Free Shifter Legends by Kaylee Song Page A

control, driving the bike. Which left Luke hanging onto her a little too tight. She didn’t know them well, not yet. But she did know that Luke was a good man to have on your side. An even better man to be entangled with. By the little bit of irritation she could see on Lauren’s face she knew his obvious crush was not reciprocated.
    The things she could tell from just a look.
    Grant turned left down a street that started with a P, she didn’t catch the name, but after a few more turns she knew exactly where they were. In the heart of nowhere good. Homes looked like they needed a new paint job, ten years ago. Some of the windows were covered in plastic from the outside. Because they had holes, or even cracks. This was not the kind of place you wanted to be caught in after dark. Not if you couldn’t fight. Not if you were innocent.
    She knew these kinds of places by heart. They were her home. They were where she used to rest her head, in the broken foster homes that so many kids went in and out of. Like the one she spotted as they parked, kids just sitting out on the porch, five or ten of them, just staring out at nothing. Hoping someone will come and get them.
     Her eyes connected with one little girl, who was sitting on the porch stoop, her rag doll wrapped tightly in her arms. The most haunting thing about this girl was the look in her eyes. She knew that look. Briana lost that soul searching gaze before she even became a teenager. What was the point? She knew no one was going to get her. No one was ever going to get her.
    “Hey, you there?” Grant tapped her on the shoulder as he looked her over. “Where did you go?” He asked as her focus came back.
    “Oh, uh sorry. Just was having a flashback. Where are we going?”
    “Rumor has it, the shifter scum is holed up in this house.” He pointed to a small ramshackle hovel. “Hear he is really selling hard out of it.”
    “What is the plan?” Luke asked, next to the two of them. His broad shoulders were puffed out a little, a very scary look on his face. Despite what the other recruits said, he was much less of a “teddy bear” than they thought. She knew those muscles could pack some serious punch.
    “Well, I’m going to knock on his door, and ask him nicely.” He smiled, his tone completely sarcastic. “You and Lauren get the back. I really am going to knock on the front door. But it ain’t gonna be so nice.”
    “Sure, boss. Why not?” Luke got that face that a man gets when he is about to do something dangerous. He grabbed Lauren by the arm and led her away, towards the back of the small house.
    “What am I going to do?”
    “You? You are going to watch. Figure out if you are sure that this is the life you want to be in, Briana. It ain’t too late to turn back now, but if you don’t decide for sure, it will be.” His eyes glowed, that little bit of cougar in him coming out.
    Briana followed him as he stalked up to the door, and paused, just for a moment. She could see the way he was flexing his muscles and then relaxing them. He was getting ready for a fight.  He banged on the rotten door, and she could have sworn it was going to fall over and land on the other side.
    “Are you sure about this? What if he calls the cops? Or has a gun, or something.”
    “Stay calm, Briana. The cops don’t care, they already know. Who do you think works there? Shifters. Nothing but a bunch of my Shifters. As for guns, they don’t hurt us. Not permanently anyways.” She could tell he was fighting the urge to roll his eyes. It wasn’t like she knew these things. She was, after all, not a shifter from birth. At least not that she knew of.
    “Shh, I hear him coming.” Grant hushed her as he waited next to the door. It creaked open, slowly, but as soon as whoever was behind it saw him, it started to close shut.
    “I would not do that, if I were you, Fritzy. Yeah, I saw you. I got the place surrounded. Do you really want to have to fight a bunch of my goons