That Shifter Love

Lucy moved behind him and waited to be noticed. Seconds later, he jerked around when she growled menacingly behind him. He stared at her wolf form, terror in his face. She didn’t move; she didn’t have to. He looked around, looking for Lucy the person, but she was gone. His mind, in its drunken haze, couldn’t understand what had happened.

Lucy the wolf growled again, louder this time. Austin lifted his hands in a defensive position, preparing for an attack. But Lucy did not move. She had no intention of injuring this man; she wasn’t supposed to shift in the city. Attacking him would draw attention to her. When he didn’t run away, she let out a quiet howl that ended in a frightening growl. She smelled urine; he’d pissed himself in fright. Her wolf face smiled, and Austin finally ran away. She chased him briefly, no more than ten yards, then stopped and made a noise that sounded like a giggle.

What do I do now? Lucy thought. She loped back to the spot where she’d shifted and looked at her ruined clothes and bag laying on the ground. Thank the gods I made some good tips today, she thought. She’d have to replace her work clothes. She decided to walk the rest of the way home in her wolf form, her bag in her mouth. The clothes were a lost cause, and if they were still there in the morning, she’d pick them up and put them in the trash.

As she lifted the straps of her bag in her mouth, a shuffle from behind her caught her ears. She turned, and with her wolf vision saw a man in the shadows, watching her. Her first thought was Austin, but this man was taller and broader than Austin. He lounged against the wall, not moving, but she knew he watched her. She raised her snout to sniff the air, smelling the regular smells around her, but something else as well, something unfamiliar. Her nerves again screamed danger. She glanced at her apartment building, only three down from where she stood, and looked back at the man.

Lucy didn’t want him to know where she lived, regardless of who he was. He’d seen her shift; therefore, he was a threat to her. She turned and ran away from the man, past her apartment, and into the park. She followed a convoluted route until she was sure no one was behind her or anyone near her. She’d had to duck behind hedges a time or two to prevent a human from seeing her, but overall, it had been an easy, though long, escape route.

When she returned to her street, she remained in the shadows watching for fifteen minutes. A couple passed through the shadows where the man had been and disappeared inside a building. He was gone.

Lucy shifted into her human form and ran across the street to her front stoop nude. No one was about, as far as she could hear and see, but she hurriedly found her key and scrambled inside and up to her apartment. Only when she was inside, resting against the door, did she feel safe.

*****

Earlier that day, Nathan had entered Café Blue for a drink and something to eat. The pretty blonde who had waited on him had been incredibly helpful, but he was more interested in her dark-skinned friend. She’d smiled at him and dismissed him; he wasn’t sitting at one of her tables and she had several customers waiting. He’d watched her handle the asshole with as much politeness as she could, and he’d watched the man leave when she did.

Nathan had followed the man at a distance as he followed the woman. Nathan watched her as much as he watched the man. Her walk was graceful, and she held herself with confidence. The rain didn’t bother her as it would some, and she’d lowered her umbrella and allowed the drizzle to wash over her gently. She’s beautiful, he’d thought, and a were. He’d known the moment he’d walked into the café; he could smell her.

When the man had attacked her, he’d almost shot forward and helped her. But he decided to see how she handled herself first; if she truly needed help, he’d step up. She hadn’t, just as he’d known she wouldn’t. The man had slammed her into the wall a second time, and she’d shifted to protect herself. No one had seen it but him, but that didn’t mean she was in the clear.

He’d watched her as she ran away, and he’d changed positions and watched her when she’d returned. His gut had told him she must live in one of the buildings on this street, and he’d been right. An hour after the attack, she’d come back, watched the street for a few minutes, and shifted into human form. Her naked body running across the street had entranced him; he hadn’t been able to look away.

He wanted to meet her. But he had a duty to attend to: he would have to report her presence to the Guard.