Shift (Castlerock Shifters Book 1)

by Michelle Leeson

  Aatu had sent an invitation to her to attend the bonfire on the new moon. Quinn found himself hoping that he would have a moment to introduce himself.

  That night, when she arrived for the bonfire, she was wearing jeans and a flannel shirt. It was an appealing look for her, he thought appraisingly. She would be warm and comfortable. She wasn’t dressing to impress, yet in not doing so, she was even more impressive. Jaisey was just so natural. She fit in well with the personalities of the pack.

  Quinn, assured of her safety, went and cleaned himself up, stalling his own introduction as long as he could. He wasn’t sure how to approach her but knew he wanted to make an impression on her.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  When he finally headed out to the fire, he saw her sitting, surrounded by Seff and his friends. Jack was sitting at her feet, enjoying the attention of each person that gave him a pat or scratch.

  Jaisey’s eyes darted from face to face as though afraid to settle on any specific one. But then as he watched her, he realized she was studying everything.

  Quinn took a spot opposite the fire where he could watch her from a distance. He would wait for the right moment, he decided. He watched how her eyes sparkled whenever Seff would lean over to share something with her. He was probably sharing some good bit of gossip. Several of the older pack members had shuffled by and been introduced. Quinn watched with great care during those exchanges. Caleb had been right. She was instinctively shying away from the men.

  The night proceeded with stories, food, and even some singing. Quinn had watched Jaisey closely during the stories. He felt as though he were hearing them all for the first time as well. Her reactions were so genuine and heartfelt. She laughed, and cried, and applauded.

  He watched her closely when the Speaker began to relate one of their histories. Of course, this night, it would be told as a myth and a few specific details would be omitted.

  “Many years ago, twin boys, Amoux and Louvel, were born to a human who claimed a god had impregnated her. She had taken vows of chastity to be a priestess at one of the temples. But when her vows were found to broken, by law, her children were to be killed once born. However, the king, fearing that a god might have actually fathered the boys, ordered them left in the wilderness. If they could survive, then indeed they deserved to live.

  “The boys were found by Lupa, a she-wolf goddess. She suckled the boys and they were soon able to become wolves when they were with their new mother. Time passed and eventually, they moved on. To their disappointment, they realized they could no longer become wolves without her presence. Thus, they began to search the earth, hoping they might find some magic that would return their abilities to them.

  “What they found were two places on the earth, where they could shapeshift once again. Two valleys located in mountain ranges on opposite sides of the world. Each of the brothers chose a location to settle. They set up homes, found wives and began families. They made a pact that they would meet up every few years to check on each other. Because they were able to shift and become wolves, they were once again able to roam the land as they had as children.

  “And to their amazement, their children were soon able to shift as well. It was a good life for them, and they lived happily.”

  Quinn watched as Jaisey smiled, clearly enjoying the tale.

  “After many years of peace, Amoux began to hear strange, disturbing stories. The villagers in nearby towns were disappearing, only to be found dead; their bodies mangled from what appeared to be wolf attacks. The shifter worried for the humans, as so many had become family. He went looking for the true killers.

  “He quickly found a scent that didn’t belong near his home. It was from an ancient enemy, one that his mother had rid the world of when he and his brother were mere pups.

  “But here it was again – werewolves. Born of a she-demon, they were half-man, half-demons, shifting to the form of a wolf with the moon’s cycle. They were unclean, and not permitted on the mortal realm, having sacrificed their souls for their ability to shift. It was that evil that was killing the mortals near his home.

  “Amoux did not know if he would win the fight, but he attacked the werewolves – risking his life to protect the humans. In the end, he managed to defeat the unclean beings and returned to his home, near death.

  “Louvel, sensing his twin’s pain, came to help in his recovery. After hearing the story, Louvel concluded that they would forever be protectors of the human realm; keeping away all the evil things that could touch the lives of humans.”

  Jaisey’s eyes were transfixed on the Speaker as he finished the story; she was completely absorbed. So much so, that when Seff touched her arm to get her attention, she jumped. Quinn chuckled quietly. He found himself silently wondering what her reaction would be if she knew those stories were mostly true.

  Not long after that, a little one named Adalia wandered over and climbed up on Jaisey’s lap. The child beamed up at the new girl she had found. She kept putting her tiny little hands on Jaisey’s cheeks to catch her attention. Jaisey obliged willingly, watching the little girl with adoring eyes.

  There was not one person by the end of the night that had not fallen for Jaisey’s charms. She had been accepted so quickly into their midst. Quinn was truly amazed. Of course, Ulric had not even come out for the evening, which to Quinn’s mind made it a near perfect night. He had to wonder what Jaisey’s reaction would have been in seeing him again.

  Near the end of the evening, Adalia’s mother Tala rose to collect her daughter. Seff managed to convince her to sing a song for Jaisey. Tala had the most beautiful voice in the pack. She good-naturedly agreed and chose a perfect ballad. It was a love poem called ‘She–Wolf’ written by a troubadour hundreds of years earlier. It had eventually been put to song. As Tala sang, the haunting melody drifted and settled on all who were present.

  * * *

  “When loup-garou the rabble call me,

  When vagrant shepherds hoot,

  Pursue and buffet me to boot,

  It doth not for a moment gall me

  I seek neither palaces nor halls,

  Or refuge when the winter falls;

  Exposed to winds and frosts at night,

  My soul is ravaged with delight.

  Me claims my she-wolf so divine;

  And justly she that claim prefers,

  For, by my troth, my life is hers

  More than another's, more than mine.”

  * * *

  Quinn stared across the fire into the beautiful emerald eyes that were brimming with tears. He was so moved by her emotion, so caught up in her reaction, that he was unable to avert his eyes when hers flitted and locked on his.

  The gaze lasted long after the song drifted to a close. He knew she would see nothing more than his eyes. He had managed to stare at her all night without her noticing him, but now their eyes were locked. It felt as if she were looking right into his soul. He was unable to pull his eyes from hers.

  And then Tala stepped between them to gather Adalia in her arms, breaking the connection. The wrenching feeling as the connection broke was as much physical as it was emotional.

  The end of Tala’s song seemed to bring the night to an end and people began talking and heading back to their homes. Quinn noticed that Kenyon, the one elder that rarely came to the village, had shown up and he was standing and talking with Rafe intently near the council chambers. Quinn wondered if he’d had a run in with the Ishaks and had come to fill in the other elders, so he began working his way toward the men.

  Years before, Kenyon had gone against the elders and left the mountain to marry a human. The elders had strictly forbidden the union he wanted, though no one had really known why. There had been many humans that had joined them over the centuries; it had never been forbidden before. As a result, Kenyon had left the mountain and gone his own way.

  He had only returned after the death of his father. He was an elder now, but he didn’t live within the confines o
f the village. Upon his return, he had accepted his duty but had made no bones about how he felt about the other elders. He wanted nothing to do with their councils and their perceived meddling in the lives of the pack members. He had taken up his role in helping to secure the power in the valley, but he kept his distance from the rest of them. He roamed their mountains, rarely being seen by anyone. The kids all thought him a strange hermit and some even questioned his existence.

  Quinn had met him only once years before when he had returned to take his father’s place. He’d hardly changed in those years.

  As all this flashed through his mind, Quinn’s eyes searched out Jaisey. To his dismay, she was staring at Kenyon, eyes wide with shock and something else... recognition? Did she know him? He felt himself stiffen. He was suddenly worried for her and wanted to go and comfort her.

  At that moment, he saw Kenyon look up and around, his eyes landing on Jaisey. Quinn heard the audible gasp when he saw her.

  Kenyon quickly turned back to the Speaker, voice filled with anger he said, “I only asked one thing of you. One! And you betrayed me. Look at her,” he said with a gesture to Jaisey.

  Several people in the vicinity, including Quinn, turned and looked at the girl. She was still staring at Kenyon, shocked. Quinn didn’t understand what was happening.

  “No,” Kenyon demanded, again gesturing at the girl, “LOOK at her.”

  With the emphasis from Kenyon, Quinn understood what he meant, he wanted them to see her with the power of the valley. How odd.

  He pulled on the power and took a second look at Jaisey. Shocked, he realized her aura had changed. It was no longer the silver-blue glow of normal humans. It was… golden. The golden that only pack members showed.

  “You have put my family in jeopardy,” he said angrily to the Speaker.

  Family?

  “Please Kenyon, come with us, there are extenuating circumstances.”

  Kenyon hesitated, looking back at Jaisey. The man’s eyes were filled with sadness. He looked completely crushed.

  What was going on?

  Everyone around the fire was slowly turning to look at Jaisey; mouths open in shock as well. Jaisey was wilting under the stares. She rose and turned to leave. Seff tried to restrain her but she yanked her arm away and she ran out of the circle to the south, Jack hot on her heels.

  Quinn couldn’t stop himself. He followed her with only a glance back at the boys. They were all still staring after her in shock.

  Quinn processed it so quickly, he couldn’t even be sure he was right about his conclusion, but it seemed that Jaisey was Kenyon’s daughter. And being on their mountain, and more directly in their village within the valley power, had started to change her to what her father was. What they all were. Shifters.

  He didn’t know if he should be happy about this or not. He had no idea how to process the information.

  He followed behind her, quietly in the darkness. She was crying. His heart ached. He wanted to catch up to her. He wanted to hold her and comfort her. No, he didn’t just want to, he needed to.

  She was turning and twisting through the forest erratically, her flashlight clearly not helping. She was headed to the west and had not even noticed. That wasn’t like her. He was glad he’d followed her. It was dark and she was getting more and more lost. He watched as she tried to find her way, but she was only getting more turned around and frustrated. She began heading back toward the south but was so far off now she wouldn’t find anything familiar. He had no choice but to stop her.

  “Please stop,” he called after her. He tried to use a calm but firm voice. He didn’t want to scare her, but he did need her to quit moving.

  She stopped instantly and whirled to his voice; her flashlight coming up to land on him, momentarily blinding him. He was struck with the feeling of déjà vu.

  Jack bounded over, twirled in front of him a few times and then pushed his nose into Quinn’s hand looking for approval.

  Quinn gave a cursory scratch behind the dog’s ears and then refocused on Jaisey. She’d lowered the light, but was still tracking his movements. He walked closer to her; his heart racing. This wasn’t how he imagined their first real meeting.

  She wiped the tears away and focused on him.

  “You're headed the wrong direction,” he said softly.

  She did a sweep around with the flashlight and whipped her head back to him.

  “Who are you?” she demanded.

  “My name’s Quinn,” he said with a slight smile.

  A look of shock crossed her face but was quickly replaced by confusion.

  “But I thought that Quinn…” she trailed off. She refocused and took a step closer to him. Her scent wrapped around him in a comforting embrace. He thought he’d become desensitized to her scent. It was always heavy on the boys after their visits and he frequently ran around her clearing. But this close to her, it was more potent than he remembered. Once again, his inner wolf felt the primal urge to mark and claim.

  She took another small step toward him. Her eyes were penetrating and deep and staring right into his. He watched as her eyes widened and her breath became shallow and quickened.

  He couldn’t form a coherent thought, let alone sentence, so he just stared back into her eyes. It took everything in him to keep from reaching out to pull her to him.

  She broke the eye contact while wiping away another tear. Her head drooped and her hair fell forward, covering her face.

  “He’s my father,” she said, so quietly he wasn’t sure she was even speaking to him. Her suspicions only cemented his own.

  “It would seem so,” he said trying to keep the intensity of his own feelings from his voice.

  “But… he died. We thought he was dead,” she said, arguing her own statement.

  Quinn didn’t respond. He didn’t know what to say. She was technically pack. She should be told everything about who and what she was, but it was clear from Kenyon’s reaction that he didn’t want her there. Everything had become so much more complicated and confusing with this new revelation.

  “I just don’t understand,” she said sadly.

  “Jaisey,” he said softly. She lifted her eyes to him again and he took a step toward her, putting her within his reach. “I don’t know what has driven the choices he’s made, but I’m sure there were good reasons for his actions.”

  She shook her head defiantly. She didn’t believe it. How could she? He had returned to the mountain and simply left his family behind believing he was dead. He wondered why Kenyon hadn’t just brought his family with him. Perhaps the elders wouldn’t let him.

  “Come on… let’s go back,” he suggested. He raised his hand tentatively – hoping.

  “Will you take me to my cabin, please?” she asked quietly.

  He nodded to her request, unable to respond. He would do anything for her.

  She handed him the flashlight, which he took, though he didn’t need it. Then, tentatively, she reached out with her other hand. He took it gently, so he could lead the way. His whole body felt electrified at that simple touch. Her hand in his – the softness and warmth – fit perfectly. He glanced down at their entwined fingers and could imagine how perfect his avowal gift would look on her wrist.

  Mine! His inner wolf was howling with satisfaction.

  The urge he’d felt to mark and claim her before was mild compared to this. With physical contact, he felt a painful need for it.

  He had no idea if this was how it was with other pack members, but he had to believe it wasn’t. Surely, they would warn the boys that it would be so intense. Though, had she been raised as pack, he could have just professed his feelings. If she returned his sentiment, there would have been no problem showing his wolf’s interest. But this little human hadn’t been raised pack, and he had to keep that in mind. He didn’t want his obsession scaring her.

  Still… when he looked at her, he could tell she wasn’t completely unaffected by his presence. She was clearly feeling the same int
ensity that he was, but that didn’t mean she understood what was happening between them. He wasn’t even sure he understood.

  He led the way slowly at first, but then remembered that she had no problems with hiking, and he picked up the pace slightly.

  Jack trotted along with them, oblivious to the inner turmoil of the two humans in his presence.

  She didn’t say anything else and he couldn’t think past the warmth of her hand in his to form a coherent question. He had wanted this touch since that day in the forest when Seff had taken her hand. It felt so easy and so natural.

  Mine, he thought again, wondering if she felt the same need, the same turmoil, the same comfort, as he did with that simple touch. He shook the thoughts away. Of course, she probably wasn’t even thinking about him. She was most certainly lost in thought about her father. He wished he knew what to say to her.

  He couldn’t help but glance at her frequently as they walked and found himself pleased that she was often staring right back at him. He wanted to read more into her watching him than was probably there.

  He forced the thoughts to stop; tried to let it go. She didn’t know him and certainly couldn’t feel the same attraction he was feeling. But then, he would glance again, and still, she was watching him.

  He tried to think of something to say. But everything that sprang to mind would likely scare her. He knew more about her than he should. More than he could tell her. He didn’t want to have to explain how he could know so much.

  As they walked, the moonlight disappeared behind a cloud and it began to rain softly.

  He glanced back to make sure she was still doing all right. Her eyes were down, and he watched as she wiped a tear from her cheek. It took all of his self-control to keep from turning and wrapping her in his arms. He felt the strongest need to comfort and protect her.

  Her quiet voice interrupted the silence, “Did you all know that he was my father?”

  That was unexpected. Why would that matter? But even as he thought it, the answer came to him. She had felt so hurt by her father for his deception, and for the pack to know and not tell her would have been a betrayal in her mind. She trusted them.