Guardian's Mate

Bounties on some smugglers were fairly high, plus Carson got a lot of satisfaction from taking down traffickers. The bastards deserved to be fish food.

Shifters, though. While they didn’t sell drugs to rock stars, who really should do better things with their money, or hook kids on stuff for life, Shifters were dangerous. Carson knew exactly what happened when Shifters went into a fighting frenzy—the destruction, the death of innocents. The blood. Pain stabbed through him and fired up his anger.

Rounding them up and putting Collars on them was too tame for Carson but Carson obeyed the law. He’d take these animals to Shifter Bureau and collect the bounty. At least more of them would be kept under some control. Shifters needed to be found, Collared, stopped—whatever the cost.

The report tonight of two Shifters in the bar in Homer, one half changing into a nightmare beast, the other shifting fully into a polar bear, had caught Carson’s attention. The cops in Homer and the county sheriff had ceased chasing them as soon as they’d leapt onto their boat and torn out of the harbor, but Carson, nearby and listening on his scanner, gave chase, his blood hot.

He’d alerted the Coast Guard that un-Collared Shifters were trying to escape and they’d agreed to send backup. Shifters were a recognized menace, a classified danger.

The Coast Guard captain, however, had been annoyed that they were after only a small fishing boat with a couple of Shifters on board, not an entire pack of them. She’d let Carson know how she felt about being dragged out of bed to pursue them with little hope of reward.

She might not get any reward except a pat on the back but Shifter bounties were high. If Carson took at least two Shifters, valued at fifty grand a piece, to Shifter Bureau, he’d have the money he needed to keep going. Not that he did this for the money alone or that a bounty could ever make up for what Shifters had done.

“Move over,” Carson said. “I’ll drive.”

“Not my boat you don’t.” Miles, a large and fearsome Marine, looked shaken, but he eased the boat forward. Carson knew Miles hated the thought of anyone but himself piloting the vessel.

Carson felt no fear at all as Miles steered them to follow the Shifters into the fog.

* * *

A tense hour passed. Rae finally convinced herself to leave the pilot house and go down into the cabin to get some rest. She had to trust that Zander and Piotr would navigate through.

In the cabin, however, she only sat and worried. Ezra came in after a time, taking a seat at the table.

“All healers,” he declared, “are out of their minds.”

Rae’s interest stirred. “How many have you met?”

“Just him.” Ezra pointed overhead.

“He’s trying to help,” Rae said. “He felt terrible that he couldn’t save your dad.”

Ezra looked faintly surprised. “Dad was gone—I knew that. I just . . .” He scrubbed his face. “You get used to living with someone for a couple hundred years.”

“I never knew my parents,” Rae said. “I don’t know who my dad was and my mother died . . . I’ve been told of bringing me in, but I’m not sure. I was alone in the woods when I was found. I don’t really remember much about it.”

Ezra’s eyes narrowed. “You’re a black wolf, right? They smell different from gray.”

Rae nodded. “As far as I know. I mean, I don’t know if I’m pure black wolf or my dad was gray or what.”

“Black wolves are rare. Have you tried asking around in other Shiftertowns where they have black wolves?”

Rae widened her eyes in mock amazement. “Now, why didn’t I think of that?” She eased back. “Sorry. I get touchy about my past. My dad is the Shiftertown leader and he asked around for years. But he couldn’t find any other Lupines who knew me or knew about me.”

Ezra gave her a look of sympathy. “That’s tough. Being without a clan.”

“What about you?” Rae asked. “Where are your clan?”

Ezra shook his head. “Most of them took the Collar. Dad and I held out. So did a few scattered around the state but we don’t get together often. If we get out of this, I guess I’ll go find one of them.”

“Zander’s not wrong about you looking for a mate,” Rae said. “I have some unmated friends who might be interested . . .”

She let it hang. Ezra looked intrigued for a second then hid it. “Not Collared Shifters. I’m not giving up my freedom to satisfy my hormones. What clan are they?”

“They’re not Lupine—they’re Feline.”

Ezra’s sudden outrage was comical. “Feline? You’d have me mate-claim a cat?”

“Hey, my dad’s a Feline and he’s wonderful. My brothers too. Living in Shiftertown has taught me to appreciate that all Shifters are special in their own way, no matter what their species.” Rae gave Ezra a teasing look. “Even though we know Lupines are the best.”

“No,” Zander rumbled from the doorway. “Bears are.”

His words were bantering, his stance casual as he leaned on the doorframe, but Zander’s rigid body shouted alertness, a Shifter in hunting mode.

Ezra came to his feet. “What’s going on?”

Zander tapped the doorframe with broad fingers, dark eyes on Rae. “Depends. Do you want the good news or the bad news?”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Rae gazed at him with her wolf’s eyes and Zander almost forgot what he was going to say. He’d love to see her smile at him as she’d done when they’d sparred with the swords, the smile lighting her eyes. Her eyes had been sweet half closed when he’d kissed her. He wanted to see that again too.

“What?” Ezra growled. “Just say it, bear.”

“Good news—we haven’t hit anything and we might make it through in one piece.” Zander straightened up. “Bad news—one of the boats is following.”

Rae rose, bringing the lapels of the jacket together to hide her Collar. She must do that a lot in her life, Zander thought, when she was outside Shiftertown.

“It’s as dangerous for them to be in here as it is for us, right?” she asked tightly.

“If the pilot is as good a pilot as me, no. Or, yes. It’s dangerous, period. But now Piotr and I have to both make it through and lose them.”

“Then we’ll surrender.” Ezra stepped in front of Rae. “You and me, bear, we give ourselves up, and while they’re preoccupied with us, the human can sail Rae to safety. She is Guardian and far more important than either of us.”