Shifting Shadows

by Barb Shuler

  My boots landed quietly on the gravel in the alleyway as I moved through the streets, so I knew the noise I was hearing now wasn’t my footfalls. I moved quickly to the entry of the alleyway and followed the sounds of what might have been a struggle. When I came to the back of the stores on the next street I saw three men. Two were holding a girl down. One had his hand over her mouth as the biggest of them moved on top of her. She had been stripped bare from what I could see from my vantage point. A roar escaped me as their scent rolled across the wind.

  Shifters! I charged them, my hands changed to my bear’s as he too snarled at the sight before me. My large frame slammed into the first of them to stand. He had no chance against me. He hit the ground before he could shift, his head rolling to a stop against the nearest trash can. His blood coated my hand. A snarl turned my head to the right just in time to see the other man that had been holding her down charge.

  His body was half shifted, his lips pulled back to reveal his canines. Oh, so that’s how it was. Okay, I could do that. I allowed my bear to surface, my shift happening so much faster than others of my kind. Being a Guardian had its perks. His lithe body sprang at me. I got a paw up and raked it down the underside of his body as he tried to go for my neck. Fucking wolves!

  This fight was going to get ugly. The man - shifter - stopped his attempted assault long enough to get to his feet and snatch the woman up by her hair. Her scream filled the alleyway. My lips pulled back from my muzzle as I moved closer. He was dead.

  “Stay back, Guardian, or I’ll snap her neck.”

  He thinks his words will stop me, really? My answering snarl was met with another’s from behind him. I shifted mid step at the sound. My backup had arrived, now I could focus on the poor human girl.

  “Give the girl to me,” I bit out. Horacio, my mate and fellow Guardian, stalked closer. His black coat left him almost invisible in the night's darkness. After a glimpse of what was currently stalking him, the shifter flung the girl towards the brick walls closest to him and took off running.

  I moved quickly to scoop up the woman, one eye watching Horacio’s dark form take off after the shifter. There was no escaping that jaguar. I hurried to take my jacket off and wrap it around the unconscious woman in my arms. Thank God Guardians were able to shift and remain clothed, or this would really be awkward. Her bruised skin was so pale. Growling, I hoisted her up into my arms and took off, running full speed through the dark alleyways. My footfalls were silent as I tucked her closer to me. I had to get her back to our cabin. Then we could get a game plan together.

  What had she seen or heard before she passed out? Did she know about shifters? Who were those men? So many questions ran through my mind while I ran for home. I knew Horacio would have our cleaner clear the mess I’d left in the alleyway.

  Kelanie, the one who controls the cleaners, might be as nutty as a basket of badgers, but she always has our backs. All Guardians would be lost without her. There was a tinkle of laughter that flitted across the wind but quickly disappeared. I shook it off as I bounded up the cabin steps. My only thoughts right this moment have to be about the woman in my arms.

  Two

  Horacio

  If there was one thing - well, more than one - that I couldn’t deal with, it was with stupid people. I swear some humans are as dumb as a box of rocks. And that could be giving some of them too much credit.

  My boot clad feet stomp against the rain covered street as I enter the main part of town. My mate, Tiberius, is patrolling only a few blocks from here and I’m hoping to meet up with him soon. I run my hand through my wet hair and sigh. It’s cold and I just want this night to be over already.

  We had to patrol the streets in order to keep humans safe, not only from themselves, but from shifters. The lines were drawn, and shifters were not supposed to be interacting with humans. Guardians, like my mate and I, we were different. We were here to do as our namesake says, guard.

  I made my way around a group of humans standing outside of the local bar. I lifted my chin at a few of them as I paced myself in my patrol. I’d seen those same men at two other places tonight. They’d been with a group of girls earlier. Those skinny, little, you-can-see-my-hip-bones kind of girls. My lip curled up as I thought of that. I was strictly a one man kind of guy, but seriously, did human men find paper thin girls attractive? Especially the ones full of plastic and collagen? They don’t even smell real. I feel sorry for them.

  My mind now drifts to my man, Ty. My big, strong bear of a mate whose body was full of definition and muscles for days. With a groan I pushed back the image in my head. I was already wet and uncomfortable, I didn’t want to add walking with a hardon to the mix.

  I dodged a few humans as they darted between alleyways. I glanced down at the cell I’d pulled from my pocket and groaned. We had a few more hours until this night would be over. I wanted a hot shower and to wrap myself in Ty.

  I made my way back up the alleyway and to the next street, my mind wandering a little. Suddenly, I heard Tiberius’s unmistakable roar of anger and a zing of power ran through me. He’d pulled on his guardian power. Shit! I took off at a dead run, shifting mid-stride. My black fur ruffled as the rain and wind blew across me. I followed my mate’s snarl and came to a stop just out of sight.

  I hissed at the scene before me. The shifters have attacked a human girl. The two dead bodies on the ground weren’t going anywhere. The shifter still holding the bloody human girl was our priority. When he saw me, the asshole shoved her to the side and took off running. I so love the chase.

  My body sprang into action. My paws pushed against the wet ground as my speed built. I was a Jaguar, speed was on my side, but thanks to my Guardian status, I was a helluva lot faster than this mangy mutt. My body jerked to the left and sprang up as he leapt over a fence into the empty lot that would become the Christmas tree lot in a few weeks.

  My claws dug into his body, blood gushing out as he slammed into the ground. I quickly shifted and moved to snatch him up off the ground without missing a step. I slammed his back against the wall of the utility shed, a snarl pulling my lips back to expose my lengthening canines.

  “Who are you, and what the fuck were you doing?”

  “She-she came onto us. She wanted it,” He stammered, his eyes averted from mine. A growl rumbled through me as my lengthening claws dug into his shoulder.

  “Let me try this again. Who in the fuck are you, and why are you in my town?”

  “Reinhardt, my name’s Reinhardt.”

  “Why. Are. You. Here!” Each word was a growl as he writhed in pain.

  “We were told this place was… not guarded. We wanted some fun.”

  Fun? Since when was beating on people weaker than you - especially a woman - fucking fun? My anger surged. I pulled him to me, sneering. “Fun!?” I slammed him back as he pitifully tried to shift. My power wrapped around him, keeping his shift at bay. He wanted fun? I’d give him fun. His head slammed back against the wall of the shed again, this time leaving a big ass dent. His head rolled to the side so I shook him again. Bringing him back to the now.

  “It’s shifters like you that make this world a bad place!”

  “She wanted it!” He snarled back, spitle falling from his bottom lip. I was so distracted by my anger I didn’t see him pull the blade from somewhere on his person. However, I did feel it as it sliced into my flesh.

  With the swiftness afforded me by the Goddess I shifted, grabbed his struggling body before it hit the ground and drug him back around to face me. I lunged, my canines digging into the flesh of his throat with ease. With a savage snarl I ripped his head clear of his body. The head rolled to the ground as I tossed my head back and let out a loud victory scream that would serve as a warning to anyone else around.

  I shifted back to my human form, wiped my mouth on the sleeve of my jacket, and moved to clean up my mess. I tossed the body over my shoulder and picked up his head.

  I made quick work of the alley clean up and se
t all three shifter’s bodies ablaze in a fiery grave just inside the tree line. Luckily this part of the woods was just outside the cemetery, so I was able to get lost in the shadows. Once the ground had been properly packed back down I used a good sized tree branch to cover up the fact that I’d been there.

  I made one last pass through the alleys and streets on my way back to the other side of town. The cabin that Tiberius and I shared was just inside the trees on the border of the Enchanted Forest. Once I reached the edge of town I took off running. My boots slapped against the growing mud puddles that made up the clearing. As I rounded the large set of trees that blocked our cabin from view I heard a panicked woman screaming. I cursed and doubled my speed.

  I burst through the door and moved quickly down the hall. When I came to our room the sight before me made my stomach twist. The woman Ty had rescued was huddled up in the corner of the room, screaming and crying. Ty’s face was set. He was trying to push back his anger and reassure her that she was safe.

  Something told me the fact that she was still screaming - meant she wasn’t listening to him.

  Three

  Tiberius

  The woman was broken, battered and blood splattered, but none of it could keep my eyes from roaming her body. Not in a sexual way, no, I’m not that kind of man, or shifter. There was something about her that had my bear on edge. I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I hurried to the bathroom to get some warm water, a cloth and the first aid kit. I had to assess her injuries to see if she needed to go to the hospital. Hospitals made things tricky for us.

  I got her undressed of all but her bra and what was left of her panties and made quick work of cleaning her up, careful of the already deep purple bruises on her side and left arm. The side of her neck was also bruised, the obvious fingerprints making me wanting to stalk back out to that alley and kill those bastards again. The head wound that had caused all the blood to cover her wasn’t as bad as I originally thought. I had it cleaned and steri-stripped in no time. It would more than likely bruise her forehead, but it would heal.

  I tried again to reach Kelanie, but the elusive fae was once again blocking me from contacting her. Damn woman was frustrating, to say the least. With a sigh, I took the basin of water back to the bathroom, emptied it and washed it and the sink out. I was drying my hands when I heard the woman groaning. I slowly made my way around the room to the bed. I reached out and gently touched her arm.

  “You’re alright, sweetheart,” I said softly. I didn’t want to scare her. The moment I touched her my bear surged forward. It was as if an invisible rope had lassoed the two of us and was pulling us together. I froze as the bonds around my soul called out for her. No, this was not possible. It was as if my bear wanted this girl, this tiny little human as a mate. I had a mate. Horacio was my mate.

  I pulled back from her. I shook with the need to caress her warm body, to mark her and scent her as mine. My entire being shivered when her eyes opened and met mine. She jumped and fell from the bed, screaming. I knew my eyes had shifted and after what she’d just been through I didn’t want to scare her. I stepped back from her.

  I tried to get my voice to work, keeping it low as I fought the growling bear inside me. “I won’t hurt you.”

  “You-you-st-t-tay away!” She stammered out. I took a step towards her before I could stop myself. She let out a blood curdling scream that sent my bear into a frenzy. I crumpled to my knees and fought to stay in control. Dammit. It hurt to fight him.

  The moment Horacio’s power rippled over me I was able to push my bear back. “Fuck, that hurt.”

  “Ty, what’s going on?” His voice was soft but when I looked back at him I could see uncertainty clearly written across his face. I shook my head and turned back to the girl.

  “We mean you no harm. I swear it on my life,” I rasped out. Her fear and anxiety were filling the room and choking me. Her knuckles were white as she held the blanket before her like a shield. Each new tear that rolled down her face had my bear trying to push me aside. His thunderous roar filled my head. I fell forward again, my hands curling against the floor to form claws.

  “Tiberius!” Horacio snarled in warning. It’s not like I have any control here. He moved to my side and wrapped his hand around the scruff of my neck. My eyes met his and the swirling gold of his jaguar met me head on. His free hand moved to cup my cheek. I reveled in the soft, warm touch of my mate. “Calm yourself, handsome. Deep breaths. That’s it.” He encouraged me as I took in another deep breath. The warmth of our bond flowing through me settled my bear further. I felt myself shudder as I once again found control.

  “Shit,” I sighed.

  “Tell me what happened? Why is the little human in the corner screaming like a chick from a bad horror film?” His lips ticked up at the sides and I shook my head.

  “I scared her. I didn’t mean to. Something happened when I touched her-”

  “What happened?” He growled. I saw his eyes flare to a deeper golden shade. I gripped his hips with my hands and kept him from moving. My forehead pressed into his stomach. I felt him calm as his fingers ran through my hair.

  “It’s not her fault. I-I can’t explain it. It was almost like the way it was when I first found you.” I looked up to meet his gaze.

  “What do you mean?” His head tilted to the side and I let out a long, slow breath.

  “Not now, baby. We need to get her in bed. She’s had the crap beaten out of her.” I stood, leaning in to kiss his lips before I looked back to where the girl was. Her eyes were locked on the two of us. She had stopped screaming, thankfully, so now it would be my job to not frighten her again. She was like a scared rabbit… and my bear liked rabbit.

  “What’s your name?” Horacio asked her, kindly. His smaller, leaner body pressed into my side and his warmth once again flowed through me.

  “Jas-Jasmine,” She stuttered out. The tinkle of her voice floated through the room. Involuntarily, both Horacio and I shivered. Her voice caressed me and my bear. When I heard Horacio groan, I realized he felt it too.

  “Jasmine,” my voice, husky with the sudden onslaught of emotions hitting me. There was a jingle of bells before another voice filled my head. I’d heard this voice before, but couldn’t place it. Horacio grabbed my forearm as the voice spoke.

  “Be kind to the one sent to bring new life to your clan. Be silent in your encounters. Be one with the bond and let the healing come forth. Protect her as you would a mate, and a mate she shall be…” the voice trailed off. Both Horacio and I shared a look, then looked back at the girl, Jasmine.

  “Please, we wish you no harm,” I said again as I took a step closer to her. She stood, wobbling a bit, but righting herself quickly. I held my hands out, as did Horacio. She gave us a hard stare before she spoke again.

  “You’re shifters. Like, you are animals sometimes…. like those men?” Her bottom lip trembled, her fingers tightening on the blanket she still held.

  “Fuck, no!” Horacio snarled out. “We are nothing like those bastards. We do not hurt innocent people. We are guardians. We protect the innocent from the likes of that... trash.” His chest was heaving with the force of his emotions, so I reached back and rested my opened hand on him. His hand reached up and laid against mine.

  “As he said, we are most certainly not like those shifters. We protect this town from them and anyone wishing ill will against another. My name is Tiberius, of the Kodiak clan. This is my mate, Horacio of the Jaguar pride. We will do you no harm.” I said, bowing my head slightly. I knew my size alone might scare her so I was trying to relax myself enough so I seemed less intimidating.

  Four

  Jasmine

  I’d heard a voice earlier. It was familiar, but recognition hovered just out of my reach. With a heavy sigh I moved back to the bed and sat there, the blanket still clutched in my hands. I pulled it closer to me as warm tears started to fall down my cheeks. I could feel two sets of eyes on me as the men stood and waited to see what I wa
s going to do next.

  “Can I have a few minutes alone, please?” I asked, softly.

  “Sure thing, sweetheart. If you need anything just call out. I’ve laid out a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. The pants are Horacio’s; they’ll fit big, but they’ll fit.”

  I only nodded. I couldn’t look up. There was a warmth swirling through me that had started in my arm when the big man, Tiberius, had touched me. I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth and took in a deep breath.

  “Let them in, sweet girl.”

  The voice rolled across the room, causing my skin to prickle. When I looked around no one was there. The door was shut and I was alone in the room.

  Okay, I was losing it. I laid down on the bed, pulling the blanket tighter around me. I was missing my friends, but the pull to be here in this place was too great to ignore. I must have dozed off because I was stiff when my eyes opened again.

  I decided I needed to clean myself up, and I had to pee. I went into the bathroom and relieved my bladder, for which it was truly thankful, and slipped into the shower. There was shampoo waiting, so I was able to wash my hair. While washing, I found a truly tender spot that brought tears to my eyes. Holy crap. I carefully maneuvered my fingers around it and rinsed my hair out.

  Once I was clean I climbed out of the warm shower and dried off. Moving to the bed I sat down and reached over to the stack of clothes that had been left for me. I picked up the large T-shirt and pants, taking in the scent of the men on the clothing as I pulled them on. The scents filled me with a warmth I hadn’t felt before, like it had earlier. I smiled a little as I stood to tie the string on the pants. The pants were too big, but not so big that I couldn’t wear them. Though, I didn’t need them, this T-shirt went down past my knees. Jesus!