Esmerelda: A Rogue Enforcers Novel by Darlene Tallman (phonics books TXT) 📕

little finger and one of my ice cubes splashes out of my glass, causing me to get a little wet. My glare has her giggling before she winks.

He fearfully glances around as if in the past few seconds, someone has snuck up on us. Seeing nothing, he takes a deep breath and says, “So I was somewhere I shouldn’t have been about a month ago when I overheard two guys talking about Geralynn and who was handling stuff now that she’s disappeared.”

Esmerelda glances at me then replies, “Go on. You’re safe, I promise. Did Colton tell you about me?”

“He mentioned you’re a witch.”

“That I am, and I’ve placed this area under one of my protection spells. No one can get through without me knowing. Now, can you tell us your name?” she asks, her voice soothing as though she’s dealing with a scared child.

“Burt. I’m a raccoon shifter,” he supplies, gulping down half of his lemonade. I notice his hands are shaking which adds to the fear I scent wafting off of him.

“So, you overheard something?” Esmerelda prompts.

“One of the guys mentioned the name Ennis Boatwright. He’s a tiger shifter so I don’t understand why he would want to be involved with capturing other shifters or outing us to the humans,” Burt states.

A tiger shifter? They’re one of the largest predators out there, but I don’t understand why a shifter would be involved either. Something to ponder, that’s for damn sure.

“Do you know where this Boatwright is located?” I question. I’m not about to divulge that two of ours may be in his clutches, but it stands to reason that even if they weren’t, the Rogue Enforcers will do whatever they can to shut his operation down.

“Near Manaus City in Brazil. He uses the Amazon River to transport,” Burt whispers, looking around as though lightning is about to strike.

“Did they mention why a shifter is involved in this shit?” I ask. I’m doing what I can to temper my tone but it’s obviously not working because he shrinks back in his chair as though I’m about to strike him. “Man, I’m not pissed at you, it’s this whole fucking situation, you know?” I run my hands down my face. “We’ve been charged for centuries to protect the humans while living a life that they aren’t aware of, so what the hell is the purpose of this?”

“I think, from what I heard, they’re wanting to experiment on our DNA to see if they can create supernaturals on their own by turning humans,” he says. “They mentioned something about mixing stuff to ensure they had supernaturals they could control who would take over the world or something like that.”

“Wait, what? No fucking way will that ever happen,” I growl out. “That’s not our purpose here on earth. Geralynn had indicated that they were going to out us to the humans or something along those lines.”

“I think that was the original plan, yes, but you know how stuff grows. People get greedy and Boatwright feels that having the humans under our thumb will ensure that the top of the food chain is taken care of.” That doesn’t sit well with me; every animal in the animal kingdom has a shifter form; some are more docile in nature while others are predators through and through. I don’t foresee this so-called plan working all that well for many of my shifter brethren.

“Burt, we appreciate you being willing to talk to us,” Esmerelda interjects, shaking her head at me to calm down. My bear is so close to the surface I can feel the fur sprouting on my back. Burt must realize it as well, because he shrinks further into his chair.

“He’s not going to eat me, is he?” he asks, pointing at me with a shaky hand.

“What? For fuck’s sake, no I’m not going to eat you. Where would you get that idea from?” I grumble as Esmerelda laughs.

“You look like you’re about to shift, man, it’s an honest question,” Burt replies.

“Well, I’m not. Do you think those people saw you that night?” I ask, now worried about this timid raccoon shifter. He doesn’t look like he has the ability to fight off a flea let alone any other predator that might try to attack him.

“No, I was by the garbage cans. They weren’t really close, but you know how much better we can hear than normal humans,” he states. “I listened until they left then made my way back home.”

“How’d you know to call Colton?” Esmerelda inquires, pouring more lemonade into her glass.

“Everyone knows who Colton is,” Burt says. “Plus, I’m not noticed all that much, so I hear a lot of stuff. After hearing that he was looking for information, I figured this was something he’d be interested in. Was I right?”

“Yeah, you were. Listen, if you feel like you’re in danger here, we’ve got a compound you’re more than welcome to come to,” I say. Why the hell I’m offering him refuge is beyond me. I suspect having a mate may be softening me up or something, but I enjoy her so I’ll let it go for now.

“Do you think I am?” Burt asks, looking around.

“No clue, man, just throwing the offer out is all,” I admit. “We’ve got an eclectic group of shifters there, not gonna lie, but you’d fit in.”

“Here,” Esmerelda interjects, handing him a small card. “This is Maverick’s information. He’s our alpha for lack of a better term. Fair man, but tough. Should you think you need to, we’ll find room for you. I promise.”

Burt slowly takes the card and slips it into his overall pocket. “Appreciate that. Now, not that I’ve minded the company, but do you think you can leave now?”

I drain the rest of my lemonade and stand, holding my hand out for Esmerelda to take so I can help her up. “We’ll get out of your hair, Burt. Thanks again for the information. Be sure to call Maverick if you feel you need