by Olivia Gayle
Ever didn’t answer, just nodded. Emotions Aidan could read easily spilled from her eyes however, and he knew Derek could read the gratitude there too. Aidan put his hand on the small of Ever’s back to steer her toward the truck, and felt her stiffen.
Looks like he’d pissed her off. He was pretty sure how he’d done it too.
They said their goodbyes and moved back toward the car. Ever stayed out of his reach, eyes forward and gait stiff. Aidan sighed. “Look, I…”
“Why didn’t you tell me my sister was one of you?”
She said the last part in a grumpy voice, and Aidan tried not to take offense. “I wasn’t sure until I saw that video, and at the time you didn’t even such a thing existed.”
Ever folded her arms, still not looking at him. “You should have let me know directly, not making me find out secondhand like that.”
Yes, he should have. Shit, another thing he’d screwed up with her. “I’m sorry,” he said, exhaling rapidly. “You only today found out we existed at all, I didn’t want to worry you.”
She harrumphed, then glanced back toward the kennels and his family. “So what does he turn into, a bloodhound?”
Aidan shook his head. “Derek is another bear shifter, like me.”
Ever screwed up her nose. “Is everyone in this town a bear?”
He shook his head. “Bears have one of the best noses in the animal kingdom. I could go looking for your sister too, but Derek knows these woods better than I ever will. Plus, he has more experience tracking in other ways. To answer your other question, no, we have many different shifters in Arcadia, not just bears. The Animal inside depends on the person, not genetics.”
The cellphone in Aidan’s pocket rang. He almost ignored it, wanting to make sure she understood his reasons for doing what he did, then figured it might be a lead. “Yeah?” he said, letting some of his frustration bleed through.
“You should probably get back to town, bossman.” It was Mac, and she wasn’t joking around this time. “Somebody torched your girl’s car.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
It was all gone. Her entire life had been inside that little car, and now there was only ash and charcoal.
Ever stared at the blackened husk that had been her trusty little Bug. She hadn’t even gotten around to unpacking it to the new place; she’d gotten so used to keeping everything there for those times where she needed to book it. It was still in the driveway but the fire hadn’t touched the house.
Part of her wished it had, if only because her misery could have used company.
The flames had already been extinguished before they’d arrived, but it was a total loss. Even the tires had melted to the driveway; whoever had done this had known how to make it burn hot. The sun was getting low on the horizon, and absently Ever wondered where the day had gone. So much had happened, but all she could feel was a numb blankness.
So, this is what shock feels like.
“Nobody saw anything?”
Aidan sounded pissed, and Ever was glad one of them was thinking clearly. Between her sister’s disappearance and the destruction of what amounted to all her worldly possessions, she was a little overwhelmed.
“Mark’s on the phone with the Brahm to see if anything came through on camera, but…”
The growl beside her sounded like it came more from an animal than a human throat. Ever didn’t even flinch; somehow, the idea of shapeshifters had fallen pretty low on her give-a-shit meter.
First an empty pair of shoes crossed her vision, then pants landed in a crumpled heap beside her feet. She looked down at them, then over to Aidan as he shifted. The Change rippled across him, hair sprouting along his arms and legs first. He grew in size, his body expanding as he fell on all fours. Fingers shrunk as palms grew, nails darkening as thick brown hair sprouted from every pore. It happened all within the space of about fifteen seconds, and a large bear was standing before her.
Ever watched this all dispassionately, wincing only when his beautiful face grew a snout and expanded. It was strange, but not disgusting. Part of her was intrigued by the shifting; how did his body even do all that? Was it painful?
Oddly enough, no part of her was repulsed by what she’d seen.
“Bears have a sense of smell twenty-four hundred times more powerful than the human nose.” Mac, the female officer Ever had met earlier, stepped up beside her. “He might be able to track the person who did this more quickly than regular police work alone.”
Ever said nothing, only stepping aside as the bear moved toward them, head waving around trying to get scents. It paused briefly, then turned to look at Ever, and her heart clenched. Those amber eyes were the same she’d seen in Aidan’s face before. He was in there, somewhere; she could feel him staring back at her. She took a tentative step forward, then another, then the bear leaned forward and butted its forehead against her belly.
The touch was soft, almost cautious. Ever’s hands automatically went to the giant head, wider than she was, and her fingers dug into the thick fur. The bear wuffled, pressing against her as Ever ran her hands over his head and along the muzzle. She’d never felt anything like this; her arms couldn’t even go around the creature’s head, but she wasn’t afraid. The small ears atop his head, almost buried in the hair, reminded her of a teddy bear, and without thinking she threw her arms around his head and hugged the bear close.
A kernel of emotion moved in her heart, pushing through the numbness. She wanted this, all of this. All the crazy, furry insanity that her life had become the last couple days. Her grip tightened around the thick hair.
Mine.
All Ever wanted to do at that moment was cling to the bear and try to absorb the raw power she felt beneath that fur. But right now, they had other things to worry about. She didn’t realize a tear had leaked from one eye until she pulled away, and scraped at it with the cuff of her shirt. “Find that son of a bitch,” she murmured.
The bear nodded, a human gesture that looked odd on the animal, and resumed its roaming of the area. Both Mac and Ever followed behind him, the spinning red-and-blue police lights creating odd shadows in the growing darkness. The trees that lined the street blocked out the sun, making it feel later than it was.
Ever knew when he found something, because a shiver went through the bear’s body. The thick hair rippled as if with a breeze, but there was no wind. Then he turned down the driveway, his thick legs propelling him fast toward the street. Ever turned to follow him, only to have Mac’s hand on her arm stop her.
“You won’t be able to keep up. Come on, we’ll take the car until he leaves the road.”
*
Only in Arcadia would a giant bear running down the street not seem like a problem to any citizens.
Aidan was moving at a fair clip down the neighborhood streets, obviously following a trail of some kind. He’d occasionally stop as if checking his direction before taking off again. The speedometer of the car almost got to forty miles per hour when he finally turned off the road and off into a copse of trees.
“Looks like we’re on foot here.”
Mac parked the car and Ever popped out, jogging after the bear. Aidan had slowed his pace quite a bit which was good, because there was no way she could have kept up otherwise. The ground here was uneven, and came to an embankment where a seasonal stream had clearly carved out a gully. Aidan leaped down it no problem while Ever made her way more carefully, sliding along her butt. She reached the bottom only to have Aidan cut her off, his eyes on something across the wash.
“Don’t come any closer, Sheriff, or I’ll do it.”
Atop the opposite embankment stood a young man, one arm raised high. Ever couldn’t see what he held in his hand, but it wasn’t pointed at them so it probably wasn’t a weapon.
She hoped.
“Kevin, what the hell?” Mac sounded incredulous as she joined them. The muddy ground didn’t seem to bother her much, and belatedly Ever wondered what kind of shifter the other woman was. �
��Since when do you resort to vandalism?”
The way the deputy spoke to the stranger made him sound like a teenager, but he looked to be about the same age as Ever. In her experience however, human shifters were notoriously difficult to age so maybe was old enough to be Ever’s grandfather.
Maybe someday, she’d be able to get her head around that better.
Even without her glasses, Ever could see the sneer on the other man’s face as he stared down at them. “You’re all so pathetic,” he called out. “Living out your lives, doing nothing with the gifts you’ve been given.”
Aidan’s attention was fixed on the man but Mac glanced at the bear, then at Ever, a concerned look on her face. “Kevin,” she said in a soothing voice, “just put the lighter down.”
Lighter? Only when she heard that did Ever notice the red container beside the man’s feet. The wind shifted, bringing with it the faintest hints of gasoline. A sick feeling settled in Ever’s chest.
A high-pitched laugh, laced with lunatic joy, spilled from his lips. He raised both hands to the heavens. “Luna, I give myself unto your embrace!”
“Kevin, no,” Mac cried out, sprinting toward the other man.
Too late.
Flames erupted seemingly out of nowhere around the man, and the insane laughter almost immediately turned to shrieks of pain. Ever was frozen in place, unable to look away from the horror before her.
The man called Kevin, or a flaming shape of him, ran a few yards down the embankment, still screaming, before tripping over a tree and falling. Mac was on him in an instant, batting at the flames around the writhing shape, but nothing she did made a dent.
When the smell hit her, Ever felt her gorge rise at the combination of sight and scent. Then arms wrapped her shoulders, and a man’s torso blocked out the view. It was such a Hollywood cliché, shielding the little woman’s face, but in this instance Ever couldn’t complain. She clung to Aidan’s naked body, shivering, as the screaming turned to gurgles and, finally, stopped altogether.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
They had nothing. No leads, no reasons why Kevin would take his own life.
Night had long since fallen but Ever was still at the police station. She was left alone for the most part, which didn’t do her any favors. It was impossible to get the images or the sounds out of her head of Kevin Reynolds’ last moments alive.
Apparently, Shifters could be killed if one tried hard enough.
Mac sat nearby, both of her hands wrapped in white bandages. A tall, wiry man Aidan had introduced as Marcus hovered over her, ignoring everyone else in the room. Ever would have bet money he was the deputy’s mate.
As Ever watched, he delicately unwound the bandages from Mac’s hands. The white gauze was discolored with blood and other fluids closer to the skin, but the skin beneath was a healthy new bright pink. Gone were the blisters and blackened skin that Ever had seen and helped treat earlier.
Maybe in another moment, Ever might have been amazed. Now, she was just tired and trying hard not to cry.
Helplessness was so not fun.
Somebody sat down beside her, a hand sliding across her shoulders, and Ever flinched even though she immediately recognized Aidan. “It’s been a rough day,” she murmured in way of apology. “I’ve never watched anyone die before.”
Aidan nodded. “Come on, let me take you home.”
*
The small house they pulled up to definitely wasn’t the hotel from the previous night.
“This your place?” she asked, leaning against the car door.
“Yup. Home sweet home.”
A nearby street light illuminated the area, as did the front porch light to the house. It was a quaint single story with cement pavers to the stairs leading up to the front door. There was even a bench swing on the porch, and a white picket fence along the front.
Basically, it was the house she’d always dreamed about growing up.
She tried not to show how much she liked it, but her fingers lingered on the small gate. It was difficult to see much in the darkness, but the full moon above gave an ethereal glow to the small area. The magic of the house was accented by the occasional flash of a lightning bug across the open space. “Nice house,” she murmured, a smile tugging at her lips.
“Let’s go inside and get you situated.”
His low voice rumbled through her, relaxing some of Ever’s tension. This time, when his hand landed on the small of her back, she didn’t move away from his touch. It felt curiously right and maybe when Ever wasn’t so weary she’d examine why she felt that way. For now, she allowed him to lead her into the house.
Ever didn’t know what she expected—maybe a bachelor pad like most of her guy friends’ apartments—but the coziness and almost old-world charm was a surprise. There was a lived-in feel to the house, and she wondered how long he’d been here. The couches and chairs were mismatched, much like the rest of the decorations, but it was comfortable and homey. Everything looked well-worn, as if they’d seen a lot of life.
“I seem to have inherited all the homebody genes in the family.” Aidan moved ahead, sheepishly picking up the plates and cups on the coffee table and moving them to the kitchen. “Most of my siblings chafe at anything more civilized than a shack in the woods.”
Ever nodded. She understood that feeling. Over the last few years, the road had felt more like home than any single location. But this house seemed to draw her in almost immediately, beckon her to stay. Maybe that should have scared her—being a gypsy had defined her for so long—but for now, she appreciated the comfort.
Aidan looked nervous, which Ever found adorable. It felt like her emotions were behind a hazy wall; it was like watching television with fuzzy reception. Worry over her sister’s safety had been on her mind constantly for two weeks. Ever hadn’t realized what a drain that had been until this moment. So, for the evening at least, she let the emotion go and focused on the moment.
On the gorgeous man before her.
If Aidan noticed a change, he didn’t show it. “Let me show you the guest room.”
He had put on another uniform at the police station, and Ever’s eyes drifted to his backside as they moved through the hall. She’d seen him naked, but always before there hadn’t been time to really appreciate the sight. What she did remember however was tantalizing, making her want another peek.
Like at his ass. She definitely remembered that, but wouldn’t mind a refresher.
He led her into the large room at the end of the hall. Ever stopped at the door, looking around the room. The master bedroom was huge, almost as big as the entire living room. The bed in the center was large and heavily built, matching the similar furniture. Ever ran her fingers across the top of one set of drawers. “Did you make this?” she asked, looking back at him.
Aidan’s eyes snapped from where her hand was touching the wood to her eyes, and for a moment he seemed at a loss for words. She found his obvious discomfort…cute. “Ah, no,” he said, “my father used to dabble in carpentry before, well, before my mother left him.”
Ever frowned. “What exactly happened?”
“She found her mate. They both knew it could happen eventually. My mother has a calming influence on certain shifters, especially the older ones, which my father needed sometimes. They were friends, but…” He shrugged, looking away. “After she left, he became more of a recluse. That was about forty years ago; these days, he rarely leaves the mansion except for emergencies.”
There were more questions Ever wanted answers for, but right now she was intrigued by the man before her. He seemed nervous, almost jumpy; whenever she’d take a step toward him, he’d fidget and take a step away.
That fact didn’t dissuade her, it only made Ever bolder.
She stepped across the room toward him, her steps muffled by the thick carpet. One corner of her mouth tipped up as he scrambled backwards, almost falling backwards over an end table. He reached out a hand to stop her. “Ever….”
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nbsp; This close to him, she had to look up to see his face. As she watched, his eyes bled to amber, biceps flexing as if holding himself back. Ever cocked her head sideways, her lips turning up into a grin, then stepped in close so that his hand closed around one breast. “Yes?” she all but purred.
Aidan’s throat worked, and she could feel his hand tremble against her. Ever had never been this forward sexually; she preferred to be pursued, to be romanced. But she was tired, and she was horny, and she’d never wanted another man as much as she wanted this one right now.
Judging by the bulge in his khakis pressing against her belly, Aidan was feeling much the same.
His other hand slid up her arm to her shoulder, but he didn’t move the hand across one breast. He seemed transfixed by it, and when his thumb moved across Ever’s nipple through the thin cloth, she moaned. Liquid heat pooled between her legs, an aching need radiating through her body.
“You don’t understand,” he murmured, eyes desperate, “I could…you’re human, and so fragile.”
Fragile? Ever snorted, glaring at him, then took a step back and pulled her shirt over her head, leaving only her bra. Aidan’s sharp intake of breath made her bolder, and she wound her arms around his back, raking her nails up over his ass.
Aidan’s hands gripped her shoulders, fingers digging into her skin. She’d probably have bruises later, but she reveled in his touch. “Ever,” he growled, the word a warning and a plea. His eyes were bright amber, almost yellow, and stared down at her desperately.
Her heart softened, and she lifted one hand to touch his face. “Fuck me, Aidan,” she whispered, staring at his gorgeous lips as they parted at her words. “Please.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“Fuck me Aidan. Please.”
There was no way for him to deny her plea. It would have been impossible to try anyway.
With a growl, he grabbed her under the arms and lifted her high, pushing her back against the empty wall beside them. Ever gasped, wide eyes on him, but Aidan was past caring. “I told you to be careful,” he said in a harsh voice before pressing himself against her and taking her mouth.