Shift: A Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance Read online

He shook the leaves from his hair. “I think we need to get rolling though. Noah will send out a search party if we don’t get there soon.”

  “I guess they care about their king.”

  We stood, holding hands.

  “You know this is kind of cool.” I looked up at him.

  “What?”

  “Walking through the woods naked. Very freeing.”

  He laughed loudly. “If you like this, I can make sure it happens a lot more often.”

  “Promise?” I giggled.

  He stopped to pull me into his arms and against the warmth of his chest. I felt an immediate tie to him. A string or a thread looping me to him in a way that hadn’t been there a few minutes ago.

  “Promise.”

  We stopped next to the car to find the remnants of our clothing. Going without a bra wasn’t the worst thing that could happen. Case opened the door for me and I slid in.

  He started the car and backed out of the private drive. I wondered if he had known it was there, or if it was just impeccable timing.

  He pointed us toward Charleston.

  “So, that glitter thing back there…” I didn’t know exactly how to phrase my question.

  “Yeah, I’m not trying to be vague. But a lot of shifter rules are changing. They have changed. The glitter doesn’t mean what it used to.”

  “What did it used to mean?” I asked. That was a good starting point.

  He adjusted his sight on the road. “It used to happen when a panther submitted to her fated mate. It was the sign that their bond had been evoked. It was also a sign that triggered a magical message, I guess, for the Council.”

  “So they knew if someone did it?” I scrunched up my nose.

  “Sounds bad when you say it like that, but they were the ones in charge of the panther and jaguar lines, so yes, they knew.”

  “Hmm. And now you don’t think it means that?”

  He shrugged. “The magic is so screwed up. I’ve claimed you. You’re mine. We’ve never seen that glitter before.”

  I chewed on my lip. “You aren’t worried?”

  “No.” He squeezed my thigh. “The Council is gone. The only thing I have to worry about right now is the shifters invading Charleston. They need to tuck tail and go back to Florida.”

  His eyes had that glazed ruler look. The one I had seen when he was in meetings with the Tribe.

  I’d talk to him about it tomorrow. My body felt different. It surged with new energy and power. What happened between us in the woods wasn’t old shifter magic. I stared at Case while he drove.

  It was new shifter magic.

  It was a new shifter.

  3

  Case

  Thirty minutes later I careered through Charleston’s historic district. I drove behind the Maddox compound. There was an alley that ran along the back of the brownstones. Years ago I had converted three of the buildings into one large home. Now the Tribe lived there, along with some of Donovan’s shifters.

  I cut the engine, but before I could walk around to get Cadence her hand landed on mine stopping me.

  “I just want to say something before we go inside,” she announced.

  “Babe, I’ve got to get inside. They’re waiting. All of them. And we are late.” I eyed her.

  “I know. I know the Tribe needs you, but it’s just I was thinking more about the glitter…”

  I brushed my hand next to her palm. “I’m not worried. Our bond is unbreakable. Ok?”

  She shook her head. “Case, I’m not worried about you and me. We’re good.” She smiled.

  Just then I heard the rap on the top of the car. Noah grinned widely.

  “You two take a detour?”

  “Shut up.” I glared at him and hopped out of the car.

  Cadence stepped from the car and closed her door. “Can we … I just want to talk really fast before the meetings start.”

  “We have clear descriptions and two locations now,” Noah reported.

  I looked back at Cadence. “We’ll talk. I swear. Try not to worry.” I kissed the top of her head.

  She walked around to the trunk. “Ok, but…” She paused. “You’re right. We can talk in the morning over breakfast?”

  “Sounds good, babe.”

  “I’m just going to get my bags and then head up.”

  “One of the guys can get that. Noah, send someone out,” I ordered.

  “No, no. I can wheel in a suitcase. Go. I’m going to take a shower and get in bed. The one nap wasn’t enough.”

  Noah leaned toward me. “They are in the great room. Everybody.”

  “Got it.” I had to get in there. Cadence always came first for me. She always would and all the jags inside who had a mate understood that, but I was still their king and I had a responsibility to them.

  I looked back at Cadence. She hauled her suitcase from the trunk and slung her overnight bag over her shoulder, throwing me a smile.

  “I’m fine. Go,” she urged.

  Noah ushered me in toward the Tribe.

  Everyone was here. After all the months of sending scouts and trying to get a handle on what the Litchfield shifters were planning, I was finally having my first meeting with all of my main players in the same place at the same time.

  I hugged Drew.

  “Good to see you, brother.”

  He grinned. “You too. Francesca’s upstairs with the other mates.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. Cadence will have someone to keep her company.”

  Caroline cleared her voice. She was the one mate who was as much of a scout as the rest. She was the only panther in the group. I tried not to feel envious toward Donovan for winning her the way he did. Or for the fact that he had a panther who was a warrior.

  What Cadence and I had was special on its own. I didn’t care that she wasn’t a panther. I loved her. I realized the irony. I was the king of a tribe of jaguars and the only one with a human mate.

  “Hi, Caroline.” I nodded at the regent’s mate.

  “Your majesty.” She bowed, showing respect. Her eyes never left mine.

  The remainder of the jaguars took turns greeting and nodding toward me. The Tribe was a powerful clan. I had trained and ruled them as a leader who was always prepared for battle. The Litchfields had brought the battle to us, and I didn’t like that. I preferred to be the one on the conquest. Playing defense sucked.

  “What’s the new information you have, Donovan?” I started with the highest-ranking jag.

  I sat in a leather chair next to the fire. I waited while Josh poured a round of drinks for everyone. The bourbon wasn’t going to last long in this house.

  “One of my scouts has pinpointed the location of the Litchfield’s prince. We know where they are meeting.” Donovan stood, his hands folded in front of him.

  I grinned. “That’s fucking good news.”

  “It is. I also found out they had a meeting earlier tonight.”

  My eyebrows rose. “Do we know what it was about?”

  Donovan shook his head. “No, I only know that all twelve were in attendance.”

  “Then it was something important. A final set of instructions perhaps.” I mulled the information over in my head. I had gotten here just in time.

  “I sent back the scout to complete a full check of the property once they’ve all cleared out. We’re hoping to get more information.”

  “And he can get inside?”

  Caroline laughed. “Yes, she can.”

  “Sorry.” I frowned at her. “When do you expect to hear back from her?”

  I didn’t know everyone Donovan had on his team. I left it up to him to decide which shifters to employ.

  “By morning,” Caroline announced. “She won’t leave there until she has details. She’s good.”

  “And where did this scout come from?” I asked.

  Caroline and Donovan looked at each other as if they were afraid to tell me.

  “Spit it out,” I seethed. “Who is she?”
r />   “Bey,” Caroline answered.

  My eyes flared. They had lost their damn minds.

  “Bey? You brought one of my wives into this?”

  “She’s a Nox,” Caroline argued. “And you’re with Cadence. You don’t have any wives.”

  It was true, once we had taken out the Council, my list of wives ceased to exist. There was no list. There were no other wives. Bey wasn’t a woman I had looked twice at—she had been too far down on the list to even worry about.

  I shook my head. Shit. I had never spoken more than five words to Bey. I didn’t care about her. But Cadence might. This could be awkward. And after tonight with her worrying about the mating glitter, I didn’t need the added stress.

  “She’s the best scout? One of Dare’s panthers? You seriously brought the Nox into this?”

  Donovan stepped in front of Caroline. “She knows her scouts. If Car says Bey is the best. Then Bey is the best.”

  I grumbled, but I wasn’t going to argue in front of the Tribe. They needed leadership, not dissent. I’d handle Bey when I saw her. The fact that Bey was in my ex’s panther clan was an unfortunate circumstance, but she was already out on assignment.

  “What else do you have?”

  “I sent someone to Florida to infiltrate another clan. We need to know why the Litchfields are migrating.”

  “And?” I liked the way Donovan thought. Even if we didn’t always agree, he had progressive strategies. Charleston was still mine. He had done his job up until this point.

  He shook his head. “It’s taking time. Jaguars are suspicious right now. It’s hard to get anyone to talk. They are especially suspicious of panthers.”

  “Fuck. Did someone else from the Nox go down there?” I needed more bourbon for this meeting. This couldn’t be happening.

  Donovan clenched his teeth. “I don’t have an army of panthers to choose from. They volunteered, your majesty.”

  “Who was it this time?”

  “Maya.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. She was not one of my potential wives. But she was still a part of the Nox.

  “Good.” I glared at him. “But she’s the last one. No more Nox. You understand?” I pointed toward him. “I don’t want them in this fight. Find someone else if you need backup.”

  Eli spoke up. “I think they are trying to repay us somehow.”

  Noah nodded. “Vix even offered.”

  My eyes widened. She hated our guts. “Vix? Vix wants the Tribe to keep their territory?” I sat back in my seat and held out my glass for another round. I wished I could blame it on the whiskey, but I was still sober. None of this made sense.

  Six months ago the Nox and the Tribe were at each other’s throats and now there was some kind of strange peace treaty between our two clans. It was unfathomable. The war against the Council had shifted more than just magic.

  “We need their help,” Eli added. “They are strong panthers. If they want to take down the Litchfields with us, then let them.”

  My eyes cut to Eli. “I’ll decide who joins my army.”

  “Right.” He took a step back. “Sorry,” he grumbled.

  Bey was working Charleston. Maya was in Florida. And now Vix wanted to fight. I took another chug of bourbon. What in the hell was happening in my kingdom?

  The shifters around me must have thought the situation was dire for them to come together like this.

  And that made me more nervous than anything else. They were scared.

  “Let me know when Bey returns,” I stood from the group. “I’d like to speak with her.”

  I was ready to head upstairs. I needed a shower. And I wanted to talk to Cadence. I would have to explain why Bey was working with us and why the other Nox had joined. On top of that Cadence still had questions about the glitter. I needed to fill her in on how the mating ritual used to work.

  By now we should have been married. I knew that. I hadn’t planned a ceremony. I hadn’t made it official. But why in the hell did I have to? She was mine. She had given herself to me and I had given her everything I had.

  I didn’t want another woman. I didn’t want another panther. She was my life. I didn’t need a fucking ceremony to prove it. The last time I tried that it didn’t make any difference. What Cadence and I had was all the proof I needed that we were mates.

  Fucked up green glitter traditions and mating ceremonies hadn’t made me love her any more or less.

  I was starting to think it would be safer for her to head somewhere else. Georgia was still too close. It couldn’t be Sullen’s Grove. We needed a place secure and far from the battle. Maybe California. Or even Europe. I could have Drew and Francesca take her. Family might be the best protection. My brother wouldn’t let anyone near her.

  Noah came up next to me. “Can I talk to you?”

  I cut him a sideways glance. “Can it wait until morning? Cadence is upstairs.”

  “No.”

  “All right. Five minutes.”

  He followed me to the library and we closed the door.

  4

  Cadence

  I soaked in the oversized tub, letting the bubbles tickle my skin. Everything about this place was luxurious. Case must have spent a fortune renovating it. The claw foot tub was cut from a solid slab of marble. I’d never seen anything like it. It was smooth and polished. He had done amazing things with this house. I wished I had known him then. I would have loved to have had a hand in that makeover.

  The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that Charleston was the perfect place to work on my dream. This city had far more dilapidated houses than Sullen’s Grove had. And the antique warehouses were piled with furniture. I did love my catering businesses back home, but there was something about Charleston that called to me.

  Case never let me venture out without a full entourage of guards. Only on one occasion, did he go with me. Once he flipped his grandmother’s cabin, I think he started to see the value in making something old new again.

  But he was so preoccupied with this damn shifter war, convincing him to go antiquing with me wasn’t easy. I watched as a few drops of essential oils swirled into the water one by one.

  I couldn’t expect him to ignore what was at stake, just to feed my love for furniture flipping. Once the war was over we could move forward.

  I let my hands rest on my stomach. Forward had already happened. How was I going to tell him? When was the right time? If he didn’t have the time to help me strip paint off an old buffet, how could I make the timing perfect for the announcement of our baby.

  Our baby.

  I let it sink in. We had gone crazy in the woods. So crazy that our bond had created something neither Case nor I had even thought was possible.

  A smile crept over my lips. It was what I had wanted. To be his mate in every way possible. To give him cubs. To raise his children.

  He swore to me we could talk about a baby after the Litchfields were gone. It wasn’t like we hadn’t tried. We had. But the news hadn’t been good. I was human. Too human. And without the Council, it had seemed as if getting pregnant by a jaguar was going to be impossible.

  I was annoyed that she-panthers had some kind of spontaneous ovulation I didn’t have. If only I had been a shifter, this would have been solved by now. I could have been carrying Case’s baby much sooner than this. But there wasn’t room for anger or bitterness anymore. It had happened.

  The water was starting to feel lukewarm. I carefully climbed from the tub and wrapped myself in a long terry cloth robe. I padded to the bedroom, plopped on the bed and picked up the remote. Maybe Fixer Upper would distract me. Because if I started thinking about the baby and wondering how we were going to manage, I would only get myself worked up.

  I flipped through the channels looking for my favorite show.

  The TV was full of static. I switched to another one. Same thing.

  “Damn it,” I muttered.

  If I was going to watch anything, I would have to use Wi-Fi
. I looked next to the bed for my laptop bag. It wasn’t there. I looked by the dresser and next to the master suite door. I must have left it in the car.

  I thought about paging one of the guys to get it, but they were in a serious strategy meeting. I tied the belt across my waist, slipped on matching slippers, and walked down the back staircase toward the kitchen entrance. Case had parked close to the house. Hopefully no one had moved the car yet.

  I unlocked the door and rummaged through the trunk for my bag. I kept all of my catering appointments and my portfolio inside it. If I did end up moving Achording to Cadence here, I needed something impressive to share with new clients.

  It wasn’t in the front seat either.

  I huffed, moving boxes and one of Case’s gym bags. “Ah-hah!” I felt triumphant when I spotted the leather case behind the driver’s side. I sprawled across the seat to pull it from the floor, when I felt a rough hand shove my legs onto the floor and slam the door behind me.

  I looked up and screamed when I saw two men climb into the front seat and wrestled the keys from my hands.

  They put the keys in the ignition and backed out of the driveway, kicking gravel as they spun out of the alley.

  “Who are you? What’s going on?” I squeaked.

  The passenger shoved my head to the floor of the SUV.

  “Shut up,” he growled.

  My heart clenched with fear and anxiety. I felt like crying and screaming, but I held it in.

  He had my neck twisted in an awkward position as he pressed me into the floorboards. “Just tell me what you want,” I whispered, trying to keep my voice even and calm.

  They both laughed.

  “As if you don’t know.”

  My eyes widened. “I-I don’t.” My throat almost clamped shut. I didn’t know how long I could keep it together.

  I couldn’t even get a look at them. They had dark smooth voices, and the one who shoved me beneath the seats was strong. Shifter kind of strong.

  I closed my eyes, trying to take in a breath to steady myself. Think, Cadence. Think.

  They laughed. “We get that you’re blond, but don’t try to play the dumb card. You wouldn’t be the Maddox queen if you were that stupid.”