Shifters of the Wellsprings: The Complete Paranormal Collection

by Leela Ash

  At last, the game began.

  “Because I’m bored. My Alpha, Brandon Lorde, is a pompous, old-fashioned windbag and I’m tired of taking orders from him. I want to run my own life – not get sent around the world like some scaled messenger boy.”

  He paused but saw no doubt in their faces. The best lies were built around a grain of truth. And honestly, there was a good sized pebble in that speech.

  “Plus, I don’t have a future in the First Flight.”

  “Why not?” Burke’s scowl hadn’t mellowed one bit.

  “Because of the damned Wellsprings. That’s all anyone gives a shit about these days,” he sneered. “Little bitty springs that let magic come into this world. Well, apparently, they feed on love.”

  The Witch Hare pursed her lips. “What are you talking about?”

  “Okay, I put that badly. Love ‘nourishes’ them. So you don’t get to have one of these things unless you have a Mate.” A point that actually did annoy him. Jamie meditated on that grievance a second, letting his wounded pride fan it. Easier to feign outrage that way. “Do you know what that means? All the work I’ve done for this Flight – none of it matters. Shifters who aren’t fit to wipe my ass get Wellsprings. Bears, Wolves, even Warrens of damned Hares. And me? Nothing.”

  Growls rumbled around him. Claws and fangs broke out; one Wolf even dropped to all four, Shifting fully, until his Alpha rounded on him.

  Good. The madder they got, the less they’d question him.

  “You think you’re hot shit,” Burke sneered, “but it’s us ‘scum’ he sent to take care of you.”

  “Yeah. Thirty of you… for one of me.” Jamie scanned the forces that surrounded him, lips curled with disdain. “Makes it pretty clear your boss knows you’re not my equal.”

  The Hare’s soft voice broke through the threatening chorus of snarls. “Why don’t you take a Mate, then, if promotion demands one?”

  He turned his back on Burke – another calculated insult. “I can’t just pick some girl and say ‘Okay, she’s the One.’ Our Dragons choose them. Or Fate, or luck, or whatever. Supposedly, when you meet your soulmate,” he rolled his eyes, “you share some hot dream. The Rite of Claiming. Yeah, that thing. That fairy tale all little Shifter kids hear about. Supposedly, it’s becoming real, now that the Wellsprings are waking up.”

  “Can’t you force the dream?”

  “Nope. Best you can do is meet a lot of women. Something I do naturally anyway.” He let his eyes wander along the Hare’s slender form. A little too pale and stick-like for his tastes, but it wasn’t hard to fake lust. “No luck, despite my best efforts.”

  Judith endured his gaze with complete indifference. “Can’t you fake a Claiming?”

  “I’ve thought about it. But why? If my Flight cares more about ‘love’ than power, then they’re weak. The weak team loses in any contest. And I don’t intend to go down with the ship, mooning over some woman.”

  The Bears and Wolves had finally got themselves under control (with the help of a few bites from the Alpha Wolves). And no sniper had put a bullet through his head.

  Things were going well!

  Or so he thought, until Burke’s eyes lit with outrage. “Hang on!” he howled, half-rising to his feet. “I can see your Dragon. Ain’t nothing wrong with it. It’s still got wings!”

  The mark that distinguished a Dragon from a Worm. Of course, he was prepared for that accusation. “Just noticed that, did you? Wow, aren’t you smart? Tell me this, bright boy…” Jamie rose as well, letting the wrath of his Dragon summon scales along his muscled arms. “Do you think the First Flight would let me leave if I Fell?”

  The sight of a furious Dragon, inches away, unnerved the Bear and he edged back. Though, Jamie noticed that the Hare never budged. She stood, eyes unfocused, rocking slightly. “Of course, I got out before my Dragon started chewing on itself. I want to live.”

  Burke glanced at Judith. The Hare nodded, then pulled a pearly white shell from her pocket and held it up.

  Seems like she’d been in charge all along. Missing that fact irritated Jamie. Sloppy. Mistakes like that could get you killed. Here, it hadn’t been critical.

  Had it? He started to worry when Burke scowled in disappointment. “Seriously? The bastard passed?”

  “He did.” The shell disappeared back into Judith’s pocket, then she held out her hand. “Welcome to the Fangs of Apophis, Mr. Wolfe.”

  Elation bubbled up within him, but Jamie shoved it back. He wasn’t out of the woods yet. “Thanks. Can I ask what the Test of the Shell was?”

  “A lie detector. Magic, one that can’t be tricked – unlike mechanical detectors.”

  A… what? His heart skipped a beat as he scanned her face for any sign of deceit. He hadn’t told the truth. Why would she lie to protect him?

  “You’re confused.” Damn, she was sharp. A helluva lot sharper than he’d given her credit for. “You didn’t tell us the full truth. You withheld information, twisted the facts. You wonder why I consider this success.”

  “Yeah…,” he admitted.

  Mismatched eyes, one blue, one green, regarded him unblinking. “We’re the Fangs of Apophis, sir. We don’t expect complete honesty from our members. Especially Worms. Or Worms-to-Be, in your case.”

  Okay. But he’d lied. Flat-out lied. He’d said the exact opposite of what he felt.

  Hadn’t he?

  “My duty is to ensure that the essence of your words is true. That you do indeed hate your Flight and that your soul is ready to walk the Path of Ascension. What you call ‘Falling.’”

  She thought he was ripe to Fall? That was crazy! Jamie fought to keep his confusion off his face – and worried that he didn’t succeed.

  “I expect you’ll begin the process of shedding your wings shortly.”

  His stomach dropped.

  “If you wish to expedite the transformation, Mr. Fowler can advise you. As a Worm, he’s personally familiar with the process of ascending beyond your Shifter soul.”

  Some days, his Flight and his Dragon annoyed him, deeply. But he didn’t hate them. How could she say that?

  “Again, welcome to the Fangs. It is an honor to assist the birthing of a new Worm.”

  None of the other Shifters seemed to share her sentiment. They growled and muttered, disappointed as the chance of a fight evaporated.

  Jamie swallowed, fighting back a wave of nausea. This was a mistake. Her mistake. She’d mis-read her magic… she was a secret traitor… something was up.

  He wasn’t a Worm or in danger of becoming a Worm. He knew that.

  Jamie Wolfe had his flaws – but self-doubt wasn’t one of them. One moment of worry and then his natural confidence came bubbling back. Ms. Little had screwed up. A mistake that would cost her masters deeply.

  That knowledge comforted him as he followed the Hare toward his new ‘life’ in the Fangs.

  Chapter 3

  As summer’s heat gave way to the cool nights of fall, Maya rejoiced, time and again, that she’d taken this job. Every month, she stocked away a small fortune. New York City offered a million temptations she could blow her money on. But she resisted them. Salads and food carts kept expenses low. No pricy gyms for her; runs in Central Park were good enough. The apartment, a stunning suite with million-dollar views, came furnished. She hadn’t had to spend a penny on it. So, every month, the totals on her savings rose higher.

  As for the work… well, it was fine. Not as exciting as her excavation in Florida. Lucian might sneer at the ‘manual labor’ of a dig, but Maya missed it. The honest sweat, born from a day of hard work. The thrill of excitement when you uncovered the first hint of an artifact.

  Still, she couldn’t complain. There was something to be said for spending summer in the air-conditioned bowels of libraries rather than out in the hot sun. Bit by bit, she pieced together a map of the Iroquois lands that the Dutch called ‘Beverwyck.’ She still had no idea why APEP cared so much about this place. But every advan
ce she made brought a shower of praise from her higher ups.

  The one downside was her boss. Lucian Fowler had proved hard to dodge. Gifts arrived most weeks. Flowers, jewelry, designer clothes. Maya politely returned everything except the flowers. Three times now, she’d had to beg out of dinner invitations.

  Yet, her instincts were right: in the three months since she started, he’d never once come down to the office where she poured over maps and hand-written documents.

  Until today.

  The ‘ding’ of the elevator startled her, jerking her out of the study of a colonial diary. When the doors opened to reveal Lucian Fowler, her stomach dropped.

  Until she saw the man beside her boss.

  Despite APEP’s formal dress code, he wore a t-shirt and jeans. The pants hugged his long legs and clung to the curves of his buttocks. His shirt, skin-tight, flaunted his ripped abs and flat chiseled chest. Maya found herself staring, savoring his perfect form as her eyes drifted slowly higher. Past full, strong lips and sharp cheekbones. Along his wind-swept brown hair. Then – caught by emerald eyes as fierce as a panther’s – settling back on his face.

  Those eyes… Something dwelled there. Something fierce and wild and dark. They glittered with an eagerness quite out of place in her boring office. This wasn’t some Wall Street cubicle dweller.

  “Ms. Graham. I hope we’re not intruding.”

  Lucian’s voice jerked her out of her contemplation. And the cool disapproval in her boss’ eyes hit her like a bucket of ice water.

  Oh, hell! Was I that obvious?

  “Um, no, no intrusion!” Wiping her hands on her own jeans, she pushed her documents away.

  A third figure drifted behind the two men. Judith Little, Lucian’s secretary. Maya liked the shy woman. It had taken her a month to get her to join her for lunch. They weren’t close friends, not like she’d had in Florida. Every evening, Judith had ‘things’ that demanded her attention, which limited their friendship. You could only get so close to a lunch-buddy. At APEP, however, Judith was all she had.

  Today, her friend looked like old Judith. Eyes downcast, hunched over, arms wrapped protectively around her breasts. Like she wanted to melt into the floor.

  Maya blamed their boss.

  Lucian probably hits on her too. I don’t know how she can stand to work beside him every day.

  “I want to introduce our newest recruit, Mr. Jamie Wolfe. He’ll be helping you on the Beverwyck project.”

  Jamie’s hand closed around hers, sending a pleasant jolt through her. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Wolfe.”

  “Jamie, please.” His rich tenor was as gorgeous as his body. Hints of laughter danced in it, as if at some unshared joke. “I hate formality.”

  “Of course.” Warm and firm, he held her hand in his. Flustered, she hesitated, enchanted by the feel of him, his closeness.

  Lucian snorted, and she snapped her hand back at once.

  “Congratulations, Wolfe. You’ve gotten further with her in three minutes than I have in three months.”

  Her cheeks burned with shame and anger – until Jamie rolled his eyes. Maya turned quickly to hide a smile.

  “I guess that’s good,” her boss continued, “since he’s going to be helping you with your project.”

  “Are you a historian, Mr. W… uh, Jamie?”

  “Nope.”

  “An archeologist?”

  “No.” A smile tugged at the corners of his lips and his eyes practically danced with glee.

  “Do you, um, speak Dutch?”

  “Dutch is a language?”

  Well, that answered that question. “Can I ask how Jamie will be contributing to the project?”

  “He’s an expert,” Lucian said.

  “In what?”

  “Beverwyck. He’ll help you find those sacred sites you’re looking for.”

  “How?”

  “By answering your questions.” A note of irritation crept into her boss’ voice.

  Maya ignored it. “How can he possibly have knowledge about this location?”

  Lucian’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “I will not be questioned by a minion. And trust me, Ms. Graham, that is what you are. A minion. A servant. An underling who forgets her place.”

  Each insult stung like a slap across the face. All of her protests died under those sharp blows.

  “Now, tomorrow, Mr. Wolfe will join you. You will share your research with him. He will give you his advice on where to continue your search. You will follow that advice. Is that clear?”

  A nod, but she said nothing.

  “Excellent.” Finally, the man’s seething anger dimmed. “You are a gifted minion, Ms. Graham, and I would hate to lose you. But don’t mistake my generosity for the measure of your worth to APEP. You can be replaced. And you will be, if you question me again.”

  “Ms. Little, make arrangements.” Without another word, Lucian stalked to the elevator. Jamie mouthed the word ‘sorry’ and followed him.

  Leaving Judith and Maya alone. Once the elevator sped the two men away, tears of shame welled in Maya’s eyes. “I am lodging a complaint with Human Resources! He can’t treat me like that!”

  Judith sighed. “Please, Maya, don’t.”

  “Fowler is just pissed because I turn down all his advances. This is sexual harassment! And a hostile work environment! And…!”

  “They’ll tell him about your complaints,” the small woman murmured. “And terrible things will happen.”

  “They wouldn’t do that! HR promised me anonymity!” Maya protested.

  “I know. Three times, right? That’s how many reports they’ve sent up to him.”

  This new betrayal shocked her into silence.

  “Don’t worry. I intercepted them. But, one day, I’ll miss one. You can’t keep doing this.”

  That was the first sensible thing she’d heard all day! “You’re right. I can’t. I quit. No job is worth this harassment.”

  Her outrage only made Judith wilt. “They won’t let you go.”

  “Now you’re being silly. An employer can’t prevent you from leaving! Hell, you ought to go with me! I’m sure Fowler is as awful to you.”

  “Awful.”

  A sick noise, half hiccup, half giggle bubbled out of the woman. “Awful,” she repeated. Another giggle escaped, then a third. And suddenly, they wouldn’t stop. Tears spilled down Judith’s cheeks as she collapsed to the floor, braying with laughter and sobs.

  Stunned by the effect of her words, Maya dropped beside her. “Judith? Are you okay?”

  Oh, good heavens, what had Fowler done to her? Gently, she laid a hand on her friend’s shoulder. When she didn’t flinch away, Maya slipped her arms around her and simply held her as she bawled, rocking back and forth.

  Only when the weeping died away did she ask, “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” Judith sniffed and began daubing at her face and the ruin of her makeup. “I’m fine. I’m sorry.”

  “Stop. I don’t know what Fowler did to you, but we need to leave. Both of us. No job is worth this much pain.”

  “What about lives?” Tremors shook the thin woman’s body. “Are they worth it?”

  She couldn’t be serious, could she? No lives depended on their work.

  “I have a husband and three children.” Soft as a snowflake’s fall, the words whispered out. “Fowler will have them killed if I leave.”

  That was crazy. Flat-out paranoid. Was Judith having a nervous breakdown? “You never mentioned a family…”

  “I’m not allowed to see them anymore. They’re kept someplace ‘safe.’ You don’t believe me, do you?”

  Maya bit her lip, torn between honesty and the urge to help. “Well, it’s a little hard to accept. I mean, Fowler’s a jerk and all, but this is a research facility, not the mob.”

  “A research facility that pays four times the going rate for an archeologist.”

  Plus the free luxury apartment. The first shadow of doubt spread across Maya’s thought
s like an oily film.

  “Did you ever wonder why Fowler offered you so much?”

  “Yes,” she admitted. “It’s an insane salary for an archeologist.”

  “You’re not an archeologist. You’re a specialist helping him find people he wants to kill.”

  Sick dread roiled her stomach. “No, that’s impossible.”

  But Judith’s ‘paranoid’ tale wove a sensible pattern out of all the insane details in this job. “Jamie Wolfe. No relevant skills, but he can help you find your dig. Why? Because he knows the people Fowler wants dead.”

  “What is going on here?” Even though they were alone, Maya found herself whispering.

  Judith squeezed her hand. “You won’t believe me, but I can show you. Not here, though. I…”

  A buzz, loud in the silent office, rang from Judith’s side. Both women shrieked…

  …and for a moment, the air around Judith shimmered. Long brown rabbit ears spooled out from under her hair and plastered themselves flat against her back. She shrank, folding in on herself and…

  Maya buried her face in her hands, as if she could physically push that hallucination away. What on Earth was wrong with her? A deep breath, and when she stole a glance, Judith looked normal. “Your cell phone,” she gasped.

  “Oh! Oh, right.” Hands trembling, she fished the phone out and groaned. “Oh, dammit! Something’s come up. Fowler wants me right now.”

  Still dazed by that freakish illusion, Maya didn’t know how to respond. How could Judith return to a man she feared? Then again, if her family really was in danger, how could she not?

  Staggering to her feet, the secretary tugged her dress smooth. “I’m being sent to Chicago. I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon. Promise me you won’t do anything until then!”

  “Judith…”

  “Please, Maya! Please! You don’t have any idea what you’ve walked into.”

  No, she didn’t. That much they agreed on. “Okay, I’ll wait.”

  “We’ll meet tomorrow for dinner. 7:30 at Tucci’s, all right?” Already she hurried for the door. Lucian Fowler didn’t appreciate being made to wait. “I’ll tell you everything then. I promise.”