Running from the Shifter (Shifter World - Book Eight) (Series of 13 Short Stories)

“Clothed or naked, I’m coming in!”

Tamara and Drezden sat up in bed and looked at the bedroom door.

‘Shar wouldn’t dare. Would she?’

“Here I come,” Shar said as she pushed the bedroom door open.

“Sharissa!” Drezden shouted as he pulled the blanket up to cover his mate.

Shar laughed. “She doesn’t have anything I haven’t seen before, Drez. Now get up and get dressed.” She turned and left the room.

“That woman is getting too brave,” Drezden grumbled as he glared at the door.

Tamara giggled. “I like her.”

Drezden smiled as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “That’s good to hear because we’re stuck with her.”

“I said, get dressed!” Shar called from the living room.

Drezden and Tamara chuckled as they slipped out of bed and got dressed.

They found Shar in the kitchen, looking through their fridge.

“Don’t you have anything for breakfast?” she asked, her head stuck in the fridge, her hips swaying back and forth.

“We planned to go shopping today,” Drezden said as he watched his brother’s mate.

She pulled her head out of the fridge and looked at him with a smile.

“Why are you here, Seliana?” Drezden asked.

“I’m here to kidnap your mate,” she said as she closed the fridge door.

“Shopping spree,” Tamara said with a smile when she remembered the phone call with Sharissa last night.

Shar nodded. “And it looks like we’ll need to get some breakfast, too. So, we better leave now.”

“Shopping spree?” Drezden asked, one eyebrow raised at his sister.

Shar grinned. “Yep. Girls’ day. Amirah and Pike agreed to help the guys watch the little ones.” She looked at Tamara. “You’re going to love our shopping sprees.”

Tamara nodded. “I’m sure I am.”

“So, what am I supposed to do?” Drezden asked.

“Help your brothers,” Shar said as she headed for the door. “Come on, Seliana, I didn’t eat breakfast, and I’m starving.”

Tamara looked at her mate. “I won’t go if you want me to stay.”

Shar paused and turned to them.

Drezden grinned at his mate. “No. You go. I’ll go hang with my brothers. Maybe Daryl will have something for me to do since he doesn’t have a cub to watch, either.”

Tamara frowned, and he pulled her against him. “That will be fixed soon, Mafilia.”

She smiled at him. “I hope so.”

He nodded and kissed her.

Shar cleared her throat, and they separated, grinning at each other.

“Come on.” Shar smiled as she took hold of Tamara’s arm. “The girls are waiting.”

Drezden watched his mate leave with Shar, then pulled out his phone and dialed Daryl’s number. “Hey, Bro, got any work that needs doing?”

~🌺~

“Okay, I’m stuffed,” Tamara said with a chuckle ass he and the other Fated Mates—including Josiah—left the diner they’d just eaten breakfast at.

“See, told you their food is good,” Shar said with a grin.

“And they’re not biased against shifters,” Mara said as she slipped her arm through Josiah’s.

“How many diners did we go through before we found this one?” Lyvia asked with a disapproving look on her face.

“Too many.” Shar nodded.

“Where to first?” Josie asked as she linked her arm with her twin.

“I was thinking maybe that one. Tamara could use a new wardrobe.” Sharissa pointed to one of their favorite clothing stores.

Tamara frowned down at her clothes. “Is there something wrong with my clothes?”

The girls laughed.

Shar slipped her arm in Tamara’s and pulled her close. “Not at all, Seliana. We just like to shop for clothes. Most of us couldn’t afford this luxury before we met our mates.”

“And now, we’re spoiled.” Josie laughed as she held up her gold card. “Having no limit has ruined me.”

The others chuckled.

“There you lot are.”

They turned and smiled at Bridget as she joined them.

“Took you long enough,” Maddy said.

Bridget snorted. “I was helping Tate with something and lost track of time. By the time I ported into the diner, you were gone.”

“What’s Tate up to now?” Shar asked, looking at Bridget.

Bridget shrugged. “Beats the fuck out of me. He’s doing something he says the Goddesses asked of him, but I have no fucking clue what it is. I just stand there and pretend I know what the hell he’s doing.”

The others laughed.

“That’s our Tate for you,” Shar said with a sappy grin.

Bridge snorted. “You’re such a suck-up.”

“Speaking of sucking up,” Pearl said as she took hold of Lyvia’s arm. “Have you decided what you want to do yet?”

Lyvia blinked up at her second-best friend.

Pearl laughed. “I guess it hasn’t happened yet.”

“Oh God, am I pregnant again?” Lyvia asked, fear in her eyes.

Pearl and the others laughed. They know if Lyvia was pregnant again, she’d have another litter—since she’s their Omega.

“No.” Pearl shook her head.

“How does it have to do with sucking up?” Shar asked.

Pearl looked at Shar. “Shit. You’re involved, too, damn it. Okay, forget I said anything….”

“No,” Shar and Lyvia said at the same time.

Pearl sighed. “All right. Your old boss is going to ask you two to come back.”

Shar snorted, and Lyvia spat on the sidewalk.

“Not going to happen,” Shar said.

Lyvia shook her head. “Nope. I’m not sucking up to that fucker….”

“You’re not going to suck up to him. He’s going to suck up to you two. They need both your expertise on something and….”

“They can take a flying leap off their building,” Shar said as she turned and walked toward the store.

“Is she okay?” Tamara asked the others as she watched Shar.

The others shrugged.

“Their boss is a real piece of work. He kept fucking with their project and made them look incompetent.” Josie frowned as she watched Shar’s retreating back.

“That’s fucked,” Tamara sighed.

“Pearl.” Lyvia looked at the witch.

“I know.” Pearl nodded.

Shar turned to face them once she reached the entrance to the store and smiled at them. “Are you ladies coming or what? We have three hours before we have to relieve the men of the burden of being a mother.”

The other women laughed as they headed toward Shar.

~🌺~

“I’m telling you; I know her.”

“Sorry, boss, but I don’t recognize her.”

“Well, I do. I must have her.”

~🌺~

“Wow, that looks incredible on you.” Josie watched Tamara look at herself in the standing mirror.

Tamara smiled at her reflection. She had on a pretty light blue summer dress with white flowers.

“This one next!” Maddy held an outfit out to Tamara.

Tamara chuckled. “Hang onto it. I need to get out of this.” She looked around them and then at the twins. “Where’s the restroom?”

The twins chuckled. “Over there.” Josie pointed in the direction of the bathrooms.

Tamara nodded, then rushed into the changing room to get out of the dress.

“Did someone say restroom?” Shar asked as she walked up to them.

The twins pointed at the changing room Tamara was in.

“I’ll go with you, Tam,” Shar said through the door.

Tamara smiled. No one has ever cared enough to shorten her name like that. She’s never had a nickname.

Once Tamara was back in her old clothes, she and Shar headed to the restrooms.

“How are you holding up?” Shar asked as they entered the women’s room.

Tamara smiled. “I’m actually having a lot of fun. Especially when Josiah took his shirt off. Fuck, that man has a body to die for.”

Shar chuckled. “Yeah. We’re all a little in love with him.”

Tamara chuckled as she slipped into one of the stalls.

“How are things going with Drez?”

Tamara grinned as yesterday flashed through her mind. The way he’d pinned her against the wall, then lifted her and tore at her jeans and panties with his teeth. She got hot and fanned herself.

“Great,” she said happily.

Shar chuckled. “Sounds like it,” she said, then the sound of toilets flushing filled the restroom.

They came out of their stalls at the same time and chuckled as they walked up to the sink.

“I’m already falling hard for him,” Tamara admitted. “I may even be in love.”

Shar grinned. “Yeah. It doesn’t take long to fall in love with your Fated Mate.”

They dried their hands, then headed out the door.

“It is you.”

Both women turned to the voice, and Shar felt her stomach hit her feet.

“Tamara.”

Shar looked at Tamara, her eyes open wide. She must be one of the girls Tate had told them about. Why hadn’t he said something when Tamara had shown up in their life? And what is Johnny Vega doing in the shopping mall? He never shops for himself.

“I’m so glad I came here to buy my mother a present. Or I wouldn’t have noticed you with that group of women,” Vega said as he walked up to Tamara.

Tamara stared at Vega. How could she have forgotten about this horrible man? He wasn’t someone you would want to remember, but you wouldn’t want to forget him, either. It would save on moments like this.

“Tamara, let’s go,” Shar whispered so only Tamara could hear her.

Tamara nodded and took the hand Shar held out to her.

“Sharissa,” Vega said with a hitched breath. “I thought you were dead.”

Shar froze. Fuck, this isn’t good.

“You know him too?” Tamara whispered.

“Unfortunately,” Shar said with gritted teeth. “He’s the reason I went to the Kraftman brothers for protection.”

“Fuck. Small world, huh?” Tamara mumbled.

“Tate should have said something,” Shar grumbled.

“He knows… of course,” she said as a memory of meeting Tate over two years ago flashed through her mind.

“It was for your own good,” Shar hissed.

Tamara nodded; she understood that, and she was grateful. But now it was all for nothing. Because Vega has found them once again.

“You dyed your hair,” Vega said, looking Shar up and down.

Shar sighed heavily. She hasn’t. But Tate had made him remember her as a redhead or something like that.

“Look,” Tamara said as she and Shar backed away from him. “We can’t stay. We have somewhere to be….”

“I’m not losing you two again,” Vega said as he took a step toward them.

“Looks like you’re going to have to.”

Shar and Tamara turned to find the rest of their party standing behind them and grinned.

“You two were taking a bit longer than necessary, so we thought we’d come see what was holding you up.” Lyvia folded her arms over her chest. “And it looks like it’s a good thing we did.”

Vega took a step back as he watched the group of women move closer to Shar and Tamara.

“Is that who I think it is?” Lyvia asked Shar.

Shar nodded. “Johnny Vega.”

“How the fuck does he recognize you? I thought Tate took care of that,” Lyvia hissed.

“He recognized Tamara first. Remember how Tate said it could come back if he saw one of us?” Shar whispered.

“You ladies need to get out of here. I’m going to go get Tate. He’s the only one who can fix this fuck up,” Bridget said, then disappeared.

“I think we should head to the cars. We’ll go shopping again later—with the guys.” Pearl took hold of Shar and Tamara’s arms.

“Good idea,” Shar mumbled.

Vega watched the women leave, then turned to his bodyguard. “I want them back. Both of them.”

The man nodded. “On it, boss,” he said as he walked away.

Vega grinned as he turned and headed for his car. His man will get the job done; he had no doubt about that.

~🌺~

“A wonderful shopping spree fucked up by an asshole,” Shar grumbled as she opened the driver’s door of her car.

“He knows you’re alive and remembers Tamara. That’s not good.” Lyvia shivered.

“No shit,” Shar grumbled.

Lyvia looked across the top of the car at her bestfriend. “Shar?”

Shar sighed and smiled at Lyvia. “Sorry, Lyv. Just been a bit touchy lately.”

“Uh oh.” Josie chuckled.

“What?” Shar and Lyvia said at the same time as they looked at Josie.

Josie pointed at Shar. “I think she’s with cub.”

Shar scrunched up her nose. “Am not.”

“Are so,” Maddy said, looking Shar up and down. “I thought you were gaining weight from all that chocolate… ooooh.”

Everyone started laughing when they realized what Maddy had caught onto.

Shar snorted. “Why didn’t Tate say something?”

“What is he, a cub radar?” Josie asked, using her best impersonation of Tate.

Everyone chuckled.

“Let’s get out of here,” Shar said as she climbed into the car. “Now we have double the shit to worry about.”

“Yeah, because Tamara is with cub too,” Pearl said as she climbed into the back seat.

Tamara froze and looked in the back seat at Pearl. “Say that again?”

“She said you’re with cub,” Josiah said with a grin as he pulled himself into the car.

“But… but I just stopped taking the pill yesterday.” Tamara stammered.

Shar grinned. “That’s all it took for me with Joy.”

“How do you know that I’m pregnant, but you didn’t know Shar’s pregnant?”

Pearl grinned. “I did. But I thought she already knew and just didn’t want to say anything.”

Shar rolled her eyes, and Tamara giggled.

“Come on. I want to get away from here,” Shar said as she started the car.

The twins got into the two-seater car beside Shar’s while the others jammed into Shar’s.

The ride home was quiet. No one wanted to talk about what happened to ruin their day.

“Shar, don’t look now, but there’s a large truck barreling down on us,” Josiah said as he turned in the back seat to look out the rear window.

“Fuck,” Shar grumbled when she recognized the truck. “That’s one of Vega’s goons.”

“Does this car go any faster?” Tamara asked as she looked behind her seat at the large truck.

Shar pressed her foot down on the pedal.

“Pearl, can you create a shield?” Lyvia asked.

Pearl nodded and closed her eyes. She moved her hands in a circle, and soon a shield wrapped around the back of the car. When the large truck caught up to them and rammed the shield, the car barely moved, and everyone sighed with relief.

“Now we just need to get home,” Shar said as she concentrated on the road.

But no one saw the car beside them. By the time they noticed, it was too late.

The other car hit them and shoved them into the ditch, flipping the car onto its side.