Blood Shift (The Charming Shifter Mysteries Book 3) Page 3

  “I know,” he said, wrapping his strong arms around her. He pulled her close, rocking her in his arms. “I’m sorry. Let’s at least try to work together.”

  “Because I’m such an addict I can’t possibly do my job,” she said, inhaling his manly scent.

  “Only you can answer that, and I’m not sure you’re ready to.” He kissed the top of her head and then nudged her away.

  She chuckled. “You have a tent now.” Her hand swept toward his hips.

  “That’s why I pushed you away.” Lines of anguish marred his features.

  Her head cocked, and she looked up at him through her lashes.

  Their gazes locked. For a few torrid moments, Chia thought they both might relent and throw it down for a luscious encounter.

  But then Hung’s face hardened like his resolve had kicked in. He dropped the blanket, quickly shifted into a fly, and disappeared through the crack in the window.

  She ran to the window and stared, as he transformed into the beautiful Harrier again. He dragged her heart with him like it dangled, tethered to his legs.

  “Maybe it’s for the best,” she mumbled. “I have bigger things to deal with.” She strode to her desk and picked up the deed for property sold to Red Tail, a subsidiary of MBD, Inc. “How could I have been so stupid?”

  Chapter 4

  Wondering if spontaneous human combustion from utter frustration might occur if she lingered in her office, Chia stormed toward the gun rack in the corner. She unlocked it and seized her tranquilizer gun, just in case that pesky eagle showed up. One good shot and she’d have him sedated and brought in for questioning. Satisfied, she exited, heading down the hall. Her boot heels struck the floor like hammers.

  She needed to find her best friend, Cecil Carpenter, a Husky shifter. Slinging her gun over her shoulder, she exited the building. She tromped through the snow, heading toward town.

  When she got to the main street, her pace increased. Figuring she’d find Cecil in a bar, if he wasn’t bedded down somewhere between a woman’s legs, or, in Husky form, rooting in the garbage somewhere, she scurried along the sidewalk.

  He could be anywhere. Cecil liked to keep his options open. He’d told Chia on many occasions how he did a pretty good job at keeping Charming’s single females happy.

  So far, no complaints, that Chia could tell.

  The sound of yips and barks caught her attention. Seeing a pack of the town mongrels ahead, she approached them. Maybe he’s with them. Cecil liked to hang out with some of the real dogs of town. He said they were as loyal as any human friend and loads of fun.

  They all greeted her warmly, with yips, sniffs, and licks.

  “Any of you mutts see Cecil?” she asked.

  A pit bull barked.

  “Is that a yes?”

  A German Shepherd jumped on her, placing his paws on her shoulders, and licked her face. A black and white border collie twirled in a circle. He made a sort of bowing gesture, lowering on his front legs and barking. Then, he twirled in a circle again.

  “No clue what you’re saying.” Chia put her hands on her hips and stared at the dogs.

  The sleek collie turned away from her and barked, pawing the snow.

  “He’s this way?” She pointed in the direction the dog faced.

  He barked again.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” She strode toward a pub called Gusty Joe’s, figuring Cecil was inside having a beer or ten. When she passed an alley, however, she spied him—rather, his distinctive Husky form. When shifted, he was one of the most beautiful Huskies she’d ever seen.

  He had a thick brown and white coat and intense, glacier-blue eyes. When he looked at her with his dog eyes, she swore she could see vistas of mountains, stretching through time. As his human self, he conveyed something different—a good time. Cecil the human loved to play. He’d come-on to her more than once, but she preferred his loyal status as a best friend, so she always said no. Besides, he can’t keep a job.

  He rooted around in the garbage dumpster behind Sunshine Sally’s cafe, her favorite breakfast joint.

  “Cecil! Get out of the trash!” Hands on her hips, she glared at him.

  His head lifted, he looked, and instantly brightened. He trotted toward her, his tail wagging madly, his eyes bright. Once he reached her, he jumped up and began licking her face.

  She pushed him away. “Ew, stop. You’ve been digging around in God knows what. Get down! Sit! Sit! Cecil!”

  In a blur of light, he shifted, grinning.

  “Lil’ Summer!” he said, using his chosen nickname for her.

  He’d confessed once he couldn’t bring himself to call her by her name. Apparently, as a teenage dog, he’d eaten a bunch of spoiled chia seeds from the garbage once and got terribly sick. He’d yakked all over the floor of a girl he’d been crushing on. When he’d found out the name, Chia, meant, “One who is born in the daylight” or "surrounded by light," he’d come up with the nickname.

  “What’s going on?” he asked in his usual affable manner.

  “Hey, Dawg-man.” Chia smiled warmly.

  “It’s been a while. What can I do you for?”

  “Put some clothes on, for starters.” She glanced at his impressive muscled body and at his handsome face, complete with wildly disheveled brown hair. Then, she looked away demurely.

  “You’re so uptight,” he said, with his usual good-natured cheer. “You should try it sometimes.”

  “What, going naked in public? No, thanks.” She swirled her hand in the air. “Surely you have clothes nearby.”

  “Yeah, I do. Hold on. I’ll be right back.” He loped down the alley, whistling. A few minutes later, he returned wearing semi-clean jeans and a dirty white fisherman’s sweater. “Better?” He grinned at her.

  “They could use a wash.”

  He rolled his eyes. “It’s either this or naked, which do you prefer?”

  “These are fine. So, can I buy you a meal? I need to talk with you.”

  He patted his stomach. “I’m pretty full. Fawn over at Sunshine Sally’s fed me a while ago.”

  Chia’s eyebrows stitched together. “What were you doing in the garbage then?”

  Cecil shrugged, a sheepish look crossing his face. “I like to see what I can find. It’s fun, and it kills time. What do you say we go for a walk? I could stand to get out of town.”

  “Coastline stroll?” she asked, knowing it was one of his favorite places to walk, whether in shifter form or human.

  “Absolutely. Lead the way.” He gestured for her to start.

  Lined with snow and sand, the Bering Sea coastline bordered a frigid sea, marbled with ice.

  Chia kept her hands tucked in her pockets. As she walked, she told Cecil of her woes with Hung.

  “That sucks, Ms. Manager. You two seemed so happy.” Cecil put his arm around her, comforting her.

  “Yeah, we were.”

  “And then you weren’t. That’s when I stopped sleeping in your barn. Don’t like to listen to people fight.”

  “I liked it when you lived out there. I felt safe, what with you and your pack on patrol.”

  “Yeah, we liked it too. But the vibes there got too tense.” Cecil scrunched up his face like it was painful to admit.

  “We’re not fighting now. He’s not there. You could come back,” she said, the need for companionship tugging at her heart.

  Her roommate D’Raynged was hardly good company. When he wasn’t playing pranks on her, or her on him—like the time she locked him out of his coffin, and he retaliated by freezing her in place—they rarely shared time and space. Until the blood connection… She bit her lip, chewing the thought out of her mind.

  Cecil rubbed his scruffy jaw. “Well…”

  “Well, what?” Chia bristled. Her steps quickened.

  Cecil lengthened his stride. “Well, when you’re high on D, you’re different. You’re kind of wild…out of control.”

  “What?” Chia’s hands clenched into fists.
“It’s not like I go home and beg to get high on D’Raynged.”

  “You don’t have to beg. He gets off on it, too. All he has to do is pull a glamor over your head, and you’re gone. I think he’s using you.”

  “It’s a win-win!” Chia forcefully smashed her boot-clad foot into the snow.

  “Okay.” Cecil put his palms up in a placating manner.

  “It’s not like that. I never use his blood for a recreational high…at least not most of the time. I only do it when I need to find out something about the shifter world.” She kicked at a pile of snow lining the path, sending ice crystals flying in a powdery cloud.

  Cecil cast her a sidelong glance. The look spoke volumes.

  “You don’t believe me, do you?” She sighed.

  “Look. It’s not for me to judge. You know my ways. I play it loose. I play it happy. I do what I like.” He leaned down, picked up a shiny black rock, and pitched it toward the water. It skittered it across an ice floe, then slid off the edge into the water with a soft plop. “And I’m all for girl power—you doing what serves you without having a man tell you what to do—but, like it or not, Hung cares about you. Right or wrong, you have to take that into consideration.”

  “Yeah. We both care. But honestly, when I give D’Raynged my blood, it’s a pretty powerful high. I get to see things and perceive things I’m not usually aware of. Like, if I were high right now, I could sense your energy. I’d see fairies and otherworldly beings. I’d see the world around me as a magical place.”

  Cecil frowned, picking up another rock. “You don’t view that all the time anyway? Open your eyes, Ms. Manager. I might not see the Fae, but magic is everywhere.”

  This time, he torqued back his arm and hurled the rock. A barely discernible splash announced its landing.

  “Yeah, but that’s my point. I only perceive it as enchanted when D’Raynged and I are doing that thing we do. I may or may not be a magical creature like you. I sure can’t shift. My grandfather was renowned around here for his wizardly abilities. He set runes and wards all around the property to protect the house from evil. He understood magic. I want that, too.”

  Cecil shrugged. “I think you don’t need the blood, but…” He stared off into the distance and frowned. “What’s that?” He pointed to a sign up ahead, toward the tundra.

  “What?” Chia peered to where he indicated.

  “That. It looks like a property sign. How can anyone own land bordering the coastline? I thought it was protected.”

  “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!” Chia took off at a trot.

  Cecil trotted next to her.

  When they stood next to the sign, Chia read, “Property of Mountainbear Development. God fucking damn it!” Removing the tranquilizer gun hanging on her back, she dropped it next to her, figuring it would hinder her. Then, she wrapped her hands around the metal post holding the sign in place and tugged. “Help me get this out, Cecil.”

  He cast his gaze right and left. “Someone might be watching.”

  “Don’t be a wuss. Come on. Help me.” Chia wrestled with the post. She kicked at it. Her hard-soled boot clanged against the metal, making it vibrate. She cursed. She screamed in frustration. After taking a deep breath, she clutched the pole, gritted her teeth, and tugged with all her strength.

  It barely budged.

  “Ms. Manager…”

  “What?” she snapped. She kept working the post, making slight headway.

  “I think we’ve got some trouble.”

  Chia lifted her head to see what the hell he meant. Icy prickles of fear spread across her scalp, her arms, her neck. Instantly, her mouth dried like someone pulled the plug out of the sink.

  A group of bears charged toward them like deadly black missiles.

  She stuttered. “I didn’t know bears were pack animals.”

  “They’re not. Those are shifters.”

  “Oh, come on! The shifters are my friends!”

  “Not these, I’m afraid. Whatever you do, don’t run, Ms. Manager.” His voice sounded as shaky as she felt.

  “What do we do?” Her voice came out as a raspy whisper.

  “You fight. I disappear.” In a brilliant burst of light, Cecil shifted into his canine self. His paws created craters in the snow as he raced away.

  “Chicken! I hope you’re running to get reinforcements!” Pumped by adrenaline, Chia’s fingers curled around the pole like vice grips. Straining every muscle in her back and arms, she gave one final yank on the post.

  It burst from the cold, hard-packed soil.

  Claws extended, the lead bear—a brute looking to weigh about three-hundred-fifty pounds—went for Chia.

  The other beasts surrounded her, growling viciously as they paced in a circle.

  The raspy, vibrating sound made her hair stand on end.

  Using all her strength, she aimed the post at the bear closest to her.

  It bared its yellowed teeth and swiped at her with its deadly, two-inch nails.

  Like a batter in the World Series, she hauled back her arms and swung, clocking him in the head. The post made a dull clunk against his skull.

  He shook his head.

  Just as she took aim to swing again, he let out a roar, loud and long. Her arms went weak. Then he backed away slightly as if figuring out his next move.

  The other bears closed in.

  Clutching her hefty metal bat, Chia glanced in the distance.

  Cecil, still in Husky mode, stood in the snow, staring at her. His head swiveled, and he looked toward town. He looked back at her. And then he ran toward her, full bore, snow flying behind him like puffs of jet fuel.

  “Oh, thank God,” Chia said, focusing on the angry bear in front of her.

  The other bears kept circling and snarling.

  She swirled in a circle, smacking their tender noses if they got too close.

  They chuffed and growled, mouths open. Long ropes of drool dripped from their mouths.

  “Don’t you dare drool on me,” Chia said, although bear spit was the least of her worries.

  The head bear swiped again and again at the metal post in her hands.

  Chia kept a steady grip, trying to aim for its mouth so she could ram it down the bear’s throat. She only managed to jab its nose.

  As blood trickled from its nostrils, it let out a hair-raising roar. It gave one last mighty swipe, shredding the sleeve of her coat. The post flung from her hands and landed behind her with a soft thwack in the snow.

  Chia yelped, blood seeping through the blue covered down.

  The bear reared back onto its hind legs.

  The other bears crowded her as if sensing victory.

  The lead bear wrapped its massive arms around her, smothering her with dense, dirty, sweaty-sock-smelling fur.

  She screamed.

  The bear pulled her close, her head buried in its smelly fur. She screamed, but it came out muffled. He wrestled her back and forth. She beat at him and tried to pull away. His teeth gnashed into her scalp. She flailed at its jaws, trying to keep her head from being ripped from her body.

  Oh, God, I’m going to die. I’m going to die, and I didn’t have a chance to make up with Hung.

  Suddenly, as she started to lose consciousness, certain she was a goner, it dropped her. She hit the snow with a thud. She blinked hard to bring her vision into focus. She managed to twist her head enough to see Cecil, snarling and snapping on the bear’s back.

  The bear wrenched its body, biting the air next to Cecil, trying to grab him between its jaws.

  Spying her tranq gun, she belly-crawled toward it through snow and tufts of dead winter grass.

  Another bear caught her ankle. She wrenched around, made her fingers as stiff as she could, and slammed them into its eye.

  The beast jerked away. A strange, sandpapery scream launched from its mouth. It batted at its face, trying to claw away the results of the jab she’d just inflicted.

  Leaving a trail of blood, her arm, and ank
le throbbing, she scurried toward the gun. Right as another bear shifter seized her calf with its sharp teeth, her hand clasped the barrel. Without thinking, she whipped around and brought the gun straight down on his head. It landed with a crack, followed by a spurt of bright blood. The beast fell to its side, stunned or dead.

  Cecil let out a high-pitched yelp. Chia snapped around.

  The bear batted Cecil, sending him flying into the snow.

  Chia fumbled to point the gun at the bear.

  Cecil lunged at the beast. It slammed its mighty paw into Cecil’s head. Cecil screamed, then fell to his side. His Husky form blurred back into his human self.

  The bear went in for the kill.

  “No!” Chia screamed. She scrambled to crouch and take aim.

  The dart met its mark, in the bear’s neck.

  The beast lifted its massive head. It looked to the side, then settled its gaze on Chia. Her hair stood out along the surface of her body like bristly wires, buzzing with electricity.

  The bear charged.

  Chia hefted the rifle like a bat, prepared to clock the beast’s head.

  In the instance, a huge, looming shadow appeared out of nowhere, like a dark rolling cloud.

  Chia was slammed to the ground with the force of a tornado. She landed hard, her breath shooting from her lungs. Around her, the Bears had toppled over and struggled to stand. Overhead, a huge eagle appeared, hovering over her for a few seconds before sailing out of view.

  She kept gasping, trying to fill her lungs with air.

  Crunching footsteps sounded, coming toward her.

  A naked man, with a huge, spud-shaped body covered with dark hair, stood over her, grinning. “Mr. Mountainbear is ready to see you.”

  Without waiting for an answer, he lumbered toward her feet, crouched, and grabbed Chia by one of her ankles. “That eagle shifter sure provides good intel,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s like a personal drone.”

  Intel? “Let go of me.” Chia’s kicked with her free foot, trying to get free of his grip.

  Ignoring her, he strode toward the still-unconscious Cecil with her in tow, as if time was on his side. He stopped and grabbed Cecil’s ankle. While Chia kicked and flailed without much success, he dragged the two of them across the tundra, toward a waiting truck. There he pitched them unceremoniously in the back of the camper shell, out of sight of prying eyes.