Skin Walkers - King Read Free Page A

typically referred to the extremely young Walkers, those not yet versed in their heritage and abilities.  Stage two Walkers were slightly more advanced, and were able to shift to the form of one animal, but only for a limited amount of time, while stage three Walkers could shift freely to a few animal forms.
    Stage four Walkers, like Monroe and King, were much more advanced.  They possessed the ability to shift to any form of animal for any length of time.  Many believed that Stage four Walkers were psychic; however, it was simply their keen sense of smell that allowed them to detect other’s emotions.
    Finally, there were Indigenous Walke rs.  These Walkers were descendants of the most ancient Walkers, purportedly Anasazi.  They too could shift to any animal form for any length of time and possessed the keenest senses of all Walkers; however, unlike the others, it was rumored that Indigenous Walkers possessed the ability to control the elements.
    Walkers were few in numbers, so far as both King and Monroe knew, and all while they’d been stationed together Monroe had only ever talked about building a community for his kind , seeking them out, hunting them down.  Apparently, that day had finally come.

Chapter 2
    Lilly Worthington heard the door to the reception area open, but didn’t lift her head.  She knew it’d be her friend, Jenny Houlton.  The two had become fast friends once Monroe had hired Jenny as the lead veterinarian for the StoneCrow Wildlife and Rehabilitation Facility.  Resting her head on her desk, Lilly attempted to will away the headache that pounded at the front of her head. 
    “ Time for lunch.  Uhhh you okay, Lill?”
    Lilly didn’t lift her head.  “ My neck is killing me.  I’d like to think it’s because my brain is so gargantuan from the vast amount of knowledge I possess, but truth is I just think my hair is too tight.”  It was a lie and one Lilly knew how to cover.  Perfume.  Much to Monroe’s objections and the annoyance of his newly acquired staff, Lilly had noticed some years ago that Mr. StoneCrow had difficulty reading her emotions on days she wore perfume.  Even her good friend, Jenny, seemed stymied when Lilly wore strong scents. 
    Employed by Monroe StoneCrow for years, Lilly had witnessed a great deal that had her a little fearful of the community the CEO was now building.   She prayed she was on the right side, that Monroe and his people—whatever they were—were the good guys, but she wasn’t sure. 
    Just last night, s he’d been approached by a stranger as she’d been attempting to unlock her apartment.  Well, not a stranger stranger.   She knew the man’s name was Richard Jamison.  RJ for short.  She knew of him through her work with the Canis Lupus Coalition.  A non-profit she volunteered for that worked to keep wolves on the protected species list.  RJ was the Coalition’s greatest opponent.  Still, to find him on her doorstep demanding, “What is Monroe StoneCrow up to in those mountains?” Had seriously freaked her out.  Luckily, her nosey old neighbor had poked her head out and when RJ turned to stare, Lilly dodged into her apartment with a quick, “Sorry, don’t know any Monroe StoneCrow.”
    Now, she didn’t know whether to confide in her employer or Jen ny, or wait it out to see if RJ came back.  It just seemed odd, no matter how impassioned he was, that he’d seek her out at home and inquire into her employer.  Her ties to StoneCrow had nothing at all to do with her work with the coalition, so RJ’s inquiry made little sense.     
    Lilly groaned as she lifted her head in time to see Jenny smile, “Why not let it down.” 
    Lilly shot upright and scowled disapprovingly, “I’m at work!” And when at work, she went to pain staking efforts to epitomize professionalism.  Her hair was always pulled back, not a hair out of place, there was never a wrinkle in her skirts or blouses, and you’d never find a smudge to her