by Day, Vella
Embracing Fate
Hidden Hills Shifters
Book 4
Vella Day
Copyright © 2015 Vella Day
EMBRACING FATE
Copyright © 2015 by Vella Day
Kindle Edition
www.velladay.com
[email protected]
Cover Art by Scott Carpenter/Sahara Kelly
Edited by Rebecca Cartee and Carol Adcock-Bezzo
Published in the United States of America
E-book ISBN: 978-1-941835-13-5
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief questions embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Other Books by the Author
About the Author
Chapter One
Officer Cord Triggert stalked down the alley behind the Cove Bar in his panther form, patrolling the area for potential crimes. The slightly warm breeze on the moonless evening invigorated him just like being alone in his life did. While he didn’t anticipate much action on a Thursday night, he remained vigilant.
When he reached the main drag of the small town, he stopped and sniffed, trying to detect any humans nearby. Shifters didn’t flaunt their presence by strutting down the street in animal form, so before he shifted back to a human, he wanted to make sure no one was watching. He’d already shocked one elderly lady to death in Virginia when he changed right in front of her, turning from his panther form to that of a bear. Cord had cursed each and every day since then for his unique talent.
Once human, he proceeded down the street, keeping an eye out for any strange behavior. Other than the noise coming from the Cove Bar, Hidden Hills, North Carolina appeared to have settled in for the night.
He still couldn’t believe he’d only arrived six months ago and that the small town had grown on him so fast. No one bothered him much, and that suited him just fine.
Just when he thought he could head home, the faint scuffling of feet, followed by grunts sent his adrenaline soaring. Something was going down a few blocks away—and it didn’t sound good.
He sprinted to the next crossroad and ducked down the darkened alley, feeling like goddamn Superman, needing to change in private. Wanting to reach the possible altercation as quickly as possible, he chose to shift into his panther form instead of becoming a lumbering bear.
As he raced toward the fight, his senses caught the whiff of blood. Muscles burning, he stretched and pumped, his feet gaining purchase on the alley’s hard packed gravel. Fists striking bone jacked up his urgency. When he reached Harper and Fur Street, he halted then crouched down, wanting to assess the situation before he charged in. It was a dark night, and the lamp dangling from one of the walls probably wasn’t enough to expose his position, but he stayed out of sight just in case. The precaution wasn’t strictly necessary because the attackers seemed too busy beating the living crap out of someone to notice him.
“Pay what you owe, you little fucker, or the next time we’ll kill you,” the man in the flannel shirt shouted as he punched the man in the gut again.
Oh, shit. This was more than a random mugging. Cord had three choices at this point. One, change into a human and fire a few warning shots to make them stop. Two, stay in panther form and charge, teeth bared, hoping they’d hightail it out of there, or three, shift into his bear form. The latter seemed the safest bet in case they were armed.
Right now, Cord was glad he could make the transformation without emitting the signature blinding blue flashing light, like every other shifter in the world. The muscle stretching and bone cracking hurt like a mother whenever he went from panther to bear, but he had little choice.
Once shifted, Cord stood tall and pawed his furry arms in the air. He roared then inhaled to memorize their stench.
The attackers released the man, and he fell into a heap at their feet. The one in the flannel shirt shouted a few obscenities, the second one—wearing a backward baseball cap—looked like he was ready to piss in his pants, and the third man froze. As much as Cord wanted to arrest all of their sorry asses, he needed to help the injured man first. He’d track down the assailants later. If the beaten man owed them money, he probably knew these goons, so finding them shouldn’t be difficult.
“Run,” Mr. Flannel Shirt shouted as he took off down the alley. His two other partners in crime quickly followed. Thankfully, no shots were exchanged.
Cowards.
As soon as the attackers disappeared from view, Cord returned to his human form and rushed over to the man, who didn’t look much more than a kid. After a few moans and a litany of swearing, the man rolled onto his side then tried to stand. Most likely, he had a cracked rib or two from all those blows and needed to stay still.
“Take it easy,” Cord said, guiding him back to the ground.
The man spit out a mouthful of blood and pressed a palm to his ribs. “Mother fuckers robbed me.”
For good reason. If what they had said was true, more than likely the men were trying to get their due. Cord tapped the mic on his shoulder to contact dispatch, gave them his location, and requested an ambulance. While the young man might object to a trip to the hospital, the cut chin would surely require stitches.
“The ambulance will be here soon. What’s your name, son?”
“Brody Capshaw and I’m not your son. I’m not a freak.” That came out with a lot of contempt, but underneath, Cord could sense the boy was scared. He didn’t need to be an empath to figure out that much. To be honest, this was the first time anyone in this accepting town had shown him animosity.
“You’re lucky I was the one to rescue you. Most humans wouldn’t have gone against three men.” His attitude hardly came out professional, but he wasn’t in a generous mood tonight.
Brody turned away, swiped at his lip, and then touched his eye that was now swollen shut. Cord bet Brody had no idea how close he’d come to dying, and as much as Cord wanted to lecture him about the perils of taking on more debt than he could afford, he figured right now, that little talk would land on deaf ears.
The ambulance arrived less than five minutes later, and after a bit of persuading on Cord’s part, Brody let the paramedics place him on the gurney.
“I’ll follow behind,” Cord told the driver.
Not only did he need Brody’s statement, he was worried about the kid. Cord had exhibited a lot of the same anti-social behavior growing up, but his stint with the DEA had helped give him a better perspective on life.
Once the ambulance took off, Cord jogged back to his unmarked SUV. He didn’t hurry though, since he probably couldn’t get in to see the kid until after the doctors checked him out.
By the time he parked and entered the emergency room area, his own anger had surfaced. He’d seen too many k
ids throw their life away, all under the name of trying to be a man.
Cord strode up to the nurses’ station and flashed his badge. “I need to take Brody Capshaw’s statement. Can you let me know when I will be able to speak with him?”
To ensure entrance, Cord could have mentioned Brody was a possible suspect in a crime, but he had no proof the kid had done anything illegal, other than get in over his head.
The woman tapped her computer. “They just took him into X-ray. If you won’t be long, you can speak with him while they’re readying the machine.” She directed Cord toward the proper hallway.
“Thanks.”
He planned to ask for the attacker’s names, jot down the boy’s address, and head back to his apartment. He’d fill out his report tomorrow.
As he neared the X-ray department, his head started to throb, and strange sensations of despair and anger filtered toward him. Panthers in general could tell when a person was lying or if they were distressed, but this was different. Too often, his bear side interfered with his abilities, reminding him once more how different he really was.
When he reached the Diagnostic Imaging Department, the admissions nurse stopped him. He told her he needed to speak with Brody for a moment.
“I don’t think you should go in there.”
She was probably worried the X-rays would harm him. They wouldn’t. “I won’t be long.”
He flashed her his badge, and that seemed to do the trick. She told him Brody was in room number three. As Cord neared, more unnamed feelings coursed through him, but he chalked it up to not having eaten in while. Whenever he changed into his bear form, he used a lot of energy.
Cord lightly tapped the door, and the second he stepped inside, an unexpected wave of sexual energy assaulted him. The most beautiful woman he’d ever seen stood over Brody. She was tall, with long auburn waves tied loosely behind her neck. She had a delicate face and the most exquisite moss green eyes he’d ever seen. A combination of anguish and frustration rolled off her in waves. He’d never received this kind of reading from anyone before, but he didn’t have time to wonder why.
Her nametag read Piper. “Piper, I need to ask this young man some questions about his attack.”
She stood back and a look of indignation crossed her features. “Officer, you’ll have to come back another time. He’s injured, and I need to X-ray his ribs and face.”
Surely, Piper had many patients in need of medical care, but this one seemed particularly important to her.
“It will only take a moment.” Cord never pleaded. He often threw some archaic rule at the person, and they obeyed. This time, however, he didn’t.
Piper stood up straighter and glared at him. “Please leave.”
Her posturing triggered a deep-seated need in him, but he refused to do anything about it—yet. “This man was robbed tonight. If I locate his wallet, I want to be able to return it to him.” That was lame, but he wanted to appeal to her caring nature.
“If you find my brother’s wallet, his address will be inside.”
Brother? That explained her unusual reaction. He turned to Brody. “When you’re feeling up to it, please come down to the station and file a complaint against the men.”
Brody nodded then glanced away. If the man didn’t show, Cord knew where to find his sister.
The thought of the woman made his teeth lengthen and the fur poke his skin. Christ, he was ready to shift. Perhaps the X-ray machine was giving off radiation waves that were affecting him. If he didn’t leave now, there was no telling what might happen.
“Stay in touch,” he told Brody.
Before either said anything, he rushed out, not wanting to address what had happened. If he believed what his panther Clan claimed, Cord had just found his mate, and he couldn’t be more displeased.
* * *
Piper was both upset with the cop and intrigued by him at the same time. She’d never seen a more arresting man in her life. Not only was he tall, if the way he filled out his uniform was any indication, he was packed with muscles. Those dark hooded eyes and close-cropped black hair did something to her soul. Someone that large had to be a bear shifter, but surely her friend Tasha would have told her about him—assuming he wasn’t married. Her three best friends were all shifters and were constantly trying to fix her up. If she had any say in who she wanted, she’d pick this man.
Right now, though, Piper needed to focus on Brody. “Let’s X-ray your ribs first.” She positioned him on the platform that she then tilted into a horizontal position. Once satisfied, Piper stepped into the small windowed room and pressed the button. After taking a few more images, she studied the results. While she couldn’t see any obvious break, she’d leave it up to the doctor to decide.
“Now for your cheek.”
After repeating the process, and finding nothing obviously wrong, she was satisfied her brother would be okay.
“Want to tell me what happened?” she asked Brody. He’d stumbled into trouble his whole life and she’d always claimed it was because their parents divorced when he was fourteen. She kept waiting for him to grow up, but so far, he was avoiding it.
“I was jumped by three men who stole my wallet and beat me up. I did nothing wrong.”
She’d heard this claim many times before. “Did you mouth off to them?” Brody might be twenty-three, but he often acted like a teenager.
“No. Ow.” He placed a hand on his cheek. “You’re no better than that cop, who by the way is a total freak.”
Her pulse jumped. “What are you talking about?”
“One minute he was a panther and the next he was a bear.”
She shook her head. “Hidden Hills doesn’t have panthers, and secondly, shifters only shift into one animal.” Or so her friends had said.
“I tell you this guy is different.”
Piper refrained from rolling her eyes. “You noticed him doing this while three men were mugging you?”
He shrugged then winced.
“Slide back onto the gurney.”
“I can walk back.”
With that kind of attitude, Brody might head straight home and drink himself into a stupor instead of letting the doctor fix him up. Given how messed up his face was, all those blows to the head must have rattled something inside.
“Fine. Since my shift is over, I’ll walk you back to the room.” She didn’t trust him not to leave. She picked up the X-rays to deliver to the doctor and studied her brother’s poor posture. Someone sure had done a number on him. “They’ll probably want to do something about the cut on your chin.”
“I’m good.”
Poor Brody. “If you don’t let them stitch you up, the wound could get infected. Do you want the women to look the other way when you walk into a bar?” She knew what would get to him.
“No.”
As soon as Piper led her brother down the hallway toward his exam room, she spotted the officer who’d saved him, and wondered if he planned to stay there until Brody was discharged.
Uh-oh. She hoped he wasn’t waiting around to arrest Brody. He’d been the victim, not the attacker, or so her brother had claimed.
The man caught sight of her and her pulse soared sending flutters beating against her belly. She’d never seen a more handsome man. The fact he was a powerful shifter and an officer of the law appealed to her. Sure, she’d always told her friends she wanted a rich man, but what she’d meant was that she wanted someone who could support himself.
No way was he single, though. She couldn’t be that lucky.
Not wanting to act all fan-girl on him, she escorted Brody to the exam room. “Will you need a ride back to town for your car?”
“Yeah.”
Piper wished there was something else she could do for her younger brother. He always seemed so troubled. “I’ll wait for you then.”
Brody smiled then winced. As she stepped from the room in search of his doctor, she glanced back at the nurses’ station where the hunky savior had b
een standing, but he was gone. Disappointment swept through her, but she was glad he’d left Brody alone.
Piper felt bad. She’d been rude to him when all he’d wanted was to ask Brody a few questions. If she ever saw the officer again, she’d apologize. Surely, he’d understand that she was upset over her brother’s injuries.
Brody said the man had shifted into a bear. Not only was one of her friends, Tasha, a bear shifter, Emmaline had recently married one. Between them, they would surely know this man’s name—and Piper had every intention of finding it out and speaking with him.
Chapter Two
Cord hadn’t done much socializing since moving to town, but he’d made friends with Dr. Storm Durant when he’d had the department’s physical. A few of the men where Cord worked were aware of his unique double-shifting talent, but it wasn’t something he went around telling people. Because Storm was his physician, Cord had mentioned his ability to shift into either form, hoping Storm knew of other cases—but he hadn’t. Thankfully, his new friend didn’t treat him any differently because of it.
“Glad you wanted to go out,” Storm said as they entered the Cove Bar. “I think I mentioned it a while ago, but Cheyenne is with her dad. Today is the anniversary of her mom’s death. They always spend it together, and I didn’t feel like sitting home alone.”
“I hear ya. I was glad you called. I had a long day and could use a drink to unwind.”
It was not quite seven, yet the music was already rather loud. Cord was glad there were a few empty tables. In the mood to watch rather than interact, he suggested they sit against the wall.
“Sure.”
Cord hadn’t been kidding about having a long day. After he’d filled out his incident report on the Brody Capshaw beating, he’d gone in search of the man’s missing wallet. Having been near Brody for close to an hour yesterday, the man’s scent was fixed in Cord’s brain. Once he shifted and used his keen sense of smell, he found the wallet rather quickly. The attackers had tossed it behind the dumpster, but when he picked it up, it had been streaked with a rancid goo.