Soul Deep: Malsum Pass Series, #7

By Kimberly Forrest

Is Malsum Pass harboring a killer?

 

Having survived an abusive marriage and escaped the vengeance of her pride for the death of her mate, feline shifter, Lillian Oremun has rebuilt her life with a new identity in the shifter town of Malsum Pass. She owes the wolf pack her very existence, so when Lily becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation and subjects the town to police scrutiny, she will do anything to clear her name – even team up with an annoying bear shifter who stirs up desires she'd never thought she'd feel.

Bear shifter, Christian Black chose to remain in Malsum Pass to reclaim his life. Living close to Lily, a beautiful if prickly feline, was just a bonus. Determined to win her for himself, he quickly discovers his usual lines won't work with this female. He needs to up his game… Maybe even take on a killer. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kimberly Forrest
• Release date: Apr 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223907800

Book preview

Chapter One

I never considered myself abused since he never actually hit me. The woman speaking let out a shuddering breath followed by a sob. He always made me feel so ashamed, so unworthy. Like, anytime there was an advertisement for a diet plan or something on TV, he’d nudge me.

A low ripple of commiseration rolled through the room. Lillian Oremun closed her eyes and let the anger wash over her as the other woman continued with her story. Tonight, that anger was especially sharp considering the speaker reminded her so much of her little sister; the light blonde hair, the baggy clothes, the hunched shoulders as if she was trying to find a hiding place inside her own skin… The urge to find the male that had abused this woman and show him the meaning of pain was nearly overwhelming. These group support sessions were supposed to be cathartic, instead, they fueled the hatred inside of her, and Lily embraced the emotion. It kept her on point. It kept her focused. So, she would return to these meetings any time she felt herself beginning to soften. Some might say that the softening process was part of the healing progression – healthy, natural – she disagreed. Softening was dangerous. The sheer number of women who came to these meetings was proof of that.

Opening her eyes, she glanced about the room, taking in the multitude of faces, as well as the features of each of the women. They were all different. Different hair, eye, and skin colors. Different heights and build. No, there was no set physicality for abuse. Some slouched, shoulders hunched, while others sat at the very edge of their metal folding chairs, their spines ramrod straight. Some were dressed in business attire, while others wore jeans or leggings. But every one of them had something in common – something more than their shared history – they had a telltale haunted look behind their eyes as they listened. Because every one of these women had once believed that they had somehow been the architect of their own nightmare. Every story told within these walls had a common thread: they all had at one time thought that if they had simply done something different, done something better, done more… then it never would have happened to them.

That point was once again made with the speaker’s next words. I always thought that if I just tried a little harder, things would go back to the way they used to be. The woman lowered her head, her hands twisting in her lap and her voice choking up with emotion as she continued. He didn’t use to be like that. He used to be so wonderful…

As the woman’s words trailed off, Lily clenched her fists, letting her nails dig into the heels of her hands. So much pain, she could scent it, heavy in the air, and she felt the tingle behind her eyes that alerted her she was dangerously close to shifting, her cat lunging to the surface, claws at the ready.

Trying to distract herself, she focused on the room in general, despite having seen it many times, and took in its dilapidated condition. They were in the basement of a church that probably wasn’t seeing much more than pennies on the collection plate. The walls had been painted a cheery sunflower yellow, but whoever had slapped the paint on hadn’t bothered to repair the cracks or chips before painting, so years of previous damage showed through. Unlike the walls, the ceiling didn’t look like it had been touched with paint in, well, ever. A multitude of stains from water damage, smoking – probably during weekly bingo nights back in the days when smoking indoors had been allowed – and black blotches that Lily suspected were mold, created what resembled a map on the once white ceiling.

Lily, do you wish to share tonight?

Lily snapped her eyes front and center and focused on the group therapist. Doctor Hillary was a patient woman. She never nagged, never pushed, and always kept a pleasant, understanding smile on her face. When Lily had first met the woman, she’d been a bit surprised. She had expected a buttoned-up, suit-wearing, note-taking, shrink that would ‘hmm’ as she analyzed all of the deficiencies of the attendees. Instead, she’d been met with a casually dressed woman with wispy dark blonde hair, kind eyes, and a sweet disposition.

How long had Lily been coming to these meetings? Almost a year now, after her friend, Mrs. Potter had gently made the suggestion. Yet she’d never felt comfortable sharing her own story, exposing her weakness, leaving herself vulnerable in front of strangers despite all of them having suffered a similar past. But Doctor Hillary never forced the issue. Nor did she push tonight when Lily shook her head no. She simply smiled, murmured, Maybe next time, and moved on.

When the meeting wrapped, Lily stood from her chair and stretched, sure that the uncomfortable seat of the metal folding chair had left a permanent dent in her backside. As usual, coffee and a box of store-bought cookies had been left out on a table for refreshment, but Lily wasn’t interested. Lowering her head to ensure that her curtain of long blonde hair swung forward to conceal the scarred side of her face, she quickly made her way to the door in an attempt to avoid conversation.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like these women. Lily was sure they were all fine, upstanding citizens with lives outside of these sessions – home, work, maybe some kids, but Lily wasn’t interested in chit-chat. Her panther was always close to the surface after one of these meetings, and the last thing these women needed was to be traumatized by an accidental growl. It was best to head home, shift, and release all that energy by patrolling the woods surrounding her little cabin.

She was glad she’d come, though. She needed the reminder of why it was best to stay single. An image of that bear filled her head and she nearly snarled. Christian Black was dangerous. Ever since he showed up in Malsum Pass with his brother, Sebastian, she’d been feeling all sorts of gooey in her middle. The male’s dark brown eyes practically smoldered every time he looked at her. Seriously – smolder – who does that in real life? Did he practice that crap in the mirror? He could write a book and title it, 10 Best Ways to Make a Female’s Ovaries Explode, by Christian Black. He’d make a fortune.

But Lily didn’t want her ovaries exploding. She didn’t want gooey innards, and she certainly didn’t want her heart racing simply because he was within visual range. She’d been taken in by good looks once before and had paid a hefty price – was still paying that price every time someone’s gaze landed on her ruined cheek. Oh, they all tried to disguise their curiosity, but it was there – the slight cringe, the unspoken question in their eyes, the pity… No. Just no. Best to keep her anger and mistrust of males in general as a shield to guard her heart. She had no intention of ever leaving herself that exposed again.

Now, if that bear would just leave. According to the highly prolific gossip mill at the diner, he had originally tagged along with his brother and his brother’s mate for a two-week vacation. Unfortunately, Mr. Smolder had decided that Malsum Pass might prove as therapeutic for him as it had been for Sebastian, so he’d decided to stay and was even now working on fixing up that shack of a cabin that had been his brother’s. And that cabin was waaaaay too close to Lily’s place for her peace of mind. Stupid, gooey innards…

She had no problem with attraction, lust, or love in general for other people. Her sister Daisy and her mate Alek were proof that not all males were evil shits. But Lily still listened closely to every word her sister told her trying to read between the lines and look for hidden signs of abuse. Nothing. She always came up empty. Even when her sister was bitching about mated life, it would be obvious to even the least observant person that Daisy was blissfully happy. The female radiated happiness from her pores. Her aura was probably rainbows and glitter.

And even though Lily was happy for her sister, that didn’t mean she thought that she might one day want the same for herself. The damage done to her was too deep. No, her future was set. She had a home, and she had two jobs: serving customers at the diner, a job that provided necessary income, and protecting her adopted pack by patrolling the woods. The last didn’t come with a paycheck, but it gave her a much-needed sense of satisfaction. Yes, satisfied was an excellent descriptor. She was satisfied with the current state of her life, and if occasionally she felt lonely, well, she could just march herself over to Mrs. Potter’s house and chat with that lovely lady until the feeling passed. Friendship was way better than romantic entanglements anyway, and so much less complicated.

Lily was almost to the door, her eyes downcast to avoid meeting anyone’s gaze and accidentally inviting conversation, when a pair of black biker boots stepped into her path. Lily resisted a groan. The black biker boots were attached to legs encased in ripped blue jeans, leading up to a holey black t-shirt topped with a black leather jacket. Lily’s eyes rose to take in the woman’s face. She had shoulder-length black hair with purple streaks, heavy black eyeliner around brown eyes, and skin so pale she would make a goth jealous. Like Lily, this woman also seemed to come here to feed her anger. The scent of hatred and vengeance practically poured off of her, pungent, acrid, and sharp. Anne? Annette? Amy? Lily couldn’t remember her name aside from the fact that it started with an A.

Did your old man do that? the woman asked, her chin jutting forward aggressively to indicate Lily’s cheek.

Slightly shocked by the abrupt question – most people were a little more circumspect with their curiosity – Lily blinked. I’m sorry, what? Out of habit, she raised a hand to pull her hair closer to conceal her scars.

The woman’s eyes were sparkling with malice and her expression was belligerent as she pushed for confirmation. Someone went all Freddy Kruger on your face. Was it your man?

Lily tried to brush past her, uninterested in having this conversation with a stranger. I need to get going.

The woman gripped Lily’s arm to detain her, and Lily had to bite back the urge to hiss. Oblivious, the woman persisted. At least tell me he got his. Tell me the bastard’s rotting in jail.

Lily’s nostrils flared as a hint of desperation twisted through the woman’s volatile scent. They locked gazes for a moment, angry green meeting even angrier brown, before Lily bit out between clenched teeth, The bastard’s dead.

A second later, Lily’s arm was released and those angry brown eyes burned with malicious satisfaction. The woman slowly nodded. Right on, sister. Right on.

Chapter Two

Lily’s little cabin couldn’t be reached by car, so she left her piece of shit beater in its usual spot – a pull-off on the side of the dirt road, right next to that bear’s flashy new bright blue pickup truck – and made the rest of the trek on foot. It was mud season – or as the rest of the world referred to it: spring – so she carried her good shoes while she trudged along in her sturdy hiking boots. She’d have to remember to leave extra towels just inside her door. Shifting for her nightly patrol meant the mud would be coating her paws as well as splattering her underbelly and she didn’t want to be tracking all of that through the cabin trying to get to the shower.

Her eyes picked up the glow almost immediately. Damn bear must be working on the cabin and using those bright-as-hell work lights. It illuminated the entire area surrounding his cabin now that the sun had set. And sure enough, when she broke through the trees, there he was, with every appearance of having been waiting for her. Stupid bear noses, he probably picked up her scent as soon as she got out of her car. Lily’s lips twisted with derision. Why did he have to look so good? Standing there, practically spotlit by those work lamps in those mouth-wateringly snug jeans and that body-hugging T-shirt. The bear had a beautiful body, big strong, muscular…

The work clothes were quite a change for him. When he’d first arrived in Malsum Pass she’d always seen him in dressier clothes, fine sweaters, or fancy button-downs with sharply pressed slacks. He probably didn’t want to snag his fancy wools and cashmere and was smart enough to dress appropriately for the situation, though she hated crediting him with finer points like intelligence. It was bad enough that she already found him so incredibly sexy, she didn’t want him to be clever as well, that would make him too tempting a package and she was already having a hard enough time dealing with her feelings as it was.

He’d lost weight, she noticed with a frown. Not that he’d been fat when she’d first met the bear, but he’d had a slight puffiness to his face that was now gone thanks to all of his recent physical activity.

The bear was hot. Hot, hot, hot. Stop it.

Ripping her attention away from him, she focused on the cabin under construction. The place was coming along nicely, at least from what she could see from the outside. The once rough outer walls had been replaced with new lumber, and the cabin had been enlarged to nearly twice its original size with lots of windows to allow in plenty of natural light. She was curious about what he’d done with the inside, but she wasn’t about to accept any forthcoming invitations – that would just be asking for trouble. For the sake of her sanity, she needed to keep her distance from Christian Black. He was far, far too tempting.

Aggravated by her continued fascination with the male, despite having a fresh injection of stories to fuel her anger and distrust, Lily was tempted to make a snide comment about cat’s eyes being able to see in the dark without the need for work lamps. She clamped her teeth down hard and resisted the urge. They’d played this game before. He’d simply point out that while she may have superior night vision, he had a better nose for tracking and could beat her hands down on patrol. She’d point out her feline agility and he’d come back with brute strength. Stalemate.

Then, he’d say something like, Imagine how good we’d be together, in that sexy voice of his and her brain would go haywire imagining them together, naked and sweaty…

Lily shook her head hard to clear that thought before her imagination took over and betrayed her yet again. Damn bear.

Besides, engaging him in any sort of conversation, even if it was all about one-upmanship, would only encourage him, and the last thing she needed was him thinking he could seek her out whenever he was in the mood to chat. She did not want to come off as approachable. She wasn’t. She really, really wasn’t. Now, if she could just get her stupid gooey innards to get with the program.

Focusing, she continued to put one foot in front of the other as her inner voice chanted, don’t look at him, just keep walking, just keeeeeeep walking, just keep...

Nice night out.

Oh, god. That voice. That deep, velvet-over-gravel voice made her skin tingle to life, and it instantly brought Lily’s traitorous feet to a stop. With a mind of its own, her body turned.

Are you going out on patrol?

Her eyes couldn’t resist another sweep of his person. Thick dark hair she wanted to run her fingers through, dark brown eyes she could stay lost in for days, and a beard that she knew he wore more as camouflage for his own scars rather than following any fashion trend. Wide shoulders, thickly muscled arms, narrow waist and hips, long legs… Christian Black was so not her usual type, yet the male was a feast for her eyes and she wanted to gorge.

He smiled smugly. He knew she was checking him out and was loving it. She should have been calling him a conceited bastard and knocking him down a few pegs. But instead of her back going up, and her temper shooting sky-high, that display of teeth brought on the