SHIFT (Mackenzie Grey #1)

by Karina Espinosa

  “Oh my, young Beta. That’s not the correct way to approach someone you seek help from. Your kind has no manners, you’re such…animals,” he said and flashed his fangs at us with a smile.

  Jonah crouched down and snarled. This wasn’t good.

  With shaky legs, I went to stand in between the vampire and the wolf.

  “Cut it out! What is wrong with you guys? We have people missing and you’re fighting each other?”

  “Oh, I like her,” Lucian purred and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. He smirked at me as he licked his lips. Gross.

  “No you don’t—don’t even look at her.” Jonah grabbed my wrist and pulled me behind him.

  “Hey!” I snapped and jerked my arm back. “Everyone needs to stop trying to control me already. I’m not part of this goddamn Pack!” I yelled, and with wild eyes, I scanned everyone on the bridge until they settled on Lucian. “You,” I pointed to him, “we need your help, so let’s stop bullshitting and get to the point. Can you help us?” I was irritated.

  His porcelain white skin was so smooth, it reminded me of the marble from last night at the library with Sebastian.

  Lucian’s smirk never faltered as he watched me. His beady black eyes roamed up and down my body as he stood up straight. With the creepy glide from last time we saw him, he came towards me until he was only a foot away. His cold finger came up and trailed down my cheek in a caress. He felt like stone.

  “Quern tamquam ex matre,” he hummed.

  “W-what?” I stuttered. I froze in place and couldn’t even blink in fear that he’d do something—like bite me.

  “Nothing, pet—I will help you—and only you.”

  “No, Mackenzie!” Jonah yelled and his rough hands yanked on my arm. “You cannot trust a vampire!”

  “Dude, get a grip. I don’t have to trust him to get the information we need, and if we can’t trust a vampire, then what the hell did we call him for?” I scoffed. I understood why everyone looked as if they were constipated, but if we wanted to find Jackson, we had to make certain sacrifices. I just had to protect my neck—literally—that’s all.

  “Excellent point, pet.”

  “Damnit, Mackenzie, why don’t you ever do as you’re told?” Jonah pulled at his hair. He was acting like I was going over to Iraq.

  I rolled my eyes. “If I ever did what I was supposed to, I wouldn’t be myself. Now suck it up, buttercup. We need to chase every lead to solve this case.” I turned to Lucian who was still eyeing me carefully, as if he was in on some secret, “What do you need from me?”

  “I want a lock of your hair,” he said as he diverted his gaze to his hands to clean his manicured fingernails. His response fell too quickly from his lips, like he was waiting to say it.

  “Huh?”

  A growl ripped from behind me and as soon as I turned around, I saw one white-hot Beta, barreling towards me. Stone cold hands gripped my arm and flung me like a rag doll behind him. With his palm out and no effort at all, his hand slammed into Jonah’s chest, sending him flying backwards.

  “What the hell, Lucian?!” I yelled as I noticed the pedestrians crossing the bridge were now paying attention to us.

  “Sorry, love, the wolves are very sensitive toward Lunas. Thank God, I didn’t bloody ask for a claw like I originally wanted,” he snickered and I wanted to stab him in the eye. A claw?

  “You guys are so freakin’ weird,” I hissed and went over to Jonah who was just getting up. I rubbed his back and soothed him in hopes he’d relax. “Are you calm? If you want to save Jackson, I need you to relax.”

  He nodded.

  I eyed him for a moment before I was certain he wouldn’t have an outburst again and then turned my attention back to Lucian. “So why do you want a lock of my hair?”

  Lucian diverted his gaze from me. “Do not worry, Lone Wolf, I will not do any voodoo or such. This is a personal matter and if you want my help, you’ll accept the exchange.”

  I sighed. “Fine. You got yourself a deal.”

  “Good,” he said and clapped his hands in front of him. “Now let’s start heading toward the looney bin before visiting hours are over.”

  The walk across the bridge shouldn’t have been as long as it was—maybe it was the tension between my two companions—but I wished Amy would have been with us. She’d have said something to break the ice. Or at least made me laugh, like a-wolf-and-a-vampire-walk-into-a-bar joke—man I needed to google those when I got the chance.

  Jonah was wound up like a rod and I could only imagine why—I made a deal without consulting him. In my defense, I shouldn’t have to talk it over with anyone. I was my own woman, not part of the Pack, and if I made a sour deal with the devil himself, then I would deal with the consequences after we found Jackson.

  “Are you two ever going to be friends? The awkwardness makes me fidgety,” I said as we stopped in front of Manhattan Psychiatric Center.

  “Kenz, be serious please,” Jonah muttered and I rolled my eyes.

  “Oh lighten up, Jonah Cadwell. The girl is only teasing.”

  We followed Lucian up the sidewalk and into the entrance. It didn’t look like a psych ward—I imagined sterile white with padding—it just looked like any other hospital. We came up to the front desk where a nurse named Betty—according to her name tag—was sitting, typing away at her computer.

  “Hello, dear. We’re here to see Jane Hancock,” Lucian said as he perched his right elbow on the counter. He was so theatrical.

  The nurse’s blue scrubs swished as she stood up to address us. “I’m sorry, visiting hours end at five. You can come back tomorrow at eight in the morning.”

  Shit. I turned wide eyes to Jonah who looked just as aggravated as I was. We couldn’t wait until tomorrow to see if this was a lead or not.

  “My apologies, love, maybe I should have introduced myself first. My name is Lucian Young, I’m a board member of this facility as you might recognize and I was told it would be just as well if I came to see an old friend of mine that is here. Could you be a dear and get us some visitors passes?” The nurse starred at Lucian as if she wanted to bolt. She froze in place and then scrambled to get the visitor name tags out of her drawer. I had to hand it to the vampire, he made sure his fingers were dipped in many things. Eternity was a long time I guessed—might as well be set for life.

  I scribbled my name on the name sticker and slapped it on the left side of my coat.

  “Diana Stone?” Jonah read with a quirked eyebrow.

  “What? We’re undercover, I don’t want people to know my real name,” I whispered as if this were a black ops mission.

  “You know these names get entered into a government system, right?”

  “Oh trust me, I know,” I said with a bright smile. Take that, Bimbo Barbie!

  “Ready?” Lucian asked and then stared questioningly at my name tag.

  “Don’t ask.”

  He smirked. “Never a dull moment with you, pet.”

  We took the elevator to the sixth floor and went toward room 6-132. The floor was eerily quiet and the front desk was empty when we arrived. I leaned in closer to Jonah, thinking someone was about to jump out and scare us.

  “This feels like a B-rated movie, guys. Why is no one here?”

  “What took you so long?” A woman said at the end of the hallway. We jerked to a stop and I squinted my eyes to get a better look.

  “It’s Jane Hancock,” I mumbled as I took in her bed-rangled appearance. She wore a hospital gown that swallowed her thin frame.

  “I expected your kind here days ago. Now get me out of here!” she croaked as she tried to walk to us but appeared to be out of breath.

  “What do you mean?” Jonah asked as we got closer to her.

  “That one,” she said as she raised a frail finger aimed at me, “came to see me the other day with the police. My son has been taken and you wolves haven’t done a goddamn thing!”

  “How was I supposed to know?” I scoffed and crosse
d my arms over my chest.

  “We’re sorry. She’s new, she didn’t know. Who’s your son?”

  “Branwell of the Celtic Clan,” she said and nearly fell over.

  “Are you okay?” Jonah reached out to catch her.

  “Of course not! This place is laced with iron.”

  “Oh my. I’ll have to say that is my fault. I had this place remodeled with it just last year. Such a shame,” Lucian sighed with fake concern.

  Jonah growled at the vampire, but lifted the Fae up in a cradle and carried her over to the front desk where a wheelchair was stationed. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you home and out of here. We have some questions to ask about Branwell.”

  “I’ll tell you whatever you need to know as long as you get me the hell out of here.”

  Betty, the nurse, wasn’t too happy with our departure—or the loan of the wheelchair—but it was easier to roll Jane instead of carrying her off the island. It was dark out as night time encompassed the city. This had been a very long day, and I couldn’t wait for it to be over.

  “Why did you lie to me and say Branwell’s name was John Hancock?” I asked as we strolled across the bridge.

  She grunted. “You were with a human. Of course I lied.”

  “Why don’t you tell us about Branwell and the night of his disappearance?” Jonah interjected.

  “I saw it. I saw him take away my boy. You have to find him, promise me you’ll find him!” she cried and my heart broke for her.

  “We’ll do everything in our power to bring him back safely,” I said as I stopped the wheel chair and crouched in front of her. “Can you tell us what you saw?”

  She wiped tears from her cheeks and cleared her throat. “I thought he was a wolf but he smelled different, he was something else as well. He was talking to Branwell just outside our apartment building. I thought they were friends, they spoke as if they knew each other. My son sometimes concocts herbs for the Fae Queen and other supernaturals in the city,” she said and peered over at Jonah as if she wasn’t sure she should have said that. “Branwell was telling him he’d have everything ready within a week and the wolf got mad. He grabbed my boy by the neck and slammed him against the building. I couldn’t see past that from my window but I heard him say he couldn’t wait a week. Next thing I knew, the stranger was dragging Branwell to an SUV across the street. That was the last time I saw my son.”

  I looked up at Jonah and Lucian, they were pensive as the four of us stood in the middle of the bridge, not moving.

  “Did you see what he looked like?” Lucian asked.

  “No, it was too dark and my eyes have gotten worse as the centuries pass. But he didn’t have dark hair.”

  “It could be Caleb, but it’s too much of a stretch. Now when you say he smelled different, what do you mean?” Jonah asked.

  “He smelled of the earth, like a wolf, but he also smelled like death and decay,” she turned to Lucian, “like a vampire.”

  “Is that possible?” I asked Jonah and by the confusion on his face, he didn’t know if it was.

  “I’ve never heard of a hybrid, but in this world, it wouldn’t surprise me,” he said as he ran his hand through his hair.

  “Hybrids are not possible, not biologically at least. Trust me, I’d know,” Lucian said.

  We dropped Jane—who wouldn’t tell us her real name—off at her apartment and Jonah called Bernard so he could update the Fae. We were at a loss and ended up at St. Paul’s Cathedral again. While there, Jonah called Sebastian to fill him in on our dead end. If by the next full moon Jackson hadn’t been found, I’d have to leave either way. I felt horrible for thinking like that but I had to save myself and I couldn’t wait another month for my next opportunity. If I stayed, they would either make me a Luna or start the man hunt for my head.

  “We need to talk,” Lucian whispered to me and nodded toward an exit. I paused as Jonah’s back was to me but slipped away from the altar and in the direction of the narrow hallway the vampire had gone through. I made the only left and through a passageway that was connected to another building. I entered a room that was filled with many bookshelves covering the walls and an old dark oak desk in the middle.

  “You can come in, Mackenzie…I don’t bite,” Lucian smirked.

  “Very funny,” I spat. “What do you want?”

  “First, I want to ask you a question,” he said and I nodded. “When do you plan on leaving?”

  “What?”

  “You heard me clearly, love. When do you plan on escaping the Pack? I know those are your thoughts and there’s nothing wrong with it,” he said and began to pace. “The reason I ask is because I want to help.”

  Bullshit. “Why the hell would you want to help? You don’t even know me.” None of this was making any goddamn sense. I had enough with the Alpha and the Beta, I didn’t need a vampire as creepy as Lucian in the mix as well.

  “Simmer down, Wolf. I have no interest in you…romantically.”

  “How did you—?”

  He grinned. “Relax, I don’t read minds, it’s written all over your face. Come sit,” he said and gestured to one of the chairs facing the desk as he sat on the other.

  Cautiously, I followed and scooted as far away from him as I could without being rude.

  “How much do you know about your mother, Mackenzie Grey?”

  His question took me by surprise. “What about her? She’s human.”

  “Yes, yes, but do you know who she really is? Biologically.”

  “What? I don’t know what you’re trying to say. My biological mom is Joyce Grey, from Italian—I think—ancestors. She has nothing to do with werewolves.”

  “Joyce Grey,” he whispered as he tapped two fingers on his mouth. “Is that so…”

  “Yes it is, now why do you want to know about her?”

  “Nothing, simply feeding my curiosity,” he smiled, but I didn’t believe him. Something was up. He crossed his right leg over his left, wrinkling his impeccably ironed black slacks. He cocked his head to the side as he watched me and it made me uneasy. “Why are you so on edge, love? Could it be the boys?”

  “Are you trying to shrink me? You’re asking more than one question.”

  He chuckled. “I guess so. I apologize if I’ve intruded.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Why do you want to help me?” Sneaky bastard was confusing me with all his damn questions.

  “Let’s just say I owe someone a favor, and if I assist you, my debt would be paid in full,” he said and shifted in his chair. “Mackenzie, I know you have no reason to trust me. We’re predators after all—but I do hope you will take a chance this one time. You’re wrong when you say I don’t know you…I do and for that purpose and many more that I cannot speak of at the moment, I want to offer you asylum. If you accept my refuge, the Pack nor the vampires can touch you. You will have your freedom.”

  Lucian stared off in space as he spoke, giving me the chance to watch him more closely. His pale porcelain skin was unblemished, with high cheekbones and a narrow face. His sleek blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He sat erect and it was statuesque—he looked unreal.

  The warnings from Jonah rang in my mind but my gut told me otherwise. I didn’t know what Lucian’s deal was just yet, and with his curiosity about my mother, I started to think there were details I was overlooking. He implied that Joyce wasn’t my biological mother, but I knew for a fact she was.

  “What would I have to do, because there’s no way you’re offering me sanctuary for free. There has to be a catch,” I said and he snapped out of his daze.

  “No catch, pet. You already know you cannot stay in New York City anymore, but I don’t think you want to be here long anyways, am I right?”

  Okay, he was seriously trying to shrink me. I didn’t know if I wanted to be here anymore, I just knew that if I stayed, I’d have too much to deal with. And I didn’t want to. I guess I would be running away—even if the Pack wasn’t going to be after
me.

  I didn’t answer him. “Where would I go?”

  “Los Angeles.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  My mouth fell open as I watched Lucian calmly pull out his cell phone and start typing as if he didn’t just drop a bomb on me. I was left speechless—Los Angeles? That was a drastic change from New York and the obvious, it was on the other side of the country. But it sounded like the perfect place to go.

  “How are you going to keep me safe there? Isn’t the Pack everywhere?”

  Lucian’s eyes looked up from the screen of his phone. “I have a clan there that will keep you from harm.”

  “Wait. Let me get this straight, you want me to live with a bunch of Vampires?” All I would be doing was escaping one danger for another.

  “My people are the ones who are going to keep you safe from the Pack. I wouldn’t get too picky if I were you, but no, I’m not asking you to live with them, but you will have to interact,” he paused for a moment, his chest never rising to take a breath. Creepy. “We are not bad people, Mackenzie Grey. If you accept my offer, you will learn that for yourself.”

  Without waiting for a response, he switched his attention back to his phone and ignored my outward struggle with my inner turmoil. This brought a whole new meaning to judging a book by its cover. I wanted to believe he was a good person and was trying to help, but even if Lucian wasn’t a vampire, I still wouldn’t trust him completely. I wouldn’t trust anyone that just wanted to help. I’m a New Yorker, no one’s ever just kind.

  “I’ll think about it,” I muttered, still a little lost in my own thoughts.

  “I’m sure you will, Mackenzie Grey,” he said and stood up.

  “MACKENZIE!” Jonah yelled from the hallway. Crap, he was freaking out. He barged into the room like a bulldozer and his chocolate eyes flashed gold. I imagined steam shooting out of his ears and the thought made me chuckle. Not just from the imagery, but from the nerves that were building in my stomach. I had a lot to think about—but first things first, we needed to solve this kidnapping case.

  “Relax, I’m fine. What did Sebastian say?”