“But?” I pressed. Something in his eyes let me know there was more to what he was saying.
“But, the curse only remains dormant for the shifter clan, pack, or crew you’ve chosen as your own by mating with one of the members—specifically the alpha—or being turned by a member which would make you part of the same clan.”
Everything I’d ever learned from books and TV about shifters flashed through my mind. My cheeks heated. Mated? Was he talking about having sex? Wasn’t that what mated meant? And when he said turned, that meant becoming a bear or whatever shifter, right?
Crap. I didn’t want either of those things.
I’d just had the worst breakup of my life. I didn’t have a clue what my next step should be, but I didn’t think becoming a shifter would solve any of my current problems. It would only add to them. Having sex with someone—or becoming mated to someone—seemed as though it would only add to my problems too. Also, sex wasn’t something I did with someone at random. I wasn’t a one-night-stand kind of girl. Sex meant something to me. I wouldn’t sleep with someone just for the heck of it.
What had I gotten myself into by coming here?
“I know this is a lot to take in,” Liam said. “It’s a big responsibility, but please give it some thought.”
I stood and began pacing. “It’s definitely a lot to take in. My head feels like it’s about to explode.” I squeezed my temples. “You just told me I can save your group or clan—whatever you call yourselves—from some sickness brought on by a curse some witch created forever ago. It sounds like a freaking fairytale.”
“It’s not. Trust me. There haven’t been many happy endings for shifters in a while,” Liam insisted. “I understand if you need time and some space to process everything, though.”
“Did Dottie know what I was? Is that why she mentioned this place?” It was a random question, but I had to know. I remembered her knowing smile from earlier.
“No.” Liam stepped around the counter to where I was. “She didn’t know. No one did. Not even me. The only thing any of us knew was that you smelled of coyotes. They’ve always been known for their bad streaks, so I assumed a coyote was who hurt you and who you were running from.” There was truth in his eyes. My heart stalled as I replayed his words.
Corbin was a coyote?
An image of the coyote behind me as I ran through the woods to get away from him surfaced. Had that actually been Corbin, or someone else from his group? Holy, crap. So, they weren’t vampires, they were coyotes?
The front door to Liam’s cabin burst open, and the brother I had yet to formally meet bolted inside. He didn’t seem to see me as he charged across the cabin directly to Liam. Tension radiated off him in waves, making me uneasy.
“There’s a coyote near. He hasn’t made it to the campground yet, but he’s been spotted at the diner.” Liam’s brother shifted to look at me then. While I could see the family resemblance, I noticed right away that this guy’s eyes were darker than Liam’s and his features were more intense. He could be summed up in one word—intimidating. Broody and dangerous vibes rippled off him as his eyes narrowed on me. “I can guarantee he’s here because of you. Now that you’re activated, it won’t be long before he comes for you. You’re like a beacon. We can all feel you.”
My heart dipped to my stomach. This day just kept getting better and better. Fan-freaking-tastic.
Chapter Ten
While I wouldn’t say there was hatred reflected in Liam’s brother’s eyes toward me, I would say it was something akin to it. Maybe it was because of the whole being a beacon thing and also because a coyote had tracked me here. If it was Corbin, or even someone from his group, I knew they would be trouble so I didn’t take offense.
I’d be pissed at me too.
“This is Nash, by the way,” Liam said in a harsh tone. Clearly, he wasn’t happy with his brother for barging into his cabin with such hostility. “He’s the middle brother. The one between me and the twins. Which doesn’t excuse his lack of manners.”
I tucked a few stray strands of hair behind my ear as I held Nash’s stare. “It’s fine. Hey. Nice to meet you.” My voice was calm. While Nash might seem intimidating, he didn’t frighten me.
In fact, he was the type of guy I typically went for. The dangerous, brooding type who seemed to have all sorts of issues in need of fixing. Surprisingly, I found that I wasn’t attracted to him though. Not even a little bit.
He didn’t hold a candle to Liam.
Nash folded his arms over his solid chest and flashed me a grin. “I just barge in here and tell you that you’re the cause of all the trouble coming our way, and yet you still say it’s nice to meet me?”
“What else am I supposed to say? Should I argue with you? That’s kind of hard to do given the situation and the fact that you’re right.”
Nash cocked his head, his eyes skimming over my face. “At least you aren’t denying it.”
“Give me the details,” Liam insisted, gaining Nash’s attention as well as my own.
“Dottie spotted him at the diner a little while ago. He’s on a motorcycle and seems to be alone. There’s a tattoo on the inside of his forearm. Three large sixes. She thought it might be a symbol for a coyote gang or something, but I told her it didn’t ring any bells,” Nash said. His attention had shifted to Liam while he relayed the information, but he might as well have been speaking to me because his words shook me to the core as though he had.
Corbin rode a motorcycle, and he had that exact tattoo Nash mentioned on his forearm.
I’d noticed it well before we started dating. I’d thought it was in reference to Satan, that maybe he was into freaky satanic stuff like the rumors flying around Opal Pine about him and the others he hung with claimed. One night, I asked him about it and he told me it was a reminder.
One that meant refocus.
He’d said his mother had believed in angel numbers, and that six-six-six had been her favorite of them. Whenever he was frustrated about something when he was little, she would remind him of the number, and he knew she meant that he needed to refocus his mind. After she passed, he said he saw the number often. It became his reminder to refocus his mind on his goals and the bigger picture. He’d gotten the tattoo on his forearm so he could carry a piece of her with him always.
It was the most intimate thing Corbin had ever told me about himself. Which made it something I’d never forget.
“I know who he is.” My voice was barely above a whisper as I spoke. “I know who the coyote at the diner is.” The words were hard to get out.
They were all coyote shifters—Corbin, Chase, Ezra, all of them. Holy crap.
I’d always known there was something off about them, but I always just wrote it off as nothing. I’d been so stupid.
“What do you know about him?” Nash asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Is he the same guy who hurt you?” Liam demanded. I lifted my gaze to him. His jaw was set and his eyes were bright and wild. His bear was near the surface.
I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly having gone dry, and then moved to Liam’s couch. I needed to sit down. My legs were shaky; they could barely hold me upright. The brown leather of the couch was cool against my bare legs as I tucked them beneath me.
“Yeah. His name is Corbin.” My gaze shifted between the two brothers in front of me who appeared to be as different as night and day. Liam was sunlight and Nash was all darkness. “I mean, I’m pretty sure that’s who it is. He has the same tattoo you mentioned. It’s not a gang thing, just a Corbin thing. He also rides a motorcycle. And, I know if anyone was coming for me, it would be him.”
“You’re sure about the tattoo?” Nash asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. Positive.”
“I need you to tell me what happened. Tell me what he did to you,” Liam insisted. He took a step closer and folded his arms over his chest. His eyes were still the eerie bright brown of his bear, but his jaw had relaxed.
I pulled
in a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, knowing the memories and emotions that would surface while I talked weren’t something I wanted to experience again.
“Corbin and I dated. For about a month,” I said, figuring that was probably the best way to start—telling them how I knew him. Liam’s eyes flashed, and I got the feeling he didn’t like the beginning to my story. “I’ve known him for a long time, though. Not that I actually talked to him. I guess I should say I’ve known of him for a long time. Him and the group of misfits he and his little brother, Chase, belong to. They’re all dangerous and wild. Animalistic in a sense that I now understand. I’d always felt sort of on edge while in their presence. It was exciting and reckless. At least, that’s what I’d thought before I knew any better.” My throat closed as the memory of being shoved into Ezra’s trunk filled my mind.
“Continue,” Nash prompted with a rolling hand gesture.
I blinked. “Right. Um, the night my busted cheek happened, Corbin was supposed to pick me up at seven on his bike, per my request. I’d had had an argument with my mom earlier in the day, and I knew how much she hated seeing me on the back of Corbin’s bike. It drove her nuts.” Crazy she didn’t want me on the back of a bike because she was worried I’d be hurt but yet she didn’t seem to care when the guy driving it beat me. “Instead of coming to pick me up on his bike, he came in this guy named Ezra’s car. Corbin wasn’t driving though, his little brother, Chase, was. I climbed in the backseat without thinking twice. Everything seemed fine. Chase pulled away from my place and cut out of the trailer park as though everything was okay. I figured we were probably going back to their place, which was a big old farmhouse they all lived in together. It used to be Ezra’s parents’ place.”
For a moment, I thought about the stories I’d heard regarding how their group had formed. Some claimed they’d all killed their parents as an initiation of sorts. Others said they were all orphans by way of odd accidents. I knew now it was because of the curse—that sickness Liam had mentioned.
Nash cleared his throat, and I took it as a sign he wanted me to continue. So, I did.
“We drove to an old abandoned gas station off the highway. It’s in the middle of nowhere. There’s nothing left of it besides the shell of the building and polls where the gas tanks used to be. I didn’t know why we’d stopped, but I didn’t question either of them. Corbin got out and told me to get out too. I figured he wanted a cigarette, and I knew Ezra didn’t let anyone smoke in his car from the previous times I’d hung out with them. What I hadn’t expected was for Corbin to tell me to turn around and put my hands behind my back. When I questioned him on it, he hit me.” Hard. I could still taste the coppery sensation of blood pooling along the inside of my mouth from the force of his fist against my cheek. Come to think of it, that was where the bruise had most likely come from, not banging around in the trunk. Ass. “They forced me to turn around. I struggled, fighting them both and managing to get a few hits in, but it wasn’t enough. They still tied my wrists together with rope and shoved me in the trunk. And then the car was moving again.”
“How did you get away?” Liam asked.
I locked eyes with him, knowing what I said next would shock them both. “With a screwdriver.” I grinned. “I’d untied my wrists while in the trunk. When we reached the place they were taking me, I jumped out wielding the screwdriver I found rolling around and managed to stab Corbin in the hand.”
“Badass,” Nash insisted. “I’m impressed.”
“Do you know why they decided to kidnap you?” Liam asked, ignoring Nash’s words.
I shrugged. “All I know is that it had something to do with my blood. That’s what they were after. I don’t even think it was me in particular, just someone of my description. They were looking for someone and they seemed to want her blood.” As soon as I said the words, pieces began to click together. “They were searching for the Mystic, weren’t they? Is that where my magic is? In my blood?”
“Do they not know how being a Mystic works?” Nash asked with a scoff.
“They must not. I’m guessing none of their elders explained things to them the way ours did.” Liam folded his arms over his solid chest.
“Most likely,” Nash said.
“Which means there’s no way they could’ve known a description of the Mystic before the magic was activated,” Liam insisted as though his word was law. His brows were pinched together, and he seemed lost in serious thought. “It isn’t possible.”
“Anything is possible, especially if they were working with a witch. Maybe they forced one to have a vision of the Mystic.” Nash rubbed his chin in thought. His eyes locked with Liam’s. “There’s another way he could have suspected she was the Mystic too though.”
Liam bristled at Nash’s words. When his gaze landed on me again, I noticed his bear was close to the surface once more.
“Have you slept with him?” Liam asked.
“Uh. That’s a personal question, but no. We hadn’t made it to that point in our relationship yet.” My cheeks heated. I’d never been one to talk about my sex life all willy-nilly.
The tension around Liam’s eyes melted away. Why did he seem so relieved? It took me two seconds to realize why—because there was a chance I’d have been mated to Corbin if I had.
My stomach somersaulted. I knew enough about the shifter world from books and movies to know that wasn’t something I wanted. Not with him.
“If he hasn’t slept with her, but she fits the description they were given by a witch of what the Mystic looks like, then either that’s the reason he’s come after her or he’s totally obsessed with her,” Nash said as he gave me a once-over. From the look on his face, he didn’t seem to understand why the latter would be the reason for Corbin tracking me.
Wow, he was a real piece of work.
A witty remark rested on the tip of my tongue, but it never made it past my lips because Liam started barking out orders.
“Nash, find a place to hide her Jeep,” Liam grumbled. His eyes snapped to me. “Turn off the stove. We don’t have time to eat. We need to hide you.”
I stood and headed to the kitchen to switch the stove off. The noodles were boiling, but Liam was right—we didn’t have time to eat. And honestly, I wasn’t even hungry anymore. Not now that I knew Corbin was so close. It unsettled me.
“I could take it to the mines,” Nash said. “Hide it there.”
“If anyone’s driving my Jeep, it’s me,” I said as I made my way back into the living room. That Jeep was one of my most treasured possessions. There was no way in hell I’d let just anyone drive it. Besides, it was my only way out of here if things went south quick. “Tell me where to take it and I will.” I held Liam’s gaze.
“Let Nash deal with that, you need to hide,” he insisted.
I folded my arms over my chest. “Like I said, no one’s driving my Jeep but me. Now tell me where to take it.”
“I like you.” Nash patted me on the shoulder as he stepped to the front door, a cocky grin hung on his face. “No isn’t something Liam hears often. Everyone always does what he says, comes with being alpha. It’s nice to see him squirm for a change.” When he opened the door, the grin he wore melted. He grew stiff, and so did Liam.
“What?” I asked, not sure what they were hearing or seeing that I wasn’t.
The sound of a motorcycle made its way to my ears seconds later and the room around me spun.
Corbin was here, at the campground, and there was no time to hide.
Chapter Eleven
My heart raced as I listened to the motorcycle grow closer. Corbin was almost to the cabin. In minutes, he’d know I was here. All it would take was one lap through the campground, he’d see my Jeep parked at Ruby, and it would all be over from there.
The icy sensation of panic rushed through my veins, making my heartbeat become sluggish.
“How did he know where I was?” I asked, not directing my question to either brother, but hoping one of them could
give me an answer. “How did he track me? I was careful when I left town. I know you said I’m a beacon now, but that’s recent, right? He couldn’t have found me that fast from it.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered how careful you were; he could have tracked you by your scent. Or, maybe the two of you shared something. Not like a mating, but maybe you’re kindred,” Nash answered as he closed the cabin door. A low growl came from somewhere deep in Liam’s chest, and I knew it was his bear. Was he showing his disapproval of what Nash said, or was it because Corbin was so close?
“Kindred? You mean like kindred spirits?” I asked, swallowing the bile rising up my throat at the thought. There was no way in hell Corbin and I were kindred in any way.
“Exactly. Sometimes our animal bonds with someone before a mating or a claiming takes place. Like they recognize what that person means to us before we do.” Nash’s eyes glossed over, and I wondered if a memory had taken over. Did he know what being kindred felt like firsthand?
“It’s too late to hide your Jeep, but it’s not too late to hide you,” Liam insisted. He smoothed a hand over his scruffy jaw, clearly lost in his thoughts. “Nash, let the others know a coyote is here. Everyone needs to make sure the humans don’t see anything. I don’t know how unhinged this coyote might be and we can’t risk exposure.”
I knew Corbin; he would be very unhinged—especially once he realized I was the Mystic, which according to Nash wouldn’t take long since I was some sort of beacon now. I couldn’t have Corbin act all crazy and expose Liam or his clan. I couldn’t have any of the innocent humans I’d seen having fun on their summer vacations put in danger.
This showdown needed to happen away from the campground. It needed to happen in the woods.
“I’m not hiding,” I said to Liam before shifting my gaze to Nash. “Corbin can sense me, right? Even if we aren’t kindred, he can still sense me?”
Chosen: Gem Creek Bears, Book One Page 10