone, he said, “I think Brendan and Chase might have mentioned it.”

  There was something up with him knowing about her condition when nobody outside of Shadow Creek knew. “Really? When?”

  Dr. Evans rubbed his neck. “At the saloon.”

  Katlyn’s eyes narrowed. “They haven’t been to the saloon recently.”

  “I’m sorry if me knowing about your pregnancy bothers you, but you should get checked out if you’re feeling any kind of pain.”

  Brendan and Chase obviously overheard what the doctor said as they walked through the door, when Brendan said, “Are you okay, Katlyn?” as both men raced to her side.

  “I’m fine. I guess I just felt a little muscle pull when I got up is all.”

  Brendan’s hand went to Katlyn’s stomach. “You should have Dr. Evans take a look.”

  Katlyn stiffened. “A look at what, exactly?”

  “Just to make sure everything is all right,” Chase said.