Rebirth (Rogues Shifter Series)

by Gayle Parness

  “Who’s there?” It was red beard asking.

  Well, so much for staying hidden. Our choices taken away, We stepped out onto the path about fifteen yards ahead of them. We stood relaxed, but ready to defend ourselves if necessary. They stopped, surprised by our appearance. They smelled like shifters, but somehow I knew they weren’t felines.

  Although their conversation had been disturbing, my instincts told me that these men weren’t necessarily dangerous. I clung to that hope and stood my ground as they closed the gap between us .Because shifter hearing was excellent,

  “I’m Ethan and this is Jackie. We're the dangerous rogues you were discussing. Are you here to see Rob?”

  The dark haired man answered politely. “We don't need to disturb him. If you'd just come along with us peacefully, that would be best for all involved." He smiled, but it wasn't warm.

  “I think you should turn around and go back where you came from.” I said, watching Red Beard in case he made a move to use his hidden weapon.

  “There’s no reason to be frightened. We won't hurt you or Ethan." Red Beard replied.

  He’d sounded patronizing and I really hated that. “I’m not scared. I’m pissed off. If you think Ethan and I are going to stand around meekly while you put us down like old household pets, you’re delusional.” I hadn't been particularly diplomatic, but when my anger kicked in all bets were off.

  “What’s one little girl going to do to stop us?” He asked, leering at me.

  Ethan grinned, keeping his eyes on the three men. “You’d be surprised what this woman can do. I wouldn't test her if I were you.” Ethan’s voice was powerful and unafraid and I felt brave standing here beside him. "You’d better leave now."

  The blonde said, trying to soothe the situation, “We'll be happy to discuss this with Rob. Please take us to him."

  "You threatened us."

  Red Beard shouted, "I suggest that you take us to see Rob immediately, or we’ll have you arrested. We’ve been sent here by the Crescent City Shifter Council. We have the authority to...”

  “We don't give a crap about your authority." At this point I was practically snarling at him. Ethan laid a hand on my shoulder, but it was too late. My hands were transitioning into paws with very sharp claws. The three men looked at them in surprise.

  The brown haired man puffed out his chest. “You’re just kids.”

  “If you try to force us to leave with you, we'll fight." Ethan spoke calmly, making me feel confident that we could take these guys. This was the same Ethan who’d helped me get down that tree, and I trusted him right now the way I had that afternoon.

  “We don’t have to fight them,” said Red Beard and he made a slow move toward his gun.

  Because I was naturally quicker, Ethan sent me a signal. I was on Red Beard in a flash, knocking the gun out of his hand before he’d even pointed it at us and then grabbing it off the ground and running back to Ethan. Meanwhile, Ethan had moved a few steps toward the dark haired man, ready to fight him if necessary. The blonde hadn’t made an aggressive move but I still kept my eye on him as well as Red Beard, who was turning a nasty shade of red to match his hair. I must have hurt his wrist when I knocked the gun out of his hand, because I saw him holding it.

  Rob appeared silently behind them on the path, filling the air with his wintergreen scent. The three men turned toward him in unison. He nodded slowly at Ethan and me and then said to the men, “My team doesn’t react well to unexpected or aggressive visitors. Perhaps we could all continue this conversation back at the cabin. Would that be acceptable?" They nodded, Red Beard scowling while the other's looked anxious to get the meeting over with. "Please follow me, gentlemen.”

  We all walked back; Rob in front leading the way and Ethan and me following at the end of the procession. Rob had taken Red Beard’s gun and shoved it in the waistband of his pants at his lower back. Ethan grabbed my hand, which I’d transitioned back to normal and squeezed it, smiling his approval. I smiled back and thought about how well we’d worked together and how Rob had called us his ‘team’. It felt good to know that we could handle ourselves.

  "You think Rob held back to watch us?" I asked.

  "Yep. He only stepped in when he thought things were heading down the crapper."

  Rob gestured for the men to enter the cabin ahead of him as he turned to us to whisper, “You handled that well, but I’m not happy about you wandering off on your own, Jackie. That was reckless.” I almost started to argue, but he gave me one of those looks that you just didn’t argue with, and went through the door and into the cabin.

  Dawn was breaking. Ethan made coffee and I stood by the door, arms crossed and pouting at Rob as he and the others sat themselves on the small couch and surrounding chairs. I was exhausted would have loved to have crawled back under the covers, but I needed to hear these strangers as they discussed my future with Rob. I sat at the table with a loud thump and twisted my mouth into a suitable frown.

  They introduced themselves then Rob began.”It would be a mistake to let two kids with these abilities slip through our fingers. We need both of them."

  "What abilities?" asked Phillip, the blonde.

  "Jackie's a cheetah and, like Maya, will be working the ley lines soon.”

  “You should have called us on this, Rob, she needs to be brought to Maya immediately for further training.”

  “Her training is more than adequate. She needs to learn to be a shifter first. Maya was trained to fight before she ever used her magic. They both stay here.” Rob's voice was firm.

  Jim, Red Beard, scoffed. “She’s no Maya! You’re exaggerating.” He looked me up and down in a suspicious way.

  Anton, the dark haired man, leaned back in the arm chair. “Look at her coloring and her body type. She looks a lot like Maya, just taller.” Everyone in the room stared at me, which only made me glare at them. Anton smiled and turned back to Rob. “She's got Maya's temper too. Tell us everything, Roberto. “

  As Ethan served coffee and muffins, Rob told them about my three days on the island, including information about Ethan as well. “Ethan's a natural leader. Along with Sinc and Kyle I think the four of them would be a very productive team. Garrett agrees.“

  I perked right up at the mention of Garrett. I looked around the room at the people discussing my future, like I’m a weapon to be used against—who? And what the heck does he mean by “form them into a team? What kind of a team?”

  “They attacked us Rob, they’re not stable.” Jim was still angry about my disarming him. He was making a big deal about rubbing his wrist. What a wimp.

  “They didn’t attack you. You pulled a gun on them."

  “I say we take them back to Maya right now. We’ll let the council decide what to do with them, “Jim said pointing toward me. The other two nodded.

  “They aren’t ready yet, Jim.”

  Anton spoke next. “They should be seen by the council tonight. We’ll take them back with us. They’ll be treated fairly.”

  “Let me speak with them privately.” Rob stood and motioned for us to leave through the door.

  "Wait a minute. Where are you going with them?" Jim stood.

  "There's no place for them to run. We're on an island miles from shore. We'll be back in a few minutes." Jim started to protest but Phillip raised his hand to silence him and then nodded toward Rob.

  “What’s up?” asked Ethan as we moved down the path that the three men had taken to get to us.

  Rob steered us toward a smaller path that branched off from the main one and then turned to us, speaking in hushed tones. “You need to do exactly what I say and not question me. I’ll explain everything when I meet up with you in a few days. Can you do that?” We looked at each other and then nodded.

  “You’re not ready to go before the council, so I need to get you out of here quickly. You have to shift immediately then follow this path to the shore and turn right. There’s a boat about a mile down the coast. There are maps in the c
abin under the log book along with two cell phones. My number and Garrett’s are programmed in. There are extra clothes in the bin under the bed and cash there as well.

  "Ethan, take the boat out and head to Crescent City. Dock it in our usual slip at Sea Bright Docks. Tell Harry that I'll contact him in a few days. Directions are in a manila envelope to a house owned by my friend, Carly O’Neal. She’ll hide you. You can trust her. Call Garrett at 3:00 PM and he’ll take over from that point. Shift now."

  Ethan stripped and changed immediately, but I turned to ask, “Will you be alright?”

  “I’m fine. I can handle a few bears, now go.” He turned and headed back to the cabin. Well that explained their musky scent. And I guess my dream, too.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The smell of the sea was strong as we raced along the path together. I set a pace that Ethan could match, staying close in case one of the bears decided to chase after us. Birds were chattering on the branches above and I smelled the delicious scent of a plump raccoon just on the other side of a thicket of fir trees. My mouth watered, but I forced myself to stay on the trail. We reached the shoreline and veered to the right, following the natural curve of the island. The dawn had painted the sky with streaks of pinks and oranges making me wish that I had time to enjoy the vibrant panorama. Instead I watched Ethan ahead of me as he ran over the uneven rocks along the shore, appreciating the grace and the strength of his movements. We sighted the boat up ahead and skidded to a stop in front of it.

  We leapt on board with very little effort, transitioned back to human, then dressed and took off as quickly as possible across the bay. We followed Rob’s directions and maps without too much problem as Ethan had boated before with Rob and could read the charts. He insisted that we wear life vests and I didn’t argue, since I knew how unsure he was around the water. Docking at Sea Bright, we stuffed supplies and clothes into two backpacks that we found onboard, left the boat with Harry, a short grizzled man, and took off hiking north through the town of Crescent City, California.

  As we walked past quaint shops and official buildings, the people passing us on the street smiled and nodded their heads at Ethan in a familiar way, some of them using his name and saying hello. I glanced at him curiously and he said, “I’ve met a few people since I’ve been here with Rob, but mostly I’ve just crashed at his house.”

  That was all he said, so I shut my mouth, which is not always my best thing and takes a lot of effort on my part. We stopped to eat a couple of burgers at the local coffee shop and after tipping the waitress, continued on to a small house nestled next to a grove of maple trees. We knocked, and a pleasant looking woman around the age of 24 appeared at the door, a huge black & tan Rottweiler mix at her side. She was petite, maybe 5’1” with shiny short brown hair and pretty hazel eyes. The dog sniffed us suspiciously as she ushered us quickly into her living room. Dismissing Ethan with a snort, the big dog nuzzled my hand looking for some attention. I scratched him behind the ears, making his stubby tail wiggle along with his entire rear end.

  “Rob called. I’m Carly and that's Samson. I have a place for you to stay for a few days until other arrangements are made. I’ll drive you over there in a few minutes. Sit down in the kitchen while I get some supplies together. Help yourself to soda or anything else you can find. There’s ham & cheese in the fridge and bread on the counter. Make some sandwiches for later if you don’t want them now.”

  Ethan and I grabbed a couple of cokes, made two sandwiches which we packed away for later and sat at the table, too tired to talk. Samson sat next to me on the floor and I scratched his head distractedly, looking out the window at the view of the town below. Ethan crossed his arms, leaned back in the chair stretching out his powerful legs, and dozed. As tired as I was, I knew that I’d never be able to fall asleep in that position, so I jealously stared at his sleeping form and continued to pet Samson, grateful that we’d be getting a ride to our final destination and I could pass out there. I’d been up since 5 AM and could use a long nap.

  Carly returned after about fifteen minutes rolling a wheeled duffle bag.” I’ve packed sheets, towels and extra clothes and supplies for you. My car is around the back.” Ethan popped up, refreshed from his power nap, and we exited through the back door, Samson included. Ethan threw the duffle in the trunk and we headed off.

  “I keep two safe houses for shifters who need help. Rogues are rarely tolerated by the general population unless they've been cleared by the council, but many of us feel that shifters are shifters and should never be viewed as lost causes. I changed late myself and could have been in the same boat as you two if it wasn’t for my supportive family. Communities are getting weaker because they’re not letting in any new blood. You two are perfect examples. From what Rob says, you’re really exceptional and our town could use your special talents, whether they know it yet or not.”

  She smiled at us and I said, “Thank you very much for your help, Carly.“

  “I’m sorry I can’t have you stay in my house, but I know Garrett will protect you until Rob shows up. Just keep your eyes open around him, he’s a vampire first, and always has a hidden agenda. You can trust him to protect you because he’s invested in this project of his and Rob’s, but no farther. I can’t tolerate being around him for more than a few minutes.” Ethan gave me a told-you-so kind of look, but I turned away feeling certain that they were wrong about Garrett.

  We pulled up to a small house off the road, hidden by four or five large black oak trees with low hanging branches. Carly handed us the key, apologizing that the place was probably a little dusty. She also reminded us to set the alarm on one of our cell phones to wake us at 3:00 PM to call Garrett. She backed her car down the gravel driveway to the road and took off in the direction of her home, Samson’s head hanging out the passenger window; his ears flying out behind him.

  When Carly left, we both breathed out a sigh of relief, glad that we’d finally be able to rest and shower. Ethan grabbed the bag and both backpacks while I unlocked the front door. There was a small combination kitchen/living room stocked with the usual basic items, a square table with 4 chairs near the door, two arm chairs by a window, a tiny bathroom with a shower and a small bedroom with one queen sized bed which both of us stared at longingly.

  Ethan turned to me, a teasing smile twisting up the corners of his mouth. “I’ll put the sheets on the bed and the towels away while you take care of the food and the rest.” The cottage was warm, so he pulled off his tee shirt and started making up the bed. I did what he asked, putting food in the cupboards and fridge, all the while becoming more and more aware of a painful warm vibration in my stomach and chest.

  When I walked back into the bedroom, Ethan was spread out on one side, wearing only sweatpants, grinning and patting the space next to him. His hair was still damp from a quick shower. Mischievously flirting with me, he posed to show off his body.

  The spicy scent of Eucalyptus hit my nostrils as he teased “Gee, Jackie, guess we have to share the bed. You know, shifters usually cuddle together like a bunch of puppies or kittens. It makes us feel safe. It’s nothing personal.” His grin was infectious since I knew he was just trying to get a rise out of me. As much as Ethan liked to flirt, our relationship was basically a friendly one. I wasn’t attracted to him in a romantic way and I was pretty sure he felt the same way.

  “I’m not in the mood to cuddle, but its fine to share the bed as long as you stay on your side of it.” I drew an imaginary line down the middle, making him sigh and lay back dramatically, then grinning and laughing when I threatened to use a sharpie marker to make the line more obvious. Taking a quick look at my ragged reflection in the mirror, I decided a quick shower seemed like a good idea, especially since I'd be seeing Garrett later. When I came back out, dressed in clean clothes and feeling refreshed, he was already softly snoring, his body stretched across the entire bed.

  “Ethan, move. Maybe I should tie you to the bedpost on that side.” I grumbled and presse
d against his shoulder, nudging him over in a not so gentle way. He only grunted and turned on his side facing away from me, still managing to stay asleep. I tried to get comfortable but my head was still hurting from the strange pulsating energy that seemed to be seeping into my pores. After tossing and turning for another twenty minutes, I finally succumbed to sleep.

  When I woke up, it was dusk. Ethan was very quiet beside me, his arm stretched over my stomach, his breathing soft and steady against my ear. Annoyed that he’d moved to my side and that we’d forgotten to set the alarm to call Garrett, I moved Ethan’s arm and sat up. A window was open so the room was cool and there was a breeze blowing the curtains around, bringing with it the sweet scent of vampire. Oh, shit.

  Garrett stood by the bed glaring at Ethan. Dressed in black slacks, a black silk shirt and black leather jacket, he looked every bit the modern Hollywood vampire, but the look on his face held real malice. I was suddenly alarmed.

  I tried to speak calmly as my heart thumped madly in my chest. “Hi Garrett. We fell asleep and I forgot to set the alarm to call you. I’m really sorry. Rob said you’d be here to help us.” My voice only trembled slightly, but I hoped he’d think that it was because of the cold wind coming through the open window and not because of my fear.

  “Jackie,” He smiled as I shivered. “A cougar,” he glanced back down at Ethan, “is not a fitting mate for a shifter with your abilities.” I stared in shock, noticing that his fangs were slightly extended and that his brilliant blue eyes were sparkling with silver.

  “Um…..we didn’t…we didn't do anything but sleep, Garrett. “ I steadied my voice to make him believe what I said, slightly annoyed that I had to defend myself to this guy at all. “Look, we’ve been up since 5:00 AM walking for miles and we were exhausted. There’s only the one bed and no couch.” I swung my legs to the side and sat there rubbing my temples. My headache had returned with a vengeance. I wondered where Carly might keep the medicine.

  He walked to my side, extending his hand to help me up and then leading me into the other room to sit at the small table. I noticed that my headache had completely disappeared as soon as he’d touched me. His scent mixed around the odor of food, both of them making my mouth water.