Lion’s Claim (Shifter Chronicles Book 6)

by Crissy Smith

  Table of Contents

  Legal Page

  Title Page

  Book Description

  Dedication

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  New Excerpt

  About the Author

  Publisher Page

  Lion’s Claim

  ISBN # 978-1-78686-211-2

  ©Copyright Crissy Smith 2017

  Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright April 2017

  Edited by Rebecca Baker

  Totally Bound Publishing

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Totally Bound Publishing.

  Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Totally Bound Publishing. Unauthorized or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

  The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

  Published in 2017 by Totally Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, UK

  Totally Bound Publishing is a subsidiary of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

  Warning:

  This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Totally Burning and a Sexometer of 2.

  Shifter Chronicles

  LION’S CLAIM

  Crissy Smith

  Book six in the Shifter Chronicles series

  A new town, a new cast of characters, a new adventure.

  Annabelle Sanchez has lived her entire life in the shadows, watching the world from the outside. Having grown up in foster care until she ran away at the age of fourteen, Annabelle doesn’t trust anyone except for the ragtag group of shifters who have become her family. Cold, scared and alone on the streets, Annabelle stumbles across Mac Gordon, the only person to ever tell her why she’s so different from other people. Mac brings her into his family—the bar he owns and the underground network where he helps shifters disappear when they need to. Annabelle is furiously loyal and she will not let anyone hurt her family.

  When an agent from the Coalition starts sniffing around, Annabelle knows there is more to the gruff shifter than what’s on the surface. The way she responds around him is both frightening and exciting. Family bonds are tested when Annabelle starts spending time alone with Logan.

  Logan Coldwell has lost everything when he joins a new shifter organization looking for law enforcement agents for its ranks. Logan jumped at the chance to start over after being rejected by his birth family. He puts everything he has into his job, the only thing he has left.

  For two years Logan has had one goal—to protect innocent shifters and make those who break the law pay. His latest assignment leads him to a small northern California town that is chock-full of all kinds of shifter species. Several shifters have come before him and have never been seen or heard from again. Logan is determined to find out what is going on, no matter how much he’d really like to be investigating the beautiful and sweet Annabelle.

  Dedication

  This one is for all the Shifter Chronicles fans who were ready and waiting for a new book and sent happy thoughts as I decided how I wanted to approach the next few stories.

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Dodge: FCA US LLC

  Google: Google Inc.

  Chapter One

  The alarm shrieked, scaring Annabelle Sanchez awake and out of bed. She stumbled around the room, dressing quickly. This wasn’t the first time and wouldn’t be the last that her morning started that way, but it always made her leap up in fear. Her bedside clock read three-fifteen a.m. Having been taught to always be prepared, Annabelle jogged down the hall less than four minutes after the warning call. Doors opened as she passed, signaling others rushing to join her.

  Mac Gordon was on his phone as Annabelle ran into the main bar area, Trent, Carter and Kelly spreading out behind her. Trent and Carter each stood next to one of the windows to peer out while Kelly ran to take position by the front door. Annabelle’s place was at Mac’s side. She would carry out all Mac’s orders while directing the rest of the team.

  The rumble of motorcycles shook the floorboards where she stood and she recognized the sound of those pipes. At normal times, Annabelle would be comforted by the people who were arriving, but in the middle of the night, with the alarms still ringing, she was filled with dread. There was no reason for two of the team to be coming in hot.

  “They’re here,” Mac said into his cell. “Put everyone else on high alert. We’ll take care of things here. Good job.”

  Mac’s words had everyone in the room tensing. Putting the entire town on high alert was a big deal. The town of Brookside had around two hundred residents only, mostly shifters or their loved ones. It was a unique place but perfect for the secrets that had to be kept.

  Annabelle wiped her hands down the legs of the sweatpants she’d pulled on. Her heart still pounded. It’d be a long morning and she’d only been in bed for a few short hours.

  Mac turned toward them. “We have an emergency case,” he said.

  “Trouble?” Trent asked. He bounced on his toes as though he itched to get into the thick of things.

  “No signs of it so far,” Mac told him before glancing at Kelly. “Kelly, can you make some food? They’re going to be hungry.”

  “Of course,” Kelly replied, already hurrying toward the kitchen.

  “Trent, Carter,” Mac said. “Take your bikes and backtrack to the south. Make sure no one followed.”

  “You got it, boss,” Trent responded with a wide grin.

  Annabelle knew that he hoped to actually find someone following, and had to shake her head. The hyena shifter was just a little bit crazy at times. Trent gave a quick nod to Carter and the two men stalked toward the back door to follow orders.

  “What’s going on?” Annabelle asked once she and Mac were alone.

  “Not sure,” Mac confessed. “Calvin and Duffy have someone with them. Since they didn’t call me first, we have to proceed cautiously.”

  The motorcycles’ engines cut off and Annabelle took the time to brace herself for what would be coming through the doors. In the many years she’d worked along with Mac, there hadn’t been much she hadn’t seen. It was sad to say that nothing surprised Annabelle any longer. People, human or shifter, could be so cruel to one another.

  The front door opened and Calvin Montgomery stepped inside first. A young woman with long, flowing red hair had practically attached herself to him. Duffy followed behind the two, pulling the door shut before moving to lean against the wall.

  From the front, the bar wasn’t much to look at, sure. But as an establishment that welcomed some rough characters nightly, its rundown exterior meant one thing—that whoever set foot inside would be comfortable.

  Tabletops might be sc
arred and the floor scratched, but so what? The important thing about it? That a person’s species didn’t matter when they walked inside the Den. Everyone was invited to sit and enjoy a good brew.

  The woman with Calvin didn’t look like she’d ever stepped into a place like their bar before, but that was all right. She wouldn’t be on the main floor for long.

  Annabelle did her best to appear as non-threatening as possible while taking a few short steps forward. She didn’t know the girl’s story, but, like all the shifters who came through the Den, this woman needed the kind of help only they could offer.

  “Samantha,” Calvin said softly. “Annabelle is the one I was telling you about. She’ll get you settled.”

  Annabelle smiled at the redhead. She had beautiful clear green eyes, and freckles across her nose. She couldn’t be much older than twenty. “It’s nice to meet you, Samantha.” She kept her voice gentle.

  “Hello,” Samantha replied, peeking around Calvin.

  “I bet you could use a good meal, a shower and bed.” Annabelle waved her hand around. “It might not look like much, but you’ll be comfortable here, I promise.”

  Samantha nodded at her and glanced at Calvin.

  “You go ahead with Annabelle,” Calvin told her. He motioned to Mac. “That’s my boss. I have to tell him what’s going on.”

  “O…okay.” Samantha looked at Mac nervously.

  Mac might have appeared intimidating with his dark hair and eyes, along with his full beard. A huge, muscular, tattooed biker, to Annabelle he was also the kindest man she’d ever met. Mac smiled encouragement at Samantha. It normally didn’t take their guests long to trust him, so Annabelle felt certain that Samantha would soon be one of Mac’s biggest fans.

  “I can already smell Kelly’s cooking,” Annabelle said, pulling Samantha’s attention to her.

  “I am hungry,” Samantha admitted, her voice small.

  “Well, then,” Annabelle said. “Follow me.” She led the way out of the main room and past the bar area. Since the bar had closed up hours ago, all the neon signs had been turned off and only a few security lights remained on. Samantha wouldn’t ever be in the public part of the bar again. Once through the doors, she’d be kept out of view from anyone who might stumble in or come looking for her.

  Behind her, Mac greeted Calvin and Duffy. The back-slapping was boisterous. Calvin and Duffy had been gone two weeks, which wasn’t unusual. They loved to travel around on their bikes and, if they weren’t needed at home, they might be anywhere in the US. Annabelle envied their freedom, but she had her own reasons for never leaving their small northern California town.

  “Hi!” Kelly greeted them warmly as they stepped into the open kitchen.

  The space wasn’t big and a large stainless-steel oven and fridge dominated the room, but it was inviting. Annabelle always felt warm and comfortable there. While the bar did sell some appetizers and easy items, the real cooking took place once the doors were closed to the public. During the day, Kelly worked as a waitress along with Annabelle, but Kelly loved to cook for the family.

  “It smells good,” Annabelle praised. “This is Samantha.”

  “Hi, Samantha.” Kelly waved. “Make yourself at home at the table. I’ll have something to snack on here in just one minute. I also made a fresh pot of coffee.”

  “Thank you,” Samantha replied quietly. “I hope you didn’t go to too much trouble.”

  “Nah,” Kelly said. “I’m glad Calvin and Duffy are back. Plus they brought you, so it gives me an excuse to cook.”

  Annabelle smiled as she pulled out a chair for Samantha from the table. None of the chairs matched, but that didn’t matter. This was where all of the family ate meals together, so there was plenty of room—especially when they never knew who from town might drop by. Kelly really did love cooking for the people she cared about. Before she had joined them, Kelly had cooked in a restaurant, working fourteen or more hours a day. Now she only stood behind the stove when she wanted to.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” Annabelle asked Samantha.

  When Samantha sat in the chair, with Annabelle still standing behind her, Annabelle picked up the scent of dirt and foliage. Fox shifter. Annabelle was surprised. Foxes weren’t a very common shifter species and she’d only ever met one other. Annabelle didn’t say anything to Samantha about it, though. It wouldn’t be comfortable for her to be around such large predatory shifters. Since her own animal was rare and small, Annabelle hoped Samantha would be even more at ease in her presence.

  The way Samantha kept her shoulders hunched showed years of wariness from whatever she’d been put through. Even when Annabelle had first been brought to the bar, she’d had a chip on her shoulder. Annabelle didn’t cower to anyone.

  She might only be five foot six but Annabelle’s attitude was big enough to go up against all the huge shifters who surrounded her.

  Maybe one day, Samantha would regain her confidence. If anyone could give Samantha the chance of reclaiming her strength, it was them.

  “Can I have some water, please?” Samantha asked.

  “You got it,” Annabelle said, stepping toward the fridge.

  The guys would probably start guzzling coffee when they got there, as they’d need the caffeine to keep them up to make plans. Annabelle hoped she’d be able to get some more sleep, so she chose two bottles of water for herself and Samantha.

  As she passed by Kelly, she saw a couple of dishes already set on the side. Annabelle picked up one with a variety of cheeses, meats, crackers and fruit and carried it over. Samantha’s eyes lit up at the food as Annabelle set it in the middle of the table. Annabelle put down the water bottles then picked up a stack of paper plates from the counter.

  “Help yourself,” Annabelle told her.

  She set the plates down before going back and picking up bowls of chips. Kelly flipped hamburger patties on the grill and Annabelle’s stomach started to growl. She’d shifted for several hours earlier but hadn’t eaten after since it’d been so late. She was really hungry now that she’d smelled the food.

  Samantha loaded a plate with a couple of crackers and a small amount of fruit. Annabelle hoped she’d eat more than that. While the dark circles under Samantha’s eyes spoke of her being exhausted, Samantha was also very skinny. Like she hadn’t had a good meal in a lot longer than the road trip would have taken.

  Annabelle really wanted to know Samantha’s story but it wasn’t her place to ask. Instead, she took the seat next to Samantha and reached for some of the fruit. She didn’t fill the silence with small talk. In her experience, Samantha would be thinking about what she’d run from and what was going to happen now. As much as Annabelle wanted to take Samantha’s thoughts away, Annabelle knew she needed to take her cues from Samantha.

  “I really appreciate all this,” Samantha whispered.

  “It’s what we do,” Annabelle replied honestly.

  “I’m glad,” Samantha said.

  Annabelle patted her shoulder, pleased when Samantha leaned in to her touch instead of flinching away. There were many reasons that the underground organization Mac ran even existed. Mac had been taking in strays, like herself, for years.

  She’d been fourteen when Mac had come across her living in an alley, sleeping behind a Dumpster. After running away from her twelfth foster home, Annabelle was not going to go back into the system. Mac had offered her an alternative. And it wasn’t sick and twisted the way all the other offers she’d gotten had been. Mac had just opened the Den and needed help with the nephew he had custody of. Duffy had been seven when Mac had brought Annabelle home. Now, thirteen years later, this group was the family she loved, the only one she’d ever had.

  Mac, Calvin and Duffy walked into the room and Annabelle smiled up at them. Mac was the father figure who’d raised her, made sure she had enough to eat, a place to sleep, love and affection. Duffy was a little brother to her. When Duffy had fallen in love with Calvin, Annabelle had had another brother. Th
e others in the group were like cousins, uncles, aunts and other extended family members. It was all she’d ever wanted. Getting to help shifters in trouble gave her an extra purpose. She felt as if she was making the world a better place.

  Calvin ran his fingers across Annabelle’s shoulder before he took a seat on the other side of Samantha, with Duffy and Mac sitting across from them. Even if trouble had come home with Calvin and Duffy, she was happy they’d returned.

  “Feeling better?” Calvin asked Samantha quietly.

  “Yes, thank you,” Samantha replied. She looked at Mac. “Thank you for taking me in.”

  “Of course,” Mac said. “We want to help in any way that we can.”

  Samantha nodded.

  “Burgers!” Kelly announced, carrying a platter of meat and buns to the table.

  “Oh, God,” Calvin moaned. “I missed your cooking.”

  “Me, too,” Duffy agreed, already reaching for the food.

  Mac slapped his hand. “Ladies first,” he growled. “Didn’t I teach you manners?”

  Duffy gave Mac a sheepish grin. “Sorry, but if I’d had to eat fast food one more day, I was going to do something drastic, like order a salad.”

  Everyone laughed, including Samantha, which seemed to be the break in tension that they’d needed. They began to eat. The food disappeared quickly while Annabelle shared looks and smiles with the group. The loneliness that usually surrounded her was absent. At least for a while. Eventually Calvin and Duffy would return to the road, Kelly would be buried in a cookbook, trying to find new recipes, and Mac’s job would have him stressed and locked in his office. But, for the moment, her family was with her and that made her content.

  By the time their stomachs were full, Samantha’s head bobbed in exhaustion.