by Jodi Vaughn
“You’re right, Lucien. But I need a little excitement in my life. I don’t get to go around shooting shit up and ripping out throats like you guys do.” Matt chuckled as he lit up.
A thin wisp of gray smoke trailed up to the inky sky and was quickly eaten up by the darkness. Matt inhaled again before he blew out a stream of gray and nodded at Jayden and Braxton. “They the new brothers?”
“So it would seem,” Zane muttered. If he had any say in the matter, he would have voted Jayden’s ass out the minute the fucker walked across the Arkansas state line. But it wasn’t up to him. It was up to Barrett who became a Guardian and who got cut. That was the one thing Zane couldn’t stand—not having a voice when it came to choosing his brothers. If he was going to lay down his life for someone, it better fucking well be someone he gave two shits about.
And Zane didn’t give a shit about Jayden.
Matt stuck out his hand and Braxton shook it. “I’m Braxton Devereaux. Nice to meet you.”
“Matt Townsend. I hear you are up in the Eureka Springs area. I’d love to take my old lady up there for a weekend.”
“You should. My mate, Kate, runs a kickass bed and breakfast called the Bella Luna. You want to get your woman all hot and bothered, then that’s the place to be.” Braxton grinned.
“Sounds perfect.” Matt smiled back. “I’ll check it out online tonight. Thanks for the info.”
Matt turned his attention to Jayden.
“Jayden. Nice to meet you, Matt.” Jayden shook Matt’s hand. “I appreciate you getting us in this late. I know you’d rather be spending tonight with your mate.”
Irritation flared in Zane’s stomach like a stick of dynamite. Why the fuck was Jayden rolling in and acting like he was the one in charge?
“What he would rather be doing is working instead of listening to you wasting his time,” Zane snarled.
Jayden straightened and turned to face Zane. “Just saying hello. Didn’t know I was wasting his time.”
“You know, that’s the thing about you, Jayden. It’s always about you and what you want.” Zane curled his fingers into fists as anger boiled into every recess of his cells. His heartrate jumped into overdrive as his breathing quickly turned into a heated pant. Everything in his body screamed for him to shift.
“Look, man, I suggest you turn down your arrogance a notch or two. I do not like what you’re giving me.” Jayden bowed up and took a step toward him.
Rage filtered through every cell of his body as bloodlust sucked him under like an ocean wave. The only thing he wanted was to rip Jayden’s throat out.
“Dude, your eyes,” Lucien warned.
Zane didn’t need the warning. He already knew his eyes were turning yellow, signaling his impending shift into wolf.
“Dial it back, Zane.” Lucien placed his hand on Zane’s shoulder.
Zane stiffened for a brief second before knocking Lucien’s hand off.
“Don’t fucking touch me,” he growled. He sucked in shallow breaths as his heart drummed in his chest, ready to explode.
“Look, man, what’s your fucking problem? You’ve had an issue with me ever since I joined the Guardians.” Jayden narrowed his eyes and took another step closer. “You’re all about the Guardians being brothers, but you sure as shit aren’t living it.”
Rage exploded within Zane as he lunged for Jayden. He caught the Were around the neck with one hand and knocked him to the ground. Jayden swung and hit him in the face. The taste of blood filled his mouth, feeding his anger. The sound of ripping clothes turned to white noise in his ears, but Zane couldn’t stop what was coming next. He knew he was shifting, right there in front of God and everyone. He couldn’t stop it.
“Fuck.” Lucien put all his massive body weight behind the shove that sent him and Zane tumbling into the dark alley between the tattoo shop and a consignment shop. They landed with a thud on the concrete. The jolt rattled Zane’s teeth.
“What the fuck is going on?” Lucien demanded near Zane’s ear. Zane had shifted and was now in wolf form while Lucien sat on top of him. “You can’t fucking shift in public, bro. If Barrett finds out, he can have you kicked out of the Guardians. Or worse.”
Zane struggled to get his urge to maim and kill under control. He caught a glimpse of Jayden walking into the alley, and he let out a warning growl.
“What’s going on?” Jayden asked.
“Just stay back,” Lucien warned. “Go inside with Matt and get started on the tattoo. We’ll be in a minute.”
Jayden nodded before disappearing inside with Matt.
When Zane heard the door close, he twisted his body in one fluid movement and bucked Lucien off. He leapt to his feet and snarled at the Guardian.
Lucien glanced down at his leather jacket. “Fuck. You made me scuff up my jacket, dick.” He glared at Zane. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You know you can’t be shifting in public like that. And why the fuck aren’t you shifting back?”
Zane lifted his head to Lucien. Rage filled his veins, and the urge to rip Lucien’s throat out swamped him like an ocean wave.
What the fuck was wrong with him?
Why couldn’t he shift?
And why the fuck did he want to hurt Lucien?
Zane sprang to his feet and stared at Lucien through wolf eyes. He nodded in the direction of the shop, hoping his friend would get the hint and leave.
“Something’s been going on with you for a while.” Lucien cocked his head. “You know, you’ve not been yourself since we went on that last mission. Did something happen?”
Holy fuck.
The drug takedown.
Getting stabbed in the thigh.
The wound not healing.
Lucien was right. Ever since that night, Zane had been on edge, ready to fight. He’d tried to cover it the best he could by pushing his body to the limit during workouts and training exercises, but even after that, he felt like he craved the taste of blood.
Barrett would kill him if it turned out that it was impossible for him to shift back. Or worse, kick him out of the Guardians.
He’d rather face death than lose his job. His job was his purpose, his life.
He gritted his teeth and nodded toward the door.
“Fine, man. I get it. You don’t want to talk about it.” Lucien held out his hands. “I’ll go keep an eye on those two while you pull it together. I’ll bring you some clothes when I come back.” Lucien stormed down the alley back to the entrance of the tattoo shop. Zane kept his gaze trained on him until Lucien disappeared from view.
***
Skylar had managed to play off the late start to the workday as the sheetrock not being dropped off on time. Thank god the guys believed her. Her guys were hard workers, and she didn’t want to lose them to another contractor.
They’d managed to put in a half day’s worth of work under the grueling Arkansas sun before they began to lose daylight.
She looked around at her ragtag construction crew, and a smile grew on her lips. They might not look like much, but they were the closest thing she had to a family.
“Miss Skylar, what are your plans for tonight?” Tony gave her a shy smile. The sweat on his olive skin gave off an iridescent sheen. The young man had just moved to Jonesboro from Mexico to live with extended family. His goal was to earn enough money to one day go to college.
“I think I have date.” She arched her brow as she dusted off her jeans.
His smile slipped and he glanced down at the ground.
She inhaled a sharp breath, realizing he’d mistaken her words.
“I have a date with a bubble bath and a beer,” she assured him.
Tony brightened and he quickened his pace as he began loading the tools back into the shed.
“He’s got a crush, Skylar.” Hector elbowed her in the ribs.
“Hector, he’s just a kid.”
“He’s only a few years younger than you. Plus, he’s legal.” Hector’s bushy brows shot up. “In age and immi
gration.”
It didn’t matter what his age was, she wasn’t interested in dating. She had too much stuff on her plate as it was. A guy would just add to her to-do list.
She’d been lucky to land this contracting job. She’d not met the owner of the house in person—she’d put her bid in online, and follow-up communication had been via phone or email, since the owner lived out of town. She wondered if the reason she was picked for the job was because the owner was a female and had been willing to give her a shot. It didn’t matter—she needed this job. She was going to get a nice profit once it was finished, and unlike past jobs, the owner didn’t bother her much.
Apparently, the owner lived in Little Rock with her husband and wanted to fix up her house so she could sell it. With the new hospital that had just been built, housing prices in Jonesboro were skyrocketing.
She remembered first looking at the old farmhouse set on the outskirts of town. There had been some kind of explosion that had destroyed part of the building. The kitchen and the back had suffered the most damage. Fixing it up was an undertaking for sure. The house was probably fifty years old, and the electrical and plumbing had to be redone to be up to current house code before remodeling could begin. Now two months into her project and on schedule, it was starting to take shape.
Her heart leapt in her chest as she thought about her next project.
The apartment building. Once this job was finished and she had her tidy profit, she was going to move on to what she really wanted to do. Make a difference for girls in trouble.
She’d often wondered if her life would have turned out any different if she’d had a safe place to stay instead of being forced to survive in the hell her father had raised her in. As a child, she’d suffered enough from neglect, dirty clothes, not enough food, and no heat in the trailer in winter. But once she’d entered puberty, things had gotten worse. Her father had turned a blind eye when his perverted friends had taken an interest in her. Her only moments of escape were the times she spent at her friend Katy’s house. But even then, she couldn’t completely escape hell. Those dark nights in Katy’s parents’ home, she’d lain awake worrying about dawn. She knew once the sun came up, she was going to have to leave her safe haven and go back to the hell known as her father’s trailer.
If she could save just one girl, then her life wouldn’t be a total waste. She jumped when her phone buzzed in her jeans pocket. Pulling it out, she headed over to her truck to have a little privacy away from her construction crew.
“Hello?”
Her heart slid into her stomach as the voice of the owner of the house began telling her that she was moving up the deadline for the finished remodel. Her mind raced as her mouth went dry. How could she have this finished in time? She was pushing her workers as it was. Not to mention the break-in. If her tools were stolen one more time, then there would be no way she’d make the deadline for finishing the house.
“I see.” She tried to swallow around the lump that had developed in her throat. She opened her mouth to tell the owner that she couldn’t make that deadline—that it was impossible—but the words froze in her throat.
The conversation ended, and she stood there with the phone pressed against her sweaty face.
***
Zane’s heart pounded in his chest as he concentrated on shifting back to human form.
Nothing.
This wasn’t good. Not at all.
If he couldn’t control his shift, he was shit outta luck.
He padded down to the end of the empty alley. A chain-link fence was the only thing between him and the street. Remembering the drive into town, he knew that after passing through the neighborhood, it was only a mile or so before a flat field of rice appeared. It didn’t provide much cover for a wolf his size, but it would be away from the human population. Maybe he could find an old building to take cover in until he could shift back.
He glanced over his shoulder. He couldn’t wait on Lucien to bring him clothes. If Lucien came out and saw that he still hadn’t shifted back into human form, then he’d know something was badly wrong. And it would be Lucien’s duty to inform Barrett.
Fuck the clothes.
Zane backed up a few feet and took off at a dead run. He leapt into the air and cleared the top of the fence. He landed on his feet on the cool concrete on the other side. He crouched, listening for footsteps.
Nothing.
Shoving off, he ran for the cover of a copse of trees between two houses. Traffic was minimal. The only people out and about were those coming home from a late day at the office.
His ears perked up as the sounds of voices and laugher and the sizzle of meat being cooked on an outdoor grill drifted around him.
After making sure the coast was clear, he sprinted for the next house. He repeated this, making sure to stay within the protection of the shadows.
Headlights of an approaching car had him ducking behind some shrubbery in front of a window.
“Mommy! There’s a monster outside my window!” A tiny child’s voice reached Zane’s ears.
Shit.
He raced for the next house and took cover behind a large prickly bush to see if anyone would come outside to investigate the child’s claims.
As soon as he was out of danger from discovery, he sprinted for the next house.
His heart raced as he spied the isolated, industrial part of town a short distance from the last house in the neighborhood. If he could make it down there without being noticed, then just on the other side lay the flat rice fields that stretched on forever.
Seeing his chance, he sprinted toward his freedom. His lungs ached as he pushed his animal body, running harder and faster than ever before.
His paws bounded across the hard pavement with each swift step. By the time he reached the first row of rice fields, his heart was about to beat out of his chest. Crouching among the green stalks, he peered around, looking and listening for any signs of a presence, human or animal.
Nothing.
His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness. He slowly stood, lifted his face to the wind, and inhaled deeply. He caught a faint scent of crops and dirt. Odd. Usually, he would be overwhelmed by the scents of the night. But not tonight.
He listened carefully. Other than the occasional field mouse he could hear scurrying among the rows, he was completely alone.
He needed to find shelter soon before he shifted again.
It was one thing to see a large wolf, but a naked man would stir up more news coverage than Bigfoot if someone saw him. Especially in a city as small as Jonesboro.
He sprinted across the rows, heading as far away from the city as he could. He caught a glimpse of a small building off in the distance.
He changed direction and raced for the target. As he drew near, he discovered that the building was a shed of some kind off to the side of the house. He padded over to the abandoned house and sniffed.
He smelled nothing.
He walked up the narrow steps. The front porch had just been added, as evidenced by new boards under his feet. The windows were boarded up, and the front door was locked.
He walked down the steps and headed around the back of the house.
There was a tiny back porch that seemed dated. This wasn’t a newly built house. It was a remodel.
He walked up the back steps and tried to nose his way in the back door.
Locked.
Giving up, he headed toward the shed.
The door had a heavy chain around the handles to prevent anyone from entering. Whoever had done that was probably worried about someone stealing their lawnmower.
His heart picked up speed as his thigh ached like fire racing across his flesh.
Picking up the chain between his teeth, he tugged hard.
The chain snapped.
Nosing open the door, Zane headed inside the safety of the shed. Once inside, he pulled the door closed with his teeth. It wasn’t locked, but he could probably hear someone if they approached
and would have time to escape before being discovered.
Standing on trembling legs, he looked around at the power tools littering the small building. He nudged some tools aside with his head so he could at least have a space to lie down to recover.
Walking around in a circle, he lay down and curled his body into a ball. Pain raced through his body, replacing the urge to fight.
Whatever had caused him to shift was now trying to make him shift back into human form. And if it he couldn’t control it, then he was fucked.
***
Skylar arrived early to her construction site. She knew her crew wouldn’t be here for another couple of hours. She’d had a bad dream and hadn’t been able to get back to sleep, so she’d decided to start her day early. Her gaze narrowed on the shed and the broken chain that was currently lying on the ground like discarded trash.
“Son of a bitch.” She slammed the truck into park and killed the engine. She grabbed her 9 mm out of the glove compartment before sliding out of the truck.
“Druggy asshole better not have stolen my tools.” She stomped toward the shed as she clutched the gun in both hands. She was sick and tired of this.
She raised the handgun and aimed it as she reached for the door. She doubted very seriously that the thief was still inside. He would be long gone by now, along with her expensive tools.
But Skylar knew she should never assume anything. She’d learned that much growing up among thieves and drug dealers.
She grabbed the door handle and pulled. The door swung open and bright morning sunlight washed the interior of the small shed.
Tools hung along the wall, and the table saw was where she’d left it. Everything seemed to be where she’d left it.
Her heart jumped in her throat as she spotted a large, naked man curled up in the corner. He was lying on his side, giving her a view of his muscular back. A large, menacing black tattoo of razor-sharp wings with a pair of eyes peering out spanned his entire back.
“Shit.” She gripped the gun in both hands. So the crackhead had gotten high and passed out before he could steal anything. Now it was up to her to handle him.
She reached for her cell phone in her jeans pocket as the naked man began to stir.