The Shifter's Past

by R. A. Boyd

  Bastian turned on the screen of his phone and froze. He didn’t even have to guess who the text came from.

  Congratulations to you and your mate. Baltimore Comp. Two days. I’ll call with the time and address.

  Fucking Remus. He wanted to meet at the Rogue clan’s Baltimore compound in two days.

  Bastian would be ready for the bastard. His mate could have been killed tonight. It might have been Remus personally who came to hurt her.

  Didn’t matter. In two days, Bastian wouldn’t have to worry whether or not Remus would rat him out before he got a chance to tell his side of the story to his clan. Bastian would drive to Baltimore, snatch Remus’s heart out of his evil chest, and behead him.

  The Ghost shifters wouldn’t have to worry about the Rogue clan ever again.

  Remus just gave him the invitation into his home, and Bastian would kick the fucking door down and rain hell on anyone who tried to stop him.

  He would do this for Nev, and for Cass. He would do this to pay back every ounce of pain the Rogue clan cause his family.

  Bastian still needed to atone for his failure, but maybe, just maybe, the end of the Rogue clan would be his saving grace. To do this would mean walking into the lion’s den where he was vastly outnumbered.

  It was worth a try. He just hoped to the Creator that he wouldn’t die in the process.

  Chapter 6

  It didn’t take long for Nev to decide that being carried by Bastian was the best thing ever. It was comfortable, and she didn’t have to wear shoes. It also made her wonder what sex would be like between them. She’d never had a man pick her up and screw her senseless against a wall. That was a spank-bank fantasy she’d harbored for years, and this may be her chance.

  Five gold stars for Bastian.

  He’d carried her into her house and followed close behind while she packed a bag. Even after she put on panties, yoga pants, and flip-flops, she’d stood in front of him and waited for him to pick her up. She never spoke. Just looked up at him and smiled, and he leaned down and picked her up as if he were getting paid to do it.

  Right before they were able to enter the Ghost shifter territory, they had to stop about a mile down the road before they got near the houses. A nice woman named Willow and her mate Ronin met them and took some of Nev’s blood. Bastian explained that they used protection spells to keep intruders out and that Nev’s blood would allow her to be there without feeling the effects of the spell. She’d been shocked at first but decided not to put up a fuss. It was a way to keep them all safe.

  Besides, at least twenty ghosts loomed in front of the protection ward. Most stared on in seething anger, and Nev had to pretend not to notice them. She had the suspicion they would become hostile if they realized she could see the dead.

  These ghosts were evil, tainted.

  Most of the time, spirits could do nothing more than yell or get in your personal space, becoming more of a nuisance than anything else. Sometimes, if enough of them got together and decided to hurt someone, they could do physical damage. Ghosts of supernatural beings were the ones Nev had to watch out for. They were the ones who often became poltergeists.

  The spirits haunting the entrance to the Ghost shifter community were evil. Murky black and grey spots danced around them, connecting their auras as if they were linked by their hatred. Maybe they were angry. It looked as if some crazed monster had ripped into their bodies.

  Since they all lingered near the perimeter, Nev guessed that the wards kept them out. She’d worried that her mother wouldn’t be able to come with her, but when Jax started to drive again, Mom had sat comfortably in the passenger side seat. The sight of the discolored spirits bothered her mother so much, she refused to acknowledge them and barely said a word as they drove on.

  When they’d pulled up to the houses, Jax laughed when Bastian picked Nev up and took her into his home. She would milk this until he told her to walk on her own two feet. Nev hadn’t been picked up since she was a child. Bastian did so effortlessly, and it ignited something in her chest every time he did. Maybe this could be her new mode of transportation. At least until she got a new car.

  It was unrealistic, but she would enjoy it as long as he put up with her request. Right now, he carried her, and it seemed to make him happy.

  “How long have you guys lived here?” she asked as he walked them across the darkly stained wooden porch that ran along the front of his house. A patio set sat in the corner, and Nev imagined herself out here in the early mornings. “Can I sit out her tomorrow and drink my coffee and watch the sunrise?” It would be the perfect beginning to any day.

  Bastian nuzzled the spot right below her ear with his nose, and she laughed. It was an intimate gesture, but Nev didn’t mind one bit. In fact, being close to him had been the best part of her day. Holding him, being held by him, almost made the troubles of the day worth it. And it wasn’t just Bastian. It was the rest of his clan. They’d been nothing but kind to her since they met.

  “You can do anything you want,” he replied. “Mind if I sit out here with you?”

  She pff’d and nodded, amazed he would ask. “Dude, this is your home. I’m a guest. You can do whatever you want to do here. Heck. If you told me to keep my butt off of your porch, I wouldn’t have been able to do too much about it.”

  He stopped moving toward the door and turned around to face the other houses. “It’s your home, too. If you want it to be. Would you like that?”

  Bastian’s words stunned her. How the heck could he offer her something so immense? Well, he did give her the best orgasm in the history of those suckers, and he’d saved her life. Bastian declaring she could live with him was nothing compared to that, but it still made her feel cared for.

  Instead of answering, she peered out and looked up and down the street. The houses were absolutely beautiful. Once they’d come up the long, smooth, dirt road surrounded by tall trees, it opened up into a small neighborhood that looked to come right off of a postcard. Houses sat on either side of the street. There were fourteen in all. The single-family homes ranged from ranchers to three-story homes. A well-lit building sat at the top of the road, and Nev could see people moving around inside.

  “That’s where we eat most of our meals,” Bastian said. “We don’t have to, but most of the time, we just enjoy each other’s company. Everyone would like to meet you, but they’ll understand if you want to stay in tonight. You just got here.”

  Nev smiled. Bastian was worried she wouldn’t like his family. Or did he worry they wouldn't accept her?

  “Do you think we should?” she asked. “I’d like to take a shower first. I take that back. I’d like to soak in a tub first. My body feels different.”

  Of course, it did! She’d shifted into a saber-tooth cat. A prehistoric beast. Her body needed time to adjust to the damage made better by her best. Nev needed time to adjust. A nice, long, hot bath would help, and she knew it.

  Bobbing her head back and forth, Nev considered his words and pursed her lips. “I think I’d like to stay in tonight. This is a lot to take in, and my head is still trying to wrap around it.” The change in his scent caught her by surprise. What was that? It smelled like someone took a bottle of Jasmine oil and threw it on an open fire. “Why do you smell like that?”

  “I’m nervous that this isn’t what you want. That I’m not what you want. You didn’t answer my question, Nev. I may not be enough for you, and that bothers me.”

  Bastian grew quiet as he walked toward the front door. He stooped down and was able to hold Nev while he opened the door at the same time. Once they were inside, Nev motioned for him to put her down, but he kept walking.

  She kicked her legs until she was able to loosen his grip, and then she slid down his body. Looking up into his eyes, she said, “You’re nervous that you aren’t enough. You’re an angel, Bastian. Fallen or not, shifter or not, you’re still an angel. How in the world can you think for one moment that you aren’t good enough?”

&n
bsp; He raised a curious eyebrow, saying nothing as he stared down at her. Without a word, he turned around and strolled toward an open door that looked like it led to the kitchen.

  Anger dumped fire into Nev’s belly as she thought of him ignoring her, and she had to take a few deep breaths before she did something she wouldn’t be proud of later.

  “Okay,” Nev said, stomping her foot on the hardwood floor. “Let me just say something. I don’t do well with being ignored. Stuff like that rubbed me the wrong way before you bit me, and now it makes me want to punch something. Talk to me. If you need time to think, just say so. But do me the honor of not ignoring me. It’s rude.” The snarl ripping up the back of her throat was enough to make her calm down. Nev brought her hand to her neck and stroked as if trying to pacify her new saber-tooth. “Talk to me. Or tell me to give you some time.”

  Bastian turned to face her, and the look of pain in his eyes made Nev’s breath catch in her chest.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked. She quickly walked toward him, but her new shifter-speed made her go so fast, she bumped into his chest and almost fell back onto the floor. At least her butt was big enough to cushion the fall. “I’m sorry. And, wow. That was fast. And amazing. But still, I’m sorry. What’s the matter?” She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him, her temper instantly cooling.

  Bastian blew out a shaky breath, pulled her closer, and gently rested his chin on top of her head. “I’ve done things that may make you want to walk away from me. You’re here because I bit you.”

  “You saved me, Bastian.”

  “Yeah, and that’s how this started. Not because we fell in love and decided we couldn’t live without each other, but because you would probably be dead if I didn’t help. And that makes me a selfish bastard.”

  Nev chuckled. “Well, thank you, you selfish bastard. I appreciate your self-centeredness. I’d be dead without it. Or in surgery. That’s still up in the air.” Her poor excuse for a joke brought a laugh from him, and it brought a smile to her lips. “Did the rest of your clan fall in love first and then bite their mates. I don’t even know them, but I’m pretty sure that’s not how it happened. That would have been too easy.”

  He seemed to think it over for a minute. Bastian shook his head and closed her in with a tight embrace. “No. They didn’t. But you didn’t even want to go out with me.”

  “I let you finger-bang me in the bathroom where I work and told you we’d hang out this weekend.”

  “You did what?” her mom yelled from behind her.

  Nev’s eyes lowered to slits, and she had to fight every instinct in her body not to flinch and start explaining. Instead, she shrugged and then nodded. “That makes you my boyfriend now, Bastian. In theory, I licked you, so you belong to me.”

  Bastian swept his fingers along her shoulder, pushing away strands of hair that hung from her ponytail. “I do. I’m yours, Nevada Margaret Pierson. Please don’t attack me for saying your middle name. I think it’s cute.”

  Liar. No one thought that name was anything less than old-timey. Well, being forty didn’t exactly make her a spring chicken.

  “My naughty daughter does take after her mother instead,” Mom said, the haughty smile evident in her tone. “I’ll count myself lucky for leaving when I did. You’re welcome.”

  Nev rolled her eyes and mouthed, Stop, to her mother.

  Welp. It was probably time to let Bastian in on her secret. Her father and sister knew Nev could see the dead and was an empath. The one time she shared it with someone, they’d made her out to be a lunatic. She would never forget one of the only times she’d felt betrayed by someone she cared for.

  Stacy, the evil snitch, told everyone in their high school shop class that Nev was crazy and should be admitted into a psych ward. Stacy had to be admitted when Nev broke her jaw. BFF’s her foot. Nev had to transfer to another school just to get some peace.

  “Um, can we sit down?” Nev motioned to the left of the foyer and started walking to the sofa.

  It was beautiful, but the muted colors didn’t seem like Bastian’s style. Not that she knew him well enough to know what he liked, but cream and beige just wasn’t it. Maybe he had a decorator fix up his house.

  Nev sat down on the fluffy couch and pulled her legs under her. No better way to say it than to just put it out there. “Bastian, I need to tell you something.” When he sat down, she sidled up closer to him and smiled, hoping it would ease the sting of the truth. “You’re probably going to think I’m crazy, but—”

  “You can talk to the dead.”

  He’d stolen her thunder! She wanted to tell him so she could gauge his reaction.

  Nev opened her mouth and then closed it. She opened it again and then closed it again. “Okay. How did you know, and how are you not freaked out? And how do you know I’m not a crazy person talking to the air?”

  He gave her an easy smile that said he was completely comfortable with whatever she had to say, and it made her want to cry. No one, not even her sister and father, had ever looked at her like her gift was nothing to be ashamed of. Except for her mother. Mom had always referred to it as her gift.

  Bastian put his arm behind her on the couch and pulled her into the curve of his large, warm body. “Well, first off, most people that are crazy really aren’t that crazy. A lot of them can see through the veils and those who can’t write them off. It’s been that way since the beginning of time. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of people who are off their rocker and need medication, but even they are misunderstood.”

  Bastian eased her in until her legs were across his thighs, and his touch sent gentle currents of electricity through her skin. Right here in his arms was the best place in the world. Her mother sat in the beige recliner across from them, the look of happiness scrolled across her face. She was happy.

  “Secondly,” he continued, “Willow sent me a message on my phone after she took your blood. She said she could sense a presence close to you, and that you kept looking toward it and nodding as if listening to someone talk. Willow is a witch, by the way.”

  She was right. Mom had been right there with her, watching as Willow took her blood and did the spell.

  “And third, I saw you talking to your mom in the restaurant. I thought you were talking to her on an earpiece for your phone until you told Benny she died a few years ago. Is she here?”

  Nev nodded and pointed to the recliner, where her mother sat waggling her fingers. “Yup. She’s right there. She’s the one who told me to touch you. Mom always had a way of seeing a connection between people. She called it gleaming. And she said our gleam was the same, and that we were vibrating together. That’s why I slapped my hand across your forehead like a crazy person. She startled the crap out of me. Heck, I thought it was a do or die situation. Maybe it was.”

  “I see it in all of them,” Mom said, shoulders hunched up to her ears like an excited little girl. “Each mated pair I’ve seen share the same kind of gleam, but there is a thread that binds them all. And now, my daughter, you have it too. You found your people.” She sniffed and wiped a tear from her eye before it could fall down her full cheek.

  Emotion overwhelmed Nev as she watched the contented look on her mother’s face, and she couldn’t help but feel a sense of completion.

  Mom slapped her knee and laughed. “Nevada. There is a woman here who holds the colors of every single person I’ve come across in this little community. Make her your best friend. Her name is Cass, and I think she can fight.”

  “Cass?” Nev repeated. She turned to Bastian. “Is there someone here named Cass? My mom said she’s connected to all of you. Us. All of us.”

  Nev had to get used to being a part of such a large group of people. It was unnerving and put her on edge. Her beast was loving every second of it, but the human part of Nev was uneasy.

  A grim expression blanketed Bastian’s face, and Nev wasn’t sure if the woman her mother spoke of was as good as she thought. “Cass is
the third in the Alpha Triad. She’s the mate of Jax and Damon. She’s powerful, but she’s going through something right now.” He quieted in thought for a few moments. His eyes were full of some emotion Nev couldn’t place. “When the Rogue clan found out that our alpha and omega found their mate, someone murdered her.”

  Nev gasped and clutched her shirt near her stomach. She’d been murdered? “Wait. But she’s still here.”

  He nodded and gave a tight-lipped smile. “I shouldn’t be telling you this. It’s not my story to tell, but you need to know everything you’re getting into. The Rogues feared we would try to take over if we got our beasts back, and the only way they knew how to prevent it was to stop the Alpha Triad from forming. They would have been right, but they didn’t bank on the Angel of Death bringing her back to life. She became obsessed with finding the man who killed her, and it drove her a little crazy. She’s still coming back from that. Her sister Andi was here to help her through.”

  Wow. Nev understood why Cass had lost it. That had to be traumatizing. Heartbreaking. It sounded like that was a good enough reason for someone to lose their grip on sanity.

  “Don’t get me wrong,” Bastian rushed out. “Cass is a good person. She loves this clan and is trying like hell to get better, but she has a lot on her shoulders. Your mom said she was connected to us all, and there is nothing farther from the truth. She’s the reason every single one of us can find our mates and get our beasts back. Without Cass, we would be stuck in the same state of life we were cursed into millennia ago. And it’s a lot on a human. She seems to get stronger with every mate that bonds to this clan. She’s trying. And I believe in her. I wouldn’t have moved here from Salvatore if I didn’t.” Bastian looked at the chair and lifted his chin. “Cass would rip this place apart to keep every single one of us safe, and I know she’ll take a liking to Nev.”

  The corner of Mom’s lips quirked up. “I like her already. You’re in good hands, daughter. This is what I’ve been waiting for.”