The Crane Curse Series Complete Boxed Set (Shape Shifter Romance)

by Liliana Rhodes

  Fighting down his bear, Erich sprouted fur along his chest and his body grew enough to make his clothes uncomfortably tight. There was no scent in the air yet he knew someone, some thing stood on the other side of the door.

  He threw the door open, ready for a fight. Pinky pulled a messenger bag off her shoulder and pushed past him. She looked different today, confident and prepared. Her hair was dyed a dark red color and she wore a pair of low rise black pants with a long sleeve cotton t-shirt.

  "I was beginning to think you weren't here," she said as she dropped her bag on a chair and pulled out a folder with a notepad.

  "How did you get back here?" Erich demanded.

  "How I always do, I walked. You know, for a big mean bear, you're really not that bright."

  Erich bared his teeth at her, still half shifted. How dare she talk to him that way! And she showed no fear of him at all. He wasn't used to that.

  "Why are you here?"

  "We had an appointment, remember? When you didn't show up, I figured I'd bring your information to you. I needed to come here anyway."

  "What for?"

  She sighed and gave him an annoyed look. "Really Erich, you need to chill. You're getting all slobbery like a rabid animal. What's your problem?" She pulled out a folder from her bag and handed it to him. "Here's everything I could find on Faith Galloway. Sad story really, but I'm sure it'll have a better ending. You know I'm friends with the Cranes. Hannah just met her dad and now she's getting an aunt, too. She's going to be thrilled!"

  "You can't tell her," he growled as he forced himself to calm down and become fully human again. "Give Faith the choice. She's had a lot to deal with."

  "I'm sure! Trust me, my lips are sealed," Pinky said then pretended to zip her lips and throw away the key. "One odd thing though, I couldn't access Faith's Social Services records without accessing the Council's records."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "It was a shot in the dark, but whenever I'm researching something and hit a wall, I can always find out a little more by coming here. I didn't think they'd have anything about an individual person, but what do you know, I entered her name into the database and pow! Penelope Crane, better known as Pea, was her mom."

  Erich shook his head. Why would the Council have these records? It didn't make any sense. "Show me these archives."

  Pinky's face turned serious as she looked at Erich. "You don't know anything about them, do you? Come, I'll show you."

  Pinky led Erich into the basement of Night Shift. With only a few lights dangling from the ceiling of the musty basement, they needed to stop and let their eyes adjust a bit before continuing. As they walked, their footsteps echoed on the concrete floor.

  He had been down there before but didn't think there were more than just supplies for the bar stored down there. Pinky walked to a dark corner and opened a door that even Erich couldn't make out clearly with his bear vision.

  The warm room hummed with the electrical sound of servers and hard drives. The lights from the equipment gave the room a soft glow. Pinky walked directly to a keyboard and monitor at the far corner of the room.

  "I usually just hack into the mainframe to access whatever data I'm looking for. Pretty much every supernatural event or being I've thought to look up is in here."

  Erich walked around the room and noticed a symbol repeating. A dragon surrounded by a ring of fire was on the cabinets, the servers, everything.

  "This doesn't belong to the Council, Pinky. I don't know whose stuff this is. Does anyone else know you come down here?"

  She shook her head as her eyes widened with understanding. "I thought they were the Council's because you, Caleb, and Joaquin have your offices here. Who else would put something so important here?"

  "Look at this symbol. Have you ever seen anything like it before?"

  Pinky looked at it and shook her head. "No, I'm usually in and out of here pretty fast so no one catches me. I never stop to look around."

  Erich thought he saw the glimmer of recognition on her face, but didn't want to push. "Have you ever looked up anyone else's name?"

  "No, only events and folklore. Faith's was the first." She typed on the keyboard and orange words filled the screen:

  Faith Galloway. Female. Witch. Father: Unknown. Mother: Penelope Crane, abandoned. Sister: Eliza Crane. Devoted, Intelligent. Witchcraft ability untested yet powerful.

  "Search for mine," he said as she turned towards the keyboard and began typing again. The screen went blank for a moment before words spread across it:

  Erich Anthony Krause. Male. Grizzly Alpha. Kapok Council Member. Father: Anthony Krause. Mother: Cynthia Krause. No Siblings. Stubborn, Short Tempered. No obvious gift other than shape shifter ability. Possibly compromised.

  "Possibly compromised?" Pinky said. "What does that mean?"

  "Nothing," he grunted as he thought about his feelings for Faith. "What does yours say?"

  She typed in her name and it quickly displayed on the screen but nothing else followed it other than the blinking cursor.

  Pinky Smythe.

  "Pinky? That's really your name?"

  "Don't get me started," she mumbled as she typed in her name again and hit enter. Her name popped up once again on the screen and after a brief moment the rest filled in:

  Pinky Smythe. Female. Talisman. Father: Jerold Smythe. Mother: Jennifer Smythe. Brother: John. Sister: Jane. Resourceful, Persuasive, Impulsive. Gift has yet to present itself, but expected to be powerful.

  "Powerful gift? Obviously whoever filled mine out was smoking something strong," she said.

  Erich put his hand up to quiet her. He moved closer to the door and sniffed before relaxing. "It’s just one of the waitresses. We should go. The bar is opening soon for the night."

  Pinky grabbed some sheets of paper off the printer and followed him back to his office. "Is there anything else you need? I'm going out of town soon."

  "No, I think everything I was looking for is in this file," he said as he held up the folder Pinky handed him on Faith. "Where are you going?"

  "My dad said they found the body of another wolf during another sweep of the catacombs where Abel was hiding out. Seems he's an old family friend and my dad thinks I should go pay my respects."

  "Bring Rafael with you. You should have protection."

  Pinky huffed and was ready to argue but Erich shot her a look that finally quieted her. "Fine, I'll bring him along. You sure you can't send someone else?"

  "No, you'll take Rafael. I'll let your father know so he won't worry, but you really shouldn't travel until we have everything with Abel squared away."

  "Okay, okay. Geez, you're worse than my dad. And all this time I thought you didn't even like me," she said and batted her eyes jokingly.

  "Get out of here," he said, laughing before growing serious. "And don't tell anyone else about the archives. I'm not sure who to trust anymore."

  ***

  Erich arrived at the house he had Abel and Faith hiding in and found Abel outside furiously working on a large metal structure. The bars were laid out on the ground, but it made Erich think of a cage. Abel looked close to implementing the next phase of his plan, but Erich didn't consider him enough of a threat without a pack to do his work.

  Erich left the folder from Pinky in his truck while taking a closer look at what Abel was doing. He didn't want Abel to suspect anything, but more than that, he wanted Faith to have time alone with what little information they could find. Erich imagined just seeing her mother's name would be difficult enough.

  Abel was heads down with his work on the metal structure as Erich walked past the house and to the area Abel had taken over.

  "You here to see the woman?" Abel said, his voice sounding odd in his state of half-shifted coyote.

  Erich cringed at the sight of him. Abel's hands teetered between human and coyote paws. His head was bald except for several tufts of reddish brown fur and his pointy ears were far back on his head. Abel was mor
e monster than human or coyote.

  "Faith," Erich said. "She has a name."

  "Of course she does, but only you have the audacity to correct me. Call that being Alpha yourself, but I know it’s more. She's charmed you, hasn't she?"

  Erich felt the ferocity of the bear awaken within him. The bear loved Faith as much as he did, perhaps more, but he refused to believe it had anything to do with witchcraft. Even the thought of it was ridiculous.

  He pushed back on his bear spirit, taking control over it before the bear forced the change and attacked Abel. Even as human, there was nothing in Erich's mind that could make him happier than shutting up that smug face once and for all. If only he hadn't promised Faith he wouldn't hurt him. If only.

  "I'll take your silence as affirmation," Abel said, not looking up from his work. "It’s quite alright, you know. Her gift, while powerful, has its limits and she is no longer useful to me. I'd let her go if this stupid human wasn't so attached. It’s neither here nor there though, it'll all be done soon enough."

  "What are you planning?" Erich asked.

  Abel scoffed. "Do I look stupid to you, bear? You think just because you've befriended me that I'm going to tell you everything? Don't think for a second that I didn't know what was going on and still is. I used you. I knew the Council was getting close. You were my escape. I knew back then you were charmed by my witch."

  "I'm not charmed by her," Erich said, feeling the raging bear raise its head and bellow from within.

  "No? You love her? You're really that foolish, aren't you? I suppose we all were at one time though," Abel said thoughtfully. "If you really want to prove your love for her, then step down from the Council. That'll be the proof. She only has such a strong hold on you because of your station. You'll always be Alpha, there's no denying that, but you don't have to take all the responsibilities. Leave the Council and see if you still love her. It’s really simple, Erich. Where are your priorities?"

  "I know my priorities, Abel. And it’s clear you chose yours years ago. I won't make the same mistakes you did."

  Angry, Erich turned from Abel and went up to the house thinking he would just take Faith away with him for once and for all, then stopped. Faith wasn't ready to leave Abel and if he pushed her, he was afraid he'd lose her forever. She was his fated mate, he was sure of it, and if he had to wait longer to be with her forever, he would.

  His bear roared wildly within him, fighting his decision. While he came to see Faith, Abel got under his skin too much and incited the bear. He needed to let the bear have some time out in order for him to stay in control. A run would do them both good anyway.

  Getting back into his truck, he sped off, kicking dust, dirt, and sand up from the driveway. The fresh air would give him time to think, not just about what Abel said, but the things Erich himself had been struggling with as his feelings for Faith grew. The coyote was cunning and struck a nerve too close to Erich's heart. Abel was right, it was time Erich made his priorities clear.

  Chapter Eight

  Faith paced the floor of the kitchen. Every night for weeks now she had been thinking about introducing herself to Eliza and Knox, but she kept chickening out. Just thinking about it was enough to turn her stomach and make her palms sweat like faucets.

  Realizing how quiet it was, Faith looked outside. She thought she heard a truck pull up earlier and expected to see Erich but was disappointed when he didn't come in. Abel had been more ruthless than usual lately and she hoped he didn't say anything that would've upset him, but she didn't think he would fall for any of Abel's mind games. Still, when Abel wanted to, he knew how to play with someone's doubt and insecurities.

  The full moon lit the yard, and Faith's heart sank into her stomach. She couldn't believe it had been a month since she met Miranda and promised her she would get the ring to Knox. What was wrong with her? She waited her entire life for some kind of family, any kind of link to people who were like herself, and now that she had that link, she was too afraid to meet them.

  What if they don't want you? What if they see what your mother saw, what kept her away? The nagging self-doubt echoed in her head. Faith knew the only way to find out was by meeting them, and at the very least she needed to give Knox the ring, but that voice in her head that kept her down most of her life, the one Abel knew how to control for good and bad kept reminding her that she wasn't worth knowing.

  "Well, to hell with that," she said to herself. "This woman made me feel awful my entire life while she had a family and love. I had nothing! She deserves to hear what she did to me."

  Angry tears welled in her eyes and she wiped them away with the back of her hand as she opened the kitchen door and stepped outside. Looking around, she noticed Abel was gone. Probably went hunting, she thought. He didn't tell her anything anymore, but she didn't mind. Without his pack, he was harmless and that was all she wanted.

  As she entered the tree line and found the path towards the clearing, Faith began running. All the anger and pain from the years of loneliness, not just from being an orphan, but from Abel changing all erupted at once and she was ready to release it all. She refused to let something like death stop her from saying what she needed to say.

  As she entered the clearing, the sandy soil beneath her feet glittered softly from the moonlight. If she hadn't been so angry she would have stopped to admire it, but she didn't need the distraction.

  "Where are you?" she yelled. "How do I get you to show up?!"

  She focused her thoughts on the black-haired woman who appeared before with the yellow housecoat. As her anger coursed through her veins, she felt a sudden release as a word popped into her head.

  "Pea!" Faith called out with a voice she barely recognized as her own.

  A bolt of light shot up towards the sky, surrounding Faith, but it didn't frighten her. She learned years ago there were more horrible things people could do to each other than the dead could. A blast of wind whipped past Faith, threatening to knock her over, but she kept her ground.

  "Show yourself, woman!" she said through clenched teeth.

  Pea appeared before her, her own emerald eyes glowing. Her short dark curls were wild and added to her crazed look.

  "How dare you summon me! Who do you think you are?" Pea spat at her.

  "Who do I think I am? How dare I? How dare you! You're lucky you're already dead, old woman, because if you weren't right now, I can't guarantee you would be alive for much longer."

  Faith had never felt such anger before. It rushed through her and made her feel invincible. Powerful. She wondered what she could do with her new strength, but then looking at the woman in front of her, she remembered all she wanted was the truth.

  "Why did you do it? Why did you abandon me?" Faith asked.

  Pea's face softened but her eyes remained as cold as stones. "It was the Crane curse. I was only trying to protect you. When I had another daughter, I thought that meant you were the thirteenth. And when I saw your eyes... I didn't think I had a choice. I couldn't let you be the key."

  "That's ridiculous," Faith said. "If I was the key, whoever would've been looking would've known whether I was with you or not. You were saving yourself."

  Pea shrugged. "I was young. It made sense at the time."

  "Then why keep denying my adoption? Why not let me have some semblance of a normal life?"

  "Because I loved you. I couldn't give you up. I kept trying but whenever it was time to sign the papers, I...I just couldn't do it."

  "You loved me? If you loved me, you would've let me go. You would've let any of those families who wanted me take me. You didn't do it out of love, you kept me alone and neglected because you were selfish."

  Pea's eyes glowed with anger, but she didn't respond. Faith felt Pea's anger emanating from her like heat from a radiator, but she didn't care. She hoped Pea felt the same heat from her.

  "I spent my life waiting for you," Faith said. "For a sign, anything. I clung to this ridiculous pendant my entire life thinking mayb
e it was important enough to bring you back since I wasn't."

  Faith yanked the crane pendant from her neck, snapping the silver necklace. As she held it in her hands, it glowed softly from the moonlight before rising and appearing in Pea's hand.

  "My own mother gave this to me," Pea said then paused as sadness spread across her face. "She wasn't a very kind woman. She was cruel and…it's not important, but I swore I would never be like her. And I wasn't, but in some ways I was worse.

  "You have an older sister. Her name is Eliza and the two of you should have been the world to me but you're right, I was selfish. I thought I was protecting the two of you, but I only caused you harm. I only thought about how easy I was making things for myself.

  "When Eliza fell in love with a shifter, I knew she would give birth to the thirteenth daughter from the curse. I still didn't try to find you. I wasn't even sure what the curse was, yet I wanted nothing to do with it. I kept Eliza from her love because I wanted so little to do with shifters and that damned curse, but I had no real reason why.

  "After Hannah was born, I gave her all the love and support I should have given you and Eliza. I don't know why I did the things I did, but there's your truth. I suppose I've gotten what I deserved all those years. I'm trapped here in this plane, frozen in time and space. Left alone to think about my many wrongdoings. Hannah doesn't even visit me anymore. She was the one bright spot in my life, and now even that is gone."

  Pea held up the crane pendant, and it flew into the sky before landing at Faith's feet.

  "I'm sorry," Faith said, "but I have no pity for you. It's not just what you did to me but what you also did to the daughter you did keep. You don't deserve to have anyone come visit you and make you feel better."