Free Saving Autumn by Marissa Farrar

purples. The worst were on her lower back and spreading around to her hips. The sight made him wince. At least, being a shifter, she would heal in less than a day, though she was going to find it difficult to lie down comfortably anytime soon.
    Wanting to offer her some modesty, he grabbed an empty black trash bag that had been stuffed behind the dumpster.
    “Sorry,” he said as he handed it to her. “Not exactly Dolce and Gabbana.”
    She took it from him with a shy, but grateful smile. “Thanks.” Her gaze flicked up and down his naked body, her cheeks turning pink, before she averted her eyes to stare at the ground.
    Blake was grateful for his shifter body heat. If he didn’t burn hotter than a regular human, he’d be freezing right now. He glanced up at the block of apartments directly at his back. A metal fire staircase ran down the back of the brick building. Someone, probably breaking every fire safety rule in the city, had run a washing line from their window and over to the edge of the fire escape.
    “Wait here one minute,” he told the woman.
    Painfully aware of his nudity, he ran up the couple of flights and grabbed the clothes off the line. Thankfully, for the woman, a sweater dress had been hung out to dry. The luck didn’t continue on his side, as the only male clothing appeared to come from an adolescent. He wasn’t in a position to be fussy, and pulled on the t-shirt that was far too small for him and a pair of equally small pants.
    He jumped back down the fire escape and handed her the dress. “A step up on the plastic bag.”
    She laughed. “Yes, it is.” She quickly pulled the item over her head, covering her body. “Thanks again,” she said, and gestured at the clothing. “Not just for this, but for helping me back there.”
    “I had to do something.”
    She tried to get up and winced in pain, her hand clasping her lower back. Blake darted forward and offered his hand, helping her to her feet.
    She squinted at him. “I know you from somewhere, don’t I?”
    “Possibly. You might have seen my face on the news.”
    Something in her eyes lightened. “I remember! You were involved in all that stuff that went on in the government building downtown.”
    He didn’t confirm or deny her observation. “I helped you, now I need you to help me. I’m looking for someone, my cousin Chogan Pallaton.”
    “Chogan? Looks a bit like you? Long dark hair?”
    Blake nodded. “That’s the guy.”
    “Yeah, I know him. He called the shifter meeting last night, but we were attacked. I wasn’t really behind his ideas, but then those people burst in and started shooting. And then when I saw this stupid protest, I was just so mad, I couldn’t stop myself. It was like my spirit guide forced me to shift. I’ve never felt anything like it before.”
    “Did Chogan say he would be in touch? That he would call another meeting?”
    She shook her head. “No. He took our numbers, but didn’t say when or if he’d call another meeting.”
    Blake frowned. “Was there anything else? It’s really important that I find him.”
    She thought for a moment. “Actually, yes, there was. A woman showed up, a human woman. He seemed surprised to see her.”
    A human woman? Instantly, Blake’s thoughts went to Autumn, but it couldn’t have been her. They were together all night. A pang of guilt jarred through him as he remembered how he’d left her in the car in the middle of all that madness. He hoped she was safe. He wanted to send his wolf to investigate, but he needed to concentrate on what the lion-shifter was telling him.
    “What did she look like?” he asked.
    She screwed up her face as she cast her memory back. “A bit like Chogan.” Then she lifted her gaze to his face. “Actually, more like you.”
    Tala !
    How had his sister gotten involved in all of this?

Chapter Seven
     
     
    WHEN IT BECAME clear that Autumn and Blake weren’t going to show up, Mia and Peter made their excuses to leave. The flat