Rebirth - Book 1 Rogues Shifter Series

by Gayle Parness

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Ethan and I woke up around noon and decided to head to the beach. The day was unusually warm and it seemed like the perfect way to spend a day off. My ankle was fully healed, due to Rob’s quick work, my own healing abilities, and some particularly potent vampire saliva. Plus, I was in a terrific mood, probably because of the attentions of the aforementioned vampire. Ethan asked Sinc and Kyle to join us and I turned away with a little smirk. Was Ethan attracted to Sinc? I hoped so. I wondered if Kyle had a girlfriend.

  I made sandwiches and gathered other snacks and drinks while Ethan straightened up around the cottage. Kyle and Sinc lived in town, so they’d know of a beach that met our main criteria: deserted. We figured we’d be safest in an out-of-the-way spot. Sinc and Kyle said they’d stop by the local store and get us a couple of bathing suits and beach towels. I also put in an order for sunscreen. My fair skin burned easily.

  They picked us up right on time in Sinc’s sports car, but I was shocked to see Kyle was driving. I wasn’t surprised to find out they’d been bickering about it. Kyle didn’t like the way Sinc drove, but Sinc didn’t like riding in his SUV, so it became a regular argument every time they went anywhere together. Turns out, she’d usually give in and let him drive her car, because she wasn’t comfortable driving with him snarking at her all the time. They were more like siblings than teammates.

  The beach Kyle chose was rocky with a small patch of sand where we could stretch out next to each other. The tide was out and Sinc remarked with a smile that the surf was fairly gentle, although the four-foot waves looked like they could knock you around if you weren’t careful.

  Kyle pulled out a Frisbee and we spent some time tossing it around, getting soaked in the freezing water and laughing crazily. Because the sea was so cold, Kyle, Sinc, and I shifted to our cats and swam for a while, encouraging Ethan into the water, where his cougar did very well paddling next to us. I’d happily discovered feline shifters didn’t have the same aversion to water many other felines had.

  When we’d had enough, we shifted back to our regular forms, dressing and eating everything Ethan and I’d brought in our bags, plus all the food Kyle and Sinc had carried in. Then we settled down like kittens on our towels and chatted.

  Kyle started in with, “So, did everyone see my amazing shot with that crossbow? I think we can all agree your ass was up for grabs with smelly old Hank standing over you. Good thing I have such great aim. I was running at the time.” He grinned proudly. “Of course that’s nothing compared to what you’ll be able to do with ley line energy once you’re trained.”

  “She’s already pretty amazing.” Ethan smiled at me as Sinc’s eyes narrowed just a little.

  “Hey, now that you’ve dumped Garrett, maybe you and Ethan can hook up.” Kyle looked like he’d just had the best idea of the day.

  Sinc’s expression turned icy, Ethan looked embarrassed, and I sat up frowning, feeling more than a little peeved. “What makes you think I dumped him?”

  “Uh—seriously? Because you saw what he did to the witch. And because you’re not some dumbass vamp groupie getting off on blood loss and one-night stands—banging some vamp in the back room of a bar. Vamps are bad news.”

  Sinc opened her mouth to yell at him, but I lifted my hand to quiet her. “Kyle, I appreciate that you saved my ass, but I didn’t dump Garrett. We’re more together than ever. He doesn’t hang out in bars banging vamp groupies. He spends his nights training us, including you, Kyle.”

  He ignored my anger and shrugged. “Sure, he’s a great trainer. But he’s gotta feed every day. Where do you think he goes?”

  “He has donors, and he doesn’t take blood from them.”

  “Hmm.” Kyle shook his head. “You believe what you want. I still think you and Ethan should hook up.”

  “Ethan's my best friend.” Ethan and I grinned at each other, both of us acknowledging the truth of our already close relationship. I turned the tables on Kyle. “So what’s your girlfriend like?”

  Sinc snorted, bending over with the giggles. I gave her a puzzled look and she blurted out, “His girlfriend’s name is Peter.” Kyle, Ethan, and I joined in the laughter.

  “Yeah, he’s cool. He’s another leopard. We did the bonding ritual four years ago.” Kyle looked so happy I couldn’t be annoyed with him anymore.

  “Peter is the stable, responsible one in the relationship,” Sinc added. “He’s a lawyer and he’s almost as old as Garrett. I think they settled in the same town in Louisiana back in the 1800s. They’re good friends.”

  “How old are you two?” I indicated Sinc and Kyle.

  “In real years, Sinc’s twenty-four and I’m twenty-five, but we haven’t really aged from when we turned eighteen.”

  “You haven’t aged mentally since you turned twelve.” Sinc gave Kyle the usual smirk and he responded with a playful snarl.

  “How do you know when you stop aging?”

  Kyle spoke up before Sinc had a chance. “It’s weird, but you just do. You start looking the same in the mirror every morning, day after day. Plus, you heal faster. The main difference is you feel kind of settled, not antsy anymore.”

  Sinc made a derogatory noise. “You’re still pretty antsy.”

  “Nobody asked you, Sinclair.”

  “Poor Kyle, since you stopped aging, you’ll never be able to get plastic surgery to fix your face.”

  “Good thing you already had yours done before you stopped aging. Not that it took.”

  “Asshole.” She was smiling.

  “Bitch.” He smiled back.

  Ethan laughed. “You guys are like evil siblings.” The two snarly shifters looked horrified at the thought of being related, which cracked Ethan and me up even more.

  When we settled down again, Kyle looked at me seriously. “I know Garrett’s smart and he’s certainly hot, I can appreciate that, but he’s freakin’ dangerous. He was brutal with the witch, like they all are: vampires and wolves.” Kyle lay down on his towel and closed his eyes. I wondered what had happened to cause him to hate vampires so much.

  “You know, Kyle,” Sinc said, sounding aggravated, “I think you should stay out of other people’s personal business. You always manage to stick your foot in your mouth.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right. Sorry, Jackie. If I didn’t care I wouldn’t say anything.”

  “That’s okay. And thanks again for the super shot with the crossbow. Maybe you could show me how it works?”

  “Sure, that would be cool. Once you can use the lines, like Maya, you won’t need a crossbow to defend yourself.”

  “Who’s Maya?”

  “She’s kind of a shaman for our shifter community. She protects Crescent City from outsiders with this cool magical shield she has up all the time. Of course, what you can do with the ley lines might be totally different. You should think about studying with her.”

  “She’s a cheetah, too,” Sinc added.

  “Garrett is working with me right now. Maybe one day I’ll have a chance to meet Maya.”

  “Garrett is working on you. Before long he’ll be feeding from you on a regular basis. You should see those vamp groupies. They’re like drug addicts. They forget to eat because all they can think about is serving their vamp masters. Garrett will have you twisted around his fangs real soon, if you’re not careful.” Kyle turned over onto his stomach and closed his eyes.

  “Just shut up,” Sinc shouted. “Don’t listen to him. Garrett is totally awesome.” To Ethan she said, her voice dropping in pitch, “Do you want to take a walk along the beach?” She grabbed two beach towels and winked at me.

  “Sure. You want to come, too, Jackie?” Ethan probably figured I wouldn’t want to hang out with Kyle.

  “No, thanks.” I waved, winking at Sinc. “You guys have fun!”

  “Kyle, keep your eyes open,” yelled Ethan as he ran after Sinc, her hips swaying as she walked away. I watched them stroll down the beach chatting and teasing each other. Si
nc laughed and reached up to mess with Ethan’s hair, but he grabbed her hand and wouldn’t let go, so they continued on hand in hand. Energy buzzed because of their attraction and felt so happy for them.

  I lay on my stomach and pulled out the paperback novel I’d borrowed from Carly’s cabin, chuckling as I heard Kyle’s soft snoring. The author drew me quickly into the plot and before I knew it, an hour had passed. The sun was moving closer to the horizon and a beautiful pink glow was reflected across the sand. Kyle got up to take a swim, leaving me alone on the beach, but the story was so engrossing, I didn’t mind.

  Twenty minutes later, fog had started to move in, darkening the late afternoon sky and cooling the air temperature dramatically. A long shadow fell across my book and suddenly Garrett was sitting on the sand next to me, lifting my salty, sandy hand to his mouth and kissing it gently. I put the book away and stood up, stretching to relieve the stiffness in my back and neck. I saw him watching me stretch in my bikini, all the time smiling while little silver flecks whirled around in his eyes.

  His rich voice brushed across my body. “You are exquisite, little cheetah.” Unfolding himself gracefully from the sand, he reached over and pulled me closer, his other hand weaving long fingers in my hair. He was dressed in a cotton button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and well-worn jeans. I liked the soft feel of the fabric against my skin.

  “I’m not curvy like most women.”

  “You’re built like a cheetah: sleek and sexy.” He nuzzled my ear, sending tremors down my body.

  I grinned against his shoulder. “I’m covered in sand and I smell like coconut from all the sunscreen I lathered on. You smell wonderful, however.” I buried my face in his neck, catching a delicious breath of his sweet scent as he wrapped his muscular arms around me. I rested there, perfectly content for a moment, then pulled away to ask, “What do I usually smell like to you?”

  “Like a field of wildflowers the day after a rainstorm. Like cheetah." His eyebrow arched as he realized something. “You smell like the home of my childhood.”

  “I’m glad I remind you of happy times.”

  He wove his hand through my hair and smiled his most enticing smile. “I’m taking you home to get cleaned up. You and Ethan have to appear before the Shifter Council tonight.” My eyes grew wide in surprise. “Some of the more conservative shifters have convinced the council you and Ethan may be a danger to the population.” His eyes glinted with humor. “I think we have a few surprises in store for them.”

  “What about the others?” I was looking down the beach for Ethan and Sinc. Kyle was still swimming.

  “I found Ethan and Sinc before I came to you. They’ll tell Kyle.” He chuckled and I wondered what exactly they’d been doing when he found them. “They’ll meet us at 10:00 tonight. Let’s go.” We gathered up my towel and backpack and walked hand in hand to his car.