Spellspeaker's Prophecy

by Anna Abner

  “There’s a Vegas pack?” she asked. In all her research, she had yet to confirm information on any pack, let alone one in her own backyard.

  Michael nodded once.

  “What can we do for you?” Connor asked, his voice tinged with suspicion.

  Roz didn’t blame him. How had these shifters found them in the first place? How did they know Lukas’ name?

  Maybe they weren’t from the Coven after all.

  “We received word of a new shifter in the area,” Michael said, still keeping his body language as friendly and non-aggressive as possible. “Any shifter who visits our area for longer than it takes to lose at the craps table has to introduce themselves to me.”

  “How did you know he was here?” Roz asked. She began to suspect they had followed her and Lukas from the city that morning.

  Michael gave her a searching look. “We’re very good at locating shifters.”

  “You’ll have to teach me that trick sometime.”

  “Sure,” Michael replied with a crooked, slightly surprised smile.

  Lukas tensed. “We’ve been introduced. You can leave now.”

  Michael wasn’t put off by the attitude at all. “How long are you planning on staying?”

  “As long as I damn well please,” Lukas shot back. “You got a problem with that?”

  Ignoring the bait, Michael asked, “You’re from the Netherlands? I detected an accent.”

  “I grew up in Stockholm,” Lukas said.

  “Can I ask what animal form you take?”

  “Why?” Lukas asked, “So, if there’s a bear attack you know who to snitch on?”

  “I’ll assume you shift into a bear,” Michael said. “Interesting. I’ve heard bears are more common in Scandinavia, but I’ve never personally met one. My pack is predominantly wolf, but we have the occasional coyote or mountain lion.”

  Roz couldn’t help herself. “How large is your pack?” she asked.

  “Big enough,” Michael hedged. “But we stay out of trouble. We just want to live in peace, the same as anyone else. And your name?”

  Despite Lukas bristling beside her, Roz answered, “Rozlyn Carrera.”

  “Good to meet you. Now,” he glanced from her to Connor, “are you all shifters?”

  “Just me,” Lukas said.

  Frowning, Michael looked as if he had more questions, but Roz cut him off. “What’s your relationship to the horde?”

  “We stay out of their way,” Michael said, “and they stay out of ours.”

  “And the Coven?” Roz asked.

  “Same answer,” Michael said. “We don’t mess with witches.”

  “Don’t let my girlfriend hear you say that.” Lukas snorted. “She’s a witch.”

  Roz saw what he was doing, trying to find Michael’s buttons and jam his fingers into them. The word girlfriend didn’t mean anything. It was a tool. She did her best not to react beyond a surprised flush.

  “You’re in a relationship with a witch?” And the way Michael said it made it pretty obvious Lukas had found a button. “We frown on inter-species dating.”

  “I don’t give a shit what you frown on,” Lukas returned.

  Michael nodded, sensing the conversation was over. Or perhaps signaling that it was. “Well, I’m glad to meet you, Lukas. If you plan to stick around, I’d like to see you at pack meetings. They’re every Friday night at my ranch north of the city. No pressure. It’s a chance to meet other shifters, to shift in peace, and to enjoy some damn good BBQ.” He slid a business card from his pocket and left it on the crumbling stone wall. “I hope to hear from you soon.”

  Lukas stood silent, and the pack got back in their SUV and drove off.

  “What the hell just happened?” Roz asked, still a little dazed. She’d dreamed of meeting and quizzing actual shifters, but she’d never thought three of them would roll up to her front door. “Did you know there was a Vegas pack?” She turned on Lukas.

  “No.” Then he marched into the house.

  Roz glanced at Connor.

  “How did they find us?” Connor mused. “How did they know Lukas’ name?”

  “They’re like detectives,” Roz agreed. “They don’t mess around.” Then she chased Lukas inside where he was scowling in the living room beside the cold fireplace.

  “Hey,” she greeted. “You were pretty hostile to those guys.”

  He gave her a furious look. “Did you hear that smug son of a bitch? We frown on inter-species dating. We want you to attend pack meetings. All he wants is to tell me what to do. No, thanks.”

  “Wow,” she laughed. “You really don’t like alphas.”

  “I don’t like assholes,” he corrected.

  “Well, don’t tell your girlfriend,” she teased. “I hear she’s a witch.”

  A bit of the tension seeped from his shoulders and chest. “Yeah, well, I wanted to see his reaction.”

  “Am I your girlfriend then?” she asked. “Because it’s news to me.”

  A strange expression crossed his face, and then he lifted her under the arms and sat her on the narrow foyer table. Wedging himself between her knees, he cupped her face. “You’re fucking right, you’re my girlfriend. I’ve claimed you.”

  Her nerve endings singing, she whispered, “Is that a shapeshifter thing?”

  “Yes,” he said, his breath fanning her face, “You’re mine. And I’m yours.”

  His kiss was hot and possessive as he nibbled her lips. When she parted them with a sigh, he invaded her.

  Chapter Twenty

  Roz couldn’t think straight.

  Volk didn’t make a lot of noise, but he rattled his chains night and day. He struggled against bondage with unrelenting determination. Regardless of whether he recognized them or believed they were Army scientists studying him, he tested his chains. The cabin was small, and Roz could hear the clanking and creaking from every corner.

  It was beginning to fray her nerves. It must be affecting Connor, too, because he stomped into the living room after breakfast where Roz lounged, her head on Lukas’ shoulder, her cell phone keyed to a supernatural encyclopedia.

  “I’m moving Volk into the garage,” he announced. “Any objections?”

  “For how long?” Roz asked. “We can’t keep him locked up forever.”

  “My thoughts exactly.” Ali poked her head around Connor’s flank. “But while he’s confused—”

  “He’s a raving lunatic,” Connor cut it.

  Ali continued, “I think it would be the best option. He’ll be more comfortable, able to stand up, and maybe get himself back together.”

  Roz shrugged. “No objections here.”

  “Fine.” Connor heaved a sigh. “I’ll go bolt a set of chains into the foundation.”

  Lukas nudged Roz. “I’ll help.”

  With nothing else to do, Roz followed them into the garage. She hadn’t been back inside since the night Sara had attacked. The stench of rotting blood hit her before she’d even crossed the threshold.

  “Oh, God,” she groaned, covering her nose.

  “Lukas, grab that hose,” Connor said. Quickly, he turned the water to full blast, covered half the nozzle with his thumb, and attacked the blood stains on the walls, the concrete floor, even the bare wooden joists overhead.

  Lukas hit the button for the automatic door, and then grabbed a push broom and swept the muddy water out into the yard. As the boys swept away the ashes on the far sides of the room, Roz glanced at Ali.

  Her friend glanced back, a sick look on her drawn face. They must both be thinking the same thing. The ashes were Sara’s remains. It felt a little disrespectful that the young woman’s final resting place would be a patch of sand beside their driveway.

  “Wait,” Roz called. Damn it. Ali would never forgive herself if they threw Sara away like garbage. “It’s not right.” She grabbed a dustpan and scooped up what was left of Sara. “I’ll find an urn. We’re not monsters.” She looked one more time in Ali’s direction, and the ot
her woman mouthed thank you.

  From there, it didn’t take much effort to wash away any remaining gore. As the concrete dried, Connor gathered a heavy-duty electric driver and drove a huge bolt down through the foundation and into the earth beneath. To it, he attached about twelve feet of steel chain and tested its strength.

  “I don’t think he’ll be able to pull it out,” Connor said. “Lukas?”

  The shifter wrapped a length around his fist and strained upward. The chain squealed, but the bolt never moved. “Should do it.”

  Roz startled as both men reacted to something she couldn’t hear. Connor looked up abruptly, and Lukas threw down the chain. Finally, Roz recognized the sound of approaching vehicles.

  Lukas was out the garage door before the oversized black SUV fully parked near the front gate. A pick-up loaded with men and construction equipment pulled in behind it. Lastly, came a box truck with the name Hull Contracting emblazoned on the side.

  “Hello, again,” Michael greeted, stepping out of the SUV. “Lukas, good to see you.”

  “What are you doing here?” Lukas asked as Roz, Connor, and Ali joined him on the driveway.

  “I noticed yesterday you have some problems with your security gate.” He gestured to the men unloading the trucks. “I have a construction business. I want to help.”

  Lukas tensed to say what Roz assumed was a rude order for Michael to take his pack and go back where they came from, but Connor spoke first.

  “Thank you,” he said. “We’d really appreciate your help. I don’t know a construction company I trust enough to come out here.”

  “Perfect,” Michael said, relaxing his stance. “You can trust us.”

  Lukas grumbled under his breath, but he kept his opinions mostly to himself.

  As the men quickly and efficiently went to work demolishing and removing the damaged block wall and twisted security gate, Roz wandered over to the only other pack member she remembered from the day before.

  “You’re Markus?” she asked. He was as tall as his father and almost as broad, but he still had a young face. She guessed he was in his early twenties, either that or very well preserved. “I’m Roz.” She held out her hand to shake.

  But she caught him liberally applying hand sanitizer from a mini bottle. “Hi,” he said, shrugging. “Sorry. Germaphobe.”

  “No problem,” Roz said, withdrawing her hand. “So, you’re the alpha’s son. Will you be alpha next?”

  “Maybe.”

  “It’s not guaranteed? Don’t tell me you have to fight to the death for it.”

  “Actually,” he met her gaze. “Yes, I do.”

  “Geez,” he said. She’d been half joking. “That’s intense.”

  “Alphas are intense,” he told her. “But I don’t know if I want to be one.”

  Lukas ambled over. “Hey,” he greeted the other shifter. “Markus, right?”

  “Yeah, good to see you again.” Something boyish overtook the alpha’s son. “You’re a bear?” At Lukas’ nod, he went on. “I’ve never seen a bear shifter. That’s so cool. Do you think we could shift together some time?”

  Lukas ducked his head. “It’s no big deal, I assure you. I’ve never seen a wolf shifter, either.”

  “Really?” Markus’ eyebrows shot up. “Wolves are all I know. We have a couple other predators in our pack, but wolves are kind of like white bread around here. Not that special.”

  “You’re plenty special,” Roz assured, “but I have to admit—Lukas’ bear is spectacular.”

  Markus rocked on his heels, his gaze bouncing from one to the other. “You’ve seen him shift?”

  “Yeah,” Roz, feeling nervous for the first time. “Of course. We hunt together.”

  Markus looked aghast.

  “Why?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”

  “We don’t allow non-shifters to see us transform or see our animal forms,” Markus said. “It’s against everything my father believes.”

  “No offense,” Lukas said, “but I don’t care what your father believes.”

  As if summoning him, Roz caught Michael’s approach.

  “I hope Markus isn’t talking your ear off,” he teased. “How have you been, Lukas?”

  “Since yesterday?” Lukas asked snidely. “Not much different.”

  “Look, I can see you’re hesitant to submit to an alpha, and I understand. I’m also not asking you to.” Michael glanced at Roz and then away. “But I’d love to see you at our next pack meeting. It’s tonight and every Friday night at my ranch. There won’t be any politics or weird rituals. I serve a big BBQ, there’s a pool, and there’s hundreds of acres of desert in every direction. It’s a safe place to hang out, to shift, to be yourself. I told my pack about you, and everyone’s eager to meet you.” He glanced at Roz again. “In fact, you’re all welcome. Bring as many friends as you want. My house is your house.”

  Before Lukas could tell him to fuck off, Roz said, “We’ll think about it. Thanks for the invite.”

  “Of course. And,” he added directly to Lukas, “you’re always welcome in my home, even if it’s not Friday night. My door’s always open to shifters.”

  Lukas grunted.

  “Well, you have my card.” With a nod, Michael returned to the work going on around the wall.

  He’d brought stonework to match the crumbled sections, and from the back of the box truck, he produced an exact replica of the original wrought iron security gate. How he’d found it so fast, Roz couldn’t guess, but his men installed it as if it were no big deal.

  By dusk, the work was finished. The concrete was still setting, but the gate was propped up, ready to be installed the next day. In fact, after the men cleared away the old debris, it appeared as if nothing had ever happened there.

  Michael opened a cooler in the bed of his pickup and tossed dripping bottles of cold beer to his men.

  “Help yourself,” he said, offering a beer to Lukas. “Or I have soda, if you’re not a drinker.”

  Lukas accepted the beer, twisted off the cap, and drank deeply. Roz took one for herself.

  “So, you own your own construction business,” she observed, leaning against the pickup beside Michael.

  “And I employ a lot of shifters,” Michael added. “Shifters are always hired on, no questions asked. I look after my own.”

  “Hmm,” Lukas acknowledged, sipping cold, bubbly beer. “Me, too.”

  “Do you mind if I ask what the situation is here?” Michael queried. “Is this a vacation type thing? Do you all live here? Are you friends? Relatives? A super secret militia group?” He chuckled, but Roz sensed he was very serious about the core question.

  “We fight the horde,” Roz answered honestly. “And any other dangerous supernatural creatures we come across. Connor and I have been a team for about a year. Lukas found us only recently.”

  Michael recovered from his shock fairly quickly. “I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but is everyone okay?” he asked, frowning. “I smell blood.”

  Roz glanced at Connor, like a nervous twitch, but no one said a word for a long moment. Did Michael smell Maksim Volk? And what would he do if he discovered the vampire chained up?

  “It’s me,” Connor said, rolling his shoulders back. “You’re smelling me. I’m a vampire.”

  Michael didn’t say anything right away, but his gaze never left Connor as if rating the threat to him and his men. Then he blew out a surprised little breath, the tension broke, and he said, “You’re a vampire who fights the horde? That’s a new one.”

  Roz nodded. “We fight the bad vampires. We try to help the good ones.”

  “There are good vampires?” Michael asked, clearly not sure.

  “There are,” Roz said firmly.

  “I learn something new every day.” Michael smiled good-naturedly. Then he looked to Connor and said, “Sorry. I’ve just never had a conversation with a vampire before. You have to give me a minute to adjust.”

  Seth approached and sai
d to Michael, “We’re all done, boss.”

  “Great.” Michael made eye contact with Roz. “We’ll get out of your hair, but promise me you’ll consider coming to our BBQ. I’d love to get to know each of you better.”

  Though it was obvious Michael was mostly interested in Lukas’ response, Lukas gave none.

  “Thanks again,” Connor said into the silence. “You’ve been more than helpful.”

  “And you’ve been more than hospitable.” Michael waved good-bye. “See you later.”

  The pack re-loaded their vehicles and backed away from the house, leaving behind a beautifully repaired security gate so well done it would have been hard to tell a car had ever crashed through it at all.

  “For the record,” Lukas said, “I don’t want anything to do with those pricks.”

  “I think you should go,” Roz spoke up. “We didn’t even know we were playing in the shapeshifters’ sandbox before they showed up.”

  “It might be beneficial to learn all we can about these new players,” Connor agreed. “Are they allies or enemies?”

  “Don’t make me walk alone into his place like a whipped pup,” Lukas pleaded, peering desperately at Roz.

  “Of course not,” Roz teased. “I’m going with you.”

  #

  Lukas borrowed Roz’s phone, having seen her passcode the last time she unlocked it, and ran a simple search for Michael Hull Contracting. They had a great rating and tons of positive reviews. He landed on their website and scrolled through pics of remodeling projects. They were damned good.

  No mention of shapeshifters, of course.

  Roz flopped on the sofa beside Lukas. “They have an app,” she said, pointing at a link. “Download it.”

  Michael’s app allowed clients to schedule home visits, look at more photos of renovations, and peruse common tips for DIY projects. Very professional. Super slick.

  “Tell me about the shifter packs in Sweden,” Roz prompted.

  “I don’t know anything about them,” Lukas admitted. “I know they exist, but I purposely stayed away.”

  Roz took the phone from him and rapidly tapped search parameters. Within minutes, she had in separate windows a satellite map of Michael’s ranch, a photo of his wife and kids, and his social media stream.