That Shifter Love

Chapter 4

Lucy tried to count the number of turns they took as they drove through town, but she couldn’t focus; her fear was too great. Only want to talk to me? Bullsh*t, she thought. She tried to change her focus to listen to the sounds outside the vehicle, to no avail. The van wasn’t soundproof, but the sounds of the road weren’t going to help her figure out where they were. She pushed against the gag in her mouth with her tongue, hoping to loosen it so when they did stop she could scream. She twisted her wrists to see if there was any give in the cuffs, maybe just enough room to pull one hand out. Nope. But she refused to relax.

No one touched her as they drove through town, nor did either of the men speak again. They had no need to speak; their part in this was almost over. Lucy thought about shifting into her wolf form, but with her hands cuffed behind her back, she was afraid she’d pull her shoulders out of socket and be completely defenseless. I may heal quickly, but not quickly enough to take care of myself, she mused.

Her heart had settled into a more normal rhythm. She kept telling herself everything was going to be ok. Nathan had explained to her the night before that all they wanted to do was talk to her about shifting in front of Austin. He’d even warned her that they would come to her if she didn’t go on her own. She hadn’t realized he’d meant attack her in the park, cuff her, gag her, blindfold her, and throw her in a van like a mafia-style kidnapping.

Fear added beats to her heart’s rhythm when the van pulled to a stop and died. The doors opened and slammed, then the back door opened and someone grabbed her shoulders. She started jerking her body, shaking her head back and forth, screaming at them to let her go through the gag. A gentle tap on her cheek stopped her movements.

“Lucy, calm down. No one is going to hurt you here,” the kidnapper’s voice said. “I’m going to set you on your feet. We will guide you inside, then remove the gag and blindfold. If you fight, you’ll only hurt yourself. Do you understand?”

Lucy grumbled a perfectly clear insult used by sailors at the man, but she did nod her head that she understood. She continued to mumble through the gag as they marched her through a door and into a building that smelled of cleanliness and office supplies. As soon as the door whispered shut behind her, the blindfold was removed and Lucy looked at her surroundings.

The lobby in which they stood was modern and sleek with clear lines and simple decorations in various colors to break up the monotony of silver, black, and white. She glanced back at the door as one of the kidnappers removed the gag. Two security guards stood on either side of the door, sentries protecting those within from those outside. Both were weres, although she wasn’t sure which kind; she’d never been good at detecting the distinct odors of each species. She knew what weres smelled like, and she could usually identify a werewolf, just not werecats, werebears, or any other. That had always suited her just fine, until today when it could help her find allies in this strange situation in which she’d found herself.

“Come on, Lucy. We’ll take you down to meet with the Head and Marissa. They’re waiting for you,” the kidnapper said.

“Remove the handcuffs, please,” Lucy asked, turning her back to the man, arms slightly extended.

He chuckled at her. “Not just yet. We know you can’t shift with your hands cuffed for fear of injuring yourself. Therefore, until given the order, handcuffed you will be.”

“Well, sh*t,” Lucy remarked, eliciting another chuckle from the pair. “So these people are expecting me?”

The other kidnapper nodded, gestured towards the elevator, and waited for her to precede him. Lucy looked at the elevator and back at the door, once again calculating the idea of escape. She shook her head at herself and moved toward the elevator as if she were ascending to a job interview rather than into the unknown.

*****

Marissa stared at the woman on the screen. The security cameras had been zoomed in to closely look at the woman Nathan had not brought to them last night. She was beautiful, bountiful, and bombshell gorgeous. Those ample bre*sts and thick, muscular thighs were positively eye-catching, and her face was that of a Nubian goddess. Her eyes dominated that face, large and dark, seeing everything in seconds.

Everything about the woman was gorgeous, and Marissa was not happy about it. She seethed quietly, watching Lucy as she marched purposefully into the elevator. Marissa hit a button, and the inside of the elevator popped up on the screen. She watched as surprise passed over Lucy’s face when the elevator descended rather than ascended and smiled. Good, she thought, let her feel fear again.

Marissa walked away from the screens and down the hall to the Head’s office to announce Lucy’s arrival. She knocked briefly and stepped in without waiting for a response. She gasped quietly when Nathan turned to look at her. She looked from Nathan to the Head, who looked perturbed.

“Good morning,” Nathan sneered at her. “I understand you’ve been busy this morning.”

*****

Nathan had awakened that morning with the sense that he should go into the office today. He rarely did unless he had something to report or needed help with a particularly problematic issue. But his intuition had awakened him, screaming loudly that he needed to go to the office and meet with the Head.

He’d always trusted his intuition, even as a child. It had never steered him in the wrong direction. He’d quickly showered and dressed and was sitting in the Head’s office by 8:30. On his way up, he’d done a little investigating, questioning this one and that about what was going on this morning. He’d found the answer while eavesdropping on two unsuspecting werebears drinking their coffee.

“Marissa had a couple of the security guys pick up a werewolf who’s been shifting in front of the humans.” Nathan’s ears had perked up; he’d stopped just out of sight and listened.

“Really? What an idiot. Is he new in town or something?”

“She. And I don’t think so,” the other replied between sips of coffee. “I’m not really sure, but they were supposed to go get her this morning.”

“How exciting! We haven’t had anything fun happen around here in ages. Let’s go watch when they bring her in,” the other said, giggling.

“We better not. You know how Marissa can be.”

“So true,” the other sighed. “Well, coffee break is over, I guess.”

Indignation moved through Nathan’s mind like lightening. He had planned to go see Lucy again today and convince her to come to the office with him and meet the Head. He was sure he could convince her, especially after the kiss they’d shared.

Marissa had sent two of her goons to kidnap her, a highly illegal practice that could have involved humans if any had seen the actual kidnapping take place. And, if Lucy were so inclined, she could speak to the police and involve the humans intentionally. Nathan didn’t think she would, but she certainly had that right after being kidnapped off the street.

Nathan had gone straight to the Head to ask him if he’d given his approval of this move, which he had not. And then Marissa had walked in.

*****

Marissa had collected her thoughts quickly considering the two men looking at her both seemed angry. She smirked at Nathan’s question.

“I have been busy,” she replied haughtily, “doing your job for you.”

“My job has never entailed kidnapping,” Nathan retorted, his anger barely under control. He felt an extreme need to shift but held back. Not a good idea, he reminded himself.

Marissa meandered over to the empty chair next to him and sat on the edge, smiling at the Head as if she couldn’t tell he was angry, or at the very least, irritated, with her. “Your job is to bring in weres who don’t follow our laws. You failed to do so. She was asked nicely by the men I sent; she refused to cooperate.”