When their eyes met, Trent saw a brief flash of regret in Heather’s eyes. He pulled her close and kissed her lightly on the forehead. There was no point in pushing her into trusting him again or accepting the mate bond. It would come with time. Right now they needed to survive this, so they actually had a future to plan together.
“What do we do now, Trent?”
“Right now, we put on our happy faces and go enjoy our night together.”
THIRTY-ONE
HEATHER HAD NEVER BEEN to a bonfire, but she was sure that this was the most fun she had ever had. Trent's family was so easy going and welcoming, she never felt like an outsider with them at all. They had music playing, food on the grill and lots of laughter and stories. Why couldn't everything in life be as easy as being around these people?
Trent hadn't left her side all night. Even though the atmosphere was light and fun, he kept scanning the woods. He would also raise his head just a bit and she knew he was checking for that scent. It warmed her that he was also on alert to make sure everyone was safe. She was sure the other Ciphers were doing the same, but Trent was hers.
She stumbled at her realization. He was hers. She had allowed him the use of her body since he had been back, but not her heart. Had she just admitted that it was time to hand that over as well? The last time she had given her heart to him freely, not even realizing she had been. This time she was fighting it.
Trent looked down at her to see why she had stopped. His eyes were that beautiful shade of gold that meant he was concerned. He was very sensitive towards her emotions, and could easily read her. She tried to hide her current emotion from him with a smile. He smiled back, and her heart flipped.
"Are you having fun?" he asked.
"Yes, this is probably the most fun I've ever had."
"You don't get out much, do you?"
"I use to get out all the time… it was just with the wrong people."
"I can agree with that. Come on, Dad's going to start our story. Michelle's husband is fairly new, too, so he hasn't heard it yet either."
He led her over to a wicker loveseat and they snuggled against each other. Once all of the other couples were settled, Cage began to speak.
"I'm not even sure how long our family has lived on this land, to be honest. It's been hundreds of years that our family has found a way to commingle with the humans in Acer. We live long lives, longer than humans most of the time, but not by much. It was my great great grandfather that left the local Shifter community and settled this clearing. He and his mate cleared the trees themselves and used them to build the main cabin. I've had to replace the majority of the logs, but some are still original. To be a Shifter among humans back then was unheard of, but they did it anyway.
“He worked hard to establish himself as an upstanding member of the community. It took decades before he was accepted. His cub, my great grandfather, followed in his footsteps and stayed here as well. Not before he was swept off to wars for the human race. Had he not gone though, he would have never met my great grandmother. They too, worked hard to keep the peace between Ciphers and the townsfolk.
“My father had a bit of a wild streak in him, though. Much like you, Trent, he was restless. He lived a long life before he found his mate. He drove the people in town crazy the way he used to carry on before mom came along. He once pushed his motorcycle into the high school and up flights of stairs so he could ride it down the senior hallway before he graduated.
“There were bar fights with humans, Shifter fights at the next Shifter community, and anything else you can think of for a restless Shifter bear to get into on his rap sheet. My grandmother was positive he would never settle down long enough to attract his mate.
“As he got older, he calmed down considerably, but still no mate. He drove his motorcycle over into Virginia one day, all the way to the shoreline. He walked the beach for hours when a scent so strong almost knocked him down. He searched the beach for hours trying to find the owner of the scent. When he did, boy did he make an impression.
“She was lounging in her bikini with friends when Dad walked up and demanded to know what in the hell she thought she was doing.
“He was mad that she had so much of her body on display for others to see. She looked him dead in the eye, and said, "I've been waiting on you, jerk." They were inseparable ever since. She packed her stuff not long after and moved out here on Cipher Hill, and I came along shortly after.
“The mate bond is so important in our lives, and when we find that bond, it's instantaneous, like getting hit by a bolt of lightning. You immediately feel the electricity coursing through your body. I knew I may have to leave this hill one day to find my mate, but I knew I'd bring her back here as well.
“My family has a long heritage, but we're not very big. I never had any siblings, and my ancestors were never one for having more than one cub either. So when your mom and I began to talk of a family, we knew we wanted to have a large family. You all are our legacy that one day we're going to leave behind. You'll grow the Cipher name, and even if you don't all stay here forever, this will always be home.
“Trent has finally found his mate. Our last cub, and always teased because he was the runt. I was almost convinced you had too much of your grandfather in you to settle down. Heather, I know our ways are different and may seem overbearing, but they are ingrained in us. Shifters are protective and loyal to each other, but our mates are the very heart that beats within us."
Heather was so moved to have heard so much about Trent's family she wanted to cry. She wasn't sure she even knew her great great grandfather's name, let alone how he met his wife. Trent's family knew their whole family history and took pride in it. Shifters were different, but it was a better different. They were over protective and possessive, but they were also passionate.
Trent and his siblings began to tell stories of their lives growing up: when they all first shifted or learning to drive. Some of them were hilarious, and most of Trent's were completely outlandish. She was amazed he hadn't landed in jail yet.
The whole evening brought her peace. Chaos seemed to swirl around her and Trent, but one day they would be looking back on it all. Hopefully, they'd be married, mated, and have kids of their own by then. Heather wasn't ready to complete the ceremony, but she was maybe ready to tear some of her walls down.
THIRTY-TWO
THE TAUNTING WAS the worst part. Watching all of the Ciphers with their mates gathered close by the fire. It was like they knew he was watching them. There was no way they could know though. He was discreet. He had been killing under their noses for months now, and they were no closer to catching him. Here he was mere feet from them, watching, and they were none the wiser.
Any time the taunting became too much he had to remind himself who was the true alpha. He was alpha of this situation. He had total control. If he wanted to kill tonight he could. He would take anybody’s life that he chose. Then scatter their body throughout the woods for the Ciphers to find. Let them have their fun tonight. It wouldn’t be long before he would have his.
He watched her specifically now. She was so at ease tonight. Little did she know that peaceful bubble she was in would soon be burst wide open. He planned on wrecking each one of their lives. By the time he got down to the final one, they would know he was coming. They would hover in their cabin, scared of what might happen if they left.
That fear was what he craved. That fear gave him all of his power. There would never be enough of it to satisfy him. He knew that now and had come to terms with it. This was his calling in life, and he would serve it well. When the time came that his Goddess called him home, he would be able to say he served his purpose well.
Some Shifters mated and settled down to have families. Others dedicated themselves to joining the Shifters and human together peacefully. Then there were the outcasts. The ones both societies cast aside. They were to bring new understanding; to remind humans and even Shifters that there was always someone, somethi
ng greater than you. He was that Shifter. It was his duty to remind not only the Ciphers, but the people of Acer that they were not in charge of their destiny. It could be taken from them at any point.
The power made his loins ache. It had been too long since he had found release that way. He reminisced on sweet Tess then. Her destiny had become his for the taking that night. Just like a good soldier, he performed accordingly. Tonight maybe he needed to find release without a kill. Give the world its night of peace.
He looked back on the Ciphers and her specifically. He was giving them one more day. He and he alone had that power, and they didn’t even seem thankful. Maybe he would make them thank him before he took their life. Thank him for giving them the time they had on this planet. For him to serve his purpose with such passion, he deserved to be revered.
THIRTY-THREE
TRENT PACED around Buzz’s office. They had been racking their brains for hours searching through databases of Shifter information. Trent had read more of the journal after Heather had fallen asleep the prior night. She offered her body to him freely, but then refused to sleep in the same bed.
She needed his touch, but was withholding any further connection. He wouldn’t be dissuaded though. After her breathing evened out, he crept into her room and laid down next to her on the bed. The journal was lying on the bedside table so he picked it up and browsed through it.
It was disturbing the things the poor woman endured. He could see why Heather felt the need to find out more about her and her story. If this had been his sister or daughter, he would want somebody to find out her name and track down her story. The jaguar in the story was concerning as well.
The woman obviously wasn’t his mate, and yet he stayed with her. He beat her regularly which told Trent that his jaguar was starting to resent her trying to take his mate’s place. After telling Michelle to watch over Heather for the day, he took off to the precinct to see what Buzz could find. There wasn’t much to go on. If there was anything the police had omitted in their press release about the woman in the car, it would point towards the jaguar.
“Buzz, surely there was something left over from the car wreck that could lead us to something. Who was the car registered to or what address?”
“We didn’t find any registration in the car, and the plates had been torn off. We looked up the VIN number through the database, but the last known owner was a deceased Shifter woman from the community north of here. There was no next of kin listed anywhere on her information either. Trust me when I say we tried to track down who the woman was. We don’t like to bury a Jane Doe. It doesn’t look good for the department.”
Trent ran his fingers through his hair. He checked his cell for the hundredth time to make sure Michelle hadn’t sent him anything. Heather would probably be furious at being cooped up in the house all day, but Trent could feel that something was brewing. The killer was losing control, and he wouldn’t put Heather at risk.
“Okay, well I guess maybe I was just hoping for an easy fix. I just had a gut feeling that the guy from the journal may have been our guy. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out who could be after me. I know there are people out there who don’t like me, but to kill over it? That’s the part I can’t figure out.”
“Trent, I haven’t always been a small town cop in rural West Virginia. I once was a homicide detective in New York, and if there’s one thing I learned there it was that killers don’t think straight. The smallest things sometimes led to a mass murder of a family. Whoever this is, they are sick, and for some reason they’re focused on you. We’ll catch them. Until then, keep your guard up and keep your eyes open.”
“Thanks, Buzz. I’ll be in touch.”
Trent walked out to his truck and leaned his head against the steering wheel. He missed the time when life was easier. He always thought when he finally found his mate life would settle. Everything he had been missing in his life would finally fall in place. Since picking Heather up off of the blacktop road all those weeks ago, his life had been chaos. Heather deserved better. Although, she didn’t talk about her life prior to ending up with him, he knew from the bits and pieces she had said it wasn’t happy.
He turned the key and slammed his truck into drive. No matter what, he would put an end to the chaos so that they could live their happily ever after. They both deserved that. There was one call he needed to make that would either put Trent’s mind at ease or shed more light on the girl from the journal.
THIRTY-FOUR
TRENT WATCHED Heather as she worked in the kitchen with his mother and sisters. They were all making a big breakfast to have together as a family. It wasn’t that his family hadn’t done things like that in the past, but knowing they were doing it more often now just reminded Trent that there was a killer on the loose. One who very much wanted some sort of revenge on Trent. Trent had racked his brain while he had been away trying to figure out who he could have possibly wronged so bad.
Granted his bachelor days had been longer than the rest of his family. He had plenty of opportunities to piss people off. To make someone mad enough to go on a killing spree definitely wasn’t a possibility. With Heather in the picture now, he desperately wanted to figure it out though. He couldn’t allow her to be in harm’s way any longer. Trent’s biggest fear was when the time came, the killer would use Heather against him. He didn’t plan on letting Heather out of his sight at all until this was all solved.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. His buddy from the police department was calling. His stomach sunk. The only reason Buzz would call on a Saturday morning was if there was another body. Trent gave his dad a glance to watch Heather as he stepped outside to take the call.
“What’s up, Buzz?”
“I’ve got a woman down here at the precinct. Says she barely escaped some guy last night. It may be our killer. She’s sitting down with the sketch artist right now.”
“What makes you think it was our guy? How on Earth could a tiny woman get away from him?”
“I don’t know, it’s just a gut feeling I have. There’s not a lot of rapists or killers in Acer.”
“You’re right. It’s about as good a guess as any. Can I come down and talk to her by chance?”
“Yeah, she said that would be okay. She said she knows your sister.”
“Which one?”
“Michelle works with her down at the courthouse. Hannah Edwards is her name.”
“Okay. I’ll be down.”
Trent hung up and went back inside to find Michelle. Now that he knew the woman had a connection to Michelle, it made him think it could have been their guy after all. Why he would start going after anybody Michelle knew didn’t seem to make sense, though.
His sister was elbow to elbow with Heather at the sink cleaning up the pans. He didn’t want Heather to know something was up, but there wasn’t going to be much of a choice. It was just a matter of time before she’d find out.
“Michelle, you know a Hannah Edwards?”
“Hannah, yeah what’s wrong?”
“Buzz has her down at the precinct for questioning. She may have had a run in with our guy last night, but she survived. I’m heading down there now to question her and see what her sketch looks like.”
“Mind if I tag along? It may be good for her to have a familiar face around.”
“Sure.”
He looked at Heather then. Her face was scrunched up with disappointment. She was ready to have it all over with too. He leaned his forehead against hers and inhaled her sweet scent. It was mixed with the smell of bacon now which made it even better.
“Please don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back shortly.”
“I couldn’t even if I wanted to, remember? Some overgrown bear played piñata with my Jeep.” She had a sheepish smile on his face, but his stomach still tightened. He felt like a complete ass for trashing the wheels she worked so hard to buy. Maybe he would add another stop on to their trip to town today.
“He’s probably r
eally sexy, and can get away with it though, right?” Trent said with a smile.
“Meh, maybe. Hey, ask Buzz about my journal lady please, if you can. I know it’s not a priority, but I would like to know.”
“Okay. I’m sorry I haven’t learned much for you. I promise I will, though.”
She leaned in and kissed him hard on the mouth. Trent didn’t give her a chance to say anything else before he walked out the door. His dad wouldn’t let Heather out of his sight, but he still wanted to hurry and get back.
Michelle and Trent rode to the precinct in silence. It was definitely a game changer with the killer going after somebody connected to Michelle. Up until now he seemed to only be targeting Trent, but now the question arose if maybe it wasn’t the family in general. That certainly would open up the umbrella of options, but it still didn’t make any sense.
The trip to the precinct took longer than Trent intended. Hannah had a lot of good information, but it still wasn’t all that helpful. They needed to go into the Shifter towns and begin questioning the Shifters there. No matter how they did that, it was going to insight anger. Shifters were touchy over being blamed for killings. It was a legitimate concern, but this time they were sure it was a Shifter. Trent and his family would have to help the police force do the questioning to help make it go smoother.
Not all the Shifters in the nearby communities were big fans of the Ciphers. They felt like Trent and his family thought they were better than the other Shifters since they chose to live on their own. Trent wasn’t sure why they lived on their own, but it was a family legacy, so none of them moved. There were plenty of Shifters that Trent considered friends though so he hoped that they would help them out as well.
The sketch didn’t have anything that would make the killer stand out. No tattoos or scars, but a generic looking man with golden eyes. How Hannah had managed to get away was a miracle. She had to go into the office early this morning before her run to grab her headphones, and he tried to grab her from the parking lot. She fought like hell, but he was soon dragging her off to his old beat up truck. When all of a sudden he collapsed and held his hands to his head as if he was in pain. She wasn’t sure what happened, but she took off to her truck, jumped in and drove like mad home. She was afraid to get out once she got home, so she turned around and went to the police department.
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