Moon Sworn (Riley Jenson Guardian 9)

"Fuck," I said, jerking away the minute it was free and rubbing my ear fiercely. "That one hurt."

And other than the pain, I didn't really feel any different with the earrings gone. For some reason, I thought I would.

But maybe I needed to do something - like shape-shift - to see if removing them had actually improved my situation. Right now, we didn't have that time. West would be close to the whaling station by now. We really needed to get moving, just in case he came back. I took the brake off and hit the gas. Dirt and stones sprayed the underneath of the truck as the tires skidded then gripped, and the big truck surged forward once more.

"It looks like a battery," Evin said, examining the earring. "Only it's got a tail."

I held out a hand and he dropped it into my palm. It was small and round, and the silk-fine tail was about two and a half inches long.

Evin reached down and picked up the remains of the other earring. It was also small, but without the tail.

"I have no idea what they are," he said. "Do you?"

I shook my head. "But when I tried to shift shape, I was hit by an intense pain - it felt like my brain was on fire. Maybe this is the reason why."

"How the hell can something that small stop a shifter from taking their other shape?"

"Nanotechnology means the smallest devices can be extremely powerful."

"Granted, but that doesn't explain how it manages to stop a shape-shift."

I shrugged. "From what I've read, the electrical activity emanating from the brain increases exponentially when we shift. Maybe the device somehow disrupts that surge and prevents the shift process."

So why hadn't it prevented the seagull shift? I frowned down at the thing in my hand. Maybe it could be programmed. Maybe shifting into different shapes resulted in different energy signatures, and if these things could be programmed, then it was here to prevent the wolf shift.

Because he doesn't know about your alternate form, that internal voice whispered. He doesn't know about your other skills.

If only I could figure out who he was, my life would be a whole lot easier.

I dropped the metal mouse back into Evin's hand. "Keep them safe for me."

He looked surprised but pleased. "I will, trust me."

I did. And not just because he wanted my help to rescue his soul mate. There was no cunning in his gaze, no artifice in his actions. Granted, he may have spent the last few days doing nothing but lying to me, but that wasn't his nature. Wasn't his soul.

Evin was honest. I'd stake my life on it.

And given the situation, I probably was.

"So what's our plan of action?" he asked.

I hesitated. "As I said earlier, I think the first thing we need to do is talk to Harris. What happens after that very much depends on whether he believes us or not."

"If he doesn't, we're stuck. I can't leave Dunedan until I'm told to, because if I don't report in every night, they'll kill Lyndal."

"So they've told you to call from that phone only?"

"Yes. They gave me the location and number, and said if I use any other phone, Lyndal will pay."

"Meaning they're using caller ID - and there are ways around that." Not that I could actually recall any of them at the moment. "Is the number you call local or interstate?"

"Interstate. The calls are killing my credit card."

I snorted. "They're making you pay for the calls?"

"And the villa. The bastards aren't exactly free with the cash."

"I guess it's one way to avoid a paper - or credit - trail."