Her Mighty Shifter (3 page)

Chapter Three

“Damn. How do I get myself into these messes?” Maximus grumbled.

He had shifted in time to see another shifter take off with Posy. It was shifter hell out there. There were five prospective mates in the same building. All five females had linked periods—human females were so annoying. Maximus had no way of knowing if Posy was his mate or not. It would be another two days before the stale odor of blood cleared and a female’s natural scent could be detected. The other shifters were just as pissed as he was, and now it appeared the random kidnapping had begun.

Maximus had a more pressing issue to deal with. When his commander, Tac, from Ricafa told him there might be a small issue with side effects when traveling to Earth he didn’t realize his would be huge. He knew there would be anarchy when it came time to mate, but his situation should have been explained in greater detail. All shifters were out of their protected element, each wary, some scared. Maximus wasn’t scared in his human form. He was a huge badass, but in his shifter form he needed his best friend, Andro. They took care of each other, as while in his human form, Andro was in danger. The shock in their physiques had been a surprise.

In his shadow form he saw the shifter he was, but what he actually shifted into was a different matter.
And annoying as hell.
Though, his new shifter form had come in handy the night before. During the night he had examined each female as they slept, and so had Andro. They’d met briefly in the hall, each throwing his hands to the air, stumped. Without a word they’d parted and searched again. There were too many blood scents in the air to make an educated guess. Posy was the female drawing him closer, but the female directly beside her was close, too. It didn’t help the one female wore a pad and Posy, well, she wore something else. Maximus shuddered. Damned
bloody
periods.

I don’t have time for this.

All five of the shifters searching for mates, like himself, were from a planet parallel to Earth’s Africa. Three shifters were from a place similar to Nyungwe Forest National Park while Maximus, Andro, and the other shifter were from a comparable Kibira National Park. Maximus hated being out of his element. He was too confined. He needed space and lots of it for his inner shifter. He had to find his mate before he could return. In order to return they needed to get to Earth’s Africa and send word to Tac, who could transport them home. Easier said than done, as only Tac was certain of the eclipse and moonbeams.

Following the beams and riding them was easy. Landing not too bad. His first experience shifting and Andro had to save his life. From a baby hyena.
How embarrassing.
Prospective mates weren’t anywhere to be found. They learned mating wasn’t an exact science. They had to go to their mate. Now Africa was a continent away.

Without a passport stowing away on a plane was easy enough for Maximus. The other shifters weren’t as lucky. Some had to find more unconventional ways to travel. Some stole passports, but others weren’t as lucky. Poor Andro. His shifter wasn’t fond of cages. A necessary evil. Curling up together for transport was rough. Andro had a fat ass in shifter form. Maximus had been certain he’d be crushed.

You survived. Get over it.

Maximus sighed. He had no other choice. If Posy was his he had to go after her. The kidnapping shifter was also from Ricafa, and it might explain why both Maximus and the other male were confused. They and the others entered the moonbeam together. Worse was the fact Maximus hadn’t lied the night before. He really was lost. He and Andro had been separated from their guide, who’d smuggled them on a plane. They had to break out together, with Maximus picking the lock. The chaos of having Andro in his shifter form was terrifying. Humans had guns. They were finally able to flee into the baggage area where Andro could shift. Worse was yet to happen, as he now seemed to have lost Andro during the night. It was dangerous for both him and his partner to be without the other. Each was vital for the other’s survival in both human and shifter worlds, but the second he entered the apartment he scented Posy—as she was leaving. Sneaking into her handbag was brutal, the ceremony Posy attended was awful, and the car ride after the wedding made him nauseous enough to escape her handbag and follow after her.

Maximus had no choice. He would have to find his partner later. Noting Posy’s car keys peeking out of her purse on the ground Maximus picked them up. He rummaged through the purse, seeing a passport, and breathed a sigh of relief and was soon in pursuit of the other shifter’s vehicle. There was only one vehicle creeping from the parking lot. It was a black van, no plates, and darkened windows. The vehicle bounced forward, stopped, bounced. Maximus hoped the shifter remembered to drive in human form.

Separating the females wasn’t really a bad idea, but if this female didn’t belong to the other shifter he may not care what happened to her. Posy might be hurt. If she was killed Maximus—or whoever was her mate—would want retribution, and a shifter war was never good.

He wondered if the other shifter sensed something else about Posy. A nagging feeling in his guts told him there was a difference between her and the other females. The blood was too high to put a finger to it.

Maximus tried three keys before opening the car door. He growled as he tried to fit each different key in the ignition. Before leaving his planet Maximus had been given two lessons on how to drive an Earth vehicle. Even then it was verbal instruction using a hollowed out tree trunk and a sugarcane wheel. He noted the pedals on the floor. The key turned as he watched the van turning a corner. He gently eased his foot down, but nothing happened.

“Please fasten your seatbelt.”

“Huh?”

Maximus froze. A female’s voice was giving commands. He jumped up to look in the backseat, but it was empty. He had to think for a moment. The strap to his side seemed familiar. He grabbed it over and across his hips and clicked it on.

“Thank you. Please drive carefully.”

“Maybe you better close your eyes, darlin’. My mate’s getting away.”

Maximus stepped on the gas, and the car bounced forwards, wheels shrieking across the pavement as the car bolted onto a street. The wheel spun wildly in his hands as the car spun in a circle.

“Damn. Where the fuck am I?”

“Would you like to initiate your GPS?”

“No, I just want my M-a-t-e.”

The steering wheel shimmied under his hands as he straightened out and accelerated. The van came into view, with a bounce and jerk, and pulled into a warehouse. It appeared the other shifter was having the same difficulty as Maximus. Maximus eased up and slowed. Steam was rising from the hood.

“That didn’t happen during the simulator,” he muttered.

The car rolled to a stop, clacking. The van was gone. A garage door settled into place. The shifter wouldn’t waste time checking Posy over. No doubt he was making arrangements to get his and her asses back to Africa. Maximus jumped from the car and ran, right into Andro. The pair toppled over, Andro landing on Maximus.

“It’s good to see you,” Maximus said as he righted the both of them.

“You too. I’m having a helluva time out here.”

They both raced to stare in a window. Posy was locked in a cage. Maximus growled.

“Merit grabbed the female. Her name is Posy,” Maximus said.

“He grabbed two,
your
female and another one he took inside. Yours isn’t caged. Merit didn’t need to. His shifter has her frozen in terror. The one named Posy isn’t yours.”

Maximus stared at Andro. “How do you know this female isn’t mine?”

“I was in every acceptable female mate’s apartment. The other one taken has to be yours. She had a mice haven in her room. Little compartments, tons of food. She adores them. It has to be a beacon.”

“While this female hates mice,” Maximus said pondering. “This one likes huge cats. He must have switched them in desperation.”

“He switched them because the other female is cute and sweet and tiny. She’s easy to control.”

“There’s nothing wrong with this female. At least I won’t break her, even if Posy is small. Have you seen Merit in both forms?”

“Yes. It isn’t his looks or shifter that’s changed. It’s his voice. Come to think of it, be grateful you got what you got.”

“His voice?”

“You’ll see or hear when we confront him. We need to get on a plane to Africa. We need to get your female back and hand this one over to Tac. She may or may not be yours, but she does belong to a shifter. I don’t know why all the shifters don’t get together and settle who belongs to who on our planet.”

Maximus realized Andro was right. But looking down at Posy from his position at the window he felt a moment’s hesitation. He should just keep her. She would get used to his shifting in time. He needed to get them to Africa and onto his planet where he could explain the situation better. Then he realized it wasn’t fair to her. He didn’t want to frighten his mate, or repulse her.

“What the hell am I supposed to do?” He slapped his open hands on his thighs.

“We should leave this one and go for the other female. She’s in an office.”

“I can’t leave Posy in a cage. For the simple reason she
could
be my mate.”

“Why does finding a mate have to be so difficult?”

“You know the window of opportunity comes only on occasion. Earth and our planet must be aligned properly for the parallel to open and give us a door. I want my mate. My shifter has been out of control. I think that’s why I shift the way I do on this planet. If I were to shift on our planet who knows what hell I’d do. Here I’m contained. I don’t like it any more than you do.”

“Well at least you retained your normal size.” Andro sounded pissed.

Maximus didn’t blame him. His buddy was about three and a half feet tall. Half his normal size. On the plus side his shifter remained the same, while Maximus changed into a mouse. When Tac told them they would need each other to survive he wasn’t kidding. Only Merit traveled alone. The other two shifters were paired as well. Maximus wondered what they shifted into on this planet.

“Come on.”

Maximus motioned for Andro to follow him. They entered a window and silently dropped to the floor.

“I better take on Merit,” Andro whispered. “If he shifts you’re in shit.”

Maximus crept to the cage where Posy lay. She was out cold, hands in her lap, her back and head resting on the bars of the walls. The only way to open the cage was if he shifted and opened it from the inside. With caution he crept closer. Inside the cage he studied Posy. She was cute when she slept. He hoped she stayed asleep. She tended to get violent when confronted.

On silent paws he shimmied up the metal walls. The lock was easy to slip with a tiny flick. As the cage door slid open the screaming started. Posy kicked the door violently sending the metal smashing open. Maximus was airborne. He did some screaming of his own as he flew through the air. He shifted as he hit the floor landing hard on his ass. He was afraid the fall from this height might break a small leg.

“Son of a bitch,” he said snarling and rose carefully to his feet, a hand rubbing his butt.

Maximus came face to face with Posy. She sent a fist in his direction. He caught her hand and swiftly turned her into his chest, keeping her secure.

“You.” She was growling as she spoke. “You kidnapped me.”

“I did no such thing. I’m trying to save you.”

She stomped on his foot. Maximus released her to dance across the floor swearing. A massive roar and a scream turned their attention to the second level balcony. A woman was racing towards the edge. Posy screamed, and Maximus raced forward as the woman fell over the balcony.

Arms open, Maximus caught the petite woman to his chest and fell to the ground. A huge cave lion jumped to stand next to Maximus followed by a giant Jurassic sloth.

“That’s my female,” the sloth said.

Maximus’s mouth hung open. The words were said chipmunk-style. The female in his arms was unconscious and unharmed. Maximus set her beside him and rose to his feet. He heard a giggle to his left. Posy stood there with a hand over her mouth.

“I get it,” she said, nodding. “I’m dreaming. A giant sloth sounds like Alvin from
The Chipmunks
. There’s a cave lion and a man who turns into a mouse. I bet the clams at the wedding were bad. Hell, everything about that wedding was bad.”

Letting Posy think she was dreaming was a good idea for now. She sat down on her ass still giggling. Maximus couldn’t blame her. When Merit spoke again he was tempted to laugh. Posy made no attempt to control her wild burst of laughter.

“Stop laughing at me,” Merit chippered. “Stop.” He stomped a foot.

“How can you be certain this female is yours?” Maximus pointed at the unconscious woman. “And if you are certain why steal Posy?”

“They both have the same scent.”

“For the love of anything, Merit, change back, you sound ridiculous,” Andro said. He shifted.

Merit shifted to his human form. “It doesn’t help.”

Maximus and Andro howled with laughter, joined again by Posy who was now on her side in hysterics. Tears streamed down her face. Her open palm slapped the floor surface. Maximus couldn’t blame her. Merit was six foot five, with short blond hair, deep blue eyes and sounded as ridiculous in his human form.