by Tamsin Baker
A moment later, the front door shut and the locks clicked into place.
Good idea, I should have done that.
Fridge began to lift furniture back up, righting the room.
I put my hand out to him. “Wait. Should we leave it? Call the police?”
Fridge shook his head. “I don’t think they’re gonna catch any fingerprints.”
I cocked my head at him. Interesting assumption. “How come?”
“Can’t you smell it?”
I inhaled sharply. I had a quarter wolf shifter in me. My senses weren’t that strong. “No... should I?”
“No. And that’s the point. All shifters leave a scent, as do humans. Whoever was here was as sterile as a hospital room.”
Our gazes met with a clash of intensity.
“Vampire,” we said at the same time.
Shit.
“So, you think the same person who killed Dad, came here and tried to find... whatever he, or she, was looking for?” I asked as I tried to put together the few pieces we knew.
Fridge shrugged. “Maybe... but they could be multiple people too. Perhaps part of an organization and they hit both places at once. You never know. The question is though, what were they looking for?”
I had a headache. One that had begun hours ago but was now pounding to the point that seeing straight was becoming a problem.
I tugged at my hair, pulling the pins and elastics out of my bun until my dark hair fell to my shoulders.
I sighed with relief, and ran my fingers along my scalp, massaging the pounding. The pain from my frigid hairstyle that was now released made me wish I’d done it earlier.
Fridge wasn’t moving and as my gaze swung over to him, I found him staring at me as though he would swallow me whole if he had the chance.
I could feel it in my gut, in my veins, between my legs. The connection, the attraction... the... what the hell was this thing?
I cleared my throat, suddenly uncomfortable, and unfortunately it wasn’t because the look repelled me. Quite the opposite. I had to fight the urge to flick my hair and smile flirtatiously.
“You okay?” I asked him, though my wolf nose, which wasn’t that impressive anyway, had picked up on the mating pheromones he was now emitting into the room.
“Ah yeah... sorry. I was just thinking about your dad.” He lied. “He was so... above board. I mean, he had so many opportunities to deal drugs... bribe the cops, work with the worst of society, but he didn’t. He had an impeccable reputation in every way. I don’t get this at all.” He gestured to the room and shook his head.
I gaped at him. It was the most words he’d said in one go, and I was glad they were all positive and focused on my dad.
But what should I say back?
“I didn’t realize all that... but I appreciate the sentiment.”
I knew my dad was a good guy, but we’d never really discussed how easy it would have been for him to slide into the dark side of the law. I thought being a bounty hunter walked the line enough, anyway.
Rogan appeared in the doorway, gun in hand. He glanced between us, and then slid the gun into a concealed holster on his back.
He grinned. “Don’t worry. I’ve got a licence to carry.”
I smiled. Not that I cared at this point, but it was nice to know.
“But do you have silver bullets?” I asked, half joking.
It was one of the only things that stopped vampires. Silver didn’t kill them, but it slowed them down long enough so they could be staked.
He grinned, his smile as devastating as the smell of Fridge’s pheromones.
My belly quivered and my pulse sped up.
Shit! This is not what I need right now.
Rogan nodded. “Of course. All my bullets are silver. Expensive, but they take down all manner of paranormal. Wouldn’t want to come up against a vampire with lead only.” He cocked his head at me. “You all right, Sadie?”
Not really.
I hadn’t dated anyone in... forever.
I compared every man to my dad, and they were always found lacking.
But the last thing I needed was to find two guys I wanted... on the day of my dad’s murder. That was just... too much.
My dad’s.... what? My dad’s...
“Oh, my god,” I said, my knees giving out from under me. I staggered sideways but managed to get to a chair and collapsed into it. “It just hit me.” I said, staring off into the distance, my eyes unfocused.
“What? What’s happened?” Rogan rushed over and knelt down so he was eye to eye with me.
Fridge hovered near by.
I forced my eyes to focus, to see the face of the wolf shifter before me.
“I just realized... my dad was... murdered.” It sounded so much worse than he’d just died. “And the police aren’t going to be able to find the killer, are they?”
I looked straight at Rogan.
He swallowed hard. “Ah... probably not. Vamps are super hard to track. They have no blood... no DNA, no fingerprints.”
“Fuck.” I couldn’t let this stand. I couldn’t.
The person, or corporation, responsible for my father’s death had to pay for what they’d done.
I got up out of the chair and began to pace the small room, my heart beating harder and my mind racing. “I’ll take a month of leave off work and investigate this myself.”
I had to work out what to do with dad’s business anyway, but I was sure I could find someone who would run it for a month, even if it was one of the men in the room with me.
Rogan pushed to his feet. “We’ll help you.”
“Fuck yeah,” Fridge said, moving to stand next to his flat-mate.
I stopped pacing and turned to them, feeling guilty for involving them. “You don’t need to do that. Although, I could use some help sorting dad’s business out in the interim.”
Rogan and Fridge’s jaws set in an identical way that showed matching stubborn streaks.
I almost laughed.
Fridge narrowed his eyes at me. “We’re investigating this, no matter what, Sadie. We can either do it together, or separately.”
I opened my mouth to tell him where to go, then shut it again. Wouldn’t a couple of bounty hunters, who were used to finding people, be an advantage to me?
“Okay... but I’m gonna need help with the business as well.”
Rogan nodded. “That’s fine. We’ll be here for everything you need.”
I turned towards him, surprised by the vehemence in his tone. “Not that I’m ungrateful, but why are you guys so interested in helping me?”
My dad was just their boss. Surely, they didn’t feel any strong loyalty to him? Or perhaps it was their jobs they were trying to protect?
“Jimmy was a great man,” Fridge declared in an emotional way that had his voice husky before he cleared it with a rough cough. “He’s helped me out of more scrapes than I can tell you...”
“He helped us find an apartment when we moved to the city. Made sure we kept our jobs even when there was little or no work,” Rogan added.
I stared at them. Did my dad really inspire people outside of my family the way he did me?
Rogan shook his head, continuing his speech. “He did not deserve to go down like that, and we’re gonna catch the assholes that did it, and make them pay.”
Something shifted in the air around us, and I shivered. It was the witch in me that sensed it. The magic, the bond, the promise.
Oh no. Please, not that.
I swallowed hard and focused on the conversation. It wasn’t true what the voices inside my mind were whispering to me. It wasn’t!
It had to be something else they were talking about. A binding contract between us all perhaps? Yes. That must be it.
I clenched my hands in front of me. “So, you’re saying you’ll help me? With the business, finding Dad’s killer, everything?”
Of course, I’d have to deal with his estate, and the funeral and so many other terrible th
ings. But if I had two allies, then navigating these tumultuous waters would be so much easier. Better.
They both nodded, and I shivered again. I wasn’t casting a spell, and as shifters they had no power to do so. But I could feel the promise of something special teetering on the edge of a true casting, and I had to see it complete.
“I need to hear you say it,” I said.
Rogan clenched his hands into fists. “Yes, I’ll help you. With everything you need.”
Fridge nodded. “Of course. Anything for Jimmy’s daughter.”
And there it was.
My eyelids fluttered and a shiver of magic worked over my skin, through my core and into my heart.
The blackness that had begun at the edge of my vision, was now beginning to consume me. I was going to pass out.
Damn it...
I couldn’t open my eyes, couldn’t find anything to grip onto. I staggered forward, towards the worried sounds of the men in front of me, and I fell into the darkness.
Chapter 4.
I woke up with my head in someone’s lap, the cool leather of the couch beneath my fingertips.
“I think she’s coming ’round,” Fridge said, the timbre of his voice deep and mellow.
“Sadie? You okay?” Rogan whispered.
I forced myself to open my eyes, though a part of me wanted to stay blissfully passed out, being held. Safe and oblivious.
When I finally got my eyes open, I found that my head was resting in Rogan’s lap. Strangely, I wasn’t surprised. There was something about him that made him softer... sweeter somehow. Though how I could deduce that when the guy was probably six foot two and two hundred pounds of muscle, I wasn’t sure.
“Yeah... I’m okay.” I tried to sit up, but my stomach felt like it was made of jelly. I fell back onto Rogan’s lap. “Can you help me up?”
Fridge was standing beside us. He reached down, grabbed my hands, and gently pulled me up into a sitting position. My head still spun it was better to be upright. “Woah.”
I blinked multiple times.
Fridge handed me a glass of water he must have gotten from the kitchen while I was passed out. “You okay? Need something to eat?”
I quirked a brow at him. “You cook?”
He choked out a laugh and pulled out his cell phone. “I order uber eats with the best of them.”
My stomach growled in response, and despite the fact there was food in the fridge, something greasy and hot sounded perfect. “Can you get me a burger, or pizza? Or both?”
Rogan laughed. “You certainly have some shifter in you.”
I smiled and leaned back against the head rest. I did... but I also didn’t usually eat like that. I couldn’t count on my shifter metabolism like a lot of full bloods, or even half-bloods could. But tonight, I was going to make an exception.
Fridge tapped away on his phone then lifted his head and grinned. “Will be here in about fifteen mins.”
“Perfect,” I said, smiling, though all my energy had been drained away.
Rogan was still sitting next to me on the massive sofa and Fridge took a seat in my dad’s recliner opposite me.
I opened my mouth to tell him not to sit there, it was my dad’s chair. No-one else was allowed to sit in it.
But I clamped my mouth shut. My dad was gone, and it was the last thing I should be saying to a man who hadn’t left my side since the worse trauma of my life had begun.
Especially since he was my fated mate.
I groaned and hung my head. Of all the timing...
“What’s wrong?” Rogan asked, running a hand over my arm. I shivered with longing.
He retracted his hand and I couldn’t stop the bitter laugh that bubbled up inside me. Why did this have to happen now?
I’d hoped the little whispers of magic were wrong. They’d been getting stronger all night, telling me these men were important. But I’d hoped it was only the bond of a shared purpose, our contract, that would connect us.
No, it was so much more than that.
I’d fainted, the magic had woven inside me, and now that I was awake, I knew the truth as clearly as my own name.
I didn’t have just one fated mate. I had two.
And they were sitting in the room with me. Right this moment.
The only question was, should I tell them?
Tonight was not the night for lies, or omissions of facts. Because they were certainly going to find out soon enough. The bond was too strong.
“Why did you faint, Sadie? Are you unwell? Or is it just because of everything that has happened tonight?” Rogan asked, his tone gentle.
I looked from one hot man to the other. Why—and how—did I have two fated mates? I didn’t think it was possible. No one had told me before that it was...
“I have so much to tell you guys...” I began.
Fridge leaned back in my dad’s dark leather recliner. “We’ve got all night. Hit us with it.”
“Well...” Should I tell them about my witch abilities? I’d never told anyone before, but how could I tell them about the promise without revealing who I was, though? “Do you... believe in fated mates?”
The men recoiled from me like I was a snake about to strike.
The temperature dropped in the room about twenty degrees.
Damn, that was fast.
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Bloody men and their fear of commitment. “I’ll take that as a no.”
How was I going to explain that they were both my fated mates if they weren’t open to the suggestion, let alone the concept?
Rogan cleared his throat. “Well, ah...”
“No. I don’t,” Fridge said, his chest booming like an amplifier as he made sure I knew he exactly how he felt about that topic.
I shrugged. “Okay.”
There was a long, drawn out pause.
“Okay? That’s all you’re gonna say?” Rogan said.
I turned to look at him. “What do you want me to say? You answered my question. I’m not pushing my thoughts on you. I barely know you.”
And if you fuckwits aren’t smart enough to realise that there’s more to our connection than animal magnetism, then the joke’s on you.
The doorbell rang and Fridge got up to answer it.
I stumbled to my feet and pulled out some glasses and plates from the kitchen, not sure exactly what food he’d ordered.
When he came back in, I was arranging the plates on the table.
He dumped pizza boxes next to the dinner plates, and a plastic bag. Despite being mad at them still, I wasn’t going to let it get in the way of my very late dinner.
We’d have our whole lives to deal with the ramifications of our fated mate bond.
“Whatcha get?” I asked, peering into the bag.
“What you asked for. Burgers and pizzas. And coke of course.”
He pulled a couple of bottles of soft drink out from under his arms and we all sat down to a calorie feast.
“Thank you,” I said.
We chowed down on the food, my ravenous body loving the greasy burgers, extra cheesy crust, and sweet bubbles to wash it all down.
We barely talked while we ate, but chomped away in companionable silence.
When I’d finally gotten my fill, I pushed the plate away and covered my mouth while I burped. “That was so good. I have cash in my bag....”
Fridge waved his hand. “My treat. Can’t have you fainting again.”
I rubbed my bulging belly and sighed. “Well, I certainly feel better, thank you.”
I cleared away the plates we’d barely used and closed my eyes, swaying on my feet. Damn I was tired. Beyond tired.
“I think I need to go to bed.” I glanced at the guys who were still sitting on their chairs staring at me. Didn’t they understand that meant they should go?
Thy looked at each other but didn’t say anything.
They wanted to stay with me? Seriously?
I sighed. We had a massive apartment for two people,
so if they wanted to, they could certainly sleep over.
“There’s a spare bedroom and the couch is comfy, if you guys wanna crash,” I said, leaning against the doorway. “Dad always liked having space for people to visit.”
Not that we had a lot of visitors, but Dad’s family was huge, so he made sure we had room for them to stay.
There was a pull-out couch in his study too, but that wasn’t inhabitable at the moment.
“That would be great,” Rogan said, putting the lids back on the two pizza boxes that still had slices in it. “I’d feel more comfortable staying, in case anyone comes back.”
“Me too,” Fridge said, collecting the rubbish. “Where do you want this?”
I crossed into the kitchen and opened the cupboard where the recycling bin was. “Here, please.”
When everything was away, the guys lingered around me watching and waiting.
I, however, could barely keep my eyes open. I had better organize them for where they were going to rest, before I ended up sleeping where I fell.
“Okay, who wants the bed?” I asked.
Fridge said, “I’ll take the couch.”
He glanced at the front door as though he’d rather be closer to the entrance of the cage.
Classic dragon.
“Done. I’ll get you some blankets. Rogan, come with me.”
Rogan followed me down the hall to the end, where I pushed open the door to the rarely used guest room. “The bed’s comfy, or so I’ve been told.”
He walked into the room and glanced around. “This is great. Thank you.”
He stood next to the bed, his intense blue eyes staring at me, his dark locks tumbling over his forehead. My breath caught in my throat and my chest tightened.
There was something so intense about this man. I wasn’t sure if it was the fated mate link, his wolf shifter genes, or his personality, but my whole body shivered with need when he was nearby.
Sadness flowed over me at the notion he rejected any such attraction.
“Well, goodnight,” I said, unable to think of anything more coherent to say. “I suppose I’ll see you in the morning.”
He nodded and began to undress, pulling at the buckle on his belt. My body reacted with a twist and jolt, deep inside.
