Bear’s Magic (Grey Lake Shifters Book 4) Copyright © 2021 by K.L. King
First electronic publication: January 2022
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Editing: Corinne DeMaagd Cover design: Damonza.com
Chapter 1
“YOU COULD’VE STOPPED her. She helped murder an innocent shifter, a harmless old woman. Didn’t you sense something was wrong? How can you live with yourself?”
“No, I didn’t know. I would’ve stopped her. I would’ve told someone,”
Piper argued. She truly would have. She’d have kept her sister Cora away from Noah Walters and his murderous plans.
“Well, it’s too late now, isn’t it? You’re useless. Just passing time until you die, aren’t you?”
“No. I’m going to help my friends save Grey Lake. We’ll fight you,”
Piper hissed.
Laughter erupted all around her. “You? A bear? You fashion yourself a witch, don’t you? You’re nothing. You’re just like the rest of the people in this town. Lemmings. You can’t do anything without that—that redheaded demon bossing you about.” The deep voice, a man’s voice, sounded as if it were coming from everywhere all at once. It didn’t make any sense.
Whose voice was that? She couldn’t place it. “Stop, just go away. Spew your hate somewhere else!”
Her tormentor howled with delight. “A little bag of fur giving me orders? Well, once your mighty savior is out of the way, you’ll get what’s coming to you. You all will!”
Then, silence. Whoever was trying to frighten her was gone.
Now, all she needed to do was to wake up. Piper knew she was asleep.
She had to be, but why didn’t it feel like a dream? She felt light as air, almost ethereal, as if she were floating. She forced herself to concentrate on her surroundings.
Dizziness hit her as she swung her head around, trying to get her bearings. What the hell? She was in her own bedroom, floating up near the ceiling above her bed. She looked down and gasped. She recognized herself lying in her bed below, dressed in the same pajamas she was wearing last night. How could she be in bed and above the bed? Was she dead?
She moved toward the Piper that was in bed. She could see her twitching fitfully in her sleep. Good, I’m still alive. I need to get back into that body somehow.
She closed her eyes and focused on the magic that lay resting deep within her body. She was still a novice wielder of shifter magic. On good days, she could feel the power like a tickle in the center of her body.
Sometimes she could call the power to her, and somewhere deep in her mind was the ancestral ability to know how to use this force.
She flexed her hands and silently begged. Please, help me wake up. Get me out of here! Get me back to my body! Crackles snapped like static electricity from her hands, but she was still stuck floating outside of her body.
Please!
A loud crack and a boom sounded as a warm orange light flashed, lighting up her dark bedroom.
Piper Sullivan awoke with a start, panting. She struggled out of the blankets and sat up in her bed. She rubbed her eyes with her hands as she caught her breath. Her hair was damp with sweat. Her hands trembled. This was the third night she’d heard this voice in her sleep. She didn’t know who it was, but he wasn’t a friend; that much was clear. She’d never had the out- of-body experience before, though. What did this mean?
“Time to get up anyway. Maybe we’ll see that sexy federal agent later today,” her bear chirped within her mind.
“Don’t talk about him like that. Jasper’s our friend, nothing more right now. He’s just being nice. Besides, it’s not the right time for romance. We need to focus on learning more spells. We have a town to save,” Piper answered somewhat grumpily to her ever-optimistic inner beast.
“Hmmpf. Maybe I just like that he puts you in a good mood. Quiet reindeer makes you smile. Hate it when you’re sad,” her bear chuffed.
Piper dangled her legs off the side of her bed. Her bear was right about Jasper, she had to admit. She was able to find brief moments of happiness when she was around him. It’d been such a devastating past few weeks.
Piper’s dad passed away after fighting the neurologic disease that had struck him several years ago. She’d known he was slowly losing his battle, but she still was overcome with grief at his loss. Having her sister hauled off to jail for being an accessory to murder compounded the sense of loneliness that threatened to suffocate her daily.
She rubbed her temples with both hands and tried to clear the fogginess from her mind. Might as well head to work early. She could always get some research done before opening the library for customers.
“Serious reindeer might show up, so there’s that to look forward to,”
her bear murmured.
Piper groaned and rolled her eyes. Her stubborn creature wasn’t going to leave this alone.
“Maybe if you behave yourself, we’ll speak with him tonight. No funny business, though. We have a busy day of work and research to get through,”
Piper cautioned.
“Yes, ma’am,” her bear chuckled. “I like it better when you’re bossy instead of sad.”
Piper grinned despite her animal’s sassiness. She’d rather not be sad either. Time to make the best of her day. She pushed off the bed and stalked into her shower.
Chapter 2
JASPER MACKINNON RUBBED his temple with his right hand. His head was throbbing. He’d been sitting in front of his laptop for the past couple of hours, trying to identify any abnormalities in the newcomers to Grey Lake over the past couple of years. He was specifically looking for anyone with ties to Alden Williamson, the man who’d been creating chaos in Grey Lake for the past several months. Jasper searched for new residents with ties to Providence—where Williamson was from—and those who’d been employed by any of his numerous businesses in the past.
He knew Williamson had to have another accomplice working with him within the area. The man was a phoenix shifter just like Grey Lake’s own Tessa Lane, but the two couldn’t be more different. Tessa was a protective sort, one who’d do anything to ensure the safety of the people of Grey Lake.
Williamson was malignant; he created havoc and fear among the Lakers, and no one quite knew why. Figuring out who was helping the man was a problem. Up to now, Jasper and his fellow Shifter Crime Bureau agents hadn’t been able to identify those working with the power-mad phoenix shifter until it was too late. They needed to be better. Jasper needed to be better. There was too much at stake. And with what Tessa told him and Piper, well…
There hadn’t been many newcomers to the cozy mountain area until about three years ago. Since that time, though, a large pride of cougar shifters had moved up from Connecticut to work on some mid-sized construction projects. A few of the male shifters caused some trouble last summer. They’d threatened and harassed an innocent newcomer to the village, who was now mated to Jasper’s good friend Deacon Clay. Deacon’s foster brother, Heath
Jensen, the chief of the Grey Lake Police Department and alpha of the wolf pack in town, and his force had taken care of the criminals within the group.
Three of them had physically attacked Deacon’s mate, Iris, along with Heath’s sister, May. May had been grievously injured but had, thankfully, almost fully recovered. She was now happily mated and married to the largest grizzly shifter in town, Beau Shanley.
The remaining members of the cougar group had mostly been quiet since then. Apparently, the three culprits had verbally and physically terrorized several other members of the pride. With the men now dead, there was a sense of new life within the shifter group.
The SCB and the Grey Lake PD had worked together over two straight weeks to question all the cougars who had lived in the sprawling compound with the three criminals. Those three men—Pat, Sean, and Jesse—appeared to be the only cougars who could be tied back to Williamson, and only indirectly. Authorities learned that the three had been hired by an intermediary, not Williamson himself. One of the deceased’s former girlfriends recalled Pat telling her that the three men met “some guy” in a bar in Manchester early last summer. This man paid the cougar shifters cash on behalf of a different man, a so-called “big wig from Rhode Island” to one, cause some trouble among tourists in Grey Lake to decrease traffic to the area, two, commit a series of low-level crimes to keep the GLPD distracted, and three, try to convince Iris Williamson to go back home to Providence.
They’d been given strict instructions not to hurt Iris, but anyone else was fair game. Jasper trembled with rage, remembering the damage they had done to May. He was glad that the men couldn’t hurt anyone ever again, but sorry the authorities hadn’t been able to tie them directly to Williamson or any of his close associates.
Since that night, Jasper, Heath, and Deacon had even become friendly with a small family of cougar shifters that lived on the outskirts of the group.
Sam Fitzsimmons and his younger twin siblings, Quinn and Leah, worked as rangers for the National Parks system in the area. They grew up together with their cousin Caleb O’Hara. Caleb unfortunately was also an unintended victim of Williamson’s treachery. He’d suffered life-threatening burns from phoenix fire when the gym he’d been working in had been bombed by a traitor in the Grey Lake Police Department.
Cal Harris had been driven by the grief of losing his mate to illness into
working with Williamson. He was now dead, killed when he attempted to shoot a still-recovering May in her hospital room. What a mess! One of the biggest things bothering Jasper was the question of why. Why was Alden Williamson so fixated on Grey Lake?
The developer had seemed to pop up out of nowhere with a fixation on Grey Lake that didn’t seem to make any sense. No one knew why Williamson was so obsessed with the small mountain village in the middle of New Hampshire that was almost two hundred miles away from his home base of Providence.
The man’s own children had even fled his poisonous influence and now lived in Grey Lake. Deacon’s mate, Iris, was Williamson’s daughter. She’d moved to Grey Lake on her own almost a year ago, knowing nothing about shifters. She hadn’t even known she was a black bear shifter until Deacon gently informed her. Her first shift only happened last summer when she was forced to defend May from the three cougar shifters who’d attacked them.
Weeks ago, she and Deacon had shared the news that they were expecting their first child.
Iris’s older brother Aiden was a more recent addition to Grey Lake.
He’d been working for the past several months with the GLPD and the SCB to covertly gather information on his father’s activities. He pretended to be fully aligned with his father’s plans and beliefs while working behind the scenes to ensure his beloved baby sister was safe, well away from their domineering, power-mad father.
Aiden had recently discovered that his father had ordered the kidnapping and torture of his best friend, Jamie Stanton. Jamie had gone missing over two years ago. It turned out that Iris’s wolf shifter companion, Riley, was in fact Jamie in his wolf form; he’d been unable to shift into his human form for months, if not a year or more. No one could figure out why. Once Aiden learned that his best buddy’s life had been destroyed by his father, he was done with the charade. He refused to return home to Providence, choosing instead to cut all ties with his father. While Jasper admired the man’s sense of justice, the loss of Aiden as a spy hurt the SCB’s investigation into Williamson. That left Jasper busier than ever in his role as an SCB agent.
For the most part, he loved his job, but recently his mind was preoccupied with the sexy, whip-smart head librarian in Grey Lake. His inner animal wasn’t helping matters either. The moment he woke up each day, his
reindeer started nudging him toward the Grey Lake Library. His beast had always been relatively easygoing until a few weeks ago when he’d seen Piper Sullivan tied to a chair at the mercy of Noah Walters. His fear for the brave woman, and the intense rage at her captor, nearly forced him to shift into his reindeer form inside the archival room in the library basement. Knowing Piper would be upset if he damaged the irreplaceable shifter historical books was the only reason he’d been able to keep his beast caged.
“Go check on mate. Make sure she’s protected,” his reindeer huffed within his mind.
He squeezed his eyes tightly shut. “We’ll head over later. We have to stay here and work for now,” he replied to the anxious beast within.
The reindeer snorted unhappily. “You can work just as well at the library. It’s shameful to keep her unprotected.”
His eyes snapped open. He was pissed. “She’s a freakin’ black bear.
She’s not weak. She probably thinks we’re crazy for showing up at the library nearly every day as it is,” he hissed.
“She likes it when we visit. Can’t you smell her? When we first arrive, she smells of sadness, but it changes to a scent of joy. She’s a powerful bear, but there are horrible enemies out there hunting her. Trust me. I don’t ask for much from you. Use both parts of your brain for a change!”
Oh, for God’s sake! His animal half was so riled up. His pulse raced. An all-consuming need to get to Piper and see that she was OK pushed at him.
He looked at his watch—not even noon. He took a deep breath, trying to slow his racing heart.
“Just wait a bit, please. We’ll go check on her during our lunch break, OK?” he pleaded with the agitated animal within.
The beast grunted in response, but Jasper felt him calm just a touch.
Chapter 3
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
Piper rose from her chair at the circulation desk and headed to the front door of the library.
Piper unlocked the door from the inside and held it open for her one employee. Ms. Matthews was an elderly grizzly bear shifter who worked part-time. A couple of years prior, she had stepped down as the head librarian after almost forty years of service. It worked out well for Piper as she had just finished her master’s degree in library science when the job became available. Piper had dreamed of working as a librarian in the cathedral-style building ever since her family had first moved to Grey Lake when she was a young child.
Piper had always loved books. Of course, she loved reading books, but there was more to it than that. She loved the feel and the smell of books, and the older the better. Romances, mysteries, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction. She preferred fiction to non-fiction. She relished escaping into other worlds through stories. It wasn’t that she needed to escape from anything; her childhood had been full of love and happiness until her mother’s death. Piper had always been interested in the world beyond the usual goings-on of a small town.
She started collecting vintage books almost as soon as she started reading. It had become almost an obsession with her father as her main co- conspirator. He loved reading as well and shared her love for vintage editions of books. He preferred literary classics, whereas Piper wasn’t as selective. A spare bedroom in their home now served as a makeshift library. Piper sighed heavily. The room was just another reminder that her father was gone, and she was alone.
“What time did you get in?”
“What?” Piper asked. “Oh, I’m sorry. I was daydreaming.”
Ms. Matthews was staring at Piper with eyes wide and mouth pinched.
Piper smiled at the older woman. “I haven’t been here too long. I just couldn’t sleep.”
Ms. Matthews sighed and placed a hand on Piper’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.
It’ll get better with time. By the way, did you see the appointment I booked for you this afternoon?”
Piper frowned. “I’m afraid I didn’t look at the schedule yet. I just dropped my bag off in my office and then headed right down into the archives. I only just came up just a few minutes ago because I knew you’d be here soon.”
“Well, one of the new professors at the college came in and wanted to meet with you. It looked like you had some time before the children’s reading room story time, so I booked him for an hour. Seems like a nice young man,”
Ms. Matthews said.
Piper shook her head to clear her mind. “Um, yeah, it should be fine.
Wait, we have new professors at the college?” She followed the woman along the hallway, past the children’s library and reading room on the left, and up to the circulation desk on the main floor. Ms. Matthews placed her large purse behind the counter and then continued to the small breakroom. Piper trailed behind her, trying to remember if she’d heard of anyone leaving the school.
“Yes, a couple of them. They’re new to the area. I’ve heard that both men are related to some shifters up north. Word is they trained at the University of Maine, Orono in science. One has a PhD in biology—genetics is his specialty I think—and the other has a degree in geology—that’s the one with the appointment.”
“Geology? Now, that’s something I never really thought much about.
I’ll have to do some digging before his appointment.” Piper bit her lower lip.
“Thanks for the heads up.”
“Looks like everything’s already ready for us to open. Why don’t you get some research done while I open up for the public?”
Piper grinned. “Thanks, that’d be great. I’ll just be in my office if you need me.”
Chapter 4
“TIME TO GO check on mate. You had enough time to work,” Jasper’s reindeer snapped.
Jasper leaned back in his seat and rubbed the back of his neck. His grumpy beast was right. It was finally time for a lunch break. He’d spent the entire morning sitting at his desk, looking for connections between any of Alden Williamson’s numerous business holdings and the newer businesses that’d popped up in the greater Grey Lake area over the past couple of years.
Since he’d found none, he would have to go back even further. He’d also expand his search beyond Grey Lake to central and northern New Hampshire.
Williamson’s base of operations was Providence, so there was really no need for him to have any businesses in Grey Lake or New Hampshire at all.
There weren’t any tax benefits for him to have businesses in the granite state as opposed to Rhode Island. Most of the man’s money was tied up in large- scale developments, such as business towers, luxury hotels, and casino resorts that catered to an elite customer base. Zoning in Grey Lake prohibited this type of development, so his interest didn’t make any sense, at least on the surface.
Grey Lake was a homey mountain village in the center of New Hampshire. Families and college students visited in the fall for leaf-peeping, the winter for skiing and sledding, and the spring and summer for lakeside activities like boating and tubing. Visitors came to Grey Lake to relax and enjoy the beautiful natural setting, not to gamble or make high-stake business deals.
“Enough! Time to go,” the beast within groaned.
“Alright, alright,” Jasper silently answered the grouch.
He logged out of his laptop, closed it, and placed it into the cabinet next to his desk. He then locked it. He shook his head. It was SCB policy to never leave your laptop vulnerable, but he and his co-workers all knew this was essentially a useless step. The specially fortified lock wouldn’t stop a shifter, but it’d take longer to break than a normal human-constructed device.
He looked around the open-concept room that served as a temporary Grey Lake SCB office. The department had erected a single level, prefabricated building not too far from the police station shortly after May Jensen’s assault. Prior to that, Jasper had worked primarily out of the Manchester office. He’d only been an agent for a little over a year prior to the setup of the office in Grey Lake. Before that time, he’d been an arson investigator with the Manchester Regional Fire Department and a volunteer firefighter in Grey Lake. He liked the problem-solving aspect of his work with the SCB. Spying his boss in the far corner of the office, he also noted that he met some interesting characters in his newer line of work.
The ice-blond Declan Estey, the agent in charge of this local outfit, was yelling into his phone at his desk, positioned in the corner as far away from Jasper’s desk as possible. It wasn’t personal. Jasper knew the polar bear shifter got agitated being in close quarters with other shifters for too long. It certainly made for some interesting moments during a raid, he mused.
Sighing, Jasper threw his black SCB fleece sweater on over his black T- shirt and grabbed the keys to his Chevy Tahoe. He slowly walked over to let Declan know he’d be leaving the office, but Jasper stopped several feet from the man’s desk. Jasper didn’t want to appear like he was eavesdropping, so he pretended to be focused on his cellphone. He snuck a peek at his boss while his attention was focused on his computer monitor. Declan’s face was red, and his jaw was tight. He was an inch or two taller than Jasper’s six-foot-four height and even broader in the shoulders. He looked incensed.
“I said no! What part of the word no don’t you understand?” Declan boomed into his cellphone.
Jasper kept his head down. Whatever was going on sounded like it’d ensure Declan was in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Just perfect.
“She cannot come here. I don’t have time to babysit her!”
Jasper feigned disinterest. Instead, he casually reviewed the messages on his phone.
“I know she’s not a baby, but Goddamn it, I’m too busy to make sure
she doesn’t get into trouble. Can’t she go with that useless mother of hers?”
A few seconds of silence. Then suddenly, a low-pitched growl rumbled through the room. Jasper felt the hair on his arms rise.
“OK, OK. Yeah, I know. Yeah, yeah, family obligations. OK, OK, whatever. Oh, for God’s sake, I said fine!”
Jasper snuck a peek up when Declan was momentarily silent. His face was back to its usual pale color. Jasper lowered his eyes to his phone once more. A few more seconds passed where Declan appeared to be listening to the person on the other end of the call.
“I know, I know. Love you, too. Goodbye.”
Jasper heard a deep sigh and looked up.
“What?” Declan asked as if Jasper hadn’t been a silent observer to some sort of nightmare family discussion.
“Nothing. I just wanted to let you know I’m going out for lunch. I’ll be back by one at the latest,” Jasper said, forcing his features to remain impassive.
Declan threw his hands up. “That’s what you were standing around for?
You could’ve left me a note.”
“Alright, next time I’ll leave you a note,” Jasper said with one eyebrow raised. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine. Forget about it,” Declan said, rubbing his closely cropped hair with a hand.
“Everything alright?” Jasper asked before his mind could stop his mouth from asking the question.
Declan glared at him, but then sighed and rubbed his temples with his hands. “Yeah, yeah. Just some family drama. Seems as though I’m going to be having my niece staying with me for a while. Just what I need. Like we don’t have enough to do around this cursed village of the damned, now I’m going to have a teenager I’ll need to watch as well.”
Jasper’s eye started twitching. “That was your niece on the phone?”
Declan shook his head. “No, my mother. She’s been taking care of my niece while my brother’s away on some expedition. She’s had her for six months, and she’s had enough drama. It’s Uncle Declan’s turn apparently.”
He turned away and glared at his computer monitor. “I wonder if I can get her into a boarding school. Are there any boarding schools around here?”
Declan asked distractedly.
Shoot. What was he supposed to say to that? Jasper couldn’t believe he’d been screaming on the phone at his own mother. He shuddered. “Uh, I’m sorry. I, uh, don’t know,” Jasper said, trying not to offend his temperamental boss. He continued to back slowly toward the door. “Well, I’ll just be off then.”
“OK, fine, whatever,” Declan said, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. “Hey, wait a sec.”
Jasper halted in his tracks. “Yes?”
“Can you do me a favor and ask Ms. Sullivan if she knows of any good boarding schools in New England?” He smirked at Jasper.
At the mention of Piper’s name, Jasper snorted. Uh oh! That was his beast. He could feel the animal crawling around under his skin. He frowned.
He needed to keep his animal under control. He couldn’t just shift in the middle of the office. He inhaled deeply and silently counted to ten, forcing the animal to retreat completely. He cleared his throat and finally spoke.
“Sorry about that.”
Declan stared at him, lips pursed. “I guess I’m the one who should be sorry.” His eyes narrowed. “Didn’t realize you and she were serious.”
Jasper shook his head. “We’re not. I mean we’re not anything. No, I mean we’re just friends.” His reindeer forced a loud grunt from deep within his chest. Jasper winced. “Sorry.”
Declan leveled him with a look. “Looks like the reindeer disagrees with you.” He swiveled around in his chair to fully face Jasper. “Look, you and he better get on the same page. I can’t have a crazed reindeer running loose in this town on top of everything else.”
Jasper felt his cheeks heat. He nodded mutely.
Declan raised his eyebrows at him. “You better get going. I can smell your beast. Get him out of here. Take him to see his mate so he calms the hell down.”
Jasper remained rooted to the spot where he was standing. How the hell did he know what his reindeer thought?
“Just go!” Declan roared.
“Thanks,” Jasper croaked out. He finally made his escape and headed off toward the library and Piper.
Chapter 5
PIPER SAT IN her office, gazing at the Grey Lake College website. Miles Brackett, PhD had joined the faculty of the School of Life Sciences in January.
Dr. Brackett comes to GLC from the University of Maine, Orono where he earned his PhD in speleology.
Hmm, speleology, the study of caves. Piper wondered what sort of information Dr. Brackett wanted from her. The only stuff she knew about caves was what she’d seen when she was in her bear form. Her animal loved to explore the Polar Caves on the outskirts of Grey Lake. She loved the cool, dark hideouts. She remembered playing in caves with Cora when they were kids. No, don’t go there right now. It’s not helpful to think of her right now.
Hell, at least work was a distraction from her dark thoughts.
Knock, knock.
She startled. It’s just the door, calm down.
“Piper, you have a visitor,” Ms. Matthews called.
She looked at her watch. Too early to be the doctor. “Come in.” she said to Ms. Matthews, who opened the door and peered in.
“Who is it?” Piper asked.
“Jasper would like to speak to you. He’s waiting at the circulation desk,”
Ms. Matthews said. The elderly shifter smiled knowingly at Piper.
Piper’s faced heated. Jasper usually showed up at the library after dinner. What could he want? She hoped everything was OK.
“Thanks, I’ll be right there.”
She squared her shoulders and breathed in slowly and then exhaled deeply. She walked out of her office and toward the circulation desk. Her
breath hitched as soon as she saw him. He was wearing a black fleece top with SCB on the front and beige cargo pants. He smiled as soon as her eyes met his. He was gorgeous, but more importantly so kind.
She felt a smile break out across her face as she reached the desk. “Hi, you’re here early. What can I do for you?”
He eyed Ms. Matthews who was standing to Piper’s left. “I was hoping to steal you for a quick lunch. Would that be possible?”
“I’m not sure—” Piper started.
“Oh, go on you two. I can handle the fort for a bit,” the elderly shifter said.
Piper looked at her watch and then back to her employee. “Are you sure?”
The grizzly shifter waved her hand at Piper. “Of course.”
Piper glanced at Jasper, who wore an easy grin on his face. “You sure you have time? You must be busy.”
Jasper nodded. “I have time to eat and so do you. What do you say?”
Piper looked back to Ms. Matthews, who nodded.
She turned back to Jasper. “OK, I’ll be back before my appointment.
Let’s go.” She called over her shoulder, “Thanks so much for covering Ms. M.”
“No problem. Have fun!” Ms. Matthews answered.
Jasper waved his right hand. “After you.”
“Wait one sec. I’ll just go grab my purse,” Piper said. She rushed back into her office and grabbed the black leather crossbody bag that held her wallet. She pulled a compact out of the purse, opened it, and stared at her reflection in the small circular mirror. She was wearing a maroon sweater, a black knee-length floaty skirt, dark tights, and black leather Doc Martens boots. Her long dark hair was pulled up in a half-up half-down style There was nothing she could do about the dark circles under her eyes, but other than that, she looked OK. “I guess it’ll have to do for today,” she said to herself.
She slipped the compact back into her purse and zipped the bag closed, hurrying out of her office.
She smiled at Jasper despite her nervousness.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
“Sure, where to?”
“I was thinking Tessa’s. I heard they started serving lunch,” Jasper said.
“If that’s OK with you?” He gestured for her to walk ahead of him.
Piper nodded and led the way to the parking lot. Tessa’s was only a few blocks away, but it was a raw March day. She wasn’t sure if he wanted to walk or…
Jasper seemed to be able to read her mind. “Why don’t I drive.” He looked up at the gray skies overhead. “Looks like it might start snowing soon.
Hard to tell.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Piper answered.
Chapter6
JASPER JOGGED AHEAD and reached his SUV before Piper. He held open the passenger side door for her.
She climbed in, and he closed the door behind her. He walked around to the driver’s side door and eased into the vehicle. “How’s your day looking?”
he asked after he started the engine and then maneuvered the vehicle out of the small parking lot.
“I have an appointment this afternoon, so I’ve been doing some prep work.” She fidgeted with her hands in her lap.
“Anything interesting?” Jasper asked.
“Well, one of the new science professors at the college set up a meeting with me. According to the school website, he studies caves. I’m not exactly sure what he wants to meet about exactly, though,” Piper said.
Jasper stiffened. How the hell didn’t he know about this? He spent so much time searching for newcomers to Grey Lake and he missed a new professor? Why hadn’t he shown up in his research? “I didn’t know the school hired any new professors recently.” He’d have to ask Heath if he was aware. “Caves, huh?”
Piper shrugged. “Really niche, right? I didn’t know about any new hires either. Professor Brackett came from U of Maine in January. Ms. Matthews said they also hired another science professor, though I’m only meeting with Dr. Brackett.”
He pulled the black SUV into the parking lot of Tessa’s Treats and shut off the engine. When Piper moved to open her door, he said, “Wait just a minute. I’ll get it.” He exited the vehicle, walked around to her side, and opened the door for her.
“Thank you,” Piper said, her cheeks turning pink.
“You’re welcome.” He gestured with a tilt of his head for her to proceed ahead of him.
“Hey there!” Iris greeted them from the counter as soon as they walked into the bakery.
Piper waved a greeting, while he said, “Hey Iris!”
They advanced to the counter. Tessa usually manned the sales portion of the bakery, while Iris remained in the kitchen, baking her masterpieces.
“So, I heard you guys were serving meals for lunch now. When did this start?” Jasper asked, gesturing with his hand to the blackboard with a list of warm and cold sandwiches, quiches, and soups.
Iris leaned in closer. “A few weeks ago. Tessa suggested it as a way to continue to grow the business. She also thought it would be a good way to get Aiden out of the house.”
“Aiden?” Piper asked.
Iris beamed. “I know! It was complete news to me, but he’s a terrific cook. He started cooking for me and Deacon when he moved in. Tessa sampled some of his food, and the rest is history. He’s been coming to work with me—Jamie, too—every day since. Well, enough of my blabbering, I bet you two would like a table.” She handed them two menus. “Have a seat anywhere you like. I’ll be over in a minute with a couple of ice waters.”
“Thanks,” they responded in unison.
Jasper followed Piper to a table for two near a window at the front of the bakery.
After placing their order, a chicken salad sandwich for Piper and a bacon and cheese quiche for himself, they drank their waters in companionable silence for a few moments. He studied Piper as she stared out the window.
She was a beauty with her chestnut hair and deep chocolate eyes, but he read the exhaustion on her face.
“Hmmm,” Piper said. A smile pulled at the edges of her mouth.
“What’s that?”
“Aiden hasn’t been at the library as much lately. He’d been spending a lot of nights in the archives since he moved in with Iris,” she said.
“Probably searching for a way to help Jamie shift back,” Jasper said.
Piper nodded. “He’d come in with Jamie, and they’d spend hours poring through the old shifter books. He seemed so desperate those first few days.
He’s still coming in, but not every day like before. I think working here will be good for him,” Piper said.
“You might just be right,” Jasper agreed.
Piper leaned closer to the table, folding her hands. “Besides, I think he’s better off working with Mac to try to heal Jamie from whatever is causing him to be stuck. I think it’s medical, not magical.”
“Why’s that?” Jasper asked. He knew Piper had a burgeoning ability to use shifter magic.
She tilted her head slightly. “It’s just…I’ve spent so many hours looking through the books in the archival room. I’ve never come across anything about helping shifters to move between their forms.”
“When did you first become interested in the books in the archives?”
Jasper asked.
Piper closed her eyes and bit her lower lip. After a few seconds her eyes popped open with a brightness that hadn’t been there. “Well, I’ve been going to the library ever since we moved to Grey Lake years ago. Initially, I was scared of the archives, you know, when I was still a kid. Seemed so mysterious being in the dark basement and all. Once I started working there during high school as an assistant, I started poking around the books.”
“So, you’ve been studying them a long time?” Jasper asked, leaning in closer to the table.
“Well, first it was more of an exploring type thing. Reading about shifters through history and their talents and adventures. Their battles.
Maybe, about a year ago, I started really studying the books of magic. At least the books about the history of shifter magic. The actual spell books are harder to interpret,” she said.
“Lunch is served,” Iris called out as she was about a foot away from the table.
Jasper leaned back and breathed in the delicious aroma. “Smells great,”
he said.
“I agree. I may try that next time,” Piper said, staring hungrily at his quiche.
He’d give her anything if she looked at him that way. “We can share,”
he croaked. Get it together.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Piper answered.
“I want to. Let’s split the meals. My cousins and I used to do this all the
time.”
“Oh, OK.”
He proceeded to rearrange the food then sat back as Piper took a bite of the quiche. He watched as she closed her eyes.
“Ummmm,” she moaned.
His mouth watered. He needed to keep calm. “Did something trigger you to study magic?”
Piper finished her bite. She opened her mouth, then closed it and tilted her head. She seemed unsure.
He placed a hand on hers. “You don’t have to explain if you don’t want to. It’s OK.”
She stared at him evenly for a few seconds and then nodded. “I think I’m alright to tell you. I’m not ready to talk about it to many people, though.”
“I won’t say anything,” Jasper said, squeezing her hand.
She beamed at him. “I know. I trust you.”
Chapter 7
PIPER TOOK A sip of her water and then began. “My Dad gave me the push I needed to investigate. During one of his better periods health-wise, he told me stories about the relatives on my mother’s side of my family who were able to use spells. He mentioned that the magical ability sometimes skipped generations, like with my mom. He told me she always wondered if Cora or I inherited any of the skill. Over time, he told me more and more stories about my grandmother and her two older sisters. They were all bear shifters that had these amazing magical talents. I think, without him saying it, he wanted me to investigate, see if I had any powers. I thought it couldn’t hurt to try.”
Ring-ring-ring.
“I’m sorry,” Jasper said with a frown. He pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and looked at the screen. “Shoot, it’s work. I need to take it. I’ll just be a second.”
Piper nodded.
Jasper stood up and walked out the front door, holding the phone to his ear.
“How’s it going?”
Piper jumped. She hadn’t noticed Iris until she spoke.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I just came to check on you.” She looked at their half- finished meals. “Is everything tasting alright?”
Piper shook the cobwebs from her head and smiled. “Oh yes. Everything is delicious. We were just so busy talking.”
Iris beamed. “Good, I’m glad. Aiden will be happy to hear about more satisfied customers.”
Piper snuck a glance out the window where Jasper was pacing back and
forth, still on the phone. She forced her gaze back to Iris. “How have you been feeling? I mean, with the baby?”
Iris’s eyes twinkled. She smoothed out her apron and rocked back on her heels. “Overall, pretty good. I’ve been a little queasy in the morning but feel much better as the day goes on.”
“Good, you and Deacon must be so excited,” Piper said.
“Oh, we—” Iris started, but stopped as soon as Jasper entered the bakery. His face looked grim.
“What’s wrong?” Piper asked.
Jasper’s eyes roved over the bakery before settling on her. “Something’s come up and I need to go.” He turned to Iris. “Do you mind if we package the rest up?”
“Of course. Let me take everything back and get it boxed up for you.”
Iris hurried off into the kitchen.
“We can go now. We don’t have to wait,” Piper said, pushing her chair back and standing.
Jasper moved closer to the table. “We have time to package the food.
There’re already people at the scene.”
“I can walk back to the library. You can just head off. It’s fine,” Piper stammered.
“No!” Jasper practically shouted, causing her to jump and Iris, now standing back at the table, to squeak. “Sorry, I mean no. I have time to drive you back. I insist, please.”
Piper’s jaw dropped at the intensity burning in his nearly black eyes.
“OK,” she said.
“All set,” Iris said. She handed Jasper a paper bag with their food all boxed up.
“Thanks. Put it on my account, would you?” Jasper asked.
Iris nodded. “Sure thing. Do you know if Deacon is at the scene?” Iris asked, jaw clenched.
Jasper gave her a kind smile. “Yes, he is.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “He’s safe. He’s there with Heath and some of the SCB agents.
They’re both fine.”
Iris exhaled audibly. “Oh, good! Thank you.”
“You ready?” Jasper asked Piper.
She’d been staring at the terrified look in Iris’s eyes. She felt unsettled at
her friend’s distress. She straightened her spine and turned to Jasper. “Yes.
Let’s go.”
Chapter 8
HE CLOSED HIS own car door once Piper was securely in the passenger seat.
He started the car but pulled out his phone instead of immediately heading off. He started typing out a message to Declan.
Need eyes on Tessa’s Treats. Iris Clay inside.
Declan’s reply was swift. Already done. Mrs. G and Libby covered too.
Good. Declan had already placed agents on May and Piper—Mrs. G stood for Grizzly and Libby for library.
“What’s wrong?” Piper asked, voice quaking.
“Pretty bear upset. Soothe her,” his beast hissed.
Her lips were pursed, her shoulders hunched. Jasper stopped typing on his phone and placed a hand on her left arm. “I just needed to send a text.”
“Was someone else killed?” Piper asked.
He frowned. He shouldn’t be discussing this with her. She looked so sad, almost as if she were resigned to something horrific having happened.
He put his phone on the dashboard charger and drove the vehicle out of the bakery parking lot and onto Main Street.
“Not that I know of. Just some trouble we have to look into. I’ll check in with you before closing time. Hopefully, I’ll be done by then.”
She nodded and stared out the passenger window.
He really hoped no one had been killed. He’d find out soon enough.
After watching Piper enter the library, he headed off to the western most part of Grey Lake toward Calloway Farm. He bet he could drive to the farm with his eyes closed. Ever since he could remember, his aunt and uncle had taken him and his cousins there for hayrides and ice cream as soon as the farm opened for the season. It was always one of the last activities they did before
heading off to Alaska for the summer each year. He had wonderful, carefree memories of the family-run dairy farm with their well-treated cows and horses. He hoped whatever he was about to walk into wasn’t as bad as Declan had warned.
His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. He forced his anger down deep within his core. He drove through the property’s gate and stopped next to one of the GLPD police cruisers.
Red-haired wolf shifter Finn MacLeod was sitting in the vehicle. The younger man looked exhausted with dark circles under his eyes, stark against his fair skin. To Jasper’s surprise, the usually easygoing man also looked furious.
Jasper nodded to Finn. “Deacon and Heath up at the barn?”
Finn shook his head. “They started at the barn, but I think they’re out in one of the fields. That’s where everyone is.” His expression was grim.
“Thanks,” Jasper said. He continued his drive up the windy gravel road to the brightly painted, expansive red barn. He parked next to the two police SUVs and Declan’s black SCB pickup. He grabbed his black backpack, which held gear for collecting evidence and taking photos, slammed his car door shut, and headed into the barn. He sniffed. Something smelled off. Like death, but not the usual iron-tinged scent of blood that usually assaulted his senses at the scenes of violence.
“Mr. Calloway.” He nodded to the gray-haired grizzly shifter whose family owned the property for close to one hundred years. He held his hand out, and the man shook it firmly.
“Jasper, this sure is a mess. I hope you guys can figure this one out soon.” His amber eyes darted around behind Jasper as if scanning for trouble.
“I’ve been around a long time, and I’ve never seen anything…” His voice trailed off.
“How’s Mrs. Calloway and the staff?” Jasper knew the man had several farmhands and workers to keep the dairy farm and the small on-site ice-cream operation running.
“Bonnie’s up at the house. My son’s there with her. The staff have been told. They’re all in the barn waiting to be interviewed. My wife, though…
she’s the one who found them. Came running back to the house. I’ve never heard a scream like that.”
What had she seen? What would scare a grizzly shifter? He patted the
man on his shoulder. “Why don’t you go check on her? Finn’s down at the gate. He’ll keep everyone out.”
Mr. Calloway nodded absently. Once he moved toward the house, Jasper turned and followed the scent of death.
Chapter 9
PIPER’S OUTLOOK CALENDAR beeped, alerting her to her appointment with Dr. Brackett. She gathered her notebook with the information she’d jotted down about caves in the area and stood up from her desk. She headed for the main circulation desk where Ms. Matthews was holding court. When Piper heard the older woman laughing softly, she smiled.
Ms. Matthews was speaking to a tall man with a head of slightly messy, thick, chocolate-colored hair. The olive-skinned man was wearing glasses, a dark blue collared dress shirt, and deep brown khaki pants. As she reached the side of the circulation desk, the man swung his attention toward her.
Whoa, those eyes. The man’s eyes were an unusual light green that she’d never seen before.
“Hmmpf, mate’s eyes better,” her bear huffed at her.
She willed her suddenly opinionated beast to behave.
“Oh Piper, good, you’re right on time. This is Dr. Brackett,”
Ms. Matthews said.
“Please call me Miles.” He stuck his hand out for her to shake.
Piper shook his hand. “Piper Sullivan, nice to meet you.”
Miles smiled and fidgeted with his hands. “Yes, yes. It’s nice to meet you as well. It was hard to book you. You’re quite busy. Well, where should we go?”
Piper tried to keep the frown from her face. She’d tried to keep appointments to a minimum in the weeks since her father died and Cora was arrested. It was just too much. “My office?” Piper suggested.
“Great, lead on Ms. Sullivan,” Miles said.
Piper led him back to her office and sat in her chair. She waved a hand
toward the seat on the other side of the antique desk. “You can call me Piper.”
He gave her a half-smile. “Thank you.”
She tried not to stare at the man’s eyes, but they were like beacons.
“They’re strange, aren’t they?” Miles asked.
“What’s that?” Piper stammered.
“My eyes are an unusual color. Family trait,” Miles said.
He didn’t smell like a shifter to her, but… “They are rather unique,”
Piper said.
“My mother was a tiger shifter, my father a human,” he said.
Piper’s eyebrows shot up. She’d never seen a tiger shifter.
Miles continued. “I inherited the eye color, but nothing else.” He held his arms out. “Ninety-nine-point-nine percent human.”
Piper cleared her throat. “A tiger shifter is definitely unusual for Grey Lake, but not unwelcome. There are also many humans in Grey Lake. Also, lots of human-shifter pairings. Everyone is welcome, provided they keep our secrets.”
He laughed. “I’m not spilling any secrets. I don’t feel like being experimented on.”
A chill ran down her back. “If word got out about shifters, there’s no telling what would happen. People can be kind, but you never know.”
“I agree with keeping things secret. If someone ever decided to study shifters, I’m sure there’ll be those who want to study the so-called defective ones, like me. You know, the ones with some shifter DNA, but can’t shift.
No, all shifter secrets are safe with me.”
“Well, I don’t consider anyone defective whether they can shift or not, but I hear what you’re saying.” She inhaled and let out her breath slowly.
“OK, then. Now, what exactly are you hoping to find out about our local caves?” Piper asked.
Chapter10
THE FEELING OF dread increased with every step Jasper took into the pasture.
His beast was mercifully silent. It was a raw late winter day, but the cows should be out. Where the heck were they? Maybe they were in one of the other fenced in areas. He spotted Heath, Deacon, and Declan standing together up ahead. They were staring down at something large on the ground.
It was a cow. There were dead cows laying all over the field. Heath sounded pissed. Declan was waving his hands around in front of him. A silent Deacon was the first to turn at his approach.
“’Bout time you joined the party,” Deacon drawled.
“I just got here a few minutes ago. Got the call as soon as you left the office,” Declan said.
Jasper’s breath caught at the carnage in front of him. So much death. He took a step closer. “What the hell?”
“Never seen anything like this. Just empty husks. That’s all that’s left.
It’s as if their insides were scooped out,” Deacon said.
“I don’t even know how this is possible,” Heath said. “I mean look.”
Heath crouched down close to the remains of one of the white and black animals. Jasper bent next to him. “It’s like someone or something devoured their entire insides and left just bones and hide.” Heath looked at Jasper.
“Where’s the blood? There’s none on the ground. Snow’s nearly pristine, too.”
He heard Declan mumbling on Heath’s other side. “Never seen a town as crazy as this place. What the heck’s gonna happen next?”
Jasper pulled a set of gloves from his bag and put them on. He leaned closer to the carcass in front of him and lifted a flap of hide to inspect inside
the body. “Smooth, just skin and hair. No subcutaneous tissue.” He leaned closer. “Looks like most of the bones were left behind.” He leaned back on his heels, still in a crouch. “How many?”
Deacon moved closer to his right and flipped through a pad of paper.
“Mr. Calloway says there were ten cows led into this field about four this morning by one of his farmhands. It was Seth I believe.” He closed the pad and looked at Jasper. “We haven’t counted yet, but when we got here, there weren’t any signs of life.”
“Where’s Seth?” Declan asked.
“He’s up at the main house. He told Mr. C the cows were fine when he last saw them. He was busy inside the barn all morning. Nothing unusual,”
Deacon said.
“Who else has seen this besides Mr. and Mrs. C?” Jasper asked.
“Just us. Mr. C kept everyone back. He stayed here until we arrived, then we sent him back to the house,” Deacon said.
“Nobody heard anything?” Jasper asked.
Heath shook his head. He stood to his full height and groaned. “No.
That’s why Mrs. C came over to check on the cows around ten or so. She said it was too damn quiet.”
“When was the last time the cows were seen alive?” Jasper asked.
“Seth came by around nine. Said everything was status quo. Nothing unusual,” Deacon said, reading off his notepad.
“What?” Jasper asked, running his hand through his hair. This made no sense. “Someone did all this within an hour without alerting anyone to the fact that these animals were being slaughtered?”
“So, it would seem,” Heath said. He turned to Jasper’s boss, who’d been uncharacteristically quiet.
“So Estey, has the SCB ever seen anything like this?”
Declan grunted in reply.
Heath and Jasper locked eyes. Heath scowled. “What does that mean?”
Declan bent down and looked closer at the remnants of the animal in front of him. As he studied the animal’s hide, he spoke, “I’ve never seen this before. I have also never heard of this happening to dairy cattle. This is some brutal shit. These poor creatures never harmed anyone.”
Heath crouched down besides Declan. “So, when you say you’ve never
heard of this happening to cattle, would that mean you have heard of this happening to some other type of animal?”
Declan coughed and stood up. He nodded to a now standing Heath.
“There was a report of something similar to this a couple of months back. It was out in Eastern New York. Agent friend of mine told me about it. Wanted to give me a heads up. Report involved four deer. We kept it quiet.”
Heath hissed. “You didn’t think to let us know?”
Declan growled. “Look, it wasn’t my team. It was out in New York, and we’ve been pretty busy around here with our own brand of trouble.”
“Maybe this is our trouble. Maybe this has something to do with the men in black that attacked Heath. Maybe this is the lead we need to find them,” Jasper said, taking his camera out of his bag. He scanned the area.
“Did you have anyone else out here to collect evidence?” he asked Declan.
“Not yet. I wanted to limit the number of people who saw this horror show. You take the photos. These two can canvas the scene.” He gestured to Heath and Deacon with his head.
“Oh, we can?” Heath asked, sarcasm dripping from his words, eyebrows raised.
Declan rubbed his hands through his short blond hair and groaned.
“Look, I think it would be best if we worked together on this. It would seem wise to keep this as closed a scene as possible. This kind of a scene is really liable to upset people.”
Heath’s jaw dropped.
A chill ran down Jasper’s back. Why the hell was Declan offering to work with the police so easily? He usually barged his way in and took over from them. He caught Declan’s icy blue gaze. This was not good. His polar bear shifter boss actually seemed afraid.
Chapter11
PIPER LOOKED AT the clock on the wall and sighed. It was almost closing time, and Jasper hadn’t shown up or called. What are you thinking? He doesn’t owe you anything. He was probably assigned to protect you. Did you actually think he was interested in a mouse like you?
“Stop this nonsense. Mate will be in touch. Must be trouble at work.
Danger in Grey Lake,” her bear argued.
She shrugged. Either that or he didn’t want to waste his time with her.
There was no sense in mooning about things she couldn’t change. Besides, she was still grieving her father; she didn’t have any additional capacity for heartbreak. Better to keep things simple. No entanglements. Yeah, that was the best way to avoid getting hurt.
“Won’t work, silly human. Kind reindeer is persistent. You’ll see,” her beast replied.
She tidied up her post at the main circulation desk and headed out to make the rounds before closing the library. She’d had a busy afternoon.
Dr. Brackett, or Miles as he repeatedly insisted she call him, had peppered her with questions about the polar caves in the area. He wanted to design a field study for one of his laboratory classes and needed some specific information on the largest of the caves. She was able to provide some notes and maps. He was thrilled when she’d offered to take him out to show him one of her favorite caves on Sunday when she had a day off.
Miles was enthusiastic about geology and the earth sciences in general and wanted to bring that excitement to his students. Lofty goals, Piper mused.
She’d never been particularly interested in science; it was all literature and
library science classes for her. Perhaps she’d have been more enamored of the subject if she had an engaging professor like Miles.
Twenty minutes later, she’d just picked up her purse from her office and walked to the front door when—
“I’m glad I caught you.”
She startled, and her head snapped up. Jasper was standing by the door.
He winced. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m sorry I’m so late. I meant to get back here sooner.”
His hair was all mussed up, but he otherwise looked well.
“It’s fine. You don’t have to keep running back here to check on me. I can handle things here. I know you’re busy,” Piper said, pulling the library keys out of her purse. She tried but failed to keep her voice even. She walked toward the door, passing Jasper, hoping he’d follow her out so she could head home.
She reached the door, pulled back the handle, and hesitated. Jasper hadn’t followed her. He remained where he’d been standing. He was scowling. Ooh, she hadn’t seen a miffed Jasper before.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “I need to close up for the night.”
“I know you can handle this.” He gestured with his head behind him. “I like coming here and spending time with you.”
“You do?” she said quietly. Frowning Jasper was an even hotter Jasper.
“Agree with you, human,” her bear whispered.
“Course, I do. I come here because you’re an amazing person who I want to get to know better,” he said.
“You weren’t sent here on orders? You weren’t assigned to guard me?”
Piper asked. She needed to be sure.
He flinched. “No! Did someone tell you that? Is that what you thought?”
he asked.
She shook her head. Tears threatened. “No, nobody said that. I just wasn’t sure. So much has happened.” She lowered her head so he wouldn’t see her cry. Shit, she needed to stop with the tears.
Oof! Before she registered what happened, she was tucked up against his chest.
“Shh, it’s OK. Let it out.” He held her tightly against him and rubbed soothing strokes up and down her back.
She had to hold back a moan. His body was so warm, his arms so strong.
Get yourself together.
“Let mate comfort you. He needs it, too,” her bear said. “See how he’s doing. Show some concern.”
“I’m OK.” Her voice was muffled as she was still pressed against his chest. After a few seconds, he loosened his embrace and held her at arms’
length. He raised an eyebrow.
Piper smiled weakly. “Really, I’m good. Sorry I snapped at you. I’m just tired, but you must be, too. Now, you tell me, how was your day?”
Chapter12
PIPER WAS KILLING him. He could smell the sadness in the air. A deep, dark melancholy swirled around her. And she was asking him about his day? No, he needed to take care of her.
“How about I follow you home, and we can order dinner, my treat?”
“I don’t know. I’m really tired,” she said without emotion.
“Have you eaten yet?” he persisted.
She shook her head and lowered her eyes. “No, I got busy and forgot.”
“Mate has to eat. Take care of her or I will,” his beast warned.
“Well, how about it then? You need to eat and so do I.” He groaned and grunted as his reindeer continued to push at his being. The reindeer was not happy that Piper wasn’t taking proper care of herself.
“What was that?” Piper was ever perceptive.
“My animal is upset that you haven’t eaten. He’s trying to force a change.”
Her eyes widened. “Ooh, no you don’t, not in the library, you naughty beast,” she teased.
His cock stiffened at her words. No, this isn’t what she needed right now. She needed food and rest.
“He’ll behave,” Jasper croaked, “as long as he makes sure you eat something.”
She rolled her eyes. “OK, fine. Let’s go then.”
About twenty minutes later, Jasper followed Piper through the front door of her family’s home. The inside was all dark wood, but it wasn’t dank. The atmosphere was cozy. He smiled as he eyed the numerous bookcases that lined two walls of the spacious living room.
Piper was standing next to him, still in her coat, holding her purse. She fidgeted with the strap of the bag. He noticed she’d lost some weight since her father’s death. She was tall for a woman, but about average height for a female bear shifter. Her shape was curvy but toned like an athlete. Now she looked like she’d lost about fifteen pounds or so. She probably wasn’t eating well. The dark circles under her eyes indicated trouble sleeping as well.
Someone needed to take care of her for a change.
“Hey, how about I get us something to drink while you put your feet up?
What would you like?” Jasper asked. The kitchen was just off the living room. He propped his laptop bag against the wall next to the front door and strode into the partially open concept kitchen.
“No, I can get it,” Piper argued.
He could hear the fatigue in her voice. “I insist. Just have a seat.” The shiny black fridge had an ice and water dispenser. “How about some water?”
“Sure,” she said.
He watched her out of the corner of his eye as he went in search of drinkware.
She removed her coat and draped it over the back of a recliner along with her purse. She then plunked herself down on the largest of two dark blue couches with a heavy sigh.
“How did your appointment go with the professor?” Jasper asked as he pulled two tall blue glasses from a cabinet near the sink.
She was resting her head against the back of the sofa. “Oh, it went pretty well. He was very interested in the polar caves in the area,” Piper said.
“Hmm, is he also a bear shifter?” Jasper asked. He filled the two glasses with ice and then water from the fridge dispenser. He walked over and handed a glass to Piper, then sat down next to her on the couch—not too close as to crowd her, but close enough to keep his reindeer from revolting.
“Thanks,” Piper replied after taking the glass. She took a sip. “No, his mother is or was a tiger shifter, but he can’t shift. He inherited her eyes—
these brilliant, almost glowing, green eyes—but that’s it.”
“Don’t want her looking at some other man’s eyes,” his reindeer hissed.
“Agreed,” he silently told his irate beast.
“Unusual, huh? I’ve never seen a tiger shifter before,” Piper said.
Jasper took a sip of his drink. “I’ve met a couple in the bureau, but
they’re both from the West coast. I haven’t seen any around here. This professor seems nice?”
Piper took another sip and nodded. “Seems so. He’s trying to get his students interested in science. He wants to take them on a field trip as part of their lab. I offered to show him one of my favorite caves on Sunday. You’re welcome to come if you’re free,” Piper offered.
He’d be free no matter what. He tamped down his jealousy and forced a grin. “That would be great. I haven’t been to the caves since I was a kid. I’d love to go.”
She gifted him with a warm smile that caused a burning in his chest.
“Feed mate, idiot human,” his animal scolded.
“I nearly forgot. Tell me what you’d like for dinner so I can place the order while you tell me more about these caves.”
Chapter 13
PIPER WAS SO screwed. She had found a kindred soul in the muscular federal agent. They’d been talking non-stop since he placed the order for their pizzas.
He’d noticed the Robin Hobb books on one of her bookshelves, and it turned out he was also a fan of the fantasy genre. She was so happy to find someone to discuss books with. She was friendly with May, Iris, and more recently Mac, but they weren’t huge readers like she was. She wouldn’t have thought Jasper would share her interest, but it just goes to show you, you can’t judge a book by its cover. She laughed out loud at her own corny joke.
“What’s so funny?” Jasper asked, a half-grin on his face. He was sitting next to her on the couch, looking through some of the books he’d grabbed from her shelves.
She felt her cheeks heat. “Just, you know, here I was judging a book by its cover. I’m embarrassed.”
He leaned his head closer to hers. “Don’t be. How would you know I’m into these books? Not many people do.”
Ring, ring, ring!
She startled, lurching forward from her seat.
Jasper laid a hand on her arm. “It’s just the door.” He glanced at his watch. “Must be the pizza. I’ll get it.” He patted her arm once and then rose and ambled to the door.
Piper stood up and walked to the kitchen to get plates but turned at the sound of familiar voices at the door.
Jasper returned from answering the door with May and Beau behind him. They were holding hands. Petite, blond wolf shifter May was smiling,
but her enormous grizzly shifter husband looked harried with his auburn hair sticking out as if he’d been rubbing it repeatedly.
“You’re not pizza,” Piper mumbled inanely.
May barked out a laugh, while Beau grinned. “Pipe, when I was a cop, I was called a lot of things by the idiots I arrested. I have to say, though, I’ve never been called a pizza.”
Piper groaned. “Oh, you know what I mean. We ordered a pizza and thought you guys were it.” She walked over and gave May and then Beau a hug. “What’re you guys doing here? Did I forget we had plans?” She didn’t think she’d made plans with the Shanleys, but her mind was so messed up recently… She looked at Jasper, who was frowning.
“No, no. This was a last-minute visit. I hope you don’t mind us stopping over. We’ll keep it brief since you have company,” Beau said, eyes twinkling.
Damn it. Her cheeks warmed once more. “No, it’s OK. Jasper and I were just going to eat some dinner. Do you guys want to join us?” Piper asked.
Beau tugged May in closer to him, wrapping one arm around her shoulder. “No, I have plans for a quiet dinner at home with my lovely wife.
She just wanted to come over here and make sure you were OK.”
“What? Why wouldn’t she be OK?” Jasper asked. His tone was guarded.
“Here, sit down.” Piper gestured for May and Beau to sit on the couch opposite the one she and Jasper had been seated on.
“Thanks,” May said, sitting down. Beau sat down close to his wife. He pulled her against his body. May squeezed his hand and smiled lovingly at him.
Watching the couple, Piper sighed. They looked so in love.
“Give mate some time, human. You’ll be there soon,” her inner bear chuffed.
“Can I get you guys anything?” Piper asked.
May shook her head. “No, no. We’re fine. I just wanted to check on you because I had one of my visions. I painted you this afternoon. I had just finished one of my painting classes. The last of the students had just left and I was cleaning up. I just went into this trance, and when I came to, I had painted you.”
“Whoa, really? Are you OK?” Piper asked.
May nodded.
Beau squeezed her shoulder gently, worry evident in his eyes. “Thank God for that.”
“What was I doing?” Piper asked.
May waved Pi