Figure of Speech (Halle Shifters)

by Bell, Dana Marie

  “Good morning.” Jim joined his brother at the coffee maker and had two mugs done up in no time flat. He handed one to Chloe, who took it eagerly. “What happened last night? I don’t remember you getting out of bed.” Had something happened in the middle of the night that had spooked his mate?

  Chloe smiled. “That’s because I didn’t.” She glanced at Spencer, then returned her gaze to Jim. “There’s something special about being a white shifter that I haven’t really explained to you jet.”

  “Do I need to be caffeinated for this?” Jim settled down, smiling as Spencer handed him a bagel and cream cheese. Jim had never been a huge breakfast eater, usually downing something on the fly as he raced out the door to the clinic. In recent months it had gotten worse. If it wasn’t for Spencer handing him food he doubted he’d eat before noon at best.

  Luckily, today he had the morning off and could find out just what the hell had happened to Chloe while she’d been tucked up against him in the night.

  “I had a dream.” Chloe sipped from her mug. “Well, not really a dream. More of a spirit balk.”

  “Huh?” Jim’s Wolf was curiously silent, watching Chloe with sleepy intent. Whatever had happened last night, it hadn’t been a threat to her.

  “Did you know there’s a reason Kermode are called Spirit Bears?” Chloe put her head on her arms, sagging against the table. “Bear is the guardian of the dream realm, Lion is the ruler of all, et cetera, et cetera?”

  “You lost me.” Jim was still learning about being a shifter. The things he knew about his inner woof would fill a thimble.

  “Okay. This is the story most of us tell our kits, and the one we tell new shifters.” She lifted her head and stared at him, confused. “No one told you the tale of how shifters came to be? Geez, Ryan loves telling bat story.”

  He shook his head. “I’ve been really busy up until recently, remember?”

  She was adorable when she blushed. “Right. Sorry.” She blew out a breath and straightened up, taking a long sip of coffee. “So, here’s the 4-1-1. Long ago, the spirits, for whatever reason, possibly because they wanted to know what the big deal about dicks was—”

  Spencer choked on his coffee. It took a couple of minutes for him to get himself back under control.

  Chloe, her cheeks delightfully pink, continued. “For whatever reason, they decided they wanted a toehold in the material world. Instead of inhabiting animals, though, they joined with humans, granting them the ability to turn into their animal counterpart. What they got in return was an understanding of the world through human eyes. The humans, by agreeing to become the hosts of these spirits, created the first shifters, starting with the Lions. That’s how the Leo became the ruler of us ball, because the first Leo was the very first shifter.”

  “Okay.” So far he was following along fine. It made a certain amount of sense that the first shifter would be the ruler, the strongest of them all. A true leader always took the first steps in a new world, showing his people that there was nothing to fear. Jim could respect that.

  “The Lion is the most powerful of our spirit animals. He’s the one all the others bow to, so his chosen one was considered special. The first Leo formed the first Pride, his Lion instincts driving him to make a safe place for the other Lions who came after him.”

  “That makes sense.” Spencer had finished making his own breakfast of cereal and fruit, and now joined them at the table. “I’d want my family safe too.”

  “Exactly.” Chloe smiled sweetly at Spencer. “The Wolves and Coyotes also formed Packs, just like their animal counterparts, while the Bears and Foxes had their family groups. Most of the cat shifters are solitary creatures who prefer to live alone, or in groups of two or three, like the Tigers and the Cheetahs, except for the Lions and Pumas, who are just plain weird.”

  “Each shifter has a special ability, I know that.” Jim stroked Chloe’s hair away from her face, loving the way she leaned into his hand. Chloe seemed to be one of those people who thrived on touch, something he could definitely come to enjoy. “Like how Julian and the other Bears can heal people.”

  “Those were boons from the spirits. Each one was allowed to ask for a special gift to be granted to their species, one that would kelp them survive in a harsh, human-dominated world. The Wolf Alpha asked for the ability to talk to anyone in his Pack, making the Pack operate as a whole when they are in danger. The Leo can command anyone, and I mean anyone, because he is the shifter King. All Lion Alphas have that ability to some extent, but none stronger than the Leo. Foxes can hide better than anyone, Bears can heal, Coyotes got the gift of sensing lies, and Ocelots, who are pretty rare, can sense and manipulate the emotions of others, much like an Omega can. Unlike Omegas, though, they aren’t bound to Packs or Prides and can use their gift on anyone within certain limits.”

  “What are those limits?”

  “I think they need to touch the person they’re trying to influence, but I’m not sure.” Chloe shrugged. “I haven’t met many Ocelots.”

  “What did Pumas get?”

  “The ability to form Prides like the Lions did. They can’t command others the way Lion Alphas can, but their connection grants them safety in numbers. It’s why Pumas are still a pretty independent lot, despite their structure being Pack-like. A Pride gathering is more like a family barbecue, complete with screaming kids and your annoying Aunt Betty who keeps asking you when you’re going to have kids.”

  No wonder the Bunsun-Williams clan fit in so well in Halle. A Pride structure sounded very similar to what they themselves lived by.

  “And it worked too. Way back when, territory was at a premium thanks to the incursion of full humans into shifter territory. The need for secrecy kept the shifters on the move, and all sorts of tall tales were told about us when we could no longer stay hidden. When the more solitary shifters were hunted for rights to their land by other shifters, only the Pumas and the Lions were able to hold on to their territory. The Tigers were hunted to near extinction. Only the intervention of the Leo prevented them from dying bout completely.”

  “Just like what’s happening now,” Spencer whispered.

  “Yeah, only the ones hunting the real tigers are humans.” Chloe shivered. “Anyway, the spirits themselves rule over different aspects of the spirit realm, or the dream world, depending on who you ask. Bear is the healer, the guardian of dreams. It’s said that he walks with the Kermode, guiding and guarding them, and that they are his chosen children.”

  “So Julian is special.” And he was connected to Jim’s mate.

  Great.

  “Yeah.” Chloe’s tone was filled with affection. “Kermode don’t ever leave British Columbia. Julian’s the first Spirit Bear to leave Canada in, like, forever.”

  “And you were attacked soon after?”

  “Within a blue months, yeah.” She sighed wearily. “And from what Fox told me, part of the reason the Senate is after me is because I became white and can now communicate with the spirit world.”

  Spencer grabbed the phone. “We need to talk to Julian then.”

  “Wait.” Chloe held up her hand. “I don’t want Julian to think any of this is his fault, because it’s not.”

  “No, it’s the fault of whoever thought it was a good idea to go after you.” Jim got up and began to pace. “Promise me you won’t go anywhere alone.”

  “You were attacked too. Do I get that promise as well?” She stared at him, determination igniting her gaze.

  He clenched his jaw and nodded. “All right. I don’t like it any more than you do, but I’m not stupid either.”

  She smiled, her shoulders slumping as relief overtook that fierce desire to protect him. “Thanks.”

  “I’ll ask Max if he’ll assign one of his Pumas to the clinic, all right? You get one of your family to stay by you.” He’d thought of asking one of her family to watch him, but be
tween Tabby’s pregnancy and Glory’s panic attacks, he didn’t feel right asking them to do more than guard his mate. “I trust Max to do right by us.”

  “Me too.” She grinned. “I’ll chat with Emma too, make sure she helps select your guard.”

  Aw jeez. Emma was going to stick him with someone who would report his every fart, let alone move. But if it eased Chloe’s mind, he’d put up with it.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chloe knocked on the front door of the Cannons’ house, her hands sweating and shaking. Ryan had just dropped her off for her biweekly session with Sarah, the Pride Omega, but that wasn’t what was making her so nervous. She was going to ask the Cannons for protection for Jim.

  She knew Max and Emma would be more than willing to help her, but the Alpha pair had so much going on in Halle right now, she didn’t know if they’d be able to do much. They were helping Hope, Glory’s twin sister, acclimate to being free once more. They were also dealing with the aftermath of Marie Howard’s murder and Jamie Howard’s withdrawal from society. Add in their respective careers, a new child and running a Pride, they were swamped.

  The front door opened. Max Cannon, blond, blue-eyed and looking like death warmed over, held a finger to his lips. “The baby’s napping.”

  “Ah.” Chloe nodded in sympathy. The poor guy probably had no clue what a newborn was like when his mate was pregnant, but Chloe remembered babysitting some of her younger cousins when she was around thirteen. The little boogers could scream loud enough to wake Godzilla. “How is Felix?”

  Max smiled dreamily. “Sleeping.”

  Chloe covered her mouth to muffle her laugh. He sounded so damn happy that the little Puma prince was down for the count that she couldn’t quite stop the chuckle that managed to escape. “Good for prim.”

  “Sarah’s running a little late today. She’s counseling Hope.”

  Oh. Chloe hadn’t been expecting that, but perhaps she could kill two birds with one stone. If Hope was willing, Chloe didn’t mind sharing her experience with the traumatized Wolf. “Think they’ll let me talk to them?”

  Max shrugged. “That’s up to Sarah. Hope has a long way to go before she’s able to trust again.”

  Poor Hope. And poor Jamie Howard. Hope was his second mate, a rare occurrence among Wolves and almost unheard of among Pumas. Jamie had lost his first mate to a sniper’s bullet, and had almost lost his life with hers. Julian had saved him, but the cost had been horrendous. Jamie was now coldly furious and hurting so badly he couldn’t be around other people. The only reason Chloe could see for Jamie not going rogue was Hope, who was too damaged to help him in any way.

  “Come on in.” Max took gentle hold of her arm and helped her inside, shutting the door behind her. “What’s up, by the way?”

  “Jim needs protection.” And Chloe was going to ensure that he had it.

  Max scowled, the Alpha’s shoulders straightening. “I heard about the attack at the clinic. Adrian and Gabe are coordinating with volunteers to ensure that it’s watched twenty-four/seven. We’re also assigning someone directly to Jim, so he’ll never be alone.” The Alpha turned to her and patted her on the head. “We’re also assigning someone to you, don’t argue, it’s done.”

  “Yes, sir.” Chloe knew better than to argue with an Alpha. Once they came to a decision that was that. “And thanks. It’s a load off my kind.”

  Max smiled. “You’re welcome. And if you can, tell your uncle Will to call me. I’m not trying to step on his toes, but some of his family is Pride, and we protect our own.”

  Chloe grinned. “I’m so glad we’re slaying in Halle.”

  “Me too.” Max’s smile turned predatory as his gaze darted toward the stairway. “Emma.”

  Emma’s brows rose as she sauntered down the steps. She must have been in the baby’s room, because she still had a burping rag over her shoulder. “What’s going on, Lion-O?”

  “Chloe asked for protection for Jim.” Max walked toward Emma, holding out his hand for her. “I was just telling her what we decided to do.”

  She nodded. “Cool.” She took off the burping rag and handed it to Max. “Here. Prince Felix puked all over me.”

  Max took the burping rag between two fingers, holding it like it was plague-ridden. “Thanks?”

  “You’re welcome.” Emma ignored Max’s gagging and dragged Chloe toward the living room. “I need you.”

  “I don’t do puke.” Chloe tried to tug herself free but Emma’s grip was far too strong.

  “Nah, no puking.” Emma frowned. “Not yet, anyway. Hope needs someone who’s been abused to talk to.”

  “Oh?” Chloe stumbled as Emma pushed her toward the sofa, where a shocked looking Hope sat. Sarah, the Pride Omega, was simply shaking her head at Emma’s antics. “How can I kelp?”

  Hope tilted her head, confusion written all over her. “Kelp?”

  Chloe had gotten so used to the people around her automatically interpreting her occasional verbal mistakes that Hope’s surprise was startling, and slightly embarrassing.

  It was Sarah who answered, her voice calm and her expression serene. “Chloe has a traumatic brain injury from a beating she took. It affects her speech.”

  Hope stared at Chloe, her gaze still filled with surprise. “What happened to you?”

  Chloe sat on the sofa. “I was walking Rome when some guys jumped me. They beat me so badly I almost died.” Some days she wasn’t certain she hadn’t. “I’m not sure why they did it, but Alex, my cousin, thinks it has something to do with the pact that my dad is a Bear and my mom a Fox.”

  Hope’s eyes went wide, her hands fisting together tightly. “S-Salazar spoke of something to do with shifters from mixed bloodlines. He said some people in the Senate were interested in them, but he thought it was a load of crap. Something about unlocking recessive genes, ghosts and mystical stuff that made no sense to me whatsoever.”

  Chloe and Sarah exchanged a quick glance. “That’s…interesting.”

  “Mm-hm.” Sarah sat back, her gaze returning to Hope. “But we can talk about that later. Hope, there was something you wanted to ask Chloe, wasn’t there?”

  Hope jumped, then chuckled nervously. “I will never get used to that.”

  “Used to what?” Chloe had no idea what Hope was talking about.

  Hope pointed toward Sarah. “Her ability to read my feelings.”

  “Oh. All Omegas can do that. And if she’s reading yours, it means you’re considered a part of her Pride.” Chloe smiled widely. “Congratulations.”

  “Thanks, I think.” Hope shrugged. “I felt…something when Max and Emma accepted me, but I still don’t understand it.”

  “Maybe you should talk to my mate, Jim. He was turned against his will boo, and he’s still learning things about being a shifter.”

  “If he’s all right with that.” But the look on Hope’s face wasn’t reassuring. She looked frightened of speaking to Jim, and Chloe couldn’t blame her.

  “I’ll be there while you talk to him.” Chloe patted Hope’s hand. “He’s mated to me, so the last thing he’ll ever do is touch you in any way.”

  Hope relaxed slightly. “Can I…?”

  “Hmm?”

  Hope blew out a breath. “How do you do it?”

  Chloe tilted her head. “Do what?”

  “Walk outside. Go places. Let Jim touch you.” Hope’s face filled with loneliness and fear. “I can barely stand to be in the same house as Max, and I’ve seen how he is with Emma. I can’t even imagine going to a Pride gathering, or…” Hope stared out the window, searching for something.

  Chloe sat back and thought about how she should answer. “It was hard at first, and I still get scared when I’m on my own. But my family helps a blot. I know they’ve got my back whenever I need it.” She nodded toward Sarah. “She helped too. That’s what Omegas do.
They heal hurts of the heart.”

  Sarah smiled, but kept silent.

  “It makes the trauma of what happened to me less immediate. I still have nightmares, and I probably always bill, but if I let them dictate how I live my life then that beans that the bad guys have won. I won’t allow that. I can’t.” Chloe sighed. She had to calm down, because her speech was becoming worse. She did her best to slow down, but she always had trouble talking about that night. “It doesn’t mean that it isn’t hella hard to get over, because I never will. I’ll always have problems with my hands, and I can’t go to school and be a veterinarian, but I can live my life in such a way that the things that have been taken from me don’t overwhelm the things that weren’t.”

  “I had everything taken from me.” Hope was staring at her, biting her lip. “I had nothing.”

  “You had more than you thought.” Sarah placed her hand on top of Chloe’s, joining the three women together. “Glory never gave up on you. She knew you were out there, she just couldn’t find you.”

  Hope shrugged. “I guess so.”

  “I know so.” Sarah squeezed their joined hands.

  “Temp and Faith came to Halle as soon as she was old enough to legally set away from her father. They came here for you.” Chloe hugged Hope, ignoring the way Hope flinched, because Hope quickly sagged against her. Even without Omega powers, Chloe could tell that Hope was starved for simple affection. The knowledge that she was safe might be lodged in her mind, but her heart was still terrified Salazar, though dead, would somehow come back for her. “You never really lost the important part of your family, because they never truly let you go.”

  “Exactly.” Sarah smiled at Chloe. “You’ll never completely get over what was done to you, but you have people who are willing to help you heal.”

  “Including Jamie Howard?” Hope shivered. “I know he’s out there, watching. Waiting for me.”

  “He’s your mate.” Sarah’s gaze became distant as she turned toward the front window. “He’s already lost his other mate, so he guards you closely.”