by Tl Reeve
Mating Their Witch
The Salem Wolves Series
By
TL Reeve and Michele Ryan
Mating Their Witch
Salem Wolves
Copyright ©2019 TL Reeve and Michele Ryan
Edits ©2019 Michelle’s Edits
Cover Art ©2019 Taurus Colosseum Design
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of R2R Publishing.
This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, locales, or events is wholly coincidental. The names, characters, dialogue, and events in this book are from the author’s imagination and should not to be construed as real.
Manufactured in the USA.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Mating Their Witch
A Note from the authors....
Also By
About the Authors
Jamie Bishop is starting over. A new town and a new life is exactly what she needs after the death of her best friend, Mary. However, when she arrives in Salem, things aren't what they seem to be and being there comes with its challenges, namely, Zane Adock, local Sheriff.
Zane Adock has been waiting for what feels like forever for Jamie to come home. But, every time he tries to talk to the little witch, she wants nothing to do with him. What's worse? She doesn't even remember him.
Cian Kane is Zane's beta and his lover. They are two parts of the Trinity. All they need is little Jamie Bishop to join them to make it complete. He'll stop at nothing, right along with Zane to get her memories back.
Unfortunately, there's a killer in their midst. The ritualistic scenes remind Zane of a time twenty years ago when witches were being murdered without compunction and Jamie had been sent away. Now, Zane, Jamie, and Cian must work together to find the killer before the killer can find his next target—Jamie.
* This is a continuing series - Each book can be read separately, but it would be best to read them in order. There are NO cliffhangers.
** This book contains M/M/F, M/M, and M/F/M
A Note from the authors....
Dear Readers,
Happy Halloween!
Wow, I don’t know where to begin with this story. Michele and I wrote this book almost five or six years ago. It was supposed to be our debut story. A book to say here we are as a team. However, things went in a different direction and we brought you our TSU series first, then gradually drifted into Apache County and our R.O.O.T books as well.
Sure, there were others along the way. I can’t deny that, but this book, Mating Their Witch, sat on the shelf waiting for the perfect moment to come out. Well, now is the time. We are so excited for you to finally meet Jamie, Zane and Cian. We can’t wait for you to meet our witches and warlocks and shifters. We can’t wait for you to see all the different creatures who also call Salem home.
When we sat down to write this, we both loved the mysticism of Salem. We were both intrigued by the history of the Salem Witch Trials. How mass hysteria could grip a community and cause such chaos. We also love the history of Salem, good, bad, and ugly. There is just something about the place that drew us in. We hope you enjoy our version of Salem and that you’ll want to return in the future.
As of right now, we have three books planned for this series. If anything should change, you’ll be the first to know.
If you’d like to join us and keep up to date on all the goings on with our publishing dates, you can follow us at: www.facebook.com/groups/RandRravingreaders/
Until next time,
TL and Michele
“James Bishop.”
The distinct clip of heels on the parquet floor drew Jamie Bishop's attention away from her computer. A small grimace floated across her lips. Only one person had that heel-to-toe gait, Ava Adock. The stubborn woman made it her mission every Friday night to approach Jamie and ask to grab drinks at the local watering hole—even though her answer never deviated. Ava didn't know the meaning of no—nor did she take it for an answer. Perhaps, because the girl never heard it in her life?
“James, it’s time to hit Mass Hysteria, for happy hour and appetizers.” As if eating finger foods and drinking fruity cocktails were either of their things. No, she preferred beer or tequila to Ava’s cosmos and daiquiris.
“Uh...” Jamie didn't have the patience to deal with Ava today. Nor any day that ended in Y for that matter. If she could get away with it, she'd pack up her desk, and leave early. Unfortunately, she had this thing about being a ‘dedicated and responsible employee.' She started work on time and left when scheduled. Plus, since it was Friday, she had several tickets to print out for her budding list of clients.
A sigh passed her lips as she clicked the print icon before she looked up at a smiling Ava who leaned against Jamie's desk, waiting for an answer. God, Jamie hated her in the; ‘why-do-you-have-to-be-so-gorgeous?’ kind of way. Ava had pulled her long, black hair into a messy ponytail, which highlighted her slate-colored eyes, and her full lips. All of her features were pixie-like. Narrow cheekbones. Big, doe-shaped eyes giving her an elfin-like quality.
“James.” Her friend arched a perfectly manicured brow at her.
“Ava.” Jamie pasted on a fake smile.
“James,” Ava replied, her voice soft and feminine.
Jamie wanted to roll her eyes at the nickname she’d been given. “What?”
Upon arrival six weeks ago, and while being introduced to the staff, Ava had immediately started calling her James. Jamie corrected her several times, and once even asked her to stop. Yet, Ava continued, and she’d finally just given up, accepting the fact, Ava would always call her James.
Ava narrowed her eyes.
“No,” Jamie replied, crossing her arms as she sat down in her chair.
“Are we really going to continue to play this game week in and week out?”
“Depends. How long are you going to continue to ask me to go?” she questioned.
“I’m one determined woman.” Ava smiled at her. “Ask Zane, he will tell you.”
“That's okay. I’ll take your word for it,” Jamie muttered.
Zane Adock, Ava's brother, and town Sheriff scared the ever-loving hell out of Jamie. Standing at least six-and-a-half feet tall, his broad shoulders, only added to his intimidating size. His piercing grey eyes penetrated her soul whenever she caught him staring, and he was downright handsome, too—even when he scowled. Jaime had never been around a man who radiated pure animal power like he did. Intense didn't even begin to describe him. She made it a point to keep her distance, which became near impossible due to him being Sheriff.
“Does he ever smile?” Jamie asked. Why does it matter?
“Who? Zane?”
She nodded. Stop it. You don’t care, remember?
“All the time. You’ve only seen him while he is on duty. He’s all business when he is working. I didn’t come to talk to you about Zane. I came to ask you to come with me tonight, remember?” Determination laced her friend’s words.
“If I say yes, will you promise to stop asking me?” Jamie caught and kept Ava’s gaze while she waited for her response.
Ava bobbed her head.
“Okay, I’ll go. But—”
“No buts. You’re going.”
Jamie gave a long-tortured exhalation. “Okay, what time would you like me there?”
“Six thirty, and I’ll pick you up at your place.” Her slate-blue eyes sparkled with excitement as a smug smile tugged at her dark-red lips.
&nb
sp; “You don't—”
“Yes, I do. I invited you. Besides, I have to drive right past your place anyway, so it's no problem at all.” She pushed off Jamie's desk and moved to the opening of her cubical. “I'm so excited! See you later!
Oy, what the hell have I gotten myself into? What does one wear to a bar? She knew, without even having to look into her closet, she didn't have decent clothes to wear. Her wardrobe had been sparse, to say the least. It consisted mostly of older work clothes Jamie took meticulous care of, plus several pairs of well-worn jeans, along with a couple of t-shirts and a sweatshirt or two—maybe a sweater, but nothing she would be comfortable wearing out.
Yet, another reason she always told Ava no. She didn’t want to look like a rag doll standing next to her stylish and beautiful friend.
Shit.
Once she finished the last few tasks for the day, Jamie changed into her sneakers then began the mile plus hike to her apartment. She didn't mind the walk. It gave her time to explore Salem. Plus, if it helped her save money by not repairing her old junker or putting gas in it, then more power to her. Plus, in the six weeks, she'd been there, she'd lost two dress sizes—yay her—hence another reason she had nothing nice to wear.
You did get paid this week, maybe you can go shopping...
Jamie did like to shop—when she could. Most of the time, she found herself meandering around, taking in the sights more than actually trying to buy stuff. While out on her discovery treks, she tried to find one site to visit and learn about. She also loved to read about the history of Salem. Historical books were piled up on her bedside table for a bit of light reading before bed. This weekend she’d already planned a trip to where some of the witch trials took place.
In the sixth grade, after reading Salem Possessed with her class, she'd been inexplicably drawn to the history of the town. Almost like she'd been there—experienced it for herself. Mary, her best friend from Rosewood, had been the only one she could open up to and discuss how she felt. At least Mary didn't look at Jamie like she had three heads and a tail.
A wave of sadness washed over Jaime. They were more than best friend, or co-workers or even roommates. They were like family. Mary had been killed almost four months ago—a freak accident had been what some called it, but she knew the truth. Because the investigation was on-going, she received updates periodically, however the detectives weren’t any closer to solving the case—more so, since they reassigned it from accidental death to homicide.
Jamie reached up and brushed away the stray tears running down her cheeks. She still hurt. She considered Mary her guardian angel. A best friend everyone in the world deserved. On the day Mary died, Jamie didn’t have any early morning printouts for her clients. So, instead of carpooling with her friend, Mary had gone without her. However, as luck would have it, her piece of crap car broke down, on the way to work, causing her to be late by several hours. By the time her Uber driver pulled up to the travel agency where she worked, police, fire, and EMT workers were already on scene and had setup a perimeter around the building.
What the...?
The only car in the lot beside all of the rescue vehicles, had been Mary’s. An anxious knot of dread formed in her stomach. Her heart pounded as she began to tremble. Mary would have been the only one there—should have been the only one there. Jamie glanced at her watch and frowned.
She approached one of the uniformed officers and swallowed hard. “W-what... uh... What happened?”
“As far as we can tell, she’s been attacked by an animal of some kind,” he answered.
“An animal attack?” Jamie screwed up her face. “What kind of animal?”
“Bear or something,” he replied, while continuing to stare at the glass-fronted building.
“We...” She licked her lips, her mouth suddenly going dry. “We don’t have bears around here.”
He nodded. “That’s the crazy thing. We all know this. However, some of the deputies are saying a bear got out of the wildlife preserve fifteen miles from here.”
“I guess it wanted to go on a vacation,” she muttered.
“What?” The officer finally glanced down at her. His hard, brown eyes didn’t do anything to assuage her fears.
“Nothing. Can you tell me how many people are in there?” She already knew the answer, but for some reason she had to have the answer. Had to hear it to believe it even though none of it seemed real.
“Just one.”
She didn’t know how long she stood there staring into a void of nothing, her heart broken, leaving a hole in her soul, before one of the detectives came over and showed her a picture of Mary for a positive identification.
At least her eyes were closed.
She could snort at the ridiculous thought now, then it’d been practical. Like, in some small way, it meant maybe Mary hadn’t suffered. Yeah, right. After the last update she’d received a few days ago, the case had been turned over to Homicide. New evidence had been found on Mary’s clothes, and they suspected murder. Well... duh. She wondered if the fact their place had been tossed gave them a clue it wasn’t some ‘bear,’ to begin with.
But, who would want to murder Mary?
They were travel agents for cripe’s sake, not FBI or CIA agents or professional criminals. Just ordinary, everyday Joes. Mary was the sweetest, kindest person in the world. She'd never hurt a fly. Jamie couldn't fathom why anyone wanted to hurt or kill her friend. Now, the Rosewood police department wanted her to return to look at mug shots and answer some additional questions, something she’d been putting off doing. In all reality, she didn’t want to go back to Rosewood. The minute Mary died, the whole atmosphere changed. It was darker. Creepier. She couldn’t put her finger on the reasons why, but at the time, she attributed it with her grief. Yet, if it was, shouldn’t everywhere she went feel the same?
Salem felt like home. Like she could breathe freely after a great oppression. A peacefulness settled over her the minute she passed the city limit sign. Of course, her peace came with consequences in the form of a svelte beauty named Ava. She irritated the piss out of Jaime, however in a small, insignificant way, she begrudgingly had to admit, she also liked Ava. It was why Jamie had given over to her requests. She wanted—no needed, to take her mind off the entire incident in Rosewood—even if she had her reservations about going to Mass Hysteria.
Jamie hit the landing of the third floor for her apartment building and sighed. They really needed to fix the elevator. The exercise was never that good of a reason to always take the stairs. Once she grabbed her keys from her bag, she let herself into her home. Maybe she needed a cat. Surely, the manager wouldn’t care if she cared for a little black kitten or tabby or one of those awesomely weird hairless cats.
She threw her satchel on the table and put her hands on her hips. The place, in all reality, was a dump, probably wasn’t hygienic for a cat to be in there. She’d left Rosewood in such a hurry; she hadn’t been thinking straight. She didn’t have any money since she’d paid her bills and wouldn’t be paid again for two weeks, then there was packing her things or leaving them behind as well. Seeing Mary's body like she had that day, laying under the yellow sheet, tore a piece of her soul. She’d been lucky to remember her name let alone rationalize her grief and fear. Instead, she grabbed enough stuff to sustain her for a few weeks and walked away from the rest. It wouldn’t look good on her credit score, but at the time, she didn’t care.
Jamie stepped into her bedroom at the end of her short hallway and was greeted by a picture of her and Mary sitting on her bedside table. As she crossed to it, she thought about the day it had been taken. They’d gone to an outdoor multi-headline concert. Foo Fighters had been headlining it, and neither one of them could say no. She handed her phone to the cute guy sitting next to them with his boyfriend, and he... Shit. He caught them perfectly. Her bottom lip trembled. Jamie missed Mary something awful. She picked up the photo and ran her thumb across it.
Until we meet again, dear friend.
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After placing the photo back on the polished hardwood stand, she glanced around her room. The dirty dingy walls needed a good scrubbing and a coat or ten of paint. She promised the landlord, if they didn’t question her, she’d do some of the work on her own. Boxes she’d never unpacked lay stacked beside the closet. The smoke-stained shade allowed a shaft of late afternoon sun to cut through her room. Dust particles danced through it, drawing her gaze back to the photo. Stop dwelling, silly girl. Ava will be here soon, and if you’re not ready...
Jamie groaned. Ava would pick out her clothes or better yet, take her shopping. If Ava took her anywhere, she’d be glammed out from head to toe, and that didn’t sit well with Jamie. There was no reason she had to be glitzed out while drinking a beer at a bar she didn’t want to be at to begin with. She took a step back when she opened the door on her closet and perused her meager wardrobe. Gotta make do with what you’ve got, kid. Jamie grabbed a pair of her newest jeans, and the light-pink sweater Mary gave her for her birthday two years ago. Wish me luck. Hopefully, Ava won't try to push me off onto her brother. Not that it would be terrible. But, come on. The man was hot as hell. He could have anyone. He didn’t need her. Zane Adock was out of her league.
Of course, she wouldn’t admit her low self-esteem out loud. She’d always been a little on the chubby side. She chalked it up to being a foodie. Before everything went to shit, she loved cooking. Loved trying new restaurants. Mary and she had started planning a European tour of tasty cuisine. Don’t do this to yourself. You’re going out for the night. You should be happy. ‘Should,’ being the operative word. She exited her room with her clothes in hand then stepped into the bathroom for a quick bath. When she was finished, she grabbed her clothes and began to redress. The jeans, which had been a little too snug the week before, zipped and buttoned right up without a struggle. Her ass looked fantastic in them. Finally. Thank you. She didn't know who, in particular, she thanked, perhaps it was her piece of shit car or the millions of steps she’d taken since she arrived, either way, she’d been proud of herself.
