Skin Walkers: Gauge

by Susan A Bliler

  SKIN WALKERS:

  GAUGE

  By

  Susan A. Bliler

  Copyright © 2013 by Susan A. Bliler

  www.susanbliler.com

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Cover fonts, spine, design, and back cover done by:

  Cindy Hubbard

  Image courtesy of Shutterstock

  As always thanks to my Beta, Cindy.

  I couldn’t do this without you.

  Thanks for believing in me when no one else did.

  ;o) ting

  This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidences are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Susan A. Bliler.

  DEDICATION

  In Loving Memory of Beverly Russell-Lott.

  Such a strong, intelligent, and powerful woman.

  Thank you for loving my brother so deeply and passionately, and thank you

  for being the wife that you were. He couldn’t have wanted for more.

  We were so fortunate to have you in our family for the short time you were here.

  Peace to you, my sister, and prayers for strength, faith, hope, and love for all those who

  loved you and will struggle in your absence.

  Bev, I pray the Grandfathers bless you in your new journey.

  As you travel to the point where all knowledge and understanding gathers,

  we reflect on all the knowledge and understanding you brought to those around you.

  We will remember your spirit in all seasons, in all directions, and with a sacred grace.

  You go to our Creator, “swift and straight as an arrow shot into the sun”,

  with clean hands, a pure heart, and without shame or regret.

  As beautifully as you came into this world, so too have you gone home.

  What a blessing it was to call you ours.

  A’hau.

  Chapter 1

  Just get to the state line, just get to the state line, just get to the state line! Ella Garret repeated the phrase over and over hoping that with a goal in mind she’d forget that fact that she was on the run with a kidnapped child. After five years, she’d thought she’d have gotten used to the lifestyle, and the sudden need to flee when someone sniffed too closely. Nope! For the dozens of times she’d uprooted her and little Alysa’s lives to avoid capture, Ella still wasn’t used to the sheer terror that seized her whenever the necessity for a rapid relocation arose.

  She eyed the rearview mirror of her too old vehicle and was thankful little, five-year old, Alysa was finally asleep in the back seat. She adjusted the mirror and checked the road behind her. Still no lights. That was a good sign.

  Leaving California wasn’t easy. She’d only just moved to the state six months ago. Her hope was that with the large population, she and Alysa would be swallowed up by the masses and harder to find. Wrong!

  Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel. God, why can’t he just leave us alone!

  Crossing the border from California to Nevada, she relaxed in her seat a little. Still shaking fingers reached for the map she’d bought at the convenience store in some impossibly small town she’d raced through on her way out of the golden state. She half-eyed the map and half-eyed the road as she sought the most direct route to Montana and the StoneCrow Wildlife Preserve and Rehabilitation facility housed in the state’s Highwood Mountains.

  Sighing, she dropped the map on the passenger side and eyed Alysa again. The last five years had been the worst of Ella’s life. Living on the run, always lying and hiding, and never being able to give Alysa the proper home she needed weighed heavily on her. Eyeing Alysa in the mirror though, Ella knew she’d gladly endure the last five hideous years all over again if it meant keeping the little girl safe.

  One hand snaked into her purse and she dug for her tracphone. Pulling it out, she dialed the only hope she had left.

  The phone rang once before her friend answered, “Hello?”

  “Stoney?”

  “Yeah. Ella! Is that you?”

  “It’s me,” relief flooded her. “I’m on my way. You sure you can get me a job?”

  “I’m not sure, I’m positive. We’re understaffed and I’ll vouch for you. Just get here.”

  Ella had to swallow down the gratitude that suddenly clogged her throat. It had been so long since anyone had gone out of their way to help her. “I’ll call you when I get to Montana.” She hung up quickly, before she turned into a blubbering idiot.

  Stoney had been her last resort, not because Ella had other options, but because she knew the secret her friend kept, and until now had wanted to spare herself from having to explain the phenomena to Alysa. Stoney was a Skin Walker. A rare breed of shape shifter that could change to multiple animal forms. The two had been like sisters in college, both taking the nursing program. With Stoney’s revelation, Ella had first thought it a joke, but actually seeing Stoney shift had changed everything.

  The two had stayed in touch, and when Ella went on the run, Stoney was the only person she’d ever continued to contact.

  Ella had hoped to avoid the Skin Walker community, which Stoney spoke of so proudly. It wasn’t due to any prejudice. On the contrary, when Stoney told Ella stories of Skin Walkers and their allegiance to one another it was both heartwarming and deflating. She’d been delighted that her friend had finally found a place to be with those like her where she wouldn’t have to hide who she was, but at the same time it was disheartening to not have anyone of her own to rely on. When Stoney told her tales of male Walkers and the claiming of their angels, Ella couldn’t help but wish that a Walker would find and claim her, so she’d no longer have to live in fear or on the run. She couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to have a strong man willing to not only love and cherish her, but to protect her so fiercely that it bordered on obsessive.

  Her eyes darted to the rearview mirror again and she knew with all certainty that traveling to Montana was the right move. After years on the run, she was finally out of places to go and if this StoneCrow was anything like Stoney described it, then Ella could rely on the guarded front gate, security wall surrounding the Estate, Sentries, and the CEO’s severe intolerance and mistrust of all humans aside from those under his employ. Now, she’d just have to contend with the Skin Walker’s ability to scent deceit and the story she’d have to work up to avoid any detection. Whatever she’d feed them, it’d have to be truthful enough to go undetected, but not too much information to have them calling the authorities.

  “Come on Skin Walkers. I need a frickin’ hero!”

  Chapter 2

  One Week Later

  Monroe clapped Gauge Alexander on the shoulder. “Glad you’re on board.”

  Blond brows speared down as a stinging pain shot through Gauge from where StoneCrow’s Chief of Surgery, Jenny Arkinson, had injected him with what he was told was, “‘Just a vaccination for your safety as well as ours’”. The sting of the injection site was nothing though compared to the sudden gut feeling that he was in for it. Gauge had a great deal of experience packed into his twenty-six years and he knew enough to be pensive now. He’d just accepted a position as accountant and Sentry for the dominant Skin Walker, Monroe StoneCrow. Why did he suddenly feel like he was falling with nothing to grab on to?

  “You’re doing the right thing,” Monroe assured him, delighted he’d taken Eden’s suggestion and had hired Gauge to assist with StoneCrow’s bookkeeping now that the
CEO was spending more time with his newly acquired family.

  “Right thing for who?” Gauge countered sourly, still unsure if he’d made the right decision. He’d heard rumors about the infamous CEO and dominant Skin Walker. It was reported that Monroe liked to use Walkers as pawns…as a means to his end. Gauge had only accepted the offer of employment from the CEO because he, unlike many Walkers, understood that Monroe’s end game was to garner Walkers an un-infringed upon existence. Still not convinced he wouldn’t regret the decision, he straightened his tie and stared at the large office Monroe graciously had furnished and ready.

  “Ella!” Monroe barked.

  The door to the office eased open and a small woman entered. She wore a simple black skirt, matching flats, and a too large blouse that still didn’t hide her plentiful endowments. Her eyes stayed pinned to the floor as she approached.

  “Gauge Alexander, this is your assistant, Ella Garret.”

  The woman slowly lifted her head and dove gray eyes collided with his.

  Gauge felt something tug at his gut. Forcing the feeling aside, he simply stared at the dowdy woman before frowning. Chestnut colored hair was pulled into a too tight bun and thickly rimmed, ugly glasses--that appeared too large for her face--hid the soft features he knew he’d find behind the drab get up. The woman…what did Monroe say her name was? Ella. She was beautiful, but either didn’t know it, or was intentionally hiding it. Lucky for her, Gauge didn’t have the time or desire to find out. No, he’d gone down that road with employees in the past. He wouldn’t make the mistake again. Too many women were--not merely deterred by but-- downright terrified by his type of kink. His plan was to find a Walker woman who’d appreciate his more animalistic tendencies.

  Watching Ella, he couldn’t keep his eyes from sliding to the slender column of her throat. He watched her heart beat erratically beneath her creamy skin and for the briefest of moments he envisioned sinking elongated incisors into her throat and drinking from her as he fucked her deep and hard.

  “Gauge?”

  Monroe drew him from his thoughts.

  “Well,” the CEO stalked to the door. “I’ll leave you two to get acquainted. If you need anything, Ella can phone me.” He winked at Gauge over Ella’s bent head, reminding Gauge what he’d informed him earlier about his assistant being fully human and unaware of the fact that she was surrounded by Skin Walkers. “Don’t use the mist”; he gave a mental reminder to his new accountant to avoid the mystic, mist for short, which referred to a telepathic means of communication that Walkers could use to communicate. Monroe had no idea that Stoney had already informed Ella of Skin Walkers and their many gifts.

  “Got it,” Gauge gave one firm nod.

  Alone with his assistant, Gauge couldn’t help the sadistic impulse that plagued him at her bowed head and passive demeanor. “Ms. Garret,” he crossed thickly corded arms over his broad chest. “What do I need to know about you?”

  Lifting her head, Ella spoke quietly without meeting his eyes, her own lingering on his chest. “I graduated from the University of Northern…”

  He cut her off abruptly. “I don’t want your resume. I’ve already read it. What do I need to know about you?”

  He watched her chest rise and fall with her deep breath. “I’m a hard worker, and require little direction once I get the hang of your routine.”

  “Good. What else?”

  Her eyes flitted to his like a timid butterfly before seeking a safer place to rest. “I have a daughter…Alysa. She’s five.”

  Interesting. No mention of a husband? Because she refused to look at him, he allowed himself to partially shift. His eyes transitioned to a matte black that nearly consumed his entire eye as he scented the air and then sneezed.

  “Bless you,” Ella offered meekly.

  He sneezed again, and again, and then relinquished his partial shift. The woman was buried in a cherry and vanilla cloud. He hated perfume and scented lotions. Damn Victoria’s Secret! All Walkers hated overpowering scents, but he wouldn’t be able to tell her… Wait!

  “I have allergies,” he lied as he turned and crossed to his desk with powerful strides of his long legs before plucking a tissue out of the box and rubbing at his nose. “I’m extremely sensitive to perfume and scented lotions. Don’t wear them!”

  She nodded once. “Yes, sir.” Feeling dismissed, Ella turned to leave when Gauge’s next question halted her.

  “Ms. Garret, what does your husband do?”

  Suspicion spiked when Gauge saw her slight frame tense. Her head snapped up and silence reigned before she responded over her shoulder. “He’s dead.”

  “Sorry to hear that.” He kicked himself for asking the question now while he was unable to scent whether or not she was lying. Why on earth would she lie about something like that? He self-admonished, knowing his own suspicious nature. “Get settled. If you need anything…” he didn’t finish and when she exited his office and closed the door behind her, he knew there hadn’t been the need.

  Dead husband, dowdy appearance, clearly attempting to hide her obvious beauty, a five-year old daughter. He was taking stock of his new assistant, and things weren’t adding up. He sighed heavily and plowed a large hand into his perfectly styled, short, blond hair. Not even on the job for an hour and I’m already looking for trouble. It didn’t bode well.

  Hearing the distinct hiss of whispering, he partially shifted again—this time while holding his breath—as he listened to the conversation happening outside of his office. One voice? It wasn’t a conversation at all. Little prim and proper, Ella Garret, was mumbling to herself.

  “Jesus Christ, what in the world have I gotten myself into now?” There was an edge of desperation to her voice. “I’ve just gotta make some quick cash and get the hell outta here before anyone suspects anything. Come on Ella girl, you’ve done more dastardly deeds than this.”

  Dastardly deeds? Just what is it little Ms. Garret is up to? His suspicion hiked. Was she there to out the Walkers? Did she already know about them? He made a mental note to contact the Chief of Security (C.O.S.), King Mulholland, after he’d gotten Monroe’s finances in order to see if the C.O.S. could run a background check on his new assistant.

  Chapter 3

  “This is it?” Gauge scowled up at King before flinging the handful of papers he held across his desk. “I could’ve found more on Google!”

  “Doubtful,” King scoffed. “I ran a full check, Gauge. She’s an awfully flighty little thing.” Sitting on one corner of Gauge’s desk, King leaned across to pull one of the papers to the top of the pile and pointed at it. “She’s moved nearly a dozen times in the past five years.”

  “I don’t want her flight history, I want some damn facts.”

  King sat back and crossed his arms over his broad chest, “Well, she graduated from the University of Northern…”

  “Christ!” Gauge shoved back from his desk to plow a hand into his sandy-colored hair. “Why does everyone keep trying to give me her resume’? I’ve read it!”

  “Why don’t you tell me what it is exactly that you’re looking for,” King’s tone was laced with amusement. “Maybe if I knew what you wanted, I’d know where to look.”

  Gauge didn’t want to explain himself. How could he tell the Chief of Security that he had suspicions about his assistant simply because he’d heard her talking to herself? “What do you know of the father’s child?”

  King shrugged his massive shoulders. “Nothing. I can’t find any birth records. For all intents and purposes, Ms. Garret is not on record anywhere as ever having given birth to a child.”

  “How old is the kid?”

  “She’s five,” King replied.

  “Where was Ms. Garret five years ago?”

  King frowned, “The closest records to that time-frame we can find show Ella in D.C. five years ago, but no birth records for Ella or for her child, Alysa.”

  “Could she have had the child elsewhere and fled shortly after the child was bo
rn?”

  “Possibly,” King’s eyes narrowed. “Is there something I need to know? If you’ve got valid concerns about the woman I should be informed. Have you scented any deceit?”

  “Perfume,” Gauge growled, not willing to divulge too much. He wanted information, but not at the cost of StoneCrow’s Chief of Security hounding Ella.

  “Tell her you’re allergic,” King suggested. It was a common lie used be Walkers especially those who worked closely with humans.

  “I did. She keeps wearing the damn perfume.”

  “Hmm,” King rubbed his jaw. “Sounds like she either doesn’t value her job, doesn’t give a shit about your reaction, or…,” he let the sentence die off.

  Shit! Gauge had thought the same thing and put voice to King’s suspicions, “Or she knows about our heightened senses and is attempting to disguise herself.”

  “But that’d mean,” King dropped his hand to pin suspicious eyes on Gauge.

  “That she knows about us,” Gauge finished for him. “And don’t look at me like that because I have done nothing to arouse suspicion.”

  “You sure,” King crossed thick arms over his solid chest with a smirk. “According to Crow, you have no qualms about arousal where your staff is concerned.”

  “That was in the past.” Gauge stood with a growl. “Things have changed. I have changed. I haven’t laid one finger on Ella.”

  “It’s been two days. Give it a minute,” King teased.

  A growl was the only response Gauge made.

  “Ella?” King’s brows hiked as his smirk broadened into an outright smile, “Suddenly so informal.”

  “Drop it, King.” Gauge reached for his suit jacket before jamming his arms into the sleeves.

  “Hey,” King threw his hands up in mock surrender, “no way in hell am I judging your penchant for secretaries.” His smile broadened as he winked, “Got a thing for one myself.”