Shifter Nation- East Coast Bears Collection

by Meg Ripley

  “It sorta feels like that, man.” I set my elbow on the desk and slumped, putting my cheek in my hands. “It’s like she’s taking over my whole body.”

  “What happens now? Are you two going to be a thing?”

  “No. The whole point was to get it over with so we can be done with each other.”

  “She said that?” he asked.

  “No, I said that and she agreed. I thought if we just had sex, the attraction would be lessened. You know how that happens sometimes? You chase someone who’s hard to get and when you get them, the interest is gone.”

  “I guess? I’ve never had that.”

  “Well, I have,” I admitted. “It sucks. More for the female, but still. The chase is over, you get what you want, then you want nothing to do with her, but now she’s into you.”

  “Is that what happened?”

  “No,” I sighed. “I want her even more. And even less. I don’t know what to do. This is killing me.”

  “You look like crap,” he pointed out.

  “Thanks.”

  “I don’t know if what I’m going to say will make it better or worse.”

  “There is no worse.”

  “Okay. I’m sending you to work with Mason. I want you to join forces with the police to become part of the investigation.” He looked at me, waiting for a response.

  “Fine. If we find this guy, I won’t have to be around her. She’ll be safe, and I can move on.”

  “Can you?”

  I stood and looked at him sadly. “Fuck, I don’t know.”

  “Call me if you need anything.”

  I held up a hand to wave as I walked out.

  I drove over to the police station to meet up with Mason and his team. They were expecting me, and when I got there, they welcomed me into the room where they had details of the investigation set up. We went over things, but there wasn’t much new. I did tell them about Britt and I coming across the scent, then losing it, but that didn’t help much. It did tell them that whoever this was, he was still in the area.

  “Since you know the park best,” Mason announced, “we’ll team up to go on regular patrols.” He flipped open a binder of photos and information. “These are our suspects. They’ve all been known in the community for speaking out against panthers.

  Once they left the station to return to the park for their first patrol, Mason said, “Now that the non-shifters aren’t around, I can tell you the rest. We checked out each suspect already and none of them match the scent. That doesn’t mean the person who killed the panther isn’t working with a group, assuming this isn’t just a random, one-time attack. We have to treat it like an ongoing attack and expect another incident. We’re trying to find connections at this point. See if the killer knows any of our suspects. They’re not truly suspects any longer to those of us in the force who are shifters, but obviously we can’t just come out and tell our non-shifter colleagues that. I had no idea this would be so tricky.” He shrugged. “So, any trace of the scent that we come across, we’ll follow fully. We have something of a scent database between the shifters on the force, so I want to get a good whiff of the vehicle to share with them. That way we can see who’s connected to who and try to get evidence from there.”

  “Great,” I said. “I’ll take you to the scent.”

  We ran to the place where Britt and I had chased after the trail; I showed him the scent and he got a good whiff.

  “I don’t recognize it,” he admitted after we returned to our human forms. “I’ll share it with the guys and see if they do. Some of the cops who’ve been around a while might have come across the guy before. Most criminals don’t expect the police to use smell to track them down.” He chuckled.

  “Right,” I agreed.

  “You okay, man? You’re awfully quiet.”

  “Yeah, I’m okay,” I lied. My mind was tangled. Being close to where Britt and I had been just the night before was like torture. The longing in me had grown out of control. Having sex hadn’t quelled my interest; it only made it worse.

  He narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew me too well, but didn’t press. “We were also hoping that Britt would join us, unofficially of course, as part of the team to help patrol and search for the guy.”

  My eyes widened. “You want us to work together?”

  “Unless that’s a problem?”

  I shook my head. The idea of having to be around her, to team up together to find this guy, to be out in the woods running around together, excited me; I couldn’t deny it. My heart raced.

  “I’ll go talk to her about it. I’m sure she’d love to help. She’s already on patrol, trying to find him anyway. This way, we can keep her safe.”

  Mason studied me again and nodded. “Exactly.”

  “I’ll ask her and bring her back here so we can set up a plan of which directions we’ll go in, how we’ll report anything found, that sort of thing.”

  “I’ll drive you over to her house,” Mason offered as he grabbed his keys and headed off to his car.

  I hesitated. I wanted to do this alone. As I was thinking of a way to tell Mason without alerting him to something more, an urgent voice crackled through his radio as I slid into the car.

  Mason picked it up and had an intense conversation with the person on the other end. There were a lot of codes given back and forth that I didn’t understand. “Ezra! There’s been another attack,” he said. “Another panther has been found dead.”

  I didn’t stop to think about it, and I didn’t let him know where I was going. He’d figure it out. I threw open the passenger door and shifted, leaving my clothes in his car, and ran as fast as I could. I had to get to her.

  The run didn’t take me long. I came up to her cabin and didn’t stop at the edge of the property, but ran straight up onto the porch and hammered on the door.

  11

  Britt

  Someone was pounding on my door. If it wasn’t the police, it sure sounded like them. This would usually piss me off, but after everything that had went down, it worried me. I hurried to the door, but when I opened it, Ezra was there. I didn’t have time to get annoyed; the look on his face was so frantic, it shot ice through me.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Another panther’s been found dead.”

  My stomach dropped. It hadn’t been just the one; this was going to keep going after all. I’d never been so regretful of being right in my life.

  My shotgun wasn’t far. I spun, grabbed it from the living room where it’d been resting against the wall, and came back, ready to go after the asshole.

  When Ezra saw me, he looked pained.

  “What are you waiting for?” I asked. “Come on.”

  “I know you want to get out there,” he said. “But let’s let the police do their job first. They’re already on it.”

  “I’m not going to sit around and wait to be slaughtered.” Was he nuts? He wanted me to just sit there?

  “Please. I’ll stay here with you. The second I hear something, you’ll know about it. And if we can help in any way, we will.”

  “Get out of my way.” I reached out my arm to push past him.

  I hadn’t paid attention to the fact that he was naked. Again. I’d seen this guy naked more than I’d seen him clothed. But after our night together, I knew what that body was capable of. When I brushed my arm against him, it was like touching fire. It made my skin tingle and my scalp prickle.

  He reached out to stop me by putting a hand on my arm. He didn’t grab or pull or hold me; he pleaded. “Please, Britt.”

  Had I ever heard him say my name before? If he had, it hadn’t sounded like that.

  I turned to look at him. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”

  “I do. I really do. And that’s why I’m begging you. As soon as I know the park is clear, we’ll go out and follow the trail.”

  “What good is that going to do? I have to get out there if I’m going to catch him.”

  “What
if it’s more than one?”

  “It’s not.”

  “You mean, it wasn’t,” he challenged. “What if this time, there are a few of them? What if they overtake you? Can you outrun a bullet? Can you fight off two or three men at a time?”

  “Did they shoot this panther?”

  “I don’t know yet. But wouldn’t it be good to know that before charging out there? Mason is on the scene and so are several shifters from the force. They know the scent. I even took Mason to get the vehicle’s scent. I know you know these parts really well. You’re a good hunter, and I know you could find him. But you’re not a cop. You’re trained to deal with animals, not criminals. They know more about how people like this work and think. I don’t want you to get hurt. Please.”

  I don’t know what it was, and I may never know. But something in his eyes or words softened me. And that was a rare occurrence. Being sentimental wasn’t exactly in my nature. In fact, I couldn’t recall being sentimental once in my whole damn life. But as I looked at him, the trouble I saw in his eyes brought me pain.

  What the hell? Why should I care what he felt or thought? I’d wanted this all to go away. That was why what he’d said the night before made sense. If we just did it, just went ahead and had sex, it was supposed to end these feelings. To take this obsession from me. It hadn’t worked and that pissed me off. Being so close to him naked, I could hardly stand it. And now he wanted to sit around like that and wait?

  I pulled my arm away. “Do you own any clothes?” I snapped.

  I turned and went inside, letting the door slam behind me. I heard it open a moment later, as I was setting my gun back down.

  “Actually, I kind of ran out without thinking. I didn’t bring anything. I just wanted to get here to make sure you were okay.”

  I gave him a slight glare, but my heart wasn’t in it. I went to my bedroom and found a pair of shorts and a shirt that I thought would fit him. When I came back out, I tossed them at him.

  “Thanks.”

  “Beer?” In the kitchen, I pulled one from the fridge. If I was just going to sit around all day, I might as well enjoy it a little.

  “Sure.”

  I grabbed a frosty can and passed it to him. When he popped the top, it foamed all over his hand.

  I laughed. “Amateur.”

  “Not in everything.” He winked.

  I rolled my eyes. “You look ridiculous.” I hadn’t paid much attention to what I’d grabbed, but I realized that the shorts were on the shorter side—probably why they were stuffed in the back of my drawer—and I must’ve grabbed the one shirt I owned that had any sort of sparkle to it: a blue tee with tiny gems on the sleeves’ edges. It was subtle, but too much for me to wear—definitely too much for him to wear.

  He struck a pose and made a face like he was a supermodel. “It’s all about being comfortable in your own skin.” He chuckled and sat down on the couch, resting his feet up on the coffee table.

  “Well sure, just make yourself at home.” I flopped down next to him and took a long sip of my IPA.

  “Nice cabin,” he said.

  “Thanks. It was my gramma’s. My ma lived here her whole life, and so have I.”

  “Right. You said your mom was killed by a hunter years ago. I’m really sorry.”

  “Me, too.” I took another sip.

  This felt awkward. I didn’t know him well enough to be comfortable around him, and I didn’t do well with the whole getting-to-know-you thing. I didn’t need to know anyone besides the people I already knew.

  But desire still racked my body. A desire to know him, to be near him. It was starting to move from my bones to my emotions. And that meant it was getting dangerous. I had no reason to be with anyone; my life was just fine as it was. Alone. I’d never wanted any sort of boyfriend or partner, and I still didn’t.

  Except—and I couldn’t bear to admit it—it felt like I was beginning to. He made me feel so…domestic, if that was even possible. Like I wanted to just get up and cook something for him; to take care of him. God, I was going soft and becoming a damn floozie. I had to stop this nonsense somehow.

  “So, what’s your story?” I asked. “Are you like, sixteen, or what?”

  “Um, no. Twenty-five.”

  “Really?” I looked him over. “With that baby face?”

  “I’m from California. It’s different there.”

  “I’m sure. How you’d end up here, then?”

  “My family moved away, but I was born here. I don’t know. I got older and it was like the land itself called to me. I came out to visit family we still had in the area and I stayed. I found our original clan and they welcomed me with open arms. Everything just fit.” He shrugged. “I may not be a Gladesperson like you, but it seems that I belong here somehow.”

  I snorted. “Is that why you highlight your hair? To remind yourself of California?”

  He reached up to finger his blond tips. “I just like it.”

  “It makes you look ridiculous in bear form.”

  He grinned. “You don’t like my streaks? I think they make me look distinguished.”

  “The first time I saw you, I thought it was dried mud. Then you shifted and I saw your hair and realized that even in bear form, you have those goofy blonde pieces.”

  “You should dye yours.” He reached over and picked up the end of my blonde ponytail. It would look good blue or even with just a touch of red. Your hair has a hint of natural red in it.”

  I froze until he put my hair back down. Any touch from him seemed to make me begin to sweat. If I was going to keep a level head so we could chase this killer down when the time came, I’d have to keep my raging hormones in check. I couldn’t just get turned on every time he brushed against me.

  “No TV?” he asked after a minute of silence.

  “Nah. What’s the point?”

  “Entertainment?”

  “I make my own.”

  He crossed his arms. “Yeah? Let’s see.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t say I was the entertainment. I find ways to keep entertained is all.”

  “Like how?”

  “Going out and finding something to eat. Skinning it, selling it. Walking around or running through the park. Sometimes, I go to Shady’s.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “That’s it?”

  “What else is there?”

  “Fun? There is TV, but also movies, going out, dancing, hanging with friends, relaxing and maybe playing a game or two. Reading, shooting, bike rides, hikes, fishing, working out, running. Golf, bowling, painting, cooking. Then there’s the local stuff like museums, zoos, arcades. The beach? I love the beach.”

  I blinked at him. “So, you are, like, sixteen.”

  “Dude! People do these things. Adult people. Adult people who want to have fun and enjoy life.”

  “I enjoy life.”

  “Do you? You seem kind of…unhappy to me.”

  “Based on what?” I snapped, crossing my arms.

  He broke into laughter. “Well, that posture and that attitude, for starters. You’re always so serious. Just have fun once in a while.”

  “There’s no time for shenanigans. I do catch a good fight at Shady’s now and then.”

  “So, watching two drunk idiots pummel each other is your idea of a good time?”

  I lifted one shoulder. It had been. Until the night before. Now, I could think of at least one other way I wouldn’t mind passing the time.

  “Doesn’t your clan get together and do stuff?”

  “Sure,” I said. “We were at Shady’s the night I saw you.”

  “You were there with only two other ladies.”

  “Yeah. My clan.”

  “Your clan has only three people?”

  “Panthers are rare, remember? We have Kat’s gramma, too. But she’s older and doesn’t get around much anymore.”

  “Sound pretty lonely.”

  “It’s not,” I said, a little too defensively. I didn’t need to
explain myself to him. “So, what does your clan do? Sit around and play shuffleboard while drinking lemonade?”

  “Shuffleboard.” He tapped his lips. “That’s one we haven’t tried yet. Could be fun…”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “Yeah.” He playfully shoved my shoulder. “Lots of times, we just build a fire on the beach and hang out, talking and telling stories. Or we go out and do things, like hang at Shady’s. Usually Conner and I hit the gym together a few times a week. I go to Owen’s for his wife’s cooking. Though now that they have a baby, that’s all he talks about. I go shooting or fishing with Mason. They’re my best friends, but we have a decent sized-clan. There’s eight of us. Well, I guess if you count the baby, it’s nine, maybe soon to be ten. We think Noah’s wife is pregnant, but no one is saying yet. Probably too soon to announce. We have clan picnics and get togethers regularly, and a lot of us work together. We’re close, you know. Family.”

  Family. At the mention of the word, I thought of Ma and Gramma. God, did I miss their company; missed having people to just sit back with and bitch about the day to. But Ezra couldn’t be that to me. We were far too different.

  “Your life sounds overwhelming,” I admitted.

  “It’s full. But it’s happy. I figure it’s about time I find a special lady and move onto life 2.0.”

  I chuckled. “Life 2.0?”

  “Marriage, kids.” He made a box crossing his pointer and middle fingers on both hands. “Dad life, you know.”

  I laughed again. “Did you just throw a gang sign at me?”

  “It’s a hashtag? Don’t you get on Instagram?”

  “What’s that?”

  He slapped his forehead. “You do have a smart phone, don’t you?”

  I pointed to the phone hanging on the wall. It was yellowed with age, its cord sagging to the ground. It was rarely used. If I wanted to talk to Dezi or Kat, I spoke through our clan’s mind connection or just went to see them.

  He went over to the phone and picked it up, then started laughing. “Oh my God, it has a dial tone and everything!”

  He took another two beers from the fridge and tossed one to me as he sat back down. Brave little fucker, wasn’t he, to just go around my place and do as he pleased.