* * *
It took me about ten minutes to find him. I took in a long, deep whiff of the cool forest air as I spotted him.
Based on his pheromones, the shifter’s most definitely a male.
He was still in bear form and hunched over the water, trying to catch some fish. His fur was coated in blood and I wondered why he hadn’t bothered to jump in the lake and wash himself off.
Why is he still in bear form? Maybe he figured he could blend in with the park’s bear population and not be noticed? Whatever his reasoning, it pissed me off that he had killed three people and was looking for something to eat like nothing had happened.
I walked out from the tree I was hiding behind until the bear could see me clearly.
“My name is Trent Bailey and I’m the Law Enforcement Ranger of this park. I am a shifter as well and ask that you please return to your human form so I can ask you some questions.” I really hoped he didn’t listen. I was holding my anger off for the moment, but I could feel it bubbling underneath the surface.
The bear glared at me and then let out a roar, standing on his two hind legs.
He wasn’t going to come easily. The bear wanted to play hard ball, but I was ready for it. I removed my clothes quickly, not taking my eyes off him; I needed my uniform intact since I didn’t have any spares nearby.
The change ripped through me, shredding my human form and snapping my bones as a towering black bear rose where I had once stood. In my bear form, I was taller than most and brawly, which meant I won almost all the fights people were stupid enough to challenge me to.
The battle awaiting me would be no different.
The beast charged at me with full force, swiping his claws at my head, making me jump back. I dodged a bit too late and the bear’s claws grazed my chest.
I growled and threw my weight onto the bear, crashing down on him and clawing away until his breath was ragged. I unleashed all the pent-up anger that had been building as the day progressed with no pausing and no mercy.
It didn’t take long for the shifter to stop fighting back. He shuddered and sank to the ground, bleeding. He was nowhere near as bad as his victims had been, but I wanted him alive for questioning.
Where was he from? Why had he killed those people?
I guessed it didn’t matter too much, because once the conclave was presented with the overwhelming evidence against him, he would be executed on the spot.
I grimaced as I thought of what had happened the last time they had met. The conclave was the shifters’ counsel and they handled all crimes within the shifter community of the region. Evidence was presented to them and they decided the verdict they felt was best punishment for the crimes committed. With three humans dead, they weren’t going to be lenient in any way, shape or form.
I honestly couldn’t wait to see that.
Due to his injuries, the shifter’s body was no longer able to hold his bear form and he began to morph back to his human state. He had dark brown spiked hair, a lanky frame and was average height for a guy who weighed no more than 200 pounds. He was naked and covered in semi-dried as well as fresh blood; a mix of his victims’ and his own.
I’m going to have to find him some clothes. Quickly. People would most definitely have noticed if I was dragging around a naked man in handcuffs, and I sure as hell I didn’t need the attention.
His breathing was rough, but he was still alive, and that’s all that mattered to me. He didn’t even deserve that much, of course, but we had trials for a reason. I guessed his injuries would be fully healed in about an hour and he would be fine.
I shifted back to human form and began to dress myself, the scratches on my chest already scabbed over.
Good. The last thing I needed was blood on my shirt to make Blanca think I was the culprit. I quickly put the rest of my uniform back on, keeping my eyes on the shifter. I removed the pair of handcuffs I kept clipped to my belt and snapped them around the guy’s wrists; he struggled a little, but obviously didn’t have enough strength to fight me.
Like mine, his wounds were already beginning to heal. They weren’t scabbed over like mine, but he’d stopped bleeding. I needed to hurry if I wanted to take advantage of his weakened state for transport.
“You are in so much trouble. I can’t wait to see what they do with you,” I growled into his ear as I lifted him up. I reached out to Knox with my mind again.
Found him. I started walking toward the lodges to find some clothes for the asshole. Are you guys still at Eagle Lake with the bodies?
Yeah, we just got here a few minutes ago. Take him to the holding area.
What are we going to do with him?
She’s not going to be able to close the case without questioning him, obviously, so we have no choice but to allow Agent Gianni to proceed with her interrogation of the suspect.
But Knox, shouldn’t he be presented to the conclave for—
He should be, seeing as how he’s taken three lives, but remember, Acadia is technically federal property, so we have to let the feds investigate. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make it look like the crime was committed by a human; we have to protect the clan, after all. Take him into holding. I’m going to need you to head over to the fishing lodge and dig up a deep-sea treble hook or two that you can say you found on him; we’re going to go with that as the murder weapon. Oh, and don’t clean him up. It’ll look better if he still has the victims’ blood all over him. It’s evening; I doubt the agent will want to question him now, so I’ll tell her that a suspect has been found and will be kept in our holdings for her to question in the morning. You are to personally keep an eye on him in the meantime.
Understood. After the day we had, I didn’t have the energy to argue with Knox anymore. He was irritated enough, with the worst crime in our recorded history taking place on his day off.
When we finally reached the holding lodge, I grabbed a shirt and sweatpants from my office for the shifter, then removed his handcuffs and pushed him into the cell. He still hadn’t said a word, but his wounds were almost completely healed, so I knew he would be conscious enough to talk in a short while.
“Guess who you get to spend the night with?” I sneered. “And don’t bother trying to change again. These bars are specially made to withstand bear strength. You’re not going anywhere.”