Katlyn (M/F/M red-hot menage shifter romance) Standalone (Shadow Creek Shifters Book 1) (3 page)

“So what happened?”

“Brendan pushed me out a window in the hallway.” When Tessa gasped, Katlyn continued. “Luckily I landed in a dumpster, but when I climbed out and tried to escape, a man with a gun confronted me and if it wasn’t for those shifters, I’d be dead. They jumped the man and I ran off before someone else saw me. There’s a video being played on the news of me fleeing the scene.”

Tessa was silent for a moment as if trying to digest all the information. “So these mountain lions saved your life, then?”

Katlyn couldn’t get the vision of the shifters being possibly murdered out of her mind. “Yes. I just can’t believe how that Shifter Patrol was killing everyone. They weren’t just murdering shifters. They were killing humans, too.”

Tessa slowed down as she passed the house Katlyn was renting. There were cars displaying the name Shifter Patrol parked on her lawn. The door had been forced open, and her belongings thrown onto the lawn.

Katlyn was sobbing uncontrollably now. “They found me. But how?”

“They probably found your car and traced you there. I’m so sorry, Katlyn, for thinking you had lost your mind a minute ago. Your story seemed so out there, and honestly I’d never heard of the Shifter Patrol until now. Has the government been keeping this a secret the whole time?”

“It would seem so, but why do you think they want to find me so badly?”

“Because you’re the only surviving witness. If a shifter escapes, no problem, they’ll head for the hills, but a human will tell someone their story. It could be leaked to the press and when the public finds out this patrol has killed humans, the government will take action.”

The government my ass
. Katlyn knew that the government might very well be part of the patrol, funding it even. “I’m not about to sacrifice my life or freedom by trying to tell the American people how the patrol is on a witch hunt.”

Tessa made the turn on Main Street and they exited the vehicle at an apartment building. “Where are we?” Katlyn asked.

“My friend’s place. William won’t mind the intrusion. There’s only one thing you can do now, and that’s get out of town. We’ll use his computer. Is your cell phone on you?”

“No, it must have dropped out of my pocket back at the Wilted Petal.”

“Good, that way they can’t trace your whereabouts. The patrol might have figured out by now that we have a connection.”

“I hope you won’t have to leave town, too, Tessa.”

“If we’re to be on the run, we need to stick together.”

They walked up to Apartment 12 and Tessa used her key to open the door. A startled man, lying on the couch, woke up and asked, “What’s up Tessa?”

“We need to use your computer. Go back to sleep.”

“Sleep? With all the emergency siren’s blaring. What’s happening out there?”

“Hopefully not the apocalypse,” was Tessa’s response.

“Look for the traveling teachers association,” Tessa recommended. “They have job postings all over the country.”

Chapter Three

Two weeks later, Tessa and Katlyn were being driven to an address in Shadow Creek, Wyoming, by a handsome cowboy.

Katlyn had applied for and was offered a teaching job. The ad had simply said, “Teacher wanted. Must be female, discreet, and wholesome.” She did a phone interview only and the woman, Paige, sounded friendly enough. It eased Katlyn’s mind, but Tessa insisted that she accompany her. “You’ll be living on a ranch so free room and board will be supplied,” Paige had told her. “Meals will also be provided. When can you be here?”

Paige sounded happy that Katlyn had accepted the job offer, but when she told her she had no transportation, she was told it wasn’t a problem and that she’d have someone pick them up.

Those two weeks in a motel room outside of Newbury had been the worst of Katlyn’s life. They had only meager funds between them and Tessa had to fork over what she had available to pay for the room. It wasn’t safe for Katlyn to risk going back home, or traveling to the bank. She had only the clothes on her back and they had eaten ramen noodles that Tessa’s friend, William, had given them to take. Only noodles to eat for two whole weeks, other than the coffee and donuts the motel offered, was more than either of them could take.

Now Katlyn swam inside her clothing. She’d always been more on the bigger side and while she’d always thought about shedding some pounds, she really didn’t want to do it this way. Tessa looked equally underfed, and Katlyn felt bad about it, but it wasn’t possible for Tessa to go home now, either. The patrol had also gone to her place and torn it up, leaving a car parked outside, presumably waiting for her to return. Would everyone Katlyn knew be subjected to searches? What of her parents? Would they be safe back in Ohio? She hadn’t been able to phone them. It just wasn’t safe to put anyone else in danger. Yes, disappearing was the smartest move.

The truck came to a stop at a diner when they crossed the Iowa border. “Hope you ladies are hungry. I’m starving.”

Katlyn and Tessa nodded and got out. When they walked through the door, all eyes were on them for a moment and then the patrons went back to digging into their meals.

A waitress, about age sixty, came over with a pot of coffee, pouring it into our cups without asking. “What can I bring you folks?”

“The largest breakfast you have for me,” the cowboy said. “Eggs over easy.”

“We’ll take what he’s having, but make our eggs over hard,” Katlyn said. Once the waitress left, Katlyn asked, “Cowboy, do you have a name?”

“Angus. My mama said I was born big as a baby calf so the name has fit just nicely.”

Katlyn thought it did, too, since Angus was both tall and broad, but not in an unfit or overweight way. He looked to be solid muscle, with thick, muscled arms.

“It’s none of my business, but when was the last time you ladies had a meal?”

“A real one?” Katlyn asked. “A couple of weeks. I’d rather not go into the why’s or how come’s, if you don’t mind.”

“Wasn’t meaning to pry into your business none. I can tell life hasn’t been good for either of you, but that will change when we get to the ranch. There are plenty of wide-open spaces and big meals. Paige will make sure you’re filled out in short order.”

“What kinds of animals does the ranch have?” Tessa asked.

“We have cattle, horses, and plenty of wildlife, but they don’t bother you none. We have one of the largest ranches in the area. It’s not like back east with all the curfews and such. We’ll be going through a roadblock up ahead, though, but I know another way around it, so don’t worry.”

“Why is there a curfew back east?”

“It’s not important now. You’ll be safe at the ranch.”

The conversation was dropped when the food arrived, and both Katlyn and Tessa ate like their lives depended on it.

“Hey, hey, slow down there or you girls are gonna be having one heck of a belly ache come later.”

Katlyn nodded, slowing down her pace. When the plates were cleared, there was more food on them than either Katlyn or Tessa could eat. Katlyn’s belly had gotten full too fast since they hadn’t eaten well the last few weeks.

Angus paid for the meal and they soon were back on the road as the sun went down in the west. Katlyn yawned and nodded off, listening to Tessa asking Angus everything from how much he could bench press to how long he’d worked for the ranch. The last thing Katlyn remembered was something about a cow, but that’s when it went all black.

* * *

The car screeched to a stop and Katlyn woke up, asking, “Are we there yet?”

Angus shushed her, jumping out and approaching a group of men that held a spotlight trained on them.

“Whoa,” Tessa said. “Is that a bear?”

Katlyn gripped the dash, catching sight of a grizzly bear as it dashed off into the woods. She couldn’t help, but wonder if they were shifters, which made her wonder about Angus. It was obvious this was a roadblock of sorts, but not one manned by the Shifter Patrol. They weren’t even on the main road.

Katlyn felt nervous when the men kept pointing to the truck and voices became loud, but not loud enough for her to hear what they were saying.

* * *

“How do we know for certain they’re not part of the patrol?” a gruff man asked.

“All I know is that Paige told me to bring them to the ranch. We’re in need of a teacher for the schoolhouse, as you’re well aware,” Angus said.

“What use is education when our kind is being hunted down like prey?”

“The Shifter Patrol has stayed east of the Mississippi River. This country is too big for them to search every nook and cranny. Besides, here in the west there are many places to hide, and at the ranch, our kind is safe.”

A harsh laugh was heard, and then the gruff voice said, “For now, maybe, but that will change. Education won’t be of much use when our kind is all dead.”

“I wish you well, Raphael. It would be good if you gather together to protect the shifters in your sector. Binding together would assure all of you safety and protection.”

Raphael choked out a chuckle. “That might work in Wyoming, but not here. We’ll hold off the patrol the best we can, but know this: your life at the ranch will come to an end, eventually. Once the Shifter Patrol has murdered all of our brothers and sisters to the east, they’ll most certainly come for us here ... all of us west of the Mississippi.

* * *

Katlyn breathed heavily now, hugging Tessa close to her. She had no idea what Angus was talking about with those men, but she felt a chill all the way to her toes. “I’m so sorry, Tessa, for dragging you down with me.”

“D-Don’t worry so or I’ll worry, too. I’m not sure what will happen when we get to Wyoming, but my bet is that it will be better than from where we came.”

“It seems like a bad dream. All I wanted was a little excitement.”

“Well, it’s exciting now. Let’s just hope that we fare well in Wyoming.”

Angus jumped back in the truck and slowly drove past the men. It was some time before Katlyn was able to relax. She half expected those men to not allow them to pass.

Angus cleared his throat. “Are you okay?”

Katlyn rubbed her brow. “No. I’m not. I have so many questions that I’d like answers to. Who were those men back there?”

“Don’t worry about them. Where we’re going is safe and whatever you’re hiding from back east, forget about it. You’ll be safe. I’ll make sure of it.”

Katlyn fell silent. All she wanted was to go somewhere safe. A place where she could forget about what happened and how she saw men and women murdered in the Wilted Petal. Had it not been for Brendan and Chase, she’d have been among them. How was it possible for the government to sanction such a thing? Surely they had their own interests, but to murder citizens that had done nothing to deserve it other than go to a club … it didn’t make sense. There was nothing new about deviants, swingers, or those seeking S&M in small, dimly-lit clubs. Society these days was always so open about it, even though churches preach against of the sins of the flesh. Had someone told her that shape shifters really existed outside of novels, Katlyn would have proclaimed them insane, or mad. She still couldn’t believe she had walked into a club where shifters came to seek out the company of humans.

The life of a teacher was great, professionally speaking. Katlyn loved children, but she had that wild streak in her that not even a one-night stand could quell. That’s what had brought her to the Wilted Petal that night. She craved to do something both wild and on a whim. Getting down and nasty with two hot men appealed to her. Katlyn knew that nobody would guess just how hot their children’s teacher’s blood boiled.

Brendan and Chase had held so much promise for her. She had been shocked momentarily when she found out who they really were, or what they were, but that was all before her body responded to them, the taste of their kisses, the feel of their caresses. Oh, God, Brendan’s finger thrusting deep inside her. It was one orgasm and then it was gone, over in the blink of an eye. These men, or shifters, she’d never see again, but she hoped that they were able to escape. She never had the chance to thank them for saving her and she couldn’t allow herself to think of them dead at the hands of the patrol. She didn’t know where they came from or where they’d gone, but she felt that somehow they had survived. How would the patrol be able to hunt them down like they had her?

Katlyn vowed to forget her past, both the good and the bad. She had to; there simply wasn’t any other choice.

Chapter Four

Days later and past exhausted, Katlyn longed to be anywhere other than this God-forsaken truck. Angus was very kind to both of them, and for that she’d be eternally grateful. Tessa even seem a little taken by the man. What wasn’t to like? He wore denim, cowboy boots and a hat. Katlyn wasn’t sure if every man out west dressed like this, but she certainly hoped so. She sure would love to meet a cowboy all her own, or hopefully two.

Katlyn smiled when they drove under a huge metal sign that read, Shadow Creek. “We’re finally here?”

“Sure are,” Angus said with a hint of a smile. “I’m sure going to miss you ladies. It’s been a real pleasure.”

“What?” Tessa asked. “We won’t be seeing you around?”

“Not likely. I keep pretty busy out in the back fields. Scaring off varmints is hard work.”

Katlyn’s brow shot up. “You mean like wolves?”

“Wolves? They know better than to go near the herd. I meant rustlers. The price of beef has really gone down, too much to want to lose even one head.”

Angus passed the big house that looked to be quite the spread, a ranch style house with a tower and a bell attached. Out back was a barn and outbuildings; the smell of manure wafted over to them as they drew closer. He pulled alongside a cabin that stood amongst a group of four, this being the largest of them. It was a real log cabin, like Katlyn had seen only in books.

Katlyn was overwhelmed with emotion when they piled out of the truck and the smell of manure no longer overwhelmed her. The sight of the mountains not far off was one of the most breathtaking sights she had ever seen before. Why, she even heard a stream raging past nearby.