The Shifter's Past

by R. A. Boyd

Willow sighed and nodded. “So, that means Cass is going to be a fucking surgeon with this gift.”

  “Talk,” Cass said as she gently pushed Jax down into his chair. “I want to know everything. Starting from how you got involved to why you’re carrying around this pill.” She reached out as Bastian slid the clear baggie with a light purple pill inside of it to her.

  Nev gave a silent prayer of thanks as Cass sat down in Jax’s lap. It seemed to be the only thing that kept him from jumping across the table and attacking Bastian. Having a saber-tooth inside her was new, but Nev would do everything she could to keep her mate safe. Including taking a bite out of Jax. Bastian may have screwed up, but he’d made it sound the other night as if he were trying his best to fix this.

  Pulling her discarded chair closer to Bastian, Nev sat down so she could listen to him talk.

  At first, he hesitated, as if trying to decide where to start. He took in a deep breath and looked at Ronin. “It’s my fault Ronin got put down. I got the same calling as you did. We were supposed to go to the Valleys of the Earth together to let someone out.” Bastian swallowed and looked at the ceiling. “I was sent there once before, right after the Great Flood to reinforce the chains, and I promised myself I would never go back. And when I got the Devine Communication to go back, I turned myself into the London sect of the Coven of the Fallen to be put down for a few months. The idea of going back made me want to kill people. I told everyone that I was going off to find myself or shit, but it was because of fear.

  “I thought if I did it alone the first time, Ronin could do it alone too. I am so sorry.” A tear fell from his eye as he looked up at Ronin. “If I could go back and change it, I would have endured the madness with you. Fuck, I didn’t know you were so close to the edge in the first place. Samiyah and Remus were the ones to wake me up at my scheduled time, and I found out that the woman Samiyah loved was killed that night.” With an apologetic smile, he looked at Paige and shook his head. “I just found out last night that the woman Samiyah loved was Remus’s daughter. You’re his great-granddaughter. He not so kindly said you were nothing to him because you chose to be with a Ghost shifter.”

  Paige lifted her chin defiantly and put her hand on Aiden’s leg. “I’d do it again. I’m glad I don’t remember him. He sounds awful.”

  “Go on, Bastian,” Cass muttered.

  She seemed less angry and more interested now, and that brought down Nev’s level of anxiety.

  Bastian grabbed Nev’s hand and threaded his fingers through hers. “When they woke me up and told me what happened, I felt like shit. Like it was my fault. I made the mistake of having a mind-blowing pity party with them, saying that we were too powerful for our own good. I wondered what would happen if all of us went crazy and started killing. We would level this world.” He looked up and let his eyes roam the table. “And for the record, I didn’t mean a word of it. I hated myself for letting it happen to Ronin. It was my fault. This is all my fault. If I had just done what I was supposed to do, none of this would have happened. That’s why I isolated myself in Salvatore with the others. You have no fucking idea how damaged we all are. Or at least how I was. Coming here to New Rose did something to me. Made me want to live again. I kept up with Remus and Samiyah over the years, and when I found out that Jax and Damon found Cass, I called them. I was proud as a fucking rooster because I knew that if she could heal them, it would ripple through the entire clan. I didn’t call them to say it was time to attack. I called because I thought our fellow brethren would be happy for us.”

  A sense of relief washed through Nev as she listened to Bastian’s story. He hadn’t meant for this to happen.

  “Bastian,” Nev said, voice so low she could barely hear herself speak. “You went through something so many people do. You were depressed, baby. You talked to friends you thought you could trust, and they used it against you. Against all of you. Against us.”

  He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I was trying to find a way to tell everyone, I thought I could fix it myself. Until last night when Remus threatened to call me out. I went to meet with him, and he said he wanted to stop Cass from keeping us connected. If she’s not tethering us, we lose our beasts. And our bonds.” He shook his head and chewed the corner of his lip. “He said he would kill the mates if I didn’t do it. That’s why I asked to speak to you three today.” Bastian pointed to the pill Cass held in the palm of her hand. “I was going to give this to Zeke and Willow to see what it was. I know it’s some kind of sedative, but he said it would be strong enough to keep her asleep long enough for him to do the separating spell.”

  Nev’s mom cleared her throat, catching Cass’s attention as well. “I’m going to head back to keep an eye on them. There is some kind of spell binding most of those people in that warehouse to Remus. I see it in their gleam.”

  “What’s a gleam?” Cass asked.

  Nev raised her hand. “I’ll explain it to you.” Worry tightened in her chest as she looked at her mom. “You said you couldn’t get into the community until this morning. Does the spell affect you too?”

  She nodded and then shrugged. “Well, it doesn’t make me want to join them, but it’s like it got on me, covered me like a blanket, and kept me from coming in. I waited until it faded from my skin. I don’t know how else to explain it.”

  “I think I can,” Cass said. “Willow, Zeke, and Sariel, another member of the Coven, crafted a spell that showed the Rogues to us. They are bound to Remus, and that’s what we can see. Maybe it got on you somehow? I don’t know exactly how it works.”

  Willow shifted in her seat and said, “That’s pretty much how it works. Is the Rogue headquarters protected by a spell.”

  “Yes,” Bastian answered. “It’s warded, too. If he doesn’t open the door with a spell, no one can get it.”

  “Well, that’s it,” Willow said. “A spell so completely encompassing that binds so many people to a powerful witch is like a covering. Imagine a hot, humid day that you feel on your skin like oil. I think your mother’s ghost could ‘wear’ it temporarily.”

  Mom smiled and shrugged up one shoulder. “I’m going back in. I’ll listen and find out what they are going to do next. Meet me right where your witch friend did the spell to let you in,” she said to Nev. “Tonight at ten. I’ll keep an ear out to make sure they don’t switch things up.”

  “Is it safe?” Cass asked. “Is it safe for Gwendolyn to go there? She’s offering to keep watch.”

  Willow nodded. “Yes. She’ll be fine.”

  “I don’t hate you, Bastian,” Cass said. The hesitation in her eyes was still there, but the ire had disappeared. “But we still need to talk. Jax and Damon are angry, but they’ll get over it. Right?”

  Damon picked up a glass of orange juice and took a sip. “I’m still pissed.”

  “He didn’t mean to.” Cass leaned from her spot on Jax’s lap and kissed his cheek. “I can sense it. Every word he spoke was true. He never meant for this to happen.”

  Ronin stood and forked two pancakes onto his plate. “He just should have told us what was going on. Bastian, I’m not mad at you, man. I was already on edge, and I should have turned myself into the Coven years before the Calling. My beast had been awake for years. You did the right thing by getting put down.” He shook his head and let out a humorless laugh. “Imagine both of us going insane and killing people.”

  “But we need to figure this out,” Willow said as she handed Ronin the maple syrup. “And quick. Just so you know, I have a wonderful idea of what to do. I’m going to join the four of you when you talk. Nev,” she said, waving her hand. “Your mom said that Samael wanted Cass to take the pill.”

  “Yes,” Nev answered while Bastian said, “That’s what he said.”

  Nev stood and kissed Bastian’s cheek. “I’m going to talk to my mom before she goes.”

  She left out the part where she needed some time away from everyone. Her first breakfast with the clan came with overl
oads of information and overwhelming emotions. The urge to protect her mate at all costs was at the forefront of her mind the entire time. Nev didn’t want to hurt Jax or Damon, or Cass for that matter, but she would have tried. Something told her she would have lost to each one of them, but she still would have tried.

  “I’ll see you at home.” Bastian stood and pulled her in for a hug. “Thank you for being here with me.”

  Nev wrapped her arms around his neck and gripped his hair in her fingers. They held on to each other like a lifeline. Being with Bastian had taken over her senses. It was scary, and dangerous. But she was happy. Happy the truth was out, and still overjoyed to be part of their clan.

  Walking outside into the morning sunlight refreshed her fried emotions.

  “You all right, daughter?”

  Nev nodded and crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes. I’m all right. I’m just… dazed. Still want me to get as far away from them as I can?” she asked, jokingly.

  Mom bobbed her head from side to side and hummed. “Kind of. But I think you’ll be safe here. Besides, I think I’ve found a part-time job. Spy. For angels, no less. I’d sure love to hug and kiss you, baby girl. You know I love you more than anything in any world.”

  “I know. And you know I love you more than the telling of it.” She lifted her hand as if to touch her mother’s cheek and then lowered it again. “I’ll see you at ten tonight. Be careful. And leave if you feel weird.”

  As her mother disappeared, she whispered, “I’m always weird, baby. So are you.”

  Nev stood and watched the spot where her mother had been, hoping she would come back for a few more minutes.

  This was the first time Nev worried about her mother’s state of being since she died. It sounded odd, but at least they could keep an eye on each other. But this was different. Her mother was going into a place that altered her energy, and it made Nev want to scream and demand she never go near that forsaken place again.

  Her phone vibrated in her back pocket before she could take another step. It was Danni.

  “Hey, Danni.”

  “Hi, Nev. I’m sorry to bug you, and I know it’s not ten yet, but can you cover for me. My grandma needs to go to the hospital, but she refuses to go with anyone but me or my mom. My mom just happens to be in the Poconos with my dad.” She let out an exasperated sigh, and Nev could hear her grip the phone tightly. “I’m sorry to ask, but the other waitresses said they were busy. My last resort is to ask Audra, but who wants to ask their boss to cover for them?”

  Dang-it. Nev didn’t want to do it, but the desperation in Danni’s voice pulled at her heart.

  She looked at her watch and then up at the cloudless blue sky. “Okay. I can do it. I’ll get my uniform and be there within the hour.”

  The sound of a quick clap sounded over the phone line. “Thank you, Nev! Thank you so, so much. Pick any other shift, and I’ll cover for you. Bye!”

  Nev didn’t tell her that she hadn’t planned on coming back to work for a while, but Danni didn’t need to know that.

  The doors to the community center opened, and Nev turned around to see Bastian, Jax, Damon, Cass, and Willow walking toward the house where the Alpha Triad lived. Bastian looked up and smiled at Nev, and her heart tripped over itself.

  Everything was going to be okay. She had no doubt.

  After going into the house and grabbing her things, Nev left a note telling Bastian were she was going, got into his truck, and drove to work. He should be talking with the others for a few hours and didn’t need his vehicle. At least she hoped he wouldn’t.

  As she pulled into the back parking lot of the pub, she was surprised to see Danni standing near the back door.

  Danni walked over as Nev climbed down from the high seat of Bastian’s jacked up ride. Geez, she was going to have to measure the length of his legs when she got home. He made getting in and out of the monstrous vehicle look like a breeze.

  “Hey, Danni. Did you need something?”

  The closer Danni got, the more Nev could pick up on the subtle scent of fur and earth wafting from the woman. Was she a shifter?

  “Yes,” Danni said, clear brown eyes catching the glint of the sunlight. “I need you to come with me.”

  Before Nev could ask why Danni wanted her to go to her grandmother’s house, Danni put up her hand and blew a shimmering powder into her face.

  She felt her body give out as she tumbled to the ground. Nev considered all the ways she was going to beat the crap out of Danni for lying to her. She was part of the Rogue clan. There could be no other reason for her to do this.

  Nev felt the back of her head clunk against the oversized wheel of Bastian’s truck right before she hit the ground. The last thing she saw before her eyes fluttered closed was a fat, fluffy white cloud as it moved to drift in the path of the Sun, and she thought to herself, I knew I should have turned her down.

  Chapter 13

  Bastian clamped Ronin on the shoulder, glad he was finally able to tell him what he’d done all those years ago. He’d always promised himself that he would confess to his brother as soon as he woke up, but being that Ronin’s body had been high-jacked by Samiyah gave him a reason to hold off.

  “You weren’t a coward, Bastian.” Ronin sat back on the deck seat and looked out into the summer light as Riley, Emma, Liv, and Lily played hopscotch in front of the community center. “And from what I hear, you and the other Salvatore Ghosts have your own shit to deal with.”

  Bastian snorted and rested his elbows on his knees. “Yeah. If crazy had a hotspot, our little area out in Salvatore would be it. Me, running from going into the Valleys of the Earth, Ambrose hides his issues but will swear up and down that he’s fine. Gabe hasn’t been the same since that night in Cork. Finn, Malachi, and Rafe are just…” He expelled a breath and shook his head. “We didn’t hide because we didn’t want mates. That was a load of shit we used so we could justify our break from the rest of the group. We left because we didn’t trust ourselves not to go off the rail and start killing.”

  “At least you’re here now,” Ronin said. “Everything happens for a reason. I have no doubt about that. My mate is the best thing that ever happened to me. Shit, being a part of this clan is the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  They both looked up as the screen door leading to the deck opened up. Cass and Willow spoke quietly, and Jax and Damon trailed behind them, giving Bastian a look of both irritation and relief.

  Jax leaned against the column that held part of the black and blue awning shielding them from the burning sunlight. “I still want to skin you alive, but I get it. Mostly. Cass made me promise not to gut you.”

  “But you need to keep us updated with everything Remus does until this is over,” Damon added. “Every call, text, or fucking message in a bottle.”

  “Sharing is caring,” Willow sang as she looked over from where she talked to Cass. “This is going to work. I already keep a stash of them to counteract spells. Any respectable witch keeps them.”

  Jax lifted his head to the breeze and then stared back at Bastian. “Yeah, sharing is caring, but sharing will keep my foot from lodging permanently in your ass.”

  Bastian grinned, happy everything was finally out in the open. “I will keep that in mind. And thank you. All of you.”

  The giddiness he felt in his chest made him want to throw up, but he was grateful for the feeling. He’d done horribly thoughtless things, but his family forgave him, accepted him. It was better this way.

  For so long, Bastian harbored the toxic secrets that made him want to be a punching bag for Cass or anyone else in the clan who had a bad day. It wasn’t them having bad days, it was him attempting to take on the karma of what he thought was the shit life he deserved. When he moved back to New Rose, life took on a new meaning that didn’t include antagonizing people just to get a rise out of them. Their sense of comradery and familial ties holding them together was unbreakable. He knew that now.

  Bastian�
��s phone made a dinging sound in his pocket, and he was surprised to see a text from Nev. Maybe it was a picture of her smiling face, telling him to come home and spend time with her. Or maybe her tits. Even the idea of seeing her big pretty nipples made his dick thump against his gym shorts. Hell, Nev could send him a photo of her giving him the finger, and he would still be happy she took the time to even think about him.

  His breath hitched in his throat when the picture popped up on his screen. Nev, unconscious on a thin mat in front of a wall of Heaven’s Flame wielding weapons.

  You can take your mate home with you when you bring the woman

  The cracking sound of plastic filled the air as Bastian squeezed his phone. The only reason he didn’t smash the damn thing and throw it across the backyard was the fear of Remus attempting to contact him again.

  No. That couldn’t be Nev. She said she would be at home all day working on the computer.

  “What’s wrong?” Cass asked, worry clogging her words as Bastian got up and jumped over the deck railing.

  How the fuck did Remus get her? Her car was totaled. They were going next week so she could pick out another one. It had to be a lie. Some kind of spell that made it look like Nev was at the Rogue warehouse in Baltimore.

  A strangled growl poured from his mouth when he saw his truck missing from the driveway. Bastian ran down the street, shoving open the door fast enough to damage the woodwork framing the darkly stained oak door.

  “Nev,” he yelled, running from room to room, hoping like hell she would answer him. “Damn-it, Nev, where are you?”

  He could hear the footsteps of his brethren running behind him and their troubled voices, asking him what happened.

  Jax was the first to reach him. “Give me your phone,” he said, holding his hand out.

  Bastian couldn’t even remember what he did with it. He started patting his pockets, thinking he’d dropped it on the way over until Cass said, “It’s in your hand.”

  Fear – real, gut-wrenching fear – churned in the pit of his stomach as he looked down at the phone, and handed it to Cass. She unlocked it and gasped. Cass gave the phone to Jax and rolled her eyes closed. Before her soft lids covered the whiskey brown of her eyes, Bastian watched at the beautiful orbs went black as tar.