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

by C. J. Ayers

  “What is it? No, it doesn’t matter. I’ll do it.”

  “Do my socks match?” he asked and pulled up his trousers.

  “Huh?” she looked down at his feet. “No, not in the slightest. Why would a pink and brown sock match?” she looked at him like he was crazy and noticed his sunglasses were back on.

  A fog lifted in her brain.

  CHAPTER 5

  She put her arms around herself and shivered. What the hell was she doing out here wearing nothing but flimsy yoga pants and a sweater with no bra or coat? She looked like a complete slut with her nipples sticking out like they were. She tried to hide them, but it was difficult. Her girls were big and she was shivering.

  She jumped up and down and tried and warm up. Fuck it was cold!

  Dorek resumed pounding on the door and shouting for Scott to come and let them in.

  Mary peeped in the window trying vainly to warm her arms up with her hands as she did.

  “What is that?” she asked and pointed.

  “What is what?” Dorek said and walked to her.

  She pointed again. “Something weird is lying on the floor over there. Do you see it?”

  Dorek pointed his flashlight in.

  “Fuck!” he yelled. “It’s a…”

  “A what?”

  “Nothing. Go wait over there by the stairs.”

  She did.

  He pulled out a walkie-talkie from his belt. “Dispatch? I have a possible 140 here— requesting a 129 for a possible 133.”

  It took her brain a moment, but he wasn’t fooling her. She watched CSI. That translated to possible murder, need backup for a potential dangerous person in the area.

  “Negative. We’re strained right now. Restrain the situation and make sure no else gets harmed until sunlight.”

  He unclicked his walkie and said under his breath, “I hate full moons.”

  “What does a full moon have to—”

  Satanic, demonic mutterings rumbled behind the door. Deep and gruff. Scratchy. Menacing. Whoever was speaking was doing so unintelligibly. The words sounded like an ancient, beastial form of Latin.

  They both just looked at each other. “What is that?” Mary whispered.

  “Something that’s not good,” Dorek said. “The first and third nights of a full moon are always the worst.”

  “What’s going on?” Mary asked.

  The door started shaking in its frame. The beast on the other side was pulling and pushing on the doorknob, rattling the entire outside wall.

  “Go back down to your apartment,” Dorek said. “GO!”

  “YORT MA GATANG! RA RA YOTAV!”

  Someone started slamming into the door.

  “Where’s your gun?” Mary asked, getting out of the way.

  “I’m not that kind of—”

  A dark, hairy mass shot through the door and into Dorek, toppling him over the fire escape into the darkness below.

  “Dorek!” Mary screamed.

  Abandoning her fears of the wobbly handrail, she ran down the three flights of stairs.

  Dorek was somehow OK, clutching onto a dark hairy beast as it swung its body back and forth trying to free itself of him.

  It was tall. Grotesquely hairy. Teeth as long her fingers. Sharp and pointy. It reached behind its back and grabbed Dorek by the shirt, tried to snap at him, and then hurled him into an abandoned car.

  Glass exploded, and Dorek collapsed to the ground, unconscious as a rag doll.

  The creature gave one look at Mary and roared.

  Mary shut her eyes and whispered the prayer of communion.

  With all my heart I long for Thee,

  Most firmly I believe in Thee,

  Most truthfully I hope in Thee...

  She opened her eyes and the creature was gone. She looked behind her down the dark alley and up above at the full moon. The beast was nowhere. Maybe Catholicism got a few things right now and then.

  She ran to Dorek and was surprised to find him breathing. His precious sunglasses shattered on the ground in a thousand pieces; a stream of blood flowed from his temple.

  He moaned and stirred.

  She stroked his messy hair and asked, “Are you OK?”

  He winced as she straightened up. “Where did Scott go?”

  “Dorek, Scott is dead. Remember?”

  He opened his eyes and looked at her. Beautiful blue eyes. “No Mary, that monster was Scott. Scott’s OK, but everyone around him is now in danger.”

  She smiled down at him and said, “What a silly thing to say, but you’re so pretty. Can I draw you?”

  “Christ,” he moaned. “Do you see my sunglasses anywhere?”

  She pointed and said, “Right here. Do you want me to pick up the pieces for you? It might be easier just to buy new ones, unless these had significant emotional value to you, which I get, but sometimes it’s best just to—”

  “It’s OK,” Dorek said and smiled. “Can you look at my socks?” He pulled up on his pants. “Do they match?”

  “No,” Mary said and smiled at him. “We’ve already established this. Up there, remember?” she said pointing. “Or did the fall ruin your memory?”

  “Crap. Right, that only works once a night. Do you have a pair of sunglasses I can borrow?” Mary shook her head. “OK, well, forget about it. Any idea where he went?” Dorek said and stood up.

  Mary stood up with him.

  “Well, I didn’t hear him run past me, so I assume he went the other way out of this alley,” she said and pointed to the quiet street.

  “Excellent sleuthing. If this was a man, you’d be right. But these creatures have the ability to jump really high. He might be on the rooftops.”

  “That creature was a werewolf?”

  Dorek winced in pain and said, “Maybe,” slowly. “How would that make you feel if he is?”

  “Meh,” Mary said and shrugged her shoulders. “Do you want to go somewhere and make out?”

  “Mary, that was a monster you just saw. A real monster. That doesn’t have an effect on you?”

  Mary shook her head no. “How tall are you?” she asked.

  “Mary, Mary, Mary, do you understand why I’m having such an effect on you? It’s my eyes. They’re literally mesmerizing. They’re not just pretty. They’re literally mesmerizing you. You’re hypnotized just looking at them.”

  “Huh,” Mary said and moved closer to him, pretending to look in his eyes but really just trying to push her breasts into him. She wanted to see him get hard again. “So about that making out offer?” She pushed her breasts together and gave him a good eyeful of cleavage.

  “Stop, stop, stop—” Dorek said and covered his eyes. “We have a situation here. Will you go into your room for me and wait for me to come back?’

  “No, silly,” Mary said. “We stick together.” She wrapped her arms around him and said, “Don’t leave me. Like ever, OK? I can make you happy in so many ways. Just give me a chance. I’ll let you do anything you want to me.”

  She ran her hands down his ripped stomach and found his cock. It was hard.

  “If you want me to, I can help you right here and now,” she concluded.

  “No, no, stop it, please. Yes, you’ve realized you, too, have an effect on me, but that doesn’t stop the fact that we, I mean I, have a job to do right now. Now protocol states that if you won’t go back into your apartment, then you have to come with me so I can protect you— if I’ve entranced you and am unable to untrance you, that is.”

  “I thought we already decided this,” Mary said placing her hand back on his cock. “We go together,” she said, and thought about breaking into GREASE to emphasize her point.

  “He will be looking for high ground,” Dorek said, ignoring her. “That’s what they always do when they get out— look for high ground. He is going to try to summon a mate. Do you know what the highest place nearby is?”

  “Probably the observatory,” Mary said. “Just opened up. I’ve been wanting to go, but didn’t
want to go by myself. Oh, are we going?” she asked, excitedly.

  “If you don’t mind riding on a Vespa,” Dorek said. “The cold doesn’t bother me. But will you be okay if I give you my coat?”

  She smiled warmly at him and nodded.

  He handed her his coat. She put it on and flipped the collar up, breathing in his scent.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I will cherish this always.”

  “I’m not GIVING it to you!” Dorek said. “I’ve had that coat for like… well, never you mind how long. But I’ve had that coat for a really long time.”

  “You must really care for me to give it to me,” she said, cooing at him.

  Dorek shook his head and led her to his light blue Vespa in front of the apartment building. He straddled the bike and said, “Come on. Get behind me.”

  “OK!” Mary said, and snuggled up behind him. She encircled her arms around him and put her head on his back.

  “So this is what heaven is like,” she said.

  “Where is this place?” Dorek asked as he sped down to the light.

  “Near the university,” Mary said. “If you take Spring River, veer left onto Quarter Street before Spring becomes Loft Street.”

  “OK, I know where you’re talking about. About ten minutes away?”

  Mary nodded and squeezed herself into him.

  She began to slide her hands down to his penis to see if he was still hard.

  Hmf! He wasn’t. She started rubbing him to get him big again. His cock immediately began to grow and slide up the side of his right leg.

  He was a beast.

  “Mary,” Dorek said. “You’re a very attractive girl, but I don’t know if now is the right time for that. We’re chasing down a violent werewolf.”

  “It’s OK, I’ll tell you where to turn,” Mary said. “Just keep driving. You can do that, can’t you?”

  “Seriously, stop it.” Dorek removed her hand from his growing cock and placed it on his stomach. She ran her fingers lightly up and down feeling him up.

  The gray, drab winter streets turned softer and greener the farther away they drove from Mary’s apartment. She hated where she lived, but couldn’t afford anywhere else.

  They turned right onto Monument Avenue and the smell of ancient, tall conifers hit their noses. The concrete became cobblestones, announcing to their butts and spines that rich people lived nearby.

  Dorek sped down the street and got on Spring River Road and headed towards the university.

  “So,” Mary said, feeling him up, “You’re not human, are you?”

  Dorek was silent, but Mary didn’t backtrack.

  “No, I’m not. I was for thirty-three years, though. What gave me away?”

  “Your reflection,” Mary said, nuzzling against him further. “Or lack of one. I checked to see if you were looking at my butt. The window reflecting me said you weren’t, or that you weren’t even there. But then I saw you. Staring all googly eyed at me. So you like my butt? You do, don’t you. It’s really okay.”

  “Yes,” Dorek flatly stated. “You have a nice butt.”

  “Good,” Mary said and ran her hands up to his developed chest. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Confirming he liked her butt was more important than hearing him say he was a vampire.

  “Now what was wrong with your friend the other night?” she asked.

  “Oh,” Dorek said and laughed. “Jordan? He’s my partner. He worked too long without eating. He smelled you nearby.”

  “And did he need to be invited to be let in?”

  “Yeah, that part of the legend is true,” Dorek said. “You see, he needed you because as vampires we can only drink from people that have the same blood type as us. If we drink from a person of a different blood type, we get sick. Plus, if we don’t drink for a little while, our brains start acting funny and we get a little crazy. We work together, Jordan and I, I mean, because we’re of the same blood type. Just something weird the police department thought would be a good idea— there aren’t gangs of vampires walking around united simply because they have the same blood type.”

  “So we have the same blood type?” Mary asked excitedly. “You and I?”

  “Yep.”

  “Since when are vampires also police officers?”

  “Apparently for a long time,” Dorek said. “Long, long before my day. We’re the reason there’s so much order. And believe it or not, it would be a lot worse if we weren’t around. Vampires, werewolves, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Werewolves are only bad two nights a month. We vampires, well, we’re like children. Keep us well fed and give us something to do and we don’t cause any trouble. Other creatures… let’s just say there are a lot that aren’t so easy to tame.”

  “I thought it was weird my upstairs neighbor Scott only had a dog a few nights a month.”

  “Most werewolves lock themselves up before they turn,” Dorek said. “We never have to worry about them. They’re law abiding citizens. I wonder why he didn’t this time…”

  “So he’s trying to get lucky right now?” Mary asked, sliding her hand back down to his cock. He just smelled and felt too good to not push the envelope as far as she could.

  He let her hand stay on his member.

  “Um, well,” Dorek stammered.

  Ha! I’m having an effect on him! That’s right. Let me feel your cock.

  “That’s really all werewolves want to do,” Dorek continued, voice slightly out of breath. “They don’t really go after raw meat. Really the only thing they care about is having sex with another werewolf. But if they do happen to find another, that’s a different story.”

  “So what was that in Scott’s apartment? It looked like a body part.”

  “It was. But I’m thinking it was an animal’s— say a skinned cow or pig.”

  Mary slapped her hand to her forehead. “Oh, shit-duh!” she exhaled. “He grills all the time and is a butcher!” She felt like an idiot, but then remembered Dorek was driving with a hard-on and all was well again.

  “There’s still the question as to why he didn’t restrain himself, though,” Dorek said. “I looked at his file the other night. He’s been a registered werewolf for a few years now, and he’s gone through a lot of full moons. The question is why is this the one time he didn’t take any precautions?”

  “How do you know Aniela?” Mary asked, changing the subject.

  “We were childhood friends,” he said.

  “So she knows about you?”

  “Of course. I couldn’t keep something like that away from her.”

  “Were you ever together?” Mary asked. “Married?”

  “No, I’ve always acted like we were. It’s a lifetime joke at this point. No, she was married, and had lots of kids. He died, though, and now her kids are all grown up. They don’t visit her as much as they should. It’s a shame. She’s just as cool as she ever was.”

  “She makes you look good,” Mary said, warming her hands under his shirt. The wind was getting to be too much.

  “She has a good eye for that kind of stuff. Always has. Are we almost there?”

  “Yep, your turn is coming up in just a few blocks.”

  They hadn’t seen any sign of Scott on the way, and Mary, though extremely content to be behind Dorek (a nice, tall Polish boy? What wasn’t to like?), was beginning to wonder if they were on a wild goose chase. But then they saw an Uber van smashed in the front, and heard the driver say while talking on his phone that he just hit a very large wolf. “Yes! That’s what I’m saying. I hit a wolf!”

  “What are going to do if we find him?” Mary asked, not afraid, just mildly interested.

  “Well, you’re going to have to hide somewhere, while I try to restrain him.”

  “Oh…,” Mary said. She didn’t want to be bereft of him. Plus, it didn’t bode well for her knight in shining armor. He just got thrown from a three story building…

  They turned onto Quarter Street and began going up the steep, tree lined r
oad— putting Dorek’s Vespa into sincere audible strain.

  A white SUV with a shattered windshield roared past them and shrieked to a stop. An old man leaned out his window. “Turn around! There’s some kind of beast up there!” He didn’t wait to clarify or reiterate before speeding away.

  “Well, I think we’re getting close,” Dorek said.

  At the top of the hill overlooking the city, the observatory parking lot was completely empty. The white dome housing the telescope shined in the moonlight like a moon itself.

  Mary shivered. It was much colder up at the top!

  “Ow owww owwwwwwwooooooooooooooooo!” Scott howled at the moon. Dorek pointed to where he was. He was sitting up in a scraggly oak tree, all the way at the top. Naked save a thick matte of fur. She couldn’t help but notice his wobbly dog junk and wonder what it would be like if it was hard.

  “He’s calling for a mate,” Dorek said.

  “What are we going to do?”

  “Agent 246 do you copy?” Dorek’s walkie said.

  Dorek pulled out his walkie. “Agent 246 here.”

  “Agent 135 here. I’m tracking a Debbie Wise here. She, for whatever reason, didn’t put her restraints on tonight. She’s heading south at the moment. Are you with that Scott fellow?”

  “10-4. We’re at the observatory right off of Spring River on Quarter. He’s up a tree doing a mating call right now.”

  “Great,” the voice said sarcastically. “Have you dealt with a situation like this before?”

  Dorek clicked to answer, but Mary started stroking his hair, and slipped into speaking her mother’s tongue without noticing. “Masz ładne oczy.” Your eyes are beautiful. “Wyjdziesz za mnie?” Would you marry me? “Jesteś moim powietrzem.” You are my air. “Moje slońce.” My Sun. “Kochasz mnie?” Do you love me? “Nie bój się kochać.” Don’t be afraid of my love. “Chciałbym spędzić swoje życie z toba.” I want to spend my lifetime with you.

  Dorek stared open mouthed at her. He let go of his walkie. Mary dropped to her knees and was reaching up to him with her mouth against his engorged cock, kissing him through his trousers.

  “Agent 246, did you lose your sunglasses?”