by Anthology
“Let’s keep this informal for now. Who else can you spare to come out here?” All four of Grif’s younger brothers were supposed to be running different aspects of the family business and Clan while Grif was away, but he wasn’t really clear on just who was doing what. He’d just trusted them to get the job done.
“I’ll ask Matt. Bob’s going to have to take on my work. Matt just finished the Wallace Towers job. As for Mag,” Steve sighed. “He’s been more away than here lately.”
“All right. You and Matt. As soon as you can.”
“We’ll be on the next possible flight. Meanwhile, watch your back, bro. Timmons is dangerous. Just hang tight until we get there.”
“I know, Steve.” Grif shook his head. “It might be nothing…”
“But it might not.” Steve’s voice was very firm over the satellite connection. “Don’t take chances.”
“Hey, I called you, didn’t I?” Grif tried to inject a little humor into a situation that could very well be prove to be deadly.
Timmons had killed their sister. He’d evaded the best trackers Grif could hire for months now. He was both skilled and treacherous—a very bad combination.
“I’m glad you called. We’ll be there shortly.” Steve’s voice was solid and reassuring.
Of all the brothers, Grif and Steve were probably closest, not only in age, but in temperament and experience. They’d both served in Army Special Forces and had trained in ways, and with weapons, the other brothers had not. All in all, Grif was relieved that both Steve and Matt, their youngest brother, were on their way.
Once out of sight of Lindsey’s house, Grif loped into the woods, on the trail of the elusive scent, but it was lost. Could he have imagined it? Was he losing his mind? This was not the first time he thought he had scented Bill Timmons’s unique brand of evil, but every time he searched for the trail, the scent soon disappeared. It was entirely possible he was imagining things. He hated to think what that could mean to his sanity.
One thing was sure, he definitely needed backup. If he was losing it, someone would need to look after Belinda. If he wasn’t losing it and Timmons really was somewhere nearby, he would need help protecting the women. Not only did he have to take care of his little sister, but now Lindsey, regardless of her humanity, was under his protection as well. He refused to let either one of them down.
Steeling his resolve, he headed for the cabin at a lope. His brothers were already on their way. As far as he was concerned after this last scare, the sooner his brothers got here, the better.
Chapter Five
When the cougar reappeared the next night as Lindsey was finishing up the sweat lodge in the backyard, she took it as a good sign.
“Welcome back, Spirit Guide,” she said aloud to the cat. “I’ve decided that’s what you must be. It’s as good an explanation as any, I guess.”
The cat just sat, watching her for a moment, and if she had to name the expression on his face, she’d call it amusement. But perhaps that was just her imagination. Cats were pretty inscrutable. Even the big ones.
He started to move around the ceremonial building she’d put together out of tree limbs and other greenery, as if inspecting her craftsmanship. She watched as he moved around the perimeter, sniffing here and there, then moving back to look at the whole.
“Grandpa told me how to do this, but except for that one time, I never saw it in person.” She stood back from her somewhat lopsided creation. “How does it look?”
The mountain lion made a noise low in his throat that she had no way of interpreting.
“I’ll take that as approval.” She smiled and crawled inside the small structure, dragging some of the extra provisions she thought she might need later. Clean towels in a closed basket, jugs of water and fire-starting tools all went in and she took a moment to set things up to her liking.
She shouldn’t have been surprised when the cat followed her inside, taking up a position across the ring of stones she’d made for the fire she would start later and just watching her.
“I’m getting this ready for tonight. Grandpa gave me very specific instructions. Tonight is the full moon. I’m going to start this fire at sundown and begin the ceremony he taught me before he died.” She sat back on her haunches and surveyed the small environment she’d created. “It’s been a long time coming, but maybe after tonight, if I do this right, he can finally be at peace.”
A silent tear rolled down her cheek, but she brushed it away, smiling.
“No time for the sentimental stuff now.” She worked her way out of the small building. “I’ve got to get ready. And hope those werewolves leave me be long enough to get through this.”
Grif followed her out of the small building, puzzled but willing to see where her actions might lead. He knew he’d bought her some time from the Alpha of the wolf Pack, so she’d probably have the time tonight to complete whatever odd ritual her shaman grandfather had committed her to do. But he knew he had to be there, watching over her. If she got into any kind of trouble, he would be there to drag her out of it.
Maybe he was her Spirit Guide, in an odd sort of way, he considered. He was watching over her in his fur. She was a small human woman, way out here alone, and attempting a purification ceremony that could be dangerous to large, healthy men. She needed someone to watch over her.
And he’d appointed himself her guardian. He’d come back tonight and sit with her, making sure she took care with her health. But he had some things to do first back at the cabin, namely getting Belinda to agree not to go anywhere tonight. She was roaming alone more and more and he didn’t like it. She was too little and there were predators out there who didn’t care if she was were or just a regular little cat. He didn’t want to lose her too. So he’d tie her down if he had to, or at worst, he’d see if the local wolf Pack would let her run with them tonight.
The moon was full tonight, so they’d all be running. Maybe there were some werewolf cubs who wouldn’t mind a werecat in their midst too much. She’d enjoy the challenge and she could always sprint up a tree if they got too rough with her.
That thought in mind, Grif left Lindsey and headed at some speed for the cabin. He had a lot to do before sunset, when he would return to watch over the little human woman who meant far too much to him.
At sunset, Lindsey entered the small sweat lodge she’d managed to construct. She was dressed ceremonially, in beaded buckskin that she’d made herself. The outfit had layers so that as the heat started to build in the small building, she could take off the shirt and long, split skirt that kept her warm and still be somewhat covered in a soft leather bikini-type outfit. It wasn’t very traditional, but it was functional and her grandfather said it didn’t so much matter what style she wore, so much as that it was hand made, by her own hand, of natural materials.
So she’d arrived at this rather unorthodox, but highly functional attire. Besides, no one would see her. Only the Great Spirit and It didn’t care what you wore, or so her grandfather had told her. It only cared what was in your heart.
She shouldn’t have been surprised, she thought later, when she entered the dim building to find the mountain lion already there, waiting for her. He sat stoically, across the ring that would hold the fire, staring at her in that very solemn way he had about him. His eyes were a gorgeous, bright golden light that tracked her movements. She’d never realized how a cougar’s eyes glowed before, and it was almost mesmerizing.
“Good evening, my friend. Have you come to keep me company on my vision quest?” She sat across the fire pit and started working to get the blaze going. It was easy enough, since she’d preset everything earlier in the day. All she needed to do was light it up and wait until it caught, heating everything in the small building.
The cat didn’t shy away from the fire. He just sat there, silently, watching all. The thought crossed her mind again that this cat was unlike any cat she’d ever seen, but that only confirmed in her mind that he was sent to be her Spirit Gu
ide. He was a mystical cat, that was for sure, but she felt no threat from him. He was there to protect her, as he’d already proved, and she felt safe in his presence.
She began the ceremony, as her grandfather had taught her. It wasn’t anything like the ceremonies she had witnessed as a child when she’d visited her grandfather and attended tribal gatherings. No, this was completely unique. A shaman’s secret, passed down in her grandfather’s lineage, now to her. She was the last of the line. The last one left who might possibly have the power to restore the balance her grandfather had unknowingly disturbed.
He hadn’t been able to tell her what the outcome of the ceremony might be. He only knew, if she had the power, and the Great Spirit favored her, the wrong would be righted and the balance would be restored. Exactly how that would happen remained a mystery.
She was willing to risk whatever the Great Spirit might demand of her if it meant completing this work, entrusted to her by her grandfather. He’d impressed upon her the fact that this work was bigger than herself. Bigger than just their lives. It was a monumental thing that needed her selfless act to repair.
She began thinking of the chant she would perform and started to feel the heat from the fire as it warmed the stones. Normally there would be a fire pit outside to heat the stones, but since she was doing this alone, she’d had to compromise on the design. There was a chimney of sorts in the roof of her hut and though it did let some of the heat escape along with the smoke, it allowed her to breathe fresh air. She’d also created an intricate design with rocks around and over the fire that she put into use now. She would add water to the stones, creating steam, without dousing the fire. She was sort of proud of the design she’d come up with and was happy when it worked just like she’d hoped.
The steam began to gather in the small structure and she removed her buckskin top, reveling in the feel of the moist air against her skin. Her cougar companion moved around a bit, dropping his head to his paws, but stayed on his side of the fire, so she paid him no mind. He would bear witness to the ceremony. She took it as a good omen that her Spirit Guide would come to her in her time of greatest testing.
As the heavily laden air thickened even more, she took off the long skirt and bundled it up behind her. The air was charged with the power she was calling. It was almost time. She ducked her head to check the small bit of the sky she could see through the chimney opening and was gratified to see the moon full overhead.
It was time.
Breathing deeply of the heavy air inside her ceremonial chamber, she began the chant her grandfather had taught her. She called on the Great Spirit, the power without and within, and was amazed when she felt the energy gathering in a way she’d never experienced before. It was awesome. And it was more than she’d ever imagined.
The cat must have felt something too, because he perched on his front feet, his eyes alertly glowing out of the dimness. She felt more than his presence in the darkness, and she knew her chant had called forth the Great Spirit. Now she had to say what her grandfather had taught her and plead for divine intervention.
“Great Spirit, I seek your counsel, I ask for your help in righting the balance that my ancestor put wrong. I come before you now, in his place. I offer myself to your wisdom.” She began to chant again, feeling the power grow in the small sacred space. If something was going to happen, it was going to happen soon.
Suddenly, she was hit with a blinding white light as she felt the bones in her body shift and change. It was agony.
It was ecstasy.
And it was totally unexpected.
The Great Spirit had acted all right. It had turned her into a wolf!
Wait. No. Not a wolf. She could hear them howling outside her shelter, but she couldn’t understand them. Not really. But she could smell them. And she smelled their anger and their joy. They were summoned to this place to witness her transformation, she realized as the Great Spirit nudged her. The male cougar was still there too, but now she was looking at him through eyes that saw more than she had as a human. He wasn’t just any old mountain lion. He shone with the Great Spirit’s Light within his eyes as well.
He was a shapeshifter! She’d thought only wolves could share their souls with certain special humans, but here was proof that mountain lions could too. She could see it in the Light that shone around him.
She could smell him now in a way she couldn’t have before. He was familiar to her. She knew him as a man as well as a cat, she realized, but she didn’t have any idea whether she’d ever be able to speak again. She was in a cat’s body. A cougar, she guessed, judging from what she could see of her…paws! And fur!
What she didn’t know is if she was going to be a cat forever, or if she was also going to be some kind of shapeshifter. She had no idea how to change back—or if she even could. Right now though, she didn’t want to change. She wanted to run!
But first she had to face the wolf Pack.
She’d be lucky if they didn’t tear her limb from limb. They’d learn though—she had claws now. She wouldn’t go down without a fight.
She braced herself as she prepared to leave the lodge and realized the male werecat was just behind her. He was going with her. Somehow, that gave her the courage she needed to face the wolves in her backyard.
She padded out on clumsy feet, not at all used to walking on four instead of two. It was amazing how quickly she began to feel at home in this body. She could already scent things she never would have imagined as a human and she could see in the dark.
She saw the wolf Pack ringing her, some with their teeth bared as they growled low in their throat. She also felt the male cat beside her, and his presence gave her strength as she stood in the center of the ring of wolves, waiting for their next action.
A huge, dark wolf strode forward to face her. The rest of the Pack stayed back, watching and waiting while the big male sniffed at her, circling her. The male werecat stepped back, allowing the wolf to inspect her and she had to hold back a snarl. No sense in antagonizing them until they acted, she thought with the part of her brain that was still undeniably human while the cat essence in her wanted to claw the dog that dared sniff so rudely at her.
The wolf completed his circle, then stood facing her. She felt the energies gathering and she watched in fascination as he shifted from wolf to man before her eyes. He became a very good looking, well built, very naked man.
“I am Alpha of this Pack.” He appeared to be speaking to both the wolves gathered around them and the two cats he now faced.
Make that one cat and a very huge, very naked, Grif Redstone. She knew he’d smelled familiar! Grif was her Spirit Guide. Darn it all, when and if she ever changed back to human, she’d have a few things to say to that man.
“I’ve claimed protection of this woman before, Alpha. She is still under my protection.” Well, that was news to her. No wonder she’d felt so safe with him. He really had been protecting her all this time.
“I’m aware of that, Redstone, but this is still Pack business.”
Grif stepped forward to face off with the other man. “This is were business, Alpha. It affects all of us.”
They seemed to be staring each other down. Finally the werewolf relented. “Judging by the look of her, you’re probably right. Did she intend to become a cat, or is that your doing?”
Grif stepped back as the wolf-man did and shook his head. “That’s the work of the Lady, Logan. She didn’t consult me. And I witnessed it all. Lindsey didn’t have any idea what this was going to do to her. Her grandfather set her on this course and even he didn’t know what the result would be.”
“Is she were?”
Her eyes tracked the men as they looked down at her, but she didn’t know much yet about her new body. She tried to speak, but only a hoarse whimper sounded from her throat.
“Hell if I know.” Grif looked frustrated. “You know how first timers are.”
She didn’t like the sound of that, but she trusted Grif Redstone in
a way she didn’t quite understand. He’d been her protector. She somehow knew he’d be her guide in this.
The Alpha sighed. “You’d better take her on a good hard run then.”
Grif nodded. “I will. As soon as our business here is finished.” His expression hardened. “You have any more complaint with her? She’s made up for her grandfather’s interference. She was more than willing to stand in his place. She offered herself freely, and this,” he gestured to her cat form, “is what the Lady we all serve decided.”
“A shifter for a shifter.” The Alpha nodded. “It’s fitting. Though I could’ve wished for another wolf to increase the numbers of my Pack.”
Grif shook his head. “After all the history between you, would she really have been accepted in your Pack?”
The Alpha tilted his head and nodded. “You’re probably right. The Lady knows what She’s doing, after all.” He stepped back and faced her squarely. “So. One more cougar in the world. You’ll face no threat from my Pack, Lindsey Tate. Our trouble with your family is over now, for all time. The debt is repaid.” He bowed his head, though his eyes never left hers. “Welcome to the woods.”
With that, he shifted back into wolf form and bounded away, howling to his Pack. They followed him, barking as they went, disappearing into the moonlit woods.
That left her alone with Grif, who stood looking down at her, apparently completely comfortable with his nakedness. The human part of her mind appreciated his rugged masculinity and impeccable body. He was powerfully built and now she knew how he kept in such great shape. He probably ran through the woods all the time, keeping himself lithe, lean and sleekly muscular.
She felt a purr lodge in her throat and was surprised by the vocalization. He quirked a smile at her as he crouched down facing her.
“What am I going to do with you, Lindsey?” He reached out one hand hesitantly, then scratched her neck in a way that made her purr grow louder as she arched into his caress. She never could have imagined how good it felt to have someone caress your fur. “I know you want to run, baby. And we will. But I have to tell you a few things first.” He stood to pace away from her and she followed, still a little clumsy on her feet, but she was getting more comfortable by the moment.