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Bran
Fae Shifters Book Two
Copyright Mindi Stewart 2019
eBook Edition
Electronic book publication 2019
All rights reserved. Any violation of this will be prosecuted by the law.
Cover by Dar Albert
Edited by Em Petrova
To my readers,
Bran was a long time coming! Devitt was out long ago, and I apologize to anyone who gave up on this book coming out but never fear, I’m working hard on getting the third book, Rhys, written.
I hope you enjoy this book, as it was written with love.
Josie Davis runs the Hogg Trough, a biker bar she inherited after her dad was sent to prison seven years ago for something he didn’t do, killing her mother. Josie is struggling to get past the loss of her parents when a gorgeous man walks into her bar. She is surprised at her strong reaction to Bran but used to guarding her heart, she won’t trust him enough to act on her attraction.
Bran St. Clair, King of the Fae, is drawn to a bar on the edge of a rural town, knowing the owner, Josie is his true mate. He needs to claim her, but his job is to search for outlaw Fae who escaped to the Earth Plane. His overwhelming need for Josie leads the murderous Fae traitor to her doorstep. There’s one man on Earth he trusts to help him; Michael Mato, the Chief and Lead Elder of the bear shifters and the only man Bran has ever loved.
When Bran needs his help to protect Josie, Michael is instantly drawn to her. After surviving the loss of his wife decades before, he’s overcome with his love for Bran, the need to guard Josie and his obligation of leading his tribe.
Will evil and old secrets tear them apart or draw them together?
This story contains unrequited love, two hot alpha-males, and true MMF love. There is no cheating, cliffhangers, and a HEA for the characters.
Trigger warning, there is a scene at the end of the book containing implied torture and sadomasochism.
Bran
Fae Shifters Book Two
by
M. D. Stewart
Contents
Bran
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Epilogue
Other Books by the Author
About the Author
Prologue
Twenty-seven years ago
The terrified scream of a woman woke her from a deep sleep. It sounded scary, and Josie was scared. She wanted her mommy and daddy. Her daddy was a big man who would protect her. She pulled the covers over her head and curled into a ball. She held her pillow tight when another scream had her shaking.
Something bad had to be happening because Daddy should be making the screaming stop. Even if the bar was loud with people, he’d hear and come to help her. Wouldn’t he? A loud thump hit the wall next to Josie’s room, but no one else screamed. She wanted Mommy because she always made everything better. She peeked over the covers and noticed her bedroom window was open. Maybe she should go out the window and get daddy at the bar.
Flinging back the covers, Josie ran toward the window, but it was dark outside. She could hear the music coming from the bar and laughter. Maybe her mommy had the television on too loud. She opened her bedroom door just wide enough to look out the hallway. The living room light was on, and she could hear men talking. Fear gripped her so she ran down the hallway to her parents’ room. The door was open. The room was dark, but no one was in bed when she climbed in. Still wanting her mommy and daddy, she pulled back the covers to get in the bed, covering herself quickly.
“Where’s the whelp?” The deep voice bellowed right outside the door, in the hallway.
“Please, don’t do this. She’s just a baby.” Her mom’s tear-filled voice gave Josie goosebumps.
“You shouldn’t have left, and you shouldn’t have delivered the bastard child.” The man wasn’t her father; he never sounded that angry.
“I – I know. I’m sorry I left without your permission. I just wanted to give her a chance at a normal life. Please, don’t do this. I’ll come back with you.” Josie wanted to run to her mommy, but something made her stay under the covers. “Look, she doesn’t know, and with no one here to help her, she’ll never know. No!” Her mom’s voice shook, and Josie could hear her crying as something loud banged against the wall.
“She’s not in her bed. Find her. Now!” The deep voice sounded more like a growl than a human voice.
“She’s gone, sir.” Another voice came from outside the bedroom. “The window is open in her room. Her pillow is by the window, and the scent of her fear is gone. She probably ran when she heard her momma’s scream.”
“Stupid bitch.” A sound of someone being slapped sounded a moment before her mother cried out.
“I’ll get that brat one day and make you both pay for your treachery.” The man with the deep voice sounded angry, and her mother began to cry louder. “In the meantime, you’ll be coming with me. If that human you married tries to look for you, I’ll kill him.”
“Okay. Please let me leave him a note so he won’t look for me. I promise I won’t tell him anything, just that I’m leaving. He doesn’t know about us. Or any of the Others.” Her mom sniffed. “I need to get some things from my closet, things that I’ll need, but I won’t take five minutes. Please. I don’t have a right to ask you, but I am.”
Silence followed. “I’ll allow it. Sanders, go outside and look for that bastard child. She can’t be far. And you, Eden, you have four minutes to write that note and get your robes. Any longer than that and I’ll come for you. Don’t make me do that.”
“What if I can’t find her, boss?” The second man’s voice sounded scared and not as angry.
“We’ll discuss it on the way back home. Right now, she’s better off here than home. She’d be a reminder of Eden’s inability to listen to me. And proof of her disobedience.”
Josie curled up between the pillows of her parents’ bed. She wanted to cry but knew she couldn’t. The light came on and the door shut. She heard her mom opening drawers quickly then sat down on the edge of the bed.
“Mommy?” Josie kept her words whisper quiet but peeked from under the covers.
“Josie? Oh, baby. Don’t make a noise, okay?” She grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled something quickly and moved back to the bed. “Stay where you are. Mommy has to go away for a little bit, and you can’t go.”
Josie started to whimper. Mommy couldn’t leave. What would happen if she wasn’t here?
“Shhhhh. Josie, stop your crying.” She pulled Josie into her arms and gave her a quick hug. “I want you to remember that I love you above all else. Remember that, sweetling.” Her mom put a bag on the bed and quickly pulled out a sharp knife. She pricked her thumb and smeared the bloody digit on Josie’s temples, lips, and throat.
“Blood cover the innocent. Keep her safe from harm and out of sight of those who would hurt her. Help her forget this night.” A tingle settled over Josie, running from her temples to her toes. She then covered Josie’s lips with her finger. “Don’t speak
until the morning. Don’t speak of this night again. So mote it be.”
Josie opened her mouth to ask her mommy what she was doing, but no sound came out. “I’m sorry, baby. Go to sleep. Mommy loves you now and forever.” Josie couldn’t move her body, and sleep pulled at her. It didn’t feel right. She looked up just as her mom ran to the bedroom door, turned out the lights and never looked back.
Chapter One
Present Day
He never wore a leather jacket, never showed allegiance to any biker group, be it the Red Neck Warriors, the Wild Hoggs or even the Angels, but no one bothered him either. She kept her eye on him, and after a few weeks, he spoke to her for the first time. Her stomach flipped when she heard his Irish brogue and when he smiled at her that first time, she felt the air leave her lungs in a whoosh. He was way better looking than anyone should be, and she knew she’d never stand a chance of getting his interest. Not only would the men at the bar frown upon his approaching her, but her weight and lack of confidence took care of any remaining chances.
Josie had inherited this place from her dad. A big, burly man with a body full of tattoos and a bigger laugh. He opened the Hogg Trough years ago for his motorcycle club the, Wild Hoggs, but the last few years she’d been able to update it. She wanted to stay in business, so she made the place more millennial-friendly. She added more lighting, cleaned up the bar, started offering hot wings and, some imported beers. The jukebox was from the early days, but the new crowd loved the “antique.” She finally had enough money saved to pay a live band to come in on Friday nights.
Now her dad’s biker buddies were getting older, and the once-tough biker bar was more for the young biker wannabes. The new crowd rode custom bikes that had matching helmets with radios and microphones to talk to their passengers. Josie didn’t care, as long as they came in and ordered beer and wings, she made a profit. She used that money to turn around and sink back into the Hogg Trough. Good thing her small house was attached to the back of the establishment, so she didn’t pay rent. The bills were also in the bar’s name, so the accountant who did her taxes was happy.
“Josie!” The old man smiled his toothless grin as he hobbled up to the bar. She loved the old coot. He was one of the first men to help guard her dad’s bar back when he first opened it. Uncle Ted used to be a big strapping guy with a long beard and longer hair. Cancer and a bitch of a wife had brought him low. Josie was glad he got rid of both cancer and his old lady. He could live out the rest of his life doing as he saw fit. She welcomed him around the bar and even let him keep his old title, Sergeant At Arms.
“Hey, Sarge.” Josie reached down and grabbed a diet cola from below the bar and opened the can. She made a show of looking around her before pouring in a shot of whiskey in a glass then finished it off with ice and the soda. Ted grinned at her wink before he carried it off to the table where a half a dozen of her dad’s oldest friends from his biker club sat. The table was lovingly referred to as ‘The Legends Table.’ Only a select few were allowed to occupy that those seats. When she looked up again, his gaze was on her. Smiling, Bran strolled over to the bar and sat at one of the stools.
“You’re a soft heart, Josie.” His grin made her shiver, and she hoped he didn’t see it.
“Well, I grew up with those guys, Bran. They’ve taken care of me since I could walk. No guy dared break my heart with them circling me like protective vultures.” She smiled as she wiped down the new wooden bar top. “What would you like?”
“I’ll just have a beer to drink, but I’d like a night out with you.” She shot him a look that showed her skepticism. She finished filling the mug and tossed the coaster on the bar.
Bran raised his eyebrows in surprise. “What? You act like no one has asked you out before.”
She hoped her shaking hands didn’t show when she placed the mug on the counter with a snort. “Bran, hardly anyone has. When I was younger, the men in this bar made it clear I wasn’t on the menu. If some guy asked me out, they were escorted out by the guys at that table.” She smiled, indicating the table with Uncle Ted and his buddies. “No one could get close to me here, and this is where I spent most of my life. The only dating I did was when I was away in college before…” She stopped talking and looked down. Her dad going to prison was still a soul-searing pain. She never got to the bottom of what happened.
“Well, I’d love to spend some time with you. I’ve been coming here for a bit, and I watch you every moment I’m here. I’m stating now that I’d love to take you out. It’s your choice of what we do or where we go.” He took a drink of his beer. His long hair was in a low ponytail that hung down his back, and his close-cropped facial hair made his throat visible. His throat worked as he swallowed. Nothing seemed so sexy. She must need to get laid if a man drinking beer got her hot. His tongue licked his top lip when he sat the half-empty mug down. He turned gorgeous green eyes on her. So not fair to look like him.
“I don’t date. And I especially don’t date guys like you.” She smiled to soften her words. She was surprised when he raised his eyebrows and then frowned.
“Guys like me? What does that mean?” Was that irritation she heard in his Irish brogue? Hmmm, that was unexpected.
“You know exactly what it means. Good-looking men built like you are more than likely players. Trust me, I know. I’m too old to be cute, too big to be pretty, too old to be used and too young to be desperate. No one would ask me out with all the pretty girls that come in here. Let’s just say I know I’m not your type, Bran.” She hoped he didn’t hear the pain in her voice. Because it was there, pulsing below the surface.
She had no delusions of what she was. At five feet nine, she was pretty tall for a woman, but her size sixteen body was anything but pleasing to the eye. She saw the anger wash over his features. From years of being around angry bikers, instinct had her stepping back away from the bar. She grabbed a towel and made to wipe off glasses.
“Josie, you are wrong about more than one thing.” His voice was quiet, but anger came through in his tone. “One, I’m not a player. Two, the girls who come in here don’t hold appeal for me, you do. Three, it pisses me off that you would even say those things about yourself.” He tipped back his mug, then gently set it on the shiny new bar. He reached in his pocket and then threw down some bills and stood. “I’d stay and talk more, but I need some air. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“The bar is closed on Sundays. I’ve got to have a night off once a week.” She took his mug and dumped the dregs in the sink below the bar and set it in a tub of soapy water. She tried to hide her hurt expression at his abrupt departure.
“I know you’re closed. I’m bringing a picnic dinner, and I’ll pick you up around five.” He narrowed his gaze. “Be ready.”
She swallowed hard as he stormed through the crowd. The men at The Legends Table watched him with weary eyes as he strode past them to the door. A motorcycle started and roared to life a moment before she heard him speed away. She was so shocked at his outburst that she was speechless. But her heart was pounding hard in her chest.
*****
Bran was so angry at what Josie had said, not only about him, but about herself, that he had to get outside and cool his temper. Damn. Human women. They seemed to judge themselves deficient at every turn. They also thought a man who looked a certain way would play them false. Were human men so conceited and uncaring that they made their women so insecure? Any man who had hurt Josie so badly should be hunted down and beaten within an inch of his life.
Bran hit the throttle hard and turned up the speed on his motorcycle. Josie drew him like no other he’d ever met. When Connor had shown him the area on the Earth Plane that Mori Maclin was last spotted, he’d seen Josie and knew she was his. He’d not touched her yet, but he’d known she was his mate and not just someone he was attracted to. He just wanted to feel that electric spark to confirm it. And see what it felt like.
He had centuries of experience under his belt and had never found his true m
ate like his youngest son Devitt had. He would never admit it, but he envied his son that connection. Dev was just shy of a century old, but he’d met Sienna and mated her. Bran grinned. He knew those two were enjoying the benefits of true mates. He shivered thinking about experiencing that himself.
He pulled into the driveway of the house that he was living in now that he was on the Earth Plane. The sad part living away from Faedom, he needed blood more than when he was home, but then again, Josie was here. He took off his helmet after parking his bike in the garage, removed the leather thong, and shook out his long hair. The bar was a perfect cover for him to have his need for blood sated. The large group of healthy men to grab a quick pint of blood from made for easy hunting. He had to stay strong to hunt the Maclin rogues who had escaped the Fae Realm and to search for Rhys, who’d gone off the radar.
Dev and Sienna were upset their former lover, and Dev’s best friend, had disappeared. Bran had first thought Rhys had wanted to get away from seeing Dev and Sienna. Though they’d stopped their three-way relationship amicably, it still hurt Rhys to give it up. Once Rhys and Dev had healed Sienna with the Vibrational Healing, Dev and Sienna had completed their mating bond, shutting Rhys out of their relationship.
After Rhys had been badly injured defending Sienna from rogue guards, he’d given up the will to live. When the bear shifters had taken the badly injured Rhys back to their camp to care for him, no one expected him to disappear. They woke up one morning, and he was nowhere to be found. It was killing Dev and Sienna. It hurt him too. Rhys’s father, Connor, was his own best friend. Bran had watched those boys grow up together.
Bran sighed as he removed the magical protections on his house and stepped into the lonely abode. He grabbed his cell and looked for any texts that would let him know if Rhys had been found or any rogues had tried to cross the bridges between the Earth Plane and Faedom. The only text was from Connor who would be bringing fresh blood to him tonight. Sighing, Bran moved to the bedroom to undress and shower. He had a picnic to plan for tomorrow.
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