A Magical Shift: A Hot Paranormal Fantasy Saga with Witches, Werewolves, and Werebears (Weres and Witches of Silver Lake Book 1) (2 page)

Ryerson McKinnon responded
to the alarm by sliding down the fire pole. “Where’s the blaze?” he asked one of his coworkers as he suited up. Shuffling feet and the distant sound of the truck engine firing up created a sense of chaotic excitement and intense urgency.

“Donaldson’s warehouse. One truck’s there, but they need more. Blaze is bad.”

Shit. Abandoned for months, the building sat on the north side of the town of Silver Lake, but Rye hated to see anything in his area destroyed. He was the proud Alpha-in-training for his wolf-bear Clan that resided around the lake the town drew its name from.

Like his father, the instinct to protect and keep the Clan safe was strong and had him on high alert especially at a time like this when danger was close to their homes. He hoped the owner hadn’t set the fire for the insurance money, as had been the case in a few other instances. Rye had heard Donaldson and his family had come upon hard times, so perhaps he’d been desperate.

“Let’s hurry, folks,” the driver shouted.

Rye hopped on the fire truck, wondering if the red moon was cursing Silver Lake once more. The townsfolk had their theories about why so much crime happened every time it appeared. He had his suspicions too, but he’d never voiced his opinion. The whole concept of evil werewolves would scare the town to death—or at least the human population living there.

They raced up Robin’s Ridge and passed several cruisers along the way with their blue flashing lights illuminating the entire street. At the hardware store, Rye caught sight of a gaping hole in the front window and shattered glass on the sidewalk. What was wrong with people today destroying property? His best friend, Kalan Murdoch, one of the town’s deputies, was probably running his ass off tonight trying to contain the crime spree.

A few miles before they reached their destination, Rye detected the acrid smell of smoke along with the glimmering light from the flames. For Donaldson’s sake, he hoped they could save at least part of the building.

When they arrived, fire was rapidly consuming the left side of the one-story, vinyl-covered ten thousand square foot wooden structure, and it wouldn’t be long before the other half was gone too. Fortunately, only a few buildings were located nearby, lessening the chance the fire could spread. Assuming it was arson, and Donaldson wasn’t the one responsible for the blaze, why set this building on fire? No onlookers had arrived, and in his experience, arsonists liked to watch their handiwork. Without any bystanders hanging around to question, the
who
and
why
just got a bit harder.

Rye jumped off the truck and started toward the structure. Thanks to his enhanced werewolf hearing, a whimpering sound from inside reached him, but it was barely audible amongst the shouts of his coworkers, the crackling of the blaze, and the falling of a few roof beams. Shit. Fearing someone was trapped inside, he headed straight for his supervisor, adrenaline filling his veins. The men from the first truck who’d arrived were spraying the west side of the building, yet none of the men seemed to be on their way to search the interior, which meant he’d have to go into the undamaged end to find the source. “Sir, I think I hear someone crying in there.”

Frank Emerson turned his head to the side and cupped his ear. “I don’t hear anything other than the roar of the fire and the pump of the fire hoses.”

Rye wasn’t about to state the reason for his acute hearing since Frank, a human, didn’t know his kind existed. “I have to go check, sir.”

His superior grabbed his arm. “It’s too dangerous. The building could collapse. You need to follow protocol.”

If he did, the trapped animal or person would surely die. “I’ll be quick, sir.” Given his biological makeup, Rye was more immune to the heat and smoke than a human. He took off before his boss had the chance to stop him.

After calculating the speed with which the fire was consuming the west side of the building, he figured he had two, maybe three minutes tops to find the source of the crying. Rye prayed the trapped creature wasn’t human. If he shifted, he’d be able to track the victim better, but shifting would have resulted in his suit being shredded, and he wasn’t about to walk out of a burning building naked.

With no time to waste, Rye dashed into the far end of the building. If it weren’t for his excellent eyesight, he would have had a hard time even seeing his hand in front of him. With the facemask on, he couldn’t call out, so he slipped it off and nearly choked.

The deeper he moved into the building, the clearer the whimpers became, forcing Rye to press on despite the flames looming closer. “Can you hear me?” he called out.

A soft woof floated toward him and relief immediately washed over him. Hopefully, the little fellow was merely scared and not seriously injured. After calling out to the dog a few more times, a German Shepherd puppy hesitantly trotted toward him.

“Good boy,” Rye said as he crouched down. “Come here.”

A crack sounded and a beam crashed to the ground right next to him, nearly clipping his arm. The puppy whimpered and shook, and Rye closed the gap between him and his target. “We need to get out of here, little guy,” he said, knowing full well the dog didn’t understand him.

The puppy backed up, but Rye was able to scoop him into his arms before the dog darted away. With the animal held securely, Rye ran as quickly as he could toward the door. Just as he reached the outside, a ball of fire streaked next to him, causing a ton of wooden beams to crash down and even more smoke to surround him.
Boy, was that close.

Needing to get them both to safety, he kept running until the air cleared.

Frank rushed up to him. “Damn, you were right. Are you okay?”

Ryerson took off his mask. “Yes, but I’m not sure about the pup here. He’s still wheezing pretty badly.”

“You shouldn’t have gone in against orders, but we’ll discuss it later.” He nodded to the little fellow. “Isn’t your sister a vet tech?”

“Yes.”

“Then have the dog checked out now.”

The puppy was still shaking in his arms. “Thank you, sir.” He had another hour on his shift, but the dog might not last that long without care. From the back of the truck, he located a small oxygen mask and placed it over the pup’s face, and immediately, the dog calmed.

Because he hadn’t driven, he needed his sister to come and get them. He called Chelsea, and when she answered, he explained the situation and his location.

“I’ll be right there. Keep doing what you’re doing. He’s probably still frightened.”

“I hope that’s all it is.”

From the quiet background and lack of barking and cat howls, Chelsea must have already gone home, which was all the way across town. While Rye waited, he studied the fire. If Donaldson hadn’t hired someone to torch the place, the Changelings were the next most likely suspects, though what they’d have to gain by burning the building, he didn’t know. Then again, that group of malicious, mutated werewolves just might get a kick out of destroying something.

By the time Chelsea made it to the warehouse, the men had the fire pretty much under control, but the building was a total loss.

“Hello, there,” Chelsea said, petting the rescued dog. She then looked up at Rye. “I don’t see a collar on him.”

“Looks like a stray. His coat is thin and he appears malnourished.” Chelsea continued to rub the dog’s fur and cooed at the poor animal while Rye held the mask over the dog’s face. She acted as if time wasn’t critical. “Shouldn’t we be going?” Rye asked. “You can cuddle with him all you want after the vet checks him out.”

After planting a kiss on the pup’s head, she looked up at Rye. “I’m ready. What are you waiting for?”

“Funny girl.” Still holding the puppy against his chest, he rolled his eyes, and then slid into the front seat of her car.

She inhaled deeply and wrinkled her nose as she fired up the engine. “Phew, you two stink.”

“You would too, if you ran into a burning building.”

She took off but not before looking over at the dog. “Was he burned?”

“I can’t tell, but he didn’t cry out when I checked him over.”

“I called ahead and asked Dr. Dana to meet me at the clinic since we’d just closed.”

“Smart.” Once his sister and her new patient arrived at the clinic, he said he’d walk the two blocks back to the fire station to pick up his vehicle. He then handed her the puppy. “Thanks for coming out so fast.”

“Anytime.”

As soon as they were safely inside, he headed toward the station feeling a bit funny traipsing down the streets in his fireman’s gear, especially on a warm summer night.

At home, Rye pushed open the front door and found his future Beta and second-in-command, Kalan, stretched out on the chaise lounge with a beer in his hand. The T-shirt Rye had worn yesterday was still on the chair next to Kalan, along with today’s newspaper, but at least the coffee table was devoid of garbage like the pizza box from last night’s dinner. “Not that I mind, but what are you doing here?”

“I needed a little energy release and wanted to see if you were up for a run.”

“I’d like one, but I need to shower first.”

Kalan waved his beer. “Do it later. By the time I finish throwing you in the dirt, you’ll just have to get clean again.”

Rye gave him the finger. “Don’t you wish, but then you’ll have to smell me.”

“I’ll suffer.”

“Let me grab something to drink. My throat’s dry.” Rye walked past the four-seater dining room table into the open-concept kitchen and pulled out two beers since he noticed Kalan’s was almost empty. He returned and handed Kalan his. “Here.”

“Thanks. I heard about Donaldson’s warehouse. Do you think it was arson?”

“Given the origin and speed with which the fire burned, it was definitely driven by an accelerant.”

“Could the Changelings have masterminded it? It is a red moon tonight.”

“Always a possibility. If they are responsible, they are probably just blowing off steam. Which reminds me, the fire truck I was on, drove by the break-in at the hardware store, and I saw the damage.”

He nodded. “I worked that scene right after I checked out the graffiti sprayed on the back of the church.”

“Sounds like kids might have been responsible for that.”

Kalan polished off his first beer then opened the second. “That’s what we thought, especially when we found the tipped over garbage cans behind the grocery store, but the break-in at the hardware store seemed a bit over the top for teens. Add in the fire, and I’m thinking those bastard Changelings are fucking with the town again.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they transformed themselves to look like local teenage boys then passed by a few security cameras just to throw us off.” Rye slipped out of his hot uniform shirt, tossed it on the kitchen island, and then dragged his tired ass over to the sofa and sat across from his friend. “Why act up now when they’ve been rather calm for the last few cycles?” Rye asked.

“I wish I knew, but it’s not like I can ask them or secure any kind of search warrant without probable cause. Nor can I go to the Sheriff and say there are some crazy ass werewolves causing trouble.”

Rye chuckled. “That would cause a stir.” The townsfolk of Silver Lake had no idea what kind of creatures lived in the hills north of town. Rye leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “I’ve been thinking about the fire and why they might have targeted Donaldson’s place.”

Kalan’s eyes widened. “Why is that?”

“Not that this is based on any fact, but the only reason would be to keep all of us so busy, we wouldn’t catch them doing something else really bad.”

“Such as?”

“The power hungry monsters might be looking for a way to steal more onyx. If they have us running around, putting out literal and figurative fires, they could search in peace.” No one knew for sure why the Changelings needed the sardonyx so much, but it was suspected that it protected them from harm.

“It’s as good a theory as any. What do you propose we do about it?”

Rye jumped up and paced. “Fuck if I know.”

Kalan set his beer down then pulled his dirty blond hair back into a ponytail. “Perhaps a run will clear our heads. Unless you’d rather shower and head into town. We could find us some pretty little ladies and wear off our excess energy that way. You up for it? It might improve that sour mood of yours.”

“Fuck you. I’m not
moody
. Irritated and a bit on edge, perhaps. As for going out, I don’t have any excess energy. Hell, with all this shit that’s been happening, I need to focus on taking care of our clan and not let some woman disrupt my brain.”

Kalan laughed. “You better hope you don’t meet someone claiming to be your mate.”

“That would suck now, wouldn’t it?” He didn’t need any more talk of women. “Let’s go for a run.” Or rather a playful jaunt, as bears weren’t built for speed. His wolf could run circles around Kalan.

Once they disrobed, they headed outside. The McKinnon compound consisted of six homes scattered across twenty acres with plenty of room around Silver Lake for additional buildings should the need arise. Kalan’s family had an equal spread next to theirs. Since only shifters lived in this walled off region, they were free to run and roam without human notice.

Rye shifted into his wolf form first, and then Kalan became his bear. Good thing they were friends because Kalan could seriously harm him if he wished. It wouldn’t take more than a few well-placed swipes to put Rye out of commission for a day or two. The same age, the two had chased, battled, and played together since their youth, helping Kalan learn his limits.

Despite having worked close to a thirty-six hour shift, Rye charged first, jumping on Kalan’s back. The hulk swung around and knocked him off. Just to be a pain in the ass, Rye took off running toward his brother’s house in an attempt to tire out Kalan.

“No fair. I’m too beat to chase you
,” he telepathed.

Rye was beat too. “
You said you wanted to go for a run
.
You change your mind?”

“Yes.”

It was only after their parents announced their retirement as Alpha and Beta that he and Kalan had been able to communicate telepathically, and the novelty had yet to wear off.