Shifting Summer (Mane Shift Book 2) Read online

  Shifting Summer

  Mane Shift Book 2

  By Laura Bickle

  Published by Syrenka Publishing LLC

  Copyright © 2021, Laura Bickle

  Cover art by Danielle Fine

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. Aside from brief quotations for media coverage and reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any form without the author’s permission. Thank you for supporting authors and a diverse, creative culture by purchasing this book and complying with copyright laws.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  NOVELS BY LAURA BICKLE

  CHAPTER 1

  I was running.

  I ran beneath a hangnail sliver of a moon and the glitter of stars. I laid back my ears and charged through the field among the constellations of fireflies. The grasses smeared dew on my fur, and my paws pressed into the cool earth a fraction of a heartbeat before they skimmed into the air. My breath and heart sang in unison, surging across the land.

  I ran faster than I’d ever run before. The field gave way to forest, to cool shadows that teemed with cicada song. I loped around trees, smelling green leaves and mud, then slowing. My breath and my heart slowed, too, and I allowed the woods to close around me.

  The voices of the forest surrounded me, not just the crickets and the cicadas. Overhead, the bats flitted through the sky, chattering to themselves: What is that?

  I think it’s a wolf. The barred owl peered down at me from an oak tree branch. She blinked. Maybe.

  It’s not a wolf, the toad insisted. His tongue flicked from his mouth. Maybe it’s a coyote.

  It’s not a coyote. The fox crept out from behind a stump. His eyes were narrowed, and he gazed at me with skepticism.

  I lifted my head. It’s me. Luna.

  The fox shook his head. You’re not Luna.

  I am. I live on the farm. I looked back, back the way I must have come, but the farm was long behind me, no lights visible in the dark. I work at the vet clinic there, with the animals...

  Luna walks on two feet. Not four.

  I swallowed, and my head dipped. Something happened to me. My friend, Renan...I was injured, and he tried to save my life. But he gave me the curse that he has. I change. It’s not exactly predictable. I winced.

  Walking on four legs is a curse? The fox was not amused.

  No...well. Kind of. It’s a magic spell. It changed me into a maned wolf.

  What is that? The fox’s brows twitched. You’re not a dog. You’re not a fox. And not a wolf.

  It’s a canine from South America...it is the only creature of its own species. Something of an evolutionary oddity. I looked down my canid snout at my russet fur and long legs. My spotted ear twitched away the whine of a mosquito.

  A bobcat slunk through the underbrush. Her spots blended in perfectly with the moonlight, and I hadn’t seen her before. My vision as a maned wolf was so much better than as a human, but my brain was having a hard time filtering through all the additional information...sights, smells, sounds...it was all muddled in my brain, like skeins of yarn to unravel.

  The bobcat’s nose twitched. She doesn’t smell right. Not like human. And not like animal.

  My tail drooped. I’m not either one, I’m afraid. I’m a witch stuck in between worlds.

  Something large and dark moved behind a tree. My breath caught in my throat. A black bear watched me, her massive claws scraping the dirt and invoking the smell of bruised blackberries and poison ivy.

  If you are Luna, under a magic spell, then change back into a woman. The bear rumbled a simple challenge, one that I should have been able to complete successfully. Luna knows magic, enough to speak to animals. Use the magic.

  I closed my eyes and concentrated. I focused on what it felt like to be standing upright, looking down at the forest floor. I tried to imagine my senses dulled, my skin naked against the darkness. I tried, I really did.

  But nothing happened.

  I opened my eyes.

  The fox and the bobcat circled me. The bear ambled closer.

  She lies, the bobcat hissed.

  I’m not lying, I said. I just...I suck at this shifting shape thing. I mean... I looked back from where I’d come. The Summerwood farmhouse was miles away. Last thing I remember, I was in bed, and then I was dreaming that I was running, and...I must have been sleepwalking...

  The fox regarded me with narrowed eyes. Whatever you are, you’re a predator.

  My tail drooped. No. I’m a mess. I’m sorry.

  The bear pulled back her lips, and her white teeth shone. I don’t see anything here but an intruder.

  Fear trickled through me like cold water. I had no idea how to fight with four legs, but I was pretty sure that I was no match for a bear, a bobcat, and a fox. The bear would tear me apart, and I was pretty sure the bobcat and fox would enjoy the leftovers.

  Not that I wanted to hurt an animal, anyway. I backed up, until I nearly ran into the fox, who nipped at my flank. The bobcat issued a low, rumbling growl.

  The bear swatted me. It was a light swat, but from such a massive creature, it slammed me on my side. I winced, feeling bloody stripes opening on my side.

  Please, I begged. I don’t mean anyone any harm.

  You are in our woods, the bobcat said. And you are prey in it.

  I couldn’t deny it. I sucked in my breath. I tried to growl. My fur lifted on my back, and I felt like it would have been an intimidating enough display to deter a human.

  I don’t want to hurt anyone.

  The fox laughed. You’re in no danger of that.

  Something crashed through the underbrush. I turned, tensing, expecting to see another bear or other predator come to pick my bones clean.

  But a yellow Labrador retriever thundered into the thicket. His hair was standing up on his back. He was, chubby, wet from dew, and looking completely ridiculous.

  Bristol! I gasped.

  Bristol turned his head to me and wagged his tail. Luna! I’ve been looking for you.

  The bobcat sat down, staring at Bristol. That’s the dog from the farm.

  The fox pressed his ears forward. You, dog. You know this creature?

  Bristol nodded, ears flapping. This is Luna. Well, this is Luna as a dog. She’s a dog sometimes and a human the rest of the time.

  All nocturnal eyes were fixed on me. See? Bristol knows me. He wouldn’t lie to you.

  The fox rolled his eyes. Dogs are too dumb to lie.

  Bristol trotted up to me and leaned against me. I was still a few inches taller than Bristol. But he licked my cheek. I had never been so happy to see him, but he was in serious danger. Blood dripped down my side, tickling the grasses.

  Bristol, I whispered. I think you need to run.

  The fox, bobcat, and bear seemed deep in conversation. The bear sniffed in my direction.

  Dog, you say that this is Luna? The one who is kin
d to the animals here?

  Bristol’s head bobbed. Yup. This is Luna. It’s magic. I don’t understand the magic, but this is her.

  I’ve seen one of these creatures before, the bear rumbled. When the bad men came and set fire to the barn.

  That’s my friend, Renan. He’s got a much better grip on this magic than I do.

  So there are two of you? The bobcat licked her paw. Are you a mated pair?

  I, uh...no? That seemed like a very personal question. I had never slept with Renan, but that wasn’t for lack of fantasizing about it.

  Bristol’s tongue lolled out of his mouth. They’re working on it.

  If I’d been in human shape, I would have turned seven shades of red. So are we willing to accept that I’m Luna the witch? And not dinner?

  The fox sighed. I think we can believe the dog. You will have to pardon us.

  The bear snuffled. Everyone is on edge. There have been strange animals here, ones that do not speak to us.

  Fear pooled in my belly. The animals that were here when the barn burned...they weren’t really animals. They’re like me and Renan. Human sorcerers, and they don’t have my ability to talk to animals. So they wouldn’t be able to talk to you.

  Bobcat hissed. I don’t like this.

  I don’t, either, I confessed. I would like nothing more than to figure out how to get back into my human shape and stay there, to remove the curse on me and Renan. And to drive those other shifters away. My brow wrinkled. Tell me about these odd animals, the silent ones that don’t belong.

  The bear sat down. I saw a large cat a week ago. Larger than this cat. She glanced down at the bobcat. I hid from it.

  My heart lurched into my mouth. What did it look like?

  It was big. Almost as big as me, but the color of the dog.

  That sounded like a lion. That’s not good. I think...the Casimir might be back.

  Fox cocked his head. Those are the men who came to burn the barn?

  Yes. The Casimir want this land. It’s magic, and they want to use that magic to do harm.

  Bobcat narrowed her eyes. Many deer have gone missing. More than in the fall. I had wondered if a new predator had moved into our territory, and thought that might be you.

  I sucked in my breath, wincing at how the deep inhalation disturbed the wound on my side. Bobcat territory was broad, up to thirty miles. I turned back to the bear. Her territory was larger, up to sixty miles. Where did you see that big golden cat?

  The bear jerked her head to the south. I was foraging for berries when I saw it by the river that men had once made.

  I nodded. The old canals. Nobody goes there much anymore. Nobody except for teenagers looking for a place to be alone.

  The bear grinned and licked her paw. They leave behind their food. It is one of my favorite places.

  I figured out the distance in my head. That’s about twenty miles east, as the crow flies. I had hoped that we’d driven the Casimir out of the county, but... My brow wrinkled. It’s disturbing that they’re still here.

  They don’t give up so easily, the fox said.

  Thank you for telling me, I sighed grimly.

  The bear moved forward, and I tensed. She nosed the scratches along my side. I’m sorry for that, Luna.

  It’s all right. You didn’t know. I touched my nose tentatively to hers. Her breath smelled like blackberries.

  Be careful. These woods are not what they once were.

  The bear stretched and lumbered away. It was then that I saw two smaller black shapes scramble down from a tree and follow her. Cubs. My last bit of resentment over my aching wound dissolved when I saw that. She legitimately thought I was a threat to her security, and I couldn’t blame her.

  Bobcat and Fox traded glances.

  I will tell you if I see anything, the bobcat promised, and she melted back into the darkness.

  The fox was the only one left, sitting in the leaves. He stuck his back foot in his ear.

  We don’t like this. We don’t like this danger the Casimir bring. We are all wary. It would be good for you to be cautious, too. If three animals could have struck you down in the forest, Luna, what could the Casimir have done?

  He stood, flicked his tail, and walked away.

  I shuddered and looked down at Bristol. Come on, Bristol. Let’s go home.

  We began walking, but the fur on my back prickled and rippled. I knew we were being watched, but I hoped it was only by the creatures of the forest, by animals that were truly animals and not pretenders like me.

  Bristol and I walked in silence back to the house. Bristol followed his nose, snuffling through grasses and splashing through the creek. He yelped when a crawdad latched onto his nose and scrambled up the bank, a little muddy and wet. I would have to give him a bath...if I could get changed back to my human body.

  I tried again to shift, concentrating on walking upright, the feeling of my long red hair brushing my bare face. I wanted to feel fingers instead of paws, to be able to see from the height I was used to.

  But nothing happened. I whimpered.

  Are you okay, Luna? Bristol circled me. I wrinkled my nose. He smelled as if he’d rolled in something dead. I was pretty sure the smell would have been obnoxious if I had a regular human sense of smell. Now that I had a predator’s olfactory prowess...it was overpowering.

  Yeah. I just...I can’t shift back to human whenever I want. I blinked at him.

  Bristol’s eyebrows worked up and down. You were able to do it before. I’ve seen you do it.

  I was able to do it when Renan first bit me. But these last couple of weeks...it’s really harder to change back. I’ve been sleepwalking as a maned wolf. And it’s getting me into trouble. I glanced over my shoulder at the forest, at the creatures who attacked me. My side still hurt. That bear could have killed me with a single blow. From what I could see, the bleeding had stopped, but I still would need to get that wound disinfected and maybe some stitches...if I couldn’t shift back and heal the damage.

  If you hadn’t followed me, Bristol, I’d be dead.

  Bristol whined, and his tail slapped my leg. You gotta be careful, Luna. There are big animals out there.

  I plodded across the firefly-lit field. I had mixed feelings about taking the shape of a maned wolf. Sometimes, I really relished it—the feeling of being able to run so fast, so free and unencumbered. My senses sang with new sensations, and being in that shape was like rediscovering the world all over again. It was exhilarating.

  But also a bit terrifying. Especially when I realized that as powerful as I felt as a maned wolf, I wasn’t anywhere near the top of the food chain. One wrong step, and I could be somebody’s lunch.

  Across the meadow, I could make out the shadow of the new barn that housed our animals and beyond it, the house. The house held the veterinary clinic I ran. All the windows were dark at this hour.

  I walked through the grasses with Bristol to the back door into the clinic. Bristol nosed it open for me. I walked into the darkness that smelled like bleach and antiseptic, through the waiting area with large windows, past the empty kennel, and through the examination room.

  I nosed at the top of the counter, looking for some antiseptic solution. Not that I could do much without hands. But my side burned, and I was leaving little droplets of red on the spotless linoleum floor.

  Bristol’s brow furrowed. You’re hurt. I’ll get help.

  He vanished into the darkness of the house; I heard his nails clattering on hardwood floors. He began barking, a raucous cry that echoed distantly.

  Blood pounded in my ears, and I felt queasy. I stared down at my paw. It was red and sticky and I knew I had lost more blood than I thought.

  My gangly legs failed me, and I sank down to the cool linoleum floor, panting.

  I closed my eyes, and the barking grew more distant until darkness and silence washed over me.

  CHAPTER 2

  I fell back into a dream.

  It wasn’t my dream, though. My dreams
were ordinary, pedestrian. Occasionally, I dreamed of standing in line at the feed store, counting coupons for dog food. Sometimes, I dreamed that I was back in veterinary school. It was the end of the semester, I hadn’t shown up for classes all semester, and I was trying to figure out how to graduate. Most often, I dreamed of life at the Summerwood farm: caring for animals; casting the occasional magic spell from a dog-eared recipe book; or drifting through clover-strewn fields without my feet touching the ground. Ordinary dreams for an ordinary witch, right? My dreams always had a sense of familiarity about them. Since I’d inherited Summerwood House after my aunt Celeste’s untimely death, my world seemed to shrink to the circumference of its grounds. My dreams were often repetitive, as if there were some old emotions that I was determined to work through in darkness. Those emotions had burrowed deep grooves in my head, like those carved into a vinyl record.

  But this wasn’t my dream. This place was unfamiliar to me. I stood on pale sand beneath a dazzling night sky, in maned wolf form. A jewel box of stars had been emptied over my head, and dunes extended as far as my eye could see. I could smell nothing green here, only stone and sterile dust.

  I had never been here.

  But Renan had.

  Whenever I found myself in a strange landscape, I knew I was in Renan’s head, sifting through his memories and dreams. Renan was a man who also shifted into a maned wolf, the first shifter I’d ever met. He’d been taken to the Casimir against his will, had broken with them, and now defended the witches of Summerwood House against them. He had defended me...and saved my life by sharing the shifter curse with me. We were tied together, tangled in that way, and others. I could peer into his head through dreams, sifting through old memories, unbidden, as I slept. My sisters and the old spellbooks our ancestors left in the basement said that was proof of some sort of destined love. I wasn’t certain of that yet. I only knew that he made my heart pound painfully against my chest.

  I felt like a voyeur, peering into his mind and his memories. Most of the time, he couldn’t see me in these dreams. I should have perhaps felt guilty about that. But I also relished this time in Renan’s mind, seeing the places he’d seen...because I really hadn’t been anywhere interesting. I left Summerwood House to go to college, then returned to help my aunt run the place. My world was small, but Renan’s was large, and I savored what his dreams showed me.