BOX SET: Shifter 4-Pack Vol 2 (Wolf Shifter, Dragon Shifter, Mafia, Billionaire, BBW, Alpha) (Werewolf Weredragon Paranormal Fantasy Romance Collection)

by Candace Ayers

  “Amber’s right,” William said. “They are the reason Avondale is no longer passable. My father told me when I was a young child that it wasn’t wolves in there.”

  “Are they werewolves?” Jessica asked. “I thought those were just folktales.”

  “There may be such a thing as werewolves,” William said. “Who am I to say, but these don’t fit the bill. They’re something else. I mean, look at the moon. It’s only half full. These guys had the ability to change back and forth as they chose. You didn’t see it, Jessica. But before Dunstan got slices of his chest torn out, the monster was a man again. I heard them talking for a moment while I ran to help. These creatures were half demon and half man. And they got to choose which they wanted the world to see.”

  Jessica put her head into William’s chest and rubbed his large belly.

  “What do you need us to do?” William asked looking at Amber.

  Amber told him.

  “I’m thinking in a couple of hours, most of the town will have gone to sleep. It’s not far, but we have to be quick and we have to be quiet. No one can know.”

  “Jessica,” William said, “We’ll have to take you home. Though you’re of age, we’re not married. Your parents will be expecting you.”

  “They won’t like it, but if I tell them the truth, that it’s for Amber, they’ll understand. Probably make my brother go with me.”

  “That works for me. Your boyfriend, Amber, is one massive man,” William said. “He damn near broke my back picking him up. He’s heavier than I am.”

  Amber smiled, and realized she was feeling a little better just talking to them.

  She thanked them both and went back into Mrs. Sadlers. “We’ll see you soon,” Jessica whispered to her as she left.

  Back inside, Old Abbie was already gone— probably to talk to the mayor. Mrs. Sadler finished wrapping Dunstan up in bandages and then went into another room. Dunstan was pale but breathing deeply.

  She came back holding a steaming cup of tea.

  “Drink this,” she said. “It will calm your nerves.”

  Amber took it from her. It smelled like mint mixed with spring flowers.

  “Where are your parents? Have you talked to them or seen them?” Sadler asked.

  “Oh, Gods! I don’t even know!” Amber said. “Are they OK?”

  “Sit, sit. I’m sure they’re fine. I’ll ask one of the men out front to check for you. If they’re not, we’ll deal with it. But right now, drink and rest.”

  Whether it was her fried nerves, the tea, or a combination of both, Amber soon had trouble keeping her eyes open. It was strong, whatever it was. Unaware, she fell asleep in an arm chair facing Dunstan, and was startled and disoriented when she saw Jessica above her waking her up.

  Her brother was with her, and so was William. They told her it was well past midnight when she asked what time it was.

  William lifted Dunstan under the arms as he had before, taking on a majority of his weight. Martin lifted his right leg and Amber and Jessica took his left. Even with all of them, it was a feat of strength getting him to the wagon. Mrs. Sadler walked ahead and opened the doors and gates, and bravely got underneath him and pushed up on his midsection to help get him into the wagon. Dunstan never even stirred or moaned in pain.

  Amber almost screamed when she saw who else was in the wagon with him.

  The gray wolf-man Dunstan had pierced through the heart lay dead, with its jaws hanging open, displaying numerous carnivorous teeth too jagged and sharp to fully mentally grasp.

  “Are we sure it’s dead?” Amber asked.

  “You only ever see a tongue that purple on something dead,” Martin said.

  “Why is it in there?” Amber asked.

  “Cover story,” William said. “That my dad actually asked me to do. He doesn’t want the people parading it. Says it will only make things worse.”

  Amber couldn’t stop staring at it. Couldn’t stop thinking it was a miracle Dunstan was still alive and that it was dead. Its claws seemed to be five times the size of a normal man’s hand.

  “You two walk ahead. We’re going to cross Erith Stream and take it to the woods,” William said.

  They agreed.

  Jessica wrapped her arm around Amber and put her head on her shoulder.

  “Some Spring Festival, huh?” she said to Amber. “At least we got to walk out with our people. Everyone knows I’m with William and that you’re with Dunstan. Maybe now we’ll stop being accosted by the town boys.”

  “Not exactly at the top of my mind,” Amber said.

  “I know,” Jessica said. “Making small talk. Avoiding the inevitable question.”

  “Which is?”

  “That after 70 or 80 odd years of relative peace, our town was attacked tonight. Seemingly because of Dunstan.”

  Amber didn’t say anything.

  “Whatever he did, he pissed them off good, huh?”

  “I’ll say,” Amber said. “He’s good at that.”

  They continued on, and Martin and William returned from dumping the wolf’s body in the woods as they reached the shed.

  William positioned the cart as best he could near the door, but it was still going to be an ordeal moving Dunstan’s large frame without hurting him or making a lot of noise. They managed, but all of them were panting and red in the face as they lowered him down to the wood paneled floor. Amber and Jessica managed to wrap him up in the blankets that Mrs. Sadler had given to them, and by the time they were finished, he looked right comfy.

  Amber thanked all three of them for helping her.

  Martin surprised her and said, “I saw how he fought that monster. Anything for him.”

  “He was the bravest among us tonight,” William said. “I can’t believe the town thinks he’s to blame.”

  Jessica took Amber’s hands and said, “Your parents think you're still with Mrs. Sadler. Are you sure you’re going to be OK? I can stay with you if you need me to.”

  “No, go home and sleep. You’ve done so much already,” Amber said. “It’s warm enough in there, and I’ve got an oil lamp I can keep on a low flame to see if I need to.”

  Jessica hugged her and climbed into William’s carriage with the boys. William spurred the horse and they rolled away quickly and quietly, leaving Amber finally alone with Dunstan.

  For a moment, the storm of the evening seemed to pass and she was grateful for all that had transpired. She was about to be alone with Dunstan. Her Dunstan, who, for some mysterious and magical reason, was okay. She didn’t care why, only that he was and was going to live through this.

  But then she remembered they were in hiding and her heart resumed its anxious beating. She went inside the shed and closed the door tightly. Dunstan moaned and shifted his back.

  What did you do, Dunstan?

  What have you started?

  She got beneath the covers beside him and listened to his deep rhythmic breathing. His body gave off tremendous warmth. Any preconceived notions she had of staying up and guarding him were quickly lost.

  Her eyes closed on their own and sleep overtook her.

  She was with her man, and he was okay. The world wasn’t that bad.

  CHAPTER 8

  Dunstan awoke her a few hours before daybreak. Moaning softly and twitching.

  Amber’s thoughts instantly went to the worst. Was he dying? Was he in pain?

  She checked his bandages and felt they were still dry. She put her palm to his forehead. He was cool.

  He was just having a dream.

  His hands opened and closed, and he murmured something unintelligible. He reminded her of a dog running in its sleep.

  “Dunstan, everything is OK,” Amber said. “You’re OK.”

  Somehow he seemed to hear her and relaxed. His head tilted to the side and he started breathing slowly again.

  “Amber,” he moaned.

  Shaking, heart pulsing throughout her whole body, she said, “Shh. Everything’s OK.”

&nb
sp; “Amber,” he moaned again. But his eyes didn’t open.

  She was so thankful there were no windows in the shed and that there was no one nearby. She checked the door just to make sure it was still firmly closed, which of course it was. Here was the man she desired, the man she hoped to one day marry. She knew he wanted her just as much as she wanted him.

  “Amber,” Dunstan murmured again.

  Amber rushed to his side.

  “Amber,” he said again. He turned his head again and said, “Please don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid of me.”

  He didn’t seem awake.

  “Dunstan?” she said. “Why would I be afraid of you?”

  He didn’t stir.

  He was talking in his sleep.

  Amber put her head back down and pressed into his warm body.

  Dunstan moaned as she did.

  *

  Dunstan awoke her again as the sky was shifting to a light blue. He was groaning in pain. Growling even?

  Without warning he suddenly started convulsing. Amber gasped and quickly maneuvered as far away from him as she could. Thick, white hair sprouted all over his body. His muscular thighs and chest doubled in size and popped the bandages off his chest. His hands and feet turned into animal like claws— huge talons scraped and scratched the wooden floor.

  Amber shut her eyes and turned her head away. She would not scream, she would not scream. This was Dunstan before her. This was no one but Dunstan, and if he was a monster he was not like the ones in the village.

  This is what Old Abbie and Mrs. Sadler had been referring to. This was Dunstan’s secret.

  But if he could turn into this, why didn’t he do so while the town was being attacked?

  Amber watched in jubilation as his wounds faded away, leaving only clean, smooth, hairless skin. Amber inched closed and traced his scars lightly with her fingertips. He was healed.

  She checked his shoulder, and saw that the wounds from the creature’s mouth were also gone.

  Sensing her, Dunstan sprang up onto all fours and looked around frantically, knocking boxes to the floor and breaking extra mugs.

  He finally saw her and whimpered.

  “It’s OK, Dunstan, it’s only—”

  He flew through the door and ran outside on all fours.

  “Dunstan! Wait!”

  She ran after him, but he was gone. Nowhere to be seen.

  *

  Amber waited for the sun to fully rise before trying to find him. She knew she didn’t stand a chance finding him in the semi-dark.

  She found Old Abbie walking slowly along West High Street and told her what happened.

  “Where do you think he’s gone?” she asked.

  “Not far, but he’s good at hiding. You two don’t have a spot you meet? Haven’t you two been together for a while?”

  “No,” Amber said. “Only just recently.”

  “Hm. Well, he’s just embarrassed. Doesn’t want you to see his dark half. He’ll come around. I would try somewhere you know ‘e frequents.”

  “Why didn’t he turn last night to fight those monsters? Isn’t he strong as one of them?”

  “Of course ‘e is! A thousand times stronger!”

  “But why—”

  “Because he’s only just begun to step foot in this community again. He’s participating. He has a potential good job in the making. He didn’t want to ruin it.”

  “He almost died,” Amber said.

  “People go through great lengths to hide their dark sides from the world. And now you’ve seen ‘im. His great love! Don’t be surprised. And don’t think any the lesser of him for runnin’. If he’s still turned, he’ll smell you— an’, more importantly, hear ye. Go somewhere along the ridge. Let ‘im know you’re looking for ‘im. He’ll come back.”

  Amber thanked her.

  Lovers’ Tree. That’s where she needed to go. It was right at the base before the land dropped suddenly into the flatter areas of the Valley. If she needed to hide from everyone, Dover Valley would be the place she’d go. She would call for him there.

  *

  She sat down on the ground beside Lovers’ Tree and looked through the trees hoping she would see him. She was completely dressed for the wrong occasion she only then realized. She was still in her gown and heels from the Spring Festival, but she couldn’t go back. He needed to know she didn’t care what he was. She loved him for who he was.

  “Dunstan!” she said aloud, hoping the giant ears on his head would hear her. “I’m here at Lovers’ Tree! Come back! Please don’t be afraid. Come back!”

  Her gown fluttered from a breeze that didn’t rustle the trees, and she turned around. He was behind her with his back to her, still as a wolf. His white fur was coarse and thick, rising and falling as he breathed. He was truly massive. A second later he was gone.

  He returned moments later as a man. He was dressed only in a pair of coarse cloth pants.

  “Dunstan,” she said and put a hand out to touch him. Sorrow and worry lined his face.

  “I heard them. They’re already talking, Amber. They already want me gone. They think I’m to blame. And I am, but I was only trying to protect them. I was only trying to protect Bruton.”

  Amber pulled him towards her and embraced him.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” she whispered into his shoulder. “I won’t let them do anything to you.”

  CHAPTER 9

  They sat on the ridge and looked down into Dover Valley. With no leaves on the trees yet, they could see great sprawling valleys and rippling rivers in the morning light.

  “Were you a wolf when you rescued Yannie?” Amber asked, hugging her knees.

  “No,” Dunstan said, seated beside her. “But I knew what they were then. With nothing better to do, and no mother or father watching over me, I ventured into Bowland Mountains shortly after they passed away. I always wanted to when they were alive, so I did when it became clear to me that my aunt could care less about me. I saw them jumping through the trees one evening and sailing through the air. They looked so free. Jubilant even. Enjoying simply being alive. Over time I got closer and closer.”

  “How?” Amber asked.

  “My father taught me how to hunt before I was even five, and he taught me that the first rule to a successful hunt is hiding your smell more so than your sight. ‘Know where the wind is blowing, control your scent,’ he said. ‘Blend in with the environment. Bathe in the earth and the grime, and there won’t be a single creature that you won’t be able to fell.’ I took that lesson to heart to study what I thought were forest demons.

  “It didn’t take long before I realized they operated mainly by smell. You were always begging me to take a bath, and I wanted to. I knew how bad I was. But it was important to me to get closer. To observe them. To watch them in Bowland Mountains. They were mysterious to me, magical even— and I had no fear of death. I think something was continuously whispering to me to forge on. That the future of Bruton was somehow at stake, and that what I was doing was important.

  “Living on the fringes, I was the first and only person to realize something changed when it did, when they started creeping into Bruton, closer and closer. No one simply had eyes to see them— they scanned the forest floor whenever they got away from town, thinking that if they were going to be attacked, it was going to be from ground level. Why would they look up when only birds and squirrels dwell in the trees. I should have told someone. I don’t know why I didn’t. Probably because I didn’t feel like I was a part of Bruton.

  “As you now know, they are, I mean we are, very fast, and we have an enormous ability to jump. I watched them before they infected me. I can’t tell you how many times I saw them— sitting atop trees, hoping a small child would straggle behind— maybe linger just long enough for them to swoop up.”

  “Did they?” Amber asked. “Did they ever get anyone?”

  “Not that I ever saw,” Dunstan said. “But one day one of them got really close. The Hillard�
�s children, Heath and Dana were playing in the garden off of Cannock Street that Maggie Miller opened to town. Heath lost a ball that rolled down a ways past the overlook. I had been following a wolf all morning. It was fast and agile, and, unlike the others, had a store of patience and determination for watching and waiting for a kill. The children played for a good half hour, and it never even stirred. I had never seen one sit still for so long. For a moment, I even thought that it might be guarding the children. But when Heath began to run after his ball, it shifted excitedly, and got real still, getting each foothold in the perfect placement to leap, just as a cat would leap at a ball of yarn. Thankfully Heath’s mom shouted for him to let the ball go and ordered him back up. If she hadn’t....

  “After that, I knew Heath had been only moments away from death, and I decided it was time to stop watching them and time to start hunting them— like they were hunting us.”

  “How old were you?” Amber asked.

  “Fifteen.”

  “You were braver at fifteen than most men are able to achieve in an entire lifetime,” Amber said.

  “What happened to you? I mean… how did you…?”

  “When I got turned?”

  “She nodded.”

  “I was hunting a black wolf who had been getting bolder and bolder. He spent a few nights on a limb right next to town. I knew it was only a matter of time before someone was close enough for him to pounce. These are calculating creatures, and, as calculating creatures, were subject to the mind’s flaws: habit and assumption. If a branch is strong and sturdy, has been safe to survey the town from for nine times in a row, then it’s likely it will be safe the tenth time. Moreover, on that the tenth time, it’s extremely likely it won’t even bother to check and see it’s safe. It will just assume. All I had to do was wait.

  “Annette Hillard walked into Cannock Park with Heath and Dana. It was apparently something they did regularly. It was there, right on time for them. I could hear it sniffing and grunting. Could feel it shifting and swaying the tree on the opposite side of me.