Southern Shifters

by Dee Carney

  She turned, ready to run inside and wake Murphy, to let him know her family was back and causing trouble, when she spotted Cage.

  Her brother stood tall, even for a Blackwood. His hair was always pulled into a bun, the beard of the same dark color covering his chin and jaw. Unlike Sable and Cal, his dark eyes belonged to their mother. All three of them shared their father’s cheekbones. The beard hid a dimple Sable hadn’t seen in a very long time. She couldn’t say when he’d stopped smiling and became her overlord, but she missed the older brother who used to give her piggy back rides when they were young.

  “Little girl, you ready to come home now?” He rose from a crouch which had kept him from view, his voice deceptively calm. Sable knew better, though. “Caused a lot of trouble. Got your brothers and fiancé worried, which I know you don’t want.”

  “Cage,” she whispered, unable to say anything else. She glanced at the stairway to the house and knew she couldn’t get to it before he reached her first.

  “Don’t do that. Don’t you dare look at that house and think you’re going to go inside there. We came a long way to find you and you’re coming back home now.”

  “W-we?”

  Her insides trembled, but she started forming plans for getting away. The car would have been ideal, but they’d left her no choice. Trying to get away from Cage from all fours would probably result in getting caught—his wolf topped speeds she could never match—but maybe with a little luck she’d find a hidey hole.

  “Behind you,” Cage said.

  Sable slammed her eyes shut, but opened them after taking a deep breath. Over her right shoulder, she spotted Cal waiting with a smirk on his face. Beside him stood her fiancé, Voss.

  The part of her raised by her brothers to be the compliant and a good wife wanted to apologize to the man she’d been promised to. The woman who’d been loved by a hybrid took one look at him and knew she could never keep that promise. Her heart belonged to Murphy.

  “Thought you said she was in heat?” Cage growled.

  All three men lifted their noses into the air and sniffed. “She was!” Cal exclaimed. “There was a hybrid next to her. Smells like—”

  “He touched you, so he’s a dead man now,” Voss said with eerie calm.

  Sable cried out. “No! No. Please. Walk away and leave us alone. Please, Voss. You don’t want me. You don’t need me for a wife. There are others who’ll—”

  “None whose families promised them to me.” He strode to the stairs, taking them two at a time without pausing. His hands were balled into fists already, rage radiating from the rest of him.

  “Please. He didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “You stink of another man’s scent while standing in front of your fiancé and say he didn’t do anything wrong? While you were in heat, you let someone fuc—tup you, do you know what that means?”

  Oh gods. Sable’s hands went to her belly. “It doesn’t mean—”

  “But it could!” Cage shouted. He clenched his teeth, then took a deep breath. “I can’t stop Voss from taking it out on you, it’s his right, but I’ll try. I won’t stop him from taking it out on the hybrid who dared touch my little sister, however.”

  Sable dropped to her knees, fear making it difficult to breathe. She knew Murphy was part cat, but the other part was still a mystery to her. If the other part of him wasn’t a predator, the chances he’d make it out alive from a confrontation with a wolf dwindled down to nothing. She couldn’t take that chance.

  “Voss, please,” she said softly. He stood before the door, hand on knob. “Please leave him alone and I’ll return to the clan with you. I won’t run away again. I won’t fight. I’ll marry you as soon as we get back, but you have to promise me that you’ll leave him alone.”

  Chapter Nine

  Murphy stretched, putting his arm out to locate Sable. He opened his eyes when he couldn’t find her and then vaguely recalled her saying something about the car.

  For the moment, he wanted to relive every second of their coupling. His shoulder throbbed where she’d bitten him, but it was a trophy of epic proportions. With a light touch, he skimmed his fingers over it now, knowing the bruise would never fade, but always be a sign to others that he was mated.

  Mated.

  It had taken everything in him not to bite her in return, but he wouldn’t let her go into this during the height of passion. He couldn’t help wanting her to think it through before allowing herself to be permanently tethered to him. He’d already made up his mind for himself.

  After slipping on a pair of jeans, he went into the kitchen to find them something to eat. He wanted to get her back in the bed as soon as possible so taking care of her stomach needed to take priority. They’d have a long talk later about the way she’d left him behind to go take care of a ‘98 Chevy.

  It didn’t take long to pull out a large rib eye steak and slice up zucchini to throw on the grill. They’d be eating in under fifteen minutes. When he got outside to let her know, though, she wasn’t standing near the car where he’d expected her to be. He set the platter down, then moved closer to the car.

  He’d chosen this area to build the house because of its relative isolation. It served him now when he put his nose in the air and inhaled, trying to locate her scent. The cacophony of different smells that assaulted Murphy made him stagger back.

  Wolves had been here. More than one. Not just Sable, either.

  Fuck. Her family must have come back for her, which shouldn’t have been a surprise. Why in hell he’d allow himself to become complacent when it came to protecting her, he’d never forgive himself for.

  Had they coerced Sable into leaving…or had she walked away from him?

  Murphy paced the area in front of the car, searching the ground. He needed just one sign that she’d been taken by force, something that said she’d put up a struggle. If he went tearing after her, bullying his way into her clan to locate her, and she’d gone willingly…Dammit, he didn’t know what to do.

  His left shoulder throbbed.

  He paced in front of the car after shoving his hands into his hair. He didn’t love Sable, true, but he recognized the mating bond they shared. He’d given her chance after chance to reconsider or to even go slower, but Sable had refused to back down, just like him. That had to mean something. She’d marked him and that had to mean something too.

  In under ten seconds he’d shoved off his jeans. The tiger’s sense of smell wasn’t as developed and wouldn’t help him locate his mate. However, the bear, whose sense of smell was ten times better than a bloodhound’s, would locate Sable with ease. Surrounded by her family, especially if they’d shifted, finding her should be child’s play.

  Until she told him herself that she wanted to walk away, he refused to believe she would. That meant going after her. He hoped for both of their sakes that he wasn’t making a mistake.

  The bear reared up into the evening air, then beat at the ground, posturing to let any other animals around know it was out and spoiling for a fight. One that Murphy had no intention of losing.

  Sable had told Voss she’d go without a fight, but she couldn’t stop herself from looking back from time to time, hoping for some sign of Murphy on his way to get her. There were no guarantees that he’d even consider it, but she hoped he understood how much their mating meant to her. Despite the fact they hadn’t gone all the way with the ritual, it wasn’t because she hadn’t wanted to.

  Please, Murphy. Please find me.

  “Is the idea of marrying me really so awful?” Voss asked from beside her. They wouldn’t tell her where they were going or how long it would take to get there. She didn’t think Cage would have walked the entire way here though, or forced their animals to run the distance. The guys would be able to maintain the pace and endurance needed, but unlike them, Sable didn’t often push herself for long distances.

  “It has nothing to do with you. I didn’t want to be married to anyone before.” Before she’d met Murphy.


  “I’ll provide you with a good home. A good life.”

  “Some woman out there deserves that from you, V, but I don’t think it’s me. I need passion and love. I need my mate.”

  “You think you’re the only woman who’s hoping her mate shows up?” Cage asked with a scowl. “The odds of finding him have to be a million to one. Are you really willing to wait around and hope you hit the Lotto?”

  “What if I’ve found him?” Sable asked softly.

  “Fuck that noise,” he snarled. “You shack up with some fucking hybrid and you think he’s your mate? That’s not how it works. Is that what he told you to get into your panties? And you fell for it?”

  “I—” For the first time, Sable wondered if Murphy had been nothing more than a con artist.

  Then she remembered the way he’d kissed her. The way he’d touched her. The way he’d looked at her. The emotions he aroused in her weren’t those of a love struck teenager, but those of a young woman who’d found her mate. She wouldn’t doubt their attachment. Not now.

  “I know what it’s like to find a connection with someone,” she said. “It’s an experience I’ll always be grateful for and will never forget, no matter who I end up marrying.”

  She glanced over to find Voss watching her, a thoughtful expression on his face. She didn’t want to hurt him for he was as caught up in their clan’s declining birthrate as much as she was. The fear that prompted the arranged marriage was understandable.

  Times were changing though, and their entire clan had to learn to take part. If they needed more pups, then they had to allow themselves to go out and find others to make families with. Trying to maintain a “pure” bloodline didn’t make sense any more. They were killing themselves.

  “You’ll honor the commitment that the Blackwoods made to the Bauers. You’ll marry Voss and make him a fine wife. There’s no other choice for it, little sister.”

  “But why? I don’t—”

  Sable whirled as the sound of something large crashed through the woods, tearing up bush and brush. Heavy tread. Despite her superior vision, she couldn’t quite make out the shape or determine how many people managed to create such a ruckus.

  The men moved to stand in front of her as a single unit. Her brothers had always been there to protect her from school bullies or would-be suitors. She knew without a doubt that whatever approached wouldn’t be allowed to get near her. Not while they still had breath in their bodies. Still, she was a big girl now. Her wolf could help take on whatever might be coming their way.

  “Stay back, Sable,” Cage shouted. He and the other guys shoved off their clothes and shifted before she could call out to him.

  Voss’s wolf ran back toward Sable, planting his paws in the ground, ready to square off against danger. Cage and Cal, in wolf form, ran into the woods, growling and barking the entire way. They rushed in at top speed, their fur bristling. Without all the chaos they created, Sable knew whatever waited on the other side would probably tuck tail and run.

  Then she heard the most enraged sound, a pulsing low rumble she didn’t recognize. A noise that made her heart clench. The sound, the agitation of a creature on a path of destruction. It demolished the trees and shrubbery in its path, their fall apparent even before the beast itself came into view.

  Sable caught sight of two dark eyes before her brothers attacked. They were a fury of fur and teeth, attacking in unison. But the bear—the huge bear—they attacked, went after them like they were no more threatening than mosquitoes against its thick hide.

  It moaned that soul grabbing pulsing sound again, then managed to grab Cal by one leg. Swinging him into the air, the bear snapped at his flailing form, but Cal managed to twist and land before it made contact. He bounced as soon as he landed, springing to attack the bear near the neck.

  Distracted by Cal, the bear almost didn’t turn in time to keep Cage away from its foreleg. The bear swung around, claws outstretched and intent on shredding Cage to ribbons. Her brother managed to clamp on to a paw, biting down with five hundred pounds of force. The bear whimpered, but then picked up its foreleg and slammed it—along with Cage—against the ground.

  Sable took a step forward, crying out in shock. Voss whipped his head around to her, but then returned his attention to the fight.

  Cal and Cage, growling deep in their throats, faced off against the bear again, this time both of them a little more analytical about their attack. She could tell Cage moved a little slower than he first had, but a fire still lit behind his eyes.

  There was a pop of light and the bear disappeared. In his place stood Murphy. Her mate.

  “Murphy,” Sable said on a breath. She took another step forward, halting when Voss growled.

  He kept his focus on the two wolves closest to him. “I just want my mate back. No trouble.”

  Cage shifted first. His eyes narrowed as he studied the bear shifter. Dear gods. A bear. Of all the things she’d never imagined or thought of, a bear made it first on the list. A gorgeous black bear of amazing strength and fortitude.

  Cage said, “You the guy who took advantage of my sister during her mating cycle?”

  “Am I her mate? Yeah, I am. Did I take advantage of her? Never.”

  “She left our clan intact, engaged to be married. She’s not returning in the same condition and I ought to kill you for it.”

  Murphy shifted his stance, putting his weight on his back leg. “You can try, but a bear against a wolf? I know who I’d bet on.”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sakes,” Sable muttered. She stepped around Voss, moving closer to the men. “Cage, please let me live my life the way I want to and not the way you think I should. I can bring pups to the clan, but they have to be with the man that I choose. Not you.”

  Voss shifted, followed by Cal, the fight apparently at an impasse for now. “We were chosen because of our bloodlines, Sable. Hybrid pups wouldn’t be accepted by the clan and you know it.”

  “Then the clan is going to die out. Not today, but someday. Those old prejudices have to disappear if we’re to survive. They just have to.”

  Voss turned to Cage. “Do something. If she leaves with him, if this marriage doesn’t go through, it could start an incident in the clan. At the very least, my family will want back the bride price we paid.”

  Sable’s ears rang while the blood drained from her face. “The what?”

  Cal had the decency to blush, his ears mottling. He watched the standoff between Murphy and Cage in silence, but his nonverbal cue told Sable more than enough. He knew what their brother was up to and if not participated in it, agreed with it.

  “You sold me?” she asked, the words strangling her. “You sold me to Voss? All these years…the overbearing hovering, having no life, driving away any guy who showed me the slightest interest…oh, gods. You sold me.” Her legs threatened to give out beneath her.

  She couldn’t think any more. Couldn’t be here.

  Choking on betrayal, Sable shifted and her wolf ran.

  Chapter Ten

  He’d know that scent anywhere. The scent of his mate.

  Dealing with her brothers had taken a lot longer than he’d expected, but he’d trailed her as soon as they’d concluded their business. He knew how bad it must have seemed to Sable, but it boiled down to tradition. Her brothers loved her, despite what she thought.

  She’d made it about fifteen miles. His timid mate continued to impress him. Her brothers might have protected or coddled her within an inch of her life, but once again she proved she would go the distance if forced to. If he had anything to say about it, this would be the last time she was forced to run.

  “Bears aren’t made for going this kind of distance you know.”

  Sable lay down beside a stream, her fingers trailing in the cool water. Her naked form made her seem like a woodland creature made of mist and magic. The moonlight glinted off her skin, giving her an ethereal glow. Although this was neither the time nor the place, his cock thickened at the
prospect of sinking into her right now. Down boy…

  “I think I would have gone through the rest of the animal kingdom before a bear ever crossed my mind,” she said, almost at a mumble.

  “Is it better than a cat, at least?” He knelt beside her, still testing her mood. Unsure of how he’d be received if he took her in his arms.

  “Infinitely. Although I’m growing used to the cat thing. I mean, you’re only part cat, so that has to count for something.”

  “You’re going to make certain holidays with my family are memorable, aren’t you?” Murphy took a chance and scooted closer. She sighed softly when their bodies touched and he took it as a good sign. Sable seemed to tuck herself against him as if she needed the contact.

  “Oh, Murphy…” Her chest hitched as she let out a broken sob. “How could you still want to be with me and my joke of a family? You saw what they wanted to do!”

  He squeezed her closer. “Your brothers meant well.”

  She drew back, her face a mask of horror. Those blue eyes brimmed with tears and studied him in disbelief. “Did you miss the part where they tried to sell me to the highest bidder?”

  “That’s actually not what happened.”

  “Were we a part of the same conversation? I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what hap—”

  Murphy kissed her. It was probably not a sensible thing to do when she clearly wanted to vent her frustration and perhaps take it out on the closest male, namely him, but he couldn’t help himself. That distinctive scent enveloped her, her plump lips were parted and tears he would never be responsible for made her eyes glitter.

  He expected her to pull away, perhaps even glare at him in righteous indignation. Instead, his mate clutched his arms and deepened their kiss.

  “Murphy.” A whisper.

  Sable turned to face him, crawling into his lap and pressing her breasts to him. His cock rose between them and she used her velvet grip to stroke him to full hardness. When she elevated enough to slip it between her thighs and into her pussy, Murphy moaned.