The Lion Within (Ghost Cat Shifters #1) (3 page)

His mother’s eyes filled with tears again. He snagged a tissue from the box on the table by her bed and handed it to her. After she wiped her eyes, she took a labored breath. “Everyone in my family is a shifter. I’m one and so are you.”

He felt like he was falling from a great height. Stunned, he simply stared at her.

“Those times you felt so strange were when your lion wanted to come out. But you have to be ready and accept it for a full shift to happen. I’m so sorry I didn’t say anything sooner, but I promised your father I wouldn’t. The day before he died, he gave me permission to tell you when I thought the time was right. David died because he shifted at a playground. He had learned how to shift, but he didn’t know how to control it yet. The man who shot him only saw a mountain lion in the middle of a bunch of children. Normally, I wouldn’t have taken him to a park like that, but it was a school day trip. It was a horrible accident. Your father knew I was a shifter, his whole family knew. They were safe, and they’d protected the secret of shifters for years. After David died, I promised your father I wouldn’t tell you. He didn’t want you to die the same way.”

Daniel sat there and tried to wrap his brain around what his mother was telling him. Somehow he stumbled through the rest of the conversation. She’d insisted he come back to talk more. In the intervening weeks before his mother died, she shared as much information as she could about her side of the family. Sadly, David’s death had not only pushed their mother to disavow the shifter side of herself, but it had threatened the safety of the rest of her family. Shifters had lived in secret for centuries. David’s unintentional shift had led to his own tragic death and heightened fear about shifters among those who were uncertain of their existence.

Daniel thought back to the day he’d hiked deep into the mountains and shifted. The visceral sensations that had so frightened him before whipped fluidly through him. He hadn’t known what to expect. Doubt and disbelief dissolved in the face of reality as he stood there, fur rippling over his skin, power coursing through every step he took. In his lion form, he felt like he’d found a part of himself. He’d bounded free through the woods. It was as if his lion had been desperate for this day. It was past sunset with darkness thick in the trees when he shifted back into human form where he’d started.

Until that afternoon, he hadn’t quite believed his mother. He hadn’t thought she was lying, it was simply what she told him was so hard to believe. His mother had explained he would have been able to shift many years sooner, but it wasn’t until adolescence the powers gained strength and became hard to resist. David’s shadow had hung over his family for years, and now he knew why. He’d had a happy childhood despite the grief of his brother’s death within the family.

Daniel shook his head, nudging his brain back to the present. He’d come to Painter to try to find all that had been lost for his family. He hoped to reconnect with any remaining family members left in Painter. He glanced at his watch and pushed away from his desk. He meant to get outside today, and he still had several hours of daylight left.

Chapter 3

Sophia wiped down the back counters in the coffee shop and started the industrial dishwasher. The evening was winding down with closing time on its way. She glanced around the back, quickly noting that Tommy had already taken care of most everything in preparation for closing. He’d even prepped pastries for tomorrow morning. She washed her hands and walked back out front. The early evening crowd was comprised mostly of college students studying with a few tables chatting quietly.

She stepped to the counter to Tommy’s side. “You can head out whenever you’re ready,” she said.

Tommy glanced to her, his brown eyes crinkling at the corners with his grin. “You sure?”

Tommy Dawson came from another local shifter family. He was a few years younger than her, but she’d known him all of her life since their families were close. She’d hired him when her mother nudged her to do so. She hadn’t regretted it since. Tommy was reliable and a hard worker. He was also friendly, warm and engaging. At her nod, he ran a hand through his blondish-brown hair and untied the red apron with the Mile High Grounds logo on it.
 
“I’m on first thing tomorrow, so I’ll see you in the morning.”

“That you will. Now go do something other than work!”

Tommy grabbed his jacket and headed out. Sophia tended the counter, which at this hour was a fairly quiet activity. She prepped herself a coffee and sipped on it while she flipped through today’s paper. At the sound of her name, she looked up, straight into Daniel Hayes’ eyes. Once again, he managed to rob her of her breath and her pulse took off.

When she didn’t say anything right away, Daniel spoke. “How’s it going? Hope it’s not too late to order a coffee.”

She mentally grabbed at her scattered thoughts and nodded, finally willing herself to speak. “Oh, of course it’s not too late.” She gestured to the small neon sign blinking in the window. “We’re still open. What can I get for you?”

“What did I have yesterday?” he said, his mouth curling into a smile.

While she wasn’t thinking too clearly, she remembered his order without a doubt because she’d replayed every word of their conversation too many times. She felt so silly, but Daniel called to her. She felt like she was back in high school experiencing her first crush. A passing encounter with him yesterday, and she could hardly stop thinking about him. Nothing but silly, girlish fantasies—she needed to get a grip and fast. “A double shot Americano. Would you like another?”

“Absolutely. Best coffee I’ve ever had,” he said with a slow smile that sent flutters swirling through her belly.

“Coming right up.” She stepped to the espresso machine and prepped his coffee, grateful for the busy work for a few minutes. All he had to do was smile, and she started to melt.

She slid his coffee across the counter. His fingers brushed against hers when he took it. Electricity zapped from her fingertips and spun through the rest of her body. Her breath hitched, and slivers of heat slid through her veins. Daniel immediately took a swallow of coffee, closing his eyes with a sigh. “As good as I remembered.” His blue eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled again. He tugged his wallet out, his t-shirt riding up at the waist, revealing a flash of his rock-hard abs.

Somehow, she fumbled through ringing him up. He didn’t seem inclined to go anywhere and leaned his hip against the counter. “Since you grew up here, I figured maybe you could tell me all the places I should check out around Painter.”

Sophia tried to quell her skittering pulse, but she seemed to have little control over it, so she simply took a deep breath. Day in and day out, she chatted with customers, plenty of them handsome guys. Though on the small side, Painter was home to a state university and renowned for its skiing and hiking. As such, the town was filled to the brim with rugged, outdoorsy men. A healthy shifter population only added fuel to that fire. Male shifters were pure masculinity, strong and sexy with an alpha edge that couldn’t be denied. Yet, she’d never been affected by any shifter the way Daniel affected her. He seemed to have a straight line to her body, the chemistry flickering hot and fast.

She glanced to Daniel and wondered what he knew of his heritage. She’d done a little sleuthing about his family since Vivi reminded her who they were. Sarah Hayes came from a family of shifters in Painter. His father attended college in Painter, which is how he met Daniel’s mother. Sophia had no way of knowing if Daniel’s father knew much about shifters, if he even knew she was a shifter. She’d sought out her mother for the story because she didn’t want to end up being the source for the rumor mill that would most definitely start spinning once word got around that Daniel was here. Whether he knew it or not, the legend his family left behind was bitter and sad for the shifter community. Her mother would hold her silence. Lila Ashworth knew everything there was to know about anyone in Painter. She’d quickly repeated the story about Daniel’s brother, David, and then shared the history of Sarah’s family.

“After David died, the Weaver’s closed up ranks. It was just Sarah’s parents and her older brother. They kept a low profile and laid low. Her parents passed away not much later. Her brother is still around. Nelson Weaver. He keeps to himself. He lives on the family’s property on the outskirts of town.”

She belatedly realized she’d yet to reply to Daniel’s comment. “Well, you found the best coffee place in town. Aside from that, Painter has some good restaurants. With the college here, Painter has some culture even though it’s a small town in the Rockies. We’re mostly known for the skiing and outdoors stuff. Although that’s not specific to Painter. Find any town around here and it’s filled with people seeking to escape to the wilderness. They don’t like to talk about how half the reason the towns keep growing around here is because we make sure they have all the amenities they want. Anyway, what do you think so far? Is Painter as beautiful as your mother told you?”

Daniel’s mouth hooked in a half-smile. He took another slow sip of coffee before he replied. “It is.” He appeared to be considering something. She took a moment to soak him in. Her gut sensed he was a shifter. He emanated strength and an easy masculinity, which only added to his appeal.

“I’m wondering if you know anything about my family,” Daniel said suddenly. “You mentioned you know most everyone in Painter since you grew up here. I didn’t get much of a chance to know my mother’s family.”

Sophia met his eyes and saw curiosity with a hint of sadness underneath. She couldn’t know with certainty, but she sensed he knew what happened to his brother and why his parents left Painter. Her heart clenched. She may have barely known him, but what had happened to his brother was heartbreaking. Shifters lived every day knowing they were walking between worlds. For his brother to die the way he did was uniquely painful. His death was solely due to shifting in the wrong place at the wrong time. All she could do was be honest, so that’s what she did.

“Your family moved away before I was born, but I know a little bit about them.” She paused and looked around the coffee shop. Only a few customers remained. She looked back to Daniel, trying to gauge what she should say.

He held her gaze, his expression somber. When he spoke, his voice was gruff. “You don’t have to be afraid to talk about it. I know what happened to my brother.”

“Oh… I’m sorry. I really am,” she said because she didn’t know what else to say, or how to acknowledge what had happened. So many years had passed, but she couldn’t imagine what it must be like for him to return to the town where his brother died in the manner he did.

He gulped his coffee, as if fortifying himself. “It wasn’t your fault. No need to apologize.”

“I just meant I’m sorry it happened.”

He nodded. “Right. Thanks. It’s been a long time. I didn’t mean to start such a serious conversation. I came here for the reason I said before. My mother loved Painter and missed it dearly. I also wanted a chance to see if I could find anyone from my mother’s family.”

Her mind spinning with the implications of Daniel’s return here, she looked over at him and wondered what else she could tell him. Beyond the bare minimum, she didn’t have much more to offer about his family. She started with what little she had. “Your mother’s brother, Nelson Weaver, is the only one left in Painter. He lives on your grandparent’s old property. Honestly, the person you might want to talk to would be my mother.”

Daniel’s brows hitched up. “Really? Why your mother?”

She smiled ruefully. “Because she knows everyone and everything. She’s also old enough to know a lot more about your family than me. I can take you to meet her if you’d like.”

“I’d like that if you don’t think she’d mind.”

Sophia mentally rolled her eyes. She loved her mother dearly, but her mother loved to be involved. That wasn’t always Sophia’s preference, but for now it would work in Daniel’s favor.

“Trust me, she won’t mind. I’ll give her a call about it.”

“I’d really appreciate it.”

At that moment, another customer approached the counter. Sophia prepped another coffee and handed it over. “We’re closing up in fifteen minutes,” she called out to the room in general.

The interruption knocked her conversation with Daniel onto more casual terrain, which she figured was a good thing. With little to offer, she didn’t want to dwell on the sad situation surrounding his brother’s death because she couldn’t imagine it was pleasant for him.

Shortly thereafter, the coffee shop emptied and she got ready to close. Daniel had lingered by the counter. When she took her jacket off the hook behind the counter, he caught her eyes. “Can I walk you out?”

His question startled her, and she froze for a long moment. With his blue eyes holding hers, she couldn’t look away and nodded without thinking.

***

Daniel held his breath while he waited for Sophia to answer. He’d stopped by Mile High Grounds telling himself he just needed a coffee. In the back of his mind, he wondered if he’d encounter Sophia and wondered yet again if she was as beautiful as he recalled. She was…and then some. He hadn’t meant to ask about his family so abruptly, but he felt comfortable with her. There had been a flicker of surprise in her eyes when he mentioned he knew what happened to his brother. He could only imagine the incident had lingered in the memory of Painter. He was relieved for the interruption of the customer and then the bustle of Sophia saying goodbye as the other customers filtered out. Though the topic of David’s death weighed on him, he’d had most of his life to accept it. He was glad to have the conversation naturally move on.

Sophia finally nodded, her green eyes bright with a flicker of uncertainty. He waited by the door while she flicked off the lights and turned the sign to ‘closed’ in the window. He followed her out onto the sidewalk. It was early evening with yet another glorious sunset over the mountains. The sky was painted in watercolor swirls of fading orange and red, the golden globe of the sun glowing bright as it fell behind the ridge ahead. Sophia wore black leggings and cowboy boots with a loose denim jacket tossed over a purple t-shirt.