I drive down the winding one lane back road until I see the giant pine tree that marks the entrance to the hidden driveway of the cabin. Turning onto the well-maintained dirt road, I cringe as the sports car bumps and jostles its way over the gravel, its nonexistent suspension not made for any manner of off roading. The driveway twists through the trees for another half mile before I round the last corner and the large A-frame cabin comes into view. Pulling up to the wide turn around in front of the house, I stop short of my usual parking space, staring in confused shock at the pickup parked out front.
“Are you fucking kidding me?!” I growl, banging my hands against the steering wheel. I must be seeing things, right? I must be. Because no way in hell would my big brother ditch me on one of his jobs, so he could come out here. When he called me earlier, I didn’t realize he was trying to pull all that mate wooing shit tonight. Gee, thanks big bro. Knowing he flaked on our job tonight because he’s busy trying to be all romantic to his sweet little kindergarten teacher makes the fact he forgot about me hurt a little less. Only a bit less. He’s gonna pay for this.
“Those were my favorite sheets…” I whine, like the petulant little sister I am. They were so soft… so warm. I’m gonna have to burn them now, goddamnit. I may like Brenna, but that doesn’t mean I will ever be able to look at those sheets again. “That fucker’s buying me new ones… his ass touches it, mine no longer does.” I mutter under my breath as I throw the Vette in reverse and turn around, making my way to the pole barn that’s off in the back corner of the cleared lot.
Getting the car into the pole barn ends up being more of an ordeal than I had hoped for, it’s been a lot longer than I’d realized since I’ve been in there. There were boxes of junk, old lawn equipment and spare car parts strewn all over the floor that needed to be moved before there was enough room for the stupid blue monstrosity. If there was ever a car that screams “I’m having a midlife crisis and have a small penis” this is it. Once I get the car settled in the barn, I pull a couple old tarps over top, just to be safe. I would bet my left tit no one would come out here poking around for it, but with how my luck has gone tonight I refuse to take any chances.
It must be close to one in the morning by the time I close and lock the doors to the barn behind me. Stepping out into the wintry night air, I fill my lungs with the crisp scent of early winter. I love this time of year. As the days get shorter and the nights get colder it only makes me want to shift that much more. As I take in another deep breath, I catch a faint scent I don’t recognize, and something about it sets off an odd buzzing in my stomach. Assuming it must be remnants of whatever Slash grilled for dinner that night, I write it off.
I take a moment to look around the yard, deciding what my next move should be. With Slash and Brenna taking up the bed I don’t have all that many options. I could curl up on the hammock stretched across the back porch if I needed to, or I could snatch Slash’s keys and steal his truck to head back into town… would serve him right for fucking me over tonight. Then again, I like Brenna and don’t want to fuck things up for them. Fine, I’ll be the nice sister and leave them alone for the night.
The incessant buzzing in my stomach, which has only gotten worse, triggered start of a headache at the base of my skull, which convinces me that maybe a shift is in order. Letting my cat loose always puts me at ease, and the treehouse down by the lake sounds like the perfect place to curl up for the night.
Deciding to take a run to clear my head before settling in for the night, I strip out of my clothes and leave them in a neat pile on the old workbench near the barn door. A rustle in the brush up near the driveway catches my attention, and I turn to look, taking a deep breath to see if I can scent any animals nearby. The unfamiliar scent I noticed earlier is even stronger now, almost choking me with its strange mix of woodsy sweetness. I still can’t place the scent, but it sets my head to pounding and the buzzing in my stomach turns to full on spasms, like butterflies but on crack. I’ve felt nothing like it before, and it’s unsettling.
I take one last look back towards the cabin and the noise, scanning again to make sure there isn’t anything lurking, but the pounding in my head is too distracting for me to sense anything. With one last deep breath, I let the shift take me.
258
Kaden
“Happy Anniversary to me” I grumble into the otherwise empty cab of my patrol car.
One year. It’s been one year since I moved from Georgia to a small town tucked in the middle of nowhere on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. One year since I, to the horror of my family, took the job as said little’s town’s Sheriff.
So, Kaden, you ask, why are you racing down a deserted
