Chapter 1

“Dammit.”

Leave it to Lucy to step in a pothole. Ugh. She rolled her ankle too. Walking it off sucked, but it was necessary.

“I was just getting to the good part of my fantasy, too,” she mumbled to herself.

Pausing a minute, she hissed and spat out a curse, checking her ankle with her fingers when the wind suddenly turned. The breeze blew right in her face, bringing with it the smell of leather and motor oil.

She closed her eyes and inhaled. Her senses tingled from something unidentifiable lingering in the scent. Before she could get more from the interesting notes hidden within the air, a big flatbed rolled by.

The damned truck leaked pollution and Lucy nearly doubled over, choking. Damn sensitive feline nose of hers.

Achooo.

She growled aloud and hobbled up the driveway of the small gas station convenience store. 

“Hello.”

“Hi there, Miss.”

Lucy’s ankle throbbed. She was tired, hungry, and annoyed.

“Do you have an outlet so I can charge my phone?”

The older man nodded at where an outlet sat unused behind a shelf full of mostly expired snack cakes. Plugging in her ancient flip phone, she leaned against the wall and waited for it to charge enough to call a tow service.

The cashier was an older man, a normal if her nose could be trusted. He looked her over through narrowed brows, pausing when the sound of her rumbling stomach reached him.

“You can help yourself to one of those packages there. They might be a little stale, but I imagine it’s better than nothing,” he said, pointing to the snack cakes. 

“Sorry, I’m on a budget,” she muttered, embarrassment heating her cheeks.

“The company comes and swaps them out every week. They are due tomorrow morning. No one will go looking for one,” he added kindly, nodding at her to go ahead.

“Okay. Thank you,” she replied softly, grabbing a chocolate frosted cupcake and scarfing it down in two bites.

“Hell. Have two then, child. Must be starving. Go on now.”

“I appreciate it,” she said, looking in her pockets for loose change.

“Don’t you worry about it. Look, my name is John, and I’m a widower, but my Nancy would have hated me leaving a young girl to go hungry in my store.”

“That’s really kind of you, John. I’m Lucy,” Lucy replied, tears welling in her eyes. 

“What’s the matter, little lady, you okay?”

“Yeah,” she mumbled, wiping her face hastily. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long time since someone was kind to me.”

“Look, don’t you worry about the snack cakes. You can get me back some other day. You havin’ car trouble or somethin’?” John’s eyes were round with sympathy. He was a good soul, showing kindness to a stranger.

“Car trouble. Waiting on my phone to charge so I can call a tow,” she told John, deciding to trust the honesty she heard in his voice.

“Well, I can help with that. This is a local place. You might have to haggle a bit, but he’s the closest you’ll find without having to pay an exorbitant amount for them to bring your car in,” he told her, handing her a card.

“Thank you so much. My phone is at fifteen percent already. Do you think I can charge it a little bit more while I wait on the truck?”

“Of course, Lucy.”

“Thanks, John.” She offered a real smile that time, and the old man gave her a semi-toothless grin.

“Glad to help.”

Lucy dialed the local mechanic’s roadside assistance number while John went back to whatever he was doing behind the counter. The receptionist told her a driver was on the way, and that was that.

“All sorted?” John asked.

“Yes. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. Good luck to you,” he said, waving goodbye.

The snack cakes stopped the bite of hunger, but she would need more than that. Still, the hike back to her car was manageable at least. There was nothing else she could do about it now, anyway.

Lightning cracked overhead, splitting the sky apart and flashing brightly overhead. Thunder rolled in like an angry Mama Bear scolding her errant cubs, and Lucy shook her head as she quickened her pace.

Lucy knew all about Mama Bears. One  had taken her in when she was thirteen and on the run from the fresh hell foster care had placed her. She’d had four cubs of her own, but needed the help.

At the time, Lucy had been willing to do anything for a place to sleep and a warm bed. Taking care of the cubs was easy while Jaylinn worked as a waitress at a greasy spoon down the road from the motel where she lived.

It was the kind of place that took cash every week for rent. But it had been the closest thing to home Lucy had for a long while. She liked it there.

It was the happiest time of Lucy’s young life up to that point. It only lasted eight months before authorities caught up with her. Her mother’s ex had called in the police, claiming he missed his stepdaughter.

Lying sack of garbage that man. He said her mother was beside herself with worry when the foster family had misplaced her.

“Misplaced,” she mumbled. 

Like she was a sock or glove. Truth was, that asshole just wanted to use Lucy to keep her mother in line. It worked for a while. The sleaze had griped the entire ride back to their dirty, cramped apartment about stupid human authorities.

He’d said they had no idea what they were doing, placing a Shifter cub with normals. It bothered her that he was right about that. Keeping the secret of the supernatural world was tantamount to their survival as a species.

At thirteen she’d been on the cusp of her first change. While Jaylinn might have been able to help her through it, the Mama Bear had no time for Lucy.

She needed another Big Cat, someone more dominant to keep her steady. Preferably her mother. While that did not happen, Lucy did the best she could with her inner animal. Her hybrid Shifted form was a shocker.

“The shit really hit the fan then,” she mumbled to herself.

She had a while yet for the truck to arrive, and she saw her car in the near distance where she’d left it–or rather, where it had left her.

She’d been lost in her memories as she walked. They’d rolled across her brain, like a runaway train without stops or any real destination. 

An unfortunate side effect of being alone so much was talking to herself. Lucy did that a lot. She’d had time to get used to her animal, but the truth was off putting to a lot of Shifters. 

Lucy was an unfortunate and somewhat curious looking combination of her mother, a sleek and petite Bobcat Shifter, and her sperm donor, a big old Mountain Lion Shifter. 

She mostly resembled the latter, but smaller by a third of the average Mountain Lion Shifter. She also had the short, cropped tail, and pointed ears of her mother’s beastie. 

Freaky, as her stepfather had put it after that first change.

“Perfect timing,” Lucy muttered as a light spattering of rain started falling.

Minutes ticked by as she hustled to her car, by then more thunder and lightning cracked across the sky, and drops fell in earnest. She fumbled with the rusted door handle.

Locked. Fuck.

Lucy checked her pockets, cursing under her breath. There was a gaping hole in the back right one. It was her favorite and most often used pocket. 

Empty. Of course, it was.

“Shit,” she growled.

Slamming her hands against the glass to see inside, she bent over and peeked. There they were, sitting on the driver’s side like they were innocent in all this.

Stupid keys. Stupid hole in my back pocket. Stupid stupid rain.

Well, at least the tow truck was coming. John had assured her Blue Valley was only six miles or so in size. Small and close knit, that’s what he’d said.

“On his way, my ass,” Lucy growled and huddled into her soaked hoodie.

Two-hours had passed before the tow truck arrived. The ornery driver cursed the whole time he had to work in the rain. Took him thirty minutes to load her tiny car, and he made her stand outside the whole time.

Finally, inside, Lucy shivered uncontrollably. She was dripping in the seat next to Tony, the chubby, sweaty, and somewhat creepy tow truck driver.

She’d taken off her soaked hoodie, desperate to quell the chill racking her bones, but regretted it now. The white t-shirt she’d had on underneath clung to her skin, giving the greasy jack-off a perfect view of her abundantly large breasts.

Thanks for the tatas, Mom.

The woman hadn’t given her anything else by way of genetics, but Lucy usually liked her boobs. 

Not right now. But usually.

“Hey, eyes on the road,” she growled and snapped her fingers at Tony the Perv.

“Oooh, spunky. I like that in a chick,” he said with a leer.

She clenched her teeth against the snarl that rose in her throat. Slashing him across his stupid face would not win her any favors. So, with a great deal of strength she did not know she had in reserve, Lucy ignored the revolting man.

He was definitely icky, but he was a human, a normal as Shifters called them. Nothing she couldn’t handle. She might be short for a female, but she was still a Shifter, which meant if Tony here got handsy, Lucy would be kicking his ass ten ways to Saturday.

Of course, if he’d been a Shifter, she would not have been so confident. A she-Cat-Mountain Lion hybrid was a bit on the low, squishable side of the predatory hierarchy.

Always a quick study, she’d learned early that in order to survive, Lucy had to stay out of towns and cities where the more dominant species tended to congregate.

Without a Pack, Clan, or group of her own, she was at the mercy of whatever bigger, stronger predators ruled the areas she passed through. It was a lonely existence, but it was her life. And she did just fine on her own.

Independence was crucial to Lucy. She’d watched her mom flit from male to male, seeking protection and affection time and again from anyone who would give it to her all through her troubled life. 

Her mother had always been kind of desperate and sad, and nothing ever seemed to work out for her. Especially not the last time.

Lucy shuddered. She refused to be like her mother. She could and would protect herself.

What did she need a man for? Not a single thing, that’s what. 

As far as she was concerned, Lucy did alright. Yes, she missed her mama, even after ten years. But she was still here. No strings or ties. No anchors to slow her down. Nothing to hold her back.

Lucy might never get very far, but wherever she wound up, she would get there on her own.

She watched Tony the Perv turn the AC on, fucker was trying to make her nipples harder beneath the chilled, soaked shirt. 

Screw him. She pointed the vent away from her and grabbed her wet hoodie and backpack, clutching both to the front of her body.

“How long?”

“About fifteen minutes,” he grumbled.

Curiosity about the place she was currently stranded in had Lucy turning towards the window. It was dark, and she couldn’t really see much because of the rain. 

But anything that kept her mind off the rank smelling cab of the tow truck, and Tony the Perv, who was currently chewing gum with his mouth open like some dull-witted cow, was alright with Lucy. 

It was all she could do not to scratch his face off.

Grrrrrr.

“Shit.” Lucy knew she’d entered the Garden State a few miles back, but she had hoped she’d landed on the Delaware side of 95. 

As they sped past the Welcome to New Jersey sign, those hopes were thwarted.

“Blue Valley coming up,” Tony grunted.

He was right. The next sign said Blue Valley. More followed, telling how far they were from Barvale, Maverick Point, and Maccon City.

Unfortunately, none of those towns were far enough for her liking. This part of New Jersey was run by Shifters, Big, dominant, fur-ocious Shifters. Bears, Tigers, Wolves, and even Dragons, if the rumors were true.

Oh, I am so fucked.

Everywhere she looked, there were predators. She only hoped Tony the Perv’s boss was good at fixing cars. She was barely healed from her recent Hyena attack.

“What’s that?”

“Nothing,” she replied with a tight smile. “Um, Tony? Would you happen to know of any place I can rent a room? Somewhere quiet, on the outskirts of town, maybe?”

“Sure, I do,” grinned Tony.

Lucy felt her stomach drop.

Yep, this was definitely gonna suck.