That Shifter Love

A man with his dog was walking in her direction on the path. The dog froze when it saw her. It raised its snout, similarly to how she’s lifted her nose a few moments ago. She watched it warily as it sniffed in her direction. The man wasn’t paying attention to his dog, had assumed it had stopped to lift a leg. The dog lowered its snout and looked at her, then began to wag its tail and pull its owner in her direction.

Lucy sighed with relief. Dogs could smell her wolf-ness; some liked her, some didn’t. This one nearly dragged its owner to the ground trying to get to her. She knelt and rubbed his neck, smiling up at the older man. He apologized for his dog, she said it was all right, and they went on their way. The encounter left her with a mile-wide smile as she walked on towards the market.

I don’t think I feel like shopping for clothes today, Lucy mused. I can go tomorrow before work. She wanted to buy some yummy ingredients and spend the afternoon in her kitchen creating a sumptuous meal for herself and maybe Kayla. She could remember Kayla’s shift, so she’d call her later.

Lucy looked around. The park was empty; most of those who visited were at work or school at this time of day. The occasional retiree, like the old man with his dog, wandered through, but otherwise, she was alone.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Something was off. She stopped walking and peered around more carefully this time, searching the strange shadows. She saw nothing, but something was wrong, she could feel it. The last time she’d felt this way, Austin had attacked her. Panic settled in her stomach; she picked up the pace, nearly running, her mouth opened in preparation to scream if necessary. The old man couldn’t have gotten far.

Lucy didn’t get far; two men stepped in front of her. She halted, skidding a foot and nearly falling backwards. She could smell them now; two weres, although she couldn’t decipher what kind. She stared at them. One stepped toward her while the other moved slightly to the left. The closest spoke to her.

“Hello, Lucy. We need you to come with us.”

“No.”

The other one grinned frighteningly at her. “You see, Lucy, it’s not really your decision whether or not you go.”

Lucy stared at him, debating her options. She needed to think. She glanced back towards where the old man had disappeared; no one was around to assist her.

“Listen, Lucy, you’re coming with us one way or the other,” the first one said to her. From beneath his jacket, he pulled out a gun. “If you shift, I will shoot you with this. A powerful sedative will be injected into your body, and you’ll be out for at least twenty-four hours.”

“Where are you taking me?”

“You’ve been told the Guard wishes to see you.”

“Wishes to see me, or wishes to kidnap me?” Lucy asked skeptically. She’d developed a plan, but the idea of a twenty-four hour nap had ended that idea.

The second one chuckled and moved closer and a little more to the left. While Lucy’s attention was on that one, the first moved closer as well. “This doesn’t have to be difficult, Lucy. Come with us now and you’ll be home within two hours.”

Lucy stood there a moment too long, her indecisiveness annoying the second one. He jumped at her, grabbing her arm. She twisted away from him and turned to run, her powerful thighs carrying her quickly away. The first one cursed loudly and chased her, gaining on her quickly and tackling her from behind. His weight slammed her to the ground, knocking the breath out of her. The fight left her when her breath did. She felt the man jerk her arms behind her and cuff her wrists. A blindfold was placed around her eyes, a gag in her mouth, then they hefted her up. No more than ten steps later, she was tossed onto the floor of what she assumed was a van.