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

by Candace Ayers

  That’s when I first heard the moon, just as my mother had promised me I would hear it someday. So surprised, I hardly noticed it at first. The second time, it was crystal clear. I felt the moon urge me to get moving. So I did. One clumsy step at a time, I inched around my bed and looked for safe ground.

  Wiping away a trickle of tears, I cried for my mother again. Why wouldn’t she answer? She was always there when I was afraid. Only the moon replied, and it pointed me the way out. The singular path left was through my large window, so I hurried around the creeping flames.

  Every moment was harder to see, to breathe. I looked around outside, seeing the comfort of the dark night. It took all of my strength to lift myself out of the windowsill and out of the house. Only a few feet below were the remains of the garden. The dirt was hot and I scrambled out in a rush, looking for my family and safety.

  There was mud from recent rainfall and I crawled through it, cool and damp against my hot skin. I made myself move forward towards the darkness, and kept an eye out for anyone. My nightgown dragged along clumsily but I didn’t stop until I reached the protection of a tree. Once I was there, I spun back to what was left of my home.

  In the dirty clouds of smoke, I watched. There were figures moving around and shouting, shadows against the flames, looking like demons sent to drag us to hell. Somehow they had never noticed me. Mother had said before that scary men existed, but I hadn’t thought they would ever really come.

  I thought they were stories to keep me from running off. But it was true, and they were here, and they made my family disappear. I was alone. Though the moon was there, it could not wrap me in its arms and shield me from the world. No one could do that for me now.

  The nightmare overwhelmed me as the flames suddenly rushed forward. The fire took over my lungs and limbs, burning. It tugged at my nightgown and swallowed me whole. My body was stiff and I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t-

  “Remy!”

  My eyes opened and my scream was cut short as Benjamin shook me. My mouth hung open in shock with my heartbeat thudding loudly against my eardrums. I stared at him as I realized it had only been a dream. It wasn’t happening, I wasn’t on fire, and I was safe.

  I couldn’t talk even when he let go of me. It took me another minute to collect myself and calm my racing heart. Benjamin watched me stand and lean against the cavern wall for support. He waited patiently for several minutes, arms crossed.

  “Are you alright?” He finally asked.

  I nodded. “Yes. Sorry about that.” I added after a second. If I was right, I had probably woken him up and that embarrassed me. I hadn’t done something like this before in years.

  “Bad dreams?” He asked sympathetically.

  There was no way for him to understand, and I didn’t even know where I would begin. So I shrugged. “Something like that,” I said at last. “Something like that.”

  “Yeah, it happens,” he mumbled through a nod.

  Frowning, I brushed hair from my face and looked hard at him. There was something in his expression that I didn’t quite understand. I wasn’t sure if he was insinuating something, or trying to empathize. “Have you….?” I let it hang uncomfortably.

  Benjamin ran a hand through his hair as he considered an answer. Silence hung awkwardly in the balance, neither of us knowing what to say. I watched him, trying to read the lines coupled against his forehead. I saw the white scar there on his face, and it disappeared in the creases. Either way, he was still handsome. I looked away.

  “Something like that.” We shared a look, accepting what went unsaid. He pulled away, ready to change the subject on a happier note. “It’s a clear day. Looks like there won’t be a storm after all.”

  “That’s good,” I cleared my throat. “I should get us breakfast, and then we can begin journeying again.” It was back to business for us and I stopped looking at him in hopes of concentrating on other things. I bustled about, hoping to clear my mind and forget about the dreams and the past. But before I got far, Benjamin grabbed my hand and whirled me around.

  Any composure I had built up began to slip immediately. We were close, too close. His scent surrounded me and made it harder to concentrate. I was tall, but he was taller. His eyes caught mine and I couldn’t move.

  It was the squeeze of the hand that unfettered me. Startled, I jumped and realized I had stopped breathing and took a big gulp of air. “Did you need something?” I tried to pull my hand free, but he didn’t let go. Our fingers fit together well, but I knew he did so on purpose.

  “I should come with you.” His gaze was filled with confidence. Benjamin’s claim carried no supporting argument, and he waited for my reply. This had been hinted at a few times before, but now he was putting it out there for us to face.

  I looked away. “You shouldn’t. It’s... safer.”

  “What is?” His hand touched my chin, tugging my head back to face him.

  Our eyes met and everything disappeared from my mind as I fell into those deep brown orbs. “What is what?”

  “What is safer?” He pulled me close, radiating warmth. It felt like he had lit a match on my body and it made it difficult to stay focused on the tasks at hand, to stay focused on being on my own, to stay focused on anything but the tall dark man in front of me. Swallowing hard, I tried to reign in my thoughts and focus. “Remy, you’re hiding something. After all we have been through together, don’t you think I have the right to know whatever it is you don’t want to speak of?”

  This sensitive subject was enough to help me look away. I swallowed, biting my tongue. Our relationship had started on honesty, that day in the trees. However, if he thought these questions and answers were complicated then, now he was in for a real treat. Shaking my head, I tried to find something adequate to respond with. Again he squeezed my hand, and that loosened my tongue. I couldn’t help myself.

  “Because the first change isn’t easy, Benjamin. Because the change is difficult and confusing and exhilarating. Because it is what you live for, the change.” I felt impassioned by these words and touched his chest to emphasize my concerns. “Because half of those who change for their first time don’t ever change back. Because some new changed ones don’t listen to the moon and lose themselves to the wild, Benjamin. Because I could lose you.”

  The last few words weren’t meant to spill. Gritting my teeth in mortification, I freed myself from his grasp and left the cave. There was no direction in mind, but I needed to clear my mind. He left me with this fuzzy feeling in my chest, and I wondered how I might make it disappear.

  Down the hill, it was quiet enough for me to pretend I was on my own. The glade was green and the leaves wove lightly in the warm breeze. It was a lovely site, but I couldn’t appreciate the beauty. I just needed to be alone and I needed to move.

  As I paced, I realized there were edible berries surrounding us and I put my energy to use to collect them for breakfast. This gave me a task to focus on, finding the juiciest berries without scratching myself. For an hour, I lost myself in this task. When my fingers were stained and my skirt was full of them, my nerves were gone and I was ready to return to him.

  Benjamin was still in the cave, sitting around and enjoying the sunlight. Just out of view, I observed him thoughtfully. Was he expecting anything more from me? He had this power over me, it was so hard to resist. But I had been weak that night and I didn’t intend on doing it again. We were still strangers, I reminded myself. We were hardly even friends. I began to wonder if he expected anything from me, but I didn’t know how to address any of this.

  My stomach growled, and even he would have heard that. With an inward groan, I stepped back onto the path and returned to him. He stood as I arrived, and grinned when he saw I had found us breakfast. “Glad you could save some for me,” he grinned as I dumped several plush red berries in his hands.

  I ignored him and got to the point. “Do you want to be here?”

  “What?”
>
  “With me, here. There is little reason- that is, you don’t have to stay. I need you to know that.”

  He took a step forward but I took a step back. Distance was clarity. “I am aware of that. Do you want me to leave you?”

  “I didn’t say that,” I corrected him hurriedly, refusing to have words put in my mouth. “Unless… you want to leave? Do you want to go?” Taking a deep breath, I stared at his knees instead of his face. I didn’t want to be caught up in his eyes again, for that was too dangerous. My heart thudded within my chest and I prayed to the moon to help me through this. “Well?”

  The man shrugged. It was a simple shrug of the shoulders and that’s all he could give me. It made me speechless, wondering why he would act so callous. Did he not care? Was he bored and just following me around?

  So I left again, frustrated. At least being alone gave me the space I needed to think some more. My barely developed plan for the conversation hadn’t worked but there had to be another way to discuss this with him. Whatever this was.

  Dipping my bare feet in the river, I contemplated how dreams and men were not a healthy mix in my life. They were in my way when there should only be my connection with to the moon. It was hard to focus as my thoughts wandered from the touch of his hands to the hot flames.

  Now the moon reminded me that his life had drastically changed, and he couldn’t return to his former life. Since this was my doing, I was responsible for him. He stood no chance of understanding this new world without direction. I cursed my luck. If he wanted any semblance of normalcy in his life, I had to be the one to help him learn it.

  I stood up off my rock, gathering the courage to return and address Benjamin again. But first I caught my gaze a second time in the stream and noticed the mess that my hair had become. Heat rose on my cheeks on how bad it looked as I dipped my hands in the water and tried to brush out the tangles. It worked for the most part, and hurriedly I put my long locks into a braid.

  Satisfied, I stepped away from the river and made my way back as I prepared to ask Benjamin to stay with me. Upon my return, I searched for the familiar figure but couldn’t find him. His scent was everywhere, but not until I reached the cave did it grow stronger. I turned around only to have him suddenly appear in front of me.

  I jumped in surprise. “How did you do that?”

  His wolfish grin appeared on his proud face. “I’ve been practicing. Just for you.”

  I bit my tongue in disbelieving. But it was obvious now. His scent had been too recent to discern a clear path, and his bare feet on the rocks had kept him silent. I shook my head at his childishness, and then I reminded myself of the serious matters we needed to address.

  Taking a deep breath, I dove in. “I will teach you,” I offered him. “It’s part of your life now. But not yet. For your first time, it’ll be much easier in the moonlight so we should wait at least until dusk. If you like, we can continue traveling until then.”

  To my amazement, he shook his head. “One good favor begets another. We stay around here for the day, and in the meantime I’ll teach you how to swim.”

  I stared agog for he was full of surprises. “Swim?” The word felt unfamiliar and I thought unfavorably of yesterday. Just the thought of drowning was enough to make me shiver. “I don’t need to know how to swim. That’s unnecessary. I don’t really think-”

  He cut me off. “It is necessary. And it’s even fun, as long as you know what you’re doing. And dog paddling won’t always be enough.” He had the audacity to wink at me.

  I couldn’t deny that there was something about him. Chewing on my tongue, I considered his offer. No matter how much I tried, it was agony to say no to him for anything. As much as I didn’t want to, I wasn’t sure I could resist.

  “Well?” He looked at me and ran a hand through his hair. The motion reminded me of the night his hands had run through my own hair. It reminded me of his hands on my body, it reminded me of him on me, and it reminded me of a sudden pleasure so I quickly forced myself to look away.

  With a light blush, I prayed to the moon he couldn’t read my thoughts. After a moment, I felt composed enough to reply.

  “Fine. Good. All right. Teach me how to swim.”

  “Perfect. Let’s get started.” He smiled and I allowed him to pull me by the hand back to the river. Compared to yesterday, it was now only half the size and with a light current keeping the leaves floating downstream.

  Still, I wasn’t sure how wise this idea was. I liked to be clean, and I didn’t like to be thirsty, so water was necessary. But I stared at it before us, wondering if this was a logical or safe choice. It was neither, but I couldn’t get myself to move. I stood in ankle-deep water, staring at the fish and wondering if they were mad or I was. Benjamin pulled me from my reverie as he tugged at my skirts. It made me jump, turning to him.

  He stood there before me, stripped and grinning. Hurriedly I looked away and prayed for strength because the man was clearly teasing me. I had only a second to compose myself with Ben watching and waiting as I reluctantly stripped but wavered with my shift. My fingers shook as I stared at the frayed edges, for though I had no shame or qualms of my body, I was only concerned for what other unplanned activity could happen. I closed my eyes for a second, reminding myself to not look at him.

  “Well?” He chuckled, immersing himself in the river. His body was enveloped and he disappeared. My heart skipped a beat and it was a long forty seconds before Benjamin rose, adequately soaked with water slipping over his dark bare shoulders. My breath caught.

  He wouldn’t be my undoing, I told myself, not again. Slipping off my shift, I gritted my teeth and walked in as he had done. The further I went in, the more unbalanced I grew. Just before I lost my footing, Benjamin grabbed me by the arm. He was warm against the chill of the water, and I tried to focus on standing upright rather than him.

  “I won’t allow you to escape me here,” he promised me on seeing the hesitation on my face. Somehow I found comfort in those words as he pulled me closer and our bodies collided with help of the current’s tug. He was warm and hard in all the right places, and I lost my balance. I began to slip and grabbed his shoulder. “Careful, it takes practice,” he laughed as he helped me to stand up. “Now, how well can you hold your breath?”

  I glanced at the water doubtfully, still wondering where our sanity had gone. “I’m not planning on staying under the water. I just need to survive it, Benjamin. There’s no point to holding my breath.” I swallowed, looking anywhere than at him.

  He intertwined our fingers as he spoke. “Water got in your lungs yesterday, if you don’t recall. That’s what happens when you can’t keep your mouth closed in the river. Plus, you can swim faster beneath. I’m going to hold onto you, but push you down to see how long you can go without air. Are you ready?”

  I was torn between wanting to latch myself on to him or run for shore. It was insane to believe I would go in willingly, but Benjamin believed what he was saying. And I needed to trust him. So I put the idea of solid ground to the back of my mind and he rearranged our grip to put a hand on my shoulder. Taking a deep breath, I nodded, and he pushed me down.

  The water shrouded me instantly in darkness. Fighting every nerve in my body, I closed my eyes and tried to stay still. My feet clung to the rocks at the bottom, and my other hand gripped on Ben’s arm. I couldn’t tell what was harder, holding my breath or trying to remain still against the current. It couldn’t have been more than a few seconds before my body fought for air, and I jerked upwards.

  Ben’s hand dropped away and helped me up as I gasped for air. “This is ridiculous,” I panted and shook my head to get rid of the water dripping down my face. Grabbing his elbow, I tried to stay afloat and look at him. “I’ll never be able to-”

  “Actually, you were under there for a while,” he gave me an impressed grin. “Do you want to do it again?”

  I stared. “Do I have to?”

  He hesitated. “I think you’ll be all
right, but you need to get used to being under water, and holding your breath. Soon it’ll be instinct, and that’s what we’re going for. Just once more, and then we’ll work on floating. Fair?”

  I accepted the proposal. The water no longer felt frigid so I forced myself under a second time. Now, it was easier to control my body and knew by the look on his face when I rose up again, I had stayed down longer than before. From my constant activity, it did little damage to my lungs and rising out of the water was beginning to feel refreshing rather than terrifying.

  Benjamin helped me pull my hair from my face. “Perfect. You must be a natural.” I didn’t say anything to that, though he expected something. Rubbing my eyes, I could feel his strong hands rub against my cheeks and neck and couldn’t focus on anything else. “Okay, floating. This is about regulating your breath as well, but really focusing on staying on top of the water. Now, the more air you have in your stomach, the easier it will be to stay up. You just spread your arms out, like so.” He showed me but I was still skeptical.

  It made no sense. “I’m no leaf,” I shook my head. “I’m a rock. I sink.”

  “You float,” he assured me. “I’ll show you.”

  Crossing my arms, I watched him suck in a dramatic amount of air, hold it, and flop back into the water. He went under slightly only to rise back in all his glory. I couldn’t suppress a grin this time as his eyes opened to the world above.

  “See? And you can breathe,” he added with a wink, and swam in a circle around me just by moving his arms. I wrinkled my nose, following him with my gaze. It was so improbable.

  But then again, so was swimming and he had proven me wrong thus far. After a little more convincing, Benjamin lifted me from the water and carefully helped me settle on the surface. I couldn’t let go of him, too rigid to move.

  “Stop freaking out,” he instructed me.

  “I’m not,” I muttered through clenched teeth.