Goldie and Her Bears (22 page)

Knights of Ares Book One

by Honor James

"She's living in Sweetwater," Anton said as he looked up from the computer he'd been working on for the past hour. "She owns a small property, works at the local hospital and her daughter is enrolled in the local elementary school. She's never married and doesn't date. And from what I can see of her financials, every penny she brings in is very carefully handled and either goes to the kid or to necessities."

"Doesn't mean she doesn't date," Marius said, looking over his shoulder.

"No, but this does," he pulled up another screen. "This guy, Michael has been IM'ing her off and on for the last year. He asks her out and she says no, says she's not ready and so forth. Basically that is the cold hand of the brush off, lads."

"Sweetwater is only an hour away," Gareth murmured to Mikhail as they stood out of the way of the others who were tracking down Daisy and her daughter.

Nodding, he let out a breath, "She'll be on shift tonight, which means we're not going to have a hell of a lot of a chance to talk to her. We need to get to her as she comes off shift. Get to her when she's tired and not thinking clearly."

"We corner her and she'll run off," Gareth pointed out.

"Yeah, but we have to see her, if for no other reason than to return the diary that I'm pretty damn sure Honey wasn't supposed to be toting around," Mikhail looked at him. "We’ll leave early and get there well before her shift ends. We’ll take some of the lads and do a full recon to ensure she's actually there, and then use them to keep everyone else away from where we take her to talk."

"Sounds like a plan destined to get us thrown in jail," he muttered, rubbing a hand over his short red hair.

"Won't be the first time and I'm pretty sure it won't be the last," Mikhail smiled slowly. "Hell, at least jails in the States come with toilets and benches."

"Shut up," Gareth said before he nodded. "Let's do it." Turning to face the room, he moved to the table and looked around, "Guys, we have a shitty plan that has jail time written all over it. Who's in?"

Like he even had to ask.

Twisted Fates Series Book One

by Willow Brooke

Jessa Meadows shifted her weight between each foot unable to stand still. Today had proven to be even worse than the previous with no end in sight. The past few months had been a hurricane of agonizing disastrous events. With a huff, she slung her silky golden hair over her shoulder and handed the huge cup of coffee across the counter to the disgruntled and obviously caffeine deprived woman. When she turned around to grab the glass blender pitcher, she knocked it off onto the tile floor and it exploded into shards.

Jessa cursed under her breath at the broken glass that lay scattered around her feet. The past six months she had been slammed straight into her first heat with a vengeance. The more she fought it, the longer it dragged on and the more intense it grew. What was supposed to be a milestone in growing up as a shifter had become a living nightmare. It was similar to human puberty, only jacked up on steroids. A shifter could not scent their mate or be scented by their mate until after losing their virginity, or receiving a kiss from them. It was expected of all shifters to experiment sexually during this time, where in the human world it was socially and morally wrong to scratch every hormonal itch. Like wild animals, they would bang every single wolf who so much as gave them a wink and a smile. It was an animalistic fuck fest, and Jessa wanted no part of it. Her wolf fought for control, lunging at every weak spot in an attempt to take over. She was mentally drained, and physically restless. Obviously clumsy could be added to the growing list now, too.
Yippie freakin’ skippy
. Frustration pooled in the rims of her eyes and threatened to spill as she cleaned up the shards.

Every man within sniffing distance was all up in her personal space, eagerly offering his services in every humorous and pathetic way possible. The problem was, she refused to give her virginity to the first mutt that came along. It might be unheard of in shifter society, but Jessa wanted her first time to be meaningful. The idea of falling on her back for the first horn dog that came along at the right time made her stomach turn.

Lost deep in the recess of her thoughts while robotically preparing the next order at Mocha Express, her wolf growled and pranced in a challenging dance at the scents that wafted in her direction. The sudden yelp from the group of girls at the counter was a reality mental slap. The animalistic noise must have slipped out, because they now looked at her as if she had grown a tail. She had to resist the urge to peek behind her and make sure she hadn’t.
Super.
Jessa offered up a sweet smile, hoping it would dissipate their sudden shock. Mocha Express was one of the few chains that catered to both humans and otherworldly creatures, offering treats and beverages for shifters, vampires, and many other magical creatures that humans were oblivious to. Plus, it provided cover for the group that occupied the attached mansion.

Vampires and shifters took up residency at Gates Manor, a huge mansion that dated back into the eighteenth century. The eclectic group of paranormal prodigies worked together to keep the balance of the world in order. To prevent the devil from spreading evil through demon possessions and taking over the magical community, angels banded together with this elite group and gave direct orders for them to follow. Not many knew of the group’s existence, and great measures were taken to keep it that way. They were known as the Guardians by the select few who helped and fought with them on each mission.

Michael Stone was the head vampire in the agency, who was in charge of all of the vampires on the continent. He had a huge army of vampires at his ready who fought without question and at a moment’s notice. His wife, Christina, was
the
most powerful witch who originated from the first bloodline. Her aunt Autumn had been until Christina accepted her powers in the moon ritual. Together, the duo was unbeatable. Most witches needed three to harness magic to their full abilities. Autumn and Christina didn’t.

Next was Alan Black, one of Autumn’s two mates. He was the alpha of the wolf shifters in Northern America and represented them in the Guardians. Her other mate, Braden Wilder, was the alpha of the jaguar shifters in North America and also member of the Guardians. Together, they all made up one big, happy—odd family.

Working the day shift at Mocha Express meant more humans and the need to contain her wolf better, but it also meant less shifters that her mangy mutt would try to jump on. It was a catch-22.

Unfortunately, word must have gotten out of her schedule change. The door chimed announcing the arrival of the mob of six shifter men, all sporting huge grins and hungry looks. The intensity shooting from their eyes confirmed the hunger they had wouldn’t be sated with Danish rolls or pastries. Anger immediately boiled through her veins.
Tough luck, guys. You aren’t getting your hands on my cookies. Make a move. I dare you.

Quickly drawing her attention back to the task-at-hand, she hurriedly finished the order and braced herself for the scene that was about to unfold. With her wolf chomping at the bit, she gritted her teeth and shoved the animal back into its restraints.
Time for some fun. Let’s see if you guys can keep up!
She plastered the biggest smile she could muster, and turned to her overeager customers. “Good afternoon, gentlemen! What can I get for you today?”