The Crane Curse Series Complete Boxed Set (Shape Shifter Romance) Read online

  Sprouts of reddish brown fur lined his hands. His fingers, once long and tapered, were now in a grotesque state between man and dog. Faith had no idea how he got dressed everyday, but as usual he wore a pair of beige slacks with a grey plaid button shirt she had recently bought him. With his nose extended into a snout, he sniffed the air as she entered the room before turning towards her.

  "Is something troubling you?" he asked.

  She hated how well he knew her, but after fifteen years together, she didn't expect any less. Loosening her ponytail, she let some of her hair frame her face, hoping it looked different enough to him.

  "No, I'm fine," she said, "It was just getting in my way." Chewing her lip nervously, she noticed his eyes narrow and realized she was giving too much away with her nervous quirks. She needed to keep her cool. "If you don't mind, I'm going out."

  "Going out? With who?"

  She thought she heard confusion mixed with hurt in his voice, but his glowing coyote eyes didn't indicate anything. Stop it, Faith! It's just what you want to hear, not what you really heard, she thought to herself.

  "I just need to run some errands," she said, hoping he wouldn't question it.

  "Do them tomorrow. It's late."

  The sun had already set and the spotlights that lit the landscaping in the front of their house seeped into the large front windows. She pulled at the blinds a bit too hard, trying to prevent the light from coming in, but it was useless.

  "It's not late. It's not even 8 o'clock. I'll be back before you go hunting. I just need to pick up some things at the grocery store. Do you need anything?"

  He didn't need to answer. Abel hadn't eaten human food in over a year. If she was lucky, he'd leave to hunt while she was gone so she wouldn't have to run into him when she got back. She wasn't sure what she was looking forward to more, getting away from Abel or just being alone for a little while.

  Faith grabbed her wallet and keys and walked out of the house, hoping to make her appointment on time. It was the most dangerous thing she ever did and it could get her killed if Abel found out. She didn't have any choice though.

  ***

  Arriving at Night Shift, Faith parked her Cadillac and walked towards the slanted, run-down building with its bright neon sign. Night Shift wasn't a place she ever frequented, but she had been there before. You couldn't live in Leeds Point and not go to the shifter bar at least once in your life.

  At the entrance, a huge man covered the doorway. Faith briefly wondered if he was outside because he was too large to enter, but quickly pushed the thought out of her head. She always found ways to distract herself when she was nervous. Imagining this giant-sized shifter stuck in the doorway was exactly the kind of thing she didn't need to amuse herself with. Even if she couldn't help thinking that with his enormity, it would be funny if his animal spirit was a squirrel.

  "What does this dive need a bouncer for anyway?" she muttered under her breath.

  "What?" the bouncer asked as he stomped forward, placing himself directly between her and the open door. "Didya say something?" He looked her up and down and tilted his head. "Hmm, no shifter at all in you. That's pretty rare these days."

  Just what she needed–a social giant. Stifling a sigh, she forced the nicest smile she could. "I'm here to meet–"

  "Shh," he said quietly as he looked around. You're welcome to come here, but no one talks about why."

  "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I thought–"

  "Quiet!" he said. "Don't give me a reason to not let you in. Go to the bar and give him your name. They’re expecting you.”

  The words hung in the air ominously. It wasn’t how the big man said it though, it was Faith’s own guilt about what she was about to do. As she nodded, the bouncer moved out of the way, giving her a full view of the popular shifter bar.

  Keith Urban blared from the jukebox in the corner and the wood paneled room looked hazy despite the fact that no one was smoking. Colorful neon beer signs glowed along the far wall where the bar was.

  As she passed the beautiful people she knew were shifters, Faith thought back to high school when she first met Abel. He was tall, with thick blond hair and the gentlest grey eyes. It was a shame what that damned coyote did to him.

  Fifteen Years Ago

  Sitting at her desk at the far back corner of the classroom, Faith worked on a sketch of a Victorian house she once saw on a Cape May postcard. Next to her was an empty seat she always dropped her bag onto so she had easy access to another pencil when the one she sketched with got dull.

  In front of the quiet room, Ms. Murphy, the spinsterly History teacher with short silver hair, wrote events with their corresponding dates on the blackboard. Faith knew all that stuff was going to be on a test, but she couldn't bring herself to even look at it.

  Softly tapping the pencil's eraser tip against her notebook, Faith glanced around at the other students. These were her classmates for the past two years, the longest she ever attended any school and the last school she'd go to. She hardly knew any of them and preferred it that way. After years of constant changes in where she lived, Faith found the safest thing to do was to not get to know anyone.

  Things were better when she didn't have to worry about when she'd lose a friend. Friends had an expiration date when you didn't have a home to call your own. In a few months, she would turn eighteen and finally be rid of the endless wait for her mother and a home. She'd make a home for herself by herself, the first one she ever had.

  A knock at the closed classroom door caught everyone's attention, and silence filled the room except for the glide and tap of the chalk from Ms. Murphy's writing. No one ever disturbed a class, and the students were curious who could be at the door.

  As the door slowly opened, some of the students closer to the door leaned forward in their seats to get a better look. Curiosity always got the better of Faith. Even as she looked down at her partially completed sketch, she kept an ear out for the soft thud of footsteps entering the carpeted room.

  "Whoa, hot guy," Sally, the girl seated in front of Faith, said to anyone who listened.

  Faith pulled her eyes away from her drawing, expecting to find portly Principal Wilson as the butt of Sally's joke, but there was no joke. Standing at the front of the class was a new student. He had shaggy pale blond hair and grey eyes, as if whatever color they once had been became faded.

  The new guy was only average height but sexy as all hell. By the whispers from the other girls in the class, Faith knew she wasn't alone with her opinion. Confidence oozed from him as if he didn't care thirty students were staring at him in his sandblasted jeans and faded gold t-shirt that showed off his athletic build. Leaning back on his heels, he grinned towards the rows of desks as everyone kept their eyes on him.

  "Hot Alpha guy," Sally whispered then purred softly as she inhaled.

  Faith stifled a giggle, happy she wasn't some stupid shifter, then pushed her long blonde hair back over her ear before focusing on her sketch again.

  "Class," Ms. Murphy said slowly, "I'd like to introduce you to Abel Barlow. He's a new student, so please make him feel welcome." She turned towards him and pointed to a desk by the window. "You may take that empty desk over there."

  "If it's alright, I'd like to take this one right here," Abel said as he squeezed down the aisle towards the empty desk next to Faith.

  Grabbing her bag from the desk, Faith's eyes met Abel's before she quickly looked away and back down to her sketch. He dropped into the desk beside hers as Ms. Murphy continued her quest to cover the entire blackboard.

  "Nice house," Abel said quietly as he leaned towards Faith. "Is that where you live?"

  Faith's throat went dry and she tried to swallow to clear it. She couldn't remember the last time someone spoke to her, and she quickly looked around to make sure he wasn't talking to someone else.

  He raised his eyebrows as if saying he was waiting for an answer. "No," she said, her voice barely a whisper. When his eyebrows didn't lower, she
cleared her throat then spoke clearer. "No, I wish."

  The bell rang and Faith grabbed her things, cradling her books in her arms as she stood to leave. She wished she had more time to just look at him, but the bell had other plans. At least the bell meant he couldn't keep talking to her. She knew better than to get to know him, plus something deep down told her he'd break her heart.

  "I'm not done talking to you," he said as he touched her arm.

  Faith felt a jolt from his warm hand that coursed through her body. As she reminded herself that humans had a natural attraction to shifters, especially Alpha ones, she pushed the feeling out of her head and forced herself to not look at him.

  "Then take it up with the bell, I have to get to my next class," she said.

  "At least give me your name."

  "Faith," she said and immediately regretted answering.

  "Faith...I need to get to know you better. There's something special about you, I can feel it," he said, smiling. "And I won't take no for an answer."

  She didn't want to say no. Abel was the cutest guy she had ever seen and he was talking to her. But she made it a rule to never get close to anyone, and she intended to keep it.

  "I really can't," she said before rushing out the door.

  Abel caught up with her and matched her pace. "You don't understand. I said I wouldn't take no for an answer."

  She stopped and looked at him, her brows knitted together as she wondered what he wanted. This had to be a joke. No way would someone like him be interested in her. "What is your problem? I don't care if you won't take no, I said no. Now go find someone else to bother."

  Spinning on her heel, she began walking away but was stopped by his hand on her arm again. He didn't grab her hard, he barely even touched her, but there was something electric and powerful in the soft touch of his fingers against her skin. She stopped and turned back towards him.

  "I didn't want to move here," he said quietly as the hallway grew louder from the passing students. "My parents couldn't give me a reason, so I kept convincing myself there had to be one. I had faith in some point or purpose for moving to this swamp you call home."

  "I don't have a home," Faith said, then mentally kicked herself for saying it.

  "I came here to meet you, Faith. I kept faith and I met Faith. You might not understand it because you're human, but I know we're meant to be together. We're going to do great things together. Give me a chance, will you? Just trust me. Have faith in me."

  He grinned, and she found it hard to not hate him for using her name in such a ridiculous way. Still, she was confused. Who was this guy, and why would he think he was meant to be with her? His grey eyes felt like they were swimming in her thoughts, trying to read them.

  Slowly, barely realizing it, she nodded her answer. There was something so familiar and comforting about him. Maybe he knew something she didn't. Maybe he could see into the future. Or maybe she just wanted to spend more time with the handsome new guy.

  Present Day

  A beautiful, caramel-skinned man with a tight black t-shirt knocked on the bar in front of her and brought Faith back from her memories.

  “Miss? Can I help you?” he asked.

  He was muscular in a different way than the rest of the shifters there, telling Faith he was a different animal than the others. With a thicker body, his muscles cut through his skin and rippled with his every move. She could sit there all day and stare at him if it wasn’t considered rude.

  "Sorry, I was just…never mind," she said, not wanting to tell her story to the bartender. She refused to be that cliché. “I’m Faith Galloway, I’m here to–"

  "Follow me," he interrupted her, then waved to another bartender to take over.

  He pointed to the end of the bar and she weaved her way through the crowd to meet him. In a darkened corner near the bar, he opened a door Faith hadn't seen before and motioned for her to enter before closing the door behind them.

  "Sorry about all the security, but I'm sure you understand we can't just have people showing up here," he said. "My name is Rafael. You'll be meeting with my Alpha, who is one of the twelve on the Kapok Council."

  The more he spoke, the more Faith detected a slight accent she couldn't place. She quietly followed him down a stark hallway, the bright lights making her blink after the darkness of the bar. Over the years, she had heard a lot about the Council and was surprised it was so easy for her to get a meeting even though she wasn't a shifter. But once she said Abel's name, they were just as interested in meeting with her as she was in meeting with them.

  At the end of the hall, Rafael knocked on a plain wooden door and waited.

  "Come in," a gruff voice said from the other side of the door.

  Rafael opened the door and waited for Faith to enter before stepping in behind her. Seated at an old metal desk pushed against the wall was a man even larger than Rafael. His dark hair was brushed back and his striped button shirt with the sleeves rolled up looked painted on him.

  "Sir, this is Faith Galloway," Rafael said.

  The man stood up from his chair, towering over her. He was a little taller than Rafael and more muscular but equally as sexy. After being surrounded by coyotes all the time, Faith forgot the immediate sexual attraction humans felt from meeting a powerful shifter, especially an Alpha.

  "It's a pleasure to meet you, Faith," he said, his voice dripping like honey. "I'm Erich Krause. Because of the sensitive nature of this meeting, we'll be discussing this alone."

  He gave Rafael a stern look and Rafael walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Erich put his hand on her back and moved her towards an overstuffed tan couch. Simply feeling his hand on her back reminded her how long it had been since she had felt the touch of a man. She needed to get a hold of herself and not let her natural attraction to him take over, but it was hard to fight with biology.

  She met his light brown eyes and noticed a smirk. Quickly looking away, she sat down, embarrassed by his knowing gaze.

  "Tell me what I can do for you," he said. "It's not everyday the Council gets a request from a human, especially not a human mated to a rogue Alpha."

  Mated? Is that what she was to Abel, his mate? Or was that all this big man thought of her? She disliked the term and meaning of it. She liked thinking of Abel as her high school sweetheart and first love and hoped he thought of her the same way. Or at least did before the coyote took over.

  "I'm here to talk about Abel Barlow," she said. "He's out of control and I need your help. I don't know where else to go."

  Chapter Two

  Erich Krause leaned back in his desk chair, looking at the cracks in the corner of his office. He didn't usually spend much time there, but the Council requested he meet with a woman who claimed to have information on coyote Alpha Abel Barlow.

  Abel had been a menace for several years. He had been slowly growing his pack, trying to stay under their radar, and although the Council didn't know exactly what he was up to, they knew to keep an eye on him.

  Erich had to admit to being curious about the woman coming in. She left her name as Faith Galloway, but after a little research, Erich was unable to find any information on her. He wondered if she was Abel's mate, but seeing how he had decomposed over the years, Erich strongly doubted it. However, he didn't discount the possibility. Humans were known for their strange attachments after all. Regardless, she claimed to have information on the coyote so he had to hear her out.

  The door opened down the hall, something Erich easily heard with his heightened senses, but then he caught a scent. It wasn't like anything he'd ever experienced before. His bear spirit woke and roared from within. Erich sat up straight, causing his chair to squeak painfully, and closed his eyes as he breathed in deeply through his nose.

  It was the woman, Faith Galloway. Her scent danced around him, enticing him to get her, but he kept himself seated knowing she would reach his door soon. With a mixture of savory and sweet, her scent reminded him of a decadent warm whi
skey sauce he had on a dessert once, and how the smooth texture spread over his tongue and down his throat.

  With his body heating up and the bear within fighting to get out, Erich struggled to keep his cool and stay in his seat. Regardless of what he was experiencing, he needed this woman to feel comfortable enough to tell him why she was there. He refused to blow it because of some primal need for someone he hadn't even seen yet.

  After what seemed like an eternity of waiting to match the scent with a face, Rafael knocked on the door.

  "Come in," Erich said impatiently.

  Faith entered his office, her long blonde hair pulled back into a low ponytail with wisps framing her pretty oval face. She was dressed all in black but Erich was able to see she was hiding the curvy body of a woman, one he wanted to see more of.

  Standing to introduce himself to her, he used a touch of his shape shifting ability to make himself appear even larger. He couldn't help himself. He wanted to reduce any thought of the tiny coyote from her mind.

  Knowing how Abel looked and acted lately, Erich refused to believe such a beautiful woman could be in love with him. To find out, he decided to test her by calling her Abel's mate and gauging her reaction.

  "I'm here to talk about Abel Barlow," she said. "He's out of control and I need your help. I don't know where else to go."

  Hearing her voice with a slight tremble, he pushed aside his desire and longing for her. This was serious and he needed to get back to business and control himself. He was an Alpha, there was no reason he should be acting like a lovesick schoolboy, especially towards a human mated to another Alpha.