Shift (Southern Werewolves Book 1)

by Heather MacKinnon

  I must have overexerted myself because everything hurt. My eyes teared, and I sniffed softly. The attack, the revelation that I would become a werewolf, the pain that was almost incapacitating me, all bubbled to the surface, and leaked out my eyes.

  It was too much for one person to handle in such a short period. My brain had almost been on autopilot, only allowing me to worry about one thing at a time. But, the controls had been reset to manual, and everything was bombarding me at once.

  What would happen to me? How would I change when I became a werewolf? Would it alter my personality too? What kind of life could I expect now? Could I continue to be a lawyer after the next full moon? Would it be safe for me, and everyone else? Am I safe from any more attacks by this serial killer? Or was he looking for me even now?

  My thoughts swirled like a tornado through my mind as the tears fell steadily, rolling down my face, and into my hair.

  A creak on the stairs interrupted my pity party. Abraham stood there, large, and imposing, but with soft, gentle eyes. I sat up, and wiped my face, but the tears continued to fall.

  “Elizabeth?”

  I waved him away. “I’m fine,” I choked out.

  He hesitated only a moment before he was across the room. This big, strong man knelt on the hardwood floor at my feet, and wrapped his arms around my body, pulling me into his warm chest.

  With that, the damn broke, and I sobbed into his shirt.

  Abraham’s large hand stroked over my hair, and down my back, over and over while I cried out my frustration and sorrow.

  “What happened? What’s the matter?” He pressed his face against the top of my head.

  “I hurt myself getting dressed,” I confessed, my voice cracked, thick with phlegm. “I think it’s just all catching up to me.”

  He sighed into my hair. “I’m so sorry.”

  I leaned back so I could see his eyes. “For what?”

  He looked away and ran a hand down his face. “This guy’s been killing humans near my territory for months, and we haven’t been able to do anything to stop it." He stood to pace the old wooden floor. “I should have already caught him. A long time ago. You, and all those other women had to pay the consequences for my failure. He hurt you,” his somber eyes met mine, “and almost killed you.” His throat bobbed up and down, fists clenched tight.

  I climbed to my feet. “You can’t take the blame for this. The authorities haven’t found him either–”

  “The police don’t have the knowledge of werewolves that we do,” he interrupted. “Or the heightened senses to track him.” He started pacing again. “We need to up surveillance and security. Maybe call in a favor from another pack,” he mused.

  “It’s not your fault,” I insisted.

  He stopped, and turned, soft eyes tracing the tracks my tears had left across my face. Approaching slowly, he swiped his rough thumb across my cheek, gathering my sorrow, and easing some of the pain. A sigh of contentment escaped my lips before I could stop it, and he smiled, leaving his hand cupping my face.

  “Better?”

  I gave him the fake smile I’d perfected at the office. “Better,” I lied.

  His eyes scanned my face, and he shook his head, lowering his arm. “What else is bothering you?”

  Guess I needed to work on making that smile more believable. Did everyone see through it like Abraham did?

  I let out a big sigh and dropped my head. “I’m scared,” I confessed.

  Those words tasted awful in my mouth, but they were the truth.

  “I told you, I’m not gonna' let anyone hurt you.”

  I shook my head. “It’s not just the threat of the killer werewolf returning. I’m also scared about what’s going to happen to me. What my future holds. I’ve had my life planned out perfectly for the past ten years and suddenly, I don’t even know what’s going to happen a month from now. Or in the weeks leading up to the full moon. My entire future is a giant question mark, and that’s terrifying for me.”

  His fingers slid under my chin and lifted my face to meet his. Blue, blue eyes stared back at me, knotting my stomach with their intensity.

  “I know how hard this must be for you, and you've been so strong this whole time. If you can just keep your chin up, I promise, I’ll handle everything else.” He pulled me into his arms, and held me for a long time.

  I stepped out of his embrace as soon as I felt strong enough. I couldn’t afford to get comfortable in his arms. I was leaving, and he was staying, and then I’d get to work on straightening myself out where this man was concerned. I just needed to keep a clear head until tomorrow when I went back to Raleigh.

  He took a look around the loft and clapped his hands together. “You got everything?”

  I nodded, and Abraham stooped to grab my bag before I could. He gathered the rest of my things and then picked me up once more. Even carrying me and my stuff, the man didn’t break a sweat. I wonder if I’d be this strong when I became a werewolf.

  He set me on my feet in the middle of the living room, and stood in the entryway, sharp eyes following every move I made. With a last look around the cozy cabin, we stepped onto the front porch, and I locked the door, tucking the key back into the lockbox.

  “What are we going to do with my car?”

  “We’ll drive it back to my place now, and I’ll have one of my men come pick up the ATV later.”

  I nodded and made my way to the driver’s side door.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Abraham asked suspiciously.

  “Getting in my car?”

  Next thing I knew, his large, warm body was pressed against mine, my breath catching in my throat. With his lips millimeters from my ear, he whispered, “I don’t think so, Ms…?”

  I gulped and closed my eyes. “Montgomery,” I whispered.

  “Ms. Montgomery,” his breath tickled the shell of my ear, and I fought off a shiver of pleasure, “I did not save your life to let you run us into a ditch because you’re trying to drive with a head wound.”

  The spell broken, I spun around as fast as my injured leg would let me, and put my hands on my hips. I had to tip my head all the way back to meet his eyes. “I’m perfectly capable of driving,” I informed him obstinately.

  He took a step closer, his chest brushing against mine, but I held my ground. “That may be. But I’m not willing to risk your safety. Now, get your cute butt over to the passenger side, or I’ll take you there myself.”

  Abraham’s eyes were serious, although a taunting grin played across his face.

  I growled, but he was right. After that dizzy spell I had in the loft, I had no business driving a car. That didn’t mean I appreciated his high-handed attitude, or that “cute butt” comment. I turned and stomped around to the other side of the car. My leg screamed in pain, but I ignored it.

  “Knew you’d see it my way,” he called gleefully.

  I met his eyes with a glare and flipped him the bird.

  “Ms. Montgomery! I’m appalled at your manners. Is that any way for a lady to act?”

  I intensified my glare before climbing into the car. “I’ll show you how a lady acts,” I grumbled.

  His loud laugh echoed around the clearing until it sounded like even the trees were mocking me. When he climbed in the car, I was staring straight out the window with my arms crossed.

  “All teasing aside,” he began, his serious tone making me turn my head to look at him, “Thank you for letting me drive. I wouldn’t let you get hurt again, but I’m sure you’d be pretty upset if you wrecked this little car of yours.”

  “Don’t be condescending toward my car. Not all of us like driving big gas guzzling redneck mobiles like you.”

  His laugh filling the small space between us was like a balm on my heart. Soothing, comforting, and somehow healing.

  And I knew.

  Just knew this man would be trouble for me.

  I just didn’t know how much yet.

  Chapter 9

 
“So, tell me about your life back in Raleigh,” Abraham requested as he pulled onto the gravel road leading away from the cabin.

  “Okay, well, I’m a junior associate at Hildebrandt & Moore in Raleigh. Hopefully, the meeting on Tuesday is for my promotion to senior level.”

  “And what comes with this promotion?”

  “Well, more pay for one. I’d also get a bigger office, more say in which cases I take, things like that.” I thought hard for a moment before continuing. “When I make senior associate, there’ll be no question about whether I can pull my weight. Everyone knows you only make senior if you work your butt off and have a great win rate. A boob job, and a bottle of bleach might be enough to land a job as a junior associate, but that’s about it.”

  He shot me a sidelong glance. “You don’t seem like the type to get a boob job, and I can see from your roots you don't need bleach.”

  I laughed. “No, I am not the type to get a boob job. Besides, you think I’d spend twenty grand for a B cup? Not likely.”

  His knuckles turned white as they gripped the steering wheel.

  “And how do you know anything about roots?”

  The corner of his lip twitched. “I have four sisters.”

  “Ha. That’s right.”

  “So, you’re obviously intelligent, and it sounds like you’ve worked hard enough to earn this promotion. Who’s doubting that?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Just about everyone there. That’s what I get for taking a job at a firm with only four other women associates. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a few genuinely good guys there, but most are chauvinistic, narrow-minded neanderthals that are about as useful as a trapdoor on a canoe.”

  Abraham’s deep laugh reverberated through the confines of the sedan. The sound satisfied me in a way I couldn’t explain. Like crawling into your bed after a long day. Peace, security, and familiarity swirled around me, and I relaxed muscles I didn’t know I’d been tensing.

  “What else is in Raleigh?”

  “Well, there's Charlie.”

  The car swerved violently to the right for a split second before regaining its place between the lines.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?!” I screeched.

  “Who the hell is Charlie?!” He yelled at the same time.

  I stared at him in shock. His jaw clenched so tight, I swore I could hear his teeth grinding from where I sat. His knuckles were ghostly white, and I feared he’d break the wheel in two.

  “I’m sorry. I thought I saw something on the road,” he answered through gritted teeth. “Who’s Charlie?” He repeated only slightly calmer than before.

  “Charlie’s my cat, Abraham. What’s wrong with you?” I repeated.

  He released a huge sigh, and his entire body relaxed. “Nothing’s wrong with me. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. You just surprised me. I thought Charlie might be a boyfriend of yours.” His words were phrased as a statement, but I knew they were meant as a question.

  I scoffed. “No. Charlie is not my boyfriend. I don’t have a boyfriend.” And I don’t want one, either. “What about you? What do you do?”

  Abraham’s demeanor had completely changed from just a few minutes ago. His smile was wide when he responded.

  “I own a construction company. We mostly flip houses, but we also do reno’s whenever they come along. We have enough men now that we can work on multiple projects at once.”

  “You seem too young to own a big construction company.”

  He shrugged modestly. “Well, we started out pretty small, just me and my cousins taking on projects in the surrounding counties. But we've expanded to South Carolina, and plan to move into Tennessee and Virginia in the next three years.”

  Strangely, I felt proud of him. “That’s pretty impressive, Mr. McCoy. You must be really good at what you do.”

  He shrugged again, but his pink cheeks told a different story. “You tell me.”

  My brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

  Abraham jerked his chin forward, and I turned to peer out the front windshield. Up ahead loomed his massive lodge. When we left earlier, it had been from the side entrance and I hadn’t been able to see much. Now, however, I could see the house in its entirety, and it was magnificent.

  A large wrap-around porch jutted off the main floor, with intermittent wall sconces between the various doors. Those walls were covered in river rocks while the rest of the house was red cedar with a gray shingled roof. The large home looked like it might have had more windows than walls, and they all reflected the afternoon sun brilliantly. Beyond the house sat a serene-looking lake, and a long dock leading out into its depths. A warm breeze blew through the open windows, bringing with it the smell of lake and pine.

  “You built this?” I asked in awe.

  He nodded. "It’s the first home I built."

  When we pulled around back, there was a tall woman with short, straight, brown hair pacing in front of the garage doors. Her beautiful features were pinched in disapproval, and I shrank in my seat.

  Abraham unfolded his large frame from the car, and strode around to the other side, calling to her over his shoulder, “Hey, Bea.”

  The woman stopped in her tracks, and I felt like I could feel the flames from her icy blue eyes.

  “Hey, Bea? You bail on an important meeting, and are gone all afternoon gallivanting around with…” her harsh gaze raked me up and down, “her, leaving me to clean up after you and all I get is a friggen’ ‘Hey, Bea’?”

  Abraham ignored her, helped me stand from my seat, and lead me toward the house. We were about halfway there when Bea stepped in our path.

  With a sigh, Abraham introduced us. “Beatrice, this is Elizabeth. Elizabeth, this is my sister, Bea.” I nodded my head, and tried for a tentative smile, but felt like my effort probably fell flat judging by the look on her face.

  She glanced at me before turning to Abraham. “This her?”

  He nodded.

  Her eyebrows rose until they disappeared beneath her bangs. “And how do you suppose this will end?” Her tone was biting and sarcastic.

  Abraham took a menacing step forward, a low growl rumbling through his chest. “It’ll be fine. There’s no other option.”

  Bea’s eyes widened, her eyebrows still hidden from view. With her jaw slack, her gaze darted from me to Abraham, and back again a few times before she closed her mouth, and shook her head. “Oh, Abey. What did you do?” she asked sadly.

  “It’s none of your business, Bea, so stay out of it. Just do your job, and I’ll take care of everything else. I assume the meeting went well, and there were no disasters while I was gone?”

  She huffed and rolled her eyes. “Yes, the meeting went well, and no, there were no disasters. I just like being kept in the loop.”

  Abraham nodded. “I can do that. If that’s all, I’ll see you later, and you can brief me. I’ll call you when I’m ready.”

  Bea jerked her head once in agreement and left without sparing me another glance.

  With a sigh, Abraham placed a hand on the small of my back, and led me toward the door. “Don’t worry about Hurricane Bea. Her bark is worse than her bite. Most of the time.”

  That was not reassuring at all.

  It took us a while to get to the third floor because I refused to be hauled around like a sack of potatoes any longer. When we finally made it, Abraham stopped a few doors down from the one we’d left earlier, and led me inside.

  The room was smaller than the other, but still large with soft looking tan colored sheets, and light blue walls except for the one made of glass. From vaulted ceiling to thick carpeted floor, the giant windows stretched, and above me, skylights were carved into the sturdy wood.

  “Is this room all right?” Abraham asked.

  I turned incredulous eyes toward him. “All right? It’s gorgeous! But why aren’t I sleeping in the room I was in yesterday?”

  His cheeks darkened, and he averted his gaze. “That wasn’t a guest room.
”

  My mind raced to figure out what I was missing.

  “Whose room was it?” I prodded.

  He met my eyes. “Mine.”

  I gulped, my breath catching in my throat, and threatening to choke me. I’d slept in Abraham’s room. I’d slept in Abraham’s bed. Is it wrong that it was making me hot just thinking about it?

  Bad, Elizabeth.

  I saw the heat in my blood reflected in his sky blue eyes, and my legs shook beneath me. He smirked and took a slow step forward. “I didn’t mind letting you have the bed the past two nights, but I have to admit, I didn’t sleep so well with half of me hanging off the sides of that little couch.”

  Another step.

  “If you’re willing to share, you could stay in my room again tonight,” he offered, his voice deep, and rough.

  I inhaled a shaky breath and shook my head. “No, thanks,” I squeaked before clearing my throat, and trying again. “This room is just fine,” I assured him.

  One last step, and he was inches from me, his warm breath rustling hairs on the top of my head, tickling my skin, and making my pulse pound in my ears.

  He has to hear it.

  “Are you sure?” he whispered, voice husky.

  With jerky movements, I nodded my head, and squeezed my eyes closed. If I saw that heated look in his eyes one more time, I'd lose all control.

  A feather light touch caressed my cheek for a second before disappearing. When I finally opened my eyes, Abraham was across the room, opening the door to leave.

  “And,” he said with a mischievous grin, “in case you’re as curious about me as I am about you, you might like to know I’m not seeing anyone either.” He walked through the door, and called back, “I’ll be across the hall if you need me.”