Shifter Wars Complete Series

by Sarah J. Stone

  As the elevator descended, Alice's face appeared in my mind once again. I couldn't seem to shake her from my thoughts. Her wide, beaming smile and dark, curly hair had been burned into me, and I was fixated on getting her out of her predicament. I could only imagine what she and the rest of the girls who'd been bought were going through.

  Once back in my car, I pressed a button that opened up a display on the dashboard. I placed a call to Sapien HQ, and soon the craggy face of Captain Taggart, my CO in the Sapiens, filled the small screen.

  "Black," he said, a cigarette dangling from his chapped, thin lips. "What's the story? You at the auction?"

  "Just ended," I said.

  "Then what you got for me? I need something concrete if we're gonna put a stop to this shit."

  "Promising potential witness," I said.

  "Shit," Taggart said, taking a long drag from his cigarette before taking it from his mouth. "You want to bring some human on board? Where is she?"

  "She's been sold," I said.

  "Then she's as good as gone," he said. "If you're empty-handed again, we do the work to find the next auction and hope for the best."

  "No way," I said. "I'm not waiting for another forty girls to get kidnapped and sold before we get another chance. It's only a matter of time before the humans catch wind of what's going on and start to look into why so many girls have been going missing. And you and I both know what'll happen if that goes down."

  Taggart took another drag of his cigarette before stubbing it out off-screen. I knew that meant he knew that I was right.

  "Then what've you got in mind?"

  "One of the girls got sold to Anton Castile. I'm thinking I can pay him a little visit, get the girl back, and maybe get him to flip."

  Taggart barked a dry laugh. "You want to get Anton Castile to flip? How the fuck are you planning to pull that off?"

  "Catch him dead-to-rights," I said. "He's rich as hell, but not a shifter in this town wants the eye of the Sapiens looking right at them. Maybe if I play my cards right, I can get him and the human on our side before the end of the night."

  "You're gonna get yourself killed is what's gonna happen," Taggart said. "I know you've got a goddamned death wish and all, Black, but there's, ah… limits to what I'm willing to indulge."

  He sparked another cigarette as he looked away in thought. "But something tells me you're gonna be paying him a visit whether I want you to or not. So how about this—we keep this little operation off the books. Do what you want, but you get caught I won't be bailing your ass out again."

  "Deal."

  "You're a damn lunatic, you know that, Black?"

  "It's why you love me," I said with a smirk.

  Taggart snorted and shook his head before killing the feed.

  I didn't waste any time in pulling up Castile's information. His address was a multi-million-dollar townhome on the Upper West Side, and I knew that security would be tight. But I didn't have any time to waste.

  Gunning the engine, I took off and headed north. It was going to be a long, long night.

  CHAPTER 3

  ALICE

  "She's ready whenever you are." The voice was tinny through some speaker that I couldn't see. Once it was gone, soft piano music was piped into the room.

  My heart pounded with fear as I sat in the mirror-walled room, my hands tied behind the chair where I'd been seated. The room was strange, an elegant space that would look more at home in Versailles. A bead of sweat darted down my forehead, and I wanted to fall into wracking sobs at the hopelessness of my situation.

  In front of me, a door opened and a man stepped in from the darkness on the other side. THe had a trim figure and was dressed in the same sort of elegant suit as the rest of the party attendees. There was a lightness to his steps, as though he was bounding on air. His hair was long and copper-colored, and his features were both handsome and cruel. His hands were clasped behind his back as he entered and began pacing around me, looking me over like a piece of merchandise.

  I whimpered, the sounds coming out muffled against the cloth covering my mouth.

  "Oh, come now," he said, shaking his head in disapproval. "There's no need for that."

  I slumped in my seat, fearing for my life. It was clear that I'd been sold, and that this man, whoever he was, had purchased me. But to what end, I had no idea.

  And Emily. I had no idea where she was, but I couldn't imagine that her fate was any different than mine.

  "Here's the deal," the man said. "I think it's a little barbaric to keep someone bound up like they do here, human though you may be. So, I'm going to remove your gag. In return, you won't scream when I take it off. Deal?"

  I said nothing, instead narrowing my eyes at him.

  "I'll take that as a yes," he said.

  With that, he pulled the cloth from my mouth.

  "What the hell is going on?" I demanded. "Who are you? Where's Emily?"

  He raised a palm in a silencing gesture. "Where to begin…" he said, shaking his head slowly, "I suppose we can start with introductions. I'm Anton Castile. And I'm your new owner."

  The word hit me like a knife in the heart. It didn't take much to piece together that I'd been caught up in some kind of human trafficking thing, but to hear it put into words like that…it was too much. I lowered my head and began to sob.

  "Oh, come now," he said. "You're a new record for the auction—you should be beaming!"

  "That's supposed to make me feel better?" I asked. "Let me go!"

  Anton shook his head again as he paced around me.

  "You can put that thought out of your head right now, I'm afraid. I paid more for you than most homes in the neighborhood are worth. It wouldn't be too ludicrous to suggest that you ought to be flattered."

  I wanted to spit in his face, but instead, I sat slumped, tears dropping down onto my lap.

  "And there's more—so much more," he said, a devious expression forming on his features. "But you'll learn all about that in time."

  Anton's dress shoes clicked on the floor as he continued to pace me in a slow circle. My mind raced with the implications of what he'd said. "But this little meeting is simply to inspect the merchandise," he said.

  Then, he reached toward me, took my chin into his head, and looked at me close. With his face inches away from mine, I could see that his eyes were a strange, orange color. They were like nothing I'd ever seen.

  "Such a beautiful girl," he said, his eyes tracking over my face. Then he took a few strands of my curly hair into his hand and looked at them approvingly. "I'd say that you were money very, very well spent. The only matter will be to see if I can get you to…behave."

  He dropped my hair and stood back up. "Get her ready to be shipped. I want her at my place within the hour."

  "Very good, Mr. Castile," came the voice through the speakers.

  "Looking forward to seeing you again," he said over his shoulder before stepping out of the room.

  As soon as he left, the door on the other side of the room behind me opened and a pair of guards entered and removed me from the chair. They pulled me up to my feet and brought me through the door that they'd entered from. Soon, I was in a small dressing room where a handful of women awaited me. They went over my makeup, fixing any traces of the tears that had been running down my face. Then they presented me a red dress and matching heels, ordering me to put them on. With the women standing around me in a tight circle, I stepped out of my clothes and dressed in front of them, feeling humiliated through the entire process.

  Once dressed and made up, the women gave me a final inspection before sending me back with the guards. I was then led to a parking garaged at the bottom of the building where a sleek, silver Mercedes was parked. The chauffeur opened the door for me, and I slid into the cab. As the door was shut behind me, the car was off and we were cruising through the streets of the city.

  I was alone for the first time since I'd gotten ready to go out earlier this evening. Looking down, I s
aw that my hands were shaking. Was this really happening? Part of me still felt that this was all some kind of dream that I would wake from at any moment.

  We drove from Midtown heading north toward the Upper West Side. My mind raced with fear, and I frantically looked around the back of the car for any manner of escape.

  "Don't bother," came the driver's voice through the intercom. "It might look nice back there, but it's a prison cell as far as you're concerned."

  I slumped into my seat, defeated. As I watched the city pass by through the windows of the car, I thought back to the man who I'd spoken to earlier in the evening, the man who tried to save me.

  Why the hell didn't I listen to him? I mean, I know why—he was a stranger telling me to jump off of a building. But if only I'd known that he wasn't full of shit.

  And that strange badge that he showed me, the one for the "Sapiens," whatever the hell that was. I wondered what kind of world I'd walked blindly into tonight, and if I'd ever be able to leave.

  After a time, we arrived at an elegant Victorian townhouse on the Upper West Side. The driver pulled into a garage and soon parked and opened the door. A pair of guards was waiting for me, and rudely pulled me out of the back of the car and led me into the house. The interior of the place was just as fancy as the outside of the house suggested, with old-fashioned décor everywhere and the colors red and black dominating. We soon entered a living room where a fire roared in an enormous fireplace and gentle classical music wafted through the air.

  In the center of the room sat Anton Castile, now dressed in a red smoking jacket and a pair of black trousers.

  "There she is," he said as I arrived. "We've only been apart for an hour or so, and it's already felt like an eternity. I can tell that you and I are going to have something very special indeed."

  He gestured to a small bar on the other side of the room. "Something to drink?" he asked.

  "Tell me what's going on," I said, crossing my arms. "Tell me when I get to leave."

  He raised an eyebrow. "I really hope that I didn't just spend several million on a girl with an IQ in the double-digits," he said. "I was so hoping that you'd be able to provide sparkling conversation in addition to the…other things I had in mind for you."

  My stomach turned. He didn't need to go into any more detail.

  "You're my property now." He set his drink down and walked over to the bar, the fire crackling as he spoke. "That means I own you, body and mind. Have seat."

  I didn't move an inch.

  "As much as I enjoy breaking the wills of the more stubborn girls, I would kindly ask you to obey. That is, if you'd like to know what exactly you've gotten yourself into."

  Part of me didn't want to do a single thing this asshole requested. But the greater part of me wanted answers, so I slid into the red couch across from his chair. "You can't own me," I said. "As soon as you turn your back, I'm going to find the nearest cop and tell him what you've done."

  He chuckled softly. "Do you really think a man like me who has millions of dollars to spend on a girl doesn't have more than a few officers in his back pocket? And between the men you saw tonight, we have more than enough resources to make sure that any runaways are brought back to their rightful owners. Probably even dropped off in an NYPD squad car."

  He approached and handed me a small crystalline cocktail glass. I looked at the clear liquid within skeptically.

  "It's not drugged, if that's what you're wondering. I have no need for such…gaucheries. Besides, I like to have my girls clear-headed and bright-eyed."

  I brought the drink to my lips and hesitantly took a sip. As much as I didn't trust this man, I needed something to take the edge off.

  "Good girl," he said.

  "So what are you?" I said. "Just some bored rich asshole who buys girls for fun?"

  "So much more than that." A wicked smile crossed his face. "It's always fun to think about just how to introduce you humans to the world that you're now a part of. But tonight, I think that I'd like to just throw you into the deep end."

  "'Humans'? What are you talking about?"

  "Claude?" he called out.

  Moments later, one of the guards entered the room, his steps falling so heavy that the knick-knacks on the shelves rattled. "Mr. Castile?" he asked, his voice booming.

  "This girl here doesn't know who any of us are. Would you do me the honor of being the first one to show her?"

  A smile formed on the guard's ugly face. "With pleasure."

  What happened next was beyond belief.

  The guard closed his eyes and his face took on an expression of concentration. Then, his limbs grew in size, his skin covered in fur, and his head changed in shape to that of a beast. Moments later, the human guard that entered had changed into an enormous, snorting gorilla.

  My vision became blurry and I had trouble catching my breath. It was like I was in some kind of horrible dream. "What the… how is he…Oh, my god." I took in several deep breaths, the drink shaking in my hand.

  "I suggest you go ahead and finish that," he said. "It'll help with the adjustment." Then he turned to the hulking gorilla that now dominated the room. I drained the rest of my drink in a single gulp. "That will be all, Claude."

  And just like that, the guard changed back into a human and left the room, a smirk on his face as he looked me up and down. He clearly couldn't have been happier to show me the most bizarre thing that I'd ever seen in my life.

  "That wasn't real," I said. "That was some kind of trick."

  "All too real, I'm afraid," said Anton. "You see, we're not humans; we're something else." A small smile formed on his face as he leaned closer to me. "We're shifters."

  "You're what?!" I exclaimed.

  "Beings who can change into animal form at will. There are thousands of us in the city, and you were in the presence of only a few this evening. And now you're part of our world. For good."

  "And you're…all gorillas?"

  He let out a ringing laugh, as though the idea were completely ridiculous.

  "All of us gorillas?" he asked. "What a city that would be. No. The gorillas are…Well, let's just say that you won't find too many gorillas in the attendance of parties like the one you were at tonight. Not the brightest bulbs on the tree, as they say. But they do have their place."

  "No," he continued. "There are several shifter species in the city, some more…prestigious than others."

  "And...what are you?" I asked, my fingernails digging into the fabric of the couch, my skin cool with nervous sweat.

  "Why, the best species, of course. The most powerful, elegant species in all of New York." With that, his eyes flashed a brilliant orange. He shifted partially, enough for me to see the beginnings of orange and black fur sprout from his skin.

  "A…tiger?"

  "Maybe I was wrong about you not having brains," he said. "So quick on the uptake."

  I shifted in my seat, my eyes flicking toward the raging fire. "And what are you going to do with me?" I asked.

  "Oh, you'll be my new prize that I show off to the rest of the town. I look forward to being the center of attention for the next few months attending the best parties with the five-million-dollar-girl on my arm. And…speaking of attending, you'll be doing plenty of that. After all, what's the point of buying such a beautiful body if I can't enjoy the pleasures of it?"

  I shuddered. The idea of sleeping with a sleazy man, or whatever he was, made my stomach turn. I still felt like this was all some kind of horrible dream that I'd awaken from at any moment.

  "Tonight," he started, looking away as if considering his words, "I think I'll let you get accustomed to your new life. Maybe let you get acquainted with the rest of the girls."

  "You have more girls here?" I asked, looking around as though I might spot them hiding around the room or something.

  "Of course," he said. "Just a select few from my visits to the auctions in recent years. But with you, I think my collection is complete for the time being." He f
inished his drink and stood up. "Get to your feet."

  "No," I said, finding a resistance in me that I didn't know I had.

  His eyes narrowed and flashed that same brilliant orange. With lightning-quick speed, he rushed over to me and grabbed me hard by the wrist, the pain radiating outward.

  "I'm willing to put up with some insolence," he said, his voice taking on an animalistic growl. "But you'd best understand that my patience has its limits. And I'm not a man whose bad side you want to be on."

  My eyes went wide and my heart pounded. With a quick tug, he brought me to my feet. Once there, his gaze dragged slowly over my body. I hated every second of it. Then, just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, he leaned in, placed his nose into my hair, and took a long, slow sniff.

  "Ah," he said. "Nothing like the scent of young, ripe human. I so look forward to getting to know this body very, very intimately."

  Then he backed off. "For tonight, however," he started, "I think I'd prefer my solitude." He snapped his fingers in the air. "Claude?"

  The gorilla guard from moments earlier entered.

  "Take her down with the rest of the girls. Introduce her and all that."

  Claude approached me and with his stare made it clear that he wasn't in the mood for a debate.

  "Good night, my new pet. I look forward to seeing you bright and early tomorrow morning."

  Claude grunted and led me out of the room, Anton waving as we left. Then I was directed through the hallways of the house. I couldn't believe how big this place was; it was almost more like a castle than a townhome. There were four floors as far as I could tell, and we passed by dozens of doors. Claude led me down the stairs to the basement level, the floor sealed with a velvet-covered door that required a special key to open.

  The door opened to a large, luxurious space that struck me as resembling a harem room that might belong to a medieval sultan. Colorful couches were here and there, topped with pillows and exotic fabrics. Another fire raged, and rich scents filled the air. Soft, soothing music played from speakers that I couldn't see.