Not My Shifter/ Sinfully Cursed (Shifter Paradise) (Volume 1)

by Kate Allenton

  Zander chuckled. “Well played, Officer McKenna.” He moved around the bar and pulled out a chair at one of the tables. “Why don’t you two tell me what’s going on, and I’ll see if I can help.”

  They moved to the table and sat down. “Someone from here called the police and ruined my bust.”

  He tilted his head, gesturing to the wall behind him. “I do have pay phones, dear. You’re assuming I know who made the call just because the call came from my club.”

  Parker waved her hand. “Oh forgive my ignorance, Zander. I thought you were aware of everything that happens in your club.”

  His eyes swirled again, an indicator she’d come to recognize. She had his attention.

  “Not to mention it was one of your demons who almost killed Quinn and me while stealing a fairy crystal.” She raised her hand to her chest as she turned back toward Quinn. “I must’ve been wrong; he isn’t as all knowing as he appears.”

  Parker stood, and the demon reached for her arm, staying her. “You’re saying one of my demons stole a Devic crystal?”

  She nodded.

  “Who?”

  “Sully.” She pulled her arm away from him and turned around at the last minute. “Since you didn’t know, then you probably also don’t know that someone killed him while he was in the hospital. A silver knife stuck through the heart.”

  Quinn crossed his arms over his chest. “I thought you said that the silver would only stun them and burning is required to send them back to hell.”

  Parker nodded toward Zander. “You need only silver on the lower demons. It’s the higher-level demons like Zander here that would need to burn.”

  Zander stood, and his eyes darkened to pitch-black. “Whoever is screwing with my demons will pay.” He spun around. “I’ll be in touch.” He moved with determined strides out of sight down a long hallway.

  “Well that was fun,” Quinn said as he snatched a matchbook off the bar and stuck it in his pocket as he followed behind Parker out into the club parking lot.

  She slid behind the wheel of her SUV and didn’t move to start the vehicle. Quinn got in on the other side. She slammed her open palm against the steering wheel. “The man knows everything. How is this possible?”

  She rested her head against the steering wheel and let out a sigh. Her phone rang breaking her one-person pity party. She pulled out her phone and held it up to her ear. “Hello.”

  “Parker, where the hell are you?” Devlin asked in a steely voice.

  “Quinn and I just spoke with Zander at Blue Moon to see if he knew anything. Why?”

  Parker heard something break in the background, and Devlin cursed.

  “Where are you, Devlin?”

  “Your house. You need to get back here, like now…You had a break-in. Everything is trashed, and I can’t find Remi. Jameson and I are going to go look for him. Maybe if I use my legs as bait, the little shit will come out of hiding.”

  That would have been humorous if the situation wasn’t dire. Remi did like to hump Devlin’s legs every time she came over.

  “Please find him, Dev.”

  “We will. Rachel is going to stay here and wait for you. And Parker…”

  “Yeah.”

  “Needles and Remington are on the way.”

  “Perfect.”

  Parker’s vision momentarily blurred. An unfamiliar ringing started in her ears. She dropped the phone to her lap and flicked the ignition. She backed up out of the parking spot and squealed the tires against the asphalt as she pressed the gas pedal to the floor.

  Quinn clicked his seatbelt in place. “Fairies aren’t immortal, are they?”

  Her brows dipped. “No, why?”

  “You’ve had a shot of alcohol and a beer, and you’re driving like the hounds of hell are on your ass. I think you need to pull over and let me drive.”

  She bit her bottom lip. “Lesson six. Alcohol doesn’t affect us like it does humans. It burns through our system quicker and takes a lot more to even get us tipsy, much less drunk.”

  She tugged on the wheel, taking the curve so fast the vehicle tilted.

  “What is wrong!” he demanded.

  “Someone broke in my house, and Devlin can’t find Remi.”

  He placed his palm on her neck and squeezed. “Pull over, Parker. Let me drive. I can get us there quicker and in one piece.”

  She nodded and pulled over. They changed positions, and Parker stayed in a daze until they reached her house. The chief had shown up, along with Ben Remington and Rachel. Parker glanced around at the people and couldn’t find Devlin. She hurried out of the car after Quinn threw it into park. She bypassed the house and went to Rachel. “Where’s Devlin? Did she find Remi?”

  Rachel lowered her gaze and shook her head. “Jameson caught his scent, and they went running off into the woods. They haven’t made it back yet.”

  “Which way?” Quinn’s voice deepened.

  Rachel pointed into the woods behind Parker’s house.

  “McKenna,” the chief bellowed.

  “I’ll go help look.” Quinn glanced over at the chief before meeting her gaze again. “You stay here and deal with this.” He took hold of her arms and looked her in the eye. “We will find Remi.”

  She nodded to appease him. What the hell had happened? Remi had to be terrified. Would he even know to go to Jameson or Quinn? Maybe she should go look too.

  Parker walked over to the chief. “Sir, my dog is missing. Can this wait?”

  He looked at her as though she wasn’t speaking English. “Seriously? Your house has been trashed, everything inside is ruined, and you want to go look for a mutt?”

  She stepped into his personal space, not a move she would have typically made, but what the hell? Her day has gone to crap in the blink of an eye. “Remi is a part of my family, sir,” she said through gritted teeth. “It’s too late for my house or the stuff inside but not for my dog. He may be out there hurt and scared. I don’t expect you to understand, just to respect the fact that he is like a child to me.”

  Remi’s bark drifted to her ears before she spotted all three of her friends walking out of the forest. Quinn was carrying Remi in his arms. A tear fell from Parker’s eye.

  Quinn scrunched his nose and turned his face as Remi’s big red tongue snuck out and licked dog slobber all up his cheek.

  She stepped toward them. Another tear fell. Quinn stopped in front of her, and she barely had time to catch Remi as he leapt from Quinn into Parker’s arms. She leaned into his black fur and kissed his head. She inhaled a deep breath. No smell of blood. She laid her head on his chest. No signs of whimpering. Thank god.

  Rachel stepped over to them. “Parker, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how they broke through my protection spell.”

  The chief crossed his arms over his chest. “Protection spell? Did I miss something?”

  Parker handed Remi back to Quinn and stepped forward. “I thought it was best that Rachel place a protection spell around my house since Quinn and I were staying here, at least until Ben finished with his investigation and you guys figure out how to transfer the fairy powers out of him.” She walked beside her boss as a way to steer him back toward his SUV. She leaned into his side. “It looks like I was right. Any word from the elders?”

  He pulled open the SUV and leaned against the door. “We already know about the curses and Rachel’s spell. This smells like another witch or wizard. Either that or whoever is responsible has one on their side. Everything is pointing to a dark-caster.”

  “Sir, I believe you’re right. A dark caster would have been able to break through both protection wards, and he or she has to be strong and experienced to set the black widow spell. We need to look at that angle.”

  He nodded. “I’ll start pulling our resources.” He looked up at her house. “You have somewhere else to stay until all of that is cleaned up? Do you need to use a safe house? Since we’re most likely dealing with a caster, I don’t think I’d even set foot in the house. It�
��s probably tainted with a trap or tracking spell.”

  She glanced back at her house. Her shoulders drooped, and she gave him a weak nod. “I’ll keep Quinn with me, and we’ll relocate.”

  Parker watched as the chief and Ben left before she regrouped with Devlin, Rachel, and the guys.

  “We need to move out.” She glanced up at Quinn. “It’s not safe here.”

  He nodded.

  She turned to Rachel. “Can you call the coven to see if any type of magical fingerprint was left behind? I’m sure whoever broke your spell also left another one in its place.”

  Rachel nodded. “I’m so sorry, Parker.”

  Parker’s gaze landed on her front porch. The chairs were broken. Her fern, Fred, lay on its side. Fred’s pot was shattered into broken pieces. Fred was trampled, his leaves torn and smashed into the porch. Everything she’d worked her life to acquire was in her house. The same damn house she couldn’t even go inside to get a change of clothes. Nothing.

  “Fred’s dead,” Parker whispered.

  “Who’s Fred?” Quinn asked.

  “Her plant. Although I think he was on his last legs before now. The poor girl can’t grow a thing.”

  “I heard that,” Parker replied.

  Devlin threw her arm around Parker’s neck. “Well, you know it’s true. You can come stay with me and Jameson. No one will mess with you two there.”

  Parker glanced up at Jameson. The grim look on his face was priceless.

  “That’s okay, Devlin. I’m not sure how much sleep Quinn or I would get if we stayed with newly found mates.”

  Rachel stepped up. “You two can stay at my place.”

  Parker shook her head. “If we’re dealing with a witch or a wizard, I don’t think that’s such a good idea. You’re coven is like gossip central and it would be only a matter of hours before the entire coven knew we were staying with you. I think we have a better shot if whoever the wizard is, doesn’t know where we’re staying.”

  Her gaze dropped to her feet. Parker could read Rachel like a book. She blamed herself, as though she’d failed Parker in some way.

  Parker pulled her in for a hug. “Thank you for everything you did. None of this is your fault. If you hadn’t placed the protection spell to begin with, then they wouldn’t have had anything to slow them down. Something could have happened to Remi.”

  Quinn raised his brow. “We can stay at my house.” He nodded to the house. “Are you going to pack a bag?”

  She shook her head. “The chief doesn’t think it’s a good idea to go back in until we’re certain there haven’t been any other spells cast to track us.”

  He nodded with a confused expression on his face. “I didn’t even know that was doable.” He shifted Remi in his arms and glanced back into the woods. “I think we need to leave.”

  “I think you’re right. We’re an easy target standing out in the open like this.” She nodded, said her goodbyes, and walked over to the SUV. She pulled out her phone and dialed the only other person besides Devlin she would trust with her life.

  “Hey, it’s me…I need a favor.”

  Chapter 7

  Quinn listened to the one-sided conversation as Parker drove down the street. She drove up two streets, took a right. and drove down three streets before she pulled into a driveway of a home similar to Parker’s but a bit bigger.

  She turned to Quinn. “Wait here. I’ll only be a minute.”

  She lifted Remi out of his lap and slid out of the SUV. She rang the doorbell, and a tall, dark-haired guy opened the door, a good-looking guy. The man pulled her into his embrace and kissed the top of her head. Remi practically leapt out of her arms and into the man’s arms. A ping of jealously hit him square in the chest. Not as bad as when the demon had his mouth and hands on Parker but still, the move was just enough to aggravate him. He pushed the unfamiliar feelings to the back of his mind.

  Quinn grinded his teeth together and tried to remain aloof as Parker came back to the SUV, leaving Remi behind.

  “Ex-boyfriend? Remi’s Vet? Is he your baby daddy?” No, he didn’t sound jealous…did he?

  He caught her trying unsuccessfully to hide her smile. “My brother.”

  Never taking his eyes away from her face, he grinned. “Well, now that we have the babysitter and a place to stay, it’s a shame that we can’t explore this mounting attraction. I know you’re just dying to get my hands back on your body. Maybe see if I can get you to scream my name louder this time.”

  She didn’t hold in her chuckle this time. “I wish. Maybe later, although when you’re acting like yourself again and it won’t kill you.”

  He snapped his fingers. “Ah, that pesky curse sure is a mood killer. If the sex is taken off the table…sex on a table…well, that sounds promising...”

  She batted his arm. “Focus.”

  “No sex, then what else do you want to do for fun?”

  “How about we figure out who the hell is playing with our lives and take him out of the equation?”

  He nodded. “Lesson seven. Don’t screw with Parker McKenna or her pooch?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Parker pulled down the long drive to Quinn’s log cabin. She killed the ignition. “Good thing I keep a bag packed in the car for emergencies.”

  Quinn wiggled his eyebrows. “Sleepovers…am I right?”

  She smiled and shrugged without answering the question. She got out, grabbed her bag, and stepped up on the porch behind him. “When did you become a comedian?”

  He pushed the door open, took her hand, and slipped the bag free from her grasp. It landed with a thud at their feet. He kicked the door closed, wrapped his arms around her, and let his fingers caress her back as they traveled a path down to her ass. He lifted her into the air, bringing her eye level with him. She wrapped the length of her goddess legs around him as he pressed her back against the door frame, pinning her. “When I found out I’m a fairy and you needed a smile.”

  She laced her fingers behind his neck. “Thanks.”

  “Anytime.” He pressed his lips to hers, kissing her until a moan vibrate from her chest. He pulled back. He let her slide down his body until she was standing pressed against him. She moved to step around him, and he swatted her on the butt. “Now quit goofing off. We’ve got work to do.”

  He picked up her bag and took the stairs two at a time. He stopped and waited for her to catch up to him on the landing. “Hope you don’t mind. I think it will be safer if we share a bed.”

  Her mouth parted as she moved up the stairs behind him. “Oh no it won’t; not for you. Don’t count on me to keep my hands off. I’m thinking a wall and a great big lock between the two of us will do wonders to keep the energy transfer time clock in check. If you’re counting on me not to seduce you…then you don’t know me or our kind very well.”

  He grinned. “Damn, you’re no fun. I guess you get the spare room.”

  “I cross my heart that I won’t sneak in at night and have my wicked way with you.” She made a cross over her heart and amended, “While you’re still cursed. However, you’re fair game when this is over.”

  “Absolutely.” He winked and grinned, dazzling her with a look that worked on most women. The thought of her having her way with his body, all night long, had him hard in three seconds flat. Damn, this last fifty-four hours had the potential to kill him, if refraining from taking her to bed didn’t do it first. When Quinn found the wizard responsible for denying him and his little fairy any fun, he’d be sure to return the favor.

  He dropped the bag on the bed in the spare room and they returned to the living room. “What now?”

  “We do what we’re good at.”

  He shook his head. “No… I’m pretty sure licking you from head to toe shouldn’t be on our agenda.”

  She grinned. “We investigate and start looking.”

  “Where does one find a wizard that uses black magic?”

  She tapped her finger against her chin. Her eyes li
t up and sparkled with mischief. “The Crystal Ball.”

  He lifted a brow. Had she hit her head and he’d missed it, or was this another weird lesson for him to learn? Following her reasoning skills and lessons seemed to require a map and an IQ greater than Einstein’s. “Not sure I follow. You think peering into a crystal ball will magically produce the answers?”

  She grinned. “No, silly. The crystal ball is a one-stop shop for anything supernatural. They have herbs, books on all kinds of subjects, wands, crystals, and the owner is a genius when it comes to finding and administering cures. It’s the equivalent of a castors’ toy store, and the owner is the go-to woman to get whatever you need. For the right price, nothing is out of her reach.”

  His smile slipped. “Well, why didn’t you say so? We go see her, we get a name and go arrest the asshole with the vendetta. Then we break the curse and have victory sex.”

  Parker hesitated and gave him a look he couldn’t decipher. He’d seen the serious side, the funny side, the sexual side, and just about everything in between in the last two days. This side of Parker was…worried, confused, maybe even….what the hell?

  He reached for her, but she stepped back. “What?”

  “You said vendetta.” She plopped down on the couch. “We’re looking at this all wrong.” She glanced up at him. “Who would benefit from outing your fairy heritage?”

  He shrugged. “As far as I know, no one knew. Hell, even I didn’t know, and the blood has been coursing in my veins.”

  Her eyes glazed over as she stared off into the unlit fireplace. “Someone did….does.”

  He moved to the couch next to her and sat down. He propped his elbows on his knees, laced his fingers together, and let them hang in front of them. “You’re talking motive now?”

  She nodded.

  “Okay… what are some of the more obvious motives? Money?” He shook his head. “Unlikely, we haven’t seen a demand for ransom for the cure.”

  “Love?”

  He shook his head again. “Nope…don’t think so. Haven’t heard from exes in a long time.” He glanced at her. “And if it was an ex-lover, any jealous woman wouldn’t have paired me with you.”