Fated Mates: Paranormal Romance Series Starters Boxset

by Hariharan, Laxmi

  “What?” She turns and flutters her eyelashes at me. “He doesn’t know who I am. Now’s my time to have some fun, you know, establish some rules before we set off on this mission. Best to get the upper hand already.” She taps a finger to her chin. “Know what I mean”?”

  “All too well.” I can’t stop the smirk that tugs at my lips. Maybe some of Dante’s asshole attitude is rubbing off on me. But the thought of my tiny, curvy friend getting a head start on showing a big bad Fae his place is going to be so entertaining. I hold up my fist. “Go get ’im, girlfriend.”

  She fist bumps then shrugs off her jacket. Her bikini top underneath is cut low enough for her breasts to all but fall out. Her shorts barely cover her crotch. She ties her jacket around her waist, and that only emphasizes the roundness of her ass. As for her knee-high boots, well, the heels are high enough that they make her legs seem long, like really long. Enough for Nolan to whistle and Hawke to take a step forward in her direction before Nolan yanks him back.

  “What?” He swivels around and blinks.

  “More fun to watch from the sidelines.” Nolan grunts.

  “You got that right,” I smirk.

  “Hmph.” Hawke folds his arms over his massive chest.

  His gaze follows Jessica as she prances right up to the edge of the ring. Then she pretends to drop something. She exclaims before she bends over, all the way from her waist, her butt sticking out. It’s as close to a stripper’s pose without actually performing a strip show. The man next to her drops to his knees and shuffles around trying to help her.

  There is a commotion, and another man flings the first out of the way before offering to help. Only for a third to join the fray, and then it’s a full-fledged fight on the sidelines.

  There’s enough noise being created for Tristan to lift his head and frown at the woman who straightens and shakes her hair back. It’s just a split second that he’s distracted, but it’s enough for Dante to land a punch to his jaw. Tristan falls over, out cold.

  Jess turns to me and holds up the thumb, forefinger and little finger of her right hand. The universal sign of the devil.

  I chuckle, then walk over to join her.

  “That’s a good start, eh?” She cracks her knuckles.

  “There’s one thing I forgot to tell you about these Fae Corps men.” I bite the inside of my cheek.

  Her eyebrows draw down. “What?”

  “They bite.”

  Hang on there’s MORE! To find out what happens next, get Jess and Tristan’s story in PROPERTY OF THE FAE, HERE.

  Read an excerpt

  Jess

  “You wanna get me killed?”

  “Huh?” I peer up at the Fae Corps soldier. “What did I do?”

  "You tell me," he nods at a point over my shoulder. “Judging by how Tristan is glowering at me from the corner, I'd say he wants to kill me for just looking at you.”

  He sidles back so he's just out of my reach.

  “Seriously, Doc?” I huff out a breath. "You’re acting as if Tristan has a claim on me.”

  Doc drums his fingers on his chest. “W-e-l-l, he is your partner.”

  “Work partner, and only on this upcoming mission to track down the Fae resistance,” I prop my hands on my hips.

  “Or, we could call him your alpha-hole." Doc chuckles.

  I glare at him, and Doc raises his hands faceup.

  We are at the arena in Singapore, to celebrate Dante mating my best friend Gia. After he deposed of Boris, the previous commander of the Fae Corps, the Fae and the Bureau of Shifters had decided to bury their differences.

  I have been chosen by the Bureau to partner with Tristan as a test to see if the two species can work together.

  Still, given the rivalry between the dragons and the Fae, I am wary of these men. “All eight of you Fae Corps men can teleport?”

  “You need to ask Tristan.” Doc shifts his weight from foot to foot. “Assuming he agrees to take on this mission with you."

  I clench my hands. "Didn’t know Tristan had a choice in accepting me as his partner or not?” I need this assignment and it's not for the money.

  “Fae Corps work alone.” Doc sets his jaw. "And I've already said too much." He makes a zipping motion over his lips.

  I grimace, then pluck at the cardigan around my waist, “You Fae are the most secret, loyal, and macho race I know.”

  “Don’t forget, possessive.” Doc's gaze shoots up over my head. His cheeks go pale. “Very possessive.” He pivots his body away from me.

  I blink.

  Heat slams into my back and the fine hair on my neck rises. Don't look behind. Don't. “Get away from her.” Tristan’s voice twines around me as if it's a lasso.

  Goosebumps pop on my skin. My toes curl.

  “You know me, Chef.” Doc's throat moves as he swallows. “Just harmless conversation.” His voice is low, as if he’s trying to appease an angry beast. Or a fuming apex predator alpha?

  “Sorry, Jess, but I hear someone calling my name.” Doc strides away.

  “Coward,” I call after him, then swipe the hair from my face.

  The heat at my back turns up a notch. The scent of pinewood and smoky incense swirls around me. Tristan's scent.

  My skin puckers. Every pore in my body seems to quiver in anticipation.

  “You have to face me at some point.” The rough edge to his tone tugs at my already sensitized nerve endings.

  “Do I?” My pulse rate ratchets up.

  “And you called Doc a coward?” A snicker floats down from somewhere far above me. “Pot meet kettle.”

  I bet if I turn around, I'll see a smirk on his face, his lips twisted in a way that promises retribution and pain and pleasure…so much pleasure. I swallow. I’m making things up in my head. Best to face this threat head-on. It’s what they taught us at the bureau after all. Never to give an inch. To always, always outwit your enemy.

  Yep, all I need to do is think of him as a challenge, a threat to my body, my heart, my soul…nah! Not that.

  Nobody gets to play with my feelings. Certainly not this full-of-himself, conceited Fae male. Don’t forget sexy. Did I mention mouthwatering powerhouse of dominance?

  Moisture slicks my core and my pussy clenches.

  I’ve only seen Tristan once and already his features are etched on my brain.

  My belly quivers. I set my jaw.

  I cannot give in to this insane chemistry that had flared between us from the second our eyes had connected. My children, I need to put them first.

  I have forty-eight hours to betray my to-be work partner so I can rescue my flesh and blood. I bite the inside of my cheek.

  I need to win this Alpha-hole's trust and get him to where Boris is holding my kids. I reach out to them on the psychic plane and sense their energies. Their pulse thuds in my head. The girls are fine, for now. But time is running out.

  I need to lure Tristan to where Boris has taken them.

  Which means I can’t give in to Tristan's demands. To do so will mean I have no influence over him. I need him to want me, hunger for me enough to pursue me.

  I must show this arrogant alpha male that his presence has no effect on me.

  I square my shoulders and swivel around. My throat goes dry.

  His massive, beautifully sculpted chest fills my vision. Mistake. Mistake. All my senses jangle. My instincts go into overdrive. The heat from his body slams into my chest, and I gasp. It’s as if his presence is a physical force that weighs me down, pushes me back, and forces my thighs to clench.

  My insides stutter.

  I press my booted feet into the ground. I am a trained soldier, a dragon shifter. I, too, belong to a species of hunters. But nothing has prepared me for this hunk of one hundred percent pure masculine male who blocks my path. I swerve around him, and he simply moves with me.

  “Let me pass.” I jut out my chin.

  “Cute.”

  “Excuse me?” Rage builds a slow burn low in my belly.
It’s mixed with something else. Lust? No, it’s more than that. It’s a primal need to throw myself at him, crawl under his skin, and wallow in his essence and ask him to take me and rut me. Bloody hell, I have obviously gone without the company of the opposite sex for too long.

  “Didn’t think you’d be afraid to look me in the eye.”

  “Am not.” I wrap my arms around my waist. My elbow grazes his abs. Rock-hard. Sculpted. Hard. So hard. Holy hell.

  “You said something, princess?”

  “Don’t call me that.” I raise my gaze to his.

  Searing blue and molten sapphire stare back at me. Glittering eyes, that can sear me, swallow me up, grind me down, and shatter me. Cold burns in them, and yet his pupils are black. Hard. Unforgiving. Everything about this man is uncompromising.

  “What should I call you then?”

  “Nothing.” I toss my head. “You can call me precisely nothing.”

  “That’s going to be difficult, considering we are going to be together for an extended period of time, you capisce?” One side of those gorgeous lips lifts up in a smirk.

  No man has the right to be so lethal. He’s sex on a stick, and I want to spear myself on him.

  My cheeks flush. “Now what, you’re Italian?”

  “Only when it comes to my preferred choice of cuisine when I cook.” His voice is serious. Does he know something I don’t?

  “Wasn’t aware that this was a social call.” All my instincts tingle. This man is up to something, but what?

  “That’s where you’re wrong. I wanted to invite you to dinner. My place.”

  Tristan

  "I'll be cooking."

  I hear my own words and wonder what the hell has gotten into me. I’d come here to grab her and haul her away from Doc. No, I’d wanted to take her from here, teleport out and carry her home, then bury myself balls deep in her and keep her captive for the next week until we set off on this assignment.

  If I can’t spend a few moments in this woman’s presence without wanting to fuck her, how the hell am I going to withstand an entire length of a mission with her? A bead of sweat trickles down my spine.

  She peers up at me from under those long, curling eyelashes. Those eyes of shattered amber stare at me.

  “You’re kidding me.” She tosses that waist-length hair of hers. Gold glints in the thick blonde strands that shine in the sunlight.

  I want to wrap that thick rope around my wrist, yank her head back, then bury my nose into the hollow at her nape and inhale her essence. My groin tightens. Blood rushes to my dick. I widen my stance, knowing I am already erect. And I haven’t yet touched her.

  “What, you not used to your man whipping up a meal for you? Just before he bends you over the table and fucks you. Making love to you until you see every color of the rainbow exploding in your mind.”

  She gulps and the sweetness of her arousal bleeds into the air. Then she raises her chin. “You don’t scare me.”

  “If you only knew the thoughts running through my head right now…” I bend my head until our noses almost bump.

  Color floods her cheeks. Her chin wobbles. But she doesn’t step back. And that’s impressive. And, no, I don’t go around inviting women home for a meal. Come to think of it, I’ve never offered to cook for anyone else, not until now. Maybe it’s because I know that once I take her, I won’t stop. Once I bury myself in her, there’s no way I am letting her go. I will not let her out of my sight, out of my space. I will keep her tied to my bed, until… Until I have mated her. Fuck me. Where had that thought come from? I take a step back.

  The breath rushes out of her. “You have ten seconds.”

  “Wha…what do you mean?”

  Fuck if I know. This entire putting things on a deadline, giving her a chance to back out, wanting her to leave before I do something I’ll regret, all of it is new. Different. My heart stutters.

  Why is it that I feel I am taking on something I won’t be able to see through? That I am already out of my depth? This is only the second time I’m seeing her, and I already know she is unique. I rub the back of my neck.

  Clearly, the thought of embarking on a risky mission, one from which I may not return, is preying on my mind. As much as the fact that her life will be in danger. I realize what I have to do. I need her to agree to come back with me. Then I am going to ensure that she never puts herself in danger again.

  And there you have it, the extent to which I will go to keep her safe. A woman I barely know. One who I am going to get to know better than anyone else. The scent of her, the touch of her, the taste of her, all of it is mine. Only mine. A low growl reverberates up my chest.

  She frowns. “You sound like one of those alpha-hole shifters, who I warn you, is exactly the kind of man who puts me off.”

  “Or maybe that’s exactly the kind of man you need.”

  “You mean someone like you?”

  “Exactly.” I thrust out my chest, knowing that’ll draw her gaze to my sculpted pecs and because that’s a surefire way of impressing females; it’s a gesture that’s never failed me in the past, and why am I trying so hard at trying to get this woman’s attention? I prop my palms on my hips. Sure, lay that macho stuff on thick. Why not, eh? You’re only trying to piss her off into doing something. Trying to get her to give you an opening. One whiff of weakness, that’s all I need. “Someone who’ll put you in your place, who’ll spank your ass till you learn your lesson.”

  “Lesson?” Her throat moves. She shoves her hand into her pocket.

  Don’t look there, not at her crotch.

  Not at my own either.

  Not now. Not yet.

  “What kind of lesson?” Her gaze widens.

  “The kind that warns you not to play with dangerous men, males out of your league, who can see right through that sass of yours. It’s what you want, admit it. From the moment you saw me, you marked me out. You knew we were going to partner on a mission, and you wanted to catch my attention. It’s why you distracted the men outside the rink while I was whipping my opponent’s ass, no less, then you came along and—”

  “What? What did I do?” She pulls her hand out of her pocket and holds up a lollipop in her fingers.

  “Huh?” I narrow my gaze on the candy. No way, she didn’t just do that. She didn’t unpeel the wrapper, then raise the rounded edge of the lollipop to her mouth and suck on it, did she?

  Her pink tongue wraps around the sweet, and holy fuck, I swear I feel the tug of her lips all the way to the edge of my cock.

  “Five seconds. Sweetheart. You have five seconds to get the hell out of here.”

  “Do I seem to be in a hurry?” She smiles at me, then jabs the lollipop in her mouth so one cheek bulges out.

  My dick strains in my pants, and I don’t need to look down to know that there is a bigger bulge just below my waist.

  “Four.” My voice comes out harsh. I swallow. I can’t take my gaze off that gorgeous, tempting mouth. I want her to go toe to toe with me. Want her to challenge me. Want her to get out of here so I am not forced to carry through my intentions. Who am I kidding? If she runs, I will chase her. Hell, I want to hunt her. Claim her, mate her…not. No, no, no. Not that again. If she runs, then the culmination of this encounter will only be more satisfying.

  If she stays? Then, I can’t be held responsible for what is going to unfold between us. Not when she tempts me, not when my dick throbs and strains, needing to be inside her.

  She sucks on the lollipop then glides it out and over her lips and holds it up. She raises her other arm. “I am trembling, can you tell?”

  Her chest heaves.

  “That you are, darlin’, and it’s not with anger or hate. It’s anticipation. You want everything I can do to you. You want me. It’s why you’ve been teasing me. Torturing me. Enticing me to come for you.”

  “Jeez.” She flutters her eyelashes. “Add psychologist to your list of considerable assets.” Her gaze sweeps down my chest to my crotch. Her eyes
widen. She flicks her tongue out to lick her lips, and that’s the last straw.

  “One.”

  Her gaze shoots up to me. “You missed a few numbers.”

  “Fuck the numbers.” Fuck me and my good intentions, too.

  “You’re cheating.” A pulse flickers to life at the nape of her neck.

  “Wrong again. So far, I’ve been decent, I’ve played by the rules.”

  I dip my head and snap my teeth around her lollipop, wanting it to be something else entirely that fills my mouth, but hey, I’m not complaining. Not when the tart taste of her merges with the flavor of cherry. The honeyed sweetness explodes on my tongue. I crunch down on the candy. My jaws move. The sound of my teeth tearing through the sweet is loud in the space.

  Her breath hitches and her gaze drops to my lips. “Um, I think I am going to leave now.”

  Finally! That predator in me snaps to attention. My vision narrows until all I can see is her, sense her presence, inhale that cherry-and-pepper scent of her. My cock shudders.

  She turns her shoulders away from me.

  “Too late. You had your opportunity and you didn’t take it.”

  “Remember, we are going to be partners in the upcoming mission.” Her eyes flash at me.

  “The fuck I care.” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I blink.

  The Fae Corps is all I have known.

  I had been the smallest kid in the orphanage, thin and scrawny. I was the one who the others had bullied. I’d been sixteen before I’d managed to escape.

  I’d run away from the orphanage and gotten into a fight with Nolan. The two of us had been picked up by the cops, then sent to rehabilitation. It hadn’t been half bad, and Nolan and I had made it through the next few years relying on each other.

  Nolan had gone on to study to become a doctor, and I’d trained to become a chef. I’d been working for a Michelin-starred restaurant in Singapore when a revenge attack by the berserkers had wiped out the entire restaurant.

  That was the first time I’d teleported out, along with as many people as I could save. That was when I discovered my true powers, fucking late bloomer that I was.