Instinct

By LJ Hamlin

Ben Bones Is a were shifter in the FBI and his latest case finds him partnered up with Clayton Echo, the son of his mentor, a man who had been like a father to Ben, after his own parents were murdered. Ben knows that father and son hardly talk and he goes in to the case expecting to hate Clayton, only to find himself captivated.

Meanwhile shape-shifter families are being brutally killed and their children taken. It is up to Ben and Clayton to find out who is responsible and why? Why are these children being taken and can they be found alive? The two agents are on a hunt to find the killers and the missing children, but will their attraction get in the way? And will Ben find out what caused the distance between Clayton and his father.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LJ Hamlin
• Release date: Jul 4, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311821171

LJ Hamlin

My name is L.J.Hamlin. I'm an M/M erotica writer, with a weakness for the supernatural, but I write all kinds of things.

Book preview

Instinct -

By L.J.Hamlin.

By L.J.Hamlin

Published by L.J.Hamlin at Smashwords

Copyright 2010 L.J.Hamlin

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author

Instinct:

Cover Art by Sayuraam

Cover Design by Leigh Wilder

Dedication Leigh Wilder for your help with my covers, and the help with my indie work

prologue -1991

It’s just a normal summer’s day at the zoo. Bobby West is enjoying himself, nice summers day his children are behaving and having a good time, his wife is smiling softly and holding his hand. It’s a pleasant, if very ordinary, day out. That is until he hears the startled cry of a child. It’s followed by a shrill scream and people gasping, starting to crowd. Feeling his natural protective instincts kick in, he rushes forward, making sure his children are with his wife and will not get lost in the crowd.

He gets to the front of the crowd only to see a small child, probably no older than eight, has fallen into the wolf enclosure. Bobby tries growling from where he is when he sees that the wolves are getting closer to the child. They usually respond to him. He might be a werewolf and not a true wolf, but he finds that most weres can communicate with true animals. But these wolves that he’s come to see before, they don't respond, they just keep growling and getting closer, and Bobby doesn't need to be told how dangerous wolves are.

The little boy starts to cry, and Bobby's heart clenches. He can't just let this boy be hurt. How would he feel if someone just stood aside and watched as one of his children were hurt? He’d never forgive that person and here he would never forgive himself if he didn't do something to stop this. So he moves even closer to where the child fell in, and he hauls himself up on the wall and jumps into the enclosure. He hears someone scream, people gasp, but he tries not to focus on the other people. He bears his teeth at the Alpha wolf and growls, warning the wolf away.

The wolf snaps and lunges forward, closer to the little boy, and Bobby knows it’s time for desperate measures. He doesn’t even bother to take his cloths off, he just lets the change take him, letting it rip and tangle around his body, but as he lands on all fours, a wolf, he shakes himself out of his tattered cloths. He feels as at home in this form, on four paws, as he does on two feet, and he circles in front of the boy, trying to back up and without words, get the boy to back up with him, The boy moves back, maybe understanding, maybe trying to get away from Bobby, but the effect is the same. The boy ends up with his back to the wall with Bobby in front of him, warding off the pack of wolves living in the pen.

He doesn’t understand. Wolves aren’t known for attacking humans,. In the wild they are more likely to run away from a person than towards, but these wolves, they've been locked up and around people enough to not fear them. A crying child seems to have set them off, and they are more than ready to attack. Bobby Growls again, his hackles rising, meeting the Alpha wolf eye to eye. Like most were animals, he makes a big animal , so he is bigger than any of the wolves in this pen, including the Alpha, and he can see the hesitation in the other wolf. He knows if it comes to a fight, he might lose, and he doesn’t want that kind of shame in front of his pack, but then, at the same time, backing down from this fight, he would lose face.

The Alpha snaps at him, lunging forward but not trying to make contact, trying to intimidate him, not actually trying to start a fight with him, not yet, but he's not backing down, and Bobby is starting to worry that he might actually have to fight this wolf to get the pack to back down so that he can get this little boy out of here. He can hear the boy crying softly, and Bobby is worried he's already hurt. He can't smell blood, but he could have easily broken bones or done damage in his fall. Bobby jumped in, and he's a grown man, not to mention that as a were his body is just naturally stronger than that of a human, stronger bones and muscles, so jumping down was easy for him. But a small child? A human child? Bobby is more than a little worried, and he wants to get this kid out of here. He doesn't really want to fight either. He's not a violent man, even though his body has the capacity for violence.

The Alpha snaps again, and Bobby knows he has to do something, so he growls and then jumps forward on all fours, snapping his jaws close to the Alpha's muzzle and sending the other wolf reeling back. He can hear noise behind him, and he risks a glance over his shoulder and is glad to see that a man is being lowered into the pen towards the child. So Bobby keeps his attention on the wolves. All he has to do is keep them back long enough for the man to get the child out of the pen.

Bobby snaps and growls, snarling at the Alpha and the rest of the pack, and they seem to be staying back, and Bobby doesn't know what the hell is going to happen when he gets out of here, but if he has the chance, he's going to tell the zoo keepers that they should have a tranquilliser gun on hand and better pens. This should have never happened. He should never have had to do this. The Alpha howls at him, and Bobby snarls again, glancing back, glad to see that the child is almost out. As long as that little boy is safe, this will be worth this . Once the child is gone, Bobby risks turning back, kneeling naked on the ground in front of the pack of wolves who seem to be losing interest now that the crying child is gone. They don't seem to care that they’ve just seen a wolf become a man, unlike the crowd. He can hear them talking. He can see cameras flashing, and he had to do this in a fucking zoo, where everyone has a camera, but he had to do it.

Bobby walks over to the edge of the pen, and the man who was lowered into the pen to get the child lowers back down the rope. Bobby grabs a hold of the rope and loops it around his waist. He starts to pull himself up, but two men start to pull the rope, pulling him up. Bobby scrambles over the wall at the top of the pen, and someone hands him a coat that he takes gratefully, wrapping it around his waist to try and reclaim some modesty. The boy is being held tightly by a woman who Bobby is sure is his mother. He's still crying a little, but he looks unharmed, probably bruised and very afraid. The kid will probably hate zoos and wolves for life, but he's safe, and that’s what matters.

As Bobby stands there, some people start to clap, but he can see the fear on other people’s faces, and he knows that fear can be a very dangerous thing. He doesn't want to end up locked in a pen like the wolves in this zoo. He doesn't want to be strapped down to some table in a bright white lab straight out of some science fiction show he watched as a kid. Which is why he has never revealed himself to anyone but another were animal, be they wolf or something else. But today, he couldn't risk letting a child die. He could have waited, left it for someone else, but it just wasn't in him to stand there and let a child be hurt.

Everyone seems to be talking, asking him questions. 'How did he do that?' 'What is he?' But he doesn't answer them, searching the crowd for his wife, his children, spotting them near the back. He tries to move towards them, but stops when the mother of the boy steps forward, still holding her son close to her, and Bobby has a feeling she won't be letting go of her son for a very long time.

I don't care what you are. You saved my son. Thank you. Her voice trembles with emotion, but it's strong and firm . He can tell she means it. The little boy looks up at him, and he doesn't look afraid. He's holding on tight to his Mom, clearly still shaken up, but he's not afraid of Bobby.

Looking at them both, listening to this woman, seeing this child alive and well, unafraid, he knows that no matter what happens to him next, no matter what the future brings for him, it was worth it, what he did here today. It was worth it, and it was the right thing to do. He followed his instincts, not those of an animal, but those of a man, a father, and he doesn't think he’ll ever regret that.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

Anna Joans was one of the first to start work on understanding were animals. As a scientist, she’d been fascinated that a person could be both a normal human being, with stronger senses, and also be an animal, that they could turn into an animal. It was amazing. When they were first revealed at a small zoo in Texas, there was fear. A lot of fear, and Anna did understand it. Shape shifters: they were something out of myths and legends, not part of real life, and some people thought these real life shifters would be like the movie monsters they’d seen on the big screen. But they were quick to learn that the were animals were not monsters, they were men, women, children, all born with two sides to their natures, human and animal, but they were really just like people. Like any other person, some were dangerous, some killed and, yes, they used their strength and animal forms to kill and do damage. But they were no more prone to violence than any human.

Fear didn't go away; intolerance remained, but most people accepted were animals, came to realise that they were not monsters to be feared. And it was after things calmed down that things started to get really interesting. Weres had advantages over humans, physically; they were stronger, healthier, they had amazing immune systems. The medical developments were amazing. Using willing were subjects they began developing medicines, medical treatments, curing human illnesses. In ten years brittle bone sydrome was almost eradicated. Weres seemed to have immunity to illnesses like cancer, and Anna was hoping that one day, she would be a part of curing cancer. Weres being in the world helped humans, and Anna knew she would always be thankful and honoured to be a part of the research.

Anna wasn't the only one who saw the benefit of weres. Before they’d revealed themselves to the world, there had been weres in the army, the police, all kinds of special forces, but they’d all been trying to hide the fact that they weren’t human. It didn't show up on any basic blood tests, but if they said they smelt a victim on a killer? Or used their strength? Well, that could have shown them to not be human, so once they didn't have to hide anymore? It changed the face of law enforcement. They created whole special branches just for were animals, using their abilities to their advantage. The world had changed because of one woman, because of a species that the humans in the world hadn't known about.

Anna wasn't sure what to think of some new policies though. Orphaned were children were not just re-homed. If they didn't have a close family member who could take them, then the government did. But they were no longer just put into orphanages and put up for adoption. The children were tested, and some were offered a choice: to join branches of the government, to be trained to be agents, young children trained to be soldiers, CIA, FBI, police, working the moment they hit eighteen. Some weres protested about it, but Anna knew most didn't want to cause trouble, because they were afraid that the government would turn against them, start rounding them all up and locking them away. Anna didn't like it, but there was nothing she could do about it. She was just a scientist.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chapter one- 2011

Sitting in a small interview room in the Washington headquarters of the were panther, FBI agent Benjamin Bone can't help but remember being in a room like this sixteen years ago. He’d made a choice in a room like this, one he hasn't regretted for a single moment. Ben was ten when his parents were killed, murdered. He was given the choice to train, to become a part of the FBI. He trained for eight years before he was allowed to start working on cases, partnering with the man who’d been his mentor. A big part of joining up with the FBI had been about trying to find his parents’ killers. He has the skills now to hunt them down. He's a good agent. He has a great record for catching criminals, mainly murders. He's good at catching killers. At twenty-six, he has a reputation as one of the best FBI Homicide and missing persons detectives.

As a special agent, he’s caught a lot of people, found killers, found missing persons, but he hasn't found the men who broke into his parents’ home and killed them late one winter night. His mentor, James Echo, was a legend when it came to catching killers and some other seriously nasty bad guys, and Ben had learned a lot from him. One of the things he’d learned was that not everything was in his control. Wanting to find his parents killers didn't mean it would happen. He had to wait, he had to look, put the work in, and one day, maybe he’d find the people who had taken his family from him. James knew something about loss, as well. When Ben was fifteen, James’s wife, a lovely woman Ben had met many times when he’d gone home with James, had died in childbirth, losing the baby as well, and leaving behind a nine year old son.

Ben had loved Jasmine, James’s wife. She’d been almost like a mother to him. Like James, she was a were panther, so she’d understood what life was like for him. She’d been kind, welcomed him into her home while James trained him to be an agent. But then she’d died, and only a year later, James had gotten remarried to a woman named Claire. There was nothing wrong with her, but Ben had thought it was too soon for James to marry again, disrespectful to Jasmines memory, so he had distanced himself from James, and they were no longer partners. James was all but retired, mainly only consulting on cases. But just because Ben didn't agree with James’s personal choices, didn’t mean the man who’d trained him was wrong. All things came in time, and Ben could wait for his revenge.

So, sitting here, remembering the choice he’d been offered and the decision he’d made, Ben doesn’t regret it. He doesn't think he ever will, even if it takes forever to find the men who killed his family. But today he isn’t here for that. He’s here to be put on a new case, and he'll be working with another special agent. When Rick, his supervisory agent, walks in, Ben pulls himself from thoughts of the past.

Benjamin. Rick comes in and takes the chair opposite Ben. He's wearing a sharp suit, and Ben knows it cost plenty, seeing as Rick dragged him to the same place to shop for suits when Ben went from agent to special agent. Ben doesn't really care much about the way he looks, but Rick had been right. He needs to look professional, so he does his best to get it right, classic black suit, black tie most of the time, sometimes another color. It makes him look more like an FBI agent, and appearances are a part of the job, so even though he has no natural flare or love for fashion, he does his best to dress well. His hair isn't exactly FBI issue, messy golden blond, just like his Mothers, whereas he has his father’s blue eyes and tall, broad muscular build.

Rick, finally going to tell me about this case, my partner for it? Ben asks. Everything has been very hush-hush since he got off his last assignment, and he knows there has to be a reason. From the vibes he's been getting it's a big case.

The case is going to take a while to explain, but I can tell you now your partner is Agent Echo, Rick tells him, fingers