Rhea smiled. "A creature formed so long ago, with no knowledge of the magic the world possesses." Rhea let the bubble of magic leave her hands, allowing the mystical purple sphere to float across the room and enter the shifter's mouth.
Even Mace seemed impressed as the shifter gagged several times before the words tumbled out of his mouth.
"Was coalition of unhumans who brought Tuscan King back to be our leader."
Lyra shook her head. "How is that even possible?"
The Russian continued undeterred. "Once he was back, he worked with my father to create plan that would open door."
Mace stared toward the shifter with steely resolve. "Open the door for what?"
Nikolai laughed, as if he only just realized what truths he'd revealed. "There is army of unhumans coming. Now that you stop them once, they will come back faster, bigger, and angrier." Nikolai's smile turned into horror. "No, no. I would never tell you." His eyes locked on Rhea. "You wretched witch. My father will tear your throat out."
Rhea nodded toward the shifter. "Let him come." She looked around at Lyra and Mace. "I think we have the information we need."
Mace touched his hand to his forehead. "So my father is really still alive? How did they even—"
"Very dark magic. Ancient magic that hasn't been seen in millennia." Rhea turned towards the door. "Magic that means there's a war brewing. And it's going to be very, very difficult to stop."
With that, the old, powerful woman stepped back into the hallway.
Mace gave Lyra a look. "You need any help getting him to holding?"
She shook her head. "Thanks."
Mace ducked his head and walked through the door.
Lyra felt herself reach for him. The creature who'd created him. The unhuman she herself had killed was back in the world, somehow. Killing him had nearly ended her life the first time. She wasn't sure if she had it in her to do it again.
Nikolai cleared his throat. "You have ruined my life. I hope that makes you feel terrible."
She sighed. "Oh, you're still here. I forgot you existed."
"If you truly want to forget, let me go, and you'll never hear from me again."
She smiled to herself. "Wouldn't that be nice? If we could just forget everything you did wrong and every lie?" She walked up to the Russian and grabbed him by the shirt. "That's not how things work. Life has consequences, and where you're going, nobody will ever hear from you again."
Nikolai's eyes turned cold. "But Lyra. I was just following the family business. You have to understand."
She grabbed the back of Nikolai's transportation unit. "Tell it to the wall you'll be staring at for the next hundred years."
Chapter 30
Mace took a sip from his latte and placed it back down on the table as he waited for his sister to say something.
The two of them had been almost silent since Mace revealed that their father was still alive. His sister seemed absolutely dumbstruck by the news.
Aella's hand shook on her mug of hot chocolate. "How? Who would do such a thing?"
Mace shook his head. "Apparently, someone who wants to start a war."
His sister ran her hands through her hair. "Look, Mace, you aren't the only one who isn't interested in killing humans. That's why we came and helped, but if he's still alive—the others aren't going to follow me anymore."
Mace held out his hand, and his sister took it. He looked up into her eyes. "You don't know that. It's possible to prove that not all vampires are bad."
She only met his eyes for a second before looking away and down toward the table. "I'm just not sure what to do."
Mace chewed at his cheek. "I have no clue either."
Aella looked up. "Come back to the stronghold. You and I can lead together. Then maybe we have a chance at challenging Dad's power if he comes back."
"I'm not sure, Sis."
She squeezed his hand. "Things can be different. We'll stop doing all of the things you don't approve of."
He sighed. "I don't think it can ever work. I've got my calling, and you've got yours."
His sister bit her bottom lip. "Just don't say no right now. Think about it, will you? I'm not sure if I can do this without you."
Mace wasn't sure what to do. They'd need every ally they could get if a war was truly happening. But he wasn't sure if he was ready to draw up the battle lines quite yet.
"Okay. I'll consider it." He stood up and tossed down a ten-dollar bill. "We should see each other more often."
Aella nodded. "I would like that. I'll see you around."
"See ya."
* * *
As Mace arrived home, he saw someone sitting on his doorstep. He wasn't sure how long Lyra had occupied the stoop outside his front door.
Mace walked up the steps and sat down beside her. "How's the healing?"
Lyra flexed and unflexed her leg. "Dougie Boy's medical devices sure are something." She turned toward him. "I wanted to tell you sorry."
"For what?"
She scoffed. "Oh, come on, Mace. I muted the comms to piss you off. It pissed you off. It didn't really make me feel any better, so I'm sorry."
He laughed. "I was acting like a jerk. So, no apology necessary."
She sighed. "You think Nikolai's right? You think there's really going to be a war?"
Mace looked into her eyes. "If my dad's involved, then it's certainly possible. If all the unhuman gangs got together, they could cause some serious havoc."
Lyra and Mace sat in silence for a little while. Mace continued to look forward when he finally broke the pause. "But if there really is something coming, I completely understand where you were coming from. We need to keep things professional. We need to keep our priorities straight."
Lyra almost seemed a little disappointed at his words before she nodded in agreement. "Look at me, a new trendsetter for being logical."
Mace grinned. "Come here." He opened his arms and enveloped Lyra in a hug. He could feel her warmth sinking into him, and he wished for a second the world was a different place. He wondered if someday it would make sense for the two of them to be together.
After the hug had lingered a few seconds too long, they broke off and nodded at each other in sync. Lyra stood up and began to walk away.
Mace felt the words come to him all of a sudden. "Lyra, wait!"
Lyra turned and raised an eyebrow.
Mace smiled. "No more blind dates, okay?"
Lyra chuckled. "I'll consider it."
The former hunter gave a wave and walked off out of view.
As Mace sat there on the stoop for the next few hours, he thought far too deeply of the horrors his resurrected father could bring upon the world.
Hello, dear reader! If you plan to continue with this series, there’s an epilogue…but I suggest you stop here if you don’t like cliffhangers and don’t plan to continue.
Thanks for reading!
Epilogue
Rhea examined one of the half-shattered artifacts in her hands. It wasn't until closer inspection that she realized she actually knew the designer of the magical object hundreds of years ago. This wasn't the only set of such sculptures in the world, and for many years they had intentionally remained separate. Upon seeing them together, she truly understood their purpose.
"I figured out what you did to me."
Rhea broke off her train of thought and looked up at Doug, who appeared as angry as she'd ever seen him.
She pursed her lips. "It was only a matter of time. After all, I recruited you because you could figure things out, not because you were a sheep."
Doug looked straight through her. "How many times have you done that to me? How many times have you used your magic to erase my memories?"
She sighed. "Doug, I only do these things for—"
"How many times, Rhea?"
She placed the half sculpture back down on the table in front of her. "Six."
Doug appeared shocked by the news and looked toward the other walls
of the room, as if he'd find some support there. "If you knew you had the magic that would potentially protect the city, why didn't you do something to stop this? A lot of innocent people could've died."
She walked toward him. "There are certain things that must come to pass for the world to move forward. I could tell this was something that I wasn't supposed to intervene in."
Doug looked down at the floor and then back at her. "Can you really see the future?"
Rhea locked her fingers together. "For the longest time I could. Sure, changes could occur over the hundreds and thousands of years, but I could see it as it was supposed to happen."
"What do you mean you could see it?"
She took a deep breath. "I had always hoped it was a mistake. But the future always seemed to be black after a certain point. The future ended at that point."
Doug frowned. "But it wasn't a mistake."
"A thousand years ago, I assumed it was a blip. Something we'd skip over. A hundred years ago, I got more concerned. But there's still nothing left after a certain point."
"When?"
She opened her eyes wide. "You know that if I tell you I'm going to have to erase your memory."
He managed a slight smile. "I know."
She turned away and looked back toward the artifact. "As far as I can tell, the world as we know it will be gone in six months." She turned back toward Doug. "All of us have six months to live."
* * *
The End
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Kin Selection
A Shifter’s Claim Novella
L.B. Gilbert
Kin Selection © 2017 L.B. Gilbert
* * *
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
* * *
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Kin Selection
Animal activist Denise Hammond had no idea the wolf cub she just rescued was a shifter—not until the werewolf sent to recover him kidnapped her.
Saving a wolf cub from an animal-testing facility changes everything for Denise Hammond, a feisty and dedicated animal activist. Determined to protect the innocent pup, she’s shocked when the cub shifts into a toddler right before her eyes.
Yogi, a wolf shifter, is bound by honor to keep his species’ existence a secret. He kidnaps Denise and takes her to the cub's family to make her prove her trustworthiness. Knowing a hellion with curves likes hers is the ultimate temptation for the other males in his pack, Yogi stays close to Denise, fighting to keep his desire for her under control. But she just might ignite the animal within him.
Chapter 1
“Denise, if you don’t get moving right now, we’re going to be arrested!”
Denise Hammond bit her lip and stared at the wolf cub on the other side of the bars. The little thing was crying, its paws pressed to the door of the cage just under her hands.
Reliance Research wasn’t supposed to be doing animal testing on anything bigger than a rat. Between this cub and the chimps now in the van, her team had been right to target this place. But what was she supposed to do now?
Unlike the other cages in the adjoining room, this one had a digital combination lock. Even with her repurposed ATM decoder, it would take more time than she had to get the cage door open.
She spun around, checking the dimly lit lab space for anything that would help her. The facility was a series of converted warehouses, whose big storage rooms had been divided into a bunch of smaller ones. There were no other cages save for the wolf cub’s in the central laboratory. Most of the space was taken up by lab benches and shelves full of chemicals that lined the plain white walls.
Unfortunately, there were no crowbars handy. Not even a misplaced plumber’s wrench.
“I’m serious.” In Denise’s Bluetooth earpiece, Karen’s voice was getting louder. “We’ve got to get out of here! The guards will be passing on their rounds any minute. Denise, are you there?”
“Yes, I’m here. Lower your voice,” she whispered.
“Why aren’t you out yet? The rest of us are in the van. We’ve got the chimps. We’re done, but you’re way behind schedule. Any second and the guard will check the lab.”
Shit. “I can’t go yet,” she whispered. “There’s another animal here. A wolf cub.”
Another voice cut in. “Damn it, Denise. You can’t save them all. The chimps were our priority. Get your fat ass out here,” Max hissed.
A cutting response rose to her lips, but she heard footsteps in the distance. She gripped the bars weakly, her hands starting to sweat in her gloves. Wincing, she stared down at the little wolf. Max was right. She was out of time.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Inside the cage, the wolf whined. Its eyes seemed to plead with her not to leave it behind.
The footsteps were louder now, closer than she expected. Frak. She’d miscalculated. The guard was outside the door. Denise spun, diving for the only cover at hand—a narrow space between a lab bench and a poorly placed equipment shelf. When she squeezed between them, she cursed her plentiful curves as the metal drawer handles dug into her thigh.
Max wasn’t wrong about her ass. However, as her new boyfriend, he was supposed to be less of a jerk about it. But Max had never received the how-to-be-a-supportive-partner memo.
Maybe getting involved with one of her teammates hadn’t been the brightest idea. Whatever. She would deal with that later—possibly after she got out of jail.
The guard was inside the room now. Denise held her breath, her eyes so wide they hurt. Across the room, the little wolf was still looking at her as the security guard stepped closer. Denise could see a bit of the man’s pant leg as he moved to the occupied cage. Praying the little cub wouldn’t start yipping or do anything that would give her away, she put a finger to her lips, silently shushing it.
Please don’t bark.
The little wolf cocked its head, then moved it up and down. Denise blinked. Had the animal nodded at her? Impulsively, she gave it a thumbs-up.
What the hell am I doing? The cub couldn’t understand her. She had to focus and figure a way to get out of here, or everything she’d worked for would be over.
Except… the cub nodded again. Or at least it appeared to before it sat on the floor of the cage, resting its head on its paws.
Okay, the stress of being caught was making her crack up. Crap. The guard had moved to the left. All she saw was the back of his head. If he turned around now, he
’d see her crammed between the shelves.
Moisture pricked and began to trickle between the valley of her breasts. Would the guard hear if a drop of sweat hit the tiled floor?
“Hey, Jackson, did the lab coats order the chimps moved?”
There was the crackle of a radio. “I don’t know. Why?”
“Well, obviously cause they’re not there.”
There was silence for a minute before the voice on the on the radio came back. “They don’t have anything down in the schedule, but weren’t they due to start testing that new drug soon? They probably forgot to file the paperwork again.”
“Well, we have to call them to make sure,” the guard in front of her said.
More silence, then the voice broke through the static. “I can’t find the number.”
The guard in front of her swore. “Sure you can’t.”
“Just come back and find it for me.”
“Fine. But you’re still making the call. I don’t want to talk to the asshole in charge either.”
“It’s your turn,” the voice on the radio protested.
“The hell it is. I did it last time—when the fire alarm short circuited.”
“Fine, whatever. If Mr. High and Mighty didn’t want to be bothered at home, he should have forced the brass to upgrade the wiring in this place. Hold on, I’m coming back.”
The guard moved out of view, his fading footsteps indicating he was walking away. Denise knew he had left the room when the little wolf stood up, its head swinging between her and the direction of the door. It was almost as if it were trying to tell her the coast was clear.
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