Palm Haven Shifters: Complete Five-Part Series Page 27

  He took them back to his office in the clubhouse. Sonya had never really had a chance to see the big open room, filled with driftwood sculptures and landscape paintings. But she certainly didn’t have time to enjoy the art now.

  José pulled the little card from a locked desk drawer and turned it over in his hands a few times, his brow furrowed in concentration.

  In the next second, a shimmery apparition appeared between them, an old woman with a poisonous grin.

  “Reconsidered my offer, have you? You’re a little late,” she said, her voice ringing in the room with a hollow quality.

  “I know you helped Diego kidnap the boy, now you’re going to tell me where he is,” José growled.

  Esther just laughed. “I warned you this would happen.”

  “And now I’m warning you. I know your Coven doesn’t know what you’re getting into in your spare time.”

  Esther’s smile faded. “I don’t have to listen to this,” she said, waving her hand.

  When her image didn’t dissipate, José sat back in his chair, his arms crossed with a satisfied sneer curling his lips.

  Esther’s soulless eyes burned with white-hot rage as she whirled around to see Sonya there.

  “You dare bind me in place?”

  Sonya gave her a hard look. “You want to play games with my son? Let’s play.”

  The older witch looked from Sonya back to José and her sneer returned to her wrinkled face. “You restored her magic, didn’t you?” She accused in a sing-song voice.

  “Ho ho ho… Diego won’t be expecting that,” she giggled.

  “Enough,” José growled, slamming his fist down on the desk. “You’ve jerked me around long enough and it’s time for some fucking answers. Or do you want your sisters to hear all about your extra curriculars?”

  “Hmm,” Esther tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Well played, puppy. Diego has the boy in a trailer in the forest, not far from here.”

  She gave them the exact location before José would let Sonya release the witch. As soon as her projection faded, Sonya doubled over, hands on her knees, heaving great shaking breaths as she pushed back the wave of tears threatening to overcome her.

  Not knowing where Manuel was was bad enough. Knowing he was with Diego was absolute torture.

  José wrapped her in his arms and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “We’re going to bring him home. Safe and sound, I promise.”

  She nodded, swiping at tears as he pulled her in for a quick salty kiss.

  At least she wasn’t alone. She had José. And she had her magic.

  Chapter 14

  JOSÉ

  José’s vehicle bounced along the rutted muddy roads through the woods on the outskirts of The Den’s territory, his wolf bristling to the surface.

  How had everything gone so wrong? He promised Sonya he’d keep them safe and now where were they?

  He’d failed them both and that pissed him off more than anything. He promised her.

  Putting the vehicle in park, he took Sonya’s hand in his, stopping her from getting out of the car.

  “Listen, I don’t know what Diego has planned. Just go in, get Manuel and take him back to The Den where it’s safe. Don’t come back for me, okay? No matter what. Just get Manuel and get to safety.”

  Sonya’s jaw dropped and the fire in her eyes made José’s heart swell. No longer was she the timid scared woman he’d met weeks ago. She was a new woman, fierce, protective, and confident. She’d be okay. Even if he wasn’t.

  “José, I’m not going to—”

  “Yes you are,” he said sternly. “Promise me Sonya. I can’t stand the thought of Diego laying a hand on either of you ever again. I need to know you’re safe.”

  With tears in her shimmering eyes once more, Sonya nodded. “Okay, I promise.”

  He gave her another quick kiss, desperately hoping it wouldn’t be their last, before they both got out and approached Diego’s trailer.

  “I should have known you wouldn’t come alone, Sonya,” a deep gruff voice yelled as the squeaky screen door opened.

  In the background, José heard Manuel squeal ‘Mama!’ and the looming figure in the doorway turned back with a harsh snap.

  “You keep quiet,” Diego nearly barked, more animal than man as he slammed the door and sauntered down the porch steps toward them.

  “You made a mistake taking him from me,” Sonya said, her voice trembling. Diego might think it was fear, but José knew it was pure maternal rage.

  Diego’s mouth curled into a snarl; José had never actually met the other Alpha, but he’d heard more than enough stories of the man’s cruelty. It was a plague on all the wolves in the state and now he’d gone too far by bringing Manuel into it.

  “He’s my son, too. He should be with his father,” Diego said. “He belongs in Summer Springs with my pack.”

  Sonya positively vibrated with rage. “Manuel will never go anywhere with you. He has a new pack now,” she said, sending a quick glance over to José.

  “Oh yeah? Is that why you brought your guard dog, you filthy whore? You just can’t keep your legs closed for an Alpha, can you, bruja?”

  In a flash of white, José shifted and tackled Diego to the ground, his vision completely red. All the wolf wanted was to protect his family and make this dirty bastard pay for what he’d done.

  Far off in the distance, he heard Sonya’s yelp of surprise as Diego shifted as well, his great hulking wolf even bigger than José’s. He was mangier, though, dirty and matted, scarred with bald spots from past fights.

  Diego planted his back feet and growled, watching Sonya edge toward the trailer. José growled too, daring him to make a move.

  As she approached the first wooden step to the door, Diego lunged.

  José sprang and they tumbled to the ground together in a flurry of teeth and claws.

  Manuel’s excited “Mama!” could be heard over the snapping and yelping of the fighting beasts. José watched Sonya carry her son out of the trailer and she broke into a run toward their vehicle.

  They were okay.

  Diego exploited his momentary distraction and pinned him, his jaws closing around José’s neck, crushing the air out of him.

  He couldn’t see what was happening, but he heard another vehicle. Another voice. Someone leaving with Manuel while Sonya… stayed.

  But no. That’s not what was supposed to happen!

  He jerked his head to his mate and felt Diego’s teeth sink further into his flesh. Felt the warm gushing blood stick to his fur and pool around him, staining the blanket of pine needles that covered the ground.

  When had everything gotten so cold? Freezing. He could hardly think with the cold anymore and it took all of his energy to train his gaze on Diego. To spot that cold maniacal glee that meant the very end of him.

  But if this was death, it wasn’t so bad. His eyes drifted closed and he warmed from the inside out. A golden light ensnared him, pulling him, dragging him off into the abyss. Away from everything. Away from the pain. Away from the cold.

  It sounded so wonderful. So tempting to just let go and leave everything behind.

  Not them. You can’t leave them.

  The thought occurred to him at the last moment, but it was already too late.

  Chapter 15

  SONYA

  “That’s enough,” Sonya boomed, her voice magically enhanced to reverberate through the woods. Whole flocks of birds took frantic flight at her demand, and Diego himself even stopped mauling José for a moment.

  Please please please be alive, she silently prayed, hoping José could hold on just a bit longer.

  With a flick of her wrist, Sonya encased Diego in a glowing sphere of light and lifted him off of the ground, hovering feet above them. She rushed over to José and stroked his blood-stained fur.

  “It’s going to be alright, I promise,” she whispered, placing a kiss on his forehead. His eyes opened for only the briefest moment and he whined with an exhale.


  “Shhh, I got this,” she said, swiping at fresh tears before standing to face Diego again.

  The grungy grey wolf wasn’t at all what she remembered. Diego had always taken better care of himself than this, but now he looked a little worse for wear.

  All the better for her.

  He snarled and snapped at her, lunging against the confines of his magical prison.

  “Oh, did you want down?” Sonya barely moved her fingers and the sphere disappeared, sending Diego plummeting toward the ground.

  At the last possible second, Sonya wrapped him in her magic and lifted him again, at least twenty feet overhead.

  “No, on second thought, we’re not through here,” she said, hands on her hips.

  “You’re going to listen to me for once, and so help me if you don’t hear what I’m telling you, you will regret it, Diego Rivera.”

  The wolf bared his great sharp teeth at her, still stained with José’s blood and Sonya felt her fury grow to untold heights. This man had taken everything from her and she refused to be afraid of him anymore. She couldn’t believe that she’d ever seen any good in him, but whatever glimpse was there had left him a long time ago. There was nothing left of the Diego she knew before he became Alpha. Nothing left but a blood-thirsty animal.

  “You are never going to hurt me or my son again, do you understand? You’re never going to bother us. You’re going to forget we exist.”

  Diego growled, his fur standing straight up as he snapped and lunged at her again, despite being two stories off the ground.

  “Oh,” Sonya said with a little growl of her own. “I forgot you only understand one language.”

  The glowing sphere of light disappeared again and Diego fell to the ground, landing with crack and a high-pitched yelp.

  He shifted in the blink of an eye, but Sonya already had him trapped and off the ground before he was fully human. Now his right arm dangled limply at his side, twisted in a grotesque angle. Sonya felt more than a little satisfaction at the sight. It was about time the broken bones were on the other side.

  “My son should learn to be a wolf not a fucking puppy dog,” Diego snarled.

  “He’s not your son. He stopped being your son the moment you laid hands on him you disgusting excuse for a man,” Sonya nearly shrieked, struggling to maintain her even hand as her emotions crashed through her. So many years of pent up fear and anger rose to the surface and nearly knocked her over with the force.

  “That’s right, you prefer lap dogs now, don’t you, simpering bitch? You’re mine. You both belong to me and I won’t let you forget it.”

  For a moment, Sonya felt that old familiar panic at his promise, but then she clenched her jaw and steeled her spine.

  “You’re wrong. I’m not afraid of you anymore and I’m not helpless anymore.”

  She raised him another ten feet and he kicked his legs wildly as if he were trying to swim through the air.

  And then she dropped him.

  Diego collided with the earth with a loud crunch that echoed through the canopy. He scrambled to move, his body broken and bloody even as his eyes were filled with pure hatred.

  Sonya took a few steps until she stood over him. “If I ever see you again, I promise you, you will regret it.”

  She bound him with her magic, resisting the urge to hogtie him like he really deserved.

  José was healing, but not enough that he could support himself, so Sonya levitated him, feeling her magical stores starting to wane with all of the activity. Could it really be over? She floated him to the car and as she helped José into the backseat, Diego called out to them.

  “You can’t just leave me out here like this! What if no one finds me?”

  Maybe she should have been ashamed of the smile brought to her lips by the fear in his voice. Maybe she should have been, but she wasn’t.

  In fact, she managed to laugh at him.

  “Well then, I guess the world will just have to find a way to soldier on without you Diego. I think we’ll be alright.” She climbed into the driver’s seat and closed the door as she started the ignition.

  “You were incredible,” José rasped from the back seat, making her jump in surprise.

  Sonya clutched her chest and laughed. “You scared the shit out of me, I didn’t know you shifted back there.”

  José flashed her a cheeky grin. “Helps speed up the healing. But really, I didn’t know you had it in you.”

  She looked at him through the rearview mirror as she drove back to The Den, desperate to have her little boy in her arms again. “You don’t have to be a shifter to be a fierce Mama Bear… er… Wolf,” she grinned, feeling the toll of the day finally start to wear her down a little.

  “Was that… Juan that picked Manuel up?” José asked, his face scrunching as he tried to remember the details.

  Sonya nodded. “He followed us. Good thing, too. You needed some help.”

  “You promised to leave,” José accused.

  “I crossed my fingers,” she said, sticking her tongue out. “There was no way I was going to let that asshole take another thing I love from me.”

  His eyes went wide and Sonya tried to act like she didn’t realize what she’d said even as her face burned.

  “I love you, too,” he said, leaning between the front seats to kiss her neck as she pulled the vehicle to a stop and parked outside the clubhouse.

  Sonya turned to face him, resting her hand against the side of his face as she pulled him in for a kiss. “Don’t ever come that close to dying again, okay?”

  He nodded with a chuckle. “Deal.”

  Juan and Manuel sat outside at one of the picnic tables, Juan was trying to teach Manuel how to shuffle a deck of cards, but they kept flying off in all directions every time the boy got his hands on them. Maybe he had a bit more of his mother in him than Sonya realized. She’d never given much thought to her own part in Manuel’s supernatural lineage.

  “I think it’s past your bed time,” she said with an exhausted smile.

  Manuel turned to her with wide sparkling eyes and jumped up from the table, running to give her a big hug. José joined in on the hug and Sonya finally felt like she was home.

  “You’re squishing my face!” Manuel groaned from deep within the family hug. The adults all laughed and Sonya scooped him up in her arms.

  “Okay, dinner, a bath, and bed, Mister.” She knew Manuel had had enough excitement for the day when he simply shrugged and wrapped his little arms around her neck, snuggling against her chest with a lock of her hair clutched in his hand.

  Before they could get away from the clubhouse, Carlos came out through the front doors and spotted José. “There you are!”

  José still wasn’t fully healed, his neck was purple and red and when he spoke his voice was scratchy and hoarse. “Here I am.”

  Carlos didn’t seem to be in the joking mood, his expression grim.

  “This all seems to have been a big distraction,” he said and Sonya shifted uneasily, stroking Manuel’s back gently.

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “Diego’s pack is on the move and it looks like they might be planning an attack on the other shifters, framing us for it.”

  José growled and then coughed, clutching his throat. “That witch, I’m sure,” he said to Sonya before turning back to Carlos. “Gather all the intel you can. They’re not going to make a move tonight without their Alpha and neither are we. I’m taking the night off to recuperate and have some much needed family time.”

  Carlos pulled a face, but nodded. “Well, alright.”

  José slipped an arm around Sonya’s waist and walked with her back to her little home.

  “What’s that smirk for?” He pressed as they walked.

  “Was I smirking? I didn’t know I was,” she laughed.

  “Well?”

  She shrugged. “You called us your family.” Her heart swelled at the thought and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get rid of th
e smile that stretched her cheeks.

  “Well… duh. I told you, I’ve known since I met you that we’re all meant to be together. Or… my wolf did. I was just a little slower on the uptake.”

  She nudged him playfully with her hip. “Well, at least you finally caught on,” she joked.

  “Oh, yeah, like you were on board from the beginning,” he teased back as they entered her new house and she set Manuel down.

  “Go wash up and get ready for bed, dinner will be ready when you’re done,” she said, kissing her son on the top of his curly-haired head with a little nudge towards the bathroom.

  José settled his hands on her hips and pulled her close for a kiss. “You are most certainly my family. There shouldn’t be a doubt in your mind.”

  Sonya smiled; she’d never thought she’d be able to trust again — especially not a wolf — but José was different. Better. Perfect. All of her dreams come true and then some. He was tender and gentle, he loved Manuel and had put his life on the line for both of them.

  Together, they could face anything.

  “There isn’t,” she whispered, her lips hovering millimeters away from his, “I trust you.”

  When he kissed her, Sonya felt for the first time in a long, long time, that everything was right with the world.

  The End.

  Catching the Tiger

  Chapter 1

  SEAN

  A gust of wind helped to push Sean through the revolving door of the Altamonte Heights Hotel. Briefcase in hand, he approached the reception desk, wishing for nothing more in the world than a long hot shower and sleep in a warm fluffy bed.

  “Good evening, sir,” the front desk agent said in a stiff, yet polite, tone. Her eyes were surrounded by puffy circles and Sean wondered if he’d just woken her from a nap.

  “Checking in?”

  “Yes. Reservation under Simons.”

  She scrolled the mouse and Sean watched as lines of information reflected in her glossy eyes. She stopped, scrolled up a bit and then her eyes widened.

  Sean was used to that kind of reaction, but he’d rather not acknowledge it right now. Shower and bed.