A Shifter's Second Chance

by Marie Johnston

  “We’ll wait until Declan gives me the all clear.”

  He relaxed in his seat. She didn’t have her phone in her hand. Oh. Telepathy.

  He was sitting in a car outside of a psychiatric clinic with a lady he was fiercely attracted to. She turned into a wolf and was mentally talking to another guy who could turn into a wolf.

  This was going to go well.

  “What’s the range on your telepathy?” It sounded like a stupid question to his ears.

  “It depends,” she answered easily. “I don’t know Declan well, so we need to be close. Within a block or so? Mates can communicate farther, and the Guardians who have been together for decades can maintain an impressive connection. But there’s no definitive answer.”

  He nodded because what would he reply to that?

  “Bane and I could communicate over a mile. He’d always let me know when he was getting close to home if he was out for a run or hunting ferals.”

  “How long were you two…” Together? Mated? He was learning that married was the wrong term.

  Her sad smile burrowed into his soul to find a matching sense of loss. “We almost hit our century mark. We know our mates when we meet, right?” No, he hadn’t known. Cassie always said that Jace had known she was the one for him, but Gray had assumed it was romantic bluster, not reality. “I wasn’t young, but I wasn’t ready to settle down and oh boy, neither was he. But we couldn’t stay away from each other,” she said wistfully.

  “I knew when I saw Lillian that I wanted to marry her.”

  Armana’s smile was genuine. “Funny how love works.”

  “Yeah. We were in college. She wanted to wait to get married, but Cassie came along earlier than planned.” He’d never finished school, a regret that had followed him as an adult when he’d tried to find gainful employment with benefits. No technical training and no degree limited his options.

  “We mated before he took leadership. It’s best not to have those sorts of distractions when you’re ruling a bunch of hormonal shifters who think they’re alphas.”

  “Are all of those positions that dangerous?”

  “They used to be, but it’s getting better. I hope so. Maggie’s mate is the leader of my old colony. He’s a good kid.”

  They were alike in that everyone under forty was a kid.

  Her eyes unfocused for a heartbeat. “Declan says it’s clear.”

  They got out and Armana walked next to him all the way to the clinic. She hung back while he checked in, and she sat next to him in the waiting room.

  This woman—shifter—Armana knew his past and his present and she was here next to him while he was going to his shrink. He hadn’t ever revealed to a date that he suffered from a mental disorder and here Armana was. She knew everything.

  Even if she was interested, they couldn’t so much as date. Not only would it betray Cassie and Jace for him to attempt something with Armana, but he was going to lose all memory of her eventually. And he could easily fall hard for the strong, sensible woman. Losing that might drive him over the edge again.

  Chapter Six

  Armana checked her watch. Gray’s hour was nearly up. He hadn’t seemed nervous going into the room, but he’d have to lie about details he now knew weren’t paranoia.

  It was so easy being around him. She hadn’t had that level of comfort with Bane until years into their mating. They’d been too young and full of aggression and instinct. They’d mellowed after Keve had come along, and Bane had dived into the role of father figure.

  What had Gray been like? She could picture him as a college kid doting on a young girl. Rocking a little baby.

  Her mouth twitched. Bane had never been the nurturing type. When she needed a break, he’d play swords with the kids, run them through the woods. They’d sleep like the dead when she returned.

  Her smile died as she heard men’s voices behind a closed door. Gray and Dr. Sodhi. The doctor had given her a speculative look when he’d come out to get Gray.

  She gave Gray a once-over as he emerged from the doorway. His shoulders were relaxed and he was smiling as he said goodbye to Dr. Sodhi.

  They walked down to the car. She mentally cleared it with Declan first. The pharmacy was the next stop and she passed her route along to the young shifter.

  Once they were inside with the doors shut, she asked, “How did the appointment go?” She was prying, but she couldn’t help herself.

  “Really well. I tried to act normal.” His lips curved. “Well, my normal. He asked about you and I said I finally made a friend.”

  A warm glow started in her belly from the way he said “friend.” She doubted he’d speak about a male like that.

  They fell into a comfortable silence on the way to the pharmacy. She’d go inside with him there, too.

  Like at the clinic, she parked and waited for Declan’s all clear. He was parked in a restaurant’s lot next to the CVS.

  As Gray paid for his prescription, she browsed. He joined her when he was done. She was combing through their discount bin of DVDs. She had a beater DVD player that she liked binge-watching series on. The lodge had admirable technical capabilities, but she couldn’t contribute money to pay for the use of it so she stayed with disks.

  “Hey, The Matrix.” He braced himself on a crutch to free a hand and snatched it up. “I don’t think it’s so unique anymore,” he said wryly.

  She chuckled and froze when Declan’s voice invaded her thoughts. There’s an exit in the back of the store. Go out there and I’ll swing by and pick you up.

  Gray noticed her tension and dropped the DVD back into the bin.

  “We need to go out the back,” she said.

  He scanned the store. She’d already located all the exits within seconds of being in the store. A byproduct of living in fear for decades.

  She grabbed his arm and tipped her head close to him like they were in conversation. He automatically followed suit, thinking she was going to tell him something.

  They strode down a hallway and past the public restrooms. When they reached the exit door, she stayed him with a hand. It wasn’t rigged with a fire alarm, but it was a door used by employees. Perfect. They could leave discreetly.

  She pushed it open and scented outside before stepping out. All sorts of smells assaulted her, from trash to exhaust fumes to greasy burgers from the eating places close by. But no other shifters.

  An engine approached. That must be Declan having seen the door open.

  She pulled Gray with her. He maneuvered through the exit, his bag of meds banging against his crutches. Declan approached, but a scratching sound caught her attention and the hair on the back of her neck rose.

  Gray looked up the same time she did. A shadow launched from the roof onto them. She shoved Gray away and kicked out as soon as the female landed. Her foot connected with the side of the shifter’s hard head.

  The female grunted and fell back, which brought her closer to Gray. He stared at her like he couldn’t comprehend that anyone could survive a leap from the roof—and a female, no less.

  Armana lunged for the female, her fist swinging. Footsteps pounded toward them from the opposite direction that Declan was approaching from. He couldn’t speed toward them. If he hit Gray, it’d be all over. The rogues could take her, but she’d be more trouble than she was worth.

  Her first swing hit the female’s chin. The rogue bared her fangs and she let a right hook fly. Armana blocked it, but hands dug into her shoulders and yanked her backward.

  “Get the guy,” a male snarled.

  Armana twisted and elbowed a midsection made of steel. He spun her with one hand and hugged her to him hard enough to suffocate her.

  Declan jumped out and raced between the female and Gray. The female launched herself at Declan. Gray plastered himself to the wall, but his expression wasn’t one of paralyzed fear. He set his crutches against the wall and the bag of meds dropped to the ground.

  The male behind Armana wrapped his arm around h
er neck like a vise. His punishing grip didn’t ease. She gasped for air, dug her fingers into his arms until they were slick with blood, and pummeled his knees and shins with her feet.

  She was about to blackout when Gray stooped down. He disappeared from her sight and a moment later, he spun around Declan, a knife in each hand. The female shifter couldn’t chase him or Declan would take her down.

  Armana thought Gray was going to run past them, his face contorted with the pain of running on his ankle, but as he passed, he whipped his arm out to the side and rammed one blade into the female’s beefy shoulder. She cried out, the distraction enough for Declan to tackle her to the ground and slam her head against the pavement.

  Gray kept moving. The shifter holding her spun and turned, keeping her between Gray and his other knife.

  Gray caught her eyes. He was planning something. His moves weren’t as fast as a shifter’s, but he tossed the knife and caught the blade and held it out. She snatched the handle and stabbed the blade into the thigh of the male.

  He grunted, his hold loosening enough for her to drag in a breath. Armana yanked and twisted the blade until the shifter couldn’t bear weight on that leg. He let her go but punched her in the kidney. She dropped.

  Gray was about to lunge when the unmistakable sound of a gun with a silencer went off. Armana looked up. Red bloomed on the male shifter’s forehead. She switched her gaze to Gray’s shocked face. They both looked at Declan.

  He grimly shot the female next.

  “Silver-laced bullets,” Declan said, scanning the alley to check for witnesses. “They’re done for, and I’ve got a mess to clean up.”

  His gaze rose to the corner of the pharmacy building, where a security camera was mounted. He swore.

  “I’ll get Gray out of here; you do damage control.” She ran to grab the crutches for Gray, who hadn’t taken his eyes off the female he’d stabbed.

  Declan scratched the back of his neck. He was young. Fighting he understood. Making the decision to let her go with the man he was supposed to protect went against his need to follow commands.

  “Protecting the secrets of our people takes priority,” she said. “You go in and deal with the camera and we’ll clear out of here with the bodies.”

  Sirens blared in the distance.

  With a growl, Declan popped the trunk of his car.

  They loaded the two shifters up. Gray jumped in, but the apprehension radiating off him worried her.

  Armana hopped into the driver’s seat. “I need to get Gray out of here. You erase the footage.”

  Declan nodded. “Call it in for me. Tell them I need help persuading cops not to investigate.”

  “Will do.” Armana nudged Gray to the passenger side and tossed the keys to her car at Declan.

  She and Gray clambered into the car. She pulled away, turning in the opposite direction of the sirens. Keeping her speed down, she handed her phone to Gray.

  He didn’t ask why but pulled up her contacts and called the commander. He calmly explained what was going on, but his eyes were a little too wide and in danger of going vacant.

  Had he never stabbed anyone before? Was his mind unraveling?

  He hung up the phone and set it in the cupholder.

  She felt like she had to say something. “If Jace were around, this situation would be a minor nuisance.”

  “Why’s that?” he asked woodenly.

  “He’s…gifted with an extra dose of…” Maybe that topic hadn’t been the best idea. Explaining Jace’s special abilities might be the straw on the camel’s back.

  Gray folded his hands in his lap. “I just stabbed a woman, there are two bodies in the trunk, and we’re running from the cops. Are you afraid to say something because I can’t handle it?”

  “Yes.” She meandered through Freemont. If she could make her way, twisting and turning, over a different bridge into West Creek, then they might be able to lose any other tails. “Some of us have special abilities beyond our heightened senses. They aren’t always practical, like being able to recognize and name all the constellations. Once upon a time, that skill might’ve made sense.”

  “But Jace’s?” Gray sounded impatient as he aimed his stony stare out the window.

  “He can influence what people think.”

  Gray didn’t reply. “Will he be the one stealing my memories?”

  “No, they have others who can do that.”

  “Has Jace used his ability on Cassie?”

  Her motherly instinct was to stand up for her son. “Do you think he’d do that? Or that Cassie would tolerate it?”

  Gray swiveled his stare to her. “Would she know? We’re only human.”

  “Gray, I know today has been—”

  The phone rang.

  He sighed and picked it up, muttering, “It’s Fitzsimmons.”

  None of them called him just “Fitzsimmons.” Gray must be reaching the peak of his give-a-shit levels.

  She strained to hear what the commander was saying. Catching bits of it didn’t help. Because it sounded like more strange shifters had been spotted in West Creek and they couldn’t bring the bodies back to burn.

  “By the river’s headwaters?” Gray asked. “That’s a hundred miles away.”

  Armana checked the gas gauge. They could make it there, but she couldn’t putter around Freemont any more than she had to. She adjusted her course to take her out of Freemont.

  “Fine.” Gray’s voice was as tight as his body language. “Nope. I’m sure Armana can hold my hand through it.” He hung up the phone, and she doubted the commander was done talking.

  “Gray—”

  “I assume you heard all that? You said you had heightened senses and I got the impression that he was raising his voice for you.”

  She wished she could study him, but she had to concentrate on driving. “What’s wrong?”

  “We can’t go back. We have bodies to dump. Bodies. And I don’t know if I want to go back and face my daughter with blood on my hands.”

  She shrugged. “Jace does every day after work.”

  Gray whipped his head toward her.

  “What? She’s not a wilting flower. Your daughter is strong. Obviously, or she wouldn’t be the mate of a shifter. And deep down, you know that. You knew her strength before she mated. So what’s really wrong?”

  He blew out a breath and slumped in his seat. “When I was gallivanting through the woods, running from imaginary bad guys, I never hurt anyone other than myself. Cassie barely even skinned a knee. I stabbed somebody today. I would’ve stabbed a second person if I could’ve gotten to him.”

  He was thinking like a human. Because he was one.

  “Would it help to reassure you they were really bad shifters? I doubt we’re the first innocent people they’ve tried to hurt.” She shot him a pointed look. “Or killed.”

  His brow dropped like he was still having trouble reconciling his actions.

  “Shifters can’t die from being stabbed.”

  His expression was suffused with disbelief.

  They were nearing the edge of Freemont. When she hit the highway, she pushed the speed just enough to not get pulled over.

  “Beheading, organ removal, major traumas like that will end us,” she explained. “And like Declan said, silver. Yeah, we can bleed out, and if we stay like that, unable to heal, eventually we die. The little prick you gave that female? She would’ve healed in a couple of hours.”

  “That…oddly makes me feel better. But then she could’ve been healed enough to go after you again, or Cassie.”

  “Nailed it. Now do you feel better?”

  “No, but I understand.”

  His honesty… It was becoming one of his most appealing traits, and he had so many.

  “Are you hurt? That man was suffocating you, wasn’t he?”

  Her throat was sore, and she probably had a few fading bruises under her clothing. “I’m fine.”

  They rode in silence the rest of the way to the he
adwaters of the river that cut between West Creek and Freemont. She stopped outside of a campground and called Commander Fitzsimmons.

  “We’re here,” she said when he answered.

  “Ditch the car. I’ll have a crew swing by and grab it. I’m going to text you some coordinates. There’s a safe house a mile from your position.” She wasn’t surprised he knew exactly where they were. “After my crew is done with disposal, they’ll come get you and get you back safely.”

  Relief washed away her worry. Good. She didn’t relish another flight through the woods when Gray was already injured. They could take it slow.

  She hung up and relayed the instructions.

  “Good. I’ll be glad to be done with this car.” Gray got out and hopped around on one foot. He withdrew his crutches and shut the door.

  She’d almost forgotten the dead bodies in the trunk but he hadn’t.

  He went a few steps and stopped to glare at the back of the car. Then he looked around, his gaze suspicious.

  She did the same. All she heard were vehicles that were still miles away, and she scented only the lingering smells of campers who’d passed through. Nothing she saw or heard could be detected by Gray.

  He shook his head and hobbled off. “Which way are we going? I’ve gotta get away from the… I just… My mind is starting to mess with me.”

  “Are you hearing things?”

  He nodded, his gaze pinned to the gravel. “Yes. If I can remove myself from the situation, it’s best.”

  She glanced at the directions the commander had sent. “Through the trees. We follow a wildlife path straight to it. No regular campers should be close.”

  Collecting the phone and the bag of medicine, she locked the car with the keys inside and followed him. She expected the mile to take forever, but Gray used the crutches like a walking stick, his muscular body powering him over the path. The wildlife trail was well traveled—probably by shifters.

  The Guardians’ resources were a marvel. They had to travel between colonies, and hotels weren’t always possible. Neither was sleeping out in the elements in the middle of winter. A few scattered cabins were low-maintenance enough to provide shelter when needed.