Free Forever Home (Sawtooth Shifters, #1) by Kristen Strassel Page A

meet Shadow, Baron, Dallas, Major, and Xavier.” I didn’t bother with the family names. Let them draw their own lines in the sand. Like I said, no pissing contests on my watch.
    Shadow stepped forward. Even thinned out from captivity, he was six feet of gorgeous, rippling muscle with long black and silver-streaked hair. He flashed that killer smile that made me forget every single one of my hang-ups last night.
    What had I done? Last night, we’d had mind-blowing sex. This morning, we’d barely talked. Now it was time for the freakout. I definitely didn’t regret it (or did I?), but what if he did? He’d been stuck in his wolf form for months, starved, beaten, and close to death. Of course he wanted a woman. And I’d just handed myself over like a White Elephant gift. Now he could have his life back, and he might not want me in it. I hated overthinking things.
    Shadow extended a hand, but Kiera ignored it, scrubbing her hand over her face, and turned to Lyssie. Kiera was not a morning person. “Did we drink last night? Or smoke?”
    Lyssie shook her head but didn’t take her eyes off the guys. “Did the cream in the coffee go bad?”
    “What the fuck, Trina?” Kiera got to the point. “What the hell happened? If you can’t talk in front of them, use some sort of code.”
    “Yeah, that will work now that you told them.” I rolled my eyes, laughing. If the employees of Forever Home were good at anything, it was being awkward. “Why don’t I let one of the guys explain?”
    “I will,” Shadow offered. Major glowered in the background. “We’re shapeshifters. Ryker, the guy who captured us in the dog fighting ring, is also a shapeshifter. We’re strongest at the full moon, which is why we were able to shift last night. On the new moon, we’re weak. The fight you rescued us from was the night of the new moon.”
    Thank God Lyssie was leaning against my truck. All the color drained from her face, and I was pretty sure I was going to have to bust out my rusty CPR moves to revive her.
    “So what does that mean for us?” Kiera’s words came slowly. “Why are you still here?”
    “They’re going to help us,” I jumped in before Shadow continued. I spoke the same language as these girls. Suspicion. Cynicism. Heartache. “We could use the manpower to repair the front of the building, and Shadow said he’d help us raise money for the rest of the animals.”
    “Of course he did,” Major muttered. I ignored him, but the girls jerked at the sound of his voice. If looks could kill, I would’ve given him a swift virtual kick to the junk. He couldn’t have chosen his words more carelessly.
    “Thank you.” Baron stepped toward Kiera. I wondered if she noticed his blush. Oh yes, she did, and matched it with one of her own. Even I had butterflies. Kiera was a lot like me: quiet around people she didn’t know, thick in all the right places (and some of the wrong ones, depending on who you asked, but fuck those people), and no time for bullshit. “If it wasn’t for all of you, we’d still be starving, filthy, and sick. You saved our lives. We want to pay you back.”
    “We need to get back to the forest.” Major stepped forward, popping the dreamy little bubble that had formed around Kiera and Baron. They both jumped like he’d hit them with a lightning bolt. “Our packs are suffering. That’s where we should be focusing. Not sucking up to humans.”
    Major didn’t wait for anyone to answer before he walked away from us.
    Shadow grabbed my arm, pulling me in close to his body. The butterflies were back. “He’s such an idiot. He has no idea what he’s talking about.” He sighed before calling to Major, “It’s a long walk.”
    “We could ask to borrow a car,” Dallas suggested, wiggling his eyebrows at me.
    Shadow looked back at me. “Could we use the truck?”
    “Sure.” The girls both gasped. They had every right to be alarmed. I never acted like this. Trust wasn’t my thing. I was