Shifters Rule (Rule Series) Read online

  Jack sniffed the air and realized the scent was wrong.

  “Blanca.” Jack fumed. He was getting sick and tired of her antics. “That’s it. I am going to kill you right here and right now.”

  “Not if I kill you first.”

  Billy (Blanca) punched Jack in the face.

  Jack stumbled backwards. By the time he regained his balance, Billy was long gone. Now what? Had she turned herself into a mouse again? Was she headed for the house?

  Jack raced to the front porch. Before he could open the door a hand landed on his shoulder. Jack spun around, fist raised. He hit the person squarely in the jaw without waiting to see who it was. His brain connected him with the visual information a little too late. He had hit the wrong man.

  Ian rubbed his square jaw. His dark eyes pierced through to Jack’s soul. For a moment Jack actually thought Ian was going to burn him from the inside out with his wicked power.

  Jack took a quick step backwards. “Sorry. I didn’t know it was you. Blanca is running around here pretending to be one person after another.”

  A malicious grin stretched Ian’s bloody mouth. “You don’t say?”

  It was Blanca.

  Ian (Blanca) punched him hard in the gut, driving the wind from his lungs for the second time. Jack’s legs felt like rubber. They could barely hold him. Hands against his stomach, he tried in vain to straighten up. Ian helped him. His faux-uncle placed a hand beneath his chin and lifted his face so he could nail him with a strong right-cross.

  Jack flew backwards. An uncontrollable rage that would be the envy of any self-respecting werewolf surged to the surface. Fed up, Jack returned to the fight in a heated rush. He lunged at the form of his uncle. Two hard jabs to the gut and Ian was in tears. It was weird seeing Ian’s hard-as-granite face crumple. The masculine voice whined, “That hurt.”

  “Good. You deserved it.”

  “I was only playing with you, you jerk.”

  He would have felt sorry for her, only she wasn’t done tormenting them and they both knew it. He warned her, “Better stop before you get seriously injured.”

  Blanca returned to her true form. The narrow-hipped blond girl smiled at him and said, “I still kind of miss you. You were my master for sooo long. Didn’t we have some good times?”

  “I used to think so. But now, looking back, I realize it was mostly irritation on my part.”

  She pouted. “You never appreciated me. Not like Jersey. He accepts me for who I am. He even embraces the power I have. It doesn’t scare him like it scares you.”

  “I’m not scared.” Jack stood, finally able to breathe again. “I’m annoyed, and I’m angry.”

  “Do you have any idea how marvelous I could make your life? How truly perfect? Think about it. I can be anyone you want me to be.” She proved it by turning into an exact replica of his father. “I was always proud of you, son.”

  “Stop it.” Jack walked to the other end of the porch. “It isn’t real.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I can use my gift to give you closure and help you live out your fantasies.” She transformed into his mother next. “Darling, I just want you to be happy. We can be a family. You, me, and Jersey.”

  Jack reached the breaking point. He would kill his former cat with his bare hands if he had to. As long as she died before she could hurt anyone else.

  Next, she changed into the girl he’d loved in high school. Miss Nebraska smiled at him with full red lips. Dressed in a one-piece black bathing suit with high-cut thighs, she said, “I can be anyone for you, absolutely anyone. You can live every fantasy you’ve ever had. Just tell me what you want.”

  “I want you to die.” He grabbed her by the throat.

  Silver called Jack from somewhere inside the house. He took his eyes off Blanca for a split second. It was long enough for the shape-shifting cat to transform once again. This time she became Helio in every detail right down to the silver knife in her brown hand.

  Jack tried to step to the side, but he didn’t move fast enough. Helio lunged at him. The blade sank into his stomach. Stunned, Jack looked down at the growing red stain. He watched the knife slide in, easy, like it was cutting soft butter. Helio removed the knife almost at once, and Jack fell to his knees.

  Blood covered the brown hand.

  It changed before his eyes.

  The hand turned flour-white, still covered in his blood. Blanca released the knife. Her eyes flooded with tears, and her lips quivered. “I didn’t mean to do that. I thought you would use your speed to move out of the way. Oh, Jersey is going to kill me. He told me not to hurt you. He’s going to skin me alive.” From deep inside the house Silver called his name again. Blanca took a few steps away from him. “Don’t worry. Silver can save you. She just needs to sprinkle a few drops of her blood into the wound. Make sure to tell her that. You’ll be okay.”

  Blanca dashed off.

  Silver walked outside, a suitcase in each hand. She screamed and dropped them. Kneeling next to him, she cradled his head in her lap. Her voice faded. In seconds he could barely hear her. He couldn’t talk, couldn’t share the information on how to save his life. Was she leaving him?

  Or was he leaving her?

  .

  *****

  Chapter Eleven:

  TIME OUT

  .

  .

  They met in a meadow under a clear blue sky. A gentle breeze teased the grass and blew Jack’s hair out of his eyes, momentarily anyway. Silver ran to him. She jumped into his arms, hugging him with fierce delight as if they hadn’t seen each other in decades. Desperation gave her added strength. For a moment he thought she was going to strangle him. He kissed the top of her head before gently untangling himself.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  Her tear-filled eyes squinted at him in wonder. “Don’t you remember? You were attacked. I think it was the same werewolf with the knife from before.”

  “Oh yeah.” He smiled. Crazy, he felt so far removed from everything he barely remembered being stabbed. It was like being in another life, another world. Peaceful. Beautiful. He wanted to stay in this dream world forever.

  “That’s all you have to say? You’re dying! Your fever gets higher and higher every hour. We don’t know what to do! Mom keeps telling me you’ll be okay, but I can see how worried she is about you.”

  He smiled at her. She needed to learn to relax. If he never woke up again, it would be fine with him. Being in limbo, living in a dream, was beyond nice. For the first time in a long time he was at peace. He kept his feelings on the subject to himself. Silver was clearly panicked at the thought of losing him.

  Blanca’s last statement returned to him with sharp clarity. “I’ll be okay. Really. You just need to put a few drops of your blood on the wound.”

  “My blood only removes werewolf and vampire venom. I don’t think it will do anything for a stab wound.”

  “Trust me. Just do it.”

  “Okay.” She hugged him again, squeezing him tight. “I don’t want to let you go. I’m afraid I’ll never get to speak to you again.” Ironically, she stepped away from him the moment the words left her mouth. “I guess I’d better wake up and tell mom what to do, how to save you before it’s too late.”

  He grabbed her by the wrist. “Not yet. I have something important to ask you.”

  “But…”

  He placed a finger against her lips and stopped the flow of words. Once he knew she wasn’t going to argue, he let go of her wrist and reached inside his shirt. Finding the chain, he pulled it up and out. The ring, dangling at the end of the chain, sparkled in the sunlight. He struggled to separate the two pieces of jewelry. His fingers felt clumsy, useless. They trembled, and he almost dropped the ring in the grass.

  “What is that?” Silver asked. “Is that a…?”

  …an engagement ring?

  He started to talk rapidly, hoping to cut her off before she got it into her head that they were about to get married next week. “It�
��s a promise ring,” he said. “I’ve been carrying it around for a long time, waiting for the perfect moment to ask you if you would agree to be promised to me. I want to marry you someday.”

  In the far, far, far off future. He didn’t say those words out loud because Trina had warned him on the way back from buying the ring that no girl wanted to see panic in a guy’s eyes at the thought of marrying her. He didn’t want to hurt Silver’s feelings. He wanted her to be happy.

  Instead of putting the ring on her finger, he handed it to her along with the chain and said, “I figured you could wear it around your neck if you wanted to... or on a finger. It’s up to you.”

  “What does it mean? I’m not sure I understand you. Why did you get me a ring?”

  Okay, now was the time to consider his words carefully. He could fall into a trap if he wasn’t cautious enough. He took his time and spoke slowly. “I bought you this ring as a symbol of how I feel about you, about us. You’re leaving for college soon. It’s a scary time for both of us. We’re going to be apart, but I don’t want you to doubt me. There’s no one else I would rather be with. I want to marry you… someday. I love you.”

  Her mouth blossomed into a huge smile. “I love you, too. And I love the ring.” She admired it in the sunlight. “I have a confession to make.” Her eyes lowered in demure fashion. “I found the ring when I removed your shirt to clean the knife wound. At first I wasn’t sure what it meant. I mean, I kept wondering if it was even for me, and I wondered why you hadn’t given it to me yet.”

  “You understand now though, right?”

  “Yes.” The smile grew. “I am so happy right now I think I could fly. I can’t wait for you to wake up so I can kiss you.”

  “Your mother didn’t see the ring, did she?”

  “Not yet. I hid it because I didn’t know why you had it, and I didn’t want her to totally freak out. After you get better we’ll tell her together. I think she’ll be happy for us. She really likes you.”

  “I hope so.” He held her hand, and they walked across the meadow. A white horse appeared. Its coat shimmered in the sun, and it snacked on grass while waiting for them. This was Silver’s fantasy. She gasped at the sight of it, and he said, “I thought we could take a ride before you go back to reality.”

  He climbed onto the horse’s bare back and stuck his hand out for Silver. She took it without hesitation. He pulled her up behind him. She swung a leg over the horse’s back. Her body fit against his perfectly. She looped her arms around his waist and locked her hands together. He made a noise he’d heard people use on television to make the horse go. It worked.

  The two of them gently loped across the meadow, riding off into the sunset just like Silver’s wildest fantasy. Too bad it wasn’t real.

  .

  *****

  .

  Jack’s mouth opened wide, and he sucked as much air as he could into his burning lungs. Eyes squeezed tightly shut, he arched his back. Agony. Pure, unadulterated agony snatched him from the dream world. Silver was by his side in a flash. She pushed damp hair off his sweaty forehead as pain radiated from his center mass. Had someone operated on him? He felt like his guts had been dug out with a spoon.

  Memories returned on a slow train. He’d been stabbed by Blanca while she’d been disguised as a werewolf. Crazy shape-shifting cat! If he ever got his hands on that little monster, he would rip her to shreds. This time nothing would stop him from extracting the much needed revenge.

  “Lie still,” Silver ordered in a soft voice. “Don’t try to move. You haven’t started healing yet.”

  “D-did…” He cleared his throat and found his voice. “Did you drop some blood on the wound?”

  “About half an hour ago.” She continued to caress his damp forehead. “It was horrible. You were thrashing around as if I’d electrocuted you. I didn’t think you were going to make it. You’ve been so sick.”

  “How did I get home?”

  “We put you in Ian’s car and drove you home. Then he carried you up the stairs. I wanted to take you to the hospital. Ian insisted they would ask too many questions.”

  He wanted to tell her not to worry. He wanted to tell her everything would be okay, but his numb lips refused to form the words. Darkness covered him. He sank gratefully into its cold hands. The pain became a distant memory.

  .

  *****

  .

  Someone was screaming.

  The sound plunged invisible knives into his skull. He grabbed the sides of his head. Tossing and turning, he tried to escape from the hands reaching for him. They were everywhere, grabbing at him, trying to hold him down. Torture! He was being slowly tortured. What was happening to him?

  “Hold still, Jack!” Vanessa’s voice reached him through the indescribable pain. The firm sound made him feel slightly better. She wouldn’t let them continue to torture him. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

  Silver shouted, “Do something!”

  “What do you suggest we do?” Ian asked.

  “Give him more pain killers.”

  “I already gave him enough to put down an elephant. We don’t want him to overdose, do we?”

  Jack realized he was the one screaming. Once he figured that out, the horrible noise stopped. He clenched his jaw tight. It took a lot of effort to keep his body from convulsing on the bed. Pain, the worst pain of his life set fire to every nerve he possessed. Hearing Silver’s concern helped him to get a grip. He needed to control the pain for her sake. His screams were scaring her.

  “Are you okay?” she asked. “Can you hear me?”

  He tried to open his eyes so he could see her hovering over him like a guardian angel, but his eyelids wouldn’t budge. The silver knife Blanca used had done a great deal more damage this time. Or maybe it was because this was the second time a silver object had entered his body. Maybe the allergic reaction grew worse with each altercation.

  His dry throat ached. “Water.”

  Hands lifted him slightly off the bed. Glass pressed against his lips, and he swallowed a mouthful of cool liquid. Before he was satisfied, the glass was removed, and he was gently lowered back to the mattress. Questions began firing across his mind. How long had he been out? How bad was he hurt? Was he going to die?

  He didn’t get a chance to ask a single one. The darkness sucked him back under. The last thing he heard was Silver’s voice. He couldn’t make out the words. Whatever she wanted would have to wait.

  .

  *****

  .

  Images randomly moved from reality to dream and back again. Sometimes when he opened his eyes he saw Silver, sometimes her mom, and sometimes Ian. The real surprise was when he opened his eyes to find Isobel leaning over him. Her head tilted to the side like a dog trying to understand a strange noise. She smiled down at him, amused by his plight.

  “Bet you wish you weren’t part werewolf, hmm?” Isobel lifted the sheet and looked at the wound. “That’s why silver hurts you, you know? It’s a werewolf thing. The metal rarely kills a werewolf, but it sure is painful. The damage is hard for our bodies to undo.”

  “Why are you here?”

  She shrugged. “I’m dead. Not a lot to do on this side. Visiting you while you’re ill seemed like a fun way to kill some time.”

  Jack watched her walk around his room. She moved gracefully, almost dancing as if there was music all around her he couldn’t hear. He briefly wondered if he was dreaming or hallucinating.

  She reappeared at his side wearing an intense expression this time. Lowering her face until she was almost touching his, she whispered, “I’m going to find out where the magic rock is, and somehow I’m going to let you know. Jersey may have killed me, but I’m not done yet. I can’t rest in peace until he’s laid out beside me.”

  Morbid thought. The edges of dream and reality blurred. He saw Isobel, but then she turned into Silver for a moment. It occurred to him that it might actually be Blanca playing games again. He tried to focus on t
he face.

  Familiar, cold fingers pulled at him until he sank into comforting darkness.

  .

  *****

  .

  Fingers probed his wound, and he gasped. His eyes popped open to find Silver checking the injury. She dabbed the area with a wet cloth. Smiling, she said, “Promise me you won’t ever get hurt again.”

  He wished he could. “I’ll be okay. Don’t worry.”

  “I know.” She climbed onto the bed beside him, careful not to rock the mattress too much. She reached into her shirt, looped the chain around her thumb and one finger, and pulled the ring out. Her eyes dropped, shy again. “Thank you for this. I think it’s beautiful.”

  Not being able to stand or even to sit up was frustrating. He wanted to give her the ring, make it official. “I wish I could get down on one knee. You deserve a romantic proposal. I mean, a pre-proposal.”

  “You gave me one.” Her cheeks flushed a soft shade of pink. She played with the ring instead of looking directly at him. “In the dream, you made it perfect. The white horse was incredible.”

  “But it wasn’t real.”

  “It was to me.”

  Elbows on the bed, Jack tried to sit up. Pain shot through him. He bit off a cry and collapsed. He was too weak to do anything more strenuous than sleep. Silver glared at him for trying to get up. She dropped the ring beneath her shirt so no one else would see it.

  “Don’t try that again,” she said. “You know what silver knives do to your body. You need to rest so you can heal properly.”

  He groaned. “How bad is it?”

  “The edges are beginning to pulsate. It’s starting to heal. How long did it take last time?”

  “Hours for the wound to close, but it was weeks before I felt like myself. Remember when I puked at my birthday party? I had some bad headaches that week. I didn’t know to use your blood then, so maybe this will be different.”

  “You’ll be on your feet in no time. I just know it.”