Shifters of Shadow Falls Collection (Books 1-3) (2 page)

“I love you Lizie.”  Tears start welling in my eyes.  I have to tell her.  Just in case.

Now 3.

“Cut that shit out.”  She scolds me and I nod. 

Now 2.

“I love you too.”  She kisses my cheek as her name is called.  I finally let go of her hand and immediately feel the loss. 

Now 1.

Breathe.

Miss. Red Head walks up.

Breathe.

My name is called. 

I hear my name ringing in my ears as my body falters and my fingers and toes go numb.  I will my shaking legs up the 4 steps and try to control my breathing.  I lick my dry lips and grip the clutch dangling from my wrist tight in my hands.  My heels click on the metal stage and I concentrate on the sound.  Just one step at a time and then it will all be over. 

As I let out a small breath at the calming thought, three things happen at once: the werewolf I just passed starts walking off the stage, a large hand moves to my back, and I hear Lizie scream.  My eyes shoot up to find Lizie, but before I can run to her, the hand moves to my waist, pulls me against a hard chest and holds me firmly in place.  My fingers frantically work to pull the werewolf off of me.  I pry, my nails digging into the large fingers splayed across my belly and shove my weight, but it’s useless.  She’s still screaming and I can’t even look at whoever’s holding me, I can only stare at Lizie struggling against unmoving arms.  I slam my elbow against the solid muscle behind me, but it doesn’t do a damn thing.  I shove my weight forward, once again pushing away from the beast holding me, while shouting her name. 

“Lizie!”  I scream out and my feet fly off the ground.  One arm is wrapped around my waist pulling me up and the other hand comes up to cup the side of my head, bringing my ear to his lips.  The forceful move makes my entire being instantly still.

“Calm her down.”  His baritone voice whispers in my ear.  His words sound gentle, but there’s no doubt in my mind that it’s a command.  My mind focuses on the werewolf’s words and I take in the scene, as if in slow motion.  The stage is empty, but for the shifter holding me and the one holding Lizie.  The other two shifters are on either side of the stage blocking the stairs.  Although, not a soul in the crowded stadium is moving towards us or moving from their positions in the least.  The only humans even close to us are Mr. Horga, who’s standing on the grass where I just was moments ago, looking wide eyed, mouth hung open in disbelief and the red head who’s huddled in a ball on her ass on the left side of the stage.  Everyone is silent while Lizie is shrieking and crying, held tightly to the mammoth shifter’s chest.  Her fists are beating against him, not doing any good, but the werewolf allows it, making no move to stop her. 

The one holding me releases me slowly, after repeating his command.  I finally nod and let the tears that had gathered in the corners of my eyes, slowly fall down my face while noiseless sobs softly rock my body.  Realization hits me as I’m lowered.  They’re taking Lizie.  As soon as my heels touch the ground, I dart for her.  I wrap my arms around the part of her midsection not covered by the black-cloaked arms.

“Lizie!”  I have to shout for her to hear me.

“Lizie!”  She stops shrieking for a moment and looks at me with frightened, blurred eyes.  She grabs me with such a force that I’m surprised I don’t fall over.  As soon as she’s quiet, smothering her sobs in the crook of my neck, the shifter holding her gently places her feet on the ground.  She nearly collapses as her heels refuse to find purchase on the cold, metal stage.  I grab onto her upper body with a steadying weight and she squeezes me back just as hard.   I’m vaguely aware that the audience of people watching are a mix of emotions.  Some are crying, others have started screaming.  But all I really hear is Lizie’s quiet sobs. 

I gasp for air so I can try to say something to calm her.  As I swallow down the lump in my throat and prepare for something to come out of my mouth, I feel the werewolf approach me from behind.  His hand comes down and lands on my shoulder.  At first he squeezes firmly, causing me to go rigid, but then his hold loosens and his thumb starts rubbing soothing circles against the back of my neck.  I blink the fear away and look up past Lizie, who still has her head buried in my neck.  She hasn’t stopped crying hysterically. 

I hold her tighter when I see the face of the werewolf behind her.  He’s staring at me with darkness in his eyes.  Like I’ve stolen his prey from him.  And I suppose that’s exactly what I’ve done.  His chiseled jaw is covered with dark brown stubble.  His eyes are silver and narrowed, but beyond that he looks human.  He would look utterly beautiful if he could turn his scowl into something less menacing.  At his stern expression, I take a step back, survival instincts warning me to take flight, but my back hits a chiseled chest of marble, abruptly preventing my escape.  Lizie looks up at me when I flinch from the contact.  My eyes dart from hers to the silver ones of the wolf behind her.  My body goes rigid as two hands grip my hips to steady me.  The shifters have us trapped.

“Follow him and bring her with you.”  The dominating man behind me again whispers and I feel his hot breath tickle my neck as his lips brush against my ear.  He releases my hips.  We stumble as I try to walk with the extra weight of her body leaning against mine.  I almost fall, but the strong hands behind me catch my small frame and force me forward.  My chest heaves air in and out.  I begin to shake when I realize I’m going to lose Lizie forever.  They’re using me to calm her down and lead her to some unknown fate.  They’re using me to lead her to captivity.  My breath falters and I immediately feel light-headed.  I can’t.  I can’t do that to her.  The last thing I hear before my vision goes black is Lizie’s scream. 

Chapter 3: Ari

              I wake up with a pillow under my head and a soft warm blanket around me.  I feel the rumbling of a car and know I must be laying across the back seat; after a moment I ascertain that it’s moving and I’m alone in the back.  I open my eyes warily and peak at my surroundings.

“Do you really think we should’ve split them up?”  A gruff voice asks casually from the front seat.  I go completely still at the noise.  Another man snorts.  They took me.  My heart races. 
Where’s Lizie? 
For one selfish moment I hope that they took her too and that I’ll be with her soon.  And then guilt consumes me and I pray that I’m wrong and that they left her safe at home.  Tears prick at my eyes, but I will them away.  I don’t want them to hear me.  I need to be quiet. 

“Fuck no.”  They both let out low, rough chuckles.  My body starts to shake and it takes everything in me to stay still. 

“At least we got the calm one.”  They do have Lizie!  I almost yell out to ask them if she’s okay.  My mouth slams shut.  They’re my captors, not my friends.

“Yeah, I just hope she stays calm.  They’ll be settled in a bit and everything will be just fine.”  I watch the guy in the passenger seat nod his head.

“You hear that back there?”  My breath halts in my chest.  My eyes widen and I instantly shut them and pretend to still be asleep.

“Your heart’s pounding so loud that I’m sure everyone in the car behind us can hear it Ariana.”  I swallow and my sore throat protests the movement.

I slowly open my eyes and the one in the passenger seat is looking back at me.  I open my mouth to speak, but the only word that will come out is a roughly whispered, “Lizie?” 

“She’s fine.  She’s in the car behind us.”  The wolf maintains eye contact while he answers me in a reassuring voice.  I must look ridiculous to him.  Scared and huddled under the blanket as though it would protect me.  I grip the blanket tighter and break eye contact to stare at the floor.

“I was going to sit back there with you, but I thought you might like some space.”  I hear his words and give a small hesitant nod.  “Thought so.” He shifts in his seat, but from my periphery I can tell he’s still watching me. 

“You must have some questions.”  The shifter driving speaks this time.

A moment passes with silence.  “Who are you?”  Both of them chuckle again.  Their relaxed manner calms me.  Slightly.

“I’m Lev,” the passenger answers with a wide smile, “and this is Jude.”  I nod my head again and look back at him.  The sight of them stress-free and laughing eases my worry a bit more.  A very tiny bit.  I ease from under the covers and pull myself to sit up.  It’s only then that I realize the cloaks are gone.  And the shifter staring back at me is gorgeous.  He has silver eyes, but he doesn’t look like the shifter who held onto Lizie.  He doesn’t look as hard as her capture did.  Lev has a short beard and his hair is long enough to grab at the top but short on the sides.  It looks like he’s had his nose broken at least once, but the bit of imperfection on his otherwise classically-handsome face only adds to his masculine appeal.  I scoot in my seat to take a look at Jude.  His hair is short and black and he’s clean shaven.  I can’t see much else of his face other than his full cherry lips.  Their broad body frames look odd in the car and their heads nearly touch the ceiling.  It reminds me of sardines stuffed in a tin.  They can’t be comfortable.  The two of them are almost opposites in the vibe they’re giving off.  Lev could easily be a badass biker and Jude a clean-cut marine.  But they’re not, they’re werewolves. 

“Are you all this big?”  The question pops out of my mouth without permission. 

Lev slow grin is sexy as hell, “that’s what they all ask and-” before he can finish Jude lands a blow with his fist hard against Lev’s chest.

“Shut it.”  Lev is completely unaffected by the punch; his only reaction is a deep, low chuckle that make his entire upper body shake.

“I’m sure she’s got a better sense of humor than you,” he grins at me.  “You wanna hear the rest?”

I part my lips, but words don’t come out.  I feel like I’m on the edge of losing it.

“Ah shit.”  Lev runs his hands through his hair and then looks back at me.  “You alright?”  His face is the epitome of concern and his silver eyes shine with sincerity.  It’s my undoing.  Ugly ass sobs start pouring out of me as I wildly shake my head. 

“Fuck.”  Lev turns in his seat and somehow manages to move his massive body between the two front seats to join me in the back.  I immediately feel claustrophobic as my personal space dwindles to nothing.  “I’m just going to hold you, okay?”  He has his arms up, but doesn’t move them.  His brows are raised in question.  His voice is so calm and his arms look so welcoming that I nod my head.  His muscular arms wrap around me, practically consuming my body, making me feel like a small, scared child.  I let go of my inhibitions and move to his lap, burying my head in his hard broad chest.  Every ounce of him is muscle so he’s hard as hell.  But at least he’s warm and the gentle strokes up and down my back are soothing.  I slowly feel myself calm down as he shushes into my hair.  I pull my face away from him and see mascara smeared all over the white tee stretched across his chest.  I internally cringe.  My breathing relaxes and I look up into the silver eyes of a werewolf and look immediately back down.  I hear Jude calmingly say over and over, “You’re going to be alright, I promise.”  And Lev agrees, “Yeah, you’re gonna be just fine.”  Their words and actions put me at ease. 

I steady my breathing and move to back up a bit so I’m no longer sitting on his lap, but as I do I feel his large and extremely hard cock through his jeans.  My eyes widen and I gasp as I jump back and smack my head against the window. 
Fuck that hurt!
  I wince and breathe in slowly through clenched teeth, grabbing the part of my skull that crashed against the window.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry.”  Lev moves towards me and moves my hands away to get a look at the bump.

“What the hell did you do?”  Jude practically yells at him, but his tone is full of too much worry for the question to come out hard.

I let Lev touch the tender spot.  “She just felt me.”  I go rigid and blanch.  Yeah I felt that, how the hell could I not?  “Sorry, I can’t help it.”  I can’t look him in the eyes.  I feel the blush run up my cheeks.

“Are you fucking serious Lev?”  My eyes widen at Jude’s anger and I jump, almost hitting my head... again.

“Chill the fuck out, you’re scaring her.”  I can feel Lev’s eyes on me when he asks, “You alright?”  Without looking up, I nod slightly, biting my lip and tuck a loose strand of hair out of my face and behind my ear.  Holy shit this is awkward and embarrassing.  I breathe in deep and bite my lip to stare out of the window.  There’s nothing to look at but trees.  I continue to nervously bite my lip.  Is this what they want me for?

Lev’s hand gently lands on my arm, just to get my attention.  “I’m sorry.  I really am.  I’m not going to touch you like that, I promise.”  I finally look at him.  His brows are raised and lips slightly parted.  He looks as though he’s trying to coax a wounded animal out from under a car or something.  I nod my head and steel myself to ask the one question that matters. 

“Why did you take us?”  His silver eyes look at me and then they shoot to Jude’s in the review mirror.  Jude is silent and Lev purses his lips.  My breath falters at their hesitation. 

“Well I didn’t take you personally.”  That’s the answer he finally gives, pointing his hand to his massive chest.  Jude snorts in the front seat and then chuckles. 

Jude asks, “We heard your friend call you Ari, do you prefer that or Ariana?”  I find his soft silver eyes in the review and swallow.

“Ari.”

“Okay Ari,” Jude starts, “Our alpha is the one who,” he hesitates and glances out of the window and then ahead again.  “Um.”

“Grabbed me?”  I eye Lev who’s sitting back, taking up all of the room back here, watching me.  Lev chuckles.

“Yeah, grabbed you.”  He swallows hard and looks to the car in front of us again.

“Okay.”  I drawl out the word in an effort to get him to continue.  He clicks his tongue and looks back at me in the rearview. 

“He doesn’t want me to talk to you about this, Ari.” 

“Why not?”  I can’t help but be a bit pissed.  I need to fucking know.

“He wants to tell you himself.”  I let that sink in for a second before realizing he was there if he’s the one who grabbed me.  Why grab me and then go in a different car if he wanted to tell me himself?

“Why isn’t he driving with me?”

“Your friend, Lizie,” my heart stops at her name being mentioned. 

I cut him off and jump off my seat a bit to get closer to him, “you said she was alright.”

“She’s fine.  Don’t worry.” Lev placates me, gently pushing me back into the seat.  “Devin wants you to put your seat belt on.”

I stare at him like he’s gone mad.  “Who the hell is Devin?”  I don’t care that my voice is raised.  My head whips back to Jude, completely ignoring Lev.  “And what about Lizie?”  My breathing is picking up.

“Lizie’s perfectly fine, but she was extremely upset and was a bit physical with us after you passed out.”  I nod my head.  Yeah, that sounds like her.  “So Devin, our alpha, stayed with her and her… guards,” his eyes glance at Lev’s in the review again.  “to calm them down.”

Guards?

“Let me help you put your seatbelt on.”  Lev tries to push me back against the seat, but I’m still worried about Lizie and I don’t want to sit back.  I feel too anxious and I’m getting more and more upset by how secretive they’re being.  I push back against him, although it doesn’t do anything to his hard ass, muscular body.

“I don’t want it.”  He looks like he wants to say something, but he clips his mouth shut.

“How exactly did he
calm her down
?”  I stare into Lev’s eyes willing him to answer me.

Finally, he speaks, “He really wants you to wear your seatbelt.” 
Motherfucker!

I widen my eyes and furrow my brows, “Well Devin’s not here, so he can shove what he wants up his ass.”  Jude’s loud laugh startles me and Lev slams his lips against one another in an effort to hide his growing smile.

“Let me tell you a secret Ari,” Jude speaks up from the front seat sounding very happy with himself, “as long as us wolves are within a few miles of each other, we can concentrate and hear what each other are thinking and saying.”  I suck a breath in and scrunch my nose.  The car slows down and Jude pulls over to the right side of the dirt road.  I look ahead to see that car stopped as well.  And then through the back window to see that car pull behind us.

I bite the inside of my cheek, “Does that mean that he can hear me too?”

“Well no, he can’t
hear
you,” Jude puts the car in park and twists his body so he can look back at me, “but he can listen in on what we’re thinking about what you’re saying.”  I start to panic at the realization that the alpha heard me disrespect him.  Fuck, that’s probably like telling the Godfather in the mob to fuck off.  

              “Why…”  I want to ask why we pulled over since we seem to be in the middle of nowhere, but the words are stuck in my now swollen throat.  Lev opens his door and gets out. My hands start to shake.  He leans in the backseat with his hands on the roof bracing himself. 

              “Relax Ari, we’re just switching people around.  We’re only a few minutes away, but Devin thinks it’s best that you see him now.” 
Fuck.