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

by C. J. Ayers

  Jack strode over and raised an eyebrow. He then glanced down at Samantha and frowned. “Let’s talk in the hallways, guys.” Karyn felt proud that Jack seemed to want to include her in the conversation. Perhaps now that she had saved Killian’s life, he had gained a bit more respect for her.

  Still in the basement of the hospital—Jack led the three of them down a narrow corridor, which opened into something that looked almost like a boiler room. “Hit me with it, brother. What are you thinking, Jack?” Killian asked, as soon as they were out of the earshot of the others.

  “You know exactly what I’m thinking, Killian. This has to be an inside job. Who else would know about the LaLevy alarm?” Both men paused and looked over at Karyn.

  “Why are you staring at me?” She asked.

  “Do you have any ideas?” Jack asked. Karyn scoffed—barely a week ago she’d been a nurse, who didn’t even know that werewolves existed—and now they were treating her as if she was some kind of expert on the occult.

  “How did you do that uh…that ghost thing, when you made yourself appear in front of me at the office? How’d you do that?”

  Karyn tried to think back. “I just followed my instincts.” Killian looked to Jack, seeming a bit disappointed. Karyn felt guilty for not being able to contribute any more to the discussion. “I sensed a few things when I severed the connection between Samantha and whoever was controlling her mind.” Karyn remembered.

  Jack patted her on the back and rushed off, “I’ll go grab Stella!” he called back as he rushed down the hallway. “Karyn might have some good tracers on her that we can track back to the source!”

  Karyn and Killian enjoyed an awkward moment in the corridor alone. Killian didn’t quite know what to say. She’d risked her own life to save his. Karyn also didn’t quite know where to begin—her feelings were flowing through her, and she felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of old emotions, which were boiling to the surface. Killian reached across the room and gently brushed the tip of her hand with his vampire fingers. As always, he was ice cold…but the gesture was so affectionate and kind that it almost caught her off-guard. Karyn started to hold her breath without even realizing it. She looked up into Killian’s grey eyes—the amount of sincerity in his face almost made her uncomfortable.

  “Have you ever loved a woman before?” Karyn blurted out without thinking.

  Killian looked deeply offended. “Are you asking me if I’m a virgin?” He questioned.

  Karyn’s face turned a deep shade of red. “No, that’s not what I meant. I was just wondering if you were ever …in love before?” She stuttered.

  Killian looked down, and then back into her eyes. He seemed to see her for the first time. She was striking. If only he could say what was truly on his mind. If only he could express how badly he wanted to take her into his arms and his her, and caress her smooth body. I’ve never truly loved a woman before meeting you, he thought—but was unable to let the thought escape from his lips. Instead, Killian looked down at his shoes and then back up at Karyn in a rueful manner.

  In Karyn’s mind, she couldn’t understand why Killian was being so difficult. It was obvious—or at least it seemed obvious to her that he had feelings for her. Why did he try so hard to hide his emotions? Why couldn’t he just cast his fears aside and allow himself to get close to her? In that moment, she felt an unbelievably urged to press her lips up against his.

  “What exactly did you mean by your question?” Killian asked —now seeming to enjoy her embarrassment a little bit. “I knew a girl once, who didn’t think vampires were capable of loving,” Killian said with a faraway glance in his eyes. Just by the look on his face, Karyn could tell that someone had hurt him deeply. “Anyway, love is such a subjective thing,” Killian continued. “Vampires lead our emotional lives a bit differently from humans. It’s so different it would almost be like trying to explain a color to you that you’d never seen before—you’d have no basis for comparison. But I guess, we’re more alike than we are different.” Now he seemed to be the one that was rambling.

  “We are very alike,” Karyn added. “We’re more alike than you know,” she whispered. Karyn’s eyes were intense and they made Killian feel uncomfortable. His heart thudded within his chest and fought back the urge to take her into his arms. Slowly, Killian started to lean forward towards Karyn—steeling himself to finally make a move. His face leaned in closer to hers, and he parted his lips, wanting noting more than to experience the feel of her warm skin.

  Jack came rushing back. “I thought that these scan things weren’t a big deal?” Karyn stated to Killian.

  “Get in here guys!” Jack called down the corridor. “We need your help!” Jack screamed. “Samantha is having a seizure! We need you in here!” Jack called down the hallway. Both Karyn and Killian took off at a break-neck pace back into the room so that they could once again be at the young woman’s side.

  “Jack, if you can use your healing powers, it’ll be much faster than the serum.” Stella stated flatly. Jack understood. Without a second’s hesitation, he unbuttoned the sleeves of his shirt and began to fold them backwards towards his elbows. He placed his hands out in front of his body and extended them towards Samantha’s head.

  Immediately, a warm yellow light emanated from Jack’s hands. Then, suddenly the warm light shining from his hands turned black. Jack froze, as if he had suddenly become a mannequin. “Shit!” Stella screamed. There was a loud clap of thunder and Jack fell to the floor, motionless. Blood drained from out of his mouth, and now his body convulsed on the floor, much like Samantha’s had. The warmth seemed to drain from his complexion and he immediately turned a deathly shade of grey. All the air in the room went cold. Karyn immediately noticed that she could now see her breath.

  Killian lunged forward. “Don’t touch him!” Stella screamed. Karyn grabbed Killian by the arm and struggled to pull him back. Something was very wrong.

  More Department 99 personnel suddenly rushed into the room. Three men, who appeared to be Department 99 paramedics, lifted both Samantha and Jack onto separate stretchers, and rushed them off.

  “I need them in the medical unit, ASAP!” Dr. Forge instructed, as he too rushed out of the room.

  Killian and Karyn ran behind the stretchers into the parking lot. She’d never seen Killian in such visible anguish. They jumped into their car and followed the ambulance all the way back to Department 99’s headquarters. During the drive, Karyn was moved by Killian’s concern for Samantha. His eyes were so serious and intense, that she almost felt jealous. For some reason she noticed that her chest fluttered a bit and she felt a strange warm pulsating sensation between her legs—perhaps with all the excitement, she wasn’t thinking clearly.

  Karyn had never seen the medical level of Department 99 before. It looked much like her old hospital, although far more technologically advanced. There seemed to be censors everywhere. Both Jack and Samantha had been rushed back for emergency treatment, and she and Killian sat in a tiny hallway on a small sofa. Karyn looked over at a steaming coffee pot across the room, and considered offering Killian a cup. Maybe that would help him relax a little bit. Then, of course—she remembered that he was a vampire. Vampires probably didn’t like coffee. Should she offer him some of her blood? Could that make him feel better? Karyn purposefully positioned her body close to Killian’s, and he seemed to relax a bit at the feel of her pressing up against his side.

  His face was twisted up in his large hands. He kept nervously smoothing his hair back at strange intervals, and then blankly staring at the wall. Karyn placed one hand on his left shoulder. At first, he didn’t respond to her touch, but then she could see that his body appeared to relax a second time.

  “After I got sucked into the vortex, I completely lost my identity,” he spoke, almost to no one. “Jack is my only friend. He’s all I’ve got.”

  She looked deeply into his eyes, “He isn’t all you’ve got,” she said. At that moment Killian noticed the roundness of her b
eautiful breasts and could hear the slight thump of her pulse. Killian felt himself salivating in more ways than one, and started to feel guilty. He should be focused on his friend—not on ravishing Karyn, who seemed to have many other things on her mind anyway.

  Karyn swallowed, a lump in her throat growing dry. “He’s going to be alright, Killian,” Karyn soothed.

  “You have a lot to learn,” Killian spoke in a tone scarcely above a whisper. Karyn attempted to redirect the conversation.

  “Jack isn’t your only friend, Killian. You have me too.” Killian ignored her comment. Outwardly, he did not react to what Karyn had just said—but inwardly, her comment had moved him to his core. He wondered about what it would mean to truly have her, as she put it. For a moment, he imagined her sitting atop his little metal bed back at Department 99, focusing her intense glaze only on him. He imagined unbuttoning her shirt and feeling the smooth warmth of her flesh for the first time. Then, he pushed those thoughts away.

  Love was dangerous.

  Just then, a man who appeared to be a doctor shot through the pair of double doors in front of them and walked slowly towards Karyn and Killian. The double doors flapped back and made a loud smacking sound as they simultaneously struck the walls. Killian jumped to his feet and looked longingly at the man. The doctor broke his glance, and looked down at the floor. Just from his face, Karyn could tell that Jack was gone.

  “Killian, I’m sorry, “the doctor said sincerely. “Jack was a good man. He was one of our brightest and best.”

  Killian grabbed the doctor by the shirt. For a moment, Karyn feared that he might smash his face in—but then, Killian quickly let go, turned to the wall, and began to punch large holes in it.

  The doctor took a few steps back, and retreated silently back towards the double doors. Karyn ran after him.

  “Wait! What about Samantha?” she called.

  The doctor stopped in his tracks. “We’re all hoping for a positive outcome, but the damage is severe. We’re all rooting for her; we’re doing everything we can.”

  Karyn turned back to Killian. He was now kicking the wall, and it there were giant craters all over its surface. What should she say? What could she possibly do to help? Karyn thought back to a loss she had once sustained in a foster-home, as a child. Her dog Chip had been run over by a neighbor’s car. Karyn had carried Chip’s limp body all the way home and buried him in the back yard. Sometimes, it’s appropriate to grieve, she thought. Sometimes it’s best to say nothing at all.

  Karyn sat down on the sofa nearest Killian and waited for him to exhaust himself. She wanted him to feel her presence, but she didn’t want to interfere.

  Killian then came over to her and slumped down on the sofa, defeated.

  The feel of her body was so comforting, it was almost like being lost in one long warm embrace—and yet Killian wanted more of her, he needed to feel more of her.

  Karyn finally turned to him and whispered, “It’s going to be okay, Killian. We’ll get through this together. It’s going to be alright.” She had never seen him so emotional and was struck by the amount of feeling within him. She wanted to lean down and kiss his lips. No, she wanted to soothe his pain and give him every bit of love that her heart possessed. She smoothed his hair back tenderly, her heart pounding in her chest in a way that it had never done before. A hidden away piece of her heart seemed to open at this sight of him, and she wanted to take all of him in. She wished she could absorb every bit of sorrow he was feeling and take it all away from him.

  Karyn was unsure of how much time passed, but it must have been a long while. Killian had exhausted himself, and now seemed to be asleep, his head resting on the back of the sofa. Karyn’s mind wandered back to Samantha. She’d sensed that the occult could be dangerous, but she had never before considered that it might cause Jack to lose his life. Sure, she’d often worried for Killian—but somehow she had convinced herself that Killian and Jack were invincible, on some level. A strange thought occurred to Karyn. She was the one that had called Jack to the scene. In a way, she was responsible for his death. She had set the chain of events in motion, which had killed Killian’s best friend.

  Karyn didn’t know if vampires slept, but Killian’s breathing slowed and grew even. It was clear that no one really used the hallway they were camped out in, and she considered going to check on Samantha who was probably on the other side of the double doors. Karyn needed to know if Samantha was going to be alright.

  She slid out from beneath Killian’s still body and crept back through the double doors. Unlike in civilian hospitals, there was no security station. She walked back past a few empty rooms, glancing inside, hoping to find Samantha. Finally, as she continued towards the back rooms—she found her.

  Samantha was asleep. Various tubes extended out of her body, and a machine, which looked almost like a dialysis machine seemed to be filtering her blood. Spinning it up into a machine, and dumping her blood back into an opposite vein.

  Karyn approached the bed, nervously. She wanted to reach out and touch Samantha, but she remembered what had happened to Jack, and she was afraid. Samantha was a beautiful woman and she looked peaceful. At least she wasn’t suffering, Karyn thought. Then, she wondered if Jack had been in a lot of pain when he died. Karyn winced visibly. It had been a horrible sight—to watch Jack’s healing light turn black—it was as though all that was good in him, momentarily turned evil…and then he was gone. Karyn had seen his life force, as it was snuffed out. Whatever terrible demonic force was behind the attack, must have truly been the epitome of evil.

  As if sensing Karyn’s presence, Samantha opened her eyes slowly and smiled. “Hey,” Karyn spoke gently.

  Samantha’s smile quickly faded and her jaw dropped open. Samantha started to breath heavily, and her eyes rolled back in her head. A low growl started to come from her mouth. “You will die tonight, shadow-walker,” a demonic voice growled. Karyn jumped back and ran from the room.

  “Help!” Karyn called into the hall. A few nurses rushed over and Karyn pointed them toward Samantha’s room. Once again, she lay convulsing on the hospital bed. The doctors and nurses of Department 99 rushed in, and began working to stabilize poor Samantha. The unfortunate girl looked as if her death were imminent this time.

  In the hallway, Karyn drew both of her arms up to her chest and clutched herself tightly. The voice had said she was going to die that night. Karyn looked around, terror mounting within her body. Her heart started to race, and her palms grew sweaty. For a moment, she felt as though she was losing control.

  Suddenly, Karyn remembered that Killian was alone in the hallway—she rushed down the corridor, back towards where she had left him on the sofa, only a few minutes before. Killian was still there. He looked pitiful. Karyn took him by the hand.

  “We need to get someplace safe,” she stated quietly, as she led him over to the elevator doors. After the elevator doors had closed behind them, Karyn leaned down to Killian— “Samantha woke up for a brief moment and then went back under demonic control. She said I’m going to die today, Killian.”

  Killian’s eyes shot open, almost as if someone had electrocuted him. His eyes darted around wildly and his face wore an animalistic expression that said he was poised to fight.

  When the elevator opened up at the exit of Department 99, a strange new guard was standing in their way. “Sorry boss, I was told that no one gets in or out today,” the man stated. The security guard reminded Karyn of a snake. He had a crooked golden tooth, which was so long it made him almost seem like a rabbit that had been punched in the face.

  “We have special clearance,” Killian lied. He pretended to start digging around in his pants pockets. “Can you hold this for me for a moment? I think it’s in my back pocket.” Killian stated. When the guard leaned forward, Killian punched him square in the face. The man flew backwards and was out cold. The golden tooth clattered across the floor.

  “Wow,” Karyn stated flatly, “I guess that’s one way
to get stuff done.”

  “Hurry up, let’s get out of here and get to the bottom of this before they lock us up.” Killian spoke quickly. He placed his hand firmly around her waist in order to guide her out into the parking lot. Karyn noticed how his hands were cold, but also firm and decisive. In that moment, she wanted him to touch more of her—perhaps even all of her.

  They hurried off to the sedan in the parking lot and quickly sped off, hoping to find more clues.

  Karyn wasn’t really sure of what Killian had in mind. Nevertheless, she was amazed at the amount of control he seemed to have in the midst of the loss of his closest friend. She thought back to the moment during which she’d read his mind and had seen him hunting and stalking human beings within his own dimension, where he had regularly killed for sport. Now, he was working to prevent a greater tragedy—working to preserve lives. Karyn felt her heart swell with pride and admiration for this man. He was truly incredible. She reached out and touched Killian’s hand gently.

  He gave her a quick glance and then returned his focus to the road.

  There was no way to know who had betrayed them within Department 99. It terrified Karyn to think that someone within the powerful agency was working in league with dangerous occult forces to harm the human population. She and Killian needed to get to the bottom of the problem as soon as possible. Too many lives had already been lost.

  Karyn felt guilty for falling asleep but it had been an exhausting couple of days both mentally and physically. When her eyes popped opened, Killian was pulling the car to a slow stop on a residential side street. Together they jumped out of the car and approached a boarded-up house. The house looked strangely familiar to Karyn, although she couldn’t quite understand why. Planks covered every window and entrance, and Killian immediately got to work prying the wood off, so that they could step inside.