Shifters: A Samantha Reece Mystery Book 1 by Jaime Johnesee (libby ebook reader txt) 📕

because he bit me before the law was passed, there was nothing I could legally do.

Not to mention I couldn't prove he was the one who bit me. All that would really happen is that I'd be outed in public. Which would probably cause the AWFA to come after me. That’s the group I mentioned earlier. Americans for a Were-Free America (AWFA) were a crazy anti-were and anti-vampire group that wanted to kill us all and let God damn us to Hell. They were spawned from an insane and overly religious group of people that felt as though our very being was an insult to God.

They are responsible for bombings and murders all over this state and others, and it's not just supernaturals they target. They also hate gays, lesbians, the transgendered, bisexual folks, and hippies, too. They keep threatening to out us to society at large and they hate themselves more than anything else. I suppose you might say they were a well-rounded group of haters.

I honestly can't imagine what causes someone to turn into such a great big ball of loathing. I've been through hell in my life and I don't hate anyone ... well, outside of the people who hurt me.

I looked back and saw that the guy who'd turned my life upside down was leaving. He ran his hands through his short, shaggy, sand-colored hair and tucked a stray piece behind his ear as he walked to the door. He looked at me one last time and I could see he was hurt by what I'd said.

Good.

He deserved to hurt after the crap he’d pulled. I held his gaze, forcing him to break eye contact.

Sure, it's a stupid cat thing, but it's something I needed to do. My hussy of a jaguar was drooling all over herself and couldn't understand why I was pushing away, what to her was, a suitable mate. His breaking eye contact first showed her that we were dominant and she understood he wasn't as strong as us. Therefore he marked himself as too weak to be Mr. Purrfect.

At least it was the best I could do to warn her away from him in cat speak. It didn't work the way I hoped it would. She was still very interested in him. Can't say I blame her too much as he was the only jaguar we'd ever met. As for me, I didn't care if he was the only jaguar we'd ever meet; he wasn't a man I wanted to get to know.

As I got closer to the table I saw that Chad was there with Quinn and Josh. Great. Just great. Chad was Quinn’s brother and a policeman who had a major crush on me. It made family dinners kind of uncomfortable.

Quinn and his wife Kelly had adopted me as a sister of sorts and I spent a lot of time with them. Chad wasn’t a bad guy, but I really wasn’t up for any jealous crap right now.

The look of hurt that was contorting Chad's normally handsome face proved that I was about to get some of the aforementioned crap. All I needed now was the Spanish Inquisition there to grill me over my lifestyle choices.

"Friend of yours? I can't tell you how badly I wish you'd look at me like that." Chad said the first part aloud but whispered the last just to me.

"No. That is the man who bit me and turned my life upside down for the rest of time. And, sweetie, if you want me to look at you with serious contempt and extreme loathing, you just have to ask." I smiled and winked at Chad, hoping that I’d masked at least some of the wrath I was feeling.

It wasn’t any of his business and I was tired of explaining that to him.

"Damn, Reece, your eyes have gone all yellow." Josh looked unsettled.

Honestly, I didn't give a rat's ass who was unsettled right then because I was beyond anger and down into rage territory. I forced myself to calm down and when Josh gasped I could tell my eyes had gone back to normal. My teeth were still a little pointier than usual, but, being as I was so pissed off, I could deal with that.

"So, that's the mystery cat? He seems to like you. What did he say?" I could always count on Quinn to surprise me.

"Who cares? Whether he likes me or not is irrelevant. He said that he basically changed my life without my consent because I looked sad and lost while he watched me through his window. Who the hell does something like that?"

"Sorry, Sam. I didn’t mean to turn Neanderthal on you. By the way, your eyes…," Chad said softly, reminding me that I needed to calm down or risk losing control.

"Thanks, Chad." I took a deep breath and calmed myself down again.

"Who does something like that, you asked. I say honestly that only assholes do that, kid. So, Josh, tell us about this witness." Quinn was smart to change the subject.

The man who changed me, whatever his name, was definitely not a good topic right now.

I needed time to calm down and process what it was I was feeling. I was in a state of emotional turmoil like I'd never felt before. There was the expected rage and disgust, but there was also that bit of attraction I couldn't deny. It just had to be some sort of stupid sire bond thing, because I'm not some swooning idiot that would willingly be attracted to a man who tried to take over my life.

"Well, he's a priest—”

"Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!" I wasn't joking.

Getting a priest on the stand means getting one of the most reliable, honest, and instantly believable witnesses ever. Aside from child abuse cases, that is. Unfortunately, the Catholic Church had done themselves a huge disservice by burying all the complaints of pedophile priests and nuns.

If they'd taken those assholes right to the police and dropped them from their