Wolf Mated

by Tamsin Baker

  I drank, registering the intense sweetness but not really caring.

  He glanced back at the door, then at me. Did he want to go?

  I waved my hand at him. “Oh, please don’t let me keep you. I’m sure you have a life to get back to.”

  Whereas my life was over.

  My father had been the center of everything, for so long. I didn’t even know how to contemplate living without him.

  “Ah... we don’t really,” he said.

  “We?” I repeated, just as the big blond guy walked in. I perked up, addressing them both. “Oh, hey. I should... thank you both for your help tonight. I’m not sure I would have handled everything without you.”

  I probably would have, but they’d been a definite help, and a good distraction. Something to focus on, other than my father’s dead body, which the police had taken away to the morgue.

  The dark-haired wolf shifter sat down in one of the chairs opposite the desk. “We didn’t get to actually introduce ourselves before. I’m Rogan and this is Fridge.”

  “Fridge?” I asked, glancing at the blond. I kind of got the reference; he was bloody built. I hoped it was a nickname, though.

  Amazingly, the blond guy flushed, his cheeks pinkening. “It’s Travis. But I hate my given name.”

  I smiled. “Yeah, I get that. I’m Sarah.... Sarah Williams. But my dad always called me Sadie.”

  My nose tingled with tears at the reference, but I wasn’t going to stop talking about him just because it made me cry.

  Not now. Not ever.

  “So...” Rogan glanced at Fridge and back to me. “Sadie?”

  I blinked away the tears and smiled. “Yeah, you can call me Sadie.”

  Only my corporate life people called me Sarah, and I’d never really liked it. The name was too proper, too English. And ignored that part of me that my father had cultivated.

  The part that could gut a man with precision and speed.

  I glanced at the blond guy with the nickname ‘Fridge.’ “What sort of shifter are you? I haven’t been able to work it out.”

  Rogan laughed. “You know what I am then?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. That was easy.”

  I glanced back at Rogan, the man with blond spikey hair, bright green eyes, and muscles bulging out of every part of his black tank top. He was so fit. Exactly the sort of guy my father liked to hire.

  And I liked to look at. Wow.

  “We don’t generally tell people...” he began.

  I nodded in understanding. In the city, the paranormals I knew liked to pretend that they didn’t have the genetics they actually did.

  Myself included.

  We all held tightly to our human sides and other than enjoying the speed and stamina that came with shifter blood, very few of us actually indulged our animals and let them out to roam.

  It was too... uncomfortable. Too beastly.

  Then an idea occurred to me and I couldn’t stop the smile that spread over my face.

  “I totally understand,” I said, running a hand over my father’s desk. “I’ll just look it up in my dad’s files. I know he’ll have you around here somewhere.”

  I made a show of checking through the top drawer of dad’s desk and Rogan laughed.

  “She’s got you there.”

  Fridge grunted. “I’m a dragon.”

  I slid to the edge of my seat. I knew those emerald eyes of his indicated something strong, but was it possible that he was... “A purebred?”

  Pure dragons were as rare as hens teeth nowadays, with everyone breeding with humans to fit in. I knew a few powerful men with some dragon in them but it was usually a quarter blood strength, or less.

  Dragons were powerful, but they could also be temperamental and flighty.

  Fridge froze for a moment, as though considering his options, then nodded.

  I shivered in sympathy for the emotions and pheromones he was emitting into the room. He was nervous, tense. As though I’d use the information against him.

  I stood up so that I wasn’t looking up at them, quite as much as I was before.

  “I know you guys trusted my dad, and I know that without even asking because he was the best man on the planet. So, please trust me when I say, I will take your secrets to the grave, just as my father would have. I may look like a”—I gestured down to my plain black pencil skirt and white blouse—“stuck up corporate chick, but I was raised by my father. I promise... you can trust me.”

  The atmosphere relaxed immediately, like a balloon deflating.

  “Okay,” Fridge replied, and I think he believed me.

  And if he didn’t... well, I couldn’t worry too much about that. If it came down to a fist fight, I would lose. Most people would lose a fight with a purebred dragon. They were strong, and fierce and super protective of those they loved.

  Why would my mind go there?

  I shook myself. “Anyway, thank you again for sticking around, but you can go home.”

  Rogan tapped on the desk. “Will you be running the show from now on?”

  I stared at him for a minute, trying to understand what he’d just asked. “What do you mean?”

  “The business. Are you going to sell it? Take it on yourself? Or close it down... which I wouldn’t recommend. It’s a great business.”

  I sat down again into my dad’s executive chair and motioned to them to follow. “Sit. Please.”

  They did, then Rogan grimaced. “I’m sorry, I probably should have left that question until after the funeral. You already have so much going on.”

  I waved my hand at him. “No, it’s a good question, and I don’t mind being distracted at a time like this. Ah... to be honest, I haven’t even considered...”

  Why would I? I’d never even thought about my father not working.

  Both men waited, giving me a moment to process.

  “Um, well... I’d never close it down. But finding someone to replace my dad....” I whistled through my teeth and I shook my head.

  Fridge chuckled softly. “Yeah, we know. That would be impossible. Jimmy was one in a million.”

  I managed a smile. “That’s understating it.”

  In a city of five million people, he was far rarer than that.

  “I know this is a weird question...” Rogan began and I turned to look at him, my heart kicking out again in recognition of another wolf shifter. And that something else... I hadn’t worked it out yet.

  I certainly hadn’t had this reaction to the other wolf shifters I’d met.

  I shrugged off the strange thoughts and feelings. “Ask away. What weird question?”

  What else was I going to do tonight? Go home to my dad’s empty apartment and cry for the next week?

  “We all always wondered, how he was so strong... you know, as a half human, wolf shifter combo. He could beat almost any full shifter in a fight, and you know, that should be impossible...”

  He trailed off and I leaned back in the leather chair, letting happiness trickle over me.

  “Well... that’s a bit of a secret,” I said, relaxing into the comfortable seat back.

  The two men’s close proximity was making me feel strange, almost like nothing was worrying me, or nothing else mattered. Which was... odd.

  Probably the shock of the day. I was running out of adrenaline.

  I cocked my head to the side and stared at the two men. “But I’ve asked you to trust me... so I suppose I can trust you.”

  They leaned forward.

  “But you can’t tell anyone else.” I said, making sure both of them nodded in agreement before I began.

  I really shouldn’t have been telling them this, but what did it matter now? The two people this secret involved were both dead.

  I was officially an orphan.

  “Are you going to tell us that he just trained more than anyone else? Worked harder? Wanted it more? Because that’s what he used to say,” Fridge said with a grin.

  I shook my head. “No. A witch gave my d
ad a gift, a long time ago. A spell to increase his shifting powers to that of a full shifter. Then he worked his ass off, of course, to be the best he could be. That was just his way.”

  Add in his intelligence and cunning, and my dad was unbeatable.

  Both men stared at me like I was crazy. “But witches are...”

  “All but extinct, I know.” I finished for them. Then I shrugged. “It’s the truth.”

  “But how did he...”

  A shiver of warning and unease moved over my neck, making the hairs stand on end. That was the part of the story I couldn’t reveal.

  “Let’s just say he was pretty convincing when he was younger. Of course, it all happened before I was born, so I can’t give you the full details.”

  I could... I knew the story, but the full truth endangered my life and I’d never revealed it to anyone.

  Ever.

  Rogan chuckled. “I didn’t think it was possible, but my respect for Jimmy just went up a notch.”

  Fridge nodded. “Yeah, me too.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at the joy and surprise on their faces. I didn’t stop myself either, from enjoying the happy feeling rolling through my starved, grief-stricken body.

  I wiped at the tears that had fallen onto my cheeks. “Yeah, well, I already knew that he was amazing.” I stood up, swaying on my feet. “I think it’s time we all headed home.” I squinted at the clock on the wall. It was after midnight. “Oh yeah, definitely.”

  “We’ll walk you home,” Fridge said as both men got to their feet.

  I gaped at him. Seriously?

  “I’m fine,” I said, gathering my belongings. “Trust me.”

  Fridge shook his head and Rogan said, “Either we walk with you, or ten feet behind you. That’s your only two options I’m afraid, Sadie.”

  A part of me hated the whole caveman routine. Especially when I knew how well I could look after myself.

  But the logical part, my mother’s part inside me, realized that considering the trauma of the day, I was probably better off not arguing.

  “Okay,” I said, “but it’s not far.”

  Dad had made sure to find an apartment to buy, and a good commercial building, both within a short distance of each other.

  “That’s fine,” Rogan said.

  I looked at him for a moment, noticing the set of his jaw. The tension in his shoulders. He was expecting a fight, but he didn’t need to worry.

  I wasn’t fighting today.

  “I’ll just lock up and meet you downstairs then,” I said.

  The men nodded, and then clomped down the stairs and out to the front door.

  I sighed as the silence settled around me. What was I going to do with this business? With all the men who worked for dad. I couldn’t replace him... could I?

  I mean... I could run the business side of things, and some of the training, but I’d need to hire some specialized guys if I wanted the same high-quality advantages my father had added to the business.

  And why not? I could sub-contract those job and do the rest. Couldn’t I? If I wanted to. What about my career? The one I’d busted my butt for...

  I shook myself and started walking around the building, locking doors, turning off lights.

  My gaze was drawn to the place on the floor, by the back door, where I’d found my father’s body. Why? Why had a vampire killed him?

  It made no sense. My father was a respected man in the city. A large, and intimidating force. Why take him out?

  Just... why?

  I sighed as I moved towards the front of the workshop. I had a key to the main door. I always had. For security, safety, and all the times Dad had accidentally locked himself out.

  But as I pulled the door shut and checked I had the key on me, it felt like the end of an era.

  I wasn’t here, locking up for my dad. I wasn’t going home to see his bright face, alight with stories of his day.

  My dad was gone, and he wasn’t coming back.

  I still couldn’t wrap my head around it.

  Not properly. Not yet.

  “I feel so numb,” I said aloud.

  Rogan and Fridge were standing by the front door, shuffling uncomfortably on their feet.

  I glanced up. Damn. Men. I forgot. Not great with feelings.

  “Shit, sorry. Didn’t actually mean to say that aloud.”

  Rogan cleared his throat. “It’s all good. I just wish there was more we could do for you.”

  I smiled. That was a beautiful thing to say, really.

  “You’ve already done more than enough, but thanks.” I indicated that we should walk up the street, and together we began to move.

  “Do you guys live together?” I asked, though I was pretty sure they did. From the way they moved and spoke, their connection was obvious. And I was pretty sure it wasn’t because they were lovers.

  “Yeah,” Fridge answered as they flanked me, one on each side.

  “Isn’t that unusual?” I asked, glancing up at one, then the other, my heart beating un-naturally fast.

  Wolves usually stuck with their own, and dragons were solitary creatures. Or so I’d been told.

  When neither of them answered, I looked pointedly at Rogan who shrugged, then shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean... I know no-one really shifts anymore, but don’t a wolf and a dragon clash?”

  Fridge chuckled on my other side. “Yeah, like crazy, but we’ve been friends since school, and I haven’t had a reason to get rid of him yet.”

  Rogan moved behind my back, and from the sounds of flesh thudding and the grunts, I assumed they were playfully fighting.

  I kept walking. It was only five blocks to my apartment, and the night air was clearing my head a little. Which was nice.

  The guys jogged to keep up with me, chatting about a case they were currently working on together.

  I let their chatter move around me, and it was nice, for once, not to have to talk.

  They must be a good team. To live together, work together. That was often the biggest test of any relationship.

  Romantic or otherwise.

  Whether the time together had you growing together, or ultimately split you apart.

  We arrived at my building and I glanced up, tension catching in my throat. I was going home to an empty apartment, for the first time, ever.

  “Ah, this is it. Thanks for the escort home.”

  “We’ll walk you up,” Fridge said and I put a hand up to stop him.

  “It’s really fine.”

  Neither of them said anything to rebut me, but neither of them moved away either.

  I waited, but soon realized they weren’t going anywhere.

  Stubborn asses.

  I rolled my eyes and turned back around to pass the key card over the entrance door. “Fine. But you’re both being silly.”

  We stomped into the building and moved over to the stairs. “We live on the first floor. It’s just one flight.”

  “Great,” Rogan said, waiting patiently for me to go ahead of them.

  “Argh. You guys are being way over-protective.”

  Especially considering they’d never even met me before.

  But then again, what did it matter? They could escort me right to the door if they really wanted to.

  I marched up the stairs and froze on the landing.

  The entry door to my highly secured apartment was wide open, and I was one hundred per cent certain that my dad wouldn’t have left it like that when he left this morning.

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, causing a shiver of fear to pulse down my spine. “What the fuck?”

  Chapter 3.

  “Is that door supposed to be open?” Rogan asked, though from the dark and deep tones in his voice, he knew the answer.

  I shook my head.

  After my mom died when I was three, my dad and I had lived alone. For over twenty years.

  Dad was currently on his way to
the city morgue, and I was standing on the first-floor landing feeling stupefied.

  The two men who’d escorted me home moved in front of me with practiced stealth. Fridge leaned down and pulled a concealed weapon from his ankle, a lovely looking sharp knife.

  Rogan had a pistol in his hand, though I had no idea where he’d pulled it from.

  “Let’s go,” Rogan said.

  I let the men go in before me. After all, I was unarmed. If there was a bad guy... I bloody hoped Fridge and Rogan got him.

  I crept in after them and went straight for the kitchen. My dad had knives hidden all over the apartment, but my favorite was under the dining table.

  I reached under the large dark wooden table lid and pulled the weapon out of the box mounted to the under side, the deadly piece finding a comfortable place in my palm.

  “Sadie,” Rogan called out from the other room and I followed the sound of his voice.

  There didn’t seem to be much damage done to the apartment. No flipped couches, no overturned drawers... This was obviously not a normal burglary.

  So, what had they been looking for?

  Then I stepped into my dad’s study, his home office. A room that was usually closed with a very impressive looking lock.

  Was the why dad locked his office? Was there something extremely precious inside?

  “What the hell?” I said as I stood in the doorway, staring at the mess that was my father’s homework space.

  The door hung off its hinges, splinters of wood all over the carpet. The filing cabinets had been completely emptied. Every organized drawer and shelf was a mess, the content all over the ground. Papers and ledgers were strewn everywhere.

  “What the hell were they looking for?” I said aloud, although I knew the two men who were now standing beside me had no idea.

  Or so I hoped.

  I looked at them, and they shrugged at each other.

  “No idea,” Rogan said. “Unless there was a bounty that didn’t want to be found?”

  I frowned. “In over twenty years in the same game, he’s never had an issue with that.”

  Not that I knew of anyway. But that was definitely something to keep in mind...

  Rogan moved towards the door. “I’m going to make sure no-one’s still here.”

  Before I could stop him, he hurried out of the room, leaving me alone with Fridge.