Shift (Castlerock Shifters Book 1)

by Michelle Leeson

The second one smiled. It was disorienting seeing the beauty on the outside, but feeling the evil emanating from within.

  “Please, join us for dinner,” the blonde said politely, gesturing to the other end of the table.

  Really? Manners?

  She couldn’t respond, so she simply headed in the direction of the place settings. Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears, stealing her focus. The feeling sent her back to the moment in the forest when everything had gone quiet. This was evil that could threaten even the smallest of creatures.

  The dark haired one pulled out the chair at the end of the table and motioned her to it, effectively putting her between the two of them.

  “So, perhaps introductions are in order,” the blonde man said.

  She nodded slightly. Her eyes darted around continuously to keep her avenues of escape clearly in her mind.

  “I am Jareth. And this,” he indicated the man to his side, “is my brother Draven. Though we don’t look like it, we are twins.”

  Jaisey had to keep from laughing out loud. Twins. Of course, it would be twins. He tilted his head at her amused expression. Little did he know she was on the verge of hysteria.

  The servant returned and placed covered platters before each of them. He then proceeded to pull the dome covers from each plate and left the room again. Jaisey’s senses were immediately assaulted with the rich aromas from the food, making her stomach clench in hunger. The feast before them was like something found in the most expensive of restaurants.

  Without another word, they took their napkins, placed them on their laps and began eating. Jaisey merely watched them for a few moments, unsure once again how to proceed. They were eating food. Not raw bloody steaks or glasses of blood meant to look like wine. Did the horror movies get anything right?

  The blonde, Jareth, raised his head when he noticed she wasn’t eating.

  “Is there something wrong with your meal?” he asked. He seemed genuinely concerned.

  She shook her head no but still couldn’t seem to pick up her fork and start eating. This was all just too strange.

  “Jaisey, please eat. We’ll have plenty of time to talk after our meal. Don’t be concerned. We don’t plan on hurting you, regardless of what you might have been told. I promised that you would not be hurt, did I not?”

  She turned her gaze to his brother, Draven. He was simply nodding in agreement, his face devoid of any emotion.

  She glanced back at the feast before her. It was true that they’d done nothing to hurt her, though they had threatened to kill Seff if she didn’t come to them. It made no difference; she could sense their intentions. There was no doubt in her mind that they would have followed through with killing Seff. And perhaps, in their minds, turning her into one of them wouldn’t be technically hurting her.

  She knew they weren’t just going to let her leave. But it still made more sense not to make them angry, so she picked up her fork and started eating. She was hungry and tired of over-thinking everything. Answers would come later, and perhaps rescue. Or at the very least, escape.

  She had to admit that the meal was delicious. And before she’d realized it, their dinner plates had been cleared and small dishes of sorbet were placed before them.

  After a few bites, Jaisey pushed it away.

  “Did you enjoy your meal?” Draven asked, his face still not hinting at any emotion. She realized the feeling of malice had faded while they’d eaten.

  She nodded, “Yes, thank you.” She couldn’t help the polite words that slipped out. She knew she shouldn’t be reacting the way she was, but they were just being so civil. She’d expected the evil vampires from the movies, not classy, well-mannered men. She’d been thrown off balance completely.

  “Let’s move to the study, so we may visit,” Jareth suggested.

  The men stood and Jareth held his hand out to her. She stared at it for a few seconds before accepting it. It took everything she had not to cringe when their hands made contact. He smiled with satisfaction. She hoped he didn’t think that meant she was just going to bare her neck for them.

  Thankfully, he released her hand after she’d risen. Her skin had begun to crawl at his touch. The evil that had started to fade during dinner resurfaced in that contact, and that odd hum tried to smother her hearing again. She didn’t have time to think about anything as they began to usher her forward. Wanting to avoid all contact, she moved.

  She really wanted to follow behind them as they walked to the study, but they encircled her, putting one of them on each side of her. Draven reached up and wrapped his hand lightly around her arm and she was unable to stop the flinch. He quickly let go, but turned and looked down at her arm. There was bruising from where the Ishak had grabbed her the night before.

  “That should never have happened, my apologies for not stopping him sooner,” he said gruffly.

  Jaisey didn’t know how to reply. In truth, she hadn’t flinched from the pain, but from the feeling his touch caused. But knowing that the reason the Ishak had let her go so fast had to do with Draven, made her wary. They were being so civil and now to find out they’d protected her from being harmed… it didn’t fit the images in her head. She couldn’t reconcile the feelings of evil that surrounded them with the gentle images they were trying to present.

  They reached the study and she found yet another warm and inviting room. The walls were lined with bookshelves. A fireplace was nestled in the wall with a fire burning within, next to another set of French doors, making her wonder at the distance to the ground from that balcony. She longed to go out and take a peek.

  Jareth motioned her to the leather sofa in front of the fireplace. She took a seat and he joined her, while Draven leaned against the fireplace. Once again, they seemed the perfect gentlemen. She wanted to keep feeling that same level of malice and evil that she’d felt when they’d first entered the dining room. That would make it easier for her to keep things in perspective, but those feelings were fading.

  No, that wasn’t exactly right. She realized that the overwhelming feeling of malice hadn’t faded, it was still there if she thought about it; it was more she’d just started getting used to it. A serious rush of fear shot through her. She didn’t want to get used to feeling that level of evil. And focusing more intently, she could hear that hum in the background as well. Something about that stirred her memories.

  “So, what do you think of our home?” Jareth asked her, interrupting her thoughts.

  “It’s… amazing,” she responded, unable to think of anything else to say.

  He gave her what looked like a genuine smile and nodded. And then, as if she didn’t already feel completely unbalanced, he said simply, “Jaisey, we’d like you to consider staying.”

  Thirty

  Quinn

  Quinn and Kenyon stretched out flat on their bellies on the jutting cliff, overlooking the Ishak village. There wasn’t much movement, but people did appear to be coming and going. There were a few vehicles off behind one of the buildings, and what looked like a road led out to the south, but it didn’t look well used.

  They’d been watching nearly all day and nothing of importance had happened in the little village. Finally, late in the afternoon, they’d caught sight of a truck rumbling up. It pulled into the village to a welcome that left no doubt they were the ones that had taken Seff, and then Jaisey. It was unclear where they had come from, but they had a good guess in mind – the Shroud.

  Quinn was grateful that the Ishaks weren’t aware that he’d been to their village. They’d been watching the village the whole day and remained unnoticed. This expedition, while time-consuming and frustrating, was necessary. Jaisey was in very real mortal danger and the longer it took to reach her, the more likely they would try to turn her.

  Watching the Ishaks, they realized the truck was being loaded with supplies of some kind. Quinn shot a hopeful glance toward Kenyon. It seemed they were thinking the same thing and they retreated back through the forest the way they’d
come. Faelan, Ulric, and Caleb were waiting across the Ishak boundary at their makeshift camp.

  Kenyon explained their findings when they returned to the campsite. They finally had a plan and it was a simple one. They would follow the truck when it left and see if it did, in fact, lead to the Shroud, which in turn would hopefully lead them to Jaisey.

  “So, we follow. They have to be going to the Shroud,” Caleb said quietly. He sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

  Quinn slowly nodded. For the first time since losing the link to Jaisey, he actually felt a glimmer of hope. It wasn’t much, but he knew he had to find her. This whole nightmare would end one way or another. Their only other course of action would include coercion, and no doubt pain, for one or more of the Ishak.

  Ulric and Faelan had caught and prepared several rabbits, so they ate quickly. They needed to hurry so they would be in place to follow the truck whenever it headed out.

  Quinn stared up at the storm clouds moving in and had an uneasy feeling. He just needed to get to Jaisey, to know she was all right. He closed his eyes and brought the image of Jaisey to mind, picturing her at their avowal ceremony, walking toward him in that golden gown. She’d been so unbelievably beautiful she’d taken his breath away.

  And now, not knowing if he’d ever get to see her again and complete the ceremony, he felt nothing but anguish. He wasn’t sure he could continue to exist in a world without her.

  Jaisey… I wish you could hear me, baby. I love you. I’m still looking. I won’t give up… I promise.

  Wishing with all his heart that he could feel their connection again, he closed his eyes, searching. He refused to let himself think that anything bad had happened to her.

  They finished their quick meal and while masking their scents, headed to the south of the village to find the little trail that the truck would head down. It didn’t take long. They crouched far enough away that even the sharp eyes of the Ishak wouldn’t see them.

  They waited with infinite patience. Finally, as the sun began to set, the truck rumbled past. It wasn’t moving very fast, due to the condition of the road. That frustrated Quinn even more. At the rate they were going, they didn’t even have to run to follow. Quinn wished he knew where they were heading.

  They followed behind for nearly an hour before the trail opened up onto a wider road. It was still in bad shape, but the truck was finally able to pick up speed, enough that they had to run, although it was somewhat slow. At least they were moving a little faster.

  Miles later, the truck turned onto an even more beaten up path. After driving on it for some time, it became seriously rutted and then the path became steep. They hung back, watching as the truck climbed up the edge of the mountain.

  Kenyon motioned to Caleb and they raced ahead to circle around in front of the truck. They returned a few minutes later and Kenyon shifted. His expression was almost hopeful.

  “There’s a dead end ahead. They’ll have to walk in to wherever they are heading. It’ll be harder to follow unnoticed, so we’ll need to proceed cautiously. Be on your guard and ready to fight if necessary,” he said.

  They all nodded. Quinn didn’t see any problem with being ready to fight. He was itching for a fight, and these Ishaks had tried to hurt the most important people in his life and had taken his mate. They would pay if they got in his way.

  It was aggravatingly slow following the group on foot. They were carrying supplies, so clearly could not shift to move any faster.

  When they entered the crack at the edge of the mountain, Kenyon held them back. They did some searching around and found no other way in. It was a canyon.

  “If I thought they were smart enough to know they were being followed, I’d say this is a trap. But as it is, I honestly don’t think they know we’re here. They just happen to have an exceptionally defensible position,” Kenyon said.

  “We’ve got hours of darkness left. That should provide all the cover we need,” Caleb said.

  Kenyon slowly nodded. “I agree. I think we have to take the chance and go on in. There were a lot of Ishaks still in the village, so we might have a fighting chance here.”

  They all nodded.

  If Quinn had been frustrated at the slow pace of the truck, it didn’t even compare to the pace that Kenyon set. The man was checking every little thing as they moved forward through the entrance in the mountain wall. Quinn knew he was just being safe, but he was anxious to just get to wherever they were headed.

  As the canyon opened up, they all stopped in shock.

  A low whistle escaped from Ulric’s lips. “Talk about defensible.”

  Before them was a literal castle built into the side of the mountain.

  “I see two,” Faelan said quietly, pointing out two guards near the path leading up to the structure.

  “Two more there,” Caleb said pointing farther up the path leading up to what looked like the front entrance.

  Storm clouds were moving across the moon, blocking most of the light that made its way into the canyon. That was going to help them, Quinn thought. They would have no trouble seeing in the darkness. So far, the Ishaks didn’t seem to be using any sort of heightened senses.

  “We’re going to have to move fast. Once we hit that path, they’re likely to lock it up tight, if it isn’t secured already,” Kenyon said quietly.

  Quinn’s eyes ran over the structure, looking for more guards, and his breath caught.

  Standing on a balcony, looking out over the canyon, was Jaisey.

  “Look,” he whispered.

  They turned to see what Quinn was looking at and he simply pointed. He heard the audible gasps as they all set eyes on Jaisey.

  “Now that’s a sight for sore eyes,” Kenyon mumbled.

  “Yes,” Caleb whispered in triumph.

  Quinn agreed with that sentiment. She was alive and well, for now. The comfort that should have brought him, wasn’t nearly enough. Even at this distance, Quinn could see the strained expression on her face. He wished desperately he could hear her thoughts.

  He watched her flinch away from the balcony railing, as a dark-haired man approached. He wondered if the man was a Shroud. He said a few words to Jaisey and then motioned her back inside.

  Quinn nearly launched himself across the canyon when the man reached for her, to steer her through the balcony door. He’d kill the man for touching her.

  “Let’s go, Quinn. Let’s get her back,” Caleb said softly, pulling his arm gently.

  Quinn watched the doorway a few more seconds before nodding and shifting. They moved through the shadows toward the men at the base of the trail at an agonizing pace. Quinn was quickly learning the patience that had eluded him all his life. Aatu would be proud of him, he thought wryly.

  The first two Ishak guards didn’t see them coming, nor did they make any noise as they were taken down. There was no pleasure in the killing of the guards, just a calm acceptance of what must be done in order to save Jaisey and protect their pack.

  “Quinn, you don’t have to do this alone,” Kenyon whispered with a twisted grin.

  Quinn realized then that he had taken out both guards himself. The adrenaline in his system was running so high he hadn’t even paused to let them help.

  “Only two remain,” Faelan said quietly.

  Within moments they’d run up the path toward the two men who hadn’t even had time to shout a warning. Quinn stopped himself from dispatching both men, allowing Ulric to take down the second. He realized being connected to the valley was unleashing a power within him that he hadn’t known existed. Wishing he had more time to contemplate that, he moved forward, refocusing on his current objective.

  They shifted from wolf form and moved quietly to the large wooden door. Quinn tried it tentatively, praying it wouldn’t be locked. His shoulders slumped in defeat; of course, it wouldn’t be that easy.

  Caleb cleared his throat and ducked his head, seeming embarrassed. “Allow me.”

  Quinn watched as Caleb
held his hand close to the handle and then a metal wrenching sound came from within. To his immense relief, the door swung open.

  “Been holding out on me,” he mumbled to Caleb as they entered. The boy just grinned at him. He knew there were pack members with special abilities, though he honestly didn’t know exactly what they all were.

  As they crossed the threshold, an overwhelming sense of evil settled on them. It was clear the Shroud was here and must be dealt with. They closed the door and relocked it, not wanting to give away their presence.

  Quinn immediately picked up Jaisey’s scent. It was mixed with several Ishak scents, but hers was clear. Without a word, he motioned the men forward. He’d only taken two steps before Ulric stopped him.

  “Quinn, you understand that Jaisey might be with the Shroud. We can’t afford to allow that evil to survive. I’ve kept us shielded, but it’s likely they will know we’re within their walls even with the shield.”

  They all stared at him in disbelief for a moment. Quinn couldn’t even work himself up to being shocked that the man could shield them. The extent of the abilities the pack members had was beyond surprising. Some serious discussions were going to have to happen when they returned to the village.

  Faelan cleared his throat, “Ulric is right, don’t lose your focus when the time comes. They might try to use Jaisey against you, Quinn.”

  “I’ll do what’s necessary. See that you keep up so you can help,” he replied coldly.

  He turned and started moving, not bothering to shift to wolf form. He could follow her scent with no problem. With the amount of adrenaline flowing through his veins, he knew he would be able to handle anything, or anyone, that came at him. He would find her, and whoever happened to be with her, would pay the ultimate price for taking her.

  Thirty-one

  Jaisey

  Jareth and Draven wanted her to stay with them. Madness. She knew that meant becoming like them. That much was a given.

  Jaisey stared at the men blankly, wishing she knew what to do. She didn’t even know how to respond without making them furious. Draven was beginning to show his irritation, restlessly adjusting his stance, and scowling toward them from where he stood by the fireplace.