A Shifter's Curse, Raven Steele [the top 100 crime novels of all time .TXT] 📗

"You're a witch?" My eyes dropped to her license tag hanging from the car's radio nob. Her name was Roma. I looked up. "Hey, they're getting away."

She waved her hand. "Nah. I've spelled the car. I can track them anywhere now, at least for the next hour anyway." She glanced over her shoulder at me. "What's a nice wolf girl like you trying to track down Dominic? It will only get you into trouble, that I can promise."

"One, I'm not a nice wolf and, two, I've got a bone to pick with him."

"Tell me something new. You and half this town have some kind of grudge against him, but I've got to be honest with you. Those who do something about it, disappear. I'd hate to see that happen to you. I've got a good sense about people, and you are one of the good ones." She wrinkled her weathered brow and turned a corner. "But I also sense darkness inside you. It could be your downfall if you're not careful."

I huffed. "Don't be doing any of that witch mumbo-jumbo on me. I don't want to know my future or about any monsters inside me. The only monster I want to know about is Dominic."

"Fair enough." She turned another corner as if she knew exactly where she was supposed to go. Her sleeve shortened briefly, revealing a tattooed symbol on the inside of her wrist. It was a black circle with what looked like barbed wire around the outside with the outline of a bird on the inside.

"Dominic lives in a huge place called Fire Ridge on the outside of town," she began. "It's where the Silver Claws hang out."

"I haven't seen it yet, but I have met one of their pack members." My loins burned just thinking about that hot shifter.

She lifted her eyebrows. "And they didn't take you in? A lone wolf?"

"How do you know I'm a lone wolf?"

"Because you reek of independence and insubordination."

I leaned back against the seat, spreading my legs. "That's probably the best thing you've smelled in years."

She cracked a smile. "I admit, it is a pleasant scent I don't often enjoy in this city."

I turned and stared out the window while Roma turned onto a long stretch of road, one darker than the last. There were no street lights, and the car's headlights swallowed the road as we drove. "They appear to be heading toward Fire Ridge. Do you want me to keep going?"

"How much further?"

"Two miles up the road."

"Can you let me off here?"

She pulled the car over to the shoulder and parked. "I must warn you. My stomach doesn't feel right."

"Don't vomit on the seats,” I said. “I did that once and had to use a squeegee to get that shit out."

"No, I mean, that's how I feel just before something bad happens."

I avoided her gaze and opened the door. "I'm sure I'll be fine."

She startled me by grabbing my hand suddenly. "Here." She handed me her card. "Call me if you ever get into trouble. I don't sleep much."

I slid my hand out from under hers. I didn't like people touching me, but a car on hand could be convenient. "Fine."

I programmed her number into my phone and slipped outside, closing the door before she could give me any more premonition crap. That's the last thing I needed. Nothing could derail me from my goal. The hate for Dominic and Silas had long ago wrapped my heart in a cold shell.

As Roma drove away, I quickly shed my clothes. I only had maybe five hours until sunrise. That should give me enough time to survey the place. I needed to learn how many shifters hung out at Fire Ridge, and do it all without getting caught.

I was only three steps into the darkness of the forest before my body shimmered, then shifted into a large wolf in less than a second. My transformation was far quicker than other wolves, a result of having my wolf emerge at an early age. Having everyone I loved ripped from my life had brought out the worst of me. Not that my wolf was bad, by any means. She had protected me from many terrible things that would've happened had I not had her incredible strength and power.

But with that strength, came a temper and a hunger for violence. She was a beast that would not be tamed.

I began my run, and a thrill coursed through my body. The bite of the wind against my fur, the taste of the forest on my tongue... all filled my senses, satisfying the urges of my wolf. I needed to do this more instead of keeping her pent up. I'd felt her growing restless lately. If I didn't give her a release, my wolf would get the best of me, and I'd end up doing something rash. Something I couldn't afford right now if I was going to kill Silas and Dominic.

Resisting the urge to howl in pleasure, I followed the scent of wolves into the woods. They'd probably smell me later, but by then I'd be gone.

It didn't take me long to find Fire Ridge. I don't know what I had been expecting. Maybe a shack in the woods surrounded by broken down trucks, old tractors, piles of wood here and there. Maybe a fire pit made out of river rock. A lot of packs were like that. But there was none of that here. It was like I had stepped back in time to the eighteenth century.

The home was far bigger than Lynx's house and depicted the old Southern mansions you see in the movies. Crisp, white columns lined the front steps to the red brick home, which sprawled out over several thousand square feet. There was also a huge guest house out back, with what looked like a triple car garage.

In the rear of the property, a large fire pit, the largest I'd ever seen, was ablaze. Flames reached for the night sky at least ten feet high. A crowd of maybe twenty gathered outside with loud rock n' roll music blaring. From this distance, I couldn't see individual faces, but one of them, by his massive frame and the way he moved, was familiar: Luke.

I swallowed the urge to moan and shook my fur. I needed to get closer but worried about being detected. If they found me, they would question why I was scouting the place. I couldn't let that happen. I needed to know more about them before they uncovered anything about me.

I cursed. I had to get closer somehow. An idea came to me, but my wolf bristled at the thought.

I know, bitch. I'm going to hate it too.

Chapter 6

I stared at a big pile of horse shit and urine in horror.

I wasn't happy about it, and my wolf was even more pissed. But I had to disguise my scent somehow. I'd smelled the farm not far away and knew horse manure would be here.

Before I could second guess myself, I rolled into the mess, covering my fur with its strong scent. Ugh. This was the worst. I'd done this once before, years ago, when tracking down what I thought was a viable lead. In the end, it just ended up being a shitty day and nothing else.

I'd sworn I'd never do it again, but here I was, rolling around in horse crap.

My wolf snarled, and had it been possible, she would've bitten me for putting her in this position. I could feel her resistance as I made her roll a few more times. As soon as I gave her back a little control, she leapt from the pile and sprinted into the forest. Whenever I felt her urge to drop and roll in the grass, I stopped her.

We had a mission.

Soundlessly, I raced through the woods back toward Fire Ridge. When voices tickled my ears, I slowed and retreated to the thick underbrush.

More people had joined them at the fire. One of them was the witch who had gotten into the car with Dominic. She was talking with four others, laughing and drinking from a wine glass. Ryder was by himself and off to the side, slamming back one drink after another. Several others were seated on a concrete patio behind the house, and in between the house and the detached garage, at least a dozen men were playing football despite the heavy darkness.

I kept to the shadows as I circled the perimeter, searching for Silas or Dominic, but they weren't there. They must be in the house.

After finding a comfortable spot to sit where I had a good view of the rear of the house, I dropped to the ground and observed. Time drug on slowly, or maybe it just felt that way because I was an impatient wolf who