Chapter 2

Finding an empty gravel driveway, he parked his truck, pocketed the keys, and grabbed his sole suitcase from the passenger’s side. From there, he let his senses direct him.

He heard the telltale sounds of the construction Thor spoke of long before he viewed the place. Hammers and machinery led him to the spot. Sure enough, a well-marked trail veered off from the road. Mitch followed it, emerging between a large log cabin and a work zone.

Four men worked the site. All were erecting walls on what appeared to be a new building in progress. Mitch sniffed the air. Definitely shifters, but he didn’t have a clue what kind they were. Weird, since he’d been around those of his kind all along. Obviously, there were a few different varieties he’d never encountered before. Like that flying lion.

“Hello.” Mitch focused his attention on a tall man with light-colored hair. He wore jeans and a plaid shirt. Dark colored boots completed the outfit. Typical attire for working in the fall weather.

The guy drew closer. “You must be Mitch.”

Mitch blinked. He’d only spoken to one man on the phone. No pictures had been sent nor had he indicated who he was in his simple greeting. Yet, the man knew his name. A little hesitant, Mitch gave a single nod. “Yep. And you are?”

“Nate. We spoke last week.”

Mitch saw the amusement in the other man’s face. His brown eyes reflected kindness mixed with mischief. Seemingly Nate found Mitch’s surprise at being called by name somewhat humorous. “Yeah. How did you know it was me?”

Nate shrugged. “We don’t get many visitors up here.”

“I guess not.”

“Let’s go inside. We’ll go over some things, first. I’ll show you around, then we’ll see about getting you settled in.”

What have I gotten myself into?Mitch wondered, not for the first time, if he’d just entered the Twilight Zone. A little scary, but his inner beast wasn’t agitated like he became when danger threatened. In truth, he believed the big guy napped contentedly. Very unusual considering he’d just entered a new territory. One filled with strangers. Shifters, no less.

“Don’t worry. We don’t bite.” Nate chuckled.

“Uh-huh.” Mitch blew out a breath and kept pace with the guy. He sized him up, coming up empty on what type of shifter he was. “What are you?”

“I’m Nate. I thought we established that.” Nate offered up a lopsided grin.

Mitch rolled his eyes. “I mean what sort of shifter. I can’t place the scent.”

Nate smiled wider. “You’ll figure it out. We do have quite the assortment here. Makes for never a dull moment.”

Oh, great. He’s a smart ass and I’ve entered the Emerald City minus the horse of a different color. Only shifters. Some of them bound to be high-level predators. Just my damn luck.

“Orientation 101.” Nate led Mitch to a wooden building with a sign reading Officehung on the outside wall. He opened the door and gestured Mitch inside. “We’ll go over some of the basics. You decide that you want to stick around after that, I’ll show you to a cabin.”

“Stick around after that? What does this orientation entail exactly? A quick reproduction of the Roman Gladiator games?”

Nate laughed, the sound pleasing to the ears and contagious. His eyes lit up with amusement. “I guess you’ll see.” A wolfish grin followed.

Mitch groaned to himself. With nowhere else to go, he followed Nate into a side room.

“Have a seat.” Nate gestured to a table with a handful of old metal chairs.

Mitch set his suitcase down, pulled out the first chair, and sat down. “Why do I feel like I’m back in school?”

Nate powered up a computer on a table in the front of the room. A white picture appeared on a large screen. “This will be a short course. You seem to be pretty smart, so I doubt you’ll have to take notes.”

Mitch leaned back in the hard seat, crossed his arms, and waited. In a few seconds, the first slide of a PowerPoint presentation popped up.

“Here we go.” Nate grabbed a remote, stepped to the side, and propped his hip on the other end of the table, turning so he could easily see both the screen and Mitch without moving. “As you probably already know Bluebird Valley Animal Preserve is a place for all to live. Shifters and wild animals alike. We don’t advertise ourselves, but don’t turn away anyone in need, either.” Nate focused on Mitch. “However, there are a few rules to staying here that everyone must follow. There is noleeway.” He made the last statement clear.

“Sounds like summer camp. Don’t go swimming without a buddy. Stay out of the poison ivy. Clean up after yourself.”

Nate’s lips twitched. “You have a sarcastic streak.”

Mitch shrugged. Sure, he had a chip on his shoulder. All part of the persona he put on for the world to see. It kept people at arm’s length, which is where he preferred they stay.