by R. E. Butler
“Good, really good. I don’t think my skin’s ever looked so nice.”
“Aw, I’m glad.” She picked up a shadow palette and said, “Do you want something soft and feminine or more like a smokey eye?”
“Dramatic. I think?”
Dani smiled. “You’ve got beautiful eyes; you can definitely have a smokey eye and look dramatic.”
“Then go to it, girl.”
Dani got to work, listening as Sarah talked about being a wolf shifter and one of only two unmated females in the pack. “Why are there so few females?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “My dad said that predator shifters have more male children than females, but he never said why he thought that.”
“Must make it tough to date.”
“Shifters don’t date. Well, not really,” Sarah said. “I mean, if I wanted to have a baby and I didn’t want to wait for my soulmate, I might ask Joss to set up a meeting with an eligible male from another pack who was interested in having a child but not becoming mated.”
Dani frowned. “People do that?”
“Shifters do. If they want to have kids but don’t want to mate with anyone but their soulmate. I could also decide I wanted to just mate with someone and start a family, but we still wouldn’t date. Not like humans do. Our families would meet, and we’d spend time together, fuck around and see if we’re compatible.”
“It sounds kind of sad. No offense.” Dani put down the eyeliner and picked up the false lashes.
“I’m not offended. Some people don’t like to wait for fate. Especially shifters who don’t believe in soulmates. I happen to believe that my soulmate is out there somewhere, I just haven’t met him yet.”
“Maybe tonight.”
Sarah snorted. “I highly doubt that, but there’s nothing wrong with a little bit of hope, I guess.”
Dani finished applying the lashes, then swiped highlighter and blush on her skin, adding a pale lip gloss as a final touch. Dani swiveled the stool around so Sarah could see her reflection.
Her eyes went wide. “Holy shit!” She leaned forward and stared at herself.
“Holy shit good? I hope.”
“Definitely. I don’t think I’ve ever looked this good! You’re a miracle worker.”
Sarah turned and hugged Dani.
“Aw,” Dani said with a chuckle. “I’m glad you like my work.”
“Like it? I freaking love it. I’m going to tell everyone to come see you. Thank you so much!”
“You’re welcome. I’m so glad you stopped by.”
“Me, too. Hey, can I get some of that facial cleanser that smells like coconuts? I love it.”
Dani pulled a bottle off the shelf and handed it to her after she scanned it into the tablet to keep track of stock. “Here you go. It’s my favorite.”
“Thanks again,” Sarah said.
“Good luck tonight,” Dani said.
Sarah waved and left, leaving Dani alone in the shop. She smiled to herself as she cleaned up, thinking how happy it made her to make people happy.
“Hey sweetheart,” Neo said from the doorway. “You ready to close for the night?”
“You bet,” she said.
“You look like you were thinking something really good. Maybe about me?” He wiggled his brows suggestively.
She laughed and turned off the mirror. She walked past the counter where she placed the tablet in a drawer and locked it, pocketing the key. As she reached the doorway, she turned off the lights and then kissed her soulmate.
“I’m always thinking sexy things about you. You’re irresistible.”
“So are you.”
She told him about Sarah and how good she felt helping her out.
“I’m glad she stopped by,” Neo said.
They linked hands and walked away from the marketplace, heading toward the gorillas’ private living area. “Me, too.”
She stopped once they were inside the area and the door was shut. He looked down at her, giving her a curious smile. “Everything okay, love?”
She didn’t answer right away, but looked around the area at the homes on fake trees made of steel, the dark floor and painted walls that made her feel like they weren’t in New Jersey underneath a safari park, but were somewhere wild and free. So much had changed in the last month since she’d met Neo and learned the secret of his people and her own family. But the herd had recovered from the loss of two members, Khyle was fitting in with the shifters, and her parents were getting ready to go on their first vacation in twenty years once the apartment complex was finished.
“I’m so happy.” She looked up at him.
“Me, too, sweetheart.”
“I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I thought I was happy before, but it’s a shadow of what I feel now. You’re everything to me. I’m so glad for the events that fell into place to bring us together. I didn’t know soulmates were real, but I’m glad you’re mine.”
He pulled her close, his eyes darkening and his gorilla hooting happily.
“Sweetheart, I’m so glad you’re mine, too. The other half of my heart. Sweet, sexy soulmate. Love of my life.”
He kissed her, sending her senses reeling, and then he carried her up to their home, where they chased the night from the sky with their love, and fell asleep, sated and happy, in each other’s arms.
She couldn’t believe that a trip to the safari park had brought her so much happiness. She was thankful for the twist of fate that had brought her and Neo together, and she couldn’t wait to see what the future would bring.
Coming October 12, 2020 from R. E. Butler
The Author’s Truemate (The Necklace Chronicles Book Six)
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Also from R. E. Butler
Arctic Shifters
Blitzen’s Fated Mate
Dasher’s Fated Mate
Prancer’s Fated Mate
Vixen’s Fated Mate
Cupid’s Fated Mate
Dancer’s Fated Mate
Donner’s Fated Mate
Comet’s Fated Mate
Ashland Pride Series
Seducing Samantha
Loving Lachlyn
Marking Melody
Redeeming Rue
Saving Scarlett
Chasing Cristabel
Jilly’s Wyked Fate
Embracing Ehrin
Holding Honor
Tempting Treasure
Having Hope
Hyena Heat Series
Every Night Forever
Every Dawn Forever
Every Sunset Forever
Every Blissful Moment
Every Heavenly Moment
Every Miraculous Moment
Every Angelic Moment
The Necklace Chronicles
The Tribe’s Bride
The Gigolo’s Bride
The Tiger’s Bride
The Alpha Wolf’s Mate
The Jaguar’s Bride
The Author’s True Mate (Coming 2020)
Norlanian Brides Series
Paoli’s Bride
Warrick’s Bride
Dex’s Bride
Norlanian Brides Volume One
Villi’s Bride
Dero’s Bride
Saber Chronicles Series
Saber Chronicles Volume One (Books One - Four)
Tails Series
Memory
Mercy
Emberly
AnnaRose (Coming in 2020)
Uncontrollable Shift
The Alpha’s Christmas Mate
The Dragon’s Treasured Mate
The Bear’s Reluctant Mate
The Leopards’ Christmas Mate (Coming in 2020)
Vampir
e Beloved Series
Want
Need
Ache
Desire (Coming in 2021)
Were Zoo Series
Zane
Jupiter
Win
Justus
Devlin
Kelley
Auden
Tayme
Joss
Neo
Wiccan-Were-Bear Novella Series
A Curve of Claw
A Flash of Fang
A Price for a Princess
A Bond of Brothers
A Bead of Blood
A Twitch of Tail
A Promise on White Wings
A Slash of Savagery
Awaken a Wolf
Daeton’s Journey
A Dragon for December
A Muse for Mishka
The Wiccan-Were-Bear Series Volume One
The Wiccan-Were-Bear Series Volume Two
The Wiccan-Were-Bear Series Volume Three
A Wish for Their Woman
Wilde Creek Series
Volume One (Books 1 and 2)
Volume Two (Books 3 and 4)
Volume Three (Books 5 and 6)
The Hunter’s Heart (Book Seven)
The Beta’s Heart (Book Eight)
The Wolf’s Mate Series
The Wolf’s Mate Book 1: Jason & Cadence
The Wolf’s Mate Book 2: Linus & The Angel
The Wolf’s Mate Book 3: Callie & The Cats
The Wolf’s Mate Book 4: Michael & Shyne
The Wolf’s Mate Book 5: Bo & Reika
The Wolf’s Mate Book 6: Logan & Jenna
The Wolf’s Mate Book 7: Lindy & The Wulfen
Stand Alone Stories
Purred Promises
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Coming Next in the Were Zoo Series: Cael (Were Zoo Book Eleven)
November Jones is the product of a one night stand her mother had twenty-four years earlier. Her father washed his hands of her when she was born. Novi doesn’t know him except to curse his name and the weird genetics he left her with. She wouldn’t give him a single thought, if it weren’t for the fact that his family tried to kill her when she was a toddler and she and her mother have been on the run ever since.
Elephant shifter Cael spends his days as the in-house veterinarian at the Amazing Adventures Safari Park taking care of the normal animals. His nights–as lonely as they are–are spent underground with the other shifters, staying hidden from humans. It’s a day like any other when he’s in his shift in the paddock while the safari tour vehicles drive by…until he smells something amazing and knows a beautiful brunette VIP is his soulmate.
The problem? Novi is no ordinary human. When Novi’s father returns with a vengeance, can Cael convince Novi and her mom that the very safest place for them is in the park?
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