Awakening The Shifter. Jane Godman

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       Chapter 6

      Sarange had given orders to her housekeeper, Henry, about rooms and food, and requested that Marco liaise with the manager of the gated community about the tour bus. People always assumed that she was a loner, but that wasn’t her choice. Sarange liked having others around her. Being alone was just the way her life had worked out.

      Having Beast around? That was going to take some getting used to. It was like her cool, luxurious home had been turned into a snow globe. Shaken up, it was now a blur of noise and color. In addition to Khan, there were now five other big, muscular men taking up every corner of her space. They had been there half a day and she was already tripping over guitars, boots, jackets, empty take-out boxes and beer bottles. They didn’t seek each other out to have a conversation. They yelled from one end of the house to the other. And they spoke in a strange shorthand only they understood. One minute they were snickering at jokes no one else was part of. The next, they were exploding with rage over an imagined slight.

      “We are an acquired taste.” Torque, the lead guitarist, smiled at her with sympathy in his unusual eyes. Just when she thought they were dull and gray, they appeared to change color, reminding her of opals as they shimmered with iridescent light.

      “After what’s happened over the last few days, I’m happy to acquire it.”

      It was true. She’d take noise and mess if they brought her safety...and Khan. Although she still wasn’t sure what benefits Beast brought over a team of security guards. Khan had admitted that Ged was a shifter. Did that mean...? She cast a sidelong glance in Torque’s direction. If he was a shifter, she couldn’t figure him out. What was his alter ego? Something with quicksilver movements and lightning reflexes.

      “Dragon.”

      “Pardon?”

      “That’s what you were wondering, isn’t it? I’m a weredragon.” Torque grinned at her dumbfounded expression. “But don’t worry, I promise not to burn your house down.”

      She was still wondering if he was joking when Khan called the band together in the sitting room, outlining why they were there. He turned to Finglas. “Have you heard anything about these guys?”

      Finglas gave a long-suffering sigh. “You say that as though I hang out in werewolf bars, or I have wolf informants.” Khan frowned and Finglas held up a hand in a gesture of peace. “No, I don’t know anything about these guys. But werewolves who are prepared to draw attention to themselves by going on the attack? That’s not normal.” He turned to Sarange. “And they all looked alike?”

      “Identical. Their hair was a medium brown color, their eyes were light—sort of a golden brown—and they all had the same features. I got a good look at them. Both times.”

      “And they’re not a pack you know?”

      Sarange frowned at the strangeness of the question. A pack she knew? Just how many werewolves did he think she was familiar with? Being a lycanthrope himself, Finglas possibly thought everyone had shape-shifter acquaintances. Before she could answer, Khan took the conversation in a different direction.

      “These guys didn’t come here to rob or kill Sarange. They were trying to abduct her. Someone wants her. I brought you here to protect her, but I need to find out who that someone is.”

      “That’s a dangerous move.” Ged’s deep, calm voice held a warning note. “If you want information, it means when they come back we have to keep at least one of them alive. Even then, getting a werewolf to betray his leader won’t be easy. A wolf’s loyalty is second only to its stubbornness.”