Shifter Wars Complete Series

by Sarah J. Stone

  "Seeing a shifter fight up close like that has a way of making humans feel . . . ill at ease, to put it lightly."

  Jo wiped the rest of the blood off of the wound and dried the area, preparing to apply the gauze.

  "I think I worked through my first-time issues the night I saw my boss get thrown out of the window by a half-shifted wolf man."

  Kyle smirked, pleased to see she was acclimating herself better to his world than most humans he'd known. But, his smile disappeared when he laid eyes on the bottle of yellow-tinged disinfectant.

  "No, not necessary," said Kyle. "Shifters don't have the same issues with infection that humans have. Better immune systems."

  Jo shook her head. "You were inside of a New York cab with an open wound; who the hell knows what you've got crawling around on there. Humor me."

  Kyle nodded his assent. With a series of dabs, Jo applied the antiseptic, sharp waves of pain running through Kyle's body as she did. Then, with a tug and rip, Jo cut off a piece of the gauze and pressed it onto Kyle's wound, affixing it in place with medical tape.

  "There," said Jo, looking over her work. "Should be fine."

  Kyle took Jo by the wrist. "Listen," he said, his voice stern and serious. "I know you're putting on a big girl act, but this is some serious shit that you've gotten yourself into. I need to know that you're aware of what's going on, that you're fully aware of the danger that you're in."

  Jo's eyes flicked down to Kyle's shirt once again, her gaze dragging over the hard lines of his muscles.

  "Oh, I know," she said.

  Kyle felt the blood pumping through his body, increasing ever more as Jo looked at him with her hungry, sensual eyes. Her skin was warm against his grip, and just as her gaze lingered on his body, his moved along her curves.

  Goddamn adrenaline, he thought.

  But, before he could give another moment's thought, Kyle rose, standing over Jo, his eyes staring down into hers. As he loomed over her, her tough-girl façade faded, leaving a wide-eyed, vulnerable look. His right hand still gripping her wrist, Kyle pulled her in with a sudden jerk, bringing her body against his. Jo's lips parted, wet and full. Kyle's mouth twisted into a sensual sneer, and he could sense that they were both thinking the exact same thing.

  Kyle moved in, pressing his lips hard against Jo's. She took in a sharp gasp of air through her nose, as if bracing against his kiss. Her hands went to his sides, grabbing onto the hard notches of his hips as he kissed her. Kyle didn't waste any time; his hands moved along the back of her dress, working the zipper down and pulling the thing off of her body, leaving her standing there in nothing but a black lace bra, a matching pair of thong panties, and and her heels.

  Jo returned the favor, deftly unbuckling Kyle's belt and working down the zipper, yanking off the rest of his clothes save for his skin-tight boxer-briefs, his cock already hard and straining against the fabric. Jo's fingers moved down along the hard outline of his prick, rubbing it through the fabric. Kyle could sense that she was desperate for it, and he was more than happy to give her what she wanted.

  Slipping his hands onto Jo's ass, Kyle squeezed the flesh hard, a gasp escaping from Jo's mouth as he did. Then, holding onto her hard he hoisted Jo into the air, her slender legs wrapping around him as he did. He continued to kiss her hard, Jo's tongue snaking around his, their kisses hard and hungry. Kyle then turned while holding Jo, setting her onto the surface of the kitchen island. Once placed, his hands moved up and along her body, searching for the clasp to her bra. Once his touch settled upon it, he unhooked it and pulled the bra off, Jo's full breasts tumbling out. Kyle grabbed her breasts in eager handfuls, moving his lips along her neck and to her nipples, licking and lashing her with his tongue. Jo moaned as he did, running her hands through his thick hair.

  Kyle moved back up to her lips, kissing Jo hard again. And, as she fell into his kiss, Jo pulled his boxer-briefs down with a quick tug, Kyle's hard cock springing out. She wrapped her fingers around it and began to stroke it hard; Kyle knew that she wanted it right then and there. Pulling her panties off, Kyle placed his cock at the wet opening of her sex and, with a slow, guided motion, slid deep into her.

  Jo moaned as Kyle entered her, digging her nails into the hard muscles of Kyle's back. Holding Jo in place by the hips, Kyle drove deep into her over and over, filling her full with him. He kissed her along the side of her neck as he fucked her, taking pleasure in the feeling of her hot breath against his skin. Kyle bucked hard into her from the start, his hips thrusting deep. But as hard as he thought he was giving it to her he could feel Jo pressing hard on his ass as she squeezed him, imploring him to plunge deeper and harder into her.

  Kyle was more than happy to indulge her. He pounded her hard, Jo's moans filling the air as he brought her ever closer to the brink of orgasm. Kyle moved closer and closer to his own orgasm the more he bucked into her, his cock feeling as though it were ready to burst.

  Then, after a series of hard, deep thrusts, Jo came. Kyle felt it come on with shivers of pleasure at first, followed by convulsions of pleasure as the orgasm rampaged through her body. He held her in place, her body rocking wildly as he continued to drill into her. The sight of Jo cumming was more than Kyle could stand, and he soon passed the point of no return. He grunted hard, unloading himself into her, his hands squeezing the curves of her hips.

  Soon, their orgasms ebbed. They two stayed still as they regained their breath, holding on to one another as their chests rose and fell.

  Just what the hell have I gotten myself into? Kyle thought, his face painted with a sly smirk.

  CHAPTER 13

  When Jo awoke the next morning she had to convince herself that the events of the previous night weren't simply a dream. She thought about the strange gathering of the bear elite, the fight on that dark, lonely street . . . and the lovemaking afterward, of course.

  Goddamnit, what a mistake, she thought.

  But, she couldn't convince herself very well. Jo knew that while it was a terrible, awful idea to sleep with Kyle, she was at least honest enough with herself to realize that she'd be lying if she didn't admit that it was the best sex she'd had in as long as she could remember. In fact, it was the only sex that she'd had in as long as she could remember. Jo tried to think of when, exactly, the last time she'd slept with someone was, and as her memory moved back to her first few months in the city, she cut off the line of thought; it was simply too depressing to consider.

  Sitting up and pulling the blanket of Kyle's bed over her nude body, she looked around. The apartment was silent; there was no sign of Kyle. But, when her gaze settled on the nightstand, she spotted another note.

  No going out. Seriously, this time.

  - Kyle

  Jo crumpled up this note and tossed it aside. She knew Kyle was right–the apartment was the only safe place for her, especially with the events of last night. But, sitting around just didn't feel right. She was in this even more than she had already been, and she wasn't going to leave it up to Kyle to sort things out for her.

  She decided to go to the Bianchi's offices. There, she'd try to find something, anything out. She hopped into the shower, threw on some business-casual clothes, and, filled with purpose and determination, headed to the front door. But as soon as she attempted to turn the handle, she spotted yet another note.

  Figured you'd try. It's locked from the outside. Stay put!

  - Kyle

  Jo let out a frustrated squeal and snatched the note from where it was taped onto the wall. Stomping her foot, she crumpled up this note as well, realizing that Kyle had her beat. With no way to get out of the apartment, she undid her hair, the tresses falling onto her shoulders, and prepared to settle in until Kyle returned.

  A few hours and a pot of coffee later, Kyle stepped into the apartment.

  "You locked me in here?" demanded Jo, slamming shut the laptop in front of her.

  Kyle smirked, tossing his keys onto the counter.

  "Judging by that reaction,
I made the right call."

  Jo stood up out of her seat and stomped over to Kyle, stopping only a few inches away from his face.

  "You can't just trap me in here like I'm a prisoner or something!"

  Kyle held fast, not giving an inch.

  "What, I should let you almost get killed again? This is serious shit, not detective playtime."

  "But, I can help!" Jo demanded, stomping her foot.

  "The best way you can help right now is by not giving me another thing to worry about."

  "So, I have to just stay here until you come back and give me the all-clear?"

  The two were still inches from each other. Jo would be lying to herself if she said that anger was the only feeling rushing through her body as she stared up into Kyle's gorgeous face.

  "No," said Kyle. "In fact, I have plans for us this evening."

  "Oh?" asked Jo.

  But before Kyle could respond, a call sounded through the apartment speakers.

  "May I?" asked Kyle.

  Jo crossed her arms, a sulking expression on her face.

  "Answer," said Kyle to the speaker system.

  "Good morning Kyle," said Winston Emery, her voice crisp and professional as always.

  "Why, good morning, Winnie."

  Jo looked around, as though she might be able to find the woman that this new voice belonged to.

  "Company, I see?"

  "This is that girl who got mixed up with the Bianchi business that I mentioned."

  "I assumed as much. Hopefully, that's the only business that you've gotten her mixed up in."

  A sly grin appeared on Kyle's face.

  "The less said, the better," said Winston. "I have the information you've requested on the Bianchi's business holdings, if you're interested."

  Kyle looked at Jo and pointed his finger up, as if instructing her to pay attention.

  The TV flicked on, and the façade of a small bar appeared on the screen. The shot appeared to have been taken from across the street of the business, which, as far as Jo could tell, was somewhere in the city.

  "This is the White Tooth," said Winston. "A bar on the Upper East Side. The Bianchis have owned it for several years, and it serves as a meeting place for many in the wolf societies."

  "Quite the swanky affair," said Kyle, noting the classic exterior which resembled a bar one might find in nineteenth-century London.

  "The Bianchis are partial to sophistication," said Winston. "And, it's a place where you'll find many of them, along with other wolves from the other clans of the city."

  "Wait," said Jo, "we're going to go to a bar full of wolves?"

  "Key part of that being ‘other clans," said Kyle, crossing his arms.

  "Right,' said Winston, "the treaties with the other clans are still in place; they won't give either of you any trouble."

  "And, that's quite an assumption you're making in assuming that you're going to be coming along, too," said Kyle.

  Jo bristled at this.

  "No way," she said. "It's my life on the line, here; there's no way I'm sitting this one out."

  A thoughtful expression crossed Kyle's face, and Jo wondered if he was trying to determine if it'd be easier to let her come along or to lock her in the bedroom for a week.

  "Fine," said Kyle. "But, stay by my side at all times. No wandering off and getting into trouble."

  Jo smiled. "I'll do my best."

  "I'm sure the elders will love this," said Winston, her prim voice braced with uncertainty.

  "You leave the details to me, Winnie," said Kyle. "Unless there's anything you got for me, I think we'll get started on our little evening out."

  "Good luck," said Winnie, the line cutting out, and the screen going dark.

  "I don't like this," said Jo. "Going into the middle of a wolf bar? Won't they eat us alive?"

  "'I don't like this'?" asked Kyle. "Aren't you the one who was begging me to come along not one minute ago?"

  "I mean," stammered Jo, realizing he was right. "Is going right into a wolf bar the right move? Shouldn't we do some recon or something first?"

  "Going into the middle of other shifter hangouts is part of my job. I'm a Sapien; it's our job to know. Every species has agents like me, and we all keep tabs on what the other clans are up to."

  "And, they just let you guys spy on each other?"

  "Not really ‘spying,' per se. The dragons on top make the rules, and one of them is that every species has the right to stay informed. But, most of the species like to keep to themselves. Hence, the Sapiens. We do the recon that everyone needs, but no one wants to go find out."

  "So, they'll expect you?"

  "More or less. We're not exactly VIPs, but Sapiens popping in to see what the word on the street is, is just part of the shifter world."

  Jo felt a little mollified by this.

  "But, what about the Bianchis? They seem to be fine with breaking the rules."

  "That's a good point. Hopefully, other wolf clans being there will keep them on their best behavior."

  "And, what exactly are we going to be doing there?"

  "Think of this as a fact-finding mission," said Kyle. "It's a Bianchi-owned business; there's got to be something there that'll point us in the right direction. We need to find some dirt on them; if we do, we can get the wolf elders to step in. Maybe even the dragons."

  "I saw them kill Mr. Delany! Isn't that enough?"

  Kyle shook his head. "Nope. The word of a human doesn't exactly go a long way in our society. Neither does the life. Even if we pinned your boss's murder on them, they'd get nothing more than a slap on the wrist, probably a fine at the most."

  "They can just kill humans, consequence-free?"

  "Hey, I said they'd pay a fine. Murdering humans is frowned-upon, don't get me wrong. But, plenty of shifters just don't consider the lives of humans to be worth much."

  Jo crossed her arms and cocked her hips.

  "Oh yeah? And, what do you think?"

  Kyle flashed a coy grin, his eyes flicking up and down Jo.

  "I usually handle these things on a case-by-case basis."

  Jo smiled and rolled her eyes.

  "Well," she said. "Then what are we waiting for?"

  CHAPTER 14

  It was later in the evening, and Jo and Kyle were preparing for their night out.

  "How's it coming?" Kyle asked, stepping out of his massive bedroom, an unknotted tie draped around his shoulders.

  "Um, I think this might be a little tight," said Jo, her voice strained.

  "I'll be the judge of that," said Kyle, walking towards the dressing room.

  When he saw Jo standing in front of the dressing mirror he couldn't help but let his eyes widen. Jo was wearing the dark-blue cocktail dress that he'd bought for her earlier in the day, and to say it was a little tight was to put it mildly. The dress clung to her every curve, the dark-blue fabric accentuating her full rear, her ample cleavage pouring out of the top. Her slender, shapely legs were clad in sheer, black pantyhose. She looked to Kyle to be the perfect combination of sexual and sophisticated.

  "What?" asked Jo, turning away from the mirror, her chocolate-brown hair draped over her bare shoulders.

  "Perfect," said Kyle, walking closer to Jo and placing his hands on her shoulders.

  He felt Jo's body warm at his touch. Looking down at her, his eyes glued to her breasts, he felt his cock shift in his slacks. His hands moved from her shoulders to her sides, then down to her hips, then finally to her rear. He gave the flesh a hard squeeze, feeling his heart rate rise as he took in the sight of her exquisitely sexy body.

  "We can be a little behind, you know," he said.

  But, Jo responded by placing her hands on his and pushing them gently away.

  "No," she said, looking away. "What happened before . . . that was a mistake."

  "Didn't feel like a mistake to me," said Kyle, his usual coy smile returning to his lips.

  "I wasn't thinking straight," said Jo, stepping away
from the full-length mirror and taking a seat at the nearby vanity, her face now bathed in a glowing, orange light as she began putting in her earrings. "It was the heat of the moment, all that adrenaline."

  "Sure," said Kyle, stepping in front of the mirror and knotting his tie. "If that's what you want to tell yourself."

  He saw Jo's eyes widened out of the corner of his vision.

  "I'm serious!" she said, though the tone of her voice hardly supported this.

  "Sure, whatever you say," Kyle said.

  Jo stomped her foot in frustration. Kyle said nothing as he finished putting on his tie.

  ***

  What a jerk! thought Jo as she put in her second earring. Who does he think he is talking to me like that?

  But try as she might, she couldn't shake the fact that there was some truth to what he was saying. Sure, the intensity of the evening played a role in what happened that night, but knew she'd be lying if she told herself that the adrenaline was the thing that made her have sex with him, rather than what gave her the last push into giving into what she'd wanted.

  As she finished putting in her earring, she couldn't help but look at Kyle out of the corner of her eye. Her eyes lingered on how his body looked in the sharp, dark suit, the hard angles of his form accentuated perfectly by the impeccably-tailored outfit.

  No, she thought, he's a monster, a . . . shifter.

  Jo still had a hard time with the word. Even though she'd seen Mr. Jane half-shifted into a wolf as he killed her boss, and even though she'd been mere feet away from Kyle as he changed into a bear and fought a pair of wolves nearly to the death to protect her, she still felt as though this bizarre world she'd now found herself in was nothing more than a dream from which she'd soon awaken.

  And the sex . . . that seemed more like a dream than anything else. It was passionate, intense, and unbelievably satisfying. And, the more she thought about it–and she'd been thinking a lot about it–the more she wanted it to happen again and again. But, she knew that as much as she might want it, sleeping with Kyle was a terrible idea; getting more involved in this world was precisely what she shouldn't be doing.