A View to a Kill: (A Bird Shifter Novella) (King of Prey Book 2) by Mandy M. Roth Page B

wanted only to have the young female cared for and to be gone from the human realm. Already too much had happened. He would have a lot of explaining to do when he returned to his realm.
    Sarah waved a hand in the air. “Your secret is safe with me. I didn’t tell anyone about the bird-man when I was little. I’m sure the hell not going to start now.”
    “You will watch over her?” He stared at Paige, not wanting to leave her, but he’d already exposed himself too much to the humans.
    “I’ll call the police and the doctor. What about Hank?”
    “Hank?”
    Sarah nodded. “Her mother’s boyfriend. The man I’m sure is responsible for this.”
    “He is dead.” Sachin wasn’t a hundred percent sure because he’d not taken the time to verify the man was dead, but it would be difficult to survive being thrown into a tree by a supernatural.
    “By your hand?” Sarah held no accusation in her voice.
    “Yes.”
    A faint nod came from her. “Good.”

Chapter Two

    Earth, Three Years Later…
    “Paige?”
    Paige glanced at Sarah and waved, letting the woman know she was fine. The look on Sarah’s face was one of concern. She didn’t want to worry Sarah. “He’ll come.”
    “I’m sure he would if he could, Paige, but maybe he’s tied up with something.”
    Sarah was right. Sachin led a busy life, always stopping by for a few days and then disappearing for weeks, sometimes months. It was hard to believe it had been three years since she’d first met him. Her memories of that night were fuzzy and that was most likely for the best. She knew Sachin was the one who’d gotten her help after her mother’s death. Her dreams were becoming more vivid, revealing more and more of the events of that dark night. Fantasy seemed to blend with reality, making her dream of Sachin with huge brown wings.
    “Want to come in for some supper?” Sarah asked. “Sachin knows where the front door is. If he shows, he’ll join us.”
    Paige clutched the amber pendant he’d given her on his last visit. It warmed in her palm as it always did when she thought of him. “He’ll come.”
    Sarah’s eyes crinkled with mirth. “You’re a stubborn one, aren’t you? Come in if it gets too chilly.”
    “I will. I promise.”
    Sarah was so good to her, taking her in when Paige had no place else to go. She’d become a surrogate grandmother of sorts, giving Paige a guiding hand, something she’d never had in her life before. When her mother had been alive, she’d spent her time drinking and doing drugs with her endless line of boyfriends, not mothering Paige. The last few years had opened Paige’s eyes to what a family could be like and she was eternally grateful for Sarah’s unconditional love and trust.
    The front door closed, taking with it the light from the living room. Paige sat in the dark, sneaking peeks towards the sky, certain the man she’d come to love would indeed sweep down and whisk her away.
    Stop living in a fairy tale.
    The pendant heated more, making it hard to hold comfortably.
    “There you are,” Sachin said, walking around the corner of the house.
    Paige looked for signs of a car, but like always, she found none. He certainly had odd ways of arriving. None of that mattered. He was here and that was what was important. She stood, suddenly embarrassed by how dressed up she was. Normally, when Sachin came for a visit, he helped her tend to the horses and they laughed, talking about everything and nothing at all. She had something different in mind tonight. It was her twenty-first birthday and she wanted to celebrate. Sarah had prepared a birthday feast and Paige wanted to head into town shortly after, hopefully with Sachin by her side.
    She was on break from school and lonely. It wasn’t as if she was terribly social, so it was hard for her to make and keep friends. Sachin was the exception to the rule. He was outgoing enough for the both of them. He did tend to shy away from places that were too crowded, but