Shifting Selves (9 page)

Unfortunately, while that might explain why James had vanished, it didn’t help at all with Pamela—unless Carmen had hidden her own daughter as a decoy.

“Did you ever hear any rumors about them running off together? Any sign they were planning something?”

She shook her head, and I held in a sigh. It wasn’t her fault the two lovebirds had actually managed to keep a secret in the rumor mill that is high school. But her next words stopped me cold, and made me thank the gossip gods that shy teenage girls who paid way too much attention to others’ business existed in the world.

“In study hall last week, I overheard her on the phone, making plans to meet someone. She told her friends this person was making all her dreams come true.” I gave her my best encouraging look, urging her to share every bit of unsubstantiated gossip. “I didn’t know Pamela well, but everyone knew she only had two dreams. James, and getting the hell out of Tahoe. She’s not here, so I guess she got one of her dreams. Maybe both, I guess, if James is with her.”

“Did she say anything else about this person?”

She shook her head. “Just that she was so excited, because she never expected this person to be on her side. That’s all I know.”

It was more than we’d had an hour ago. Pamela and James hadn’t merely been the victims of an escape attempt gone awry. Someone had helped them plan it, and it was someone she knew. And just for fun, it was someone unexpected, because otherwise it would have been too damn easy.

I glanced toward Sera, standing in the middle of a teenage boy triangle. She caught my look and offered a generous eye roll, indicating she was at the end of her patience with those particular fools. Fortunately, the bell rang, the distant noise echoing quietly through the trees.

“Damn,” muttered Pierced. “We never even got a smoke, either.”

“It’s for the best,” I said brightly. Their heads snapped toward me, so distracted by Sera they’d completely forgotten I was there. “Smoking causes low sperm count. Impotence sometimes, too.”

They scoffed, but I saw a hint of worry flicker in their eyes.

“No, really. It can take a while, but it happens.” I began to walk away, then remembered Mary’s earlier words. They weren’t getting off quite that easily. “It’s worse with bleach, I’ve heard. Like, the hydrogen peroxide soaks into your brain, through the skull, interacts with the nicotine and boom, constant limp dick.”

“No way,” said Bleached, all false bravado. Even so, I saw his eyes roll upwards, trying to see his own impotence-causing hair.

“Dude! You’re fucked,” laughed Pierced, exactly as empathetic as I expected him to be.

“Same with titanium. That’s what your piercings are, right? It can leach into the skin over time and just mess everything up, you know, below the belt.” It was utter nonsense, but at least it would force these idiots to do a bit of research. They might actually learn something.

Sera couldn’t resist joining in. “You’re right. I read something about that. By the time they’re twenty-five, their dicks will be completely useless, won’t they?”

I watched panic fill both their eyes. Pierced’s hands were twitching, looking like he wanted to rip the metal from his face that instant.

It was like shooting fish in a barrel. Really, really stupid fish. “Twenty-five? You’re optimistic. I bet he bleaches once a week, and he has at least two piercings. And they smoke, what, half a pack a day? I give them a year. Two, tops. Enjoy ‘em while you got ‘em, boys!” I placed a soft emphasis on that final word, subtly reminding them they were too young to enjoy anything with us, ever.

The teenagers ran back to the school, possibly in search of the first device with internet access. I noticed Mary smiling quietly as she trailed behind them and felt an answering grin cross my own face. No matter how much information we’d actually retrieved from this lot, I decided it had been a productive lunch.

“So,” I muttered, as we made our slower way back to the car. “Learn anything interesting?”

“James had an accomplice in his escape.”

“So did Pamela. You know who it was?”

She jumped easily over a tree root blocking the path. “Nope. But James talked about leaving for years, even before he met the girl. Moron One told me this, and based on the look Brandon gave him, I don’t think that was information we were meant to have.”

I mulled that over. “Considering that everything we’re not supposed to know seems to be shifter related, I’m going to posit that James wanted to escape his family and/or shifter culture.”

“You’re positing?”

“I think Carmichael might have touched me the other night. I’m blaming him, somehow.”

“Fair enough. I’m always happy to blame Carmichael.” She paused to consider everything she could lay at Carmichael’s feet, then got back on track. “So we talk to Mac?”

My sigh was a lot louder than it needed to be. I wanted to talk to Mac. I wanted to see him and hear his voice and accidentally on purpose rub against him, but I also wanted to keep a tiny shred of dignity. I didn’t need to keep giving him chances to reject me. “I guess,” I said, with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm. “And if he doesn’t want to tell us more about shifters?”

“We find another way. You hungry?”

I nodded.

We reached the car and stopped plotting ways to learn about shifters when we became more interested in fighting over music. Normally, I let her play her tapes in the Mustang—after all, her car, her rules—but the local Americana station was playing Dolly Parton. Some things in life were sacred.

“Leave it,” I placed both hands over the radio’s face and dug my fingers into the plastic. She made a half-hearted attempt to pry them away, but the need to keep at least one hand on the steering wheel put her at a marked disadvantage. “It’s a classic.”

She turned toward town, heading for a coffee shop still serving breakfast. “So is
Citizen Kane
, but that doesn’t mean I want him in my car.” She was going through the motions, but she wasn’t particularly invested in the argument. She was too busy craning her head, trying to see the reason for the cars unexpectedly coming to a stop in front of us. Sera did not do well in traffic. “You see a problem?” Her fingers tapped at double speed along the steering wheel, frustrated at the delay.

I leaned out the window, trying to see past the SUV in front of us. At first, I saw nothing. The cars were all slowing, but the problem wasn’t just in the road. Pedestrians, as well, had stopped moving, and everyone was gazing at a spot about a hundred feet up the road. Some faces were outraged, some were concerned, and a few simply looked amused. It wasn’t until two people moved slightly that I spotted the object of everyone’s attention.

“Sera, you’re going to want to park.” I already had my seatbelt undone and the door open. Without giving Sera time to respond, I sprinted down the street, heading for the tall, brown-haired, and very naked teenager wandering around the sidewalk with a look of equal parts confusion and pure terror.

CHAPTER 9

“
James!” I had no doubt we’d found the missing shifter. He had the same coloring as his uncle and cousin, the same broad face with high cheekbones. While he lacked the bulk of his relatives, I knew that was only a matter of time. He already had the broad shoulders and strong arms I knew to expect in bears—and at that moment, I was seeing those body parts, and all others, a little too clearly.

He was surrounded by locals, none of whom had expected their day to be interrupted in this way. Some were showing enough common sense to stand back from the large, terrified teenager. Others demonstrated compassion, trying to calm him with soothing words that had no effect. Many more simply stared.

I none too gently pushed past those standing in my way until I was only a few feet away from the boy. “James!” I called again. He slowly turned to face me, uncertainty written across his face. He had no idea who I was, but unlike the others, I at least knew his name and approached him with a small amount of confidence. I had to hope that was enough.

“Your parents will be here soon. Will and Celeste. I’ll call them. But we need to get you inside, somewhere safe and warm, okay?” I tried to use a gentle tone without sounding as if I was speaking to a small child. Sometimes, the line between comforting and condescending is annoyingly thin.

Whatever I did, it worked. He nodded once, then simply turned and entered the store behind him.

“Kids,” I announced to the throng of witnesses. “You know, with their streaking and planking and other... things. What are you gonna do?” While I babbled, I reached for the door handle and followed James inside, offering the unconvinced faces on the sidewalk one final, earnest nod.

I closed the door behind me and leaned against it for a moment, blocking anyone inclined to follow. We were in an upscale women’s clothing store, and fortunately it was still early enough on a weekday to have no shoppers. The only woman present worked there, and she hadn’t noticed my entrance. She was too busy staring at the naked eighteen-year-old standing in the middle of her shop.

“James, have a seat,” I suggested. He didn’t look at me, but he found a pink, spindly-legged chair outside a dressing room and sat quietly. I grabbed an oversized shawl from a nearby rack and, eyes averted, draped it over his lap. That was as much for my comfort as his.

“Who are...? You can’t...” The poor salesperson stuttered, uncertain of the proper etiquette for this situation.

The door banged open and Sera strode in. She was already on the phone, rattling off our address to the person on the other end. “Will?” I mouthed. She gave a curt nod. Finishing the conversation, she hung up, flipped the deadbolt on the front door, and loosened the window and door curtains, giving us as much privacy as the gauzy pink drapes allowed.

That was too much for the salesperson, who finally managed to complete a sentence. “You cannot do that,” she announced, pulling herself up to her full height. Her three inch heels helped with that.

Sera glanced at her and made no attempt to look impressed. “You’ve just closed the store for us. In return, we will buy one of everything you have in stock.” She looked around and amended her answer. “Well, one of everything that’s not pink.”

I looked at James, who appeared dazed. He displayed no interest in his surroundings, neither the place nor the people. He stared at the floor, his gaze unwavering, unconcerned that he was naked in front of three strange women. “We’ll take the shawl and the chair, too,” I offered, thinking that the woman might find a sweaty shifter butt print an unwanted improvement. We might not want to touch our trust funds for ourselves, but I felt a certain joy using our parents’ money to help the shifters.

While Sera made arrangements with the salesperson, I phoned Carmichael, ensuring that no 911 calls about a lost naked teenager would lead to law enforcement descending on the shop. I kept an eye on James, but other than the occasional blink, he never moved.

Impromptu shopping spree completed, Sera walked up to me. “She’ll be in the back for the foreseeable future. I hope you like pashminas. You now own thirty of them.”

“Well, that takes care of Christmas, at least. Did you recommend she stay back there?”

Sera nodded. “Until someone comes and gets her. She has my black AmEx and permission to use it as necessary.”

“In case a bear in a clothing store does as much damage as a bull in china shop?”

“Exactly.”

On cue, the store darkened slightly, the light streaming through the delicate curtains blocked by a very large man. I quickly unlocked the door, letting in one family member after another. Will, Celeste, Mac, and Eleanor all stepped inside.

James’s parents rushed to their son’s side. He looked up once, acknowledging their existence, then returned to staring at the floor.

“What happened?” I can’t say Celeste spoke those words. She growled them, a low and deranged sound, and I saw a desperate beast staring at me behind her eyes. I was reminded of every story I’d heard about enraged mama bears in the wild, harmless and shy until their cub was threatened. Even then, I couldn’t say she looked dangerous, exactly. Unhinged would be more accurate. I filled her and Will in quickly with the little we knew.

“He’s been like this since we found him,” I said. “He hasn’t said a word.”

Will and Celeste stood next to their son and buried their noses in his neck and hair. It was a strangely clinical movement, with none of the intimacy I’d have expected with such an action. They were simply trying to acquire information.

“I’m going to see if there’s a trail,” said Eleanor, stepping outside. Five minutes later, she returned, shaking her head. “The scent just appears two blocks from here. I’m guessing he was dropped off in a car.”

Will and Celeste stood up, having learned all they could. “He’s lost weight.” Celeste spoke in a heavy whisper. “He needs food. Does anyone have...?” Her voice drifted off, forgetting her thought halfway through the sentence. She rummaged in her purse, and a moment later she popped a small round pill into her mouth. I doubted it was aspirin.

“There’s a saleswoman in the back currently alternating between fear and greed,” I told the room. “She might have something. If she protests, tell her we’ll buy another scarf.” Mac nodded and stepped away.

He returned a moment later with a small insulated lunch bag filled with a fruit salad. He placed this before his cousin and stepped back. James glanced at the fruit, then ignored it altogether. We all watched him, uncertain what to do next.

“I thought you were mostly carnivores,” I said, unable to stand the pained silence.

Mac glanced at me, and for a fraction of a second I saw the sly smile I’d missed these past few weeks. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

I recognized my own words from the lake thrown back at me. I made a mental note to thoroughly read the Wikipedia entry on black bears, then returned my attention to his cousin.

“Did you pick up anything?” I asked his parents.

Celeste just stared at me with glazed eyes, already retreating into her own little world. Will’s expression was a strange combination of relief and pain. James was safe, but he definitely wasn’t okay. “Listen, little water. I appreciate you finding him, more than you’ll ever know. But I don’t see any water around here, nor any clothes you can read. Unless you have something to contribute, perhaps it is time you and your friend left and let my family take care of its own.”

I was going to start a drinking game for every time Will implied he didn’t really need my help. I looked at Sera. “Can you find the thermostat? Let’s crank it up to ninety in here.” She nodded. Everyone else looked confused. “For the record, Will, someday you’re going to like me and Sera. We grow on people.”

“So do tumors,” he noted mildly.

“You’ll learn eventually, big bear. Now, what did you smell?”

Will looked uncertain, then gave in. He had nothing to lose. “There’s something odd. I don’t recognize the scent at all. It’s coming from his pores, something inside his body.” That was exactly what I wanted to hear.

Sera had found the thermostat, and the room was already heating up. James’s chair was close to one of the heating vents, and I watched him closely, waiting for my chance. “It will take another minute,” I said.

Will turned to me, and his tone was resigned and even a little apologetic. “I admit it. I’m not used to asking outsiders for help, but maybe that’s just me being stubborn. If you can help in any way, I would be... I would be grateful.” It took him two tries to get that sentence out, but when he finally managed it, the words were strong and his gaze steady.

A single bead of sweat formed on James’s brow. It was time.

I walked carefully toward James, as I would to an agitated dog, giving him every opportunity to skitter away if he perceived me as a threat. He turned toward me once, observing me with quiet, dead eyes, then returned his stare to the floor, completely dismissing my threat potential. Let’s hear it for being a skinny blonde. Sometimes, being underestimated actually helped.

I moved my hand slowly toward James’s face. I remained in his field of vision at all times, not wanting to startle him. With the index finger of my right hand, I plucked that single drop of sweat and held it lightly on my fingertip.

Next, I recalled that unique sense of James I’d felt at the lake. It was fading a bit in my memory, becoming blurry around the edges, but I still remembered enough.

I stretched my magic toward that that tiny drop of sweat. It filled every molecule, eager to hear the many voices of the water. Eyes closed in concentration, I listened to every story, and from those I separated James’s essence from everything else, seeking anything unfamiliar.

The room was silent. Everyone watched me, their breath held. No one moved.

I let that all go. I tried to let the entire room disappear. I had so little to work with, just the tiniest drop of water. I paused. “I found something.” I couldn’t identify it, but it triggered an unexpected sense of familiarity. I’d known something like it before. “It might be related to the scent Will described. I’m not sure what it is, either.” I turned it over, tried to pull it into my consciousness, but it skittered away, the memory just out of reach.

Just as I began to pull the magic back into myself, I felt a hint of someone else, someone who’d pressed herself so closely against James that her very essence entered his skin. It was a familiar smell, and one I was certain Will knew. I’d been with him when he’d picked up the scent of her blood.

I looked at Will and Celeste accusingly. They were willing to accept my help, and Will might even be somewhat apologetic, but they still weren’t volunteering information I might need. My patience for the shifter’s isolationist attitude was definitely wearing thin. “He was with Pamela,” I told them in a cold voice, letting them know I knew.

There was no warning. One moment, James was sitting quietly in the chair. The next, he stood in a half-crouch between two racks of party dresses, eyes darting frantically in every direction. He held the defensive posture, looking for threats in every corner. One hand extended to the side, palm facing backwards, as if he was holding someone behind him—or protecting them.

No one moved. No one glanced away. We all watched James, afraid to even breathe.

Mac took one slow step forward, then another. James’s eyes were wild and unreasoning, prey cornered and desperate. Mac would be able to take him, but there was no telling what effect that might have on James’s delicate mental state.

Will did the same on the other side. “You think this might be why we didn’t say her name, little water?” His tone was dry, even as he closely watched his son’s movement.

About three feet from James, Mac stopped. “No one is going to hurt you,” he said in a calm, soothing voice that didn’t hold even a hint of condescension. If Mac was in need of a new job, I suspected he’d make an excellent hostage negotiator. “You’re safe now.”

James’s brows knit together as he processed the words. He looked around the room, appearing to register his family one member at a time. Awareness seeped into his eyes, and he spun in a slow circle. For the first time, I thought he might actually be seeing what was in front of him.

When James completed his study of the room, his face didn’t fall. It crumpled. His mouth went slack, and his chin pulled in and quivered once, twice. His eyelids lowered, and the muscles in his cheeks seemed to vanish, leaving a face that looked incapable of supporting itself. This only lasted for a second, maybe two, before his control reasserted itself. With one long breath, he schooled his features into a flat, expressionless mask.

“She’s not here. Pamela isn’t here.”

Mutely, Mac shook his head.

Will stepped toward his son, hands out in a calming gesture. They appeared to be trying to soothe a wild animal, which wasn’t far from the truth.

I had a bad habit of forgetting how close the beast always was to the surface, how much the animal shared space with the man. I tended to see what was in front of me and forget the rest, and this was a good reminder that I was standing mere inches from a potentially lethal bear.

I decided it was a good time to move several steps away and ended up standing behind Sera. Apparently, I had no qualms about asking my best friend to serve as a barrier between myself and potential threats. I added that to my mental list of things to never mention to the FBI.

“Where is she? She was here.” His words sounded twisted and confused, as if the sentences weren’t quite emerging the way his brain expected them to.

“Pamela hasn’t been here, James.” Mac and Will both moved a step closer. They were surrounding him, I saw, preparing to act quickly if he shifted.

It was a cautionary measure only, as James showed no sign of anger. He merely looked bewildered. “No, no, she’s never been here. It was...” His face stilled into a look of tremendous concentration. I saw his eyes move up and to the left, then quickly side to side before they stilled, unable to find the memory they sought. “I can’t remember.” Misery colored every word.