Page 40 of Fated to the Lone Shifter
My stomach turns as I tug on the black jeans and hoodie hidden in the bottom of my bag. I’m not just sneaking out of the firehouse—I’m breaking the thin thread of trust I’ve managed to build with Noah. And somehow, that bothers me more than anything else.
I double-check the recorder, the stone, and the ashes sealed in a sample jar. All there. All ready for Ember. Still, something in my chest clenches.
Slipping out of my dorm is easy. Quiet. My boots barely make a sound as I step through the rocks and disappear into the tree line. I don’t look back as I follow it along to the road.
A black SUV idles a hundred feet down, headlights off.
I approach the passenger side and pause. The tinted window rolls down.
“Ember?” I ask.
A voice that could be either man or woman replies smoothly, “Sera.”
The door unlocks with a soft click. I slide in.
Inside, it’s dim. Ember sits still and silent, masked in a dark wig and pale latex skin, eyes hidden behind mirrored glasses that reflect nothing back. The air feels tight around them, like pressure in a sealed jar. I tense—seeing them like this is like staring into a void where something dangerous might blink back. Completely unrecognizable. My pulse quickens. I’ve heard this voice a hundred times on encrypted calls, but sitting next to them now? It’s different. Chilling.
“The evidence?” Ember asks, gloved hand out.
Wordlessly, I pass the recorder, the sample of ash, and the stone into their palm. A shiver runs up my spine. The air in the car is cold, sterile. The seat…hard. I shift to get more comfortable.
They weigh the items like a jeweler inspecting rare gems. When they are done, they place the items in a special evidence bag and fasten the seat belt.
Ember pulls out. “Where were you three nights ago when I called?” the voice sharpens.
I clear my throat. “On rotation. The probie—Nicole—she was killed. Mauled, like by an animal.”
Ember’s head tilts, considering. “That’s convenient.”
I clench my jaw. “I didn’t say it was clean. Or easy.”
They lean in slightly. “Get to the bottom of this, Sera. Fast. Suspects?”
My mind races. “Uncle Bode. That film crew. Maybe Marcus.”
“And Noah?” she questions.
I freeze. Say something. Anything.
My silence answers for me.
Ember exhales slowly. “Keep him close. He’s still the best fit for the profile. He was there, wasn’t he? When the girl was mauled.”
I don’t respond. I can’t.
All I know is that Noah fed that night, then he came back. Then there were screams, and there he was. He and Marcus were the first on the scene.
And I sure as hell don’t tell them about the scent I caught on Marcus when he got back to the firehouse.
Not yet.
Ember drives in silence, the engine humming like a warning beneath my feet.
“What can you tell me about Captain Greene?” I ask. “I noticed his name wasn’t on the list.”
He’s legit. He called it in when Leighton disappeared.
I cough against my will, caught off guard.
