Blood Shift (The Charming Shifter Mysteries Book 3) Read online

  Chia slid from the Jeep, her face feeling stiff and sullen, and approached them, keys in hand.

  Sugar stepped toward her, her liquid honey eyes etched with concern.

  “Hung told me who you are to him. I treated you like you were only an acquaintance of his. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s quite all right.” Her eyes slid toward Hung. “That’s actually correct. Mere acquaintances at this point.”

  Hung’s eyes darkened, a scowl bruising his handsome face.

  “I wondered why there was this heavy tension between you. I thought it had something to do with work.”

  “Oh, it’s work all right,” Hung said with a glower.

  Chia brushed past them with a sigh.

  They followed behind her, tromping up the wooden steps.

  Inside her office, after pouring herself a cup of coffee, Chia slumped into her office chair. Her ghosts made their usual lazy circles above her head, clinging to the overhead fan blades. She stared at them for the thousandth time, wondering why they weren’t more useful. They never offered clues or warned her of anything—all they were was dead weight. Good one. She almost smiled at her joke. She rotated her desk chair back and forth, back and forth, dimly aware of the smothering silence in the room. Shaking out of her thoughts, she looked at Sugar.

  Sugar smiled. “They look like a colorful distraction,” she said, inclining her head toward the ceiling.

  “You can see them?” Chia asked, her eyebrows high. “Great.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Kind of. I asked Hung about the light blobs that accompany you. He said they’re actually ghosts of emotion and you could get rid of them if you choose, but you prefer not to.”

  “He did, huh?” Chia picked up a rubber band on her desk, stretched it tight, and shot it at the newcomer ghost—the one she refused to acknowledge that may or may not have something to do with her dependency on vampire blood.

  It sailed through the wraith and landed on Hung’s shoulder.

  He brushed it aside. Then, he lifted his coffee cup to his lips, not looking at her.

  “They’re good for target practice.” The corners of her lips lifted, as she regarded Sugar.

  The woman’s not bad, not if she can apologize to me for not knowing who I am to Hung.

  “They actually make you look kind of cool,” Sugar said, her grin broadening. “I thought they made you look like a queen—when they rest on your shoulders, that is.”

  Chia brightened. “Really?”

  “Heck, yeah. They make you look all regal. Like I said, I can’t see them as anything more than lights. Hung said they have facial expressions and features. I guess not all shifters can see them the way Hung can. Maybe it has something to do with the level of intimacy you share with a shifter?” She sipped her coffee, regarding Chia with a glint in her eye. “Or, maybe seeing them as lights is my way of perceiving your beauty. I like women, in case Hung hadn’t told you. This clown never stood a chance with me.” She lifted her chin at Hung. “With anyone, really. I made him tell me why he’s been so gloomy since I got here. He keeps his cards close to his chest, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

  “Oh, I noticed,” Chia said, grateful to have someone female to talk to about Hung. Never mind that he sat across the room from them, looking ill at ease.

  “He never loved anyone until you,” Sugar said. “His heart belongs to you.”

  Chia shivered, overcome with cautious joy. “Does it?”

  She finally dared to turn toward Hung.

  He looked so serious, she wanted to leap across the room and hug him. His blue and gold eyes were ringed with dark circles. Anguish and longing were evident in his pinched expression and the lines around his mouth.

  “It does,” he said somberly.

  “Yep, he’s been one sad puppy, pouring himself into work. He blames himself for everything that’s happened.”

  “He does?” Once more, Chia’s eyes met his.

  He nodded.

  Chia sighed. “You know that’s not true.” She leaned forward on her desk, clasping her hands. “I made a mistake in selling the property in the first place. Who knows? Maybe a spell was cast on me? You supes are capable of all kinds of glamor and enchantments.”

  “You mean vampires, sweetheart.” Hung glared at her. “They’re the ones with the mind tricks.”

  Her face reddened. She redirected. “It seems you’ve both been getting the run around from that eagle shifter. There’s got to be a connection between that shifter and Red, don’t you think?”

  “There could be. Or, it could be a coincidence.”

  “There are far too many coincidences that have occurred since Red rolled into town. You don’t think the eagle shifter is Red, do you?”

  “I’m pretty sure it’s not,” Sugar said.

  “How can you be certain?” Chia turned to look at her.

  Sugar’s eyes slid to the side and back to Chia. She hesitated like she was considering her words carefully. “Shifter’s can only shift into one species. A shadow shifter can’t be a lion or a bear or a bird.”

  Chia nodded. “I see.” She turned back to Hung. “Are you certain you clipped the bird?”

  “I nailed him. You know what a good shot I am. You and I are evenly matched in the gun skills department.” He aimed his gaze at Chia. “I got him right on the wing. I told you, he left a trail of blood behind. If anyone’s capable of magic, it’s that frigging bird. To heal that fast, he could be feeding on some dark energy Red lends him. I don’t know all the ins and outs of shadow shifters. They’re more of a mutant kind of shifter. They usually stay hidden. They’ve only recently made themselves known.”

  “Why now?” Chia drummed her fingers on the desk.

  “Why not now?” Hung shrugged.

  “I don’t know. But there’s got to be a connection between the dead Fae, the eagle shifter always around picking off other shifters, and Red and his fucking factory. I just don’t know what it is yet.” Chia’s head hurt from trying to form lines between the many events.

  “We’ll get it sorted,” Sugar interjected.

  Chia glanced at her. “I hope so. Oh. I got some good news last night before the fire started,” she said, changing the conversation course.

  “Tell us.” Sugar leaned forward in her chair. “We could use some good news.”

  “If I can get a thousand signatures proving Red’s company isn’t in the best interest of the community, we can drive him out.”

  “Do you think you can get that many people to sign?” Sugar asked.

  “Easy peasy.” Chia waved her hand in the air. “Especially if we can tie him to the tragedy.”

  “And how, exactly, do you plan on doing that? Where’s your proof?” Hung’s mouth set in a line.

  “We’ll find it,” Chia said dismissively. “Anyway, this is a rock-solid ordinance. The one I didn’t know about for some reason.”

  “Where’d you hear about it?” Hung asked.

  “A, uh…friend.” Chia bit her lip.

  “Uh huh.” Hung glared at her.

  Chia flattened her palms against her desk. “All right, it was D’Raynged! He did some super sleuthing and discovered that bit of information.”

  Hung’s shoulders tightened. “In exchange for what?”

  Chia’s eyes narrowed. “In exchange for nothing. He did it out of friendship.”

  “Oh, right. That man’s friendship bones are dead and buried. He’s a vampire.”

  “Jesus Christ, you two!” Sugar got to her feet and put her hands on her hips. “Enough with the resentments. There are other people present, namely me. I’ll fucking leave if you don’t sort things out in a civilized manner.”

  “Sorry,” both Chia and Hung mumbled.

  “I have good reason to hate vampires,” Hung muttered, staring at the floor.

  “Care to enlighten us?” Sugar asked.

  “Not now, no,” he said, directing his gaze out the window.

  “Then shut the fuck up abo
ut it.”

  Chia almost laughed at Sugar’s bossiness.

  Hung’s jaw tightened.

  “Whatever this is…” Sugar waved her hand between the two of them. “You need to sort it out. We’ve got business to attend to. It’s obvious you’re both crazy about one another, and you’re hurting from some impasse. Get over it.” She paced through the small space. “Hung and I did some intel of our own this morning. We flew over the factory. Something very strange is going on over there.”

  “Yeah, Red’s got some process in his factory where he can turn people into actual robots!” Chia got to her feet, too, and joined Sugar in her pacing. “I saw it with my own eyes.”

  “Get out. Seriously?” Sugar’s gaze bore into Chia.

  “I kid you not. His main man, Dick Johnson…”

  Sugar sputtered out a laugh. “That’s not his name, is it?”

  Chia chuckled. “I swear to God. Anyway, he turned Dick into this robot with this drone-like voice. He turned him into a ‘yes, sir, whatever you say, sir’ kind of guy. It freaked me out to witness. Before, Dick was nothing but a moron. Now he’s…” Her hand swished through the air. “He stood there acting like a drone. It was freaky.”

  “That’s a real concern,” Hung said, rubbing his chin. “And you say his name is Dick. Remember I told you a guy named Dick told me there was no bounty? Now that seems like more than a coincidence. I don’t suppose this eagle works for the Red bastard, do you?”

  Sugar turned her back to both of them and stared out the window.

  “Who knows,” Chia said. “So, we’re starting to form connections. Like the eagle and Dick working for Red. And, we all suspect Red of having something to do with the fire…but what could he possibly gain from it?”

  “Good question,” Hung said. “It makes no sense. Why go to all the bother of setting fire to a town he wants to do business with?”

  “Uh oh.” She glanced out the window.

  “What?” Sugar said.

  “Trouble. Look.”

  The three of them stared at the mob of angry citizens marching toward her office. A brisk wind had kicked up. It blew their hair about their heads, and their coats about their bodies, giving them a wild, unhinged appearance.

  “Socyone!” Chia yelled.

  A few seconds later, Socyone’s colorful form slid into the doorway. “Yes, boss?”

  “Show the mob into the town hall. It seems we’re about to have an impromptu meeting.”

  “You got it.”

  Footsteps, sounding like a cattle stampede, clattered through the building.

  A few seconds later, she, Hung, and Sugar pushed through the angry throng, toward the front of the auditorium. They tracked up the back stairs, heading for the stage. Then, they strode across the wooden platform and stood, Hung to one side of her, Sugar to the other.

  Both Hung and Sugar crossed their arms over their chests, making them look like her bodyguards. They towered over her.

  Chia felt safe and strong in the middle. She put her fingers between her lips and whistled. “Order! Order! If I can’t hear you, how can I help you?”

  “What are you going to do to help? I’ve lost my home,” Josette yelled.

  “Me, too! We’re all camped out at the YMCA. They opened their gym. You should see it. It’s packed, wall to wall, with kids, grandparents, entire families. It’s chaos!”

  Thom called, “No jobs. Our places of employment are all burnt to the ground!”

  “I know, I know,” Chia said. “We have a disaster on our hands. “I’ll make some calls to nearby towns for disaster supplies. We’ll get water, food, clothing for all. You know the kind of support other communities lend during a crisis. Hell, Charming’s even been the support town a time or two. We’ll get it sorted. One step at a time. We have to stay calm and focused.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Josette cried out. “You have a home left!”

  “I know, I know, you’re all hurting right now. This was a terrible tragedy.” Chia shook her head.

  “And it’s one that can be remedied,” a familiar man’s voice called.

  Chia’s heart sank.

  “Oh, no. It’s Red,” she whispered.

  Red strode to the front of the room. Instead of taking the stairs to the left, he leaped onto the front of the stage. “Everyone…I have a solution.”

  “Wait! We’ll sort this out as a community,” Chia said.

  “Let the man talk,” Thom said. “It seems we need more help than you can provide us.”

  Chia’s hackles rose. “You don’t know that. I’ve always protected this town.”

  “Not this time,” the man said.

  “Yeah, let’s hear what he has to say,” the woman by his side said.

  Someone started chanting. “We want Red. We want Red.”

  Within seconds the entire room stomped, clapped, and chanted.

  Hung and Sugar’s faces looked wooden.

  Chia wanted to cry out in anguish.

  Red appeared smug, a stupid smile of victory pasted across his face. He pumped his hands up and down, patting the air. “Quiet everyone. Quiet.”

  A hush fell over the room as all eyes looked toward Red.

  “This is a horrible, horrible thing that happened.” He shook his head. “The minute I heard about it, I fast-tracked my factory.”

  “You were working on it before that,” Chia snapped, certain her eyes flashed fire.

  “Let him talk!” someone said. “We want to hear what he has to say.”

  “My team worked tirelessly through the night. We can employ thousands. We're ready to go. You’ll all be given jobs. Anyone who needs a job, we’ll find it,” he said expansively. He side-eyed Chia.

  The look he gave her made her skin crawl. A shudder whipped up her spine.

  Cheers broke out. Everyone applauded.

  “Wait! You don’t know what he is! This man is evil,” Chia said.

  Red leaped from the stage.

  People gathered around him, patting him on the back, thanking him.

  “Oh, come on! They believe the bastard. They think he’s the hero,” Chia grumbled under her breath.

  “It’s pathetic,” Hung whispered. “People can be little shits.”

  Like an evil pied piper, he strode toward the back of the room. “Follow me. I’ll show you where you’ll be working. We even have food and water at the ready.”

  “Wait!” Chia said. “We can have emergency supplies here in a snap.”

  Red whirled to look over his shoulder at her. “I’ve already got them. Lots of supplies. Right now.” He winked.

  Chia wanted to cry. Her mood began turning toward despair. How can I win them back when he’s already solved their basic needs for food?

  “This is awful,” she said.

  “No kidding,” said Hung. He put his arm around her shoulders. “You know what he’s doing, right?”

  “Yeah. He’s saving the town and turning the town against me.” Chia wanted to melt into Hung’s comfort. But much more was at stake than her broken heart.

  “You don’t know that sweetheart,” Hung said. He gently squeezed her.

  She accepted the comfort, gratefully.

  “So, what are we going to do?” Sugar asked.

  Hung removed his arm and stepped away, looking at her expectantly.

  “We’re going to out him.” Chia marched toward the steps at the side of the stage. “Are you guys coming along or what?”

  Chapter 13

  A week later, Chia paced through her front room with the same restless angst as the night before…and the night before that. Her fingernails had been chewed to the quick. For days, she’d barely slept a wink.

  “Are you ever going to stop fretting? I can barely sleep,” D’Raynged said, sauntering in the room looking bored.

  “You sleep during the day when I’m at work,” she said, wondering if she’d wear a groove into the rug.

  “That’s not the point.” He strode across the room a
nd sat down on the sofa.

  “What’s your point, then?” Chia afforded him a glance.

  “Your energy…it’s all over the place.” He made his fingers flit over his head like a drunk fairy.

  “Excuse me for inconveniencing you,” she snapped. “And how would you know? Where have you been lately?”

  “Around and about. Got me a fine new lover a few towns up the way,” D’Raynged said, his eyes glittering.

  “So why are you home tonight?” Chia kept stepping, back and forth.

  “I had to kill her.” He said this matter of fact like he was forced to take out the trash.

  Chia stopped and stared at him. “You what?”

  “She became a nuisance. And she knew too much. You know, pillow talk and all.” He curved his fingers and studied his manicured nails, frowning.

  “You’re a sick freak, you know that?” She resumed her pacing.

  “Whatever.” He lowered his hands and glowered at her. “What’s got you in such a torment?”

  “You know that idea you gave me a week ago? About getting signatures?”

  “Yes. Did it work?” He stretched out his arms along the back of the sofa, clearly at ease.

  “Not only didn’t it work, Red has saved the good people of Charming.” Her footfalls grew sharper, striking the carpeted floor. “I’m sure he started the fire. Hung and I saw that damn eagle shifter overhead, high above the flames, circling like it didn’t have a care in the world. Meanwhile, the whole town was burning to the ground. Maybe the eagle is an informant, like he has to report back when a job is done. Then, the next day, Red swooped into the town hall and promised everyone jobs. They followed him like sheep. Apparently, he had food, water, everything they needed.”

  “Pity,” D’Raynged said, still looking unconcerned. “At least your house didn’t burn to the ground. I’d hate to have to find another domicile.”

  “Oh, yes,” Chia said, rolling her eyes. “I’d hate to inconvenience you.” Her footsteps quickened. “Look, buddy…clearly our human concerns are of no interest to you.” She waved her hand at his face like an eraser, trying to smudge him out of her existence. “But it’s a concern to me. These are my people and they’re putting themselves in the hands of a madman. And if I can’t prove he’s responsible for the fire, they’re doomed. They think he’s Christ-like at this point. A fucking deity.” Her hands flew into the air.