Shifting the Night Away (32 page)

“Nothing.” I shot him a look of disbelief, and he merely shrugged. “Trust me, this isn’t about you. Though I can see how you might think that, from where you’re sitting.”

I heard footsteps behind me, and a second young man joined us. Like the first, he was tall and well-built, but with jet black hair and tanned brown skin. “Cody. Don’t talk to the girl.”

The man in the chair stood up, gesturing to me broadly. “Why don’t you take over, Killian? I’m not interested.”

“We’re taking shifts. You know that.”

Weakly, I tried to interject. “Can I use the bathroom?”

They exchanged weighted glances. “You don’t really need to go. You’re just saying that because you think you might be able to escape. And
don’t
say you’re on your period,” said Killian, “because you’re not.”

I glared at him. “And how would you know?”

“Because if you were, I would be able to smell it.”

I shuddered in disgust at his words.
What the hell?
Whoever these guys were, they were more than a little bit crazy. And I didn’t know how to reason with crazy men.

“Dude, you’re creeping her out,” Cody said.

“We kidnapped her. I don’t think it gets any creepier than that.” A third man had joined them, his voice warm and dark. Unlike the others, he was only average height, but he was built like they were. I couldn’t see myself fighting against one of them for my freedom, much less all three at the same time.

“Speaking of kidnapping me, mind telling me why you did it?” I said, hoping the third man would be the one to answer my questions.

“Sure.” The others started to object, but he held up a hand and silenced them. Clearly this one was their leader, or the closest thing to it. “Mara—if I can call you that—you’re here because of your connection to someone we all know. Someone we miss terribly, who needs to be brought back into the fold.

“Your boyfriend Riker is our leader, and we want him back.”

Shocked, I stared at him with wide eyes. “Your information is a little old. He’s not my boyfriend. We’re not even speaking to each other anymore.”

“That’s not what your scent tells me.” He inhaled deeply, his eyes half-closed in concentration. “I’m a shapeshifter, Mara, and so is Riker. And I can smell his panther all over you. An animal can’t resist protecting its mate.”

“You’re mad.” I struggled in my restraints, no longer caring if the rope cut into my circulation. I had to get away. “You’re all fucking crazy.”

“That’s just the thing. We aren’t. And I’ll show you.”

Walking around, he stood directly in my line of sight and tilted my chin towards him. Then something happened—something awful, something terrible. It sounded like madness and looked like a nightmare, but it happened.

He changed into a panther right in front of me. I couldn’t help myself; I’d never seen anything like it before. I opened my mouth and screamed.

***

He saw the note that Nora, in her rush, had missed. Picking it up, Riker only had to read the words once before he knew what had happened to Mara.

“I can’t find anything in here.” Mara’s roommate, thankfully, didn’t see him read the note and then crumble it up. She was too busy searching through Mara’s closet for a sign of where she’d gone. “I don’t think she packed any of her stuff, either. It’s all still in here. Where did you say you thought she’d gone?”

“I didn’t. But she mentioned…” He scrambled for a convincing lie. “Something to do with her family. Could that be it?”

She shot him a dubious look. “Her family lives too far away, and she’d definitely bring her cell phone. I think we should call the police.”

Riker couldn’t tell her not to; it would implicate him, and besides, the police weren’t who he needed to worry about. There were other more official national agencies to hunt people like him.

“Go ahead and call the police. I’m going to keep looking.” He started out the door, but she stopped him.

“Wait. Give me your cell phone number? And I’ll call you if she shows up. Maybe we’re overreacting and she’s just unplugged herself for a while.”

“Maybe,” Riker said, hating that it was a lie.

Thought he felt guilty leaving Nora behind while he went to where Mara
really
was, he knew she was safer that way. Even if his clan didn’t start something violent, the panther inside him was looking for blood. Any innocents in the way would just become collateral damage.

Chapter Twenty

Conclave

When town residents packed their bags and left Belmont City without looking back, they had good reasons why.

It wasn’t just the rumors of eerily strong gangs roaming the night, of house cats stealing into homes and walking out with diamonds, of college students drowning in a pool of unnaturally still water. Strange creatures roamed the city, yes, but there was also a bit of strangeness in the air. Even the most down-to-earth non-believer might see the spirit of his dead great-great-grandmother after drinking whiskey distilled in the city. In other places, humanity could hide from their darkest fears and sorrows, but in Belmont City they lived forever in the water.

Of course it wasn’t
just
water. The spirits of the dead lived on in the depths of the Cave of Sorrows, and when a mortal entered the water they were either deemed unworthy and drowned, or the pool spit them back up on its shores. At times, Riker wondered which was truly the worse fate. The humans, at least, died not knowing all that lurked in the darkness of their souls.

Every year, those who’d been touched by the spirits in the water gathered here for a conclave. It was as much a celebration as a ritual; two parts meeting of the mind, three parts booze and sex. Though Riker hadn’t been in a while, he had fond memories of teen years spent at the foot of the cave, drunk out of his mind. That was before everything changed.

Closing his eyes, he tried to find her by scent alone.
Mate. She’s here somewhere.
The note hadn’t been specific, but he knew his clan. They would be keeping her near the conclave so they didn’t miss the meeting.

He searched for it, but he couldn’t pull her scent apart from the dozens—if not hundreds—of shifters who were already nearby. Their smells were laid over any trail that might’ve been made the night before. Somehow, Riker didn’t believe the timing of all this was a coincidence.

Prowling the outskirts of the conclave, he searched for familiar faces in the crowd. He didn’t think his clan would do anything to hurt Mara, but they were desperate, and she had to be frightened. He hated the fact that he was the reason she’d gotten involved in this world, when all he wanted was to leave it behind.

As he went further and further into the conclave, it was apparent that the party had already started. Yellow eyes flashed at him as half-feral shifters let their primal side out. Human mosh pits had nothing on the pheromones floating through the air here. A few sultry young women and at least one man eyed him with clear sexual intentions. He waved them off, pushing his way to the center of the crowd.

“Panther.” A sudden growl and a muttered voice interrupted him. “What are you doing here?”

A broad hand pushed against Riker’s chest. The man was large, even by shifter standards, with shoulder-length golden blonde hair. Not only did he
look
like a lion, but he postured like one too.

“I’m a shifter, Daniel. That’s what I’m doing here.”

“One who’s turned away from his clan. Tell me, where are they now, your uncontrollable brethren?”

Riker didn’t know. “They’ll be along shortly. I wanted to check things out before I called to them.”

Smirking, Daniel crossed his arms.
 
“So call them. Right now.”

The werelion was calling his bluff; if Riker reached into the telepathic space that connected shifters to each other, he would sense if Riker got rebuffed. This close it was impossible not to feel the psychic energy in the air.

“What’s this all about, Daniel?” he asked, trying to change the subject. “The last time I checked, you weren’t exactly looking at everyone’s psychic I.D. at the door.”

“The last time I saw you, you were knee deep in shifter blood. Forgive a guy for being a little careful.” His eyes flashed dangerously; Riker could tell that those around them were starting to pay attention to their conversation.

“That was different.” Riker didn’t want to remember the past. “Nothing like that is going to happen again. I’m in control of myself.”

“Bullshit. A lone shifter is
not
in control of anything. As long as you deny your claim to your clan, there is no place for you here.”

Riker looked for a dissenting opinion from one of the other shifters, but the others—werewolves and werelions mostly—were all giving him the same angry glare.

“Fine. But I’ll be back.” Mara wasn’t here, anyway; there was no reason to stick around. Wherever they were keeping her until the meeting started in full, he needed to find her as soon as possible.

***

“I really do need to use the bathroom now.” My bladder was to the point of exploding, and if my shapeshifting captors didn’t let me empty it soon there’d be trouble.

Their leader, who I’d learned by now was named Darren, sighed. “Killian, take her to the bathroom. But don’t let her escape.”

The dark-haired man gave Darren a glare. “Obviously.”

He led me down a long, dark hallway that looked like it hadn’t seen a coat of paint in decades. Intricate wainscoting lined the walls, and creaky wooden floorboards stretched beneath our feet.

“What is this place?” I asked Killian, staring at the back of his head.

“The less you know, the better.”

That doesn’t sound good.
“What are you going to do to me?”

He shook his head, tight-lipped.

“Please, just tell me
something.
” I could hear the panic in my voice, and I tried to tamp it down. “What does this have to do with Riker?”

Glancing behind us, Killian pulled me into a corner of the hallway and put a finger against my lips. “They can hear you, you know. And you’re not going to get any info out of me.” He paused, as if reconsidering. “You’re not going to be hurt, if that’s what you mean. We just need to get his attention. It’s for his benefit and ours.”

But not to my benefit,
I noted internally. He let me go, but his expression made it clear that he wasn’t going to give me any more info about their plans for me. So I switched tactics.

“Are all you panther shapeshifters male? Because it’s pretty testosterone-heavy around here.”

He led me further down the hallway, opening the door to an old lavatory. “We don’t control who becomes a panther and who doesn’t. But yes, there are others. Now hush up and hurry up.”

Pushing me into the bathroom with a hand between my shoulders, Killian abruptly shut the door in my face. I glanced around, disappointed that there were no windows in this tiny bathroom; I was surprised there was even any running water.
Talk about the lap of luxury.

I finished up quickly, aware the whole time that the supernatural man outside could no doubt hear my every move. Looking at myself in the mirror, I was struck by how wild and crazed my eyes were.

He can turn into a panther. Riker can turn into a panther. He’s not human.
Or at least, I didn’t
think
he was human. I was new to Belmont City; I didn’t know all the rules yet. Thinking about it made me feel more than a little insane.
Panther, man, beast, shapeshifter, does it make a difference? At the end of the day, he’s just a liar.

“Are you in there still?” A light knock sounded at the door.

“Where else would I be?”

“Just checking.” Killian sounded irritated. “You almost done?”

I snorted at his impatience. Running my fingers through tangled, sleep-roughened hair, I splashed a bit of water on my face and hurried out the door.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t teleport out while the door was closed.” I smiled at him, trying not to show how shaky I felt. “I haven’t lived here long enough to turn into a freak yet.”

Instead of laughing, Killian looked away, something uncomfortable in his eyes.
I guess I shouldn’t have called him a freak.
“Sorry.”

“No worries.”