1. Tate

ONE

TATE

I'd forgotten to leave the porch light on before I'd left a few days ago, so now I stood outside, fumbling with my keys after midnight, my suitcase in one hand and keys in the other. Thankfully, my night vision was better than average due to being a shifter. Dragon eyes weren't as good at night as that of a wolf or bear, but it was still better than human sight. Finally finding the right key, I unlocked the door and stepped into my house, hitting the light switch with an elbow. The suitcase rolled over toward the couch as I unbuckled the pistol harness around my shoulders.

My three buddies and I started a security firm fifteen years prior, and the job took me out of town a lot, working as a bodyguard or setting up and demonstrating the security systems Steff had created. It felt good to be home. My body was bone tired after this two-month job guarding a pop star princess. It was a fine gig. I'd gotten to tour the country and see the sights, which was always sort of fun. The problem was that the chick was like a damned nympho and wouldn't keep her hands off me. She'd tried to fuck me five or six times over the course of the tour. She was hot, yeah, but I was a professional. I never, ever, mixed business with pleasure.

I'd made it very clear to her that I was not interested, especially after she'd tried to talk me into a three-way with her and one of her backup dancers. It got so bad that even her manager tried to tell her to find another guy to set her sights on. I'd finished the last show and deuced out before she could pull the whole tour's over, you're not on duty anymore, let's party stuff. Just too messy. Our firm was one of the most respected in the country, and I wouldn't risk our reputation for a wild romp in the hay.

I walked across the living room, unbuttoning my dress shirt, and glanced out the front window. There was a car parked outside the house across the street. I frowned. I'd been so dog tired when I pulled into my driveway that I hadn't registered it until now. I leaned closer to the window and saw a bunch of broken down cardboard boxes stuffed into the trash can at the end of the driveway. Definitely looked like someone had moved into the place.

I sighed. It had been nice not having neighbors the last few years. I wasn't really a people person. It was what made me good at my job. It was easy for me to tell some crazy fan to get their ass the fuck back and not feel bad about it. Now, I'd have to make nice and introduce myself at some point in the coming days.

I was starving, but my exhaustion was winning out. I'd been awake for nearly thirty-six hours. Plus, my fridge was empty. I ate a spoonful of peanut butter, tore the rest of my clothes off, and collapsed into bed.

Sleeping for over twelve straight hours, I awoke to the sound of a box truck door rolling up. My eyes snapped open, and I rubbed my eyes, feeling groggy. The clock by the bed said I'd overslept since I told the guys I'd be at the office by two. If I were going to make it on time, I'd have to hurry, especially since I'd need to pick lunch up on the way. My stomach was about to eat itself. After a quick shower, I threw on clothes and brewed a cup of coffee.

Outside, two guys were carrying boxes and furniture down the metal ramp of the truck––it seemed they were hired movers based on their uniforms. The actual new neighbors were nowhere in sight. My phone rang, pulling my attention away from the house across the street. It was Miles.

"You still coming in?"

Groggy and disoriented from sleep, I nodded before realizing he couldn't see me. "On my way. I overslept."

"Bro, it's two in the afternoon."

"Yeah, well, some of us have to work for a living."

"Very funny. I'll see you in a few minutes."

Hanging up, I jumped in my car and pulled out of the driveway. As I pulled away, I craned my neck to try and see the new neighbors. No-one but the movers. I'd have to wait till later to see if they looked like serial killers or not.

At the office, I was in for a surprise. The guys weren't in our small conference room. They were all packed into Miles's office. Miles saw me and motioned for me to come in. When I stepped inside, he nodded for me to close the door. I raised my eyes. That was unusual. This was obviously not going to be what I thought it was. I'd assumed that Blayne was going to give me a new bodyguard assignment. He typically did security analysis, but he was also the main team member who booked jobs. I was the field guy, doing the jobs that required the most travel. I was also requested more than any other guy we had on contract. But a job assignment would have been a simple open-door meeting. Three minutes and done.

Instead, I found Miles, Blayne, and Steff. No one else. We had some clerical workers, security techs, and secretaries—a staff of maybe a dozen. None of them were shifters. But every man standing in the office was.

"So," I said. "What's with the cloak and dagger?"

Miles sighed and leaned forward. "There's been a development."

Steff chuckled. "You haven't sold the company to some mercenary-for-hire group, right? Black Water or some shit?"

A look of irritation flashed across Miles's face. "Seriously? Can we be professional for one damn minute?"

"Fine, fine. What's the big news?" Steff asked as he took a seat on a filing cabinet.

"We got a call last night from an alpha in a nearby shifter pack. The wolf clan that has a spot about forty miles away."

Blayne leaned against the wall, popping peanuts into his mouth one at a time. "And what did the werewolves have to say?"

"Wolf shifters. You know we hate being called werewolves," Miles corrected.

Blayne rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, get on with it, my man."

"Anyway…" Miles visibly tried to push away his irritation, "…the alpha asked me if I'd noticed any strange disappearances in our area. Among shifters. I told him our pack was only the four of us, so we'd have known if one of us was missing. The guy then tells me that he's had several of his guys up and vanish. No sign, no word, just gone. Said it was like nothing he has seen before. They won't answer their phones, they haven't shown up at their homes, fully ghosted."

I frowned. "Maybe they were some sketchy dudes and took off to start their own pack?"

Miles pointed at me and nodded. "Exactly what I thought. So, I made some calls. I checked in with the other four packs within a day's drive of here. Every one of them has had disappearances. Exactly the same story all around."

Miles and I had known each other since college. We'd both been kicked out of our respective packs. After discovering each other's secrets, we'd formed our own mini-clan. Even though we weren't the same species, it helped prevent us from going feral. Having another shifter around kept us grounded. We'd found Blayne and Steff not long after and had been together ever since. We were a strange group. Blayne was a panther, Steff a bear, and Miles a wolf. I didn't know of any other cross-species clans, but it worked for us. And while none of us was officially the Alpha, Miles was the face of the business. Other than that, we all owned an equal twenty-five percent. Over the last fifteen years, we've gotten to know each other very well. I knew Miles even better than the other two. When he spoke about the shifters going missing, he did a good job of keeping a placid look on his face. I could read his eyes, though. He was fucking scared. Miles was almost never scared. It put me on edge.

I uncrossed my arms and leaned on his desk. The next word that came out of my mouth sent a shockwave through the room.

"Hunters?"

Steff's and Blayne's eyes widened. Miles pulled in his bottom lip and chewed at it. There were very few things in the world that could make a room full of shifters nervous. Hunters were one of those things.

Miles finally nodded. "We haven't heard any news of hunters in the area, but with these stories, we need to be on guard."

Steff shook his head. "But… hunters usually stay near bigger cities, right? More bang for your buck. That's part of why we kept the office here instead of Boulder or Denver or something. We wanted to stay out of sight and out of mind. Have you ever heard of hunters coming out into rural areas like this?"

Miles shrugged. "There's been stories. Mostly rumors. Though I've never heard of them operating anywhere near here. It may be nothing, but we need to keep an open mind and an open eye. This town is small, it should be easy to notice anyone who doesn't belong. That being said…" Miles glanced back at me. "Tate is the strongest of us. Being a dragon shifter means he is the best chance we have against whatever may be targeting shifters. I've suspended all his upcoming jobs for the time being. All other contract work will go to one of the other guys on payroll."

That didn't please me. I only spent two or three months a year in Lilly Valley, and that was spread out over a whole year. Usually, I was only ever around for a week or two between jobs. It made me anxious to think about sticking in one place for longer than that. I hadn't done that since my family kicked me out of the clan all those years ago. But Miles was right. Shifters were all stronger, faster, and more powerful than humans, but dragons were above even other shifters in that respect. I nodded my acceptance.

Miles looked relieved that I hadn't made a fuss about the decision. "All right. Watch your backs. If you guys see anything, hear anything, or identify a threat, let the rest of us know ASAP. Fair?"

We nodded. It was a good plan. My dragon grumbled deep inside my head. It didn't like the idea of an enemy––especially one that seemed to be dangerous. Dealing with drunk fans or horny stalkers was easy. They were no real threat. This was different.

We filed out of the office to strange glances from the staff, who were obviously wondering what had been so hush-hush. None of them knew we were shifters. Very, very rarely did any human ever find out about the race of beings that shared the earth with them. Honestly, it would have probably been a bigger story than if aliens were discovered. That was a threat, or unknown, that was way out there . We were right here. We lived next door, bagged your groceries, did your taxes, and kept handsy concert goers from groping your tits. If the news ever got out that we were here? That we'd been living amongst humans for centuries? It would be absolute anarchy.

Hunters were the humans who knew about us. They were a small, but well-trained, well-funded group, and very good at their jobs. In the distant past, their numbers had been larger, but they'd dwindled over the last two or three centuries. Most were drawn to the hunt due to a need for vengeance. They were people who usually wouldn't have followed that calling, and they burned out quickly once the reality set in that they would need to kill a living, sentient, creature. The most irritating thing about them was that they'd come about because of my own kind.

Shifters could go feral when they weren't able to band together with a pack. Once feral, we become… well, we become the monsters of movies. Bloodthirsty and violent. Legends came about for a reason, and now the rest of us had to deal with the consequences of a few feral shifters hundreds of thousands of years ago killing and eating some humans.

Looking around at our staff, I had to force myself not to wonder if one of them was an informant for the hunters. The idea was ridiculous, but paranoia could do strange things to a man.

"Tate, you wanna grab dinner tonight? Burgers?" Stef called out to me.

I waved at him as I left. "Sounds good. Text me. I'll meet you."

Outside, the warm air hit me, and I took a second to glance around. I was always in such a hurry to get out of this place for the next job I rarely ever got the chance to enjoy the views. The mountains in the distance, the bright blue sky? I shrugged and told myself there were much worse places to spend some time.

I drove home and saw that the moving van was gone. The number of broken down cardboard boxes outside seemed to have multiplied exponentially. I didn't see any cars, so I figured the neighbors were exploring the new town.

I'd never been what anyone would call friendly . That was especially true of my neighbors. I was usually out of town, so most of them didn't even know my name. Things being the way they were, I wasn't concerned with being buddies with these new people.

Before I unlocked my door, a thought formed in my mind. Turning, I looked back over my shoulder at the house. Brand new neighbors after three years? At the exact same time shifters were disappearing? I wasn't so jaded or paranoid that I no longer believed in coincidences, but I decided to check this out. Better safe than sorry.

My phone was out of my pocket before the door was even closed behind me. Miles answered.

"What's up?"

I spoke while looking at the house through my blinds. "Miles, I've got some new neighbors moving in across the street. You know that vacant house?"

"Yeah. Who are they?"

"Haven't laid eyes on them yet. I just thought… well. Kinda weird timing, right?"

"Someone new moves in next door to a shifter while shifters are going missing?"

"Literally exactly what I thought."

"Okay, I can try to dig up some info. May take a few days."

"Thanks, man. It's probably nothing, but it would be good to know."