First Bite - Shifter Romance Box Set: Anthology of First in Serials and Series

by Vaughn, V.

  “I don’t think readers will care about that,” I said. “He was a shifter. He was gay. Big deal.”

  “Prejudices still exist everywhere in every community,” Lukas said. “Those were two big obstacles that Markus had to overcome. I think that he was deathly afraid that if his secret got out, people would stop listening to him.”

  That thought made me sad. As I ran over Lukas’s words again, something else struck me. “You said that you’ve been after Markus to tell the truth for years. I thought that the two of you were estranged.”

  “Why do you say that?” Lukas’s tone was cautious.

  “Because you said so that night at the hospital. Because he never talked about you. Bea never talked about you. Once you were gone, it was like you were just… gone,” I said. I felt a familiar tightening in my chest when I thought about that bleak time after I discovered that Lukas had moved away without saying goodbye. I wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but I’d cried myself to sleep for weeks. It was bad enough that I lost my virginity to him, but I had also lost my best friend. I had been nearly inconsolable.

  “Just because my big brother chose not to talk about me, that didn’t mean that he didn’t talk to me,” Lukas said. “I didn’t run away from home.”

  “So why… never mind,” I mumbled. “I don’t want to know.”

  “You say it doesn’t matter why I left, and yet I know that you are dying to know,” Lukas said softly. “Would it make any difference if I told you that Markus sent me away? He told me that I needed to grow up and that he wasn’t putting up with my shit anymore. He said he’d pay for me to go to school, but I had to leave. Right then. He caught me sneaking back into my room that night, and he knew what had happened. He said that I would ruin your life if I stayed. He sent me packing, and if I wanted him to help support me, I had to stay away until he told me that I could come back.”

  I didn’t believe it. “Why would you agree to such a thing?”

  “He was my alpha. His word was gospel. To stay against his command would have meant he would have had to punish me.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “We’re almost there,” Lukas said, deflecting my question. He closed up again. “Look, like I said, just keep quiet and follow my lead. I don’t know exactly what we’re going to walk into, and I can’t be distracted. I’m not planning on announcing anything about us yet. Just play it cool.”

  “I’m not going to distract you,” I said heatedly.

  “Just looking at you is a distraction,” Lukas said. He guided the truck up to a massive wall. I couldn’t help but shiver. I had heard the stories about the tall walls of White Oaks, but seeing them up close was surreal. “You ready for this?”

  I tossed my hair over my shoulder. “I am always ready for a story.”

  Lukas shook his head, and then he hit the button on what looked like a garage door opener.

  I saw the gate slowly start to open, and for a moment I wondered if we were going back in time. But then the truck slid through the opening, and I saw that we were on a street that could have been a street in any other small town, USA. The houses were small and squat, but the yards were well tended from what I could see under the row of streetlights. We continued deeper into the small community, and I could see the flashing lights of squad cars ahead as we crested a small hill. I knew that there were at least two hundred shifters that made their home in Greyelf. I’d just had no idea that they were thriving out here in the wilderness.

  The squad cars were parked in front of a low, long building that seemed to be the epicenter of the community. “This is the lodge,” Lukas said. “First impressions of White Oaks?”

  “Why haven’t you gone all out and built your own storefronts?” I swiveled my head, looking to see if I had missed any signs of retail shops. “It seems like this setup is conducive to that, and obviously, if you are living all the way out here, you don’t want to mingle too much with the civilians.”

  “When shifters first came out, there was a lot of anxiety and concern for their safety,” Lukas said as he brought the truck to a stop next to the squad cars. I looked down at them from my perch in the cab. They were empty. “It made them feel safe to be here with their own kind, and Markus was glad to oblige. But he also wanted to ensure that we didn’t hole up out here and raise any concern for the broader community of Greyelf. It was important that we still participate with all the species. That’s why he never allowed any building permits for shops or restaurants out here. There’s a small convenience store inside the lodge for regular necessities, but otherwise we shop in Greyelf for everything we need.”

  It hadn’t escaped my notice that Lukas had started using a plural “we” when talking about himself and the shifters of White Oaks.

  “So people aren’t forced to live here?”

  Lukas snorted. “I lived next door to you for eight years. Bea’s been in her house for twenty-five years. Even after coming out, she preferred to be in town. It’s just a lifestyle choice. It’s easier to go native out here, and there’s a certain freedom that you feel being able to shift at will whenever you want.”

  This was yet another side of Lukas that I had never seen. When we were young, he had constantly battled the fact that he was a shifter. He said he never wanted to be born that way, and he was angry to have been burdened with that fate. Now it seemed as if he had reconciled himself to it and was even comfortable with it.

  He caught me looking at him with my questioning gaze before I could drop my eyes. “Look, I know I was an adolescent prick about the whole thing, but it really is amazing when you think about it. I’ll show you sometime if you’d like.”

  The idea of seeing Lukas in his bear form had crossed my mind more than once. I wasn’t sure if I would be afraid or attracted to him even more. It was a gamble that I hadn’t been willing to take when I was younger, but if I was going to get the real inside scoop of what it was like to be a Grizzly, I’d need to see someone shift.

  “Maybe later,” I said with a weak smile.

  A shadow crossed Lukas’s face, and he nodded. He climbed down out of the truck and somehow managed to make it to my side before I even had my door all the way open. He put his hand up for me to hold as I got down, and I was planning to ignore it, but as I shifted my weight and started to move downward, I felt a rush of dizziness that had to be the aftereffect of the wine.

  Lukas grabbed my waist and gently guided me to the ground. I stood there for a moment dumbly staring up into his eyes, and I knew that I wanted him to kiss me again.

  “Easy does it,” he said. Then he pushed me gently aside so that he could shut the door. “Stay behind me, and like I said, don’t say anything.” He turned on his heel and headed for the door to the lodge. I had no choice but to follow. I cleared my throat and tried to swipe a hand over my hair. I wished that I had a minute to stop by the ladies’ room. I was certain that after the little make-out session in the truck on the way over, I appeared as if I had been thoroughly kissed. Then I realized with a start that it was okay. I was supposed to be with Lukas, after all.

  I didn’t think about the full implications of that until I was standing slightly behind him a few minutes later as he confronted Sheriff Monroe in what appeared to be the lodge’s lobby area. I saw that Billy had already arrived and was standing off to the side with a quizzical look on his face when he saw me. I wasn’t sure when he’d had time to change, but he was wearing his official Greyelf police uniform. I had to admit that he looked good in it, but even that wasn’t enough to spark any kind of physical desire inside me. I cursed myself again for being such a loser that I couldn’t be attracted to a hot, good guy for once. Nope. Instead, I was intensely aware of my proximity to the man who stood next to me.

  “What brings you out to White Oaks, Lukas?” Sheriff Monroe asked casually. “Thought you were content staying in town for the duration of your visit.”

  “I told you my stay was indefinite, Sheriff. I’ll be moving into Markus’s house
tomorrow,” Lukas said, equally casual in his tone. Although his stance appeared relaxed on the surface, I knew better. He was a coiled bundle of muscles ready to strike. “I heard there was some trouble. It’s good to know what’s happening in my community and to see how I can help.”

  “Things are under control,” the sheriff said. He crossed his arms over his broad chest. Sheriff Monroe grew up in Greyelf. He had been Markus’s right-hand man in the clan for years, but I never sensed a warmth between the two men. He was known to be efficient and fair. My dad believed that the sheriff was far more political than he had ever let on. After watching events unfold over the course of the last week since Markus’s passing, I was inclined to agree with him.

  Lukas and the sheriff stood there, glaring at each other. I noticed that the sheriff had straightened to his full height, which amused me because, even then, Lukas still had at least two to three inches on him.

  “Sheriff?” A woman’s voice broke the silence from behind us. I turned and saw Marilee Wilson standing there. Marilee was two years older than me, and we had hung out several times in high school before she went through her first phase. After that, she had preferred the company of the other shifter girls, and I couldn’t really blame her. I saw her eyes widen as she recognized me, and I saw her glance dart between me and Lukas.

  The sheriff moved around us toward Marilee. He put his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Marilee. I’ve got three officers out patrolling the woods. We’re checking the usual places. He didn’t go far.” He looked over his shoulder and cocked his head toward the parking lot. “Miller, you’re with me. Let’s go.” Then he moved toward the door without looking at Lukas again.

  I saw Billy glance at me as he passed by me. I gave him a little shrug. I wasn’t sure what I was doing there at the moment either. Everything was so confusing.

  A few moments later, it was just me, Lukas, and Marilee left standing in the lobby.

  “What’s going on, Marilee?” Lukas asked.

  “I checked his room an hour ago, and Cody was gone,” Marilee said. I saw the tight lines of worry on her face. “I couldn’t find him anywhere.” Marilee had gotten pregnant her senior year. I heard that she was mated to one of the clan members a short time later, but he had died a few years ago, leaving Marilee a young, attractive widow. “It’s not like him to sneak out. What with the Summit starting in a few days and all, I’m scared witless.”

  The Summit meant that members from all of the shifter clans in the area were returning home in droves. It was great for the Greyelf tourist trade, but it usually meant that tensions ran high, and there were always some “misunderstandings” between the clans. I understood why the idea of having her son outside the walls of White Oaks at night would be worrisome.

  “Any other kids MIA?” Lukas asked.

  “Bryan Fulton and Danny Pogue,” Marilee said. “The three of them are as thick as thieves. I’m worried about what trouble they could be up to.”

  Lukas nodded. “I have an idea.” He looked at me. “Can you stay here with Marilee? I shouldn’t be long.”

  I pursed my lips. I wanted to go with him, but I could tell that he wanted me to sit tight. “Fine,” I said. “Are you going to talk to the sheriff?”

  Lukas was already headed toward the rear of the building. “I’m most certainly not going to talk to the sheriff,” he said. Then he was gone.

  I sighed and glanced at Marilee. Her look was openly questioning.

  “So, are you going to tell me what you’re doing here, Maren?”

  I was wondering that myself.

  Chapter 7

  There was coffee set out in the small kitchen of the lodge, and I sipped mine gratefully. I finally felt like my head was starting to clear from my earlier wine binge. Now that it was, I was starting to wonder if I was really going to go through with Lukas’s proposition.

  “You and Lukas always were inseparable,” Marilee said as she sat down across from me. “I always thought there was something going on between you, but then I’d hear of another one of Lukas’s conquests.”

  “You and me both,” I said, trying to keep the jealousy out of my voice. “We were just friends.”

  “I saw how you looked at him,” Marilee said. “After his first phase, I think every girl here in White Oaks was after him, but he was always so aloof. Then there was all the trouble that he seemed to be in on a regular basis. It was like he wanted to be sure he didn’t look like an attractive mate.”

  “Mate” was such a strange word to me. It belonged to a different world than mine, but yet I seemed to be willing to step into it. I wasn’t sure that I was ready for it, no matter what I said. “Seems like that whole mating thing happens pretty early for shifters, but I don’t really know anything more than that,” I said. That was the truth, but I was also leaving the door wide open for her to tell me more.

  “It cuts down on all the drama, in my opinion,” Marilee said. “As soon as you’ve gone through your first phase, you’re considered of mating age.”

  “Oh,” I said. “How do you know who your mate is?”

  I could tell that Marilee was thinking about her response. That was common when talking about shifter customs. They’d give you the tiniest smidgeon of information and then clam up. “It’s complicated,” she finally said, “but still makes a lot more sense than human mating rituals.”

  I wanted to roll my eyes. How hard was it to answer a simple question? I had to admit that I was as intrigued by the shifter community as my father was, but I wasn’t as driven to find out all the answers, at least until now. Lukas was offering me a way to do that: unprecedented access to the inside workings of a shifter community during a Summit, which only happened once every five years.

  “I heard someone say that you were dating Billy Miller,” Marilee said.

  I inwardly cringed. I wished that Lukas and I had strategized a bit more about how we were going to introduce this idea of me being his mate, given all the other factors affecting it. I had to choose my words carefully so that I didn’t have to contradict anything I said later.

  “We’ve hung out a few times,” I said. “But like you said, relationship dynamics can be complicated.”

  “Like when old flames roll back into town?” She was digging for information, too.

  “Lukas and I have a lot to catch up on,” I said neutrally. I thought about the way he’d kissed me, and I felt heat rise in my cheeks. I couldn’t help but wonder if those things might include some other more pleasurable things.

  “If Lukas really does think that he’s got a shot at keeping the alpha claim, it’s important that he chooses the right mate,” Marilee said evenly. “Most of the clan thinks that Sheriff Monroe is the better choice. They want Lukas to rescind his claim.”

  “What do you think?” I said. I felt a flash of anger at the not-so-subtle insinuation that Lukas’s choice for a mate shouldn’t be me.

  “I don’t know yet,” she said. She sipped her coffee. “What I remember about Lukas was he had a horrible temper, and he didn’t make friends easily. But when he wanted to get something done, it always got done. He had natural leadership qualities, and kids followed him, even if it was straight into trouble.”

  I chuckled. “Yes, they did. What was funny to me was how often they kept coming back, even after the first time.”

  “Lukas had that way of making you believe that what you were doing was going to make a difference,” Marilee said with a shake of her head. “Luckily, I didn’t buy into that more than once before I was mated. But I saw how he could do it. He was meant to be a leader.”

  I hadn’t ever thought about it that way. I was beginning to think that if Lukas was serious about staking his alpha claim, maybe he’d succeed after all.

  “But like I said, it’s important that he chooses the right mate,” Marilee said. “I heard the council already has someone in mind.”

  “What?” I realized that my voice squeaked almost a full octave higher than it should have
. “That seems pretty quick.”

  “Markus was supposed to take a mate this fall. Whether it’s the sheriff or Lukas that takes over, the council has already mandated their mate. The council isn’t going to let this kind of succession problem come up again,” Marilee said. Then she grimaced. I realized that it was because she realized that she had said too much.

  I wondered if Lukas knew that he already had a predetermined mate. I struggled to process this information. I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or cry. I was saved from that decision when I heard the sound of adolescent voices coming from the other room.

  Marilee jumped to her feet and rushed out of the room. I followed more slowly. As I entered the lobby, I saw Marilee had her arms wrapped around a boy who stood just a few inches shorter than her. He had a grimace on this face. Lukas stood off to the side, shaking his head. He pointed toward the doors. “Let’s all go outside and have a chat.”

  The other two boys looked terrified. Marilee looked at Lukas over her son’s shoulder. “Thank God. Where were they?”

  “The sheriff is probably still outside,” Lukas said. “I can tell you both at the same time.”

  I tried to catch his glance, but he was pushing the reluctant group of boys forward. I followed behind them. By the time I arrived outside in the parking lot, I saw that a small crowd had gathered. The three boys were wrapped in their mothers’ arms. The sheriff looked chagrined.

  Lukas strode to him. He cocked his thumb toward them. “They were in the bunker over off Baker Street.”

  “We checked there,” the sheriff said with a frown.

  “My guess is that your officer didn’t know there is a small access panel in the back corner that opens to a hidden pantry. It’s where I used to hide the liquor I stole from Ms. Parsons’s store.” Lukas shrugged with a small grin as he looked at the boys. “Times haven’t changed that much.”

  I heard the surprised gasps of the crowd, and then I saw Marilee grab Cody’s chin and turn his mouth up to her nose. “You’ve been drinking!”