Chapter Twelve

“Can I hitch a ride back to town with you?”

West chuckled. “I figured you were without asking. By the way where are you staying while in town, Deader?”

“Haven’t gotten that far. I figure you must have a hotel or something in town, right?”

“Don’t be an idiot. I’ve got a spare room, it’s yours if you want it,” West said as he yawned.

“Not sure Rook will like that idea.”

West grunted. “My house, and he doesn’t have a say in it.”

Deader’s laughter caught West by surprise and he turned to see what had caused it and yelped as he found Rook in wolf form standing a foot behind him with bared teeth.

“Something tells me he’s not too keen on the idea,” Deader said between snickers. “Your mate’s a bit territorial it would seem.”

“What does that mean anyway?” West demanded as he put his hands on his hips. “Everyone keeps using that word, mate. And how do you know it?”

Deader’s laughter stopped abruptly. “Are you serious?”

West watched as his friend moved to stand beside Rook and they shared a look that left West confused. It was almost as if they were communicating with each other.

“West, how long have we been friends? Fifteen, sixteen years now, right?”

He thought about it for a second and agreed, “Yeah, something like that. Why?”

“We never talked about it, but it’s not like it was a secret or anything. I assumed you knew.” Deader trailed off and glanced to Rook again before trying again. “I’m a shifter. Tiger to be exact.”

“You’re what?” West exclaimed in disbelief and shock. “All these years, how...why...I don’t understand.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep it from you. I just figured you knew and didn’t care. Every time I show up the rumors start flying, how have you not heard them?”

“I thought they were whispering about you being gay. I had no idea. I feel like such an idiot.”

Now it was Deaders turn to look shocked. “Seriously?”

“Well yeah. It never mattered to me one way or the other. You were a nice guy, and treated me with respect. That’s all that mattered to me, still is for that fact.”

“I guess this is a night for surprises, then isn’t it.” Deader shook his head and gave a soft chuckle. “Anyway, back to the point. Rook what I said earlier still stands.”

“What did you say?” West asked in confusion, “And what does that have to do with you staying at my house?”

“Rook?” Deader asked.

West was so confused why did it seem like these two had their own conversation going on. What was he waiting for Rook to do, bark, run in a circle, shift?  “No shifting,” West barked out without conscious thought.

“We’re shifters. Nudity is nothing to us, West,” Deader started to explain but quickly trailed off.

“Rook we’re leaving. You can catch a ride back to town if you want with us, but you are to stay in wolf form damn it. Otherwise I’ll see you tomorrow at two for our meeting at the station.”

He felt like an idiot telling the shifter not to shift. He was a cop for heaven’s sake, he couldn’t ride around with a naked man. How would it look if he was caught like that? After all there was something called indecent exposure. Not that anyone that looked like Rook did in the nude could ever be considered indecent. Hell, he’d beg for more views.

“Shifter remember?” Deader suddenly blurted into the quiet as they trudged back to their car in the dark.

West didn’t dare turn around, he could feel the blush that heated his cheeks as he realized where his thoughts had taken him once again. Damn shifters and their sense of smell. Used to be a man could have lustful thoughts without worry. “Bastard.” West muttered, “I feel exposed and vulnerable now.”

“Would it help if I held you? Rook left, so I think it would be safe,” Deader replied with droll sarcasm.

“Will you shift for me?”

“Uh, sure. When?”

“When we get back to my place. That will give me time to drug your ass so I can shave you too.”

“Ouch, that’s harsh. Here I am trying to be understanding and a good friend, but that’s just cruel.”

“Shut it, just tell me what your initial impressions were of the scene.” West said as he climbed back into his truck with a weary sigh.  This had been one exhausting and long ass day.

Deader grunted as he sank into the passenger seat, “Where do I begin. That is one screwed up body. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ll know more when I get back and can really examine it. Right now, my professional opinion is much the same as my personal. This is one fucked up case. What in the hell did you drag me into, anyway?”

West didn’t reply for a minute as he thought over the chances of two dead bodies showing up on the same day in this fairly quiet town and why on pack land. He just couldn’t get past that fact. Everyone he talked to, knew the boundaries of the area, so it made no sense unless it was on purpose.

“Let me ask you a question as a shifter. This is the second body discovered on pack land within the last twenty-four hours. They look nothing alike, except they are both female. Assuming the body matched the clothes on this latest victim. The ME hasn’t given me a cause of death yet on the first body, and It’s a pretty safe guess this will be hard to tell as well, right?”

“Unless it was blunt force trauma or something that would affect the skeletal frame, then yes. We can do some basic guesswork on what she looked like based on her skull and bones, but to be honest it’s going to be difficult in general. We may be able to pull DNA, but if she isn’t in the system…” Deader trailed off without finishing. They both knew the chances were slim.

The rest of the drive back to West’s place flew by in silence as the two men thought over all they’d seen at the crime scene. The lack of evidence was troubling, how could someone be that careful and exact? Things were not making any sense.

“Did you notice a smell back there? Rook mentioned that in shifter form they noticed one that was wrong. It didn’t belong and it wasn’t noticeable to our human noses.”

Deader stared at West in puzzlement for a second before slowly shaking his head, “No, nothing. But then I wasn’t looking for any, and he’s right our noses are better in our animal form.”

“Anyway, here’s my place. I’ve only been here a short time, so it’s pretty barren. Feel free to treat it as yours as long as you’re here.”

“This kind of hospitality I may never want to leave.”