The Shifter’s Hostage (Shades of Shifters Book 5)

by T. S. Ryder

  The two prisoners were dragged to the couches. Ana was relieved to see Seth there already, looking pale but calm.

  "Are you okay?" she asked him.

  He nodded once. "You?"

  "Yeah."

  "Please take your seats," the woman said. "My name is Crystal Scott. I'm so glad that you could join me for my show today."

  Ana leaned into Joseph's side. The woman stared at the three of them with unbridled hatred.

  "We are here today with shifter Seth Fischer. Tell me, senator, who did you have to bribe to get into office? Everybody knows that shifters are untrustworthy, vile creatures. They should not be allowed to walk freely in public. Would you let a Bear stroll down the street?" She turned to Joseph. "And yet we have a Bear right here. A detective. Shifters are unpredictable. They are ruled by instinct, how can we trust that a Bear like you will protect the people?"

  There was something off about Crystal's monologue. The things she was saying were bad enough, but the way she said it, talking too fast, pacing back and forth, gave her a hysterical quality. Ana shivered. She had always thought of anti-shifters as being crazy, but when it came to Crystal Scott… she couldn't help but think it was true. Rumor had it she'd had a mental breakdown recently. Was it true?

  "And then there's the danger to humans." Crystal focused on Ana. "This woman thinks she's found a mate. A mate who will stay with her forever and ever and ever. But did you have a choice in the matter, Ana Medina? Or was it because the Bear forced you into it? Yes, he tricked you, lied to you, and then… then you didn't have a choice. When a shifter decides they have a mate, they produce pheromones that draw that human to them until they don't have a choice."

  "That was scientifically disproven," Ana tried to say.

  Crystal grabbed a handgun from one of the men around her. She pointed it at the three of them in turn, panting, her eyes wide and wild. Ana shrank back. She was insane! Her own eyes widened and her mind raced, trying to think of a way to talk the woman down.

  A gunshot went off. She heard the bullet hit and a spray of blood splattered her face. Seth let out a cry of pain, hunching over. He clutched his abdomen. Ana was just able to repress a scream.

  "You're stopping the Shifter Registry," Crystal said. "We need the registry to protect humans from the monsters that shifters are!"

  She turned the gun on Ana. But Joseph had already leaped from the couch. In one fluid motion, he shifted. The guns of Crystal's guards fired rapidly; Joseph barreled through them, slapping Crystal away. Her gun clattered to the floor. Rearing to his full elephantine size, Joseph struck out, knocking the men with guns every which way. He pounced on each of them, crushing guns and bone between his teeth.

  Ana sprang from the couch, grabbing Seth. She couldn’t do anything to help Joseph, but she could get Seth out of here. She dragged him up, looping his arm over her shoulders. He stumbled, leaning against her and she looked around wildly–the forklift. They could at least have some protection in there. Ana tightened her grip on her boss and started lugging him towards it.

  A bellow filled the warehouse. Ana turned, her heart jumping to her throat. Crystal had scrambled to her feet and was charging towards them. That maniacal gleam in her eyes was back; she bellowed again, the sound inhuman, and in a blink, her form changed. A moose bigger than Joseph's Bear barreled towards them, foaming at the mouth.

  Ana screamed.

  A roar echoed, challenging the moose for dominance. Crystal turned just in time to meet Joseph as he threw himself at her. Ana stared, frozen and horrified, as the moose caught him in her antlers and tossed him aside. Joseph landed in the couches, sending them flying, but rolled to his feet and charged again. This time, he was able to avoid those antlers and wrapped his front legs around Crystal's shoulders, biting at her neck. Blood splattered on the floor.

  "Ana," Seth wheezed.

  She shook her head and turned her back on the fight. Her heart pounded in her throat. If she got into the forklift, would she be able to ram the moose, help Joseph get the upper hand? Or would she just end up putting herself in danger?

  In the end, though, it wasn't necessary. When Ana got to the forklift, she risked a glance backward. Crystal was on the floor, her legs crushed against her body by Joseph's bulk; his jaws were around her throat. Ana helped Seth into the forklift and when she turned back, Crystal was human again, cowering on the floor, her body shaking with sobs.

  "You've ruined everything," she cried to Joseph as he also shifted. "I was just trying to protect the humans from Beasts like us. Can't you see? We don't deserve to walk free!"

  "You are suffering because you've suppressed your shifter side," Joseph panted, still pinning her. "You're sick, and it's because you haven't talked with your Beast enough."

  She clutched her head. "Shut up, shut up! I don't want anything to do with her! She's a demon inside of me, I have to find a way to cut her out before she can hurt anybody else."

  Ana shuddered. Crystal believed what she was saying. She really did. How could anybody think of themselves like that? It was so horrific! Ana climbed into the forklift beside Seth and cautiously drove it towards where Joseph was. He was tying the woman up as she continued to sob. Seth slumped, his face pale as he tried to stem the flow from his bullet wound.

  "This is why I do what I do," he whispered. "Look at her. This is what happens when shifters are forced to keep themselves hidden, when they are taught to hate themselves so much that they refuse to acknowledge their own identity. When will enough be enough?"

  Ana had known all this but hadn't realized how bad it was. Her gaze flickered over all the dead bodies lying on the warehouse floor. If they hadn't hated shifters, they would all be alive. She shuddered again. If anything, her resolve had been bolstered from this. She had always been a proponent of shifter rights, but now she knew she had to do more.

  Joseph picked up the petite Crystal easily. She continued to sob. He looked at Ana; their eyes met, and a feeling of love burst in her chest. That was her mate. He was alive and well.

  And together, they were going to change the world.

  Chapter Ten

  Joseph leaned heavily on the crutch he still needed. The bullet wound in his leg had healed, but one of his knees had been completely shattered in Crystal's attack and he was still recovering from surgery. It had been several weeks since he had been kidnapped with Ana and Seth, but thanks to Ana's tender care, he was almost better. Without her, he would have been so bored stiff lying in bed all the time that he would have wrecked it further.

  "Can I get you some water?" Ana asked as he sat down in an old, worn couch in her parent's house that was extremely comfortable despite its age.

  "I'm good, thank you."

  Behind Ana, Mrs. Medina snorted. "Get him water. He doesn't drink enough, a man that size needs to stay hydrated."

  Ana rolled her eyes, and they shared a long-suffering look between them as Mr. Medina tried to convince his wife to leave Joseph alone. Ana's parents had insisted that they come for dinner today.

  Not that Joseph didn't enjoy spending time with her parents. They were nice people and balanced one another out nicely. He was feeling a little tired of the energy levels here, though, and wanted to go home to have some relaxing time with his mate.

  Well… relaxing might not be the right word for it. If they were careful, then the right position didn't strain his knee at all and they could take part in other activities…

  Ana's father sat beside him and turned on the television. The news flickered on showing a picture of Seth Fischer.

  "He's getting out of the hospital today," Ana commented. "Full recovery. Well, the doctors told me to make sure that he doesn't overdo it. It'll be hard, though. Seth's more determined than ever."

  So was Ana. And so was Joseph. Crystal's mental breakdown only highlighted the need for change to happen. How many other shifters were out there, suffering like she had?

  Ana and her mother hurried over to the couch when the news switched to
a live broadcast from Seth outside of the hospital. The shifter looked pale, but he stood firm and his voice was powerful as he spoke into the microphones as cameras flashed at him.

  "Our deepest sympathies go to Crystal Scott and her family," he started. "This is a painful time for us all, but especially for those who loved Crystal. The events of these past few weeks have only strengthened my resolve to see change come to our country. We have seen how the hatred of shifters cost a bright, compassionate young woman to lose her mind. This is why I do what I do. So that shifters will not have to hide, so they will not suppress themselves.

  "It is a fact that when shifters does not feel free to be themselves, when they are shamed into thinking there is something wrong with them, when they ignore or, worse, try to cut out that part of them that makes them a shifter, it damages their mental health. The time has come for shifters to stand up and say "I am here. I am proud of who I am, and I will not be silenced." But in order for this to happen, our laws must be changed. Shifters are legally discriminated against in this country that is meant to be the home of the free. I ask you, free for whom?"

  Joseph felt a well of pride rise in him as he listened to the senator. Maybe change was possible. It would take voices crying for change, though, and his would be among them. No more hiding his shifter side from his coworkers. Buck would be proud of him, finally taking a stand on his own identity.

  After Seth's speech was over, Ana's father nodded. "I always liked Seth, even when he was a little boy. When are you going back to work with him, sweetheart?"

  Ana slid down next to Joseph, squeezing his hand. "I'm already back working with him. Just not as much. But Seth has me doing a bunch of research to use in his arguments against the Shifter Registry. We're hopeful that it's not going to pass. A lot of shifter rights groups have gotten more vocal since the news about Crystal broke. She was adopted by anti-shifter parents and when her husband found out she was a shifter, he accused her of raping him. The poor girl never had a chance."

  "Hopefully, it works out in our favor," Joseph agreed. It would be all too easy for anti-shifter groups to point to Crystal and claim that she was proof that they needed a shifter registry, but thankfully Seth had seized it right away and was turning it into a cry for shifter rights. "Using her tragedy as a way to better inform the public was a stroke of genius."

  "That’s Seth," Ana replied proudly. "He's a master at this sort of thing."

  Joseph glanced at her. His mate. His heart swelled with a happiness he never thought he would ever experience. Maybe he was turning into one of those gooey-eyed men who lived for his mate, but he wouldn't trade it for the bland life he had led before. Ana was everything he could ever want.

  "And what about you?" Ana's father looked at Joseph. "When are you going back to work?"

  "As soon as this knee's fixed up." Joseph tapped the offending joint. "Cap is pairing me with a new recruit. I'm… hopeful we'll get along."

  The new guy reminded him of Buck. He had a lot to learn, though.

  "I don't like your line of work." Ana's mother frowned. "I don't know how your poor mother sleeps at night, knowing that you are getting shot at every day."

  Joseph laughed. "I rarely get shot at, Mrs. Medina. In fact, most of a detective's work is done behind a desk. The movies make it look a lot more glamorous than it actually is."

  "Well, you'll have to tell your parents to come over someday soon, anyway," Ana's mother said. "I'd love to meet them. I know this wonderful lawyer that might be able to help your mother get her medical license back."

  Joseph inclined his head towards her. "That would be great. I'm sure they'll love to meet you. But right now, I think we had better get home. This knee needs some rest."

  "Of course."

  They said their goodbyes, including more hugs than Joseph was entirely comfortable with. Soon, however, they were on their way, Ana driving while he stretched out his leg. She kept giving him glances and smiles that had his heart beating faster.

  "Ana, I love you," he blurted.

  "I know. I love you, too. But I know what you're up to."

  Joseph rose a brow.

  She parked the car outside the house and gave him a long, slow kiss. What she meant was all too clear, and Joseph grinned. He had to resist the urge to carry her inside–his knee couldn't take it. Ana broke the kiss and slipped away, her eyes twinkling.

  "Come and get me, my wild Bear," she whispered and disappeared into the house.

  Joseph grinned and followed his mate.

  *****

  THE END

  About T.S. Ryder

  If you’re in for hot-as-hell vampires and shifters, you’re my girl. There’s nothing paranormal that I don’t like or write and I’ll give it all I’ve got to bring beasts and hot men (preferably both :) ) to life for you.

  I love writing stories about sexy and protective alpha males and the strong women they love. My stories are always full of steam and I generally throw in a fair amount of action.

  So kick back, get comfortable, grab some chocolate and tea and fasten up your girdles for some extra smoldering hotness. Enjoy!

  Please check my author page for the latest news and releases.

  Selected Other Books by T.S. Ryder

  The Shifter's Catch

  A Dragon who needs an heir. A girl who needs money. Sounds like a match made in heaven. Unless they end up dead…

  Prince Edan never wanted a mate. But now that his brothers are killing each other, he’s the only one who can produce an heir. So when he meets a woman who makes his fires burn blue, he doesn’t think twice.

  His Dragon spreads its wings and flies her away to his kingdom.

  Isobel has only one dream. One that costs money she doesn’t have. So when she meets a rich stranger who offers her a job, she’s ready. Except she doesn’t realize that the job is to have his babies…

  But the vibrations of the universe have spoken. And by the way, it’s pretty difficult to say no to the delicious hunky Dragon and the sheer dominance that radiates from him.

  What Edan doesn’t know is that Isobel has a gift: She can see the ghosts and demons that are threatening the kingdom.

  But as the feelings between Isobel and Edan deepen, can she still see?

  And will he unleash his flames for her when she becomes bait?

  Selected for the Vampire King

  Love is weakness. Humans are fragile. Can this vampire King resist his heart’s desire?

  Tindra isn’t looking for love. All she wants is a day off work. And that’s exactly what signing up for the vampire-human matching program gets her. What she didn’t expect is to be chosen by the vampire prince, Thor, which could be a dream come true…

  Except she’s more interested in the king…

  Vampire King Rollon has been alone for centuries. But when he smells Tindra’s intoxicating scent, he wants to do nothing more than sink his fangs into her, taste her blood… and engage in other forbidden pleasures.

  Tindra’s off limits though. She belongs to his son.

  Not that it matters. Humans are too fragile, too short-lived to get involved with.

  But Thor has a surprise in store…

  And an old enemy resurfaces…

  Can Rollon keep his dark desires to himself?

  Will Tindra survive when she becomes the enemy’s target?

  Can there be a future for a human and a vampire king?

  Sold to the Shifter

  A curvy Panther Shifter with a secret PLUS the baddest Lion Shifter in the pack PLUS one, no TWO evil enemies with no mercy…

  Panther shifter Jamie has grand ideas of love and romance. Until her manipulative mother sells her to a lion shifter. He’s hot, he’s huge, he’s all muscle. Hmm, how to make the best out of a bad situation?

  Ryan is the biggest, baddest shifter in the Alpha’s Guard. His job is to protect the pack. He doesn’t have time for dating nonsense. So an arranged marriage seems practical.

  What he’s not prepa
red for is how her delicious curves make his heart stutter in his chest. How she makes his protective instincts kick into high gear. She’s his. His alone.

  But Jamie has secrets.

  And the pack is in danger.

  The enemy is coming.

  Forget trials or justice. Ryan’s out for blood.

  Can he protect his mate?

  The Vampire King's Nanny

  A curvy romance writer paying off her debts PLUS a sexy vampire king healing his heart PLUS a child with special powers…

  Vampire king Thomas needs a woman. Not for himself, but to take care of his daughter. But when he purchases a human with curves better than Marilyn Monroe, all he can think about is drinking her delicious blood…

  Adrielle is a romance writer struggling with her past. To pay off her debts, she sells herself and her virginity at an auction to the highest bidder. Who happens to be a vampire king. An insanely attractive one. But no, she’s definitely not going to lust after her captor!

  But the underworld she is brought to isn’t safe. Vampires are not the only beasts roaming the darkness here… and the child she is supposed to babysit appears to have special powers…

  Soon, Adrielle discovers that behind Thomas’ cold and emotionless outside, he is hiding a heart full of pain. Can he fight the beast that has its claws wrapped around his heart?