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

Gerald shoved him. “Don't pay Jerry any attention. His prick hasn't stood tall since he left his mama’s house three decades ago.”

Jerry punched at his face, but Gerald ducked, grinning wide. He patted the seat next to him. “Join us?”

I dropped onto the thick, round log just as Jerry tossed me a beer.

I didn’t know much about Jerry other than he had joined the pack ten years ago after his had slowly dwindled in numbers. He’d came from up north. One of the Dakotas. He was a round-faced fellow that smiled more than he frowned. His face was lined with wrinkles, and each one seemed to tell a story. His laughter was infectious, and I was immediately drawn in by his magnetism.

Sitting across from him was Samantha. She had long dark hair like me and had a mouth on her that would make sailors blush. Half of what she said didn’t make sense, but the way the words would slip past her lips, all vulgar and sultry-like, you’d think she’d said something that should be banned in every country. I liked her instantly.

The other two in our circle, Tammy and Lauren, were quieter, but where Lauren rarely showed signs of emotion, not even to laugh, Tammy spilled her heart all over the place. She couldn’t open her mouth without expressing happiness, sadness, anger. She was a volcano of emotions, and you never knew what was going to spew out of her.

“Speaking of mamas…” Gerald looked out over the group, his eye twinkling. “Did I ever tell you about the time I caught mine trying to bury my stepdad? She was dragging his drunk ass into the backyard, while he was holding a beer in one hand, and a porno mag in the other. The bastard was caught choking his chicken, just after turning my mom down for a roll in the hay.”

He pitched his head back and howled in laughter. I couldn’t help but join in with him and the others.

It was good to release some of the nervous energy that had been building up inside of me. What I was about to do was by far the most dangerous thing I’d ever done. I just hoped the consequences wouldn’t spread to the innocent members of the pack.

“And then when she had him half-buried, she…” Gerald could barely tell the story he was laughing so hard.

“You are such a liar,” Lauren stated when Gerald finished his story. She said it blank-faced. People probably thought she never got worked up, but I’d seen her fight. She thrived on anger and rage and used it to fight dirty. She’d throw out a leg to trip her opponents or do a quick jab to the throat for no reason.

Gerald raised his fingers in a Cub Scout salute. “On my honor! She buried him to his neck before I finally stopped her.”

“I want to know your mother,” Jerry said, taking a long swig from the bottle in his hand.

Samantha rolled her eyes. “Of course you do. There’s just something about mamas that gets your balls all tight.”

“Just yours, sweetie pie,” he countered. “Your mama didn’t stop yelling my name when I rode her six ways to Sunday last night.”

“Ohhhhhh!” Gerald cried, laughing hard. Even Lauren cracked a smile.

I joined in, laughter knotting my stomach. I wiped a tear from my eye listening to Gerald and Samantha as they continued to banter back and forth, but the pleasant pain quickly subsided when I caught movement near the edge of the forest. I squinted my eyes to try and see through the darkness.

I recognized the dark forms.

Samira and Luke? What the hell were they doing? She rarely came to Fire Ridge and when she did, it was for business only. She walked with him a little further, then they stopped just before disappearing into the forest. I strained my hearing, but I couldn’t hear them over the loud sounds around me. I blinked, straining my eyes again, but by the time they came into focus, Samira was gone and Luke stalked toward us, his thick brows drawn together. His eyes were darker than usual. Always brooding.

One of these days, I will get him drunk just to see if he could let loose. But I bet he wouldn’t let it get that far. He was the kind of man who liked to be in control.

As soon as Samantha saw him, her gaze warmed and her voice purred. “Hey, Luke! Join us.”

He grunted and eyed the group, his gaze stopping when he saw me.

“Please,” she continued, batting her eyes. "We could use some of your practicalness to see through Gerald’s bullshit. He’s telling stories dumber than a shit-eater in the Arctic."

"That doesn't even make sense,” Tammy snorted. She threw back her head, chugging the beer in her hand.

"Shit-eater in the Arctic." Jerry howled again, something he did a lot, I discovered. The others joined in, howling with him only as pack members could do.

Luke stared beyond us, his hands stuffed into his pockets. “You guys are drunk.”

Before he could ruin the mood, or my plans, I jumped to my feet. “Let’s go for a run.”

I made a show of undressing, unbuttoning the front of my blouse exposing my black bra. This brought Luke’s gaze back to me. Only for a brief moment, but enough to give me satisfaction.

“Hell, yes,” Samantha said. She jumped up and began to throw off her clothes, forgetting about Luke.

The others eagerly agreed. It was rare for shifters to turn down a good night run.

They shed their clothing like a second skin. They didn’t even notice I hadn’t even taken off my clothes yet, or that I wasn’t following them. I called after them just in case. “I’ll be there in a second!”

The fire warmed my skin as I stood there, my shirt still open. My gaze dropped to Luke who had sat down to face the orange and yellow flames. Its shadows danced across his furrowed brow.

I sat down next to him. "I saw you talking to Samira. What was that all about?"

He didn't look at me as he spoke. “She's helping me with something.”

"Why go to her? Why not Dominic?"

His expression darkened, matching the shadows of the fire. “Dominic won’t help me.”

“Is it something I can help with?" I squirmed on the thick log beneath me. Offering my help made me feel vulnerable, a position I rarely put myself in. But I wanted to help. I wanted to help him more than anything for reasons I had yet to uncover.

He shook his head, not even considering my offer. "I've got it taken care of."

I bristled at the rejection and sighed. I don’t know why I bothered. “You should go join the others for a run. Your ass could use it.”

"I can't. I'm supposed to be on my way to meet Silas and Dominic."

I sat up a little straighter. "Oh, yeah? What are they doing?"

“They ran into trouble at some meeting. Apparently someone's not obeying like Dominic wants, so he’s insisting I come and force the issue." He shook his head. "A man's mind can only take so much."

His eyes burned with an intense heat, and it had nothing to do with the fire’s reflection illuminating his glossy orbs. Power and deep-seated anger pulsed off him, raising the hairs on my arms. If he wanted, he could probably be Alpha.

"Why do you do it?” I asked, suddenly needing to know. “Why serve someone you clearly hate?"

“Because the past gives me no other choice.” He lifted his gaze from the crackling flames to meet mine. “I know you're working on something, something that will probably hurt or kill Dominic, but whatever it is,” his expression was scary serious, “I will stop you. Dominic must live.”

Whatever kindness I had felt for him moments ago, cooled. The hair stood on the back of my neck, and a low growl escaped my mouth. “I’d like to see you try.”

He stood, the hard lines on his face softening. “I hope it doesn’t come to that. You’re the last person on this earth I want to fight.”

What the hell? Why did he have to be so confusing? His words, his body language, all conflicted with each other.

"Whatever you have planned, be careful,” he added. “There are secrets here, evil beyond evil. You're just scratching the surface." He walked away, back toward the edge of the property until darkness had entirely engulfed him.

I watched him go, realizing he was more like me than I wanted to admit. We were children of the night, born out of violence. He carried burdens similar to my own.

And now, we both served that same violent master. All because we can't let go of our past. In the end, it would probably kill us. My father used to always say that the Grim Reaper wore revenge on his hip instead of a gun.

I waited a few minutes, pushing my dark thoughts away while I enjoyed the fire’s last warm breaths. When I was sure none of the pack members would return, I rose from my seat and texted Ryder.

It was time.