Sere from the Green (The Shape Shifter Chronicles Book 1)

by Lauren Jankowski

  “That’s it?” Jade questioned. She and Alex were standing at the ropes of the boxing ring, both focused on Isis.

  “Uh huh,” Isis responded, swiping a couple things on her phone before slipping it back into her pocket.

  “No insinuations? No insults?” Electra asked as she stood up. Isis stared at her, noticing how confused her twin seemed to be. Turning her attention to Shae, Isis shook her head.

  “Contrary to what my cousin would have you believe, I do know how to handle difficult personalities,” she replied. “I have dealt with passive aggressive people for most of my life. Someone like Aneurin is a cake walk.”

  Shae shook her head, laughing, “Just like the holidays, right Ice Queen?”

  “Basically,” Isis replied and Shae hopped to her feet, approaching Isis and draping an arm over her shoulders. Isis rolled her eyes and noticed that the other three women looked nothing short of impressed. If Aneurin was the most difficult person she would have to deal with in this new world she found herself in, then Isis felt she was probably in good shape.

  “I’ll kill him,” an angered voice interrupted the laid-back environment in the workout space. “If he upset her, I swear, I’ll wring his neck.”

  The women all glanced to the stairs where the loud voice originated. There was a quiet muttering before Passion and Jet stepped into view. Passion’s dark green eyes fell on Isis and softened a little.

  “Are you all right?” she asked.

  “Apparently, our Isis here is incapable of being rattled,” Jade mentioned, amusement clear in her voice. “Would’ve loved to have seen Aneurin’s face during that questioning.”

  “What happened?” Jet asked, looking between the four women.

  “We’re getting a fascinating look at the inner-workings of human bred resilience,” Alex remarked with her typical dryness, yelping when Jade elbowed her roughly in the ribs. Isis snickered and glanced over her shoulder, noticing that even Alex looked a little impressed.

  “Right, well,” Jet began, rubbing his hands together. “Lilly and I have another task for the four of you, so if you could go up to the office. I’ll be up shortly; I just need to have a word with Passion and Electra while they’re here.”

  Both Jade and Alex hopped out of the boxing ring, heading for the stairs. They were followed by Shae and Isis. Isis smiled politely at Passion when she passed her to go up the steps, wondering what sort of errand Jet was going to send them on this time. God, I hope it’s something not involving assassins, she thought.

  *~*~*~*~*

  The Four sat around Jet’s office, patiently waiting for his arrival. Jade was stretched out across the chaise lounge. Alex rested her weight on the side of it, watching the two chairs in front of Jet’s desk. Shae sat in the one on the right and Isis sat next to her in the one on the left, focusing on her phone again.

  “You’ll never find all the secrets,” Shae teased in a sing-song voice and Alex snorted. Isis glared at her cousin.

  “Sometimes, I really hate you,” she grumbled, turning her attention back to the phone.

  Shae started giggling, putting a hand over her face. Jet strode into the office, looking much less stressed than he had in days, and sat behind the large desk.

  “I got word from one of our contacts today at the local Nature Museum that they just discovered a new plant and it could possibly pose a threat to the Meadows. It’s some kind of hybrid whose blossoms can wreak havoc with animals’ senses of smell. There is a backroom that is sort of like a greenhouse. All you have to do is destroy the plant and any research on it, which should be relatively easy,” Jet explained. “Our contact is working late, so you should be able to get in and out fairly easily.”

  “How did humans get this thing?” Shae asked.

  “We don’t know,” Jet answered with a frown. “The flower was thought to be extinct. Passion doesn’t think the guardians even have a specimen.”

  “When do we go?” Jade asked, taking her usual unspoken role as the levelheaded leader of the Four.

  “Midnight,” Jet answered.

  *~*~*~*~*

  Midnight fell on the town, blanketing everything in darkness. A few streetlamps lit the street with a dirty yellow light. The only ones still awake were the club rats and the shape shifters. Being a nocturnal species, shape shifters often wandered about while most humans slept. Almost everything was closed beside the nightclubs. The few large buildings in the town were dark, slumbering giants in the night.

  “You know, I’m sort of bummed we never get to use any kind of, like,” Isis paused and rotated her wrist a couple times, “knockout gas or something like that.”

  Jade frowned and looked back at her as they continued down the dark hall. “Really?”

  Isis shrugged and spread her hands. “Just saying. This kind of ruins the whole spy mystique if people just let us in the damn door. Where’s the race against the clock to retrieve top secret nuclear codes? Where’s the danger?”

  “Says the woman who was almost killed by an assassin on our first mission,” Alex pointed out and Shae let out a laugh, covering her mouth. Her eyes still sparkled with mirth. Jade shook her head and led the other three forward down the dark hall.

  In the Nature Museum, a few guards patrolled past the exhibits. There was an evolutionary exhibit, which was filled with all kinds of animal models. Strange looking animals were shown evolving into normal looking species. Some animals looked fierce, teeth bared and yellow eyes wide. Others looked peaceful, sitting in front of a cave with small offspring hopping around playfully.

  “Ooh,” Shae started smacking Isis’ arm, pointing at an exhibit across the hall with a stegosaurus. “We should all shift into dinosaurs!”

  “That’s a terrible idea,” Isis was quick to protest.

  “Not possible to take on the forms of extinct species,” Alex reminded her as they emerged into the large main area. She went over to the front desk, hopping behind it, and pulled out the walkie-talkie the woman in the lab coat — Dr. Bell according to her nametag — had given her. Isis leaned on the desk, watching her teammate work.

  “How long are the cameras out?” Alex pressed the button on the walkie-talkie.

  “The security system will be off for as long as it takes me to finish setting up the new exhibit,” Dr. Bell replied. “So, three hours, give or take.”

  Alex nodded to the other three women. “You heard her. Good luck.”

  Shae smiled and waggled her fingers. “Don’t get into too much trouble. Isis, try not to get strangled this time.”

  Isis laughed sarcastically, flipping her off and cracking Shae up even more. Jade and Isis then shifted into sleek cats, Jade was tortoiseshell and Isis was all black. The two cats took off down the hallway, heading toward the small laboratory. Once they reached a large door marked “Botany Lab,” which was decorated with vines painted on the door, Isis shifted back into human form. Testing the door, she gritted her teeth and prayed they wouldn’t set off any kind of flashing alarm.

  Jade shifted back into her human form and cautiously stepped inside the door, which lead to another hallway. After a moment, she nodded and gestured for Isis to follow her.

  “Okay the botany lab is down the hall, second door on your right. I’ll be in the room where they keep all the research. Be as quick as possible,” Jade instructed. Isis nodded and raced off down the hall in the direction of the botany lab. She soon came upon the door and pressed down the lever, smiling when she found it unlocked, and opened the door.

  Isis entered a room that looked like a jungle. Vines hung down from various containers. Bright lights were suspended over tables of plants of all shapes and sizes. The air was humid and Isis began to sweat. She could hear something bubbling nearby and noticed the brightly lit aquariums with different kinds of aquatic plants in them.

  Isis reached into her pocket and pulled out the picture of the flower, studying it for a moment. It was a pale blue color with golden yellow inside; a rather pretty blossom. She p
ushed aside vines that hung down from the hanging plants. The leaves brushed through her soft hair, feeling uncomfortably similar to small fingers. Looking around the room, it took Isis a moment to locate what she was looking for. Isis took a clear plastic vial she had secured around her wrist with a rubber band. As she was about to tilt the vial, something caught her attention and Isis paused.

  “Huh,” she muttered, pressing the button in her ear piece. “Hey guys?”

  “Yeah?” Jade’s voice crackled through the static in her ear. Isis bit her lower lip, studying the plant in front of her. She drummed her gloved fingers on the metal surface of the shelves.

  “How many flowers are supposed to be on this plant?” she asked, leaning forward to look behind the container. Despite the abundance of plants, the lab was remarkably clean. There wasn’t a stray speck of dirt anywhere.

  “Three. Why?” Jade responded.

  “There are only two on it,” Isis responded.

  “What? You must have the wrong plant.”

  “No, trust me, this is the right plant,” Isis replied as she caught another whiff of the pungent odor that was unique to the flower. She could see why an animal’s sense of smell would be knocked out by the rancid scent. Isis was about to heave if she had to smell the damn thing any longer. It was awful, definitely not a flower for perfume.

  “Just destroy it,” Jade replied after a moment. “We’ll tell Jet and Lilly about it when we get back.”

  “Fine by me,” Isis said as she emptied the vial on top of the plant. The plant immediately shriveled into dust.

  “I’m coming back,” Isis reported, slipping the vial back on her wrist using the rubber band. She closed her eyes and allowed her body to form back into a black cat and ran out. She didn’t notice the sharp green eyes watching her every move from the shadows.

  *~*~*~*~*

  They were halfway back to the mansion before anyone spoke.

  “You’re sure you checked all the refrigeration units?” Jade asked Isis. Isis glanced over to her from the passenger seat.

  “Yes, Jade. I did everything you instructed, to the letter. It wasn’t in the refrigeration units or at any of the lab areas. It was just . . . gone,” she paused, thinking for a moment. “That seems to happen to me a lot, actually.”

  “How do you mean?” Alex asked.

  “Well, first there was the body that vanished into—”

  “Shit!” Jade yelled as she skidded to a rough halt. The four women inside the car were thrown forward and then back by the sudden stop. Isis looked out the window and was shocked to see the front of the dark blue car was just inches from a woman’s slender legs. The woman stood confidently, a small smile playing on her lips, and she appeared completely unbothered at almost being run over. The small silver sequined hourglass on her shirt glistened in the headlights. The mysterious woman had short black hair, falling just shy of her chin. Most of her features were obscured by the bright glow from the headlights.

  “Are you out of your goddamn mind, Sly?” Jade shouted. Sly smirked and leaned down on the car’s hood, drumming her fingernails once.

  “Come now, Jade, is that any way to greet a lover?” Sly teased with a suggestive edge in her voice. She trailed her fingers along the hood as she approached the driver’s side. She leaned down, her dark emerald-colored eyes wandering over the other women in the car. They settled on Isis and Sly tilted her head ever so slightly, pursing her lips.

  “The daughter of Passion,” she observed, her eyes running over Isis. “The other one. Jade, dear, aren’t you going to introduce us?”

  “Isis, this is Sly. She’ll likely be a huge pain in your ass,” Jade stated, her eyes never leaving Sly’s. Sly gave the woman a very dry look. Isis looked back out the windshield, smiling. She’d heard stories about Sly and had looked forward to meeting the protectors’ elusive contact.

  “Nice to meet you,” Isis said, giving a small wave. Sly grinned, amused.

  “She’s adorable, isn’t she?” she mentioned, turning her attention back to Jade. The elder protector raised an eyebrow as she held Sly’s gaze.

  “Did you want a ride to the mansion?” she asked and Sly laughed with a shake of her head.

  “Weather’s still warm and I promised Alpha I’d spend the night with her. Maybe over the weekend though,” Sly answered. “I assume you’re coming from the Nature Museum.”

  Jade nodded once. Sly reached into her shirt and produced a small folded bit of paper, holding it between her index and middle finger.

  “You might want to take a minor detour and head over to the house of the guy who’s the head of research. I happened to be passing by, heard some rather suspicious noises inside,” she explained, offering the paper to Jade, who took it with a look of skepticism. “Word is that Blackjack is back on the prowl and challenging Adara for leadership. A job like this would probably be right up his alley, especially if he’s making a play for this territory. Call the Monroes and verify the information if you must. I know how much protectors enjoy wasting time with bureaucratic nonsense.”

  Sly stepped away from the window, sauntering around the front of the car. She paused at the passenger’s side, glancing at Isis again.

  “Au revoir,” Sly said as she melted back into the night. Jade shifted into gear and handed the paper to Isis.

  “Call the mansion and verify that,” she instructed. “I’m going to head in that general direction.”

  Isis nodded and pulled out her cell phone, dialing the number she had memorized a while ago.

  *~*~*~*~*

  The small brick house was completely dark. It sat between two similar looking houses in a suburban area and pretty much all the houses looked the same. All the neighboring homes had at least one light on outside.

  The Four sat in the car across the street, watching the quiet house. Jet had verified Sly’s information and agreed that it warranted a look. No one had been expecting the peaceful scene before them.

  “There’s a for sale sign on the front lawn,” Isis pointed out. She didn’t like the scene at all. The hair on the back of her neck had been standing on end ever since they turned onto the street. Something wasn’t right and Isis was sure she wasn’t alone in feeling that way.

  “There are some Tasers in a box under my seat,” Jade said. “Isis, you’ve got your baton.”

  “Yeah, that’ll do a lot against an experienced assassin trying to start a coup,” Isis grumbled.

  Jade ignored her as she reached over and opened the glove box, pulling out a Berretta. Isis’ eyes widened at the sight of the gun and when she twisted around, she saw Alex retrieving the Tasers. Twisting back, Isis stared at Jade. The older protector was checking to make sure the gun was loaded and she looked over at Isis.

  “What?” Jade asked.

  “We can’t just go in there armed,” Isis hissed, glancing to the house. “Best case scenario: he calls the police. People aren’t exactly crazy about armed strangers barging into their house.”

  “Isis, I doubt he’s even home. We’re just going to knock on the door and I’d rather be prepared,” Jade explained as she turned back to the other two in the car. “You two go around back and try to remain inconspicuous. Last thing we need is to catch the attention of a neighborhood watch. I don’t need to remind you that if there is an assassin on the premises, we’re not to engage unless someone’s life is in danger.”

  Alex and Shae nodded. Shae opened the door on her side and the two slipped out, venturing down the street in the opposite direction. Jade turned back to Isis, who still felt unsure.

  “We have to check this out. Come on,” Jade murmured as she opened the door on her side. Isis hesitated for a moment and then opened her door, stepping out into the night. She moved around the front of the car and fell into step with Jade as they crossed the quiet street. Isis caught glimpses of domestic scenes in the surrounding houses: a woman reading beside the window, a child moving a toy car along the sill, a couple talking in a hallway. It made the
small house they were approaching stand out even more. Even the sale sign seemed too still.

  Jade and Isis jogged up the two stone steps to the dark-colored front door. Jade pressed the doorbell and waited while Isis stood against the thin iron railing, leaning back to peer into one of the windows. The blinds had been drawn, blocking any view of the inside of the house. Isis straightened up again when Jade rang the bell a second time. They could hear a faint echo of the bell inside. When there was no response, Jade’s hand went behind her back, her fingertips brushing over the butt of the gun. She raised her free hand and knocked, two quick raps.

  “Are we sure this is the right address?” Isis whispered.

  “According to Jet, yeah,” Jade answered, frowning. Isis let out a breath and rubbed her arms, shifting her weight. Something wasn’t right with this picture. The guy had been living here for over ten years and Jet had said nothing about the house being on the market.

  Jade tested the knob and it turned easily. The door was unlocked. Isis exchanged a glance with the older protector. That was just unheard of, even in the suburbs. Jade pushed the door and it creaked as it swung open. Isis stepped behind Jade as the older shape shifter moved inside the house.

  The house was stripped bare. There was no furniture or appliances and it was freezing cold, which was unusual for a warmer evening. Ancient cobwebs were everywhere, trapping nothing besides dust. There wasn’t any trace of insects or animals. It looked like the house had been abandoned for years. Oddly enough, the structure of the home was sound from what they could see. The walls looked untouched and so did the windows. If it weren’t for the dust and cobwebs, Isis would’ve thought the house had just been built.

  Isis swallowed as she moved over toward the entrance to what was probably a hallway. She heard Jade mutter some words that she didn’t catch and she glanced back to her teammate, who was crouching on the floor. Her fingers brushed over a suspicious stain, which looked a lot like blood from what Isis could see.