“WE AREN’T GOING TO just up and leave our home. It took us so many years just to be able to afford a house here in Los Angeles. Now you want me to just walk away from everything we’ve worked for because the damn mutant shifters have decided to come out of the closet?”
Nora listened to her father arguing with her mom. She was sitting next to her two older brothers on the stairs who were doing the same thing. Listening to their parents trying to decide what to do.
“Don’t worry, Nora,” her older brother Tucker whispered. “No matter what happens we’ll stick together. We’ll be fine.”
“Don’t lie to her, Tucker. We don’t know that. We don’t know anything. Our lives are over, stolen by the fucking mutants. I was supposed to graduate high school this year with an associates degree. Shit, Nora would’ve been at her first year of high school if it wasn’t for them,” Ronald, the eldest of them said.
Nora hugged herself listening to her brothers arguing on the stairs. None of them had been in school for the past two years. It was too dangerous to run the schools with all the shifter attacks. Nora was so tired of feeling scared all the time.
“... because it’s up to me to protect this family. I joined the HRAF and you will too. We are all going to do our part in taking back our country from these freaks.”
“The Human Rights Activists Faction is crazy. They are half the reason for all the fighting, we can’t have anything to do with those fanatics.”
A steady rapid drumming sounded in the distance. Everyone in the house quit talking and froze in place. It was gunfire. There was another fight breaking out.
“Let’s wait, maybe they will stop,” Nora pleaded as Tucker grabbed her arm. “I don’t want to go back into the sub-basement.”
“Shut up and move,” Ronald growled at her. “It’s to keep us safe.”
Their parents were coming too but then there was a knock at the door. It wasn’t a regular tap at the door. It had a strange rhythm to it that meant something to her father because when he heard it he turned back. He went and opened the door.
“The mutants have decided to take over this neighborhood. They’re killing all the humans in these houses. Get your family. We’ve got a wagon about two miles up the road. We’re taking care of ours and you’re an HRAF brother now, so we came to help you get out.”
“Thank you,” her father embraced the man with the bald head and tattoos on his scalp.
Her mom signaled for them to continue to the basement but none of the three of them moved. “Now we’re leaving because some guy says we should?”
“Get your go bags, kids,” their father said.
Nora didn’t want to be locked up in the damp darkness for days at a time again so she listened to her father and went for her bag that was under the stairs. Her brothers followed his orders too.
Once their mother saw that they were willing to leave she too got her bag and handed her husband his. “I hope you’re right about these people,” she said to him with a frown on her lean face.
As soon as they left the house the shooting got louder. There was screaming and the sound of shifters growling and fighting. They raced down the road as explosions shook the city. The man from the HRAF gave her mom, dad, and Ronald a gun.
Men and women dressed in HRAF colors, red and black were all over the neighborhood armed with guns and shooting. Nora saw four of them ripped to pieces by a bear shifter. She was so terrified she began to run faster than her family toward the wagon that was overflowing with people already.
So many are trying to leave. How will we even fit?
“Shoot, dammit,” the HRAF man commanded. Nora heard the gunfire going off right behind her.
“No keep going, run Nora,” Tucker screamed out a sound of terror at her back.
The wagon was leaving!
“No, please wait,” Nora cried out running as hard and as fast as she could. A young boy about the age of Ronald stuck his hand out and pulled her into the wagon. As soon as she was in she turned to help pull her family inside but there was no one to help.
Their bodies were in pieces over the street. Mutants swarmed the street killing the HRAF so quickly that there were none of the street fighters left to escape with the people they saved. The young boy who saved her hugged her as they both cried. He’d just lost his father and she’d just lost everything.
Nora Prush sat up with a start as Slade shook her. “You were having that dream again, weren’t you?” He asked frowning at her. Nora nodded looking up at Slade, the young man who had pulled her into the wagon six years ago and saved her life.
The memory of losing her family was still so raw. Time had only forced her to accept that they were gone, it did not heal the pain of their loss and absence. Nothing would ever heal that pain.
“Nora? Are you listening? This is dangerous, you can’t be crying in your sleep. You could be overheard. The shifters could find you and kill you if they heard you hating on them in your sleep.”
Nora smiled at Slade with his creased brow and stern face. He’d shaved his dark hair off like his father and had the same tattoos etched into his skin. “I am not going to get caught, Slade. I’ve been training for this mission since I joined the HRAF. You’re worrying too much.”
“Nora, this is your first solo mission. Of course, I’m going to worry.” He kissed her quickly on the mouth and looked around to see if any of the others saw him. When no one did he breathed a little easier.
Sleeping with your trainee is forbidden but Nora was willing to risk it to be with Slade. He’d saved her life and after her family was killed, he’d looked after her when he didn’t have to. She loved him.
“You need to get started if you’re going to make it to Freebasin today,” Slade said. “That shifter loving city should be burnt to the ground.”
Nora put her hand on his shoulder. “Not everyone is as brave as you are. They are probably scared, Slade.”
He nodded but still held the scowl of contempt on his face. “Get in there and learn everything. Do whatever it takes. This may be our only shot.”
Nora nodded eagerly. There was no way she was going to botch up this mission. It was her chance to really strike back at the shifters for murdering her family and killing the innocent girl she used to be.
Tossing back the sleeping bag she pulled on the boots and common clothing that was not black and red HRAF uniform. Nothing on that she had packed or carried could tie her to HRAF which gave her the chance to approach as just another frightened human, too afraid to stand up to the shifters.
Slade continued to repeat the orders she already knew as she strapped on the backpack and common weapons. “I’m ready,” she told him putting a finger to his lips.
He leaned forward pressing his forehead to hers. “We are going to avenge our family until there are no shifters left.”
“Yes,” Nora agreed. “We are.”
“Don’t lose your way, Nora,” He said giving her auburn ponytail a tug. “These humans in Freebasin have an alliance with the shifters, they will try to sway you.”
Nora rolled her eyes at him. “Yes, you’ve said that already. I’m not going to forget what shifters did to our families. I can’t be swayed. I am bringing their doomsday.”
CHAPTER TWO
“THIS IS AN EXCITING day,” Errol, Ian’s twin brother said with a wide smile on his face.
Ian sighed doing his best not to get his hopes up. The scarring on his face was ugly, worse though it made his own brother pity him when all their lives Ian was the stronger of the two of them.
Seeing the flawless face of his twin Errol every day was a constant reminded to Ian that he was no longer identical to his brother. The differences were ugly and since they were always compared to each other it wasn’t helping Ian feel any better about his scars.
Killian, their shifter healer entered with his mate, Angeline who was his assistant and could sometimes see into the future, not a bad mate by any means. Her white hair was braided back from he
r face and her indifferent expression told Ian what she already knew.
The experimental balm for his facial scarring did not work.
“I did warn you that this was just a try and that if it doesn’t work, something else will down the line,” Killian said standing in front of Ian.
A quick knock at the door announced Onyx’s arrival.
Does everyone have to come watch Killian peel this gauze off my face?
Her long black hair was a mess of tangles but she didn’t seem to care. She too carried guilt from the torture Ian endured because it was a shifter looking for Onyx and Errol who had scarred his face trying to find them.
They are badges of honor that I did not betray my loved ones.
Ian told himself the words of one of the elder werewolf shifters, Kate. She was very wise and very kind. He also knew that she meant what she said. It would be easier to get used to the scars if everyone looked at them the way she did.
Killian began to unwrap the gauze. He went slowly and as he got closer to the skin the pulling and shifting grew a bit uncomfortable but Ian kept a straight face.
When at last the gauze was removed, the group watching him sighed at the same time. “Not the great unveiling you were hoping for huh?” Ian asked trying to smile though he didn’t feel like it.
“You are just as handsome with the scars as you were without them. In fact, you look more like a rouge warrior with them,” Onyx said trying to make him feel better. She and Errol were mated recently and the pack alpha Darian and Cara were mated.
It was getting so as Ian couldn’t walk two feet around the Rizer fortress or land without running into a couple hopelessly in love and forever mated. It made him feel sad when he saw them because now more than ever, he didn’t feel as though finding a mate was a possibility. With his best friend and brother mated off he was finding himself alone more often than not.
“I’m testing another balm on a rat and if it works we’ll try that one next. We won’t give up until we find the right mix.”
You think going through this unveiling process over and over is something I want to do?
“Thanks, Killian.” Ian stood up from the bed where he was sitting. “I am going to go wash off this stuff.”
Angeline handed him a wet, warm towel. “You make sure to take care of yourself today. Okay?”
“Am I destined to tangle with a croc shifter?” Ian teased.
Angeline laughed shaking her head. “No, nothing like that.”
Ian nodded to the rest of the group and stepped out into the hallway wiping his face with the wet towel. He continued working off the greasy mixture with easy patting motions in case his skin had softened.
He didn’t bother to go to a mirror. He knew nothing changed on his face. Ian could still feel the deep impressions running across the side of his face and neck. The rising puckered red scars were the ugliest and they formed after each dip making it look as though three-Inch thick and six inches long, red worms were under the skin of his left side.
Let’s run. I want to run.
Ian’s spirit wolf whined from within the body they shared. More and more his spirit wolf wanted to be in charge of their body, to run and to escape the feeling of pity Ian felt for himself around his twin and the Rizer pack.
He remembered though how Errol nearly lost his human form he’d hidden away in his wolf form for so long. Ian couldn’t do that to Errol or the rest of his pack family. They would mourn him and if he truly stayed in his wolf form too long losing his human form he would be too wild to be a part of the shifter pack.
Ian crossed the courtyard greeting the other pack members who were milling about. Victor, Kayden and Syrus, new members to the pack from the Herod pack which was responsible for scarring Ian shied away all except for Victor.
“Are you going for a run? I will go with you.” He offered his face hard and stoic as it always seemed to be.
“I am walking to Freebasin.”
Victor gave him a sour expression. “Why do you spend so much time with the humans? You belong with us, here.”
“They don’t think twice about my scars. Their people are covered in them from their battles with shifters. Here I’m surrounded by all you cocky mugs,” Ian laughed.
Victor growled. “You know you are one of the only males of the Rizer pack who isn’t mated? We grow weary of all the sexual tension the others are putting in the air.”
“You are part of the Rizer pack now too. Why don’t you go running without me?”
“Because I don’t like those two assholes you accepted into the pack with me. They think they’re badasses and I’m sick of their tall tales.”
Ian laughed. “I will run with you when I return. I don’t think it’s wise for me to turn right now.”
Victor exhaled folding his arms. “Why do you want to look like your pretty boy brother anyway? Now you look like a warrior. A strong man who can defend whichever mate you pick.”
Ian shrugged feeling a little better from what Victor was saying but was still too disappointed to risk escaping into his wolf form. His wolf was being far too pushy anyway.
“Fine. I’ll run on my own. You go mingle with humans.” He laughed his words light. Ian left the fortress aware that Victor shifted into his silver wolf and was keeping an eye on Ian from a distance.
Victor was there when Ian was tortured for answers. His guilt at failing to prevent the torture from happening. Clearly still weighed on him. He escorted Ian, watching over him all the way down Rizer Mountain, into the forest, past the waterfall, and the human-infested section of forest that the pack avoided while in their wolf forms.
Ian turned back toward the forest once he reached the town of Freebasin and gave the forest a nod, knowing Victor was hidden within them keeping watch.
“I think I can handle a stroll through the town on my own,” he said hoping Victor wouldn’t be hanging around waiting to walk him back to the Rizer pack land.
“Tell him you don’t blame him,” Ian’s wolf insisted. Ian ignored his wolf and turned to go into Freebasin. It wasn’t like him to get all touchy feely and he didn’t take Victor for that type of guy either.
CHAPTER THREE
THE MOMENT SHE REACHES Freebasin she can feel the difference. There is a sort of freedom in the air. The people are not rushing and on guard as they are in the other cities.
Why not? There are shifters roaming freely through these streets.
Taking her time, she walks through Freebasin. She is supposed to meet with her contact at the Freebasin Lodge. It’s hard to want to go inside when the streets are full of people. Nora can’t remember the last time she was in a city where the people felt safe enough to leave their homes for extended lengths of time.
She becomes vaguely aware that someone is watching her. There are watchtowers all around the city but many of them are vacant. Perhaps they found a way to harness power again for electricity and have video surveillance like back in her early childhood before shifters decided to make themselves known and demand more rights than everyone else.
Holding onto that bitterness, Nora looked around at the ignorant people again. They were stupid to believe they were safe. A change of whim from the shifters and this temporary peace would be gone. The Rizer pack would tear this town apart one day.
Not if I have anything to do with it.
Circling back to the lodge, Nora opens the door ready for the humid taste of recycled air. The windows are open she sees when she enters and wonders how good the contact could be if he’s keeping the windows open like he’s one of the stupid people of the town who actually believes they are safe.
Once the door shut behind her she sees the racks for the metal bars lined up on each side of the double doors. At least they can lock them out for a little while. The floor of the entryway is made of stone just like every other floor in the town.
It is cold and an unwise choice considering they will be dealing with all four seasons including winter. There is a long desk and beh
ind it sits a man with a round face and a mouth that appears to have no lips. It’s like he has a straight line opening for his mouth. He’s bulky which at first looks like strength but as she watches him raise up onto his feet she can see his weighted slowness.
“I would like a room. Do you have one with a view of the forest?” She asked using the code phrase view of the forest.
He blinked at her looking her over and sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. “A woman? You are traveling alone?” This wasn’t his passcode.
“No. Do you have a view of the forest?”
“The forest is nothing but trees,” he grumbled his answering passphrase. Leaning forward he scribbled a piece of sharpened charcoal over a piece of paper as he continued. “what good is it to see more of them? How long will you be staying?”
As long as it takes.
“A couple weeks. Will you take Sugar as payment?”
“Yes,” he answered licking his chin as if searching with his tongue for that missing lower lip leaving a trail of saliva.
This is the best contact we could get?
He slides the paper across the desk at her and Nora read it as she set my pack down on the desk.
“Rizer pack territorial. Must be invited onto their mountain property. Many loyal humans who will betray you if they learn what you are here for.
She pulled out a brown bag that held four cups of sugar. “How much for two weeks?”
“That should cover it,” he said reaching for the bag.
Nora pulled it back and out of his reach. “I should cover two months and I only want two weeks. What name do you go by?” She asked him.
“You can call me innkeeper,” he growled folding his arms. He wasn’t about to put his neck on the line by giving me an actual name. That didn’t matter, as long as his intel was reliable.
Nora followed his lead and took the stick of charcoal from his hand turning the page over she wrote, “Routines? Food sources for them? Forest borderline?”
The innkeeper was lazy because he pointed at the first question shook his head. No noted routine. Skipped the second question altogether and shook his head again for the forest borderline. Then he took the scrap of paper and dropped it into the fire. It was only then that Nora heard the door shut.
Rizer Pack Shifter- Complete Series Page 31