Palm Haven Shifters: Complete Five-Part Series Read online

  And then Callan realized how right Ashley had been. How bad things were going to get. How this one witch was masterfully orchestrating the biggest clan war in history. And soon, very soon, the casualties would begin to mount.

  Leave her to me, the woman had said about Ashley. A chill raced through his blood and Callan’s bear stood at attention, ready to disembowel the threat to their mate if necessary.

  Callan would not allow Ashley to be the first among the casualties. Tigers made him nervous. Wolves made him downright terrified for her safety — they were notoriously violent and aggressive without cause. And if this Sage person gave them cause to go after Ashley…

  While he was busy connecting the dots with a sluggish and sleep-deprived mind, the worksite around him had cleared and with it, any sight of the cloaked women.

  Shit.

  He knew he’d have to warn her.

  Fumbling with his keys in one hand and the phone in the other, he called her, crossing his fingers as he turned the key in the ignition.

  Three rings and nothing.

  “Come on, Ashley, not the time to ignore my call.”

  As if she’d somehow heard his plea through space, the line picked up.

  “Hey,” she said.

  Callan’s heart clenched. He’d hoped she’d sound a little happier to hear from him.

  “Where are you?” He’d worry about her enthusiasm later, for now, his main concern was her safety.

  “Uh, I’m across town, near the old train station, heading home, why?”

  “That woman… she’s not just talking to tigers, Ash, she’s manipulating the wolves, too.” And Ashley was in wolf territory. He cursed silently.

  “That’s… weird. But I’m not sure how that has anything to do with me.”

  Callan sighed; she was right of course. He had nothing to go on other than circumstantial evidence and his gut. “Maybe I’m being paranoid, but I think you should get home and let me know when you get ther—”

  He heard another voice in the background, male, but he couldn’t make out the words.

  “Ash?”

  “I’m lost,” she said to someone else, away from the phone, her voice quivering. Callan tried to slow the thundering pulse of his heart. “Just asking a friend for directions…” she said.

  “Ashley, can you hear me? What’s going on? Are you okay?” He didn’t want to over-react and have her think he was a crazy person. But if something happened to her and he didn’t act… well, Callan would never forgive himself.

  A bark of laughter greeted her answer, menacing and icy. Then a chorus of similar barking laughs.

  Her phone clattered to the pavement and the line went dead.

  Callan didn’t have a moment to think or even breathe. The bear took over. He managed to rip the keys from the ignition and hide them under the seat before he stumbled out of the truck, the transformation already starting.

  Bones cracked and popped and muscles rippled and reshaped themselves. Tendons stretched and Callan let out a triumphant roar as his bear took shape. No harm was going to come to his mate. He didn’t think about the issues with shifting in the middle of a residential street, or the repercussions of traipsing through the streets without any attempt to remain inconspicuous.

  He knew only the general direction of Ashley’s location. But he let the bear lead the way. He just hoped he wouldn’t be too late.

  Chapter 13

  ASHLEY

  “What’s a pretty little witch like you doing so far away from your sisters?” A husky voice called to Ashley as she walked down the sidewalk. Her fingers tightened around her phone. Callan was right; she was in danger.

  She turned, her heart speeding up in her chest. There were five of them. Five lean muscled men, covered in tattoos and gleaming predatory smiles: wolves. She had no doubt by the way they identified her and traveled in a pack.

  Ashley swallowed, hearing Callan on the other end of the line as she lowered her hand to appear non-threatening. Even if there was only one, there was no way she could out-run a wolf.

  “I’m lost,” she said, noticing the way her voice trembled. What would a wolf want with her? How did he know she’d be here? Was it all a set-up? Ashley knew the truth wouldn’t serve her one bit.

  “Just calling a friend for directions,” she said.

  The man who’d first spoke — the Alpha of the pack — quirked the corner of his mouth, his lips pulled back just enough to show Ashley the lethal point of his sharp canines.

  He let out a bark of laughter; his eyes flashing with something animalistic. Predatory. She was trapped prey and he was only playing with her now.

  “You hear that? She says she has friends here,” he laughed again and his lackeys followed suit, laughing with him.

  He took another step towards her. Ashley felt the cool brick wall press against her spine; there was nowhere left to go. His body closed in on hers and the phone slipped from her grasp.

  “See, I heard things a little differently. Word is, you’re trying to take wolves out of my territory, trying to undermine my pack. You witches,” he clucked his tongue, shaking his head with a deadly grin, “you’re always meddling.” The last word came out as a growl.

  Sweat trickled down the back of Ashley’s neck. Her eyes darted from side to side, searching for an escape route. Her fingers crackled with sparks of nervous energy, but she knew she couldn’t attack them without damning herself, too. She had to keep her magic under control. Even if she could take one of them out, the rest of the pack would kill her.

  “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she stammered, trying to keep her back straight even as she stared into the eyes of a wolf. Sharp edges of brick dug into her back as she tried to wriggle further away from him still.

  The Alpha’s raw power affected his pack and most of them couldn’t resist the transformation being so close to him in his fury. Only one of the men besides the Alpha stayed in human form.

  She never thought that there’d be a day when she would rather be cornered by five men, but today was that day. Five men sounded a lot better than three angry snarling wolves, fur bristling down their spines, and two seething alpha-type men.

  How was she going to get herself out of this one?

  Was she going to get herself out of this one?

  The Alpha’s hand closed around her throat and he snapped at her, his wolf coming to the surface for a brief moment.

  “Don’t lie to me, witch. You leave the wolves to me, do you understand?” She didn’t, but she nodded anyway.

  His grip only tightened and Ashley’s lungs burned with the effort of catching her breath. His thumb pressed into her neck and her vision began to fade. The force of his grip lifted her until her toes barely scraped the concrete underfoot and she clawed at his hand, gasping for breath.

  “You tell your friends to keep their hocus pocus to themselves and stay away from my pack. Or the Coven will be our next target,” he growled.

  She heard ringing in her ears. Her eyes bulged but she couldn’t focus on anything. She wondered if the ringing would be the last thing she ever heard as her vision tunneled. But he’d given her a message. Dead people couldn’t deliver messages, right? Black fog crept into the edges of her sight, making everything hazy as her grip on consciousness slipped.

  A roar broke through the thick oxygen-deprived mist, quickly followed by a yelp. The pressure on her neck disappeared and Ashley dropped to the ground. Her head throbbed as oxygen returned to her starved tissue.

  Everything was a blur – it seemed to be happening in fast forward. She opened her eyes just in time to see the Alpha shift. Five wolves piled on… something. Hope lanced through her. There was something attacking the wolves!

  She lifted herself to her elbows slowly, the ringing in her ears still deafening. Her vision cleared a bit more and in the warm yellow glow of streetlights, she saw the wolves circling a huge furry form. Taking turns nipping at the creature’s legs to distract him and wear him
down.

  The lone animal stood on its haunches and roared — a bear. Ashley was torn between awe and utter terror. Though she assumed the bear was a shifter, seeing these dangerous predators in the middle of civilization just screamed wrong through every pore in her body.

  The Alpha – a great white wolf – lunged at the bear, latching onto his neck. The bear roared as another wolf clamped its jaws on his arm.

  Ashley shook her head again to clear it once and for all. She should just let this play out how it would. The bears were just as much a problem as the wolves. If they all killed each other off that would make Palm Haven safer for everyone.

  And yet…

  The bear was trying to save her. She couldn’t just leave him.

  The bear swatted away an attacker; the slender wolf slammed into a brick wall with a high-pitched squeal and a sickening crack.

  Ashley’s chest heaved as she gathered the little strength she had. At least she wasn’t at a loss for pure magic. She’d just have to find focus. Of course, she couldn’t hurt the wolves, but she could help the bear. Her hands began to glow and tremble.

  The bear roared in pain again and her magic responded to him.

  There was so much blood on the ground. She wondered how much of it was his. He wouldn’t survive without her help. Would she have survived without his?

  “Come on,” she muttered, struggling to grapple the panicked energy that ripped her magic from her fingertips. The bear’s eyes locked with hers and they looked… familiar. Her heart skipped a beat. The depths of those big brown eyes tugged at something in her soul.

  A surge of power rushed through her, shooting from her fingertips with tremendous force. A ball of golden light encircled the bear and pushed the wolves away, forming a protective sphere around the bloodied bear. The wolves had suffered badly enough that the added foe made them reconsider the fight. Battered and injured, the wolves retreated with angry posturing snarls. Once they were out of sight, the bear collapsed under his own weight.

  The ball of light dissipated and Ashley rushed to his side.

  “Thank you so much,” she cried, trying to judge the extent of the bear’s wounds. Shifters healed remarkably fast and his gashes were already knitting themselves back together. His form began to change – the transformation sped up the healing powers, she’d heard – and Ashley watched with interest as his furry bear body became one of chiseled muscles and gorgeous toffee-colored skin.

  His face was the last thing to change and Ashley jumped back like she’d been burned.

  “Callan!” she shrieked, suddenly ashamed of the moisture pooling between her legs. How had he found her so fast?

  He gave her a crooked smile and winced as he tried to sit up.

  “Surprise,” he said.

  “What are you doing here? You could have been killed!”

  “I could tell you the same thing,” Callan said with a raised eyebrow. How could he light her insides on fire with such a little gesture? She clenched her fists, resisting the urge to throw herself at him with pure unbridled glee that he was okay.

  She resisted because the amount of blood covering his body did not convince her he was okay.

  “Are you okay?” She asked, a hint of tenderness worming its way into her tone.

  He shrugged and winced as he did. “I’ll live. No changing the subject. What are you doing in this part of town? Someone has it out for you and this isn’t exactly the safest neighborhood,” he said, pressing her with those gorgeous eyes.

  “I… It’s none of your business!” She finally answered, her hands flying to her hips in defiance. Even as she tried to maintain her distance from him, she couldn’t.

  “It’s not? I thought I was entitled to a couple of answers after saving your life…” he stood and backed her into the wall – the second time she found herself in that position – this time instead of being frightened, she felt hot. Stifled. Trapped in her own skin.

  His eyes bored through her and she squirmed under his incendiary gaze.

  “If I remember correctly,” she whispered, his face far too close to hers for comfort, “I saved your life, too.”

  A smile tugged at the corner of his sensuous lips.

  Her insides melted.

  Get a grip, Ashley. He’s a shifter!

  He perched a hand on the wall behind her, blocking her in.

  “Allow me to express my gratitude,” he purred, his voice low and sultry.

  Ashley felt light-headed. She felt his breath on her lips and fought not to lean into them. Heat emanated from his body and thawed her insides, reminding her of all the incredible things he could do to her. He leaned in a little further. His body pressed against hers and she felt the evidence of his arousal pressed against her heated sex. God how she wanted him. Being so close to Callan made her feel drunk.

  “We can’t… I can’t… This is…”

  “Shh,” he said, his fingers barely brushing against her cheek. She leaned into his palm without thinking about it. His hand slid around the back of her neck sending shivers down her spine.

  “This is everything Ashley. You’re my one and only. My fated mate. I know that’s not what you want to hear. I know it’s not how you saw your life going, but I promise I will always take care of you, keep you safe, make you happy and give you more orgasms than you can handle.”

  She opened her mouth to protest and he closed it with a single finger under her chin.

  “No, you have to hear me out. I know it’s not the same for you. I know it’s not instant and all-consuming like it is with me. But it can be. Eventually. I think you can learn to love me the way I already love you.”

  Her heart hurt it beat against her ribcage so hard.

  Callan’s thumb traced the fresh bruises on her neck that the Alpha left before covering the purple spots with kisses.

  “Callan,” she breathed, putting her hands on his chest. She wasn’t pushing him away, but she wasn’t pulling him closer either.

  His hand trailed a blazing path down her spine to the curve of her ass. He pulled her forward, pressing her against his stiff erection.

  “Don’t push me away, again, Ash,” he begged. “You don’t have to commit to anything you don’t want to, but don’t push me away.”

  The tortured sound of his voice created a lump in her throat. She didn’t want to push him away. Everything about Callan felt right. Except that one thing.

  “But you’re… you’re a bear,” she muttered, her eyes filling with tears. Every fiber of her being screamed that she should give herself to him. Her skin was on fire where he’d touched her. Her lips yearned for his taste. Her insides ached to be filled by him. Why couldn’t she just let go of her prejudice?

  “I never meant to keep it a secret,” he said, his hands holding her hips firmly in place. “And I certainly don’t hold it against you that you’re a witch. We’re good together. There’s no use denying it when the evidence is right here.”

  She lost her train of thought tracing the strong line of his jaw until her eyes settled on his mouth once more. She licked her lips and felt magical energy surge through her with the force of a tsunami. He was right: she couldn’t deny it.

  He followed her line of sight and went for it.

  In an instant, Callan’s lips captured Ashley’s and drew her in. The air left her lungs and for a moment she was certain she was floating. His tongue pushed its way in her mouth – oh that tongue! – and teased her relentlessly. Every subtle movement echoed a memory of his skillful attentions in the past.

  She raked her fingers through the coarse hair on his chest, imagining it tickling her nipples while he plowed inside her.

  “Callan,” she panted again, breaking the kiss.

  His eyes shone back at her full of promise and hope. Without a word he begged her not to reject him again.

  “I don’t want to do this in the middle of the street,” she said.

  His face split into a huge grin and Ashley’s heart swelled in her chest.
This man… this bear… could she really give herself to him?

  Power crackled in her fingertips and she already knew the answer. There was no turning away from him. No way to distance herself from him. Callan didn’t know it, but Ashley’s feelings for him were just as strong, just as — what had he said? — all-consuming.

  She needed him. She wanted him. Not just for one night. For as long as she could manage to keep him.

  Callan had her in his house before she had a chance to change her mind. After locking the door behind them, he took a long moment to drink her in completely. She felt suddenly nervous. Maybe he’d just been caught up in the moment, maybe he was changing his mind and didn’t want her after all. She knew that was only her own insecurities trying to sabotage her good time.

  His fingers wrapped around the back of her neck and sunk into her hair, pulling her into his chest.

  “Ashley… I haven’t stopped thinking about you for even a moment,” he admitted. “Not since the very first time I saw you.”

  Ashley felt her cheeks warm with his surprising admission. She wanted to refute his claim, to tell him she was nothing special, something, but the sincerity in his chocolate eyes stopped her.

  “I mean it,” he said, lifting her chin to lock eyes with her. His other hand skated over her hip before grabbing a handful of flesh with a low growl.

  “You have no fucking clue what you do to me. To us both. My bear is obsessed with you too. I dream about you every night,” he confessed.

  Her lips parted on a silent gasp. Did he really mean the things he was saying? Could he know how often he visited her absent thoughts? How frequently she found herself thinking about him without any explanation for how she’d gotten there?

  Her fingers tingled with electricity and she raked them down his bare chest. He groaned and tightened his grip on her hips.

  “See? You have no fucking idea,” he said. He took her hand and placed it over the bulge in his pants.

  Ashley gave his cock an exploratory stroke, marveling at its size. She traced the steel length of him with hesitant fingertips, still trying to tell herself that the things she felt were okay. That she wasn’t going to destroy everything by being with Callan.