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Logan
The sun was setting over the city, falling from the sky and bringing with it the darkness that signalled rest, but I was not going to be able to sleep tonight.
My shifters were restless. I could feel the heat rising up my back, making my spine tingle and burn.
I need a drink. It’s the only thing that quiets them down.
Work had finished and I was standing on the street, watching the guys pack up. Going home to their families, their kids, their pets.
Not me.
I raised my hand and waved goodbye to the crew on the building site, all of whom had pulled at least three hours overtime tonight.
Again.
“Night, guys.” I called out.
They chorused back and continued to pack up their pick-ups and cars. Their transport to get home.
I, however didn’t have a vehicle standing by to take me home. I didn’t drive unless I had to, and since my place wasn’t too far away from the current building site, I’d made my own way this morning. And I was walking home again.
Not far, was relative of course. It was at least twenty blocks to my run-down shack, and after a full day of building houses, the guys on site thought I was crazy to want the extra exercise. They were all going home to put their feet up and probably fall asleep in front of the TV.
But for me, the walk was nothing. My shifter genes gave me an unending supply of energy and strength. In fact, I preferred to walk. Running would have been better, but that would have attracted too much un-necessary attention since I was still in my work clothes.
I also didn’t want to take a risk and shift in a populated area. I never knew who was out and who was watching. If someone saw me...I didn’t know what would happen.
And yet, the prospect of running in my animal form was too much to resist. The bite of the night air against my fur, the scents that tickled my snout. Everything I saw became clearer while I was in wolf form. It made me feel alive and helped me to see the world around me differently, more deeply.
I turned the corner of the first city block and headed home. The city was quiet and somewhat empty. Parked cars littered the street, and small businesses were turning off the lights and locking the doors. Streetlights above flickered, causing shadows on the concrete to dance and twitch. There was a sense of peace in this city, something that made me feel comfortable and safe.
Out of nowhere, a tingle of awareness shot up my spine. I knew that feeling all too well. That sense of peace that had just washed over me vanished, replaced with trepidation.
No...It can’t be. Who would be following me?
Being what I was left room for threats against me – if someone discovered my true self. I had always been extra careful, and I didn’t trust anyone with that information. The real question I should be asking myself was: Who found out about me and had the balls to follow me?
I crossed the road and glanced ahead, the dirty city streets stretching out for miles.
I lived on the outskirts of the city, past the skyrise apartment blocks and busy streets. It wasn’t exactly paradise, but it worked. The fact that it was close to work and gave me the freedom to walk to and from the construction site was enough for me. I never cared about fancy things or a big, spacious place to live. Since it was only me, I didn’t see the need. Anything bigger than a single bedroom house was frivolous.
There was land around the house, which was the most important thing to me. Space to move. Air to breathe. Privacy from nosy neighbors who might see a wolf running around the yard on the days I couldn’t control my shifter any longer. I couldn’t think of anything worse than living in a small apartment, jammed into a building with a thousand other people. Like a large sardine can.
For a man like me, a loner, a shifter, someone with a touch of claustrophobia, the space around my home was more of a necessity than the house itself. I could sleep in the dirt for all I cared. As long as I was safe. As long as I had my freedom, I would put up with anything.
I kept walking, fighting the urge to look over my shoulder again. I still had that niggling feeling I was being followed. The skin on the back of my neck crawled with tightness and cold.
My senses became heightened as my shifter senses stepped up to deal with the situation. The sounds became louder, and the smells of the city intensified as I searched for more clues to this feeling. I homed in on anything I might be able to pick up that would help me figure this out.
Loud, dirty cars flew past me as people went about their business. To work, home. This city was always crazy busy, it didn’t matter what time of the day or night it was. Sleep was for the weak.
I felt that tingle on my neck, the feeling I got when someone was following me, but stronger this time. I was forced to stop moving, and I tilted my head up, searching. My skin shivered with nervous energy. I hadn’t gotten this far by not following my instincts. They’d kept me alive more times that I could count.
I turned my head and glanced over my shoulder. I had to.
There was someone there, I was sure of it. So, I narrowed my eyes, but I couldn’t see anyone suspicious. I flared my nostrils, trying to pick up a scent.
Again, nothing.
A normal looking guy in a suit sat in his car talking on his cell. Businessman, probably. A woman pushing a stroller who looked like she was pregnant again, a gentle smile on her face as though she didn’t have a care in the world.
Neither of them looked capable of taking me down, nor would they want to. When I gazed at them, I didn’t get any sense of urgency.
Why do still I get the feeling I’m being followed?
I pushed my legs to walk a little faster. I didn’t want to give myself away, I didn’t want whoever my pursuer was to know I was on to them.
Perhaps they were something other than human? There were a lot of paranormals that could easily disguise themselves in a busy street like this, but normally my acute senses would be able detect them.
Normally.
My heart began to pound harder, adrenaline streaking through my veins.
I wasn’t afraid of confrontation, quite the opposite. I could take on any guy my size, two of them if I needed to. There weren’t many guys weighing two-eighty that were as fit as I was. However, the possibility was always there, hanging on my shoulder like a shadow that wouldn’t disappear, even in the light.
The problem wasn’t the fight, it was the fact that I didn’t want anyone to see me taking out whoever was following me.
I didn’t like drawing attention to myself. And I’d managed to stay hidden in this town for years now. I’d enjoyed having some sort of permanent home, and that was rare for a shifter like me.
The tingles increased, the hairs on my arms standing on end. I was right. Someone was following me.
Damn it.
There was someone on my tail. Hunting me, in fact. Like I was some kind of prey. And they were closing in fast. I could feel it in all my advanced senses.
I almost laughed. The thought that anyone could mistake me as prey was hilarious. They didn’t know what was coming to them—when I figured out who they were and where they were hiding.
The sound of someone running hit my hearing, the heat of attack in the air.
Good. Let them come. Let’s get this over with.
Hopefully, we could take care of business somewhere in private so there wouldn’t be any witnesses.
I glanced around. I still couldn’t see anyone, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t someone there. Quite the opposite. The sun was down and the night was full of the paranormal.
Unfortunately, I knew by past experience that vampires loved my shifter blood. I had the scars to prove it.
My fingers curled into fists as I slid sideways into an alley and tensed to take on whoever was on the street, hunting me. I clenched my teeth to keep my growl to myself.
I shook my head of the thoughts and kept my eyes on the entrance of the alley. A couple of college girls laughed as they walked by on the sidewalk, attacking the silence with their chatter and guile. They didn’t even look my way, too distracted by whatever topic of conversation they were both engaged in.
Hopefully nobody sees me do this.
The scent of a shifter filled my nose, though I couldn’t tell which sort.
I furrowed my brow. Picking up a hint of another shifter was unusual... but not something I had time to dwell on now. My vision changed to night mode. I could see better now that the sun had dropped, but thanks to my wolf eyes, I could only see in black and white.
Doesn’t matter. I didn’t need to see in color to strike when I need to.
I sensed my stalker approach. The tingling grew more intense, like a car alarm going off in my mind. Without warning, I leapt onto the sidewalk and grabbed the guy by the back of the neck.
I threw him to the concrete. He rolled onto his back with the speed of a big cat. I jumped on the guy’s stomach and straddled him, lifting my fist to smash him in the face if they said the wrong thing. I did plan to hurt him—but I wanted information first.
“Why are you following me?” I yelled down at him before I realised what I was looking at.
Or, who I was looking at. Beneath me wasn’t a guy at all.
It’s a woman.
I blinked. I should not have been surprised. I had met many women – human and paranormal – that were all strong, mentally and physically. But none had decided to follow me, to hunt me. I relaxed my arms, my eyes shifting back to human. My gaze focused on her face and colour came back into my world. The woman beneath me was not just any woman.
She was a shifter, for one thing. Not a mere human. But she was also spectacularly beautiful, with long black hair spread out around her, bright green eyes, and perfect, clear skin that made me sigh with desire.
She smelled like the wilderness, like freedom and rain, cold air and trees. It was the sort of scent I picked up whenever I ran through the woods near my home.
I had to refrain from leaning forward and taking a deeper breath. Besides the fact that would be creepy and invade her personal space, it would distract me from figuring out why she was following me in the first place.
She smiled and grunted as she kicked me off her with a huge push and thrust of her hips. I fell backwards as she pushed me and rolled over the path. I staggered to my feet as she did the same thing, but with grace.
I couldn’t tell what sort of shifter she was yet, which was strange. It should be obvious to me. It usually was.
A bear would move like a bear and smell like a bear. She wasn’t a bear. Not with those almost feline reflexes. But she definitely didn’t smell like a cat either.
A wolf wouldn’t move like that... would they?
She lifted her hands and went into a fighting stance. I couldn’t help the thrill of adrenaline that shot through my system. Whatever she was, she was fearless, maybe to an arrogant degree, and I loved it.
A dragon maybe.
I’d never met a dragon before, and I was curious to see what one might be like in person.
She launched forward and kicked out at me, landing a solid blow to my thigh. I stumbled and moved away so I could regain my balance. I didn’t like to think she could beat me—or even get the upper hand. I took a step back, making sure we both kept in the alley.
A couple of kids dribbled a basketball nearby, despite the fact that darkness shrouded the city and the streetlights flickered on and off until they went out completely.
So, she wasn’t here to chat, obviously. But the last thing I wanted to do was hit a girl.
Her fingers tightened into fists, and a ripple of unease shot through me. The fight had escalated, and if she was going to use almost lethal force on me, then I’d be stupid not to do the same with her.
A gentleman I may be... but no point being dead.
I cracked my knuckles and threw her a grin. She let out a roar. She came at me again and I blocked her punch and hit her in the gut.
She spun away before I fully connected and danced around me.
I would have felt guilty if she had keeled over in pain rather than dodge it like some kind of fighting pro.
A laugh sounded in the alleyway, and I realised it was me. It had been too long since I’d fought an opponent with any real skill.
I brought both of my fists up, angling my body, ready for another chance at her. The putrid scent of garbage rotting away filled my nostrils and almost made me gag. It was easy to forget we weren’t in a gym, sparring together, or surrounded by woodland, dirt, and branches. But instead of grass, concrete was underneath me. Instead of trees, I was surrounded by brick buildings. And instead of bushes, dumpsters and trash cans lined the alley, most having spilled over. I caught scent of a stray cat going through a trash can up ahead, looking for scraps of food.
I stepped forward and threw a punch at the women. I didn’t want to hurt her, per se, but I had to protect myself. I had a punch that could paralyze if I really wanted it to. I just needed to inhibit her enough to figure out who she was and why she was stalking me.
She ducked, dodging my next punch, and weaved around metal trash cans. Her speed took me by surprise. Before I realized what she was doing, she was directly in front of me, pushing her leg between mine.
What the...
All of a sudden, I was flat on my back, looking up at her, and I wasn’t quite sure how I’d gotten there. I blinked, letting out a grunt.
The female shifter was kneeling on my arms with most of her weight, so although I could probably get out from under her, it would require using my legs to practically snap her neck, and I wasn’t willing to do that.
After all, she hadn’t actually hurt me yet. Taken me by surprise, sure. Knocked me off my feet, definitely. But hurt me?
She stared down at me, the green in her eyes becoming more and more vibrant. It was hard not to be captivated by those penetrating eyes.
A dragon... She’s definitely a dragon.
Had someone sent her, or did she come to me on her own? More than that, why? I prided myself in living a life of solitude. I kept my head down and focused solely on myself and my commitments. Besides shifting in my backyard, there was nothing I did that could attract attention. I was careful. I made sure to be.
She wasn’t punching anymore; instead she seemed content to just look at me.
“What do you want?” I asked, my voice gruff. I did nothing to amend it either.
She ignored my question and cocked her head to the side.
“So, it is true,” she murmured to herself.
My stomach dropped and my skin tingled in warning again. I didn’t like the sound of that statement at all. I didn’t exactly feel threatened by her, but I didn’t trust her either. It was an interesting feeling. I couldn’t quite put it into words.
I stared up at her. What was true in regards to me? What was she talking about?
Her smile said it all. She’d been looking for me, and she’d found me.
But the question was, what did she want with me? Why me and not another shifter?
I didn’t say anything, not wanting to give a single thing away. But then she leaned her weight back so that she released my shoulders and I could move again.
But she didn’t get off me.
She simply grinned down at me and said, “I know what you are.”
The very last thing I wanted to hear.
Years of building a quiet life, carving out a place for me in the world, all shattered in mere seconds by this beautiful dragon.
I wasn’t a killer, but this certainly seemed like an appropriate time to make an exception.