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Miles finally nodded. “We haven’t heard any news of hunters in the area, but with these stories, we need to be on guard.”
Steff shook his head. “But… hunters usually stay near bigger cities, right? More bang for your buck. That’s part of why we kept the office here instead of Boulder or Denver or something. We wanted to stay out of sight and out of mind. Have you ever heard of hunters coming out into rural areas like this?”
Miles shrugged. “There’s been stories. Mostly rumors. Though I’ve never heard of them operating anywhere near here. It may be nothing, but we need to keep an open mind
and an open eye. This town is small, it should be easy to notice anyone who doesn’t belong. That being said…” Miles glanced back at me. “Tate is the strongest of us. Being a dragon shifter means
he is the best chance we have against whatever may be targeting shifters. I’ve suspended all his upcoming jobs for the time being. All other contract work will go to one of the other guys on payroll.”
That didn’t please me. I only spent two or three months a year in Lilly Valley, and that was spread out over a whole year. Usually, I was only ever around for a week or two between jobs. It made me anxious to think about sticking in one place for longer than that. I hadn’t done that since my family kicked me out of the clan all those years ago. But Miles was right. Shifters were all stronger, faster, and more powerful than humans, but dragons were above even other shifters in that respect. I nodded my acceptance.
Miles looked relieved that I hadn’t made a fuss about the decision. “All right. Watch your backs. If you guys see anything, hear anything, or identify a threat, let the rest of us know ASAP. Fair?”
We nodded. It was a good plan. My dragon grumbled deep inside my head. It didn’t like the idea of an enemyespecially one that seemed to be dangerous. Dealing with drunk fans or horny stalkers was easy. They were no real threat. This was different.
We filed out of the office to strange glances from the staff, who were obviously wondering what had been so hush-hush. None of them knew we were shifters. Very,
very rarely did any human ever find out about the race of beings that shared the earth with them. Honestly, it would have probably been a bigger story than if aliens were discovered. That was a threat, or unknown, that was way out
there. We were right here. We lived next door, bagged your groceries, did your taxes, and kept handsy concert goers from groping your tits. If the news ever got out that we were here? That we’d been living amongst humans for centuries? It would be absolute anarchy.
Hunters were the humans who knew about us. They were a small, but well-trained, well-funded group, and very good at their jobs. In the distant past, their numbers had been larger, but they’d dwindled over the last two or three centuries. Most were drawn to the hunt due to a need for vengeance. They were people who usually wouldn’t have followed that calling, and they burned out quickly once the reality set in that they would need to kill a living, sentient, creature. The most irritating thing about them was that they’d come about because of my own kind.
Shifters could go feral when they weren’t able to band together with a pack. Once feral, we become… well, we become the monsters of movies. Bloodthirsty and violent. Legends came about for a reason, and now the rest of us had to deal with the consequences of a few feral shifters hundreds of thousands of years ago killing and eating some humans.
Looking around at our staff, I had to force myself not to wonder if one of them was an informant for the hunters. The idea was ridiculous, but paranoia could do strange things to a man.
“Tate, you wanna grab dinner tonight? Burgers?” Stef called out to me.
I waved at him as I left. “Sounds good. Text me. I’ll meet you.”
Outside, the warm air hit me, and I took a second to glance around. I was always in such a hurry to get out of this place for the next job I rarely ever got the chance to enjoy the views. The mountains in the distance, the bright blue sky? I shrugged and told myself there were much worse places to spend some time.
I drove home and saw that the moving van was gone. The number of broken down cardboard boxes outside seemed to have multiplied exponentially. I didn’t see any cars, so I figured the neighbors were exploring the new town.
I’d never been what anyone would call
friendly. That was especially true of my neighbors. I was usually out of town, so most of them didn’t even know my name. Things being the way they were, I wasn’t concerned with being buddies with these new people.
Before I unlocked my door, a thought formed in my mind. Turning, I looked back over my shoulder at the house. Brand new neighbors after three years? At the exact same time shifters were disappearing? I wasn’t so jaded or paranoid that I no longer believed in coincidences, but I decided to check this out. Better safe than sorry.
My phone was out of my pocket before the door was even closed behind me. Miles answered.
“What’s up?”
I spoke while looking at the house through my blinds. “Miles, I’ve got some new neighbors moving in across the street. You know that vacant house?”
“Yeah. Who are they?”
“Haven’t laid eyes on them yet. I just thought… well. Kinda weird timing, right?”
“Someone new moves in next door to a shifter while shifters are going missing?”
“Literally exactly what I thought.”
“Okay, I can try to dig up some info. May take a few days.”
“Thanks, man. It’s probably nothing, but it would be good to know.”
TWO
HARLEY
Lilly Valley was as beautiful as Maddox had said. More so, even. My jaw had dropped when we pulled off the interstate and saw the place a week ago. The mountains, trees, and rivers were all picturesque. The girls had also been awed, but that awe had dissipated a bit when we drove through the “downtown” area. It was as far from New York City as you could possibly get.
On the plus side, there wasn’t much commercialization. The only chain store I saw was a Dollar General on the outskirts of town. Everything else was mom-and-pop or independently owned. That made the town quaint and cute, but it wasn’t a hub of activity that two teenage girls craved. There was at least a movie theater, but it looked like it was only open on the weekends and only had two screens. As far as entertainment, that was about the extent of it, but there must have been hiking trails, and probably places to have guides take you on canoe or fishing trips. That would be fun and broaden our horizons, but I could see the look of anxiety on the girls’ faces.
The last thing I wanted was for Mariah and Jordyn to be miserably bored here, but I didn’t know how to prevent that until we got settled in. Now, a week later, the boredom was really setting in. They’d gone on walks, and I’d even bought them