by Amelia Jade
“What the hell happened to you?” Luther asked with a chuckle as he appeared from behind Gabriel and threw himself down into another chair.
“Nothing,” he said sharply.
Luther’s head swung around to fixate upon Gabriel, his initial jovial mood disappearing in a heartbeat.
“Gabriel,” he said quietly. “Did it happen again?”
He shoved another bite of food into his mouth.
“I’m fine.”
Luther leaned in close across the table. “Look, my friend, I don’t know what’s bothering you, but you need to talk to me about it. Please. I can’t help you if you won’t talk about it!”
Gabriel swallowed.
“I’m fine. Drop it,” he muttered, ripping off a hunk of grilled chicken breast and chewing angrily.
“Bullshit,” Luther hissed. “You are not fine. The others might not see it, but I do. We’ve worked together too closely on this. I can see it. But I don’t know what I’m seeing. Please,” he pleaded, “Just let me help you.”
“I said back off!” Gabriel snarled, lunging to his feet, the chair flying back behind him.
Luther rose to his feet more smoothly, but he didn’t back down. If there was one Green Bearet in Cloud Lake at the moment who could challenge Gabriel, it was Luther. With his weakened state after his mental fight earlier, Gabriel knew this wasn’t one he could win.
With another snarl he stepped around Luther and left the room.
His friend was right though. He knew that. He needed to do something about his bear. Climbing the stairs, he headed for his room, intent on taking a nap.
The question was, what did he do? Gabriel had been in Cloud Lake since they tossed Fenris out. He’d never left. Since the beginning then, he’d been on the front lines, fighting the fight. He’d walked innumerable patrols. He’d fought Fenris side-by-side with his men, and on more than one occasion his presence on a patrol had been the only thing standing between his men and death.
But staying at high alert for too long was fucking with his bear. With his mind. It was playing tricks on him, making him unstable. He knew that. Gabriel wasn’t an idiot; he could see it. What he didn’t know was what to do about it. If he took a rest, went back to Base Camp and let Luther run things, then his men would suffer. They wouldn’t be as safe without him around.
No, Gabriel had to stay. He had to see everything through till the end, lest his men pay the price. If even one of them was killed while he was gone, something that he could have prevented…He shuddered, not wanting to think about something like that.
The war would be over soon, he kept telling himself. The Fenris Remnants couldn’t hold out much longer. It wouldn’t be until that time that he could take some leave.
Only then could he relax, and let his mind heal…
Chapter Eleven
Stephanie
“Oh come on!”
The downpour started when she was only a few minutes away from her destination. Stephanie had looked at the sky when she’d left the bed and breakfast and its scratchy blankets, heading out into Cloud Lake the next morning. It hadn’t looked friendly at all. Dark clouds had been billowing in from the west and building against the mountains since late the day before.
She’d never lived in such a climate before, but the continual buildup of gray and black clouds could only promise one thing: rain. What she hadn’t expected was the sheer power of the torrential deluge. It was like walking into a wall of water. One minute she was dry, the next her clothes were plastered to her skin, her hair drenched and hanging limply after a morning spent teasing it, and the little makeup she had applied beginning to run.
“Perfect. What a perfect start to the day.”
Reaching the motel, the shifters outside didn’t slow her down. He wondered if that was because of how bedraggled she looked by the time she actually reached them, or because they were also irritated at having to be out in the rain. None of them wore anything different, she noted.
“Don’t you get cold?” she asked, pausing next to one of them.
A few seconds more wouldn’t change her state. Stephanie was thoroughly soaked. Even her undergarments were wet. And not in a way she could make a joke about either. She’d gotten past the humor stage rather quickly, instead moving straight to the “ready to tear someone’s head off” stage.
“In this?” the shifter asked, glancing up at the sky, his eyes closed for a moment as he let the rain wash over his face, rivulets of water pooling quickly in the mild depression of his eyes before rolling down his cheeks. A flash of white came as he smiled. “Absolutely not. This is just lovely weather.”
She stared at him, not feeling the same joy for the weather.
He bit back a smile. “I mean, the wet clothing part kind of sucks, but this is so refreshing. Sometimes, back home, I’ll just go out into the rain and sleep in it, enjoying the cool, clean feeling. Love it!” he exclaimed.
“I see. Well, I wish I could say I shared in your enthusiasm.”
The Green Bearet laughed politely. “Well, we come from rather separate places, now don’t we, ma’am?”
She regarded him with a longer look. His words had been somewhat wiser than she’d come to expect from some of the guards out front. “Indeed we do…” she gave him a look that made it clear she was looking for his name.
“Lieutenant Hartmann, ma’am, at your service,” the shifter said.
“Well, Lieutenant Hartmann, you are rather observant.”
He shrugged. “Every now and then I surprise people.”
To her complete surprise, and despite the mood the weather had put her in, Stephanie laughed.
“Thank you, Lieutenant. I hope the weather stays amicable to you.”
“I’m sure it will, ma’am. I’m sure it will.”
She nodded at him and then kept walking, running a finger up and down her glasses to clear some residual water off them. It was at times like this that she recalled she even wore the damn things. They were like a part of her face. She’d sprung for the custom-fit, expensive but rugged frames a few years back, and it had totally changed her view on glasses.
When she ran, they stayed in place. They never fogged up. Most dirt didn’t adhere to them. The damn things were magical, and even gave her back a modicum more of her peripheral vision, something she’d never have thought possible.
But water was something they had a hard time with. Which is why she tried not to spend much time out in it. Thanks to the meager budget afforded to her by Andy for the trip though, she hadn’t been able to do certain things. Like rent a car, for instance. Which she could have stayed in until the rain let up.
She tugged hard on the door into the lobby, wanting to get inside quickly, but her hand slipped off it, the water preventing her from getting a solid grip. Not having expected it, Stephanie stumbled backward, her balance thrown completely off. She tried to recover, but wobbled and then fell toward the stairs.
“Gotcha,” a voice said as a powerful arm slipped under her shoulders and steadied her with casual ease.
Turning, Stephanie found herself almost face-to-face with a pair of jade orbs that she knew rather well.
“Thank you,” she said, catching her breath as Gabriel kept his arm around her until she was stable.
“You are very welcome,” he replied, stepping forward and opening the door for her. “Come on in.”
She smiled gratefully. “Thanks. I can’t wait to get out of the rain.”
“I bet,” he said with an understanding smile. “Here, this way,” he said, gesturing to the back of the lobby. “You can change in my office.”
“Change?”
He looked at her. “Don’t you have a change of clothes?”
Stephanie felt sheepish. “No, is that a normal thing for people to pack around here?”
Gabriel laughed. “No, I suppose not. I keep forgetting that you’re not staying here though.” He turned and raised his voice. “Someone please summon Allix, right away.”
The Green Bearet standing behind the reception desk saluted and then dashed up the stairs.
“Allix?”
“Luther’s mate,” he said. “She’s the closest thing to your size around here. She’ll lend you some clothes until we can get yours dried out. They might just be sweatpants and a sweatshirt, but…”
“A sweatshirt?” she asked, brightening. “That sounds absolutely heavenly right now.”
A woman came down the stairs at a swift, but not rushed pace. “Yes Gabriel? What’s up?”
“Allix,” he said, gesturing at the auburn-haired beauty. “This is Stephanie. Can you lend her some clothes and get hers dried and such?”
The woman turned a pair of surprisingly bright hazel eyes on Stephanie, looking her up and down. Then they flicked back at Gabriel. And then to her, and then back again. Something flashed in those eyes, and a moment later a gentle smile creased her lips.
“Of course. Come on Steph, can I call you Steph? Let’s go see what I’ve got. You’re a little shorter than I am, but that shouldn’t matter too much.”
“T-T-Thank you,” Stephanie said, her teeth chattering without warning as she was struck by a chill.
“Yes, comfy clothes. Sweater and pants for sure. Come on!” Allix said, guiding her up the stairs toward what she assumed was the woman’s room.
***
“There!” Allix said, presenting her with an outfit and then turning around as Stephanie peeled out of her wet clothing, the material making an ugly squelching sound as it came off her skin.
Taking the initially offered towel, Stephanie dried herself off, and then slipped into the outfit. The pants were long and the sleeves longer, but no more so than shirts she’d worn of ex-boyfriends in what seemed like the distant past of her life.
“Thank you so much,” she said at long last.
“Nonsense,” Allix replied. “We girls gotta stick together.” She nodded her head toward the door. “Come on, laundry is this way.”
Stephanie gathered up her wet clothes and followed Allix down the hallway to another room. The door opened to reveal several rows of washers and dryers. It was only when she saw the other two men using the room that Stephanie realized what it was that had been bugging her since Allix had appeared.
“Can I ask you something?” she asked over the hum of the dryer as it began to spin up.
“Maybe?” Allix replied with a casual smile.
“Where are the others?”
“The other what?”
Stephanie’s lips worked in uncertainty. She wanted to make sure she wasn’t stepping on any toes. “The other women. You’re the first one I’ve seen here,” she said. “You’re wearing the same outfit as them though, so that means you’re a Green Bearet, right?”
Allix nodded. “Yes, I am. I just finished the training, actually.”
“Oh, congratulations!” she said.
“Thank you. I came out here with a training company two weeks ago, and after a successful stint in the city, they declared us ready and operational. I think it was a bit early to be honest, but so far, so good.” The pride in her and her unit was unmistakable.
But it didn’t answer her question. Allix seemed to pick up on that though.
“There are a couple of others around,” she admitted. “But there aren’t very many of us. Just a handful, you know.”
Stephanie frowned, not bothering to conceal her confusion. “There are only a handful of female bear shifters?”
Allix laughed. “Oh no! There are plenty of those. But most of them, at least those in the Green Bearets, are better suited to other tasks. Scouting, demolitions, infiltration, things like that. Mainline combat is much more a male thing.” She leaned in conspiratorially. “You know, big and dumb.”
The two women shared a laugh.
“No, I meant there’s only a few like us,” Allix said with a knowing wink.
Stephanie just looked at her. “I’m sorry, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Am I supposed to?”
Allix looked at her again. “You mean, you and Gabriel aren’t…you know?”
“What? No!” she said, jerking away from the other woman in surprise. “I mean, he kissed me yesterday. But that wasn’t...it didn’t mean…It’s not going to happen again,” she said, trying to sound as firm as she could.
“Oh.” Allix’s tone of voice indicated she didn’t believe her at all.
Something about this was nagging at her. It wasn’t that Allix assumed that she and Gabriel were together, though she wondered if that’s what the others thought as well. After all, Allix and Luther were a thing, and had been one for some time now it sounded like. So why…
Then it hit her. Allix had said she was like her. A human with a shifter. But Allix was a Green Bearet. Which meant…
“You’re human…” she breathed in sudden understanding.
“I was,” Allix confirmed.
“What are you now?”
“A shifter. Remember, just finished Green Bearet training…”
“Right,” Stephanie said, feeling embarrassed at having forgotten already. “So you’re a shifter…but you were a human? How does that work?”
“Somewhat like the movies, somewhat not,” Allix told her. “Luther Turned me, made me a shifter, to save my life. It was either I definitely die, or he risked me dying during the change, but possibly surviving.” She laughed. “It was a bit of a change when I awoke no longer human, but after realizing it was a choice between certain death as a human, or possible survival but as a shifter, well, what choice is that?”
Stephanie nodded, stunned at the revelation. She hadn’t known that humans could be converted to shifters. What was the word she’d used? Turned? It had sounded like a formal term, not just a word. She’d have to do some more research into that, see what the internet had to say.
Part of her was horrified and outraged. By the sounds of it, there were more of them, just like Allix. More humans who had been turned to shifters, possibly without their consent. How was this being allowed to happen?!
Then it hit her. It wasn’t. Nobody else knew it was happening!
She tried not to shake with excitement. This was it; this was what she needed. This was the news story that would finally give her a full-time position and some respect. When it got out that these women were being Turned into shapeshifters without their permission, she would be famous for being the one to break it!
Hell, she might not have to settle for Channel 22 News either. Maybe one of the big syndicated networks would pick her up! She could be in the big time for this story.
“How many others are there?” she asked, trying to remain calm.
“There’s five of us at the moment. Well, six now,” Allix said with a wink.
“I’m not…” Stephanie tried to deny it, but Allix just laughed at her.
“Whatever you need to tell yourself, girl. I won’t pressure you.”
Stephanie felt a little sick as she contemplated what Allix was saying. She and Gabriel? Together? That big, stubborn, rude, arrogant…jerk!
But he’s a really good kisser…
And what about this whole business of me becoming a shifter? To her shame, Stephanie found she was actually more curious than disgusted or anything else. What would it be like, she wondered, to live with such power in her body? Such casual strength…
“So, how are things with you and, um, Luther, right?” she asked instead, trying to change the subject.
She needed a bit more detail to help flesh out her story. Eventually she’d have to get the full details of how Allix came to be a shifter. She didn’t want to scare the woman though, so she’d take her time, maybe become friends.
The whole classified issue she’d initially been thinking of focusing on was shoved to the back burner. This was a much better story. Especially with the war and all. She could combine that somehow, she was sure.
“Things are great!” Allix gushed excitedly. “We’re going to get married as soon as
the war is over, and then hopefully start a family!”
Stephanie looked at her. “Married? How long have you been…well, you know?”
“A shifter?”
“Yeah,” she said.
“Umm, like two-ish months, give or take?” Allix replied dreamily.
“Two months,” she echoed dully. “Two months, and you want to get married already?”
Allix nodded, her whole body bouncing up and down. “It’s not the same as with humans,” she said. “He’s my mate. It’s…well, it just is. I know he’s mine. He knows I’m his. There is no doubt about it, but it’s not something I could explain to you yet. You have to open yourself up to it, and just believe.” Allix shrugged. “You aren’t ready to do that yet, so to you I just sound like a raving lunatic. But it’s okay, I’m happy where I am.”
Stephanie just nodded. She was right. To her, Allix did sound like someone who wasn’t thinking properly, who had just become infatuated with someone and was willing to run off with them without thinking things through.
“I see.”
They talked idly about other things after that as they waited for the dyer to finish its magic. Stephanie found that Allix wasn’t from Cloud Lake originally. In fact, she wasn’t really from anywhere, which was odd to her. Stephanie had only ever lived in two places her entire life. Her hometown, and then Morgantown. To move once a year was a foreign concept to her. And one that frankly sounded like a hell of a lot of work.
Stephanie was far too lazy for that.
The more they talked though, the more she found herself liking Allix, and the less she thought of her as off her rocker about this Luther character. In another world, she realized they could probably have been good friends.
Her mind was all over the place as she finally was able to get dressed again, and headed back down to Gabriel’s office after receiving directions from Allix on which room it was.
Chapter Twelve
Gabriel
“Come in!”
He looked up at the soft rap and pushed himself back from the desk. There were only a few people he knew that knocked that softly, and only one of whom he was currently expecting—and hoping—to see.