Shadow Sentinels: Beginnings (A Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Wolf Shifter Romance)

by Karen Tomlinson

  The coffee burned my throat, but warmed me inside. I closed my eyes and listened to the steady beat of music from my earbuds, really needing to lift myself out of this funk. Connor wasn’t going to suddenly return; I knew that. I’d stayed in the training programme and attended the SBI because it had seemed a good way to stay close to Connor—or at least something that had meant a lot to him—but conforming to all of its rules and regulations wasn’t my thing. I hated not being able to smash queen bitch’s face in every time a derogatory remark fell from her poisonous mouth, or tell one of my instructors to go fuck themselves when they put me down for not trying hard enough in their eyes. I wanted—no, I needed—more from my life. I needed the freedom to be me, to make my own choices and find my strengths, not just be told about my weaknesses.

  Perhaps it was time to pay a visit to Somnelaire. The Bogwart fae was my main source of income, and my planned escape route, he had been since I’d moved in here. No one else knew about my connection to him and that was the way it would stay. He was a remnant from my time on the streets. A disgusting lowlife from the land of Faerie who had always taken advantage of my need for money, but who had also looked out for me for reasons I couldn’t fathom. Once Rawson had taken me in, I had stayed in touch with the faerie. After all, life was an unpredictable bitch, so it paid to be prepared. Somnelaire gave me low level delivery jobs anytime I asked, and always paid me; not much, but it was still money, and I had saved all my money from those jobs for years, just in case...

  There was a bang from upstairs and a loud grunt. I smiled, glad I had my music on. Turning it up to drown them out, I hoped whatever was going on up there was make up and not break up sex. When I’d finished my coffee, I shed my robe, put my earbuds away and headed into the shower to scrub the dirt from my skin and blood from my nails. I winced at the sting, but they were already healing, thanks to my wolf and my shifter abilities.

  Dressed in a comforting pair of soft pajamas, I put my earbuds back in, snuggled under my covers and closed my eyes. For Lyss and Rawson I’d stay, but if Rawson wouldn’t include me in whatever he was up to, then I’d find out what had happened to Connor by myself. I’d even stay at the SBI if it meant I could use their technology and equipment in my search. I just wasn’t ready to admit defeat and accept him as dead. Not yet.

  Chapter 5

  Ember

  * * *

  I grabbed my bag, my hand shaking. The bus stopped and I jumped off, running as soon as my feet hit the ground. Our house blazed brightly, every window lit up from within. Around the outside blue lights flashed, illuminating the darkness with that ominous glow that meant pain and trouble.

  Police were everywhere, their cars and at least one riot van were parked haphazardly across the roads. I swallowed, my heart thumping wildly when I noticed four black range rovers with the SBI emblem on the side. The monstrous cars were blocking the driveway. Either to stop people getting in—or perhaps to stop someone or something from getting out?

  My stomach lurched. Was it Connor? Had they found him? Since Rawson had promised Lyss he’d drop his search for Connor about two months ago, he’d been home more and was so attentive, it had become almost irritating. I suspected he hadn’t really stopped his search for Connor, but whatever he did, he did it discreetly. The day of my Primis, Doherty had given him a warning. Apparently, it wasn’t acceptable to use SBI resources or their technical support and weapons for personal use.

  I’d tried to stay out of trouble, too, and behaved during my training, though being submissive and toeing the line grated on my last nerve most of the time. I always ensured I did slightly worse than Shannon in my assessments just to keep her off my back. In turn, she ignored me. It seemed Connor not being around had made me insignificant to her. I was, by all accounts, invisible. Not that I gave a shit about Shannon or the programme, not really. Out of the limelight and in the shadows was where I was happiest. At home, I trained alone or went for long runs as my wolf. Lyss had gone back to work as a counsellor, so I spent most of my time either alone or working for Som.

  That’s where I’d been tonight. It had been too early to run back from the outskirts of London as my wolf. I hadn’t wanted to be seen, so the bus was my only option.

  I ran up to the first policeman who stood guard.

  “What’s going on!?”

  “Nothing to concern yourself with, Miss. Run along home, now.”

  I frowned at the kindly yet condescending way he spoke.

  “I live here. I need to get in!”

  “Really?” He looked me up and down, his gaze eventually resting on my face. “Well, okay then, you just wait right here with me…” His fingers snaked out and clamped hold of my arm as he made eye contact with another policeman, who nodded and walked hurriedly up the drive and towards the house.

  I yanked my arm out of his grasp and sprinted over to the nearest SBI agent.

  “No one’s getting in here,” this one told me. “But if you live here, Director Doherty will want to speak to you. Stay right there.”

  My stomach sank. Something was very wrong. If they’d found Connor the human police wouldn’t be here; it was something else; something bad enough to have both the SBI and the police involved.

  My instincts yelled at me to get the hell out of there. I grunted in reply to the agent, but as soon as he turned away and opened his mouth to shout something to the agent guarding the front door, I ran.

  No fucking way was I waiting for Shannon’s crazy-assed dad to grab me. The guy was just plain creepy. I sprinted down the drive, back out into the street and kept going straight before darting left. Thankfully the moon was waning and not even a sliver of light was visible. Light-footed and quick, I sprinted along the pitch black lane. I could hear loud shouts and the echo of booted feet. My heart pounded as I leaped off the road and ran through the fields next to the lane. These agents were shifters, they would scent me just as I could smell their wolves, and there was no way I’d lead them straight to the bushes behind Rawson’s, so I jumped into a small stream. Cold water splashed up my legs, soaking my jeans and helping cover my scent. Ignoring the freezing cold, I dashed up the opposite bank, ran a few steps, doubled back and grabbed an overhead branch. With a grunt of effort, I flung myself back into the water as far upstream as possible. Not pausing for a second, I ran through the water until I reached a small bridge. I peered above and along the lane, careful not to make any sudden moves. There were no headlights or shadows of looming vehicles parked in the nearby darkness. In a smooth move, I pulled myself up onto the road. Expanding my lungs as much as possible, I tried to recover my breath. Staying on the verge and in the shadows, I ran back down towards the bushes at the back of my home. My heart thundered and my throat was raw, but I didn’t stop. Fear for Rawson and Lyss drove me on. Only a short way off, my footsteps slowed. I halted and cocked my head, listening carefully. I could hear male voices coming from the garden but none in the lane. I guessed they knew how vigilant Rawson was about his security. Almost as careful as Connor…

  I inched forward, ensuring the lane was still clear. Quietly, I scurried across the road and bent down onto my haunches, ignoring where my wet jeans had chaffed my thighs. Sharp sticks and thorns scratched my exposed skin as I edged my way through the spiky bushes that I’d painstakingly created a path in. I stopped and took a few quiet, deep breaths. I couldn’t creep past any guards when I was breathing like a steam train. Thanks to all the running I’d done recently, I was fit, and soon got my breathing under some control, though my heart still raced.

  If there was such a security presence at the front of the house, the back would be no different, especially now that I’d been seen and had bolted from their grasp. Thankfully, none of these people knew about the little tunnel I’d created for myself. Over the years, I’d dug down under Rawson's security fence, careful not to upset his systems. This was my emergency way in and out of this house. I used it to sneak in and out of the house when Lyss and Rawson thought I was in bed. I
often visited Som, or if he had no work for me, I prowled the London streets, watching and waiting for a chance to strike against those who preyed upon the vulnerable. Supernatural or human, it made no difference to me.

  I crawled past the dead rats that I’d placed in strategic positions. No agents would pick up my scent over the rot of those things. I smirked as I peered out from the base of the bushes, using the shadows to hide me. All the SBI personnel were steering clear of this area. I had to agree, the stench was repulsive, so it was good that Lyss and Rawson hardly ever spent time in their garden, or my tunnel being discovered was inevitable.

  Light from the kitchen door and window fell on the nearest pair of agents and my breath hitched. They weren’t ordinary agents; the agents that the rest of the world saw on the news. No, these carried special issue automatic multifunction handguns, exclusive to the special ops division Connor had worked in. Their huge bodies were decked in armour, their faces completely covered. Thank god they didn’t have night vision equipment. I sent a short prayer of thanks to the mother wolf while I studied their weapons. They had stun capability and tranquilliser settings as well as bullets.

  A shudder rippled down my spine.

  After rubbing the stink of the rotting rat flesh over my shirt sleeves and wet jeans, I pressed my lips together, gagging, and continued to crawl through the bushes that marked the border of Rawson’s home. There was a small vent next to the wall of the house just in front of the base of the bushes. I’d found it not long after I’d moved in. No one else seemed to know it was there, not even Connor.

  It was quiet and pitch black around this side of the house. I tugged on my wolf, begging for her help. Gladly she gifted me some of her power. My eyesight sharpened and my nails grew, along with my teeth.

  Enough, I commanded and my shift halted. I had learned many things since my last shift. Full and partial shifting on demand being two of the most useful.

  Right now, my heightened senses and extra strength were what I needed. I crawled from beneath the bush and hooked my fingers under the hatch where I’d bent the metal settings it rested on. I lifted the metal, careful not to make any noise. I was well practiced at sneaking in this way. Head first, I dropped into the space. Twisting my body to close the hatch was awkward but I managed it. Ignoring the discomfort, I wriggled on my belly alongside the pipe work. When I got beneath the training room storage cupboard I stopped. Voices reached me. My blood froze, my heart thundering.

  There was the thud of fist against flesh. Bile surged up my throat.

  “You’re an evil bastard.” Rawson’s voice gurgled and he panted, clearly in pain.

  There was another thud, followed by a grunt.

  I inhaled—and almost threw up. The stench of blood and other fluids hit my sensitive nose. I swallowed a cry, bile rushing up my throat. I knew that underlying sweet scent. I didn’t want to see what lay up there but knew I needed to. I pushed up the air grate which was set in the floor and shimmied out from my hiding place. I didn’t replace it. If I needed to leave quickly, that was my only way out.

  I breathed slowly hoping my scent and the stench of dead rats would be covered by the blood and other smells. Careful to remain quiet, I shuffled forward and squatted near the door.

  “Oh, we’re all evil to some degree, but I guess it depends on your point of view. Take you for instance; a strong and powerful alpha who has gone mad with grief. You, Rawson, are going to show all those fucking human sheep out there just how evil an upstanding member of the shifter community can become. And I am going to be their fucking saviour by locking you up,” Doherty said, brushing an imaginary speck of dust from his shoulder.

  A low growl rumbled from Rawson’s chest. “That’s my wife! My mate! Let me. Go to. Her!” He panted hard, blood running from his ravaged lips.

  My breath caught in my throat. Rawson was struggling to even talk. He was wounded badly, and not just his face.

  Doherty’s cold laugh coated my insides with ice.

  I peeped through the slats of wood which made up the door, trying my best to get a better look. I didn’t care if it was Doherty, I needed to get Rawson out of there.

  Doherty had his back to me but I’d know him anywhere; his silver grey hair, his tall slim frame, and even if I couldn’t see his face I could hear his Irish accent, and the familiar coldness to his voice.

  “Oh, but you just killed her, Rawson. There is no going back now.”

  “Killed her!” Rawson’s eyes were so swollen they were almost shut, but I could see their wildness, and they grew darker by the second, his bear fighting to take control. “I didn’t kill her! I love her more than my own fucking life! She’s my life mate.”

  He tried to crawl on his hands and knees to what remained of Lyss; of the sweet natured, beautiful woman who had cared for me and loved me for years. Tears obstructed my vision and my heart tore apart so viciously, I had to shove the back of my hand against my mouth to stifle my sobs.

  Rawson roared over and over, cursing Doherty with everything he had.

  I couldn’t imagine what seeing Lyss’s torn and broken body was like for the kind man who had saved me from the clutches of London’s underworld. This whole situation was fucked up! They'd been close again recently, their love the only light in my otherwise dark days. Rawson had never talked to me about what he’d been doing, almost as if he’d thought better of it. Despite my vow to find out what had happened to Connor, I hadn’t wanted to push him, not when he and Lyss had been working things out.

  I bit my hand trying not to cry out as Rawson threw himself toward Lyss. Tears ran down my cheeks when I saw the true state of his face. His mouth was cut and bruised, and his nose was broken, dripping blood down his shirt. And he crawled. I had never seen Rawson lower himself physically to anyone before, not even Doherty.

  Doherty snorted, his body shifting and I almost vomited on the spot. The only thing I could do to stop myself was bite my hand harder. The pain I inflicted upon myself was nothing compared to the agony inside my soul.

  Lyss was literally in pieces. Ripped apart by something frenzied and wild. Rawson tried his best to get to her, sobbing for his mate. Tears ran down his swollen and bruised cheeks, mixing with blood and saliva before they dripped onto the floor.

  Doherty prowled around Rawson before he smiled and brought his foot back. He landed a vicious kick in Rawson’s ribs. Rawson grunted and fell onto his belly. Doherty kicked him again and again. Each time Rawson pushed back up, his eyes on the ruins of Lyss’s face. I wanted to scream at the man who had saved me to save himself, to fight like he should. Bone cracked, and he fell face-first into the blood of his mate.

  My blood chilled. He didn’t care that he was going to die, he just wanted to get to Lyss before he did.

  “Let! Me! Touch! My! Wife!” He panted hoarsely.

  Doherty laughed. “Oh, you won’t be touching her again—ever. No, where you’re going the only people you’ll get to touch are the guards when they force you on your knees to do whatever they want you to.”

  Bile burned my throat. I had no idea what had happened here, but I knew Rawson hadn’t killed Lyss.

  Doherty kneeled next to Rawson’s ruined body. My blood froze when he growled, “You’re mine now, Rawson. I own you.” He stood and spoke to someone else.

  I shrank back. I hadn’t even seen the other man in the room. His movements were predatory and powerful. He had to be a supernatural to move so fluidly for such a big man. His head was covered in a mask and helmet, and his body armour was the same as the other agents. Only his eyes showed. Minutely, his head moved, and I was sure he stared right at me before he turned his glowing red gaze to Doherty, then leaned his bulk back against the wall—watching.

  The director peered down at Rawson again. “It’s time to prove you’re not as invincible as you believe, Rawson.” He huffed a humorless laugh. “If you hadn’t interfered in Connor’s disappearance or my life, then none of this would have happened.” He shrugged. “But you di
d, even after my warning, so this…” He grabbed Rawson’s bloodied head and forced him to look into Lyss’s dead eyes. “...is on you. You killed her.” He released his grip before slamming Rawson’s head into the floor.

  Doherty stood, his face twisting as he wiped Rawson’s blood off his hands with a pristine white handkerchief. “The police have no authority when a shifter loses control and kills others.” He fixed the red eyed man with a challenging stare. “This man is out of control and is a danger to society. Imprison him with the others. You know where.”

  “No!” Rawson’s voice was little more than a harsh whisper. “You’ll. Not get. Away. With this.”

  Doherty shrugged. “I will. I always do.”

  “You evil fuck!” Rawson spat blood from his mouth onto Doherty’s shoes.

  The red eyed man unfurled his body in one smooth move and studied Rawson. Rawson didn’t look away. No, his eyes turned deep brown, fury burning in them.

  Doherty cocked his head and grinned. “Oh, I am. You have no idea how evil, but you are going to find out. This?” He gestured to Lyss’s mutilated body. “This is nothing. I am going to break you; or rather my partner is, with the help of our friend here.”

  Rawson roared and lunged, his form shifting from man to beast. The bear leapt for Doherty but red eyes burst into action. They crashed together in a storm of claws, teeth and power. I willed Rawson to win. His claws swiped at the agent who moved quicker than my eyes could track. One moment the agent was locked in the bear's claws, the next he was behind Rawson. Rawson’s bear flew across the room like he weighed nothing. Rawson’s head slammed into the wall, his huge body landing with a thud and a grunt of pain.

  I swallowed my gasp. Whatever this man was, he had just flung a huge alpha bear away like he was swatting a fly. I needed to leave. I knew it, but couldn’t seem to move.