Ruffled Feathers
Zoe Chant
Copyright © 2021 Zoe Chant
Ruffled Feathers
by Zoe Chant
A Shifter Bites Romance
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
1. Simon
2. Madison
3. Simon
4. Madison
5. Simon
6. Madison
7. Simon
8. Madison
A note from Zoe Chant
Also by Zoe Chant
Preview: Cute But Prickly
1. Simon
When Simon arrived at his parents’ house for their Friday family dinner, he walked into a silent kitchen.
Usually, his mother and younger sister would catch up while cooking, and his father would set the table and berate Simon for being late. But now, his mother wasn’t even humming while stirring the pasta sauce, his sister was nowhere to be seen, and the table was empty.
He heard his father talking on the phone in the living room. Judging by his mother’s glum face, whatever was going on was serious.
A threat to the nest? His hawk, always alert, wanted to head outside and take flight to find it.
But whatever the threat was, he’d get more answers by staying here.
“What’s wrong?” Simon pulled open one of the kitchen cabinets to get the plates. He’d moved out a few years ago, needing his own space, but it was easy to slip back into old habits.
“You haven’t heard?”
“If I’d heard, I wouldn’t be asking.” He put down four plates, then frowned. “Where’s Cassie?” If something was wrong with his sister, they’d have called him, right?
His mother gestured into the living room with her spatula. “She’s in there. Your father’s on the phone to Kathleen to discuss it.”
Their mayor? What had he missed?
He worked as a security guard at an art museum over in Pinevale, a city about half an hour’s drive from Kirkwood. He’d deliberately looked for jobs outside of town that had nothing to do with shifters, wanting something else after growing up in a shifter-only town. But it also meant being the last to find out about local gossip.
He walked into the living room, his father looking out the window and into the backyard while listening to their mayor. Cassie was busy typing on her phone, annoyed. She was in her early twenties, but right now she looked like a sulky teenager who’d just gotten grounded.
She gestured for him to join her. “Did Mom tell you about the scientists?”
His heart sank as he sat down. “Already?”
Cassie glared at her phone as she typed. “They’re a week early.”
“Are you sure it’s the ornithologists?”
She looked up to glare at him. “Of course we’re sure.”
Every year, for as long as Simon could remember, a group of ornithologists from Pinevale University came to the forest near Kirkwood to study birds during spring. They stayed for a few weeks and while they were here, shifters in Kirkwood couldn’t go out in their shifted form. The risk of being discovered was too great.
The area around Kirkwood was popular with Pinevale University. Back in fall, a team of geologists had carried out some studies. Since none of them were animal experts, the mayor had decided most shifters could go out while the geologists were there. Birds and wolves were okay, but the lion shifter family had grumbled, although they understood the mayor’s reasoning.
Any kind of scientist poking around the woods meant shifters had to be careful. The shifters of Kirkwood lived here in secrecy and kept a low profile. The last thing they needed were scientists getting curious about them.
The ornithologists being a week early explained the dejected atmosphere.
“So, the usual plan?”
Her shoulders sagged. “Weeks of not flying.”
Hearing her say it out loud made him groan, while his hawk panicked.
The wind against our feathers! Hunting for prey!
“How long are they gonna be around for?” he asked.
“Same as usual, probably.”
“Where are they exactly?”
“Don’t know. We only found out this afternoon. Martin at the general store said a lady came in with a backpack, and he asked her about her camping plans while at the check-out. She explained she was here to study birds. Apparently it’s her first time here. He doesn’t know where she wants to set up camp, but she wants to stay for three or four weeks and more researchers will join her.”
It wasn’t like Martin could ask more than one or two casual questions before his customer got weirded out. It was good that he’d found out what he had.
“A woman. Isn’t it usually that older man who arrives first? With the beard?”
“Yeah. Maybe he sent her to do groceries. Who knows?”
“And isn’t four weeks longer than normal for them?” That was bad news for the shifters. “Has anyone asked her about her plans?”
“And draw attention?”
“Good point.” He definitely didn’t want the scientists to get too interested in Kirkwood. “But there’s got to be a way to figure out where exactly they’ll be staying and what they’re doing.” He smiled at his sister. “I could spy on them.”
“As birds?” She sat up. “You’d have to be careful. If they’re here to study birds, they might take an interest in you.”
He gestured dismissively. “I can be careful.” He couldn’t just fly off, though. He got up to walk over to his dad, who was still on the phone to the mayor. “Can I talk to her? I’ve got an idea.”
His father raised an eyebrow, but told the mayor Simon wanted a word.
“I take it your family’s told you?” she asked.
“Yes, and I’m willing to fly over there and take a look. See what parts of the woods they’re in.” The nearby woods should be big enough for scientists and shifters.
“You’d have to be careful.”
He resisted the urge to sigh at being told twice in such a short time. This was their mayor, and the golden eagle shifter was their mayor for a reason. Protecting the shifters of Kirkwood was her number one priority. Hiding and waiting it out was the safest option.
But it was also the most frustrating.
“I know. I’m a security guard for a living. Half the training is assessing situations and making sure we don’t throw ourselves into danger or act rashly. I’ll go for a
