Shifters Gone Alpha (9 page)

CHAPTER TWO

Selena woke with a start when her alarm went off, the buzzing jolting her into an upright position. She smashed at the buttons, muting it before flopping back onto her pillow. Her heart beat out of control; her breath was labored. She’d been having the oddest dream.

In it, she’d stood in the middle of a clearing in the woods and she wasn’t alone. The moonlight shone down on her and her companions. People whose faces she couldn’t see surrounded her, chanting softly. Someone walked up behind her, resting their hands on her shoulders. They were big, strong and yet gentle. It had to have been a man. Someone she felt a strange connection to, as if she knew him from another time, another place.

He pulled the cape off her shoulders, letting it drop to the ground, baring her naked body. A zing raced down her spine when he pressed a kiss to her shoulder. His firm lips trailing up her neck until they brushed the outer shell of her ear.

“I’ve been waiting for you. Waiting until you were ready.”
He bit her lobe gently, soothing the mark with his tongue…and then she woke up.

Damn, she wished she’d stayed asleep a little bit longer in order to find out what he planned to do next. She missed having a man in her life. Make that a
good
man in her life. She missed the intimacy. The spiritual and intellectual connection. Someone to talk to, or just simply coexist with.

The man in her dream could have provided all of those things. She instinctively knew he could be the one to fill the gaping, lonely hole in her heart. The other half of her soul…the yin to her yang. If only she could make him appear, conjure him from thin air.

Sighing heavily, she let her eyes slide shut. Maybe it was time to get out in the dating scene again. Enough time had passed since her last disastrous relationship. She’d escaped her ex-boyfriend a bit battered and bruised, but definitely much wiser. She’d moved to a new city for a fresh start and built a new life for herself. She had a job she enjoyed, even though it freaked most people out. She’d taken the time to focus solely on her wants, needs, and desires. Her mind and body were finally in a good place.

The alarm buzzed, jolting her again. “Fucking snooze button.” Rolling out of bed, she made sure she turned the damn thing off. She stretched and ambled to the bathroom to get a start on her day as the sun dipped down, bringing forth the night.

Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, long blonde hair pulled into a slick ponytail, Selena brewed a pot of coffee to help her get through the night. Another late shift in the morgue receiving, moving and cleaning corpses, and on rare occasions when Hammond had time, he let her take on a bigger role of helping him with autopsies. It wasn’t the most glamorous job, but it suited her. At least the corpses never talked back or complained about customer service.

Hot brew poured into her thermos, she dropped it into her backpack and headed out the door. The night closed around her, the soft sounds of the city firing her blood. People prowled, enveloping her into their midst, making her feel like she was part of their lives. It was going to be a good night. She could feel it in her bones.

Selena waved to Dr. Hammond as he drove off, leaving her to walk home.
Another twelve hour shift in the can
. The evening proved to be busy just like the day before. “Winter blues and Spring fever my ass.”

Hammond’s reasoning for the busy nights didn’t wash with her, no matter how many times he tried to convince her. The body count was too high for drunken nights and death defying shenanigans. Don’t even get her started on the weird cases.

Bodies without a drop of blood in them dumped in the receiving bay without a sound. Canine bites accompanied by deep gouges across the bodies. Not to mention the woman who’d literally been scared to death; her face frozen in fear. There was no obvious cause of death and when Hammond did the autopsy, he couldn’t find anything internally either. 

So caught up in her thoughts, Selena didn’t notice the man in the alleyway up ahead. She didn’t see the frantic, crazed look in his eyes, the dirt and grime covering his clothes and body, or the knife he clutched in a white knuckled grip until it was too late.

He reached for her as she swerved at the last minute to avoid him. His filthy hand clamped hard over her mouth, cutting off her attempt to scream. Pressing the knife against her throat, he dragged her down the alley into the dark shadows where no one would see them. 

Her fight or flight instinct was derailed by the stench washing over her, making her eyes water and stomach turn. The smell was worse than anything she’d ever experienced before, including the fragrant scents that came into the morgue. The grungy man’s body was ripe with sweat and the acrid smell of urine. Bile rose in her throat, adding to her difficulties breathing.

“You thought you could get away from me, Selena,” he sneered. His hot, foul breath wafted against her cheek, sending her stomach into convulsions. “You can’t. You’re mine and always will be. No one will
ever
have you. I’ll make sure of that.”

Stunned to hear her ex-boyfriend’s voice, she quit moving. Her body went limp, and he was forced to drag her further into the darkness.

She couldn’t believe he’d tracked her down. For over a year she’d lived without fear. Thinking she’d moved far enough away from the abusive man. Stupidly believing he was too dumb to track her down. As her disbelief faded, replaced by fear, she went into a panic. She needed to get away. Needed to fight back.

She squirmed in his hold and clawed at his hand covering her mouth. Before she knew it, the hand was gone. A rough push against the wall knocked the breath and fight out of her, cutting off her attempt to scream for help. As she tried to catch her breath, her brain went into overdrive. She’d never been able to match him physically. Fighting back made him meaner and rougher. The hits would come harder, the kicks swifter.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she sorted through her options. There really weren’t many. She’d have to wait for him to turn her around before she could attack. The heavy metal thermos in her backpack would be a good weapon. It was still mostly full. She’d never had a chance during the nightshift to take a break and drink it.

The press of his heavy body along her back held her in place. He grabbed her bag, throwing it to the ground and out of the way. The loud thud dashing her hopes to use it against him. Fear skittered along her nerves as he pressed in closer.

“I’ve been waiting, watching you from a distance. You aren’t a very smart girl, Selena. You walk home alone every day. Same route, no variation. It’s like you wanted me to find you. Is that what you wanted, baby? Did you miss me? Hoped I’d find you and make you mine again?”

He pressed his pelvis against her ass, the hard ridge of his erection rubbing against her. Her body shook with revulsion. He ran his free hand down her side, and then pushed it between her and the wall. He groped her breast painfully. She bucked in an attempt to move him. The throw him off, but it was no use. Jason laughed maniacally. The deep disturbed sound vibrating through her.

He’d been a big man the last time she saw him, and that hadn’t changed in the intervening year. In fact, he seemed bigger…harder…rougher. But then, it could be her high state of panic making her feel that way. At least she hoped.

The knife twisted, pressing tighter against her throat the more distracted he became. Her airway was slowly being cut off from the pressure. Pain unlike anything she’d felt before radiated through her. Tears pricked her eyes and bile rose higher in her throat. She wished for death but wasn’t sure it would be swift enough.

CHAPTER THREE

Malcolm Turner lost track of Selena. Panic infused his tiny frame. Something was wrong.

One minute he was following the sweet citrusy scent he’d associated with her, the next, the foul smell of desperation and cruelty invaded his keen senses. The two smells overlapped, and he knew his kind beauty was in trouble.

On quiet feet, Malcolm raced after the toxic scent, tracking it to the alley a block from where Selena lived. Slinking between the boxes and trash littering the way, he caught sight of her halfway down the alley, tucked away in the shadows. A man held a knife to her throat, mumbling incoherently under his breath. Every few seconds a deep frenzied laugh escaped.

Anger like he’d never felt before coursed through Malcolm’s tiny cat frame. It took all of his strength to kept from shifting and ripping the man to shreds. Fear of the stranger hurting Selena because of Malcolm’s reckless actions the only thing stopping him. He needed to distract the man first. Force his attention elsewhere.

Padding over to them, Malcolm wound around Selena’s legs making his presence known, as well as getting a feel for her state of mind. A whimper escaped her mouth, her distress palpable. The man paid no attention to him, his focus solely on Selena.

Malcolm circled again, this time stopping behind the man. Rising on his back legs he sank his front claws into the man’s calves through his flimsy pants, digging them in before ripping down.

The man yowled in pain, swinging his free hand at Malcolm before shaking him off with a vicious kick. “Goddamn cat,” he screeched. His boot shot out, missing Malcolm by an inch.

Backing away from them, Malcolm waited until the man’s attention was back on Selena. Shifting into a large human-sized cat, standing on his hind legs, he moved to the side of them. Easily topping the man’s six-foot frame by a few inches. Malcolm reached out with his paw, tapping the man on his shoulder.

The man growled, then looked Malcolm’s way. Malcolm took great satisfaction in watching the blood drain from his face, his eyes bugged out, and his mouth flapped open and closed like a dying fish. Fear raced across his ashen face.

Malcolm shot a look at a shocked Selena, then back to the revolting piece of human flesh molesting the woman meant to be his. “Meow,” he said in a very human voice.

The knife clattered to the ground as the man took a giant step back, letting go of Selena in the process. “What the fuck?” He shook his head from side to side; panic and disbelief clear on his face.

Stalking toward him, Malcolm shifted again. Turning into yet another of his many forms: a man with large black-feathered wings. Flexing them, he stirred the air, feeling the freedom and power the form brought. He was rare for his kind, a man instead of a woman. His people considered him a gift from the Gods for their many years of service. Malcolm knew differently. His existence was for only one reason—to be the guide, the familiar, and consort of Selena, the last of the Supreme Witches. She didn’t know it now, but she was destined to help save the supernatural beings of the world in the future and he would be by her side every step of the way. Caring for her. Loving her.

Flexing his wings again, the man shrank back in fear.

Malcolm grinned in sick satisfaction at seeing the man’s cowering form. Malcolm was a bringer of death. A bad omen to some; and only good to those who deserved it. He conversed with demons and angels. And this man was going to meet his destiny. There was a place in the seven rings of Hell waiting for him.

Pinning him in place with a look, Malcolm stepped close. He placed his hand on the man’s heart, chanting in a low whispered tone.

I grasp your Soul…

You’ll meet your Fate…

Angel or Demon…

Take him to his Gate.

Beneath his hand the man’s heart slowed to a stop, his soul seeping from his worthless body; floating into the waiting hands of an Oni demon, ready to carry the wicked soul to the Underworld. Lifeless, the man’s body crumpled to the ground in a heap. To a human, the man would appear to have died of a heart attack. To those in the supernatural world, they would see the truth. His body would appear gray, and carved into his forehead would be the emblem of the Oni: a demon’s face with long horns and vicious teeth. Its mouth pulled back into a snarl.

Turning back toward Selena, Malcolm waited for the horror to cross her face. To see the disgust and fear he’d seen the last time he’d stolen a person’s soul. All he saw was surprise mixed with relief. Tentatively, Malcolm approached; holding his hand out, praying Selena would take it. “It’s okay now Selena, he won’t bother you again,” Malcolm whispered, not wanting to startle her.

Selena’s eyes darted away from the dead man. With brows furrowed in confusion, she locked onto Malcolm’s face. “I know you?”

It wasn’t what he expected to come out of her pretty pink bow lips, but he would take confusion over anything else at the moment. “Yes. We’ve met many times before. Just never like this.” Looking down, Malcolm became acutely aware of his naked form for the first time since he’d shifted. Judging by the appreciative look on her face, she didn’t seem to mind.

Loathing the thought of covering up, he compromised by wrapping his wings around his body. Selena’s delicate hand stroked his dark feathers. The gentle touch lighting a fire in his wings that flowed from the outer tips straight into his body.

“I would have remembered meeting you,” Selena said, her voice husky with arousal. Her large blue eyes filled with gratitude and lust.

Malcolm sucked in a big breath. So as not the toss her up against the wall and take her like he wanted, he rethought the idea of shifting forms. “Maybe this will help.” Taking a step back, he changed back into his original form, the black cat Selena named Felix.  A second later, he was scooped up into her arms without warning, shocking his tiny cat frame with continuous pulses of pleasure.