Shadows and Stars

by Becca Fanning

  “Don’t forget about our date. I’ll call you,” she yelled after him.

  FOUR

  THE FUNNY THING about darkness is that it can be so inviting. Heather drifted around in her own mind for what seemed like days. Vague details would pop in her mind, but disappear just as quickly. Her whole body had hurt for a while, but now that too was gone. She did hear lots of talking at times though. She couldn’t imagine who it would be.

  Please God don’t let it be my family.

  A deep rich voice would sometimes talk to her. She liked that voice. It seemed to caress her whole body. She wanted to step out of her darkness for that voice alone. It was too hard, though. So much had happened and gone wrong in her life in the past few months. So many times she had wanted to just submit to the darkness, but hadn’t. Now here she was. Maybe she wanted to stay.

  The voice was back. It was beautiful. He was singing. She wasn’t sure what song, but it was a heavenly voice. Maybe if she just peaked out from the darkness for a bit.

  Curiosity did kill the cat though. The singing quit then. It was replaced by growling.

  Growling?

  Her whole body was trembling now. It was like she couldn’t even control herself. Her eyes flew open and landed on a very beautiful, very angry man. Not just a man though. His golden eyes, which were practically glowing, gave him away as a Shifter.

  Panic spread through Heather’s whole body and she tried to get away. There were wires and tubes everywhere though. She was trapped. She tried to scream, but nothing came out.

  “Whoa. Whoa. It’s okay. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Please calm down.”

  Mr. Beautiful stood up and walked towards the door to prove he meant her no harm. She wasn’t completely convinced. She also felt like she had been hit by a car so her getaway plans were pretty much null at this point.

  “I’m sorry. My name is Trent and I saw your accident. I wanted to come down here and um, wait for you. Um, make sure you were okay. Maybe if you had any questions I could, um, answer them for you.”

  She looked him over. He was a gigantic man, but she had heard most Shifters were. She had never seen one in person. He was beautiful though. He was tall and muscular; not in a lean way, but a bulky way with a deep barrel like chest. His hair was a bit unruly, but it seemed to suit him.

  When she looked back into his eyes, she realized he had witnessed her unclothing him with her eyes. Not that she had tried to hide it, but she still blushed seven shades of red.

  “I at least like to know a lady’s name before I let her undress me.”

  Heather was pretty sure she would burst into flames at any minute. She hadn’t spoken a word and yet she managed to put her foot in her mouth already.

  “Heather,” she choked.

  “Heather. I like it.” He smiled as he walked back to his chair and sat down.

  “I should probably buzz the nurse’s station and let them know you’re awake.”

  “How long have I been out? I’m not real sure where I am or what happened. I know I had a wreck.”

  “A wreck? You kind of avoided the wreck by jumping out of the car. Then the car wrecked without you, which was good, but jumping out was damn risky. It could have easily spun around and ran you over.”

  Heather’s head was starting to pound. She wasn’t sure why this stranger was in her room lecturing her.

  “I’m sorry, but who are you again? I’m alive, aren’t I? And I don’t have to answer for my actions to you or anybody else for that matter.”

  “I’m sorry. I just… it was quite a spectacle is all. I’m still a little worked up. You’ve been out for just a few hours now.”

  “Hours? That’s it? It seems like it’s been days.”

  “Well, you have a concussion so you were probably sleeping pretty sound. You also have a bruised rib and some nasty road burn.”

  Heather could only imagine what she looked like. It was probably better that she didn’t see herself. The nurse finally came in then.

  “Good morning, sunshine. I’m glad you woke up on your own. Did Trent here fill you in on everything that’s happened?” The nurse was a pretty woman. She was short and plump, with beautiful big eyes. She seemed smooth and confident as she checked over Heather’s vitals and fixed her tubes.

  “Yeah, he was just filling me in.”

  “What would you rate your pain right now on a scale of one to ten? Ten being the worst.”

  Heather pondered the question over and self-assessed. She decided her headache was the worst part.

  “I’m not too bad right now, maybe a three. I just have a killer headache.”

  “That’s to be expected. Since you’re awake now, I can get you some pain meds and something to eat. I’ll be right back with a menu.”

  “Oh, I couldn’t imagine eating anything right now.”

  “Suit yourself, but I have to bring you food with your meds so try to order something. You may be surprised at how hungry you’ll be. Your body is trying to heal so you’re going to need all the fuel you can get.” With that the nurse left the room.

  Heather’s head was pounding and she wanted nothing more than to just go back to sleep. That thought brought her back to why she woke up in the first place.

  “Were you growling earlier?”

  FIVE

  TRENT HAD in fact been growling right before Heather woke up. With nothing but time on his hands, his mind had wandered. The thought of her possibly having a boyfriend or worse, a husband, had caused him to start growling. Now he became frustrated at himself for even caring.

  The woman hadn’t even laid eyes on him and he was pining for her like a young cub. He couldn’t possibly be feeling the tug of the mate bond with a human? He kept telling himself he was only feeling this way because he was the only unmated male left in his family. All of his family’s constant jokes and ridicule was messing with his brain.

  He was perfectly happy living his bachelor lifestyle; drinking beer and scrapping metal. What more could a man want? Wives could be too knaggy, and she would probably want him to stop drinking beer. He’d have to get a real job to support a family. Nah, he was a bad egg anyway and it was best he stick to himself.

  “Um. I may have been. Sorry, it’s a habit. I don’t really know when I’m doing it most of the time.”

  “So you’re a Shifter?”

  “Yes.”

  “What do you shift into?”

  “A bear… a black bear.”

  “Oh.”

  Trent was used to that word. It usually meant that the person had never encountered a Shifter before, and didn’t know what to say. They usually wanted to ask a bunch of questions while trying to be polite. He watched as Heather pondered over what to do while she chewed her lip. It was unbearable to watch her chew her lip like that. All he kept thinking about was him chewing it, and he had already decided that wasn’t happening.

  “You can ask me anything you want. I’m used to it.”

  “I don’t really know what I would ask. I’ve never met a Shifter before. You seem so normal.”

  He coughed to try and cover his laugh. Her face was red as soon as the words left her mouth, and he didn’t want to embarrass her further.

  “I try to be pretty normal. Aside from turning into a bear, you know.”

  “Sorry. I just meant, well, I’m not sure what I meant really.”

  The nurse returned then, handing Heather her menu. Trent observed that she seemed to really be reading it through for someone who claimed to not want anything to eat.

  “You can order for Trent, too.”

  “Of course. Would you like something?”

  “I’ll just have whatever you have.”

  He regretted that shortly after when she ordered a grilled chicken platter with broccoli. That was another problem with a mate; she would probably want them to eat healthy all the time. Trent wasn’t opposed to healthy foods, but they were usually an appetizer to a good cheeseburger with a side of fries.

  “I hope t
hat’s okay.”

  “Perfect. How are you feeling?”

  “I’m tired of course and would like to take a nap, but I would assume that’s against the rules.”

  “I believe so. They’ll let us know when you can nap.”

  He hoped she didn’t realize he just used the word us instead of her. He was already starting to pair them together. Maybe he needed to leave.

  “Is there somebody you want me to call for you?”

  Heather went back to chewing on her lip as she pondered his question. It seemed to distress her. He wondered why she hadn’t immediately asked to call her family. Surely she had people who would be worrying about her.

  “No. No, there’s nobody to call. It’s just me.”

  “Okay. Well if you don’t mind me sticking around, I hate to leave you here by yourself.”

  “Thank you, I’d really appreciate that.”

  They settled into a comfortable companionship with each other. Trent had actually never felt this comfortable with any woman before. Even though she seemed like she had something painful she was hiding, she was a ray of light. Her whole face lit up when she would laugh, and she wore every emotion she felt on her sleeve. He loved that; looking at somebody and knowing exactly how they felt. It was so honest compared to most people in today’s world.

  The nurse and doctor were in and out for a while checking her vitals. They finally gave her permission to get some sleep. Trent said his goodbyes, but left his phone number in case she needed anything. He thought it was weird that she never once asked to call anybody. Surely there was someone out there who were missing her?

  His cell phone rang as he was walking out of the hospital. It was his sister, Michelle.

  “Trent, are you still at the hospital?”

  “I’m just walking out the door. What’s up?”

  “Sheriff just found another body part from a different person.”

  Trent didn’t say anything. He had completely forgotten about the evil in the world while he had been with Heather. It was time to get back to reality now though. There was a killer on the loose, and eventually everybody would start pointing at his family. It never failed. Shifter families were accepted until the least little thing happened, and then they ended up excommunicated or worse.

  His family, the Ciphers, had lived on their farm in Acer, West Virginia for thousands of years, though with no problems. Trent didn’t plan on letting this be what created the rift between them and the towns folk either.

  SIX

  “WOULD you like to stay with us until you figure out what to do about your car?”

  Michelle was probably the sweetest person Heather had ever met. She wished her sister was half as nice as Michelle. Even though there seemed to be a hidden conversation going on between brother and sister currently, they seemed close. Heather envied their closeness. Maybe being around a normal, happy family wasn’t such a good idea right now for her.

  “Oh, I couldn’t possibly intrude. Surely there is a hotel somewhere I can stay after I get discharged.”

  “Well, there’s a motel, but the only people who use it are some of the new pipe liners in town who don’t know any better. Most of them check out as soon as they can, too. It’s pretty rough.”

  “What about the next town over?”

  “Acer is the only town along the turnpike for about sixty miles or more either way. There isn’t much to us, but we’re good people. You’ll love our little town.”

  “Are you sure?” Heather was looking at Trent now. He hadn’t said much since his sister offered up their home. How did they all manage to live together anyway? Surely both of them or at least one of them was married. He still didn’t speak, but he nodded.

  “I don’t really understand what’s going on with my insurance right now, but until I get to the bottom of it I can’t afford to get a new vehicle.”

  Heather had a feeling she knew exactly what was wrong with her insurance; or who for that matter. Her lying, cheating, sneak of an ex-fiancé had cancelled the policy before she even got a chance to get on her feet in Boston. Her father had specifically told him not to do it. If she was speaking to her father right now she would call him, but she was a new woman. A woman who handled her own shit and she’d be damned if she’d go crawling to Daddy now. He was probably too busy with Mandy anyway.

  She looked back at Michelle now. It would be nice to be around her until she got everything straightened out with her insurance. Trent on the other hand was a different story.

  He hadn’t left her side the whole time she had been recovering. He’d visited every day for the past week and sat with her. There was never any awkwardness about it though. He was a complete stranger, but somehow he felt more like her best friend.

  That scared her more than anything. She was apparently horrible at reading people if her last few relationships were any indication. Getting too tied up with Trent would probably end up being more like pouring salt on her wounds and less like happily ever after.

  “Earth to Heather! What do you say?” Michelle said smiling.

  “Yes. I say, yes. I really appreciate this. I’m so ready to blow this popsicle stand.”

  With that, the nurse came in with her discharge papers. Next thing she knew they were on the very road she almost died on. The skid marks her car left as it fishtailed back and forth before tumbling down into the ravine were still there.

  They turned down a steep gravel road and drove for what seemed like hours. Then finally they hit a clearing and a group of cabins. There was one giant cabin in the middle and four smaller ones on either side. They were all beautiful.

  “Who all lives here?”

  “Well, the big house in the middle is our parent’s and Trent’s. That’s where you’ll be staying. The houses on either side are us siblings and our families. We’re all mated, or married in your terminology, except for Trent of course.” Michelle added the last little bit with a sly smile. Trent looked like he wanted to throttle her.

  “I can’t believe you all live out here together. I’m trying to get as far away as I can from my family. I couldn’t imagine living in the building next to them.” Heather blurted out that last part. They hadn’t asked that much about her family, and she definitely wasn’t ready to offer any information up, yet.

  “Well, we Ciphers are a close nit group. We’re the only Shifters for miles, and even though we’re welcomed by the local town, we have to stick together for protection.”

  Heather kept forgetting that Michelle and Trent were Shifters. They just seemed so normal. Now that they were out here though, she kind of wanted to ask Trent to shift for her. She’d never seen a real bear before, especially one that she could touch. He was considerably tall and broad shouldered for a man, so she couldn’t imagine what he looked like as a bear.

  Just then, a gigantic man came out of one of the smaller cabins and headed towards the car. He had to be at least a foot taller than Trent. Her heart sped up a bit as he got closer to the now stopped car. Michelle on the other hand jumped out of the car and threw herself in the giant’s arms.

  “Don’t worry Heather, you’re safe here. Nobody would ever dare hurt you. You’ll come to find that I’m the runt of the group, so all the men will be more like Dave’s size.”

  “Oh, I wasn’t scared. I just have never seen somebody so tall. I was more shocked.” She tried to cover up her embarrassment of appearing scared.

  Trent chuckled. “Heather, I have animal instincts. I can sense your heart rate increase, along with your breathing. If you would have gotten really scared, I would have been able to smell that on you as well.”

  “Okay, now that is creepy.” She nervously laughed as she continued to look around. Maybe deciding to live with a bunch of bears wasn’t a good idea.

  Trent shot her a wink as he extended his hand to help her out of the car. Her face flushed even more.

  “Heather, this is my mate, Dave. Dave, this is Heather the daredevil extraordinaire.”

&nbs
p; “Nice to meet you, Heather. How are you feeling?”

  “Better than I deserve, I think. Nice to meet you, too. I appreciate you all inviting me to stay out here until I get on my feet.”

  “No problem at all. A friend of Trent’s is always a friend of ours.”

  Heather didn’t know how to respond to that. Trent tensed behind her which led her to believe all of these little comments were starting to get old for him. She turned to say something to him when she caught sight of a black bear making its way out of the wood line. Her breath caught in her lungs as she watched it leisurely make its way over to their group.

  “That would be my mother. She must have been out for a run,” Trent explained.

  The bear bowed her head to Heather, and then nudged Trent in the side. Trent patted his mom’s fur. Heather was pretty sure she still hadn’t blinked since seeing the bear. She had to catch herself from reaching out and touching the creature. How awkward would that be?

  “Come on, I’ll show you the big house and where you’ll be sleeping. Michelle and Avery got you some necessities as well if you would like a shower and a change of clothes.”

  “Thank you so much. That sounds wonderful. Nice to meet you, Dave.” Since nobody had mentioned Trent’s mother’s name, she gave the bear a quick dip of her chin as a farewell and took off after Trent.

  SEVEN

  HE SNIFFED over the spot on the ground where he had left a piece of the last man. They would all say that man was his first. He wasn’t, but the others were nowhere near here. The woods had waited longer than he had expected before calling him back.

  He lifted his nose in the air, waiting for it to catch that familiar scent; the scent of a human amongst the woods. Their scents didn’t mingle with that of the forest; even the best of hunters with all of their scent proof tricks were easily detectable. The wolf hadn’t been out long hunting himself, and he knew eventually he would find his prey.