ROMANCE: SHIFTER: Shifter to the Max Collection (Dragon, Bear, Wolf and Panther Shifter Romances) (Paranormal Fantasy Romance Collection)

by C. J. Ayers

  This time a hoarse nasty-sounding voice responded, “Why don’t you stay out of my business and shut the hell up…” She was getting nowhere. Suddenly, a terrible pain slammed itself into the side of her head. Lillian felt as if something were trying to invade her skull. “No!” Lillian shrieked. Carrie jumped up, with her piece of chalk in hand and replaced the missing line of the protection spell on the wall. Chachi was gone.

  Lillian sat doubled over, holding her head in her hands. Her forehead pulsed and throbbed. Carrie quickly went over to the corner and pulled a leaf off of a nearby plant. “Chew this,” Carrie said as she handed it over to Lillian. The moment Lillian put it in her mouth, she felt instant relief.

  About a half an hour later, Lillian found herself back in Caleb’s hospital room. He was still sleeping quietly, and Lillian couldn’t help but admire the perfection of his brow, his chiseled features, and the way his hair fell. He was so handsome. Again, she reached down and took his hand into her own. Lillian squeezed his palm, this time, hoping that Caleb might squeeze back.

  Slowly the hospital door creaked open. A serious looking woman stepped inside with a tray, which held a few syringes. Lillian knew this woman by sight. She was a Department 99 legend. Her name was Karyn Rourke and she had saved the world, more or less. While she still worked in the field, Karyn had finished medical school with the help of Department 99, and now often worked the hospital units.

  Karyn walked over to Caleb and smiled slightly. She noticed Lillian clutching his hand tightly. She seemed to comprehend the bond between Lillian and Calen that Lillian herself didn’t quite understand.

  “The first time I met your friend, he threatened me,” Karyn smiled to Lillian. Karyn lifted Caleb’s eyelids and glanced at the white of his eyeballs. She then listened to his heartbeat. Without saying a word, Karyn gave Caleb two new injections—one into his leg wound, and another into his bicep. “You can take him home after he wakes up, but bring him back if he has any further complications.” Caleb woke up just as Karyn was exiting the room.

  Caleb’s eyes slowly blinked open. “Hey you,” Lillian said to him softly. “Hi,” Caleb grumbled. Caleb’s eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light. The first thing he noticed was a head of bright red hair beside him, then he felt Lillian’s hand in his own. After that, he felt his strength rapidly returning. He felt almost like a shadow of a person returning to a whole form. Lillian’s blue eyes gleamed in the dark room. He noticed that as she leaned in to hold his hand a certain amount of her cleavage was exposed. He wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to touch her, to finally tell her the depth of feelings he harbored for her.

  After a few moments in silence, Caleb sat up on the edge of the bed. Lillian couldn’t help but notice his beautiful calf muscles as they dangled over the edge of the gurney. She reached over and handed him a T-shirt and a pair of pants that Department 99 had provided. First, Caleb pulled the T-shirt over his head, and then he turned his back to her and pulled the pants up over his bare butt. Lillian smiled. It was the second time she had seen his exposed rear-end and she couldn’t help but admire how shapely and muscular he was. When Caleb was dressed they silently walked out of the hospital unit and into the car.

  Lillian had decided to drive Caleb to her house. She could put him up in the guest room and fill him in on the details of what had occurred with Chachi’s ghost. As they drove in silence, Caleb tired eyes kept travelling to Lillian’s shapely legs. He watched as each time she pressed down on the accelerator, her calf muscle flexed. The window was cracked slightly and warm air tousled her hair bathing him in her aroma. She was so beautiful. His eyes scanned the length of her body and then back to her face. He stared at her full lips, and remembered the kiss they’d shared. He wasn’t sure how he should handle the situation. He was clearly having trouble keeping his feelings for his co-agent professional. Proper protocol dictated that he ask that one of them be reassigned, yet he was too selfish to follow protocol in this situation. Besides, at this point he was certain that regardless of whether they were in the same room together or not, she would still occupy his thoughts every second of every day.

  A short while later Caleb and Lillian were sitting in her living room, discussing the case. Lillian had placed a cup of hot cocoa in front of Caleb and he was sipping at it tentatively. Her eyes glistened in the darkness, and Caleb could no longer concentrate on what she was trying to say. He reached over and pulled her closer by the waist. His lips descended over her mouth and he kissed her deeply. He ran his tongue along the seam and she instinctually parted her lips for him to slip his tongue into her mouth. Lillian moaned softly and Caleb responded by pulling her into his lap and holding her tighter. She could feel the hard bulge in Caleb’s pants as he held her in his arms. His kiss softened and he nibbled lightly on her bottom lip. He leaned back on the sofa pulling her with him, enjoying the moment. For Caleb, feeling Lillian’s body pressed up against his was a dream come true. Literally. How many times had he daydreamed about holding her in his arms just this way, and tasting her lips? Though fully clothed, her body was positioned over his so his erection pressed firmly between her legs. He could feel the soft rise of her breath, and the pressure of her breasts against his chest. Caleb slipped his hand beneath her shirt. He slid his hand up to her breasts and began to slowly caress them. Caleb really wanted to rip her clothes off and ravish her right there, but he knew to take things slowly. As he touched her breasts, Lillian continue to moan softly. He trailed kisses along Lillian’s neck by her ear and slowly worked his way down to her cleavage. Her skin was unbelievably soft to the touch.

  Lillian was in heaven. She couldn’t believe that Caleb was actually touching her in the ways she had only fantasized about. She reveled in the feeling of his wandering hands, and the low groans he made as he rubbed himself against her. She reached up and grasped his biceps. His arms were impossibly hard and chiseled. Her strongest desire was to tear her clothes off and drag him upstairs to her bedroom, but something prevented her from doing this.

  Caleb started to slowly unbutton the front of Lillian’s shirt. As the cloth fell away, he noted that she was wearing that beautiful red lacy bra again. He leaned down and kissed the top of her breasts. Then, he popped her breasts up and out of the bra.

  Lillian felt exposed and a bit vulnerable. The air felt cool against her nipples. Slowly, Caleb lowered his mouth over her left nipple and began to suck. She couldn’t believe this was finally happening. Lillian exhaled, and the stress of watching and worrying as he laid in the hospital recovery ward, melted out of her body with every stroke of his tongue. His strong hands wandered her body, feeling and caressing. Again he kissed her mouth. This time she returned the kiss passionately, threading her fingers through his hair and pulling his face to hers. A deep rumbling sound emanated from Caleb’s chest as she did this, and he dug his fingers into her hips pressed himself against her. Lillian shuddered. He was kissing her neck feverishly now and she heard soft moaning sounds escaping her lips. She reached up and pulled Caleb’s shirt over his head. His shirt came off easily and she tossed it into the corner of the room. Caleb’s muscles rippled, and Lillian admired the chiseled beautiful look of his body. He was covered in a slight sheen of sweat and his body glistened as he slid her onto the couch and moved on top of her. Lillian reached down and fingered the clasp on Caleb’s pants. Another growling sound came from deep within him and he gently bit her neck. Suddenly, his bear started to take over his thoughts. His bear screamed at him demanding he bite down on her- mark her and claim her as his mate. Caleb had never experienced such a felling before. Never with all the women Caleb had been with, and there had been a good deal, had his bear made any such demands. A mate? Someone like Caleb was not suited for a mate. Quickly, he pulled away.

  “What happened? Did I do something wrong?” Lillian asked, a bit confused. Caleb shook his head no. He wanted her. There was no question about that. He also knew that he was in control of his animal. The department had put him through extensive tr
aining and before he could be a field agent, it was made certain that he, the human Caleb, not his bear, dominated his body.

  He then turned back to strong, beautiful, fiery Lillian and was overtaken by desire. He made a decision. His bear would shut the hell up, and he would explore her tonight. He would be careful not to take himself to the point of no return, but he would let her know how badly he wanted her. In one swift motion, he swooped her up and carried her upstairs to the bedroom.

  Caleb lay her down on top of the comforter and started with her neck running his lips, tongue and mouth over every inch of her down to her ankles. His kisses were soft and gentle tickling and making Lillian giggle with delight. He then gently started to massage her calf muscles. Lillian relaxed at his touch. Then, he was on top of her again. Lillian wanted so badly to take his jeans off, yet when her hands wandered down to the clasp on his pants, he pinned her hands down.

  “Behave yourself,” Caleb whispered into her ear playfully. The sound of his voice sent shivers down her spine. Lillian shuddered beneath his body, and arched her back trying to feel more of him. Finally, she could take no more. She reached up and pulled his body down on top of her capturing his lips in her mouth kissing him deeply once again.

  Caleb’s strong hands reached down and pulled Lillian’s jeans off. The movement was so swift that in seconds she was lying beneath him clad only in her red lacy panties and Caleb’s strong hands were making soft circles on her thighs. Lillian shuddered. Her panties were soaked from yearning. Slowly and gently, Caleb’s hand made his way up to them.

  “Can I?” he asked her softly. Lillian nodded yes. Then, Caleb pushed her panties aside and flicked his fingers softly against her. His face was inches from her and his eyes never left hers as he found her sweet spot. He watched her as though she was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen. Lillian moaned in ecstasy and responded by kissing the side of his neck, and then biting him hard. Caleb winced, and then laughed softly.

  They went on like that for the remainder of the night, locked in an embrace exploring one another—but not quite going all the way. Caleb felt so alive in Lillian’s arms that he didn’t want to let go.

  The next morning, Lillian woke up before the sun was up. She looked over at the sleeping form of Caleb, lying next to her in the bed. They had acted like two high schoolers, spending the night exploring one another, but not letting things go too far. Even still, Lillian wanted all of him. He looked so handsome and peaceful as he slept.

  On impulse, Lillian crept out of bed and threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Even with all of the excitement, she couldn’t get the situation with Finn and Chachi off of her mind. She decided to let Caleb sleep in while she went to hunt down some more information. Dr. Rourke had warned her that his injuries had been so extensive that even with his remarkable shifter healing, it would take several more days before he was at full functional capacity.

  Before leaving, Lillian scrawled out a short note on the kitchen table. “Going back to Carrie’s house. Will bring back coffee and something sweet to eat,” she wrote. Lillian strode out of the house wearing a wide grin on her face. There was one more question she’d forgotten to ask Carrie, and she wanted to do it in the safe-room.

  This time, when Lillian knocked on Carrie’s door, something seemed out of place. Lillian knocked again and the door opened by itself.

  “Carrie?” Lillian called, as she peeked her head into the house. Something about the cats made Lillian feel uneasy—they appeared stressed and on alert. “Carrie! It’s Lillian!” she called. Lillian continued to walk through the house, approaching the kitchen. There, in the dim light, she was able to make out Carrie’s form laying sprawled face-down on the kitchen floor. Lillian dropped to her knees immediately, and tried to turn Carrie over to see if she was breathing. When she managed to get Carrie onto her back, it was clear that the woman was dead. Her face was a deathly shade of blue, and her eyes were glossed over. Carrie’s lips were parted and her face was contorted into a horrible grimace. Lillian reached down grasping the radio at her side to call in for back-up.

  At that moment, everything went black. Some kind of sack was placed over Lillian’s head and her arms were restrained behind her back. Lillian kicked wildly and screamed, struggling to get free from whoever held her against her will. From the back of the room, Lillian could hear a terrible laugh that sounded like Chachi. Then, there was a sharp prick of a needle being buried into the back of her neck. Lillian fought to stay conscious, but it was no use. The world faded into darkness.

  Caleb woke with a smile and reached for Lillian. He had expected her to be lying beside him. Last night had been wonderful. He had finally been allowed to explore this woman who had dominated his thoughts for quite some time and the reality was so much better that he had imagined. He knew he was falling fast and hard, but damned if he could help it. The pillows smelled like her shampoo, and he wondered if they could shower together this morning. He was taking things slowly, maintaining control over his bear, but maybe he could get a little bit closer to her today if he was careful. Caleb reached over the side of the bed and pulled on his jeans. His bare feet stepped onto the coolness of the hardwood floor and he called out for her. “Lillian,” Caleb said softly. He waited for a response. Perhaps she was downstairs fixing them breakfast.

  Caleb crept silently down the steps, unable to keep from smiling. He made his way to the coffee pot, filled the tub on top with water and waited patiently as the warm coffee dripped down into the glass container below.

  There was an envelope on the table with his name on it. Perhaps she’d left a little love-note, or something. Caleb snatched up the envelope and tore it open. Inside there was a photo of Lillian, bloodied and bound at both her hands and feet. Her eyes looked as though she were pleading and at the bottom of the picture was a word written in black magic marker: checkmate.

  part 3

  THE DEAD OF NIGHT

  When Lillian woke up, the first thing she noticed was the ice-cold floor beneath her. The right side of her face also felt strange—almost as if it were bruised and puffy. She couldn’t open her right eye all of the way, and each time she blinked a sharp pain ripped through her face. Lillian gently raised her hand to her cheek and winced. Perhaps they had simply just thrown her in here and maybe she’d landed on her face. After all, goons weren’t exactly known for their caring and compassionate nature—if that was who had kidnapped her.

  Lillian sat up on the ground and her eyes strained to adjust to the lack of light. It was clear that she was in some kind of basement. The air was musty and smelled of mold. Lillian closed her eyes for one brief moment. She could hear the distant patter of rain outside, and yet the storm sounded as if it were far above her. There were a few puddles of errant rainwater gathered on the floor as well. For some reason, she immediately remembered that Carrie, her elderly psychic friend was dead. Yes, she had been in Carrie’s house when someone had placed a sack over her head and had forcibly taken her. Lillian assumed that she was now with Carrie’s murderers, but she couldn’t be sure. She had heard what sounded like a number of voices before they’d drugged her and dragged her out of the house. Then, the radio had been changed to some kind of religious sermon before she’d passed out. None of the voices sounded familiar. In fact, they didn’t even have the familiar accent of the mobsters she’d encountered earlier in the week. This was completely new territory.

  Lillian looked down and realized that her shoes were gone—someone had taken them right off of her feet. The room was terribly dark, but she stood up anyway, determined to try and find a way out. Lillian reached out in front of herself blindly and felt her way along a cool wall in front of her. It was made out of some kind of brick, Lillian made a mental note of that, and judging by the coolness of the wall, she was almost certainly underground somewhere—in a basement of sorts.

  For a moment, Lillian’s mind wandered back to Caleb. In her mind, she pictured his beautiful face, and imagined the disappointment he
might feel in realizing that she had disappeared—perhaps, for good. Maybe he would blame himself and think that he had somehow driven her away. On the other hand, maybe these people might dump her body in front of Department 99’s headquarters when they were finished with her. Lillian winced inwardly. No—Caleb was a smart man. Eventually he would put the pieces of the puzzle together and would realize that something very serious had occurred. Caleb would never stop hunting for her killers if things ended with her death, she knew that much for certain.

  The basement had a strong smell, which was terrible. There stench was moldy, but there was something else there too, something a bit more sinister. Was it the smell of rotting flesh? Lillian doubled over and vomited. As she threw up, all kinds of terrible fears ran rampant in her head. Department 99 had trained all of its agents on how to escape in the unlikely event that they were held hostage, and Lillian struggled to think back to that day in the classroom. The instructor had suggested that they try and fight their way out at any cost, and then try to find a way to signal Department 99’s extraction team. Yet she didn’t have any tools. She didn’t have anything at all. Still, her instructor had insisted that there was always something that could be used to an agent’s advantage. She just needed to figure out what that was. Maybe she could lure one of her captors into the room and snap his or her neck. Maybe she could throw a handful of dirt into one of the captors’ eyes—that might buy her a little bit of time. No. Those plans were foolish, at best.

  Even from within the damp basement all of those ideas seemed foolish and almost insane. Throwing dirt into a person’s eyes was a surefire way to piss them off. And sure, maybe she could snap one neck, but what if three or four men came into the cell at one time? How was she going to signal someone when she couldn’t even see her hands in front of her face? Yet, somehow, Lillian started to steel her will. She had to be tough now. If she showed any weakness, her captors might try and use those things to their advantage. In her mind, she pictured an image of Caleb. What would he do if he were in this situation? How would Caleb save himself? Caleb would save his own life at virtually any cost.