Raptor's Peak: Switch of Fate 4 Read online

  Could they both be bound to Belief Coven?

  Aven suspected he might be. He liked his cabin, and the rocky clearing where he’d taken Dakota to stargaze, but this was the most special place in Nantahala, to Aven. When he’d found out it was also the site of Belief Coven’s home, it had blown his mind.

  He stepped closer to Dakota. She startled, as if surprised to see him there.

  But how would that work? Him and Dakota, bound to the same coven? They wouldn’t be able to be together. There couldn’t be a coven with three switches needing a Prowl, and two shifters who would only fight or run it out of them.

  They’d need a whole hell of a lot more shifters to play stud, because Aven wouldn’t. Not if he was Dakota’s man. But he wasn’t, yet, so he could just quit borrowing trouble.

  “Legend has it,” he told Dakota, standing next to her, staring at the meadow of flowers, pulling out his ‘legend has it’ voice, the one he used on the teenagers to scare them out of jumping off of cliffs into the Nantahala River. “Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, the rain god fell in love with a female warrior whose tribe lived up here in the hills. He favored her so much that he visited whenever he could, sometimes every day. Thanks to him, the forest flourished and the river ran deep.”

  Aven started walking through the field, sensing Dakota following him. Their destination was a clearing by the rock face. She caught up, then she passed him, hanging on his words. He spoke as he walked, unable to not look at her fine ass. “But the warrior didn’t love the rain god. She hated his booming thunder and sharp lightning, the way he sent everyone scurrying for cover. The warrior had fallen in love with the rainbow god. He was quiet and kind, and always came after the rain god left, to call the people from their huts and tell them they were safe.”

  “When the rain god learned of this, he was furious. He stopped visiting the warrior’s tribe, stopped watering their crops and the forest beyond. He thought he could keep the warrior from her rainbow god, make her tribe angry at her for their spoiled crops. But the rain god didn’t know that the warrior had outsmarted him.”

  Dakota turned around to walk backwards. “Duhn-duhn-dunnnnh,” she said.

  Aven laughed. “I’m setting a mood and you’re killing it.”

  Dakota swiped the air. “Playing with my food, that’s all.” She turned back around, walking through flowers, touching stalks lightly with fingertips as she passed.

  Aven’s dick turned over. Tried to stick its head up. He willed it down.

  Aven cleared his throat. “The rainbow god taught his warrior love the secret of how to find him, in the mist of waterfalls and bubbling springs, so that the rain god couldn’t keep them apart. He came to her through the mist, took human form so they could be together. They used to meet right up there,” he pointed to the top of the half-dome of rock, “where a fountain pushed up through the rocks, watering the crops when the rain god failed them.”

  They were deep in the field now, flowers as tall as them blocking their view on every side. “One day the warrior and the rainbow god were there at the fountain, making love, when the rain god saw them. He rushed in with his clouds, covering the sun so quickly that the rainbow god was stranded in his human form. The rain god thundered and thundered, and drove the rainbow god deep underground.”

  This was his favorite part of the story. “The warrior was furious. She started digging into the mountain, determined to free her love. The rain god laughed at her for trying, but the warrior didn’t stop digging. The rain god offered to split the mountain and free the rainbow god if she would agree to marry him instead, but she spat in his face and kept on digging.”

  Aven could not imagine what it would be like to be loved in that way. It was something he’d never experienced.

  “She dug for hours, for days. Others from her village told her to give up, but she wouldn’t stop. The rain god sent a mighty storm to try to drown her, but she churned the mud with her arms and legs and kept on digging. She dug until she was exhausted, until her fingers were bloody and her legs refused to move. Then she lay down in the hole with her very last breath, so she could die as near to her love as she could get.”

  Dakota shook her head. “Is there a happy ending in there somewhere?”

  “I don’t make them up,” Aven said. “I just tell them.” She laughed a little at that, the sound loud in the quiet of the flowers. Aven went on. “When the sun goddess saw the warrior’s spirit leaving her body, saw what the rain god had done, she was furious. She demanded the rain god release the rainbow god’s spirit from the mountain. So the rain god struck lightning into the hole, shearing the mountain in two and releasing the rainbow god’s spirit to ascend with the warrior’s.”

  He gestured to the kaleidoscope of color on the sheer rock face. They were almost to it. “His body stayed trapped. That’s where those colors come from. And as the mountain crumbled to rocks, so that the village wouldn’t be destroyed, the sun goddess turned every stone into a sunflower seed. And that’s where the meadow came from. But nothing ever grew again on Lightning Rock.”

  They arrived at the base of the rock. The apex of the hill that had been cut in half loomed high above them. The face of it was so smooth, worn down by centuries of rain and wind, that nobody could climb up it; the stony ground at the top so impenetrable that humans never rappelled down it.

  A semicircular clearing of grass extended from the base of the rock, all the way to the edge of the sunflower field. When they reached it, Aven pulled a blanket from the picnic basket and flapped it out to its full size. Dakota grabbed the opposite corners as they snapped through the air and helped him lay the blanket flat on the ground.

  She sat facing north, sunflowers on one side and stone on the other, looking more at ease than Aven had ever seen her. Even counting their time with Auntie yesterday, when Dakota had been so gentle.

  This was different. He could see it in the set of her body, in the way she kept touching the blades of grass and looking into the sky and examining the rock face, a look of pure satisfaction on her face.

  She belonged here. Aven drank it in, and didn’t speak. He didn’t want to spoil the moment for her, but it was clear to him that she would be bound to Belief coven, just like he would, just as soon as a Belief switch showed up and a coven grew on this spot. He hadn’t seen Resperanza grow with his own eyes, but he’d heard about it from Jameson.

  It was going to happen soon, he could feel it.

  * * *

  Dakota sat on the perfect picnic blanket in the perfect meadow with the perfect male in the perfect moment and contemplated her future.

  The Cause was something to die for. It wasn’t about shifting anymore, it was about this. This place, this forest, this meadow, this Cause. Fighting for what was right, for what was natural and good, in a different way than she had when she’d been a cop, but no less important. She would do what she could for The Cause, regardless of whether she ever shifted or not.

  Dakota shivered like the sunflowers in the breeze, despite the sun, hot and high above them, hearing a whisper on the wind. Bound to Belief Coven. Could it be?

  Maybe.

  Chapter 19 - Cool As A Cat

  The next morning, Aven woke on the couch from a dream of him and Dakota, still in the field of sunflowers. In the dream, she was smiling up at the mountain, then she’d turned that smile on Aven. Lying there on the rough cushions, he still felt the joy of it.

  She’d been quiet last night, barely talking all through dinner, deep inside herself. Aven had let her be. Something had changed for Dakota up at Lightning Rock.

  Aven stumbled to the bathroom to clean up. When he came out he could hear Dakota moving around in the bedroom. He called a greeting through the door. “Mornin’. You want bacon?”

  Her sleep-tousled voice came back. “The answer to that question is always ‘yes’.” And a second later, more urgently, “Make mine crispy!”

  Aven laughed. “Is there any other way?” He turned to the fr
idge. Maybe he’d make some blueberry muffins, too. Or pancakes. He had some mix around here somewhere.

  By the time Dakota emerged from the bathroom wearing her jeans, blouse, and towel turban, Aven had cooked the whole package of bacon and a foot-tall stack of pancakes. Dakota munched on a piece of bacon as she smeared butter and poured syrup on a pile of three cakes and sat down. “What’s on for today?”

  Aven stuffed a bite in his mouth so he wouldn’t blurt the answer that wanted to jump from his mouth: Stay in bed and trade sexual favors for trips to the kitchen? Aven’s dick gave a twitch of approval. Aven scolded it as he shifted on his chair. You’re no help.

  His phone chirped, signaling an incoming text. Aven grabbed for it. “J wants us to come in for a report.”

  Dakota’s face lit up and Aven felt a wave of hope push at him from her seat across the table.

  “Great! I’ll get my firearm and my shoes and we’ll go.” She left half of her pancakes uneaten to dart to the bedroom, appearing seconds later with her shoes and ankle holster.

  Ten minutes later they were on the road to the BBOC, the place Cause business was most often handled, other than Resperanza, the coven house.

  They parked at the far end of the BBOC, taking the back door into the Sparring space. It was mostly empty, only a few males working out or socializing. Flint was coaching a shifter Aven had never met before on how to hit the heavy bag in the corner.

  Dakota headed straight for the closed door of Jameson’s office, knocking before Aven had even caught up to her. A stern voice inside told them to come in. Jameson sat behind the desk, watching them more closely than Aven liked.

  Jameson addressed Dakota. “You still want to sign up?”

  Dakota stood in front of Jameson’s desk at parade rest. “Yes, sir, I’m ready. Aven briefed me on the shifters’ duties to The Cause, we’ve scouted the locations of the future covens, and I passed the firearms test.”

  Aven confirmed Dakota’s report. “She beat me.”

  “Not that it matters, if we can’t shoot vampires,” Dakota said.

  Jameson acknowledged with a dark nod. “Rumor is it doesn’t do much.”

  Dakota stayed silent, her vibe nervously neutral as Jameson examined her. The Keeper looked like he couldn’t decide whether to ask her anything else. After a moment’s consideration he locked eyes with Aven, but he spoke to Dakota. “Would you give us a minute, Dakota? I need to speak to Aven alone.”

  She cleared out without a word. Aven felt her excitement and anxiety as she passed. When the door clicked shut he turned to face the Keeper, who waved him into a chair. Aven gladly took it. “Any news on Carick and the kids?” he asked.

  Jameson grinned at him referring to Darby and Bryce as kids. “They finally found the power doctor. Should have heard Bryce. He’d never seen a bison shifter before.”

  Aven laughed. That cub was in for a lot of new experiences. And not all good ones. “No vampire run-ins yet?”

  Jameson shook his head. “And no bloodwound cure ready to go, either. Power doctor says it takes years to make.”

  Aven sat up straight at that. “Years? What are we going to do?” The vampires had anti-shifter weapons now, bloodblades that caused all but the slightest wounds to be fatal, chains that stole a shifter’s strength. The power doctor was the only one they knew with a cure.

  Jameson waved a hand at him. “He’s got a batch almost finished, a few more weeks, maybe. Flint told me the power doctor was scraping the bottom of a big bottle when he healed Flint’s neck wound, so he must’ve gotten it started not long after. We’re lucky the war didn’t happen sooner.”

  Aven sat back in his chair, still rocked by what Jameson had said. “Years, though? What if he runs out again?”

  A dark cloud passed over Jameson’s face. “From what Carick said, I got the impression the power doctor knew this was coming before we did.”

  Aven froze, all his senses on alert. “What did Carick say?”

  Jameson picked up a pen and tapped it on the desk, as if weighing a decision. Aven felt for his friend’s intentions and came up against Jameson’s protective instincts. Jameson didn’t want to tell anyone. It must be bad. Or maybe it was just because, whatever it was, Carick had said it.

  Aven sat forward and pinned Jameson with a look. “What the hell, J? I told you he’s not on the up-and-up. Not one hundred percent. So what’d he say?” Aven would be damned if he’d take anything Carick the colossal conundrum said at face value.

  Jameson wasn’t having it, though. His vibe went sharp and he pinned Aven right back. “Why are you worried about my job when you’re not even doing yours?” Jameson raised his eyebrows. “Carick called me because he got a frantic text from Mr. Bunn.”

  Aven’s stomach dropped. Mr. Bunn was a human, and the indignant leader of the Triumph Over Victory group, a collection of all the other political parties except the vampire-led Victory Party. He was also, apparently, Carick’s very special friend. Had been ever since a gang of bloodsuckers had shown up on Bunn’s porch and The Cause had chased them off. That was also when they learned that Bunn was immune to the vampires’ charms, unlike most humans who were pitifully susceptible.

  But Aven had messed up. Again. Keeping a constant roster of shifters watching Vernon Bunn’s house was one of the balls he was supposed to keep in the air, and he’d dropped it because he’d been focused on Dakota.

  He looked at Jameson, still staring stonily back. “I’ll get it fixed tonight. Right now.” Aven whipped out his phone and sent a group message to Ryder, Dario, and Shiloh, seeing who was free. Hell, he’d call Hernando if necessary; that old condor had more fight in him than he owned up to.

  Aven shoved his phone back in his pocket when he was done, sat back in the chair. Jameson’s vibe was thoughtful, deliberate. What was up with him today? Was it the court case? “How’d the hearing go?”

  Jameson shrugged. “What did you get off Auntie?”

  The question took a sideline in Aven’s mind to memories of Dakota with the ancient switch, how gentle and loving she’d been, and how she’d looked yesterday at the sunflower field. Aven felt like he was finally seeing deeper, seeing the real her, and-

  “Aven?” Jameson interrupted Aven’s thoughts. He’d drifted again.

  Aven regrouped. “She’s a jumble, J. All the feelings she could have, all at once, like she’s realizing everything for the first time all the time. Like a goldfish or something. I’ve never vibed off anyone that old, though. Maybe that’s just what dementia feels like.”

  Jameson nodded his head, not saying anything for a long moment. “Tell me about Dakota.”

  Aven sat back. He had to play this cool, but not too cool. Tell the truth about how incredible Dakota was, but not get his feelings in it. “She’s a cop, so, you know, she’s strong. Sharp observational skills, decisive, action-oriented. I think she’d be a killer on par with Shiloh, if we needed her to be.”

  The Keeper continued to nod slowly. “Dario says he knows a guy who knows a guy, he’s seeing if he can get a look at her jacket from the highway patrol. But if you’re impressed I’m inclined to give her a shot if her jaguar is as tough as her human.”

  Aven shifted in his seat. “I haven’t seen her shift yet.”

  Jameson didn’t outwardly react, but he didn’t have to. Aven could feel the disbelief. “Why not?”

  Aven wasn’t sure what to say. Definitely not because they were both nervous it would somehow make them fall into bed.

  Jameson’s gaze pinned him to the chair. “She’s distracting you, Aven.”

  Chapter 20 - Catnapped

  Aven scowled at Jameson. “What are you talking about?”

  Jameson’s eyebrows rose in disbelief. “Bunn’s protection lapsed? No flyovers? No shifting? And Hernando said he could practically see hearts over your heads at the diner the other day.”

  Aven slumped in his chair. He’d forgotten about Hernando’s weaker-but-still-there condor senses. “It’s not Dakota�
�s fault, J.”

  The Keeper leaned forward, crossing his forearms on the desk, prepared to listen. “Is it Maze? You said you were leaving that at Sparring.”

  Aven had barely thought of Maze the last three days, but Jameson was touching too close on the confusion he’d been feeling lately, scenting stuff that wasn’t there, making bad calls. Aven pushed to his feet, too restless to sit. “I’ll straighten it out. We done?”

  Jameson heaved a breath and waved Aven out of his office. Aven stalked out the door and looked around the back room for Dakota. Flint caught his eye and pointed at the door that led to the front of the store. “Coffee,” the big bear grunted.

  Aven headed that way, ripping the heavy door open to stalk down the short hallway that led to the Black Bear Outfitting Company’s gift shop and wilderness supplier. Before the door had even closed behind him, Dakota appeared at the end of the hallway with a Styrofoam cup of coffee in each hand.

  “Good meeting?” she said.

  One look, and Aven saw himself with Dakota from the outside. Even he had to admit that she distracted him from that vantage point. He was falling for her. He wanted her to fall for him back, but The Cause was between them.

  Aven took his coffee and sipped it. “I got my ass chewed out for dereliction of duty.”

  Dakota shook her head. “But we’ve been together the whole time! You’ve taken me everywhere!”

  Aven let the heat between them flare openly for the first time. “That’s the problem. He says you’re distracting me. I think he’s right. I can’t help but think there’s a solution.”

  Aven crowded Dakota against the hallway wall, taking her coffee and setting both cups on a small table stacked with local business cards.

  Her hands, now free, fluttered toward his chest, then dropped to press flat against the wall at her side. “I should find another place to stay.”