Page 174 of Secret Shifters Next Door

April didn’t shift, but I could feel the other presence inside her being born. My bear could also sense it. I laughed, my joy bubbling over. She looked at me, confused by my laughter, then a look of shock swept across her features, and she pressed a hand to the spot right above her heart.

“It’s there, Steff. I’m not alone anymore. I feel it inside me. Oh, shit, it’s crazy.”

“Is it a good kind of crazy?”

She thought for a second before laughing and nodding her head. “It is. It really is.” The tears came then. “I never knew it could be like this.”

I nuzzled at her neck where my bite had already healed. The happiness that filled me was almost too much to express. My heart and mind were ready to implode, and the connection between us was already being sealed. In a matter of seconds, she had become mine—fully and completelymine.

“Do you want to try to shift? We could go into the woods?” I asked.

April shook her head and put a hand on my chest. “No, not right now. I’m… we’re exhausted. One, because you fucked mybrains out. Two, because that was a pretty intense magic trick my bear and I just did.”

“I love you so much.”

April ran her fingers through my hair. “I love you too, Steff.”

I kissed her long and deep before we both collapsed into a two-hour nap. When we woke, it was still the middle of the day. I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk, to get some fresh air. April jumped at the chance.

“Yes! That sounds amazing.” She frowned. “Which is weird. I’m usually not a bigoutdoorsyperson.”

I laughed as I pulled on my clothes. “You’ll need to get used to that. As shifters, our animals all love it outside. It’s almost like a drug for them. Before long, you’ll be hiking and jogging in the forest.”

On the way to the park, I explained to April that she’d have to be careful for the first couple of weeks. The bear would be strong and try to push through.

“Imagine being a parent with a new toddler. That’s kind of what it’s like. Once the bear matures, it gets easier.”

April grinned and waved me off. “I’ve dealt with worse. I’m sure I can figure it out.”

Twenty minutes later, we were walking on a bike path in the park, hand in hand. We were talking about random things, nothing important, only enjoying each other’s company. There was a little rush of heat in my face when I saw who was walking toward us. An old friend-with-benefits who I’d had to cut loose because she had wanted more than I was willing to give. Her name was Brianna, and things hadn’t ended well. It had been over a year since I’d broken things off with her, and she still sent me nudes almost every other week. At least she had until I blocked her number back in January.

There was nowhere to go other than turning around. I didn’t want to make a big deal about it, so I tried to ignore her as shepassed us. Brianna was with a friend, and I hoped she wouldn’t notice us. That hope went out the window when we were about fifteen feet away.

Brianna glanced up and saw me, and I immediately felt the hungry heat in her gaze. Some people couldn’t take a hint. I nodded to her awkwardly and squeezed April’s hand harder. Brianna looked me up and down like I was a slab of steak ready for the grill. She then turned a vicious look onto April and sneered at her.

April saw the way she looked at me, as well as the way Brianna smirked at her. Before I even realized what happened, April took a threatening step toward Brianna. She bared her teeth at her. She, honest to God, bared her human teeth at Brianna. She also released a growl from deep within her chest. It scaredme.It absolutely terrified Brianna. Without another look at us, she and her friend damn near ran away from us.

I stopped and laughed, throwing my head back to the sky. I looked at April and saw how embarrassed she was. “What was it you said about figuring it out? Now you know how my bear and I feel when guys check you out.”

April crossed her arms over her chest as her cheeks went red. “It’s not that funny,” she grumbled.

I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and we continued our walk. It was embarrassing, and there would be a learning curve for her. Still, I couldn’t help but enjoy this thing we shared now. This was a bond and a shared experience that no one else in the world, other than Tate and Harley, shared.

A couple of days later, Kellan was released from the hospital. His house had been half destroyed with bullets, and blood still soaked the carpets. Plus, there was the mental aspect of going back to a place that had been so stained by horror. It had been no surprise when Kellan told us all that he wasn’t comfortable going back there, much less taking Aiden. April and her parentshad worked with Kris on finding another house in town that was for rent. April, being who she was, went ahead and paid a year’s worth of rent. It would really help Kellan to get his feet back under him.

We all went over for a little house-warming party. Tate, Blayne, Miles, and I had spent an entire day moving all Kellan’s stuff in the new house, and we were certain he and Aiden would love it. It had a bigger yard, plus Aiden would have his own bathroom.

Kellan crossed the threshold into his new house, holding Aiden’s hand and grinning a massive, toothy smile. “You guys? This place is awesome.”

Aiden nodded, but still seemed more subdued than he used to be. I was sure he’d eventually come around. I couldn’t blame the kid. He’d been through hell the past few weeks. My God, I probably wouldn’t have handled it as well as he had at his age. The whole time we were there, he stuck to Kellan’s side like glue, unable or unwilling to let his father out of his sight.

We sat outside, watching Kris and Tate stand over the grill and argue over the best ways to cook barbecued ribs. April’s parents were sitting with Kellan and Aiden, listening to Blayne try to explain how computer programming worked. I could tell April’s dad had no clue what Blayne was trying to say, but the others were listening in rapt silence. I chuckled to myself as I watched them.

“What’s so funny?” April asked.

“Oh, nothing. Just watching your dad trying to figure out what the hell Blayne’s talking about.”

She laughed when she looked over and saw her dad’s confused expression. “Yeah, he was an English major. Not a very technical guy. More of a people person. There’s a reason he owned a bar and wasn’t a math teacher.”

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