A Shifter's Second Chance

by Marie Johnston

  Weaving through the compound, she didn’t come across anyone. No one would’ve asked her questions anyway. They were used to her coming and going, but mostly just her hanging around. When she reached the garage she went straight for her car. Her plain tan sedan shouldn’t draw any attention from Gray.

  Her phone pinged with the address. Gray’s house was in a part of Freemont that Armana wasn’t familiar with, but it should be easy enough to find.

  She drove to town. On the way she pondered Gray. Her heart went out to Cassie and the situation with her dad. No matter what Gray’s mental state was, they couldn’t reveal the other creatures that walked among the humans. Eventually, Gray would also start noticing Cassie wasn’t aging. Now that she was mated to Jace, her life span would be equal to his. When one died, so did the other. As shifters, it was hard to survive the death of a mate. Usually the surviving mate died shortly after or went crazy. Or in Armana’s case, the shifter had a damn good reason to keep going—like two kids to protect.

  She’d wondered, but she’d never asked what Cassie planned to do about her father. Would she risk the wrath of the Guardians and tell him about the presence of shifters, which would also risk his mental stability, or would she and Jace move away? Cassie wasn’t the type to fake her own death for her father. And that was too bad.

  Armana drove through West Creek and crossed the river into Freemont. Sunset was still a few hours away but the amount of daylight wouldn’t matter for her. She could hunt for stalkers night or day.

  Tingles drifted through her belly. She wasn’t thriving off excitement, was she? Perhaps she’d underestimated her level of boredom.

  Gray’s area of town was neat. Small, square houses lined the street, tidy yards circled each structure, and any trees were fully mature, forming a canopy over the street. The neighborhood was in an older part of Freemont, but it wasn’t an area known for its crime.

  First, she meandered through each street of his neighborhood, making sure she didn’t go down his street more than once. Then, concentrating on the roads bordering his, she drove slower down each one.

  Some houses were quiet, some had cars sitting in the driveway or by the curb, and a few had small children playing outside. She was smiling before she realized it. Nostalgia struck at the oddest times. Those days when her oldest boy had still been alive and all three of her children had played carefree through the village were the best of her life.

  After she’d fled with Maggie and Jace, there’d been none of that.

  She drove two streets over from Gray’s house and parked, making sure that her car wouldn’t be visible if he peeked out the windows in the back of his house. She gathered her shoulder-length hair back into a ponytail and secured it. Between her dark clothing and her black hair and the fading sun, she’d be able to roam through all the yards undetected.

  As she got out she scented the air. Normal smells like exhaust, lawn chemicals, and cats and dogs were the most obvious. She strolled along the sidewalks first. Just like with driving, she could do one sweep down Gray’s street and still be good. By the time she finished canvassing the neighborhood, it’d be twilight and then she could search more thoroughly.

  The exuberant sounds of kids playing rang through the neighborhood. Dogs barked, drowning out car engines.

  She was rounding the corner to walk up the street behind Gray’s house when the smell hit her. Shifter.

  It was possible that a shifter lived here. But like Cassie, she didn’t believe in coincidences.

  Since it would draw suspicion if she abruptly turned around and marched in the opposite direction, she kept going. Relaxing her body so it looked like she was out for an evening stroll, she monitored all the activity around her.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Gray’s small pale yellow house was visible enough that she could probably look through the windows if she wanted to. And she did. It’d be best if she knew he was home or not first, but she was also insatiably curious about Cassie’s father.

  Three cars were parked on the road. Only one of them was a nondescript charcoal vehicle, perfect for a would-be stalker. And someone was still inside.

  The closer she got to the car, the clearer the driver became. Male, his head reaching the top of the car. He was tall, much like her kind was, and definitely a shifter. His scent grew stronger and more menacing with each foot closer she got.

  He would definitely know what she was. Her shifter scent would worm its way through his cracked window. It was what he did about it that would decide how the night would end.

  If he left her alone, then she’d assume she hadn’t made him suspicious. But if he got out of the car, then he was likely going after her and Gray.

  She strode past the guy like she had to get a power walk on, pumping her arms and wiggling her hips like burning calories was the only thing on her mind. She didn’t even look inside as she passed.

  The engine fired up and the car settled into a soft purr. The male pulled away from the curb and idled to the end of the street. He turned in the direction of Gray’s house.

  Damn. She waited until he was out of view, then sprinted across the street. Heading straight through the yard behind Gray’s, she charged over bushes and fences, hoping no one happened to be looking out the window.

  Dogs that had previously been leery about the shifters in their midst went wild. Ringing barks and throaty growls echoed between the houses, but Armana didn’t let that slow her. She leaped over the fence that outlined Gray’s yard and ran straight to his back door.

  The car was already outside his house.

  The back door was locked. She took a deep breath and rammed it open with her shoulder. An older, handsome man sat at a small, square kitchen table with a plate of meatloaf and noodles in front of him. His eyebrows shot up as he stared at Armana.

  Sympathy floated through her. The conflict in his eyes said everything. He was trying to decide if she was real or his imagination and whether he should do anything about it either way.

  Pounding on the front door made them both flinch.

  “Mr. Stockwell, you’re in grave danger,” a male shouted, probably the other shifter.

  “Don’t listen to him,” Armana said. “You’re in danger, but it’s from him.”

  Gray’s eyes weren’t like his name. They were a warm brown that reflected every emotion he was feeling, and right now he was alarmed and confused.

  “Why would that be?” He spoke cautiously, as one would if they didn’t know whether they were talking to a vision.

  The pounding grew harder until the door shook in its frame.

  She had to hurry Gray along. “I’m Jace’s mom and Cassie is worried about you. There are things you don’t know and I don’t have time to explain, but this isn’t a hallucination.”

  At the mention of hallucination, his gaze grew guarded. He slowly stood up, his head swiveling between the door and her. “I have to admit, this is unlike any hallucination I’ve ever had.”

  “Like I said, that’s because it’s not one. Someone’s after you and we don’t know why. Come with me.”

  She crossed to him and grabbed him by the bicep. Hard muscle flexed underneath her fingers. The sensation was pleasant, even under these circumstances. More than pleasant. She was tall, like many shifter females, but Gray topped her by a few inches. He wasn’t bulging with muscles like a lot of the Guardians, but he obviously took care of himself. Cassie had mentioned he led a regimented lifestyle to minimize his reliance on medication.

  The sound of wood splintering propelled her into action. She tugged on Gray and he came easily. She must be less menacing than whoever was at the door.

  They were two steps from the back door when the front door was loudly wrenched off its hinges. Gray stopped. “My meds.”

  Ah hell. If she managed to get him out in time, they’d still have to find a way to get him medication. Coming back to town when he was clearly being hunted wasn’t a good idea, at least until they knew why shifters were after
him.

  She’d have to fight the intruder. Releasing Gray, she instantly missed the loss of his heat. The same male who’d driven the car rushed into the dining room. Their scent led him straight to them.

  He bared his fangs in a snarl, and his dark eyes flashed with menace. “Leave us, female. This has nothing to do with you.”

  “Oh, I disagree,” she said sweetly as she advanced toward him.

  “Why are you after me?” Gray spoke low but steady.

  The male didn’t take his gaze off of her. “Don’t take it personally, human.” The shifter dove for her, his hands outstretched and his fingers curled. Classic shifter move. He intended to wring her neck.

  He’d find that wouldn’t be so easy. She met him halfway, batting his hands aside and smashing her fist into his face. His shout was filled with pain and surprise. So satisfying. This male was after an innocent man, and it was probably to get to her son.

  The shifter recovered quickly and dropped low. They prowled back and forth, but she stayed between the shifter and Gray.

  “Do you think you can actually take me, female?” The shifter plucked at her insecurity. He was brawnier than both her and Gray, and he probably lived a life of fighting, and dirty fighting at that.

  But she’d been living on pent-up frustration and rage for years, and she’d use every ounce to get Gray safely out of the house. She owed her son and his good-hearted mate that. Just on principle, she had some serious issues with those who targeted humans. They didn’t need to be drawn into her people’s violence.

  The flash of fangs and the bunching of muscles telegraphed the shifter’s intentions. She was ready for him. Tucking in low, she met his charge and slammed into him hard enough to propel him backward. A chair clipped her side as she crashed to the floor, but she clenched her jaw and used her fists and knees to keep the male down.

  His hands dug into her side, sharp pain flashing through her torso. Rearing back, she brushed a chair with her fingertips. She grabbed it and crashed it atop his head. It wasn’t enough to slow him down. He knocked her backward. She landed on her butt with a hard thump.

  Fear spiked and for the first time she worried that she wouldn’t be enough to take on this shifter. As he was rising, she kicked her foot out and nailed him in the groin. He howled and dropped back to his knees.

  She jumped to her feet and intended to keep attacking him, but a shadow darted around her. Gray swung a black object toward the shifter’s head. It hit with a clang that reverberated through the room. The shifter slumped, hitting his face on the floor. He was unconscious.

  The impromptu weapon dropped out of Gray’s hand and hit the ground with a clatter. A cast iron frying pan. Good choice. She eyed the crumpled form of the male on the floor.

  Shifters healed quickly. He’d be back up soon.

  “Grab your meds and nothing else, we don’t have time,” Armana panted. She was breathing like she’d just run ten miles through deep snow. If Gray hadn’t stepped in, would she be the one on the floor instead?

  Gray stepped over the shifter with a little hop like he was worried the male would grab his ankle. He crossed to a narrow cabinet by the kitchen sink and withdrew a few bottles from inside.

  She arched her brow. Only one of those bottles looked prescription. “I certainly hope we didn’t delay so you could grab your daily multivitamin.”

  Gray’s solemn gaze considered her. “They are as important to my treatment as my prescription meds.”

  Whatever. He’d believed her over the other shifter, and he wasn’t stopping to question reality. In his case, she wouldn’t blame him if he had.

  “Come. I’m parked two streets down. I don’t know if there’s anyone else watching you so stay alert.” She opened the back door. Flakes of paint and bits of wood fluttered to the floor from when she had barged in. Smelling the air and listening for anything unusual, she motioned for Gray to follow her.

  He hugged his bottles to his chest with one hand, and even though her back was to him, she swore his gaze caressed her whenever he looked at her. Foolish. She’d been alone too long and this was Cassie’s dad and they were both in danger without knowing from whom or why. Amorous thoughts had no business in her head right now.

  They reached the fence and she slowed. She wouldn’t think twice about jumping it. It was like stepping over a pebble in her path, but for Gray it was a four-foot fence.

  She scanned the length of the chain-link. There had to be a gate. No luck. It was a stretch of fence that completed the enclosure of his yard by connecting to the fences that ran parallel on either side.

  “I can help you over.” She assessed him, thinking she could just offer her clasped hands for him to use as a step.

  “I can hop over and then help you,” he offered.

  “No. Just chalk up what you see next as evidence of the new world we’re going to tell you about.” She sprang over the top and landed in a crouch on the other side. She turned to gauge his reaction.

  Gray’s lips parted and his brows crept toward his hairline. For a human male, he had a full head of hair. An attractive salt-and-pepper look, but heavier on the pepper. His rich brown hair was several shades deeper than Cassie’s.

  Cassie must have looked more like her mother, but her resemblance to her father was more than physical. Gray had a calm and collected demeanor, much like his daughter. The way they stood and watched the world before deciding how to react was almost identical.

  Gray didn’t say a word. It was like he gave himself over to the hallucination, deciding not to care anymore if it was real or fake.

  He handed his bottles over to her. One was indeed a prescription bottle, another was a multivitamin, and the third was some sort of B vitamin. If he said he needed them, then she believed him. It wasn’t like Cassie to exaggerate what had happened to him when she was younger. And if he was stable enough to own his own home and treat himself, then these bottles were probably his lifeline.

  Propping both his hands on top of the fence, he launched himself over, clearing it neatly and sticking a solid landing. Seeing firsthand the bunch of his muscles and the confidence with which he carried himself, Armana shouldn’t have been surprised. She didn’t often see a human of his age in such prime shape. She hadn’t paid attention to any of them.

  He held his hands out to accept the bottles back, careful not to touch her. Their gazes met for a brief second before he dropped his to his pills. “What is this new world you mentioned?”

  “I’m sure your fatherly intuition made it seem like Cassie was hiding things, yeah?” When he nodded, she said, “That’s because she is.”

  His gaze darkened. “Is she all right?” His body snapped with tension. The idea of his daughter being in danger made him almost as menacing as the shifter he’d knocked out.

  “She is. And I’m glad I told her not to come tonight. She’s worried you’re either relapsing or truly being followed.” Armana lifted a shoulder and kept her voice light. “And now I guess we know.”

  She took off across his back neighbor’s yard, and he followed. The sun had sunk farther and it was officially twilight. Perfect. He might not be able to see as well as she could, but as long as they stuck together he’d be fine and they wouldn’t be as visible to the residents.

  Dogs picked up their barking, but there was nothing she could do about it. It wasn’t as frantic as when the male had roamed with ill intentions. She couldn’t communicate with dogs, but they could sense her nature.

  She picked her way through the lawn until they reached the front. They strode side by side along the sidewalk until they reached the car. He slid into the passenger seat without question.

  “So are you gonna tell me about Cassie’s secret life or will she?”

  Good question. Armana had never needed to reveal the existence of her kind to a human before, and it wasn’t a task she relished. Humans were an unpredictable bunch. They could panic and raze anything they feared, or they could embrace it and champion its cause.
In this day and age, humans accepted the strange more readily than they used to. They almost relished it. The goth phase had even taken vampires by surprise.

  But Gray was older. He may not have been a young kid raised on stories of mythical aliens and vampires and werewolves. Then there was the fact that the new species she was going to inform him about threatened his daughter. And that his daughter had married one. Mated with one. That would be a new concept for him, too.

  “I think it’s best if Cassie tells you herself.”

  He nodded and stared out the passenger window. “I’ll accept it better from her. I know she’s real. Her voice always trumps the ones in my head.”

  “Have you been hearing voices, too, ones that you haven’t heard before?” She was prying, but just like the strange male, she had to rule out any outside forces interfering in Gray’s life. Shifters couldn’t normally communicate telepathically with humans, but they often had special abilities, so she couldn’t rule it out. She doubted vampires were messing with him in the way they did when they mesmerized their meals. Gray didn’t smell anemic and she scented no fangers on him.

  Gray scowled. “How much do you know about me and my problems?”

  “As much as you’ll learn about me once you are brought up to speed with our world.” Her past wasn’t a secret. It was a tragedy used as an example to other villages about what could happen during an uprising, and how one mate could find the will to go on after losing the love of her life.

  “I don’t even know your name. Only that you claim to be Jace’s mother, but you look like you could be his sister.”