Love is a Whirlwind (The Shifter Chronicles 2)

Love is a Whirlwind

The Shifter Chronicles 2

Beginnings Book Two

M.D. Grimm

Love is a Whirlwind

The Shifter Chronicles 2

Beginnings Book Two

M.D. Grimm

Cover Art by Catt Ford

Copyright 2021 M.D. Grimm

Smashwords Edition

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Epilogue

Want To Continue The Series?

Blind Devotion excerpt

About This Book

Chronological List of Series

About M.D. Grimm

Other Titles by M.D. Grimm

Connect with M.D. Grimm

Chapter One

The family’s guilty secret had grown; Pasiphaë’s bestial

Adultery now was exposed in her monstrous offspring, the

Mínotaur.

Minos determined to hide this disgrace to his marriage-bed

Inside the twistings and turns of a dark, inextricable maze.

~Ovid, Metamorphosis

Caleb tightened the bull rope, making sure the bull rider had a good grip and that the bull still had the ability to move. The arena was loud, and the barrel man was doing his usual ditty for the crowd. Caleb listened with half an ear, double-checking that everything was secure on his bull.

He looked into Whirlwind’s eyes and smiled. Just one more, buddy, then it’s over.

For good or bad, the bull rider said, thinking Caleb had been speaking to him.

He patted the man’s shoulder and sat back, waiting for the bull rider to nod to the gate man to let him know he was ready. Caleb looked around the large arena. The crowd was loud, shouting and screaming for bull and man alike. He took a deep breath, taking in the sweat, the scent of bull, and the smell of victory. Whirlwind was the best bull in this arena. He had a 100 percent buck-off rate and the baddest reputation of any bull in the Professional Bull Riding circuit, or the PBR for short. He was up there with Bodacious and Dillinger, and he had won the Bucking Bull of the Year two years in a row.

He wasn’t the only bull Caleb had in the circuit, however. He had eight other strong bucking bulls, but none compared to Whirlwind.

He looked back at Whirlwind and knew the bull was antsy. He was ready to get out there and show the crowd what he had. The bull rider gave the gate man his nod. The chute opened, and Whirlwind lived up to his name. The bull flew out of the chute, bucking like a demon, and the rider didn’t stand a chance. Whirlwind twisted like a tornado and kicked up dirt, making it hard for the rider to keep up. It wasn't three seconds before the rider flew off and did a face-plant in the dirt.

The crowd ate it up, but the bull wasn’t done. Whirlwind ran after the bull rider even as the rodeo clowns descended on him, trying to keep the rider safe. The bull appeared to be satisfied with running those jokers off and let the rider gain his feet. The cowboy hightailed it out of the ring while the bull flung his head around in triumph. He strutted for the crowd, the flank strap and bull rope falling to the ground.

Caleb grinned wide, his face actually hurting, as he cheered with the rest of the crowd. That was his bull out there. His friend.

With a coat of rich chestnut, deep brown eyes, and the strength of an elephant, Whirlwind was a prize wanted by many stock contractors. They made numerous offers yearly, but Caleb and his mother would never sell Whirlwind, not for all the money in the world.

Whirlwind strutted through the return gate, head high. Caleb snickered. Whirlwind was so full of it. Arrogant prick. But he was Caleb’s arrogant prick.

It was over. They had won. He knew without a doubt or looking at the points that Whirlwind had won. They would take home a good chunk of money along with more prestige than ever before. He wished his dad were still alive. Wouldn’t his mother be ecstatic? Of course, good ol’ Mandy O’Connell wasn’t one to get ecstatic. She would just nod, humph, and say good work. But that was the equivalent of other people jumping for joy and doing a victory dance. For himself, Caleb would do a little shimmy. But it was too crowded in the arena to get a good one in at that moment.

The celebration wore on, the officials named the bull riding champion, took pictures, and Caleb, along with his crew, received the winner’s check and nearly made blind by all the flashes of cameras. The crowds slowly filed out, the media left, and the cleanup crew arrived. Caleb, sweating and probably smelling like a dumpster, made his way to the trailer where they kept Whirlwind.

The other bulls and the rest of his crew were already on their way home, but he took care of Whirlwind personally. He drove the trailer that housed the star bull, and he set his own schedule when he started home. He always left a day or two after everyone else.

He called his mom as he walked. We won.

Of course we did.

Caleb grinned, a spring in his step.

How was our champ?

As feisty as ever. You should have seen him! He deserves a reward.

Mandy chuckled. I’ve seen him plenty of times. And I’ll leave a reward up to you. The rest of the crew get out all right?

Yep, everything is on schedule.

See you in a few days, then?

Yeah. Love you.

Love you too.

They hung up.

Hey Caleb!

He turned to face one of the rodeo clowns jogging toward him. It took him a moment to remember the man's name, and the paint was the reason for the recognition. He rarely saw the clowns out of their costumes. Caleb stopped, planning to give him only five minutes of his time.

Hey, Rich, he said. You were good out there.

Me? The man laughed and slapped his shoulder. What about you and that bull? Whirlwind's amazing! Never seen a bull so quick and smart. Sort of eerie, right? The way he knows just how to turn, and when to buck, and how high. Intelligent.

Caleb shrugged, unease making his stomach cramp. As far as bulls go, I guess he's intelligent. You could also say he's well-trained. There were other bulls out there that were just as impressive.

Come on, the clown said, nudging him. Just between you and me, what's the secret, huh? You have to admit, he almost has human intelligence—it just blazes in his eyes. Yet he's a bull. Strange, right?

Caleb’s palms started to sweat, and he rubbed them on his jeans. Yeah, right. Listen, I have to go. Nice talking to you. Good show this week.

He left as quickly as he could, never looking back. He rubbed his stomach and forced himself to put it aside. That wasn't the first time he'd been asked about the secret when it came to Whirlwind, but there had been a strange gleam—almost manic—in Richard's eyes, and Caleb didn’t like it. At all.

The trailer wasn't as large as other trailers that housed more than one bull, but the size was adequate for a prize bull. It was mostly black, and the sides were painted with flames and the words, Professional Bull Riding in large print. He’d done the work himself. He detoured to the cab of the truck and searched around in the back for a second before finding the duffel he needed.

When he returned to the trailer doors and opened them, he smiled at the sleeping bull. It was only a moment before the bull opened large brown eyes and regarded Caleb steadily. Those brown eyes could always capture my attention. He stood in front of Whirlwind with a huge smile, and the encounter with the rodeo clown drifted to the back of his mind, buried. This wasn't the day for worries, it was the day for celebration.

We did it, buddy. Another notch on our belt and all that money. Maybe we should go commercial, huh? Have you sell a few products?

The air shimmered and pulsed around the bull, the sensation causing Caleb’s arm hair to stand on end. Then, right before his eyes—like many times before, though it never lost its awe—Whirlwind shifted into Ryan, his best friend. The same rich brown eyes that belonged to the bull now belonged to a sturdy, naked man kneeling on fresh hay.

He had a broad chest and shoulders, with a thick waist, thighs, and arms. He resembled a bull even in human form, not simply because of his brutish face, but his temperament. It wasn’t surprising, considering Ryan’s mother was an actual cow, and his father had been in bull form during his conception. It was incredibly rare, nearly impossible, for shapeshifter offspring to be born from an animal and a shifter. Ryan was certainly one