Shifters' Storm Read Free Page A

Out of the corner of his eyes, the elk saw that she—he knew that much—was aiming what looked like a branch at the sky. The branch bellowed, the sound nearly identical to what he’d heard this morning, only much louder. Startled, he turned his attention from the bear to the she-creature. Lowering the thunder-branch, she pointed it first at the bear and then him.
    She started chattering, her mouth and throat moving, eyes saying she was afraid but not terrified. Even with everything he was trying to make sense of, he admired her courage.
    Her eyes carried more than warning and determination, and as her chattering slowed and then quieted, he studied the huge brown bear. The creature was back down on all fours and staring at the she . It tipped its head to the side as if trying to make sense of the now soft sounds. No longer having to concentrate on how much of a threat the grizzly presented helped cool the elk’s blood, but it was more than that. With every breath he took, he dismissed more of the death and bear smells and became more aware of the she .
    Her. Female. Touching him in ways he needed. Triggering memories.
    “Songan,” she said. “Songan.”
     
    Feeling as if she might splinter into a thousand pieces, Rane repeated the shape-shifter’s name in the singsong tone she’d relied on over the years. It could be her imagination, her need to make order out of today’s craziness, but she swore she was getting through to him. One thing she was certain of, the beautiful bull elk who was her friend and sometimes sex partner was focused on her instead of the grizzly or the inert body. Knowing she didn’t dare do the same added to her fear that she might not be able to hold everything together. Dismissing the grizzly could get her killed today.
    Determined to put an end to the standoff, she leveled the rifle at the bear while continuing to mutter Songan’s name. Something about the grizzly still felt off. Its—his—eyes hinted at impossible intelligence for an animal. Her stomach tightened as a possibility occurred to her, but that would have to wait.
    Taking a deep breath, she yelled, “Go!” at the grizzly. Teeth clenched, she fired, aiming several feet over his body. Her arms jerked upward, and for an instant, she couldn’t see anything. The bear, sounding startled or angry or both, roared.
    “You heard me! Go! You’re not wanted here.”
    The beast reared and dropped to the ground with a thud. His lips curled back, exposing his teeth.
    Willing her arms to hold steady, she fired again. This bullet streaked less than a foot above the bear’s back. The echo went on and on. Instead of attacking her or running away, which was what she was hoping for, she swore the beast’s eyes told her not to panic.
    “Go, please. I don’t want to kill you, so just get the hell out of here!” Like her puny deer rifle could bring down a thousand-pound monster.
    What she was tempted to interpret as a frown pulled the grizzly’s eyes together. His attention flicked to Songan, then back on her. She swore he sighed before slowly and regally backing away. After a final look at Songan, the mass of muscle and bone turned and loped away. Moments later, he’d disappeared into the close-growing evergreens marking the end of the meadow. Despite that, his essence remained. He was still in the area.
    Now that the immediate threat had been dealt with, Rane waited for relief to weaken her muscles. Instead, regret closed around her. Irrational as the thought was, she wanted the beast to return. If he did, she imagined herself slowly approaching, reaching out and touching the great body.
    As far as she knew, the elk shifter hadn’t moved while she was dealing with the bear. Accustomed as she was to Songan’s behavior when he was in elk form, she knew not to expect much of him intellectually. Right now all that truly mattered was whether he knew she was part of his world.
    After a final look in the direction the grizzly had gone, he