Shifter Situations: The Chronicles of Sloane King

by M F Adele

  I couldn’t drag him down with me.

  He’d already stolen the car he was in, killed the driver, and ran over a fifth fae. His knuckles were split but healing. The tip of a blade was embedded in my thigh, and I desperately needed to dig it out before I had to cut myself open again to retrieve it.

  There was blood everywhere.

  We were covered in it, and so was the car he was in.

  I wouldn’t let him come with me when I checked up on the new winters in the town over. He followed me anyway; consequences be damned.

  I knew those fae were bad news.

  I dove through the passenger window as Novak sped away, slamming his hands on the steering wheel of the sedan. The front of his body was nothing but drying blood; his facial features barely distinguishable under the crimson layer.

  He laughed humorlessly as he turned to glare at me. “What were you thinking? They were going to kill you.”

  “They will kill me,” I stated matter-of-factly. “And now they’re going to try to kill you too. You shouldn’t have followed me, Novak.”

  “Are you fucking serious?” he shouted, pulling onto the interstate without looking for oncoming traffic. “I’ve killed every fae that’s been too close for comfort since you told me why you ran.”

  “What? Why?” But what I really wanted to know was, “How many has she sent?”

  “I’ve lost count. Between abductions and murders… I couldn’t even guess at this point.”

  He rolled his yes as I searched the car for something to rip open the healing wound on my thigh. There was nothing sharp to be found. I was ready to wait until we got home when he reached over, slicing my skin with a small dagger.

  “Fuck,” I hissed.

  “You know the memories that you’ve been erasing for me aren’t meals gone wrong, right? I don’t have any issues with feeding, Vaughn. I have problems with you being hunted like some kind of sick game.

  “Every time I hear of a new winter fae getting close, I go to check them out. I haven’t been too great at covering my tracks. Blaire’s had to clean up my mess on multiple occasions.”

  I sighed, feeling thankful but annoyed. “You can’t keep doing this, Novak. Let me handle the fae.”

  “Yes, I fucking can,” he shot back, swerving into the right lane to take a last-minute exit.

  “Why would you, though? Why keep risking yourself? You’ve painted a target on your back when you could have stayed safe.”

  He parked the boosted sedan behind a closed gas station and glowered out the windshield. After several silent minutes passed us by, he huffed in aggravation.

  “Not everyone is out to get you, Vaughn. Some of us just like being around you.”

  I understood what he was saying, but that didn’t make it any easier to accept that as the truth.

  The headlights of a car lit up the darkness around us, and blue lights began flashing before I could explain anything to him.

  Novak pinched his lips together as he pulled at his hair in panic. “Go, Vaughn. You need to mist out before he sees you. You’ll be a sitting duck in a jail cell.”

  I wasn’t going to leave him, but I also knew he was right. Indecision made me freeze as I listened to the crunching of loose rock between concrete and heavy boots.

  Novak snapped quietly, “Go! Call Blaire. I’ll see you both in a few days.”

  I grinned at him as I placed my hand on his shoulder, misting us to the side of a nearby dumpster. When we were corporeal once more, I doused the car’s interior in a torrential wave of water strong enough to wash away any evidence.

  Hopefully, neither of us would be implicated in this crime.

  Gods.

  How many times had Vaughn erased or locked memories from Novak’s mind to protect him?

  How many times had Blaire compelled law enforcement so that Novak could keep Vaughn safe?

  As the questions stacked up, I pulled out of Vaughn’s mind completely. I felt like they’d barely skimmed the surface of what they’d done for each other. But it was enough for me to understand Novak’s past and why he was so worried.

  Even if they arrested him, I wouldn’t let him sit in any cell. I would keep my promise to my vampire; I’d always be his alibi. I’d compel the whole damn building if I had to.

  That was the least that I would do, though I’d go so much further for my mates without a second thought.

  I had been the harbinger of death to hundreds—if not thousands—of supernatural creatures in my short lifetime. I’d use those skills to keep the people I cared about safe.

  My body count meant nothing to me.

  Vaughn’s mother was going to die too. Her crimes continued to stack up, pissing me off more with every shred of information I learned about her.

  The twisted parts of my soul demanded her head, and I’d never felt so in sync with my demon and wolf alters at the same time.

  “Okay,” I drawled, trying to contain my homicidal thoughts.

  I rocked back onto my heels as I stared at the two of them. I wasn’t sure where to start yet, but I could—and would—fix what was happening. Or I would kill everyone conspiring against my mates.

  “We need to make sure we keep you both separate if it comes to an investigation within the pack. I doubt it will get that far, though. This is just an attempt to sidetrack us. Someone in the pack is doing something they don’t want us to know about.

  “The house call was them trying to ensure that we wouldn’t show up, or maybe they were hoping that only a few of you guys would come. Either way, I’m guessing it has something to do with my dad asking for help.”

  I gazed at my vampire and my fae. “I promise you both; I will stop at nothing to keep bad shit from happening to you guys. You’re not going to jail, Novak. And your mother is on limited time, Vaughn. I’m not even sorry about that.”

  “Don’t make promises that you can’t keep,” Novak muttered with a sad smile playing across his lips.

  I frowned at him. “I don’t make promises lightly. And I don’t make them if I don’t intend to keep them. I’d be upset with you if you knew me better.”

  My hushed voice sounded like a gunshot in the quiet room, but my words had never been more true.

  I knew trust had to be earned, but he’d come pretty close to hurting my feelings. He had nothing to worry about; I was confident enough to prove that to him. I wouldn’t stand around and let anything happen to any of my mates.

  “You’ll see,” I swore, standing to walk away.

  I stopped by the doorframe, watching as Briggs hovered between Vaughn and Novak. He seemed so in his depth as he comforted them. That wasn’t something I could easily give them, but I had other things to offer.

  They needed their fight back.

  To know that it wasn’t them against the world anymore.

  Allies came in all shapes and sizes, and I was full of surprises.

  I wasn’t just a pretty face; I was a ruthless protector, a restless mind with a savage spirit. I would destroy the world for them. And they needed to know that, above all, I was a possessive mate.

  No one was going to hurt them anymore. I would not allow it. They were done running from their pasts, living in fear, or hiding from heartbreak. As soon as all this saving the supernatural world was done, everything was going to be glitter and godsdamn rainbows.

  It was no longer just the five—or six—of them.

  There were seven of us, and we were going to build a fucking army.

  “I think you guys forget that we haven’t known each other very long. You’ve all been together for years, so you know what the others are capable of. I know what I can and can’t do. There are plenty of things that I’ve never tried to do before, but fixing this isn’t one of those things.”

  Sighing, I turned my back to the three of them, twisting my head as I let uncomfortable emotions wash over me for them to feel.

  “We each have secrets we’d rather not talk about, but some of those will get us all killed.
You’ll just have to trust me when I say that I can handle it… Or don’t.”

  2

  Sloane

  Tuesday, June 2nd

  Late Evening

  As I traversed the halls and staircases on autopilot, I called my phone to me without snapping my fingers. I didn’t need the extra focus. The emotions that I kept at bay fueled my abilities to a level that I had never previously needed—or wanted.

  Now I needed to feel all the things.

  All the darkness, the happiness, the hurt.

  And so much more.

  I wasn’t ready, but between the continuous threats, the unknown fae-mage stalker, and the vengeful angel, it was past time. I’d have to learn more control, especially with my shared soul now feeling whole and at peace.

  We’d need to add to our arsenal of allies, too.

  Today, we needed Blaire.

  I could make the issues disappear, but she could maneuver over the legality of said issues quicker than I could. And probably do it without a murder spree.

  Two heads were better than one, right?

  She could be the beauty. I was happy being the brawn.

  Her phone rang and rang and rang… and just when I thought she wasn’t going to answer, her sweet voice filled my ear.

  She had no accent either, but her French roots were heavier in her frustration, exactly like her brother. Some of their words twisted like they were trying to speak both languages at once.

  Sensing her split attention, I spoke in her native tongue. “Something has happened. Can you come to West Virginia with us tomorrow?”

  “Is everything okay?” French was such a beautiful language, even when the speaker was stressed.

  “It will be. I need you to represent the guys, or at least Novak. I’m not sure if it will be local police or pack authorities yet. It’s all really sketchy, Blaire, and I’m not exactly sure what’s going on yet.”

  She didn’t hesitate. “When do you need me? I’ll be there.”

  “Tomorrow. I’ll come to get you or send one of the guys.”

  “Are you getting prepared? What do I need to bring with me?”

  “Just your wit. Knowledge of pack law wouldn’t hurt, but I can fill you in. Franklin is gathering video evidence of us now, and I’ll call Jack and Grim in if I need to.”

  Her voice sounded oddly breathy when she asked, “The demon and the reaper?”

  “Uhm, yes. Them.”

  “Stop,” she murmured to someone before clearing her throat. “Can anyone who’s not close to you corroborate your whereabouts?”

  I hummed as I thought of everyone who saw us in the Underworld. “I could bring in a few demons if I needed to.”

  “Keep them on standby. Send me everything you’ve got, and I’ll start reviewing.”

  “Blaire?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t think this is going to be a strictly legal matter,” I informed her. “The shifters who showed up weren’t here on orders from the Supreme Alpha. It’s all going to tie back to the rogues and that fucking drug that’s being passed around. So, be prepared for that.”

  After ending my call with Blaire, I hopped into the shower under a stream of cold water. I was cautious as I built up my mental barriers, not wanting my mates to hear my internal musings.

  My breakdown.

  Hopefully, not the mental kind.

  Four out of six guys could hear my thoughts now. But only one of those four could hear everything, and I didn’t want him to listen to anything for a few minutes.

  I huffed at myself as I waited for the water to begin warming, heating my skin with it. The chill in my bones had nothing to do with the temperature of the spray, but I shook regardless.

  Being emotionally unavailable was my… thing; my fallback, my failsafe. It kept me from getting attached, from being broken again. Yet here I was, opening up and trying to understand the feelings once more. Not just my own, but six others as well.

  I didn’t know how I knew it, but I was positive that my mates would never leave me willingly. My brain was not as accepting as my heart, though. They were on two different pages, in two totally different books, really.

  While my brain continued to scream logic at me, my heart was being a clumsy bitch. The useless organ in my chest had sprouted legs and started running full speed toward all the little broken pieces of my mates.

  The thumping beat of my heart said, “We can fix this.”

  My brain was actively yelling, “Those are red flags, you idiot.”

  But they weren’t red flags, were they?

  When I stepped back and assessed my own life, it was easy to see that I was the risk. I was the lesson to be learned from this relationship. My actions—or the reactions I caused—would end up hurting them at some point.

  Why did I deserve them?

  I’d done nothing but asked them to give shit up since I met them. To my knowledge, they hadn’t even been back to their apartment in over two weeks. We’d barely been at my house either.

  And now it felt weird to call it my house.

  I didn’t want it to just be mine, and I didn’t want them to not be here. I mean, I didn’t want to be surrounded all day, every day, but I did want them within the walls… if they wanted to be.

  What the fuck was I even thinking about?

  This was the bullshit that made me hate emotions in the first place. It was fucking contagious. You catch one feeling, and then you’ve miraculously caught them all.

  Why couldn’t I simply feel boredom, anger, and the occasional dose of optimism?

  Just in the last twenty-four hours, I’d felt uncertain and enthusiastic. Dejected and empowered. Agitated and motivated.

  This shit was giving me whiplash.

  But godsdamnit, they were fucking worth it.

  Every splintered piece of their pasts called to the darkness inside me. Again, I found myself thinking that I would, without a doubt, let the world burn as long as they were safe.

  What would one call that feeling?

  I turned the water off and grabbed a towel to dry myself, knowing good and well that I didn’t bathe at all. I’d stood there, trying to open my emotions up more, but all I’d done was make myself feel like shit.

  Shut it down, Sloane.

  Stalking out of my bathroom, I stared at my duffle bag with disdain. The pink monstrosity sat comfortably on the floor beside my bedroom door, waiting to be snatched up for the next adventure.

  I hadn’t had time to unpack it since we’d returned from the Underworld, and we were leaving again. There was no point doing it now, except for maybe needing clean clothing.

  Gods, I hoped there was a spell or something to magic all these clothes clean again. If I could find a mage-run laundromat to drop all this shit off at, that’d be fucking grand.

  I emptied the bag and packed tights, jeans, and shorts, and then shoved a few shirts inside. There was no need for short leather skirts or dresses on this trip, but I did toss in a pencil skirt in case I had to look ready for business with Blaire.

  After I’d fucked around, wasting an hour or two on nothing, I pulled on a pair of dark jeans and a fitted white t-shirt. I snorted to myself. I was always pissy about my laundry, but I remembered how amused Jack and Grim were when they gave me this shirt.

  “Dong’s Dry Cleaning and Massage.

  Full service by appointment only.

  Stretching and shrinking guaranteed.”

  I ambled over to my bed, sitting on the edge to put socks on before I grabbed my Docs. With my head lowered, I couldn’t be sure what I saw, but I immediately recognized the sound of claws on my concrete floor.

  Helios’s tail whipped around the frame of my door, and I launched to my feet, heading straight for my closet. He’d been hiding under my hanging clothes while he chewed on my shoes. Again.

  Three shoes lay in the shredded remains of a dress on the floor. Black bits of leather and rubber were strewn about—my Doc Martens. The hints of bright red mad
e me freeze in my place before turning and bolting for the door.

  I could hear his claws clicking on the stairs as I sped up to catch him, shouting for him to stop.

  He didn’t.

  I chased him to the kitchen where I found him sitting beside Vaughn, seeking the protection of my fae with a stiletto hanging out of his mouth.

  “Why, Helios? Just… Why?” I asked in exasperation, genuinely stuck between throwing my shoes at him or laughing at the big, puppy eyes he was giving me.

  Vaughn glanced at Helios and grinned. “He chew your shoes up often?”

  “Yes!” I threw my hands in the air before pointing at the hellhound in disguise. “Why do you chew one of every pair? Just pick half my fucking shoes and then chew those up! What am I going to do with one shoe? My Louis Vuitton’s, Helios? Seriously?”

  “Calm your farm, Sweetheart,” York said absently while he checked me out. “They’re just shoes.”

  I narrowed my eyes, ready to rant at him.

  Just shoes! Was he fucking joking? Did he know what the price of those shoes was?

  They weren’t even on the floor; they were on the shelf. And the door was shut… So there were probably big ass holes in my door handle now.

  One side of Briggs’ face scrunched up as he watched my druid. “How the hell does that rhyme when you say it? Calm and farm don’t rhyme.”

  “What the fuck does it even mean?” Novak inquired, tipping a bottle of beer in York’s direction.

  York ignored them, moving from my left to circle around me. “Gods, your ass looks great in those jeans.”

  I rolled my eyes at him, turning my body every time he tried to stand behind me. “What if I said they don’t have a crotch? Would you stop staring at my ass like that?”

  “Nope,” York and Stone both called out.

  Stone prowled on my right, York still moving left, and I couldn’t twist away from one without the other being at my back.

  “Wait,” Novak stammered, shaking his head as if clearing his thoughts. “Those jeans are crotchless?”

  “No. I was just—”