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  Roc

  Robert M. Kerns

  Copyright © 2021 by Robert M. Kerns

  Cover Copyright © 2021 Dolton Richards / Knightsfall Press

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  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means--electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise--without the prior written permission of the publisher and copyright owner.

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  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any place (terrestrial, exta-solar, extra-dimensional, or other) or person (human, Magi, shifter, fae, sapient undead, or other) is unintended and purely coincidental.

  Published by Knightsfall Press

  PO Box 280

  Mineral Wells, WV 26150

  About This Book

  A woman on the run. An unexpected meeting. Rising tensions.

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  Sloane happily worked as a farmhand for an elderly couple in Nebraska...until people arrived in blacked-out SUVs asking about a woman who turns into a giant bird. When Sloane refused to go with them, they killed her elderly employers and razed the farm to the ground. Then? They pinned the crimes on her. Sloane's been running ever since.

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  Karleen returns to Precious after a meeting with her sister. She's within an hour of home when a woman stumbles out of the underbrush lining the road and collapses on the yellow line. The woman whispers one word as she passes out: hunters.

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  There's only one thing for Karleen to do...

  To Janice Miller, Carolyn “Nana” McClellan, and all the other grandmas who touch their grandchildren’s lives.

  1

  A light breeze blew through the cafe’s outdoor seating area, and the sun shone down from a cloudless sky, warming everything it touched. Mouth-watering scents wafted out of the cafe as staff carried drinks and food to their guests, whether inside or out. It was a busy time for the cafe, as people occupied most of their tables, and no one suspected that two of their number were not technically human.

  Nadine looked across their table, taking in all the subtle changes in her sister’s demeanor and presence since she called Karleen out of the woods to help her with the abduction of her friend’s child. Her sister sat in a crowded patio of a city cafe, and she seemed at ease and relaxed. The Karleen of even three months ago would have been fidgeting and checking sight lines and sniffing the air, but now? She leaned back against her seat in a comfortable pose with her legs crossed under the table.

  “Have you heard from Mom and Dad lately?” Karleen asked.

  Nadine broke off from her consideration of her sister and nodded. “They’re doing well. They’re visiting Rick and his family right now; newest grandchild and all that.”

  “Seriously?” Karleen asked. “How many nieces and nephews do I have now?”

  “Uhm…” Nadine’s voice trailed off as she pursed her lips and started some mental math. Let’s see. There are my two. Jack’s three. Will’s four. And this one makes three for Rick. “I think twelve all told, if my math is right.”

  Karleen gaped at her sister. “Twelve? Are you kidding me?”

  “Sis, we’ve been out of high school for sixty years, and it only takes nine months to make a baby. Twelve is kinda low for shifters in that amount of time.”

  Nadine watched the weight settle around her sister’s shoulders, before Karleen asked, “Do they know about me? I mean, I know I walked away and all, so everyone would be well within their rights…”

  “We would never do that to you, Karleen. Mom and Dad always ask if I’ve seen you lately, and the kids all ask if Aunt Karleen will come to the next family get-together. The boys never really knew you well, but they hang on every word when I tell the family how you’re doing. You have a family waiting for you, whenever you’re ready for us.”

  A single tear escaped Karleen’s iron self-control, and she casually dabbed it away with a napkin that she placed in her lap. “When is the next family get-together?”

  Nadine smiled. “A couple weeks from now, actually.”

  “A couple weeks? That’s… wow… that’s really short notice. Would I be able to bring Wyatt?”

  Nadine fought to maintain her non-expression and hide even the barest hint of a reaction. A shifter named Wyatt had recently come onto the public scene in the shifter world in a big way. Thomas Carlyle no longer sat on the Shifter Council because of him, and she did not want to make any assumptions. “Wyatt? Who’s that? Do you finally have yourself a man, sister dear?”

  Nadine felt her jaw drop when her sister blushed. Karleen looked away and tried to hide her face like an embarrassed schoolgirl, and neither of them had been a schoolgirl for several decades now.

  “Oh, you do!” Nadine gushed. “I have never seen you blush before, sis. You have to tell me simply everything now. Come on; spill.”

  “Hush already!” Karleen said around a still-embarrassed smile. “I don’t think they heard you in the next state over.”

  Nadine evolved her smirk into a full-blown predatory smile. “Would you like them to? Hubby-dearest says I have a good set of lungs in me.”

  In the blink of an eye, Karleen’s coloring resembled a ripe tomato, and she buried her face in her hands. “I did not need to know that, Nadine. Whatever your husband thinks or doesn’t think is no business of mine at all. But yes, I am finally seeing someone. And he’s really nice. I don’t need you going all ‘big sister’ on me or him. I can take care of myself. You know that.”

  “You’re right. You’ve always taken care of yourself. You’ve always forged your own path, but that doesn’t change the fact that I want details on this Wyatt of yours. Did you meet him during the abduction thing?”

  Karleen nodded. “He’s dreamy, sis. I will rub my wolf up against him anytime he lets me.”

  Now, it was Nadine’s turn to gape. “Karleen! Do you know what that means to shifters? Please, tell me you know what that means.”

  She shrugged. “I didn’t, really. Not at first, but my wolf explained it to me. Then, I rubbed my wolf against him for the first time, and it was everything my wolf said it would be.”

  “You are such a shameless hussy,” Nadine shot back amid giggles. “I can’t wait to tell Mom and Dad.”

  “Don’t you dare!” Karleen replied through a huge grin. “That’s none of their business.”

  “Oh, it’s not? How is it not our parents’ business that little Karleen finally found herself a guy?”

  Karleen arched an eyebrow. “‘Little’ Karleen, is it?”

  Nadine beamed. “Well, you are the baby of the family. At least for now, anyway. Once they get tired of being grandparents, Mom and Dad might go for another round of parenting. I’ve heard whispers that we’re not their first litter. Which is also common among shifters.”

  “Seriously?”

  Nadine nodded in response. “Oh, yeah. We’re basically immortal, sis, with shifter healing. But… you’ve stalled for long enough. Tell me about this dreamy Wyatt of yours.”

  Karleen blushed again and shook her head. “You are relentless.”

  “What… you think I’ll let you surprise all of us by just showing up with him? Come on; give, already. I’m the family reconnaissance. I already know he’s a decent guy, or you wouldn’t be chasing his tail. But you gotta give me more than that, sis. Just think of how our brothers will respond. Do you want them all to do the ‘big brother’ thing with Wyatt?”

  Karleen snorted a laugh, and Nadine had never heard her sister do that, either. Then, Karleen said, “I think I’d like to see that.”

  “Why?” Nadine’s eyes narrowed. Karleen had that mischievous twinkle in her eyes that hadn’t changed one bit since they were kids.

  The mischievous
twinkle evolved into full-on amusement as Karleen spoke, “You remember Shep?”

  “Shep?” Nadine blinked at the non-sequitur and searched her mind. Then, she frowned. “The Arenbergs’ Rottweiler? What does he have to do with this?”

  “Shep wouldn’t chase Wyatt, either.”

  Nadine’s frown deepened. Shep had no fear of shifters—unlike most animals—and chased every shifter in the town where they grew up… except Karleen. Even when Karleen was just a toddler, that damned Rottie rolled onto its back and bared its throat at the mere scent of her. It wasn’t until Karleen revealed herself to be the first modern primogenitor that… no. It couldn’t be.

  “This Wyatt you’re chasing… he’s that new feline primogenitor everyone’s been hearing about? The one that cost Thomas Carlyle his seat on the council?”

  Karleen’s grin turned into a flinty glare in the space of a finger-snap. “First, I don’t know anything about that, and second, what I know of Thomas Carlyle tells me he doesn’t deserve a council seat. I’ve lost count of the number of wolves who have tracked me down over the years and asked—almost begged—me to end him.”

  “The word among wolves is that your beau goaded Carlyle into a challenge and then humiliated him in the arena,” Nadine explained. “More than a few aren’t too happy about that. He did choose not to take Carlyle’s seat on the council, which was a good thing. That kept things balanced, but he’s none too popular in certain circles, regardless of his primogenitor status.”

  “Would our brothers or father be among those wolves?” Karleen asked, not quite giving Nadine the Stink Eye.

  Nadine chuckled and shook her head. “Dad doesn’t care about any of it. He goes about his daily life and never gets involved in politics.”

  “So, it’s our brothers then.” Karleen almost growled. “Which ones? All of them?”

  “Jack and Will seem the fiercest in their dislike of the Wyatt circulating in the shifter news. Rick has a new baby; not much competes with that.”

  Karleen leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms, glaring at the tabletop. It was clear to Nadine that her sister considered the situation, and it wasn’t lost on her that the two brothers who disliked the public perception of Wyatt the most were their two oldest brothers.

  After several moments, Karleen snorted; only this time, it didn’t come from amusement. She unfolded her arms and uncrossed her legs, placing her palms on her knees as if she meant to stand. “If they have a problem with Wyatt, then they have a problem with me. Hell with it. I’ve lived this long without my blood family.”

  “Karleen! Wait!” Nadine hissed, trying to keep her sister from leaving and not cause a scene at the same time.

  “What? If Wyatt isn’t welcome, neither am I. He isn’t some weekend boyfriend, Nadine. How many guys did you bring home for dinner that we only saw once? After the fourth or fifth, I stopped caring about their names unless I saw them a second time. Do you think I want my first time seeing the family in sixty years to be some kind of rude pissing match between Wyatt and my brothers that sets everyone on edge? None of us need that, sis. I’ve been just fine all these years without the family; I can go a few more. See you in a year or two. Call if you need help.”

  Before Nadine could say another word, Karleen stood, dropped some bills on the table, and walked away. Nadine watched her sister leave the cafe, and she fought the urge to slam her fists on the arms of her chair. Thirty years! She’d been slowly working her sister for thirty years to get her to come back to the family, and her damn fool brothers sent all her hard work up in smoke.

  The engine of a well-tuned chopper erupted in a furious rumble from the cafe’s parking lot, and Nadine watched her sister ride away as feelings of dread formed a pit in her stomach. She didn’t want to have the conversation about this with her parents. Dad would be hurt; he missed Karleen something fierce. Mom… Mom would probably be livid and have a none-too-quiet word with the boys. Either way, Nadine didn’t want any part of what came next.

  Karleen fought the rage that simmered inside her. How could people who seemed like such upstanding, worthwhile souls as her brothers support someone like Thomas Carlyle? The man gave misogynists a bad name. She didn’t have proof that the man forced himself on weaker female shifters, but too many of the women who came to her showed signs of surviving brutality. Her conscience wouldn’t let her simply challenge and kill him. She needed actual proof of what he was supposed to have done, which she didn’t have.

  The city around her transitioned to suburbs and up-scale, middle-class housing developments. Then, the suburbs and communities became more hilly and forested terrain, and Karleen felt a tension fade from her body and soul she hadn’t realized she held. She was glad Precious didn’t have a city vibe or even big town feel to it. As much as she wanted Wyatt and wanted to explore having him in her life, she doubted she could enjoy her time with him if he had chosen a city. But whereas most wolves might be able to hide in cities or suburbs and have people mistake them for weird dog breeds, Wyatt had no chance. No one would mistake a Smilodon for a pet cat.

  Despite herself, Karleen chuckled at the thought of taking Wyatt to a pet park in his cat form. Every animal in a square mile would probably piss themselves in submission. A few humans might, too.

  The absurd thought went a long way to banishing the ire Karleen felt over the situation with her brothers. As much as she felt the yearning all shifters did to be near and with family, Karleen still thought that the proper path was leaving them to their own devices. She didn’t feel like she belonged in their lives, no matter how much she wanted otherwise.

  A little over an hour later, the Godwin County sign flew past her right side, and the feeling of being home surprised her. She hadn’t thought of anywhere other than her cabin deep in the Oregon wilderness as home in a very long time.

  Movement on the side of the road up ahead drew Karleen’s focus. A woman burst out of the underbrush lining the rural road. She wore a flannel shirt, denim jeans, and sneakers of some kind. The shirt and jeans possessed numerous jagged rips and tears. She ran into what was the oncoming lane for Karleen, her speed slowing to a stagger, and she collapsed laying halfway across the double yellow line.

  Karleen applied the brakes and eased her ride to a stop on the berm. She hit her hazard lights before she put the kickstand down and removed her helmet. She left the bike idling in neutral as she rushed to the woman’s side. Still, five feet or more from her, the scent of a shifter reached Karleen.

  As she knelt beside the collapsed woman, Karleen saw the woman’s eyes fluttering as she breathed heavily.

  “Do you need help?” Karleen asked.

  The woman moved her head in a minute fraction of what might have been a nod in normal circumstances.

  “Hunters,” the woman whispered so faintly even Karleen’s shifter hearing almost didn’t catch it.

  Well… that tore it. Karleen almost felt like moving her chopper out of sight and leaning the woman against a tree with a water bottle while they waited for the hunters. It had been a while since she had a good fight. But she didn’t know how many hunted her or how well armed they were. While she knew she would win the fight, how much of her would be left afterwards?

  No. The better path in this instance was to take her back to Precious. Doc could fix the woman up, and she could tell Wyatt what happened. The tricky part would be getting the woman back to Precious via motorcycle in her half-conscious state.

  Karleen scooped the woman into her arms and carried her across the road. She placed her on the back seat and let her slump forward to rest on the gas tank. Then, she went to her saddlebags. She unlocked the left one that held her emergency supplies, like tire patches, a spare chain, bungee cords, and such. The right was her utility bag. Its contents changed with Karleen’s needs, and it had been quite a while since she’d even looked in there.

  The lid rolled back, and Karleen snorted at what she saw. Emergency climbing gear—including two harnesses—and a bag of ca
rabiners. Huh. Was the search and rescue job for those missing hikers the last time she used this? That was something like eight months ago. Still, she wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Those harnesses might take this from being a forlorn hope to something vaguely feasible.

  Karleen hustled into her climbing harness before she put the other one on her rescue. Then, she sat on the bike and pulled the woman against her back, clipping the two harnesses at each shoulder with two climbing-grade carabiners. Then, she locked the right saddlebag and pulled a red bungee cord from the left saddlebag before closing it. Karleen lifted the woman’s legs and bent them around her waist, like she was giving her rescue a piggy-back ride. She used the bungee cord to secure the woman’s ankles. The last thing Karleen wanted was for the woman’s feet to flop around and get caught on the chain or the rear tire; that would be a bad day for all involved. The good news was that shifter healing would handle any minor injuries incurred from this.

  She took hold of the handlebars and leaned side to side. It wasn’t perfect, but if she kept her speed down, it should work. She shifted into first gear. Then, she eased back onto the road that hadn’t seen any traffic since stopping and resumed her return to Precious.

  2

  I sat at a table in Gladys’s diner, my attention divided between my amazing meal and my equally amazing—yet for different reasons—and very attractive meal companion. Gabrielle sat ninety degrees around the table to my left, so we both could watch the windows and door.

  If I was prepared to be one-hundred-percent honest with myself about her, I was already smitten. Gabrielle had the dusky complexion of Middle Eastern or eastern Mediterranean ethnicity, and she kept her dark hair short. It wasn’t buzz-cut short, but it didn’t have the long side strands of hair that I saw in pictures of ‘page boy’ styles. Tall and lithe, she moved her athletic form with an innate grace only a born shifter possessed, and her personality made her a joy to be near.