There's Snow Escape: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Paranormal Dating Agency Book 7) (2 page)

THREE

Brecc stared at the Ice Mountains. Snow coated the high peaks. From their cabin atop the highest level, he saw the scenery he’d come to love since he’d been a boy. The sharp throbbing at his temples didn’t diminish with the hours being alone. The pressure was on. Get a mate. Complete their triad. If not, elders would pick a mate and they would have to honor the rules of keeping whomever was chosen. Whether they liked it or not.

“Brother.” A female voice sounded behind him.

He turned from the large glass window to greet his sister. “Alessandra? I didn’t realize you’d be coming this way.”

Alessandra tossed her long white curls behind her shoulder and smiled. “I wanted to surprise you.”

“Where is Tatiana?”

“Eros got his hands on her and she’s being shown the upstairs room you made for her to play in.” She came closer, her pale blue eyes cloudy with concern. “You’ve found no one.”

He shook his head. “We are at the end of our rope. The matchmaker left but said she’d be back soon. When she returns for the king’s wedding, she will help us.”

“That’s something, no?” she said, trying to inject hope into her voice.

“Not if she can’t help us.” The doom expanding in his chest didn’t allow him to feel much more hope.

“Try not to think on it too much, my brother.” She walked to where he’d stood by the window and stopped beside him. “Have you considered…earth?”

He had. The problem lay in his and Eros’s appearance. With their pale skin and white hair, they tended to attract attention. Adding their size was a sure fire way to get them noticed by everyone. Not something they were looking for. “We are leaving that as a final desperate measure. We’re not looking to get media attention if we go there. Aurora is not going to be discovered because we went to earth and they found us too interesting to ignore.”

“It’s hard when you guys look so imposing and big and well, sexy.” Alessandra laughed. “A great problem to have most of the time, but in this case it didn’t help you guys.”

That was the sole reason he and Eros hadn’t gone to earth to find a mate. He was pretty sure from what he’d seen of Bella they could find someone their wolves would howl for.

“We’ll see what we can do with the matchmaker. I won’t allow anyone to tell me who to mate.”

“Brecc, don’t do this to yourself,” Alessandra pleaded.

“I’m an Alpha. In charge of a pack larger than some countries on earth and I need to listen to someone else? No. Not going to happen.”

“You are so damn stubborn!” she growled back. “You need a mate. When you rose to Alpha, you knew this was a possibility. Find your own or they’ll find one for you.”

“I refuse,” he snarled.

She gasped. “You can’t!”

“I do!” The room shook from the sound of his voice. “This is
my
pack. I make the rules,” he growled. “My people follow what I say. I won’t be pushed into anything. I’ll find my mate my own way. The elders can fuck off.”

He didn’t have much hope though. Fucking hell! Time was running out. In a few weeks, the elders would come knocking and nothing they said would be valid other than having a mate to show off. And there was no leaving his pack. He’d been born into a line of Alphas that didn’t quit over any fucking thing, much less the lack of a female.

“How are things with the Dragos?”

He growled, the wolf immediately pushing to the surface. They were making his life miserable. Not that Alyx had helped much with them. The king was too busy being happy to worry about the Ice Pack and their river being taken over by the damn Dragos. For so long, the Dragos had used a different source of water and now they wanted to own one of the major rivers the Ice Pack used. “Not good.”

“You need to sit and speak with Vikter. He could push aside his frustrations and understand how this need for the river can be a joint venture,” she suggested, turning to face the glass and the mountain peaks.

“I don’t want to talk to him. Nothing was achieved before. Instead, we are ordered to allow use of the river by Alyx like the fact we own it means nothing.” He curled his hands into fists. He’d been tempted to visit the Dragos holding. But nothing was solved with violence. Not when it came to the fucking river.

“I still say you should. Talk to Vikter. He’s got his own stresses. Like Alyx, he’s approaching his end of time in order to find a mate. Unlike Alyx, instead of being unable to breed, he’ll
die
. I am pretty sure that’s damn stressful, if you ask me.” She blew out a breath. “Most of the adults are in hibernation, except for the younger dragons who tend to wake earlier. Yet he still has to worry about finding a mate or face certain death.” Her shoulders slumped. “It’s not even like he can fight it. His dragon will die from the need to mate.”

That was the sole reason Brecc hadn’t brought his pack into the land belonging to the dragons known as Dragos.

Alessandra turned to him, her eyes pleading. “Why don’t you talk? You used to be friends at one time. I don’t know what happened, but you should figure it out. You’re both in the same boat. A little understanding can go a long way.”

The idea made his muscles tense with anger. What Alessandra didn’t know about his broken friendship with Vikter was best left in the past. Telling her would only open old wounds and make his sister hurt unnecessarily. He’d figure things out.

FOUR

Charlotte sipped on her wine and waited for her best friend to come out of the dressing room where she was getting fitted for her wedding dress. A dress Charlotte herself had bought and gotten into to ensure it would fit.

Charlotte needed more than wine right now. Crazy how the people in this world told her the wine would calm her stomach. Humans clearly weren’t marketing it properly. And she didn’t care that it was still first thing in the morning. Well, it was back on Earth. Out in Nova Aurora? She didn’t know anything other than the forest was purple and getting through the space travel opening thingy fucked up her stomach. She’d been throwing up the previous night like she was nursing the worst hangover since college.

“Princess held up a lot better than you did during the transport it seems.” Bella’s laughter carried from the dressing room.

“Yeah, well she’s a cat. They’re used to crazy heights and dangerous stunts. It’s why she’s got nine lives, remember?”

“True.” Bella sighed. “But I hoped you wouldn’t have the same issue I did. Getting sick sucks.”

“I didn’t have a panic attack. I just felt like my muscles were weighed down hard, my head started to hurt and then my stomach rolled with every step I took.” She sipped on the delicious fruity wine they called
Sidaii
and leaned back on her lounger. “By the time we were through, Gerri almost had to carry me, the bags, and the cat.”

As if on cue, Gerri, matchmaker extraordinaire, walked into the bedroom and smiled at Charlotte, her bright blue eyes twinkling. “Is she done, yet?”

“Almost,” Bella said. “This is not that easy to put on.”

“I offered to help,” Charlotte shrugged. “But she’s a
cabeza dura
.”

Gerri chuckled. “Hard headed? I can see that about her.” Gerri took a seat across from Charlotte. “Have you given any thought to what I asked you?”

“What did you ask her?” came from Bella.

“She wants to match me up,” Charlotte replied and scrunched her nose. She picked up a long dark strand of hair and twirled it in her fingers. Her dating life was non-existent. After that seven year marriage went nowhere, she’d divorced and gave up on love. “I don’t know…”

“Do it!” Bella yelled. “She hasn’t been on a real date in forever. Maybe a nice shifter is what she needs.”

“Really, Bella?” Charlotte laughed. “You make me sound like I haven’t been with a man in ages.”

“You haven’t!”

Gerri cleared her throat and lifted a brow. “It wouldn’t hurt to try.”

Ah, what the hell.

“I guess. I’m not opposed to finding a good man.”

Gerri raised her brows. “Or two?”

She choked on the wine she’d just sipped. “Excuse me?”

Bella laughed from the fitting room. “Some of the shifters come in pairs.”

“Seriously?” Charlotte blinked.

Gerri nodded with a slow smile. “I need to know you’re willing to give a set a try if they happen to be the ones for you.”

Two men? The idea boggled her mind. She’d yet to meet one who was worth her time, much less two. If Gerri could work that miracle she wouldn’t turn them away. “I guess. It might take some getting used to though.”

“As long as you’re willing to give it a chance. Who knows what you’ll find here.”

Charlotte had been so happy to get off Earth. The pressure she was under to write the follow-up to her self-help book on learning to live with big curves was getting overwhelming. She hadn’t expected that kind of response.

All she’d done was write down her thinking on how society made big women feel and how women living with curves needed to change their thinking to stop feeling inferior to anyone smaller.

Along with all the fame of her book, she’d been in the public’s eye. Something she hadn’t enjoyed at all. She sucked it up and did what she had to in order to give big girls a voice. Rebecca, had been harassing her about an interview for her magazine as well.

Their last conversation hadn’t gone well. If only Rebecca could see the beauty of Aurora. The gorgeous forest and how clean the air felt. So crisp. Even waking up to two suns had done nothing but add to the charm of the alien planet.

“So?” Bella asked walking into the bedroom.

Charlotte and Gerri gasped in unison.

“You look…” Charlotte mumbled, rushing to her feet.

“Amazing!” Gerri said and stood as well. “Absolutely gorgeous!”

It was true. When Charlotte had tried on the wedding dress, she’d been eyeing it from a friend’s point of view and knowing exactly how much Bella liked simplicity, she’d gone with a strapless A-line dress that had a blinged-out sash at the waist. The sheer material went well with the warmth of the forest where Bella lived, but the empire waist favored Bella’s growing baby bump.

“You look beautiful,” Charlotte said, watching Bella twirl. One of the walls changed into a giant mirror, allowing Bella to look at herself from head to toe.

Charlotte still couldn’t get used to the fact everything seemed to be mood related. Her bedroom had been colored in a soft pale yellow that reminded her of the roses her grandmother used to grow in her garden. This was a good change for her. So much of her life had been spent allowing others to hurt her with their words.

When she divorced her ex, she’d divorced the old Charlotte. Since then, she’d embraced her own voice. Spoke her mind. She sure as hell wasn’t allowing anyone to make her feel like she used to. Being in charge of her own life gave her the strength to be assertive and determined.

Life had been rough in the emotional sense. But the past few years of self-confidence in her body and her voice had taught her to be more aggressive. Whoever didn’t like her self-assurance, her body-positive ideas, or the fact she was a big girl, could go fuck themselves.

Bella rushed forward to Charlotte and hugged her. “Thank you for getting this dress. It’s perfect.”

“I’d do anything for you. You’re my bestie.”

Bella’s eyes filled with tears. She sniffled and wiped at her eyes. “I’d do anything for you too,” she said, clearing her throat and glancing at Gerri. “Find my best friend a good man.”

Gerri inclined her head in a regal nod. “I’m on it. Hopefully she’d able to tame anything that comes her way.”

Charlotte raised her brows. “I don’t know about taming, Gerri. I can’t even get my hair to do what I want.”

Bella laughed, grabbed a handful of Charlotte’s curls and tossed them back. “Men are like hair. You have to whip them into shape and before you know it, they don’t ever stray from their rightful place.”

“Well, if men are anything like my hair, then I am in for a shifter that will pee on the carpet and destroy my shoes like some horrible hair days,” she joked. “I’ve yet to meet one man who isn’t a douche.” She raised a hand when Gerri opened her mouth. “That includes my father.”

“Shifters are not like human men.”

“Thank god for small miracles,” Bella said. “They’re straight out of a woman’s fantasies. Alphas. Sexy. Romantic. And the sex…” she sighed. “Out of this world.”

Charlotte laughed at the over-dramatic way Bella spoke. She met Gerri’s amused gaze. “I’ll have whatever you gave Bella.”

“Darling, we are going to get you a lot more than you ever expected.” Gerri laughed. “All I ask is for you to have an open mind. It will help you along the way.”

Right. Open mind. Had she not had more than two glasses of the
Sidaii
wine, she’d worry about the way Gerri said that.

FIVE

Brecc tugged at the neck tie. He hated dressing up.

“Leave it alone. You’re messing up Alessandra’s hard work,” Eros chastised. He leaned next to Brecc. “What’s making you so anxious?”

He didn’t know. His animal was practically doing cartwheels inside. It was a hell of a time to keep his wolf under control. “I hate these kinds of functions. I don’t like how hyped up my wolf gets.”

Eros chuckled. “You hate everything with any crowds. How you manage such a large pack is beyond me.”

Brecc inhaled slowly. He pushed the tension out of his system with each exhale. “That’s why I have you. I solve problems. I fight. You handle emotions.”

Eros nodded and met his gaze. “One of these days you’ll have to handle emotions as well, Brecc. It won’t be something I can always do for you.”

Brecc didn’t do emotions. He did the job. He was an Alpha who took care of his people. Emotions took up too much time and they didn’t always end up being easily explained. Someone always got hurt. He preferred to handle logical problems, including war, than deal with emotions.

He took the glass of wine Eros offered him. “I’ll deal with it when the time comes. For now, let’s focus on finding the matchmaker.”

Eros whipped his head around, looking through the crowd. “She’s here?”

“Yes. She returned a week ago to attend Alyx and Bella’s wedding.” Brecc glanced at the tribes and packs from other parts of Aurora dressed in their finest. All had come to watch the king marry a human. But it wasn’t the fact she was human anyone found interesting, it was their way of showing respect for the new queen that brought them to the wedding.

The large ballroom in the palace, normally used for massive tribe meetings, held chairs and flowers of the palest blue. The palace was so crowded, Brecc and Eros chose to stand by one of the walls instead of taking their assigned seats.

The ripple of voices quieted until there was silence in the hall. Then, a lone figure appeared at the back of the hall entrance. Brecc’s heart flip flopped. He fought hard to push his wolf under control. The animal yanked and pushed for release from his skin cage.

“Who is that?” He didn’t realize how rough his voice had gotten until some of the guests turned to frown at him.

“I don’t know, but she’s having a strange effect on me,” Eros whispered.

Brecc gripped his best friend’s shoulder. “Could she be? Do you think?”

The closer the woman got to the front of the hall, the harder it became to stand still. She swept her gaze around the crowd. Her dark chocolate skin was covered in a pale blue dress that did nothing to hide the voluptuous curves underneath. Her curly hair had been pulled back and tied in a low ponytail leaving the long strands hanging low on her back. She smiled softly and continued her examination of the guests until her eyes locked on him. The pasted-on smile slid off her face, and he sensed the shudder going down her spine.

Eros let out a harsh breath next to him. “Brecc? Did you feel that?”

“Yes. She
is
the one.” He gulped at the dryness in his throat. His muscles ached liked he’d been in battle and shifted to heal.

“She’s human. I know she’s human.”

Brecc continued staring at her, his gaze never leaving her face. She stopped at the front of the hall and faced the row of petals she’d walked on. Then, as if drawn by his gaze, she glanced at him and Eros. There was no soft smile or flirty gaze. She just stared.

He wondered if she could feel their connection.