by Tamsin Ley
Thankfully, she felt no urge to hunt down her pet, at least not to kill him. Her head was a jumble of denial and rationalization, but the wolf inside her seemed content, at least for the moment.
“Mr. Mew?” she called, stepping inside and moving slowly toward her bedroom.
Kepler followed close behind, a calming presence as she flipped on the bedroom light. Mr. Mew wasn’t in his usual spot, but her nose told her he was nearby.
“He’s under the bed,” Kepler said.
Heat crept up Ashlyn’s face as she realized her purple vibrator lay among the rumpled white sheets. Had Kepler seen it? She cut him a glance from the corner of her eye, noting the whisper of a smirk on his face. Damn, of course he had. She flipped the blankets over the sex toy before bending to look under the bed.
A whiskered orange face looked back at her from near the headboard. “Mr. Mew? It’s me. Come on out.”
The cat growled and scrunched himself against the wall. Her stomach churned. He usually came right to her. “I think he knows I’m different.”
“Maybe he’ll come out if you feed him?” Kepler said. “I don’t know much about cats.”
It was worth a try. Ashlyn ushered Kepler out of the bedroom toward the kitchen and opened a can of cat food for Mr. Mew. The fishy scent made her mouth water. Gross. But she’d been hungry since before the party, and now her stomach felt like a black hole.
She plopped the food into the cat’s dish and turned back to her almost empty cupboards. All she had on hand were five mojito cupcakes that hadn’t fit in the box for the party. She peeled back the paper on one and took a huge bite, unconcerned about the frosting she could feel stuck to her lips. The sweet mint frosting and lime flavored cake tasting nothing like a real mojito, but she stuffed the rest of the cupcake into her mouth. “I’m so hungry,” she said around the cake.
Kepler frowned. “I’m sorry, I should’ve offered you something to eat or drink at my house.”
At the kitchen door, Mr. Mew appeared, pausing with one paw forward. She smiled at him and he gave her a reproachful look before edging along the far wall toward his dish. At least it was progress. She couldn’t blame him for needing time to get used to her.
She went to the sink and filled her coffee maker while making a point of not looking at Mr. Mew. “Would you like some coffee?” She glanced sideways at Kepler, who was watching her cat. “I also have tea and cocoa.”
“Coffee would be nice, thank you.”
As the smell of coffee filled the kitchen, she grabbed the other cupcakes and moved to the small table in the corner near Mr. Mew’s dish. Her cat kept a wary eye on her as he ate, but didn’t run away. She blew out a shaky breath, relieved that things might be returning to normal. Other than the fact you’re now a supernatural being. And there was a sexy wolf shifter standing in her kitchen.
Kepler was still watching her cat. Hopefully not with hunger. After all, he was a wolf like her. Hoping to distract him, she held out a cupcake. “Want one?”
“Thanks.” Kepler sat across from her and took it.
Ashlyn shucked a second treat from its paper and took a huge bite, unable to refrain from being impolite. She was so damn hungry, it was insane. Maybe being a wolf required a lot more calories. Hmmm. Eating as much as she wanted would be a nice perk if it was true.
Kepler carefully peeled back the paper and swept his strong tongue over the frosting.
She stopped chewing, hunger forgotten as she imagined that tongue—Kepler’s tongue—licking her instead. Her nipples hardened against her tee shirt and heat pooled between her thighs. Even the way his fingertips held the cupcake was sexy and made her yearn for his touch. Fuck, she could smell her own arousal, which made her more horny. What was wrong with her?
She swallowed her bite, realizing she must look like an animal wolfing down food, then giggled, realizing how true that was.
Kepler tilted his head, his eyes deep pools she wanted to fall into. “What’s so funny?”
“I’m wolfing.” She cackled, feeling a little insane.
His eyebrows pinched, then he seemed to get it and chuckled before taking a huge bite of his own cupcake. “Mmmhmm.”
Damn, he was sexy. She wanted to lick the frosting off his lips. And anywhere else he might like to put it…
She set her half-eaten cupcake down just as the coffee maker beeped. She was going to ignore it, but Kepler rose. She watched his gorgeous ass as he filled two mugs. Her hands itched to grab it, and it took all her willpower to resist.
He brought the mugs back to the table and set one in front of her before reclaiming his seat. She was about to tell him to forget the coffee when he said, “So. I’m sure you’ve thought of a ton of questions.”
Her mood broke, all her worry rising to the surface. This pendulum of emotions and desires was wearing her out. Taking a breath, she said, “You said something about a witch. If this is a curse, can we break it?”
Quiet filled the room for a few moments as he seemed to think about his answer. “I honestly don’t know,” he said. “Tell me everything that happened leading up to you being attacked.”
She told him about the bachelorette party and feeling sick. “I thought a bouncer had come to check on me. The next thing I knew, I had blood all over me and the guy was dead.”
“You’d never met him before?”
“I don’t think so. But a lot of people come into the bakery, so it’s possible.”
“He didn’t say anything?”
“Oh, wait, he did. He said thank you.” She recalled the look of gratitude in the man’s eyes before the life faded from them. “He… thanked me for killing him?”
Kepler frowned and sighed. “When something, usually a traumatic event, causes a shifter animal to go insane, we call them rogues. They become violent, rabid, sometimes suicidal.”
“How awful.” Ashlyn’s throat ached.
He nodded. “Rogue shifters are rare. But about two years ago, there was an unexplained surge of cases. The only way to handle a rogue is to kill them before they hurt someone. My brother actually had to put one down that threatened his mate.”
Something about the way he said “mate” flushed her entire body with heat. She sipped her coffee to cover her burning cheeks.
“Doctors eliminated the possibility of infection,” he continued. “That left magic as the most likely cause, but we were never able to track down the witch responsible. And there were never any reported cases of an attack creating a new shifter.”
“Never?” She tried to recall what he’d said about shifters earlier—they were either born or had to drink water from a glacier. “Are you sure someone couldn’t have put some of that glacier water in my drink?”
“It’s been tried, believe me.” He shook his head. “The water becomes normal water if it’s removed from the cave.”
She swallowed, realizing he wasn’t offering her any solutions. I’m a freaking werewolf, now. What did that mean for her? “If we can’t undo this, if I’m no longer human, can I ever go back to my normal life?”
Kepler nodded. “There are plenty of shifters living out in the open among humans—myself included. Nothing needs to change for you as long as you keep your wolf under control.”
“How do I do that?” She gripped her mug with both hands, letting the hot ceramic grow uncomfortable against her palms. “Lock myself up during the full moon?”
He chuckled. “The full moon thing’s a myth. Shifters can assume their animal form at any time.”
“You mean I’m going to feel like this all the time?” She groaned and covered her eyes with one hand. “I was hoping it was like PMS or something.”
This time he outright laughed. “Sorry, I shouldn’t laugh. But your sense of humor is adorable.” His phone buzzed, and he reached into his back pocket to retrieve it. He grimaced and tapped the screen. “I have to take this. Hey, captain.”
Although Ashlyn could clearly hear the voice on the other end, she wasn’t listening. H
e thinks I’m adorable. The wolf inside her felt all wiggly. You like him, don’t you? she asked. The wolf grew even more wiggly, which made sense, she supposed. Kepler was the only other shifter she knew.
“I’ll be in the office soon.” Kepler hung up and shook his head, gaze full of apology. “If I don’t get some reports filed, there will be all sorts of questions we don’t want to answer. But I don’t want to leave you alone.”
She glanced toward Mr. Mew, who was now cleaning a front paw with long strokes of his tongue. Apparently, a full belly had persuaded him that he didn’t need to hide from her. “You can go. I think I’m okay.”
Kepler took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his gaze locked on hers. Then he nodded and rose. “I can’t believe how well you’re handling… all this.” The hint of a blush tinted his cheeks. “You’re a remarkable woman, Ashlyn.”
Heat flooded her face, and she smiled. God, she liked him.
He moved to her side of the table, placing a finger under her chin. “But don’t leave the apartment, okay?” His voice was edged with concern. “There are lots of things that could trigger your wolf, and I’d feel better if I was around to help until you get used to her.”
She gripped his wrist, liking the sound of him sticking around. “How long do you think you’ll be gone?”
“A couple of hours, tops.” His full palm now cradled her jawline. “I have to pop over to the Soldotna office to file paperwork. I’ll be as quick as I can.” He bent and brushed her mouth with his.
The feather light touch sent a fire through her that pooled between her legs. She had to force her fingers to let go of his wrist as he pulled away. She’d use the time he was gone to clean up her apartment. Especially the bed. Because when he came back, she had plans.
Chapter Seven
Kepler drove the dark, empty streets faster than he should’ve, but he didn’t like leaving Ashlyn on her own. She’d handled her wolf well, at least after the first couple of changes, but that didn’t mean she had complete control. What will happen when she meets another shifter? Or a vampire? One of the shifter packs in Fairbanks ran a tour company that specifically catered to the blood-sucking supernaturals and their love of long winter darkness, and he’d already noticed an influx even this far south.
“She’ll be fine,” he muttered out loud as he stomped on the gas, taking advantage of a straight stretch of road. The office was only forty minutes away, but might as well have been hours. Days, even. His wolf felt all bristly inside him, making it very clear he didn’t want to be separated from his mate, especially when she was as yet unclaimed. Claiming her might not even be an option. His wolf didn’t like that thought. But Ashlyn had been very clear about wanting to return to being human. There was a good chance she’d also reject having a mate.
He hadn’t done a very good job explaining what it meant to be a shifter. She knew about the animal form and rapid healing, but he hadn’t told her she’d gain mental telepathy if she joined a pack or that she could potentially live for hundreds of years. Was that even possible to become human again? A shifter’s animal form was as much a part of them as their heart or brain and living without it was unheard of. But then, Ashlyn hadn’t acquired her animal in the usual fashion. For all he knew, her condition was temporary.
This situation was bigger than he could handle alone, but he wasn’t comfortable handing her over to the pack or Council as if she was just any shifter. He needed advice, preferably from someone who not only understood shifters but also magic. Digging out his phone, he voice-dialed his brother’s house. Adrian answered after the second ring, “Hey, Kepler, how’s the new job?”
“Fine, fine. I actually need to talk to Darcy. Is she around?” Kepler’s sister-in-law was a witch, much to the distaste of his parents’ pack. But after she stood up for Adrian at a wrongful death hearing, Kepler had welcomed her to the family with open arms. He’d never been one to look down on other supernaturals, anyway.
“She’s making breakfast for the kiddo,” Adrian said. “Let me get her.”
After a minute, Darcy said, “Hi, K-kepler.” Her stutter had gotten better since he’d first met her, but still came out when she was uncertain. “Is everything all right?”
“Do you know of any spells that can turn a human into a shifter? Or mimic a shifter’s ability, even temporarily?”
“Hmm,” she took a breath and spoke slowly. “If a witch has a familiar, she can mentally communicate with it and sometimes see through its eyes. Does that count?”
“No, I’m looking for something that actually changes someone into an animal.”
“There are legends about skin walkers—witches who can change into animals—but that magic was banned centuries ago along with raising the dead or other types of necromancy.”
“But it could be done. Could the witch target someone else with the spell? A human?”
“I’m not sure. I never studied it in detail. What’s going on, Kepler?”
He sighed and slowed for an empty school bus that was trundling its way toward the sports center. “Last night a rogue attacked a human. Now she’s a shifter.”
“Oh my God. That’s really bad. Dangerous c-creatures are attracted to skin walker magic, things that have not walked on Earth for millennia. Every time a skin walker shifts, it opens a hellmouth—not one like your Source, where the spirit animals regulate access or the ley lines where the witches keep watch, but a chaotic portal. Uncontrolled. It can give monsters a chance to slip through.”
His throat tightened. “Monsters like what?”
“D-demons, for one. Dragons. Djinn.”
He laughed uncomfortably, knowing that Ashlyn would probably make a joke about the three evil D’s if she heard that list. But this was no laughing matter.
Darcy continued. “If this human is being targeted by a skin walker, every time she shifts, she attracts these creatures. You need to bring the local coven in on this investigation. They might be able to use the new shifter to trace the magic back to its creator. What’s the name of the pack leader up there? I’d be happy to make introductions.”
“I haven’t told the pack.” And now that he knew about this spell, he was even more reluctant. Their knee-jerk reaction would be to kill Ashlyn and eliminate any risk that the curse might spread.
“Kepler! Why not?”
“They’ll kill her before her new ability can cause any damage or spread to others.” His entire body flushed with rage at the thought.
“Oh.” Darcy let out a shaky breath. “Well, considering what’s at stake—”
“No!” A growl rose up the back of his throat. “You don’t understand. She’s my mate.”
“Oh. Shit.”
“Yeah, oh shit.” He made a hard right into the empty parking lot in front of the Trooper offices. His captain’s Bronco wasn’t in its usual spot, so at least he could file his report without needing to make small talk with the human. “Thanks for the advice, Darcy. I need to go.”
Cutting the connection before she could say anything else, he parked in front of the station and headed inside.
As he skulked past Regional Director Finch’s doorway, a deep voice barked out, “Stone! Where the fuck have you been? Get your ass in here.”
Kepler let out a slow breath. He’d hoped to slip by without being noticed, but should’ve known the grizzly shifter would be lying in wait. The guy treated his office like a den, and Kepler wondered if he ever left his desk.
Stepping inside, Kepler said, “I can explain, sir.”
“Well, start talking.” The brawny director tapped the surface of his desk with one thick finger. As usual, his dark brown hair looked like he’d been running his hands through it, and his eyes were bloodshot. “Officer Bennett reached out to me from the Kenai P.D. and told me this is a shifter case. Why am I hearing it from him before I hear it from you?”
Closing the door behind him, Kepler clenched his jaw. Dammit, Cal. Probably trying to rack up brownie points. “I was detained by
another matter. I’ll post an official statement that this was a bear mauling.”
Finch grunted in discontent. “Why do people always have to blame a bear?”
Kepler shrugged apologetically. “Sorry, sir. This is Alaska and people always assume it was a bear.”
“Hmph. And what other matter took precedence over the investigation?” Finch rested his elbows on his desk, fingers steepled. As the Regional Director and the only other shifter in the office, Finch acted as the liaison between law enforcement and shifter leadership.
“A personal issue. I have it under control now.” Kepler put a hand on the door to go.
“Wait.” The director’s voice carried the weight of an Alpha command. Kepler’s spine stiffened, and he turned back to Finch to find the man’s dark eyes boring into him. “You’re acting mighty strange. Anything you want to get off your chest?”
For a moment, Kepler considered telling the director everything, but his wolf wouldn’t allow him to speak. Finally, he managed to say, “The dead man fits the description of the other rogues I’ve been chasing. We might have a new lead, that’s all.”
“So your absence has nothing to do with the naked woman you helped flee the scene?”
Shit. Cal must’ve seen her. Kepler pulled out the chair facing Finch’s desk and reluctantly took a seat. It had been too much to hope that he could keep Ashlyn a secret, but he still might be able to shield her from the pack. In an even voice, he described how he’d discovered Ashlyn hiding in the dumpster, the obvious victim of an attack. “Her wolf took down the rogue. She was traumatized, as anyone would be, and her animal was feeling protective. I felt that removing her from the scene would help calm her down.”
Finch folded his hands on his desk and leaned forward. “So, where is she now?”