Bridge Hollow Shifters: The Complete Collection

by Samantha Leal

  “I’ve been laying low,” she said. “I didn’t know how I felt about the other night…”

  He moved closer, and she could smell his incredible scent. It was a stunning cologne, a powerful mix of spice and passion.

  “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” he said. “I feel it too.”

  Their eyes were fixed on each other’s, and Elizabeth felt a wave of calm. Just hearing him say those words and having him so close to her was reassuring, and she knew that if she wanted to know the truth about their attraction, she was going to have to ask him questions and get to the bottom of who he truly was.

  “Braxton…” She let his name on her lips, and he smiled.

  “I really like the way you say my name,” he grinned. “It sounds like it’s supposed to be said by you…”

  Her heart danced as she nodded slowly and drank every little bit of him in, trying to commit him to memory.

  “I need to know more,” she said sternly. “I need to know what you are.”

  “I have the feeling you already know…” He smirked as he let the statement hang between them. “I have no idea how. But I can see something in you, Elizabeth… Something just as powerful and magical as what I’m hiding.”

  She didn’t want to lose her nerve and she tried to keep the perfect poker face.

  “And what do you think that may be?” she asked.

  “No, no,” he teased. “You first…”

  Elizabeth sipped her water before putting the glass down, and then licked her bottom lip.

  “I suppose you did ask me first the other night,” she smiled. “But I’m not very forthcoming with secrets.”

  “Is it a secret if it’s about you?” he asked as he cocked his head to the side. “You don’t owe it to anyone to keep it safe… This is your life.”

  She nodded.

  “But what if I do owe it to someone?” she mused. “What if me telling you all about myself could hurt someone I love?”

  Braxton stepped in closer.

  “Like a boyfriend?” he asked.

  Elizabeth saw the look in his eyes change, as if he were preparing to be disappointed.

  “No,” she said finally. “Not like a boyfriend. More like a family member.”

  “Do you mean, your mother?” Braxton asked carefully.

  Elizabeth felt her jaw sag a little, and she instantly tensed up. Had it just been a lucky guess? Or did he know more than he was letting on?

  “How did you…?” she began, but he reached out and took hold of her hand.

  When his fingertips connected with hers their energy began to exchange through each other’s ski. Elizabeth felt a jolt of something powerful, as if she had been struck by lightning.

  She gasped but leaned into it, becoming intoxicated and aroused by how incredible it was to experience it.

  A rush of fire formed around the edge of her vision, and she could see into his soul for a split second. It was hot, like hellfire, but it was safe and she knew, if she went with him, he would protect her.

  “What just happened?” she asked.

  He reached up and stroked her face.

  “I can’t stay away from you…,” he whispered, and even though the band was loud and thrashing, she could hear him as if he were inside her head. “That’s what.”

  She smiled and squeezed his hand.

  “I can’t stay away from you, and I’ve done my research,” he said cleverly. “I know what you are now, Elizabeth…”

  The nerves that should have hit her, didn’t. Instead, she let him lead her to a quieter part of the room near the front of the bar, as far away from the band as possible, in a booth where they could talk properly.

  She still had no idea what was happening to her…

  She was certain it could be love, but in a way, it even felt much more powerful than that.

  12.

  Braxton couldn’t stop staring at her. She was a creature unlike any other, and one that had completely sent his head into a total spin. As they sat next to each other in the booth, out of the way, in Shifter’s Bliss, he felt a calmness fill his entire being. He was eager to learn as much as possible about the enchantress in front of him.

  She sipped a glass of water demurely, and he could sense her magic. She was so powerful. Normally, he would have found himself intimidated, but she was drawing him in, not making him wary. He could sense her innocence, the way she had lived quietly, and he wanted her to tell him everything about her life so far.

  He had researched her a little and found that it was just her and her mother, that they had, indeed, lived in Bridge Hollow for many years, and he was doubtful that Elizabeth had even left on vacation. But much like him, she had hidden from the rest of the town; she had wanted to be invisible, just like he did.

  “I feel like we should be talking about what is happening between us,” he said as he looked into her eyes. “Because I can honestly say, I’ve never felt anything quite like it.”

  “Me either,” she smiled shyly. “It’s been a shock… I don’t really know how to take it.”

  Braxton took a sip of his beer and then rested it on the table in front of them.

  “Do you know what I am?” he asked her openly.

  She nodded slowly, and he felt his heart and stomach dip with excitement.

  “How?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “I can see it in you…,” she whispered.

  Braxton felt a surge of electricity rush up his spine, and the hairs on the back of his neck felt like they were crackling with heat. This girl was something else; she wasn’t just powerful and magical, she also had a gift.

  “What do you see?” he asked.

  He was trying to be careful because he didn’t want to frighten her. After spending so long on the mountain, and swearing off relationships long, long ago − he knew how people could react to his situation − he had decided to never discuss it with anyone outside his clan.

  She clenched her lips together and cocked her head to the side slightly. It was clear she was trying to be careful with her words, but he just wanted her to tell him. He couldn’t wait a moment longer; the suspense was killing him.

  “It’s okay…,” he urged. “Go on, don’t be afraid.”

  She leaned against the booth and looked deep into his eyes.

  “At first, I thought it was a lizard of some kind,” she said. “But then, I realized, no, it’s much more dangerous than that… I see a dragon inside of you.”

  Braxton’s mouth curled into a smile a little at the edges, and he reached out and took her hand again.

  “You’re very clever,” he said as he gave it a little squeeze, and he felt the heat of their bodies colliding. There was something so powerful and raw about their connection, it was pretty much impossible for him not to want to touch her in some way. Even holding her hand was sending him into a tangle of lust.

  Her eyes sparkled at him, and he found himself falling into a trance as he gazed into them. They were so green, and appeared to be sparkling just for him. Her pupils were wide, and he could see how attracted to him she was. It was going to be impossible for them to stay away from each other.

  “A very clever witch…,” he said in a whisper, and her eyes glistened even more.

  “So, you’re clever too…,” she mused. “How did you know?”

  Braxton shrugged. He didn’t actually have an answer for her apart from his gut feeling and the fact that he had been enchanted by her ever since they had met. There wasn’t a person out there who had commanded his attention in this kind of way, and the way she seemed to be able to see inside his soul was awe inspiring. He had never known anyone who had been able to see the dragon resting beneath his skin, not even his fellow clan members, and he knew he couldn’t see it in them either. It was as if she had been brought to him specially, for them to come together and accomplish something extraordinary.

  “I feel the magic radiating from you,” he said. “I knew you were different the moment we laid eyes
on each other. It’s difficult to explain what I’m feeling…” He paused and was once again caught up in the beauty of her eyes. “This is something I never thought could exist or be possible.”

  He saw a little blush creep across her cheeks, and she smiled and looked down at the table. She was so goddam cute. Every time she went a little shy, it made him want her even more. She was so different from any other woman, she was totally unique.

  “I’ve hidden away for so long,” she told him. “My mother had me terrified of what would happen if the people of this town discovered what I am… I think she still thinks we are vulnerable like in 17th-Century Salem…”

  He laughed and shrugged. He had seen people be persecuted for much less, and he understood that fear.

  “I mean, I guess she does kind of have a point,” he said. “It’s not like the human mind is truly open when it comes to things they don’t understand. What do you think would happen if anyone around here knew they had dragons living in their midst? Can you imagine?”

  “All hell would break loose,” she said.

  “Yes, it would,” he said seriously. “But what they don’t realize is, we are the only things protecting them between this world and another that is very dangerous indeed.”

  Elizabeth sat forward, and he noted the change in the temperature of her hand. She had chilled slightly, as if she was afraid.

  “What is happening in this town?” she asked in a whisper. “Even though I’ve hidden away, I’ve heard things and seen things online… People have gone missing in the forests and animals are dying… What have you seen up there on the mountain?”

  Braxton tried not to think of how barren and terrible much of the forest had become since the gateway had been opened. He had walked the coppice and mountains many times, and trodden on blackened earth, and seen hundreds of animals dead in flocks. It had been terrifying to witness, but it made him more determined to protect this place and all the magic wrapped up in it.

  He would not let evil take it over. And he would not let evil touch Elizabeth. She was special and important, and he would do anything to keep her safe.

  “We are in the middle of a war,” he said sternly, and he saw the terror in her eyes. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, but knew he had to keep going. He had to explain things to her.

  “What kind of war?” she asked.

  “There’s a gateway in this town to another world,” he continued. “It was originally opened when there was a mining accident over a hundred years ago.”

  A flash of recognition crossed her face.

  “Yes, I know about the mine,” she said. “So… What…? It opened some kind of portal?”

  Braxton nodded.

  “A portal to another dimension… To a place where nothing is safe. Recently, and we don’t know how, this gateway was opened again, and things have been making their way through. Evil things. People have gone missing, animals and land have died… And now, we have to do what we can to protect it.”

  Elizabeth looked alarmed but there was also a serene quality to her, as if she could understand, and was thinking of how she could help.

  Behind them, the band was playing loudly, and the singer was screeching and wailing over the microphone as the guitars blared from either side of him and the drums sent vibrations through the floor.

  Braxton sensed that something wasn’t quite right before he spotted it, but when the horror began to unfold in front of him, it was the first time he hadn’t been compelled to dive right into the mix and save the day.

  It all seemed to happen in slow motion. He almost couldn’t believe his eyes…

  In the center of the room, a familiar figure was moving between the crowd, slashing tourists’ throats with his long fingernails and letting blood spray, in huge gushes, onto the walls and ceiling.

  The festive screams turned to screams of terror, and within seconds, as more and more people realized what was happening, the chaos erupted. Pushing and shoving, people screaming, blood slippery on the floor, bodies crumpled and being trampled by frightened feet. Everyone was trying to reach an exit.

  Braxton’s eyes were wide with fury and fire, but he didn’t have time to linger. He pulled Elizabeth to her feet quickly, lifting her and slinging her over his shoulder. He didn’t have a second to spare, his protector instinct was kicking in and he had to get her the hell out of there.

  He knew he had to keep her safe. Somewhere deep inside him, he could feel that she was the missing piece of the puzzle.

  The screams rang out so loudly, and Elizabeth clung to him, shivering with fear. She was terrified; he could feel her fear, and as he turned at the doorway and saw the scene once again, his eyes locked in on the creature who was causing it all.

  He was gray-colored, with black eyes; he was pure evil.

  The vampire was back.

  Braxton snarled and felt the dragon inside him desperately trying to break free, but he had to stay in human form. He had to protect Elizabeth.

  “We killed you,” Braxton said sternly, knowing that even over all of the noise, the vampire would be able to hear him.

  “Not even close…” The words came out of the vampire’s mouth and echoed in Braxton’s brain. He stood there, with blood dripping from his fingertips, a wicked smile on his face, and a pile of innocent tourists at his feet.

  Brax and the other shifters had been afraid something like this could happen while the fair was in town… And now that it had come to fruition, they knew the temporary seal of the gateway had been compromised. They had to move fast.

  Braxton darted out of Shifter’s Bliss, into the darkness. He had to get Elizabeth as far away from the center of town as possible.

  And he could think of only one place to go…

  He had to take her to the top of the mountain, back to his secluded home, where they would both be safe.

  13.

  Elizabeth gripped Braxton as he raced with her out of the bar and through the dark streets of Bridge Hollow.

  She bounced around on his shoulder, her legs flat against his chest and her arms wrapped around his shoulders. She could barely see anything, her head almost completely upside down unless she made the effort to lift it, and she felt dizzy and dazed.

  Had she really just seen what she thought she had?

  A man that looked dead, violently murdering people, in plain sight, in the middle of Shifter’s Bliss?

  Her breath caught in her throat and her heart raged with horror. She had never seen anything so terrifying. She knew then that what Braxton had told her about the gateway was the truth… Because there was no way the man she had just seen slaughtering people in the bar could have come from this world.

  He was dark and malevolent. He dripped with evil.

  She shuddered.

  Braxton gripped her tighter and continued running. His strength was incredible; he had lifted her with such ease and was running faster than an Olympic athlete.

  When they left Main Street and disappeared along the woodland roads, he picked up his pace, and warned her of what was about to happen.

  “I’m going to go as fast as I can,” he said. “And that means… I may have to shift.”

  She felt her eyes widen and didn’t know what to make of it all. A week earlier, she may have been a witch and aware of the magic present on Earth, but she had been living a pretty regular existence. She may have power of her own, but she had never met another to merge it with… And now, she was running away with and falling for a man who could turn into a goddam dragon.

  She had always believed dragons to be mythical… But here she was, escaping into the mountains with one, and it all seemed to make perfect sense.

  She gripped him tightly as he rounded another corner of the forest and seemed to come to a clearing of trees. She could feel that they were heading high up toward the clouds, but she still didn’t know where he was taking her.

  “Where are we going?” she whispered.

  Braxton slowed, then stopped f
ully before he put her on the ground.

  “I need to keep you safe,” he panted. “That creature, it could kill everyone in this town. If we don’t get up high, into my private estate, we will be in terrible danger.”

  His eyes were wide and serious, and Elizabeth nodded.

  She could see Braxton’s eyes changing color, the darkness of them beginning to burn bright with orange and red fire. He was breathing quickly, and he stepped backward as guttural roars began to escape from his lips.

  Elizabeth watched him, completely stunned, as his body began to change. But she wasn’t afraid. In fact, she felt completely at ease seeing him turn from a man into a gigantic beast.

  His clothes ripped from his back, and his skin seemed to split open and dark green scales emerged in its place. His frame grew larger and more muscular; his legs elongated, and then his neck and torso. His arms became front legs and his head quickly morphed into one of a dragon, breathing smoke and fire. His eyes glinted orange, and he let out a huge roar, burning a small section of trees to the side of him as he went.

  Elizabeth’s mouth hung open.

  What the fuck was even happening?

  She had met someone she was falling for, and now, they were running away from a vampire who was on a murderous rampage. They were in the middle of the mountains of Bridge Hollow, and the guy she was falling for had just turned into a creature most people don’t even know really exists.

  She swallowed hard and took a step back.

  Even though she wasn’t afraid of him, she was still a little intimidated. Braxton had changed before her very eyes, and she had no idea how his new form would affect him. He stood tall and proud. He was so massive he seemed to eclipse the light from the moon. His dragon nostrils were still smoking with each breath he took, and as he stepped forward, his weight shook the ground beneath them.

  Elizabeth screamed a little and took another step back.

  This was completely insane.