Rogue Shifter [High-Country Shifters 3] Read online

  “You talking about Gardners?” Only the locals went there, and too often, the cops had to be called in to break up the fights. She’d heard the bar food was quite good, and she did love to dance, but she’d leave the mechanical bull to the men.

  “Yup. That’s the place.”

  “Did you go inside?” She and two of her girlfriends chanced it one night, but once they got a look at the clientele, they left, as it didn’t seem safe.

  Malik shook his head. “Just peeked in. We can go someplace else if you want.”

  She didn’t want to appear to be a spoilsport. The idea of a mechanical bull did seem to thrill them. “No. It’s good.” If any fight did break out, she was confident that these two could handle themselves.

  Since it was a balmy July evening, she suggested they walk. When they were here last, they told her they didn’t have a car because to get from Anterra to Spirit all they had to do was walk. No map in the world showed any town by the name of Anterra, near or far, so perhaps they really did come from an alternate reality. However, if they were that close, why wait three months before contacting her if they missed her so much? All potential answers to these questions she’d entertained just wouldn’t fit.

  “So how’s Lara doing?”

  Cavon grinned. “She’s got quite a belly on her, but I’ve never seen anyone happier.”

  Malik nodded. “Unless you count Taryn and Kellum. I think they’re happier than she is.”

  She’d love to be able to visit. “So how does this alternate reality thing work?”

  Malik shrugged. “I don’t honestly know. The alignment point aligns our two realities. When the two realities are in phase, so to speak, we just walk through.”

  Her pulse sped up. “If I wanted to visit Lara I could?” That would be so cool.

  “You have to be with a shifter to even find this crossover point.”

  That was consistent with what Krista and Imelda had told her. “You’re shifters, so you could find it, right?”

  Malik pulled her into a hug. “It’s a little more complicated than that.”

  She didn’t doubt it. Given how naïve she was, everyone was probably pulling her leg about Anterra.

  They approached Sixth Street within a few minutes and turned right. This wasn’t the best part of town, but no one would bother her with these two by her side.

  Malik tugged on her waist. “Don’t you worry about anything. Stick with us and you’ll be fine.”

  He must have sensed the danger, too, or else he could read minds. They walked past a few alleys where some of the homeless often sought shelter in the summer months.

  Music pulsed out of Gardners even with the doors closed. “After you, honey.”

  She liked her nickname. It seemed to roll off his tongue. That image had her connecting the dots to other parts of her body she’d like to have roll off his tongue. Stop it.

  Inside, the place seemed quite busy especially at this early hour, but not so much so that they couldn’t secure a booth. Malik sat next to her and Cavon across from her.

  A woman she’d never seen before came over carrying a pad, a pencil, and three menus. She wore a cowgirl hat, a red bandana around her neck and jeans that were sausage tight. But it was the fact that her plaid shirt wasn’t buttoned up enough that kind of pissed off Amy. She wasn’t as well endowed as this girl and didn’t need to have her men at eye level to those bountiful tits.

  “Oh, my,” said Ms. Chesty. “Haven’t seen you two here before.” She leaned closer and winked.

  Pu-lease. Couldn’t she see that these men were with a date?

  Malik nodded to the menus in her hand. “Can we look at those?”

  The woman smiled and bent down even more. Amy was about to say something when Malik pulled the menu from the woman’s hands and passed them out. “Come back when we’ve decided.”

  Her eyes widened at the dismissal. Go Malik.

  Amy looked over the menu. To her surprise, there were quite a few items that tempted her.

  “You want a glass of wine or something?” Cavon asked.

  Given the clientele, she wasn’t sure the wine they served would be much above rotgut. Not that she was a snob, but she might be safer with beer. “I’ll just have a draft.”

  Both men smiled as if that was the right answer. She leaned forward. “So what do you two do for a living?” The last time they came, they stayed for a little over a week, but she’d never asked them.

  Now three months later they were back. What kind of job allowed that kind of freedom? Their friend Sella had put the hotel charge for Malik and Cavon’s room on Lara’s credit card, but these two must make a living doing something.

  “We do a little bit of everything. Mostly security.”

  That made her less apprehensive about being in this place.

  The waitress returned, only this time her smile wasn’t as bright. “You three decide?”

  She’d already announced her choice, so Malik ordered the drinks for them. “We’ll have three all-the-way burgers.”

  Once the waitress was out of sight, Amy decided to play along with this whole alternate reality thing, even though she only kind of believed in the place. She tried to keep in mind what Lara had told her about Anterra. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to catch them in a lie. “So do you eat a lot of meat where you’re from?”

  “Some,” Cavon said. “For the most part, I like to catch fish in the streams or pick the vegetables from the garden.”

  She was more of a carnivore. “When you do eat meat, what kind is it?” She hoped he didn’t say snake or squirrel.

  “Wolf meat sometimes.”

  Malik nodded to two men who walked in. “Speaking of which.”

  The men were nearly as tall as Malik and Cavon. “You know them?”

  “No, but I know their kind. They’re wolf shifters.”

  If that was a joke, they were taking it a bit too far. If wolf shifters existed, then perhaps they all should leave now. He had to be wrong. Though why she believed in lion shifters might exist and not wolf shifters, she didn’t know. “I’ve seen those two around.” She let out a long held breath. “They are all human.”

  Malik never moved his gaze. “You’d be mistaken, honey.”

  The “shifters” glared at Malik and narrowed their eyes. She got the shivers looking at them. “Let’s ignore them. We don’t need any trouble from them.”

  Cavon reached across the table and placed his hand over hers. “You are absolutely right. Tonight, we are here to get reacquainted again and have a grand old time.”

  She liked that plan.

  The waitress returned with three beers and three glasses of water. “Food will be up shortly.” Her tone got terser with each pass.

  Malik nodded to the mechanical bull then glanced at her. “You want to give it a try?”

  Cavon looked over at her and then raised his eyes. He leaned forward as if he were about to impart a deep secret. “Neither of us has ever been on a bull in our lives. In fact, we’ve never ridden a horse, so I doubt he’ll stay on for more than a few seconds, but I’m willing to watch my brother make a fool of himself. You game?”

  “Ha,” Malik said.

  “Seriously? You’ve never been on a horse?” This was the West.

  “Don’t need such slow transportation.”

  “I thought Lara said there weren’t many cars in Anterra.”

  Cavon smiled and a little part of her swooned. “We’re lions, remember. That means we’re faster than any old horse.”

  She laughed. “I get it.” She truly didn’t want to think how she’d react if they really were shifters. Oh, shit. “You wouldn’t dare shift in the bar, would you?”

  Malik grinned. “I might.”

  Cavon’s shoulders, fists, jaw, and muscles tensed as he glared at Malik. “Don’t even think about it. We’d have animal control on us in a flash. Our lives as we know them would end.”

  Malik stretched out his arm, clasped her shoulder, and
pulled her close. “Don’t believe anything he says.” Then he scooted out of the seat. “I’m taking a ride. You’re welcome to watch then give it a try.”

  Cavon waved a hand. “I can see him from here. I’ll let you know when the food arrives, but you go, Amy.”

  There was no way she was getting on that spine shaker, but she’d love to see this large man give the mechanical bull a try. Given his strength and supposed agility, her money was on Malik. When they walked over to it, another man was getting on. The guy put in his money and got on up. He was thrown in less than thirty seconds.

  “You sure you want to give it a try?” It looked way too dangerous.

  “Aw, honey, I can beat that minute mark any old time.” Malik looked at the payment machine. “I don’t have anything other than a credit card.”

  “They take credit.” His lips thinned. To help him, she held out her hand. “Give me the card and I’ll swipe it while you climb aboard.”

  He blew out a breath. “Thanks.”

  Jeez. Maybe he was telling the truth. Nah. This wasn’t The Twilight Zone.

  She noticed his card had Lara’s name on it. Amy stood behind the panel where she could move the levers that would cause the bull to spin, dip, and dive. This was going to be so much fun trying to unseat him. At least the foam padding looked thick, so he wouldn’t get hurt after he was thrown. It was staying on the bull that looked to be dangerous. “You want me to put it on automatic or try to move him myself.”

  “Whatever you think is the hardest, honey. Give me your best shot.” He nodded and grinned to indicate he was ready.

  She started the bull. The surprised expression on his face was worth the price of admission, but he hung on. In fact, even when she had the bull spin around, he managed to grab onto the strap. She caught sight of a dirty, erasable sign that listed a Tim Nathans as the record holder at one minute and ten seconds.

  Right now, Malik had lasted forty-five seconds and didn’t show any sign of falling off.

  One of the men who Malik claimed was a wolf shifter stepped up next to her. “Let me, darlin’.” He nodded to the controls.

  She didn’t want to argue so she let him take her place. A shiver of fear tripped up her spine. She prayed this man didn’t want to harm Malik for some unknown reason.

  No matter what the guy did, Malik kept his balance. Ha-ha, Mr. Shifter Man. The bull spun and dipped, but Malik readjusted his position after each change in direction.

  After two minutes, the bull powered down and Malik jumped off. “Oooeeee. That was fun.” Still with a smile on his face, he nodded to the shifter. “You want to give it a try?”

  From the way his chin tucked under, he hadn’t expected the offer. “Sure. You paying?”

  Malik nodded. As the two passed each other, the shifter nudged Malik’s shoulder. What was up with the testosterone levels around here? At least Malik was a good sport and didn’t get upset that the guy wanted to control his ride.

  Malik stepped next to her. “Go ahead and swipe the card again.” As she turned to do it, Malik took his place at the controls.

  The shifter man got a grip on the reins and nodded he was ready.

  Malik pressed the lever directing the bull to go in a circle. The man teetered and bucked but held on. Malik laughed so hard, probably at the way the guy was working his mouth, that he had to wipe away a tear. He looked over at her and winked. “Watch this.”

  Next, he had the bull lean forward then backward. He repeated this three more times. It wasn’t until he spun the bull to the right and then to the left that the man finally lost his balance and landed on the mat with a thud.

  “One minute, thirty-two seconds,” Malik shouted. He raised his hand and waved it in a circle. “Tell the owner to put your name up on that plaque.” He nodded to the sign above the bar.

  Malik had done better. Four other people had come to watch, including his friend. All were cheering and clapping for the fallen man.

  She slipped an arm through Malik’s. Laughing at another man’s failed attempt was only asking for trouble. “Come on. I see our food has arrived.”

  The wolf shifter got up and dusted himself off, so to speak. If his glare could have cut, Malik would now be in two pieces, though she thought Malik had been incredibly gracious to suggest the man’s name be placed on the new record board instead of his.

  She half led him over to the table. Once they were seated, she had to ask. “Are you sure you don’t know him?”

  “No, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he came from Anterra.”

  “If you’ve never met, why does he seem to have it in for you?”

  “Wolves and lions don’t get along.”

  Cavon nodded toward the other shifter. “That’s putting it mildly. We are deadly enemies.”

  This wasn’t good. “Let’s eat.” Then maybe she could convince them to leave as soon as they finished their meal.

  When she bit into her hamburger, she was quite impressed. The provolone cheese and mushroom toppings added to the wonderful flavor.

  Cavon also took a bite and then closed his eyes as if it was close to heaven. “Mmm.”

  “I’m guessing you two don’t eat hamburgers very often.”

  Malik shook his head. “Only when we come here. Anterra is rather limiting in some ways. We don’t have processed food.”

  She didn’t want to question them how they ate wolf. Was it raw? A shiver tickled her spine.

  Without hamburgers, french fries, and chocolate margaritas, she wasn’t sure she would ever want to live there. As soon as she finished, she nudged Malik. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go to the ladies’ room.”

  He slid out of the booth, and she headed toward the back of the bar. She had a lot to wrap her head around. Wolf shifters were here in Spirit? She wasn’t sure she wanted to buy their story. If she got Malik and Cavon alone in her house, she’d have to insist they shifted. She so wanted to witness something the world wasn’t ready for.

  After she took care of business and fixed her makeup, she headed back to the booth. The two wolf men seemed to come out of nowhere. The one who rode the bull stood in front of her and the other blocked her escape behind.

  “If you’ll excuse me.” She forced her voice to stay calm.

  The wolf man nodded behind him. “What do you want with a bunch of losers like them? We can show you a good time.”

  Was he serious? Really? “Thanks for the offer, but I enjoy my friends.” She went to step past, but the man in front grabbed her arm.

  “I’m sorry. I’m just not sure you understand who they are. They’re trouble, and I don’t want to see a nice girl like you get hurt.”

  Like he had room to talk. “Thanks for the warning.” She was tempted to call him a shifter, too, but decided that would only result in a fight.

  She swore she didn’t see Malik move, but one minute he was in the booth and the next he was standing right behind the man who was bothering her.

  “I think you should leave Amy alone. She’s with me.”

  The wolf man let go of her arm and turned around. “I wasn’t talking to you.”

  Uh-oh. She didn’t like how this was going down. She was about to pull Malik away when the man behind her prevented her. “Hey, let go of me.” No one ever tried to get rough with her.

  She almost expected Malik to punch the guy out, but when she finally extricated her arm from wolf man’s friend, all she caught was the word outside.

  “Malik, please don’t.” She called to his back as he strode toward the exit.

  The man holding her prisoner released her and stormed after those two. She charged after all of them. Just as she passed the booth, Cavon blocked her way.

  “Let him go.”

  Amy expected Cavon to help his brother, but he slid into the booth and motioned she sit, too.

  “You have to help him.”

  Cavon leaned back and smiled. “There are only two of them.”

  He had to be kidding. “You said you d
idn’t know them. For all you’re aware they’re martial arts experts or have weapons.” Their pants were baggy enough to hide a knife.

  Cavon drank his beer. “Malik can handle himself.”

  “Against two six-foot, skinny men maybe, but these men are almost as big as Malik.”

  “Yeah, the odds are little uneven, but don’t worry, Malik will go easy on them.”

  Chapter Two

  As soon as Malik got halfway down the alley to where they would be more or less out of sight, the two men shifted into wolves. On instinct, he changed, too.

  The two wolves growled and bared their teeth. Saliva dripped out of their mouths.

  Malik stepped back. I don’t have a beef with you two, so how about you both just go on your way. He doubted they’d heed his warning, but he had to try to dissuade them from this folly.

  One of the wolves leaned back as if to get some momentum and sprang forward. Malik anticipated the move, and just as the wolf was about to sink his teeth into him, Malik dodged, causing the wolf to slam into the brick wall. He expected a yelp after the painful impact but heard nothing.

  That was a good try.

  The other wolf must have thought he was bigger and badder than the first one and needed to take his turn. The four-foot distance gave Malik plenty of time to bob and weave as the wolf sprang forward. Malik even managed to swat him on the ass as he flew past. That wolf landed, turned, and snarled. If Malik had been in human form, he would have held up both hands, not in surrender but to stop their insanity. They didn’t stand a chance at harming him.

  I don’t want to hurt you two.

  Both wolves charged again. Don’t be foolish. As they were in mid-air, Malik ducked under the first one and gave him a head butt, sending the wolf careening behind him. Malik stuck out a paw and swatted the second one away. When they slammed to the ground, he was barely able to hold in a laugh.

  Amy and I are on our way.

  Shit. He didn’t need her to see him like this. He decided to be nice and give these two goofs fair warning. Someone’s coming. Malik shifted, but they did not.

  The wolves growled louder as if they now had the advantage.