“A tight unit,” Josef added.
“We love you,” Kirk whispered.
“Fiona, ours,” Arve said with finality.
And Fiona swallowed, tears of joy in her eyes, as she gave a heartfelt smile to each of her men. As far as she was concerned, she was the lucky one. She had the best of both worlds—the protection of the polar bear shifter brothers, their love and yet they let her be herself too.
Five men for her.
Life and love didn’t get any better than Churchill, and she thought this might only be the start of her grand adventure. Fiona couldn’t wait for the next installment.
The Face-off with Ma
Six months later, Churchill
Fiona edged open the door of the gift shop with her hip while juggling the box of Josef’s polar bear carvings. A bell above the door tinkled to announce her arrival.
“Fiona. I’m so glad you’re here. We’ve sold right out of the figurines.” Penny Harrison, a blonde woman slightly older than her waddled from behind the counter, her protruding belly showing her pregnancy.
“That’s great. Josef finds carving relaxing, and his brothers were grumbling about finding them everywhere.” Fiona wrinkled her nose as she set the box on the counter. “Standing on them with bare feet is not fun.”
“The tourists love the bears since they’re so lifelike. I wondered if he’d be willing to try his hand at carving whales for the summer trade when the belugas are in the bay.”
“I’ll ask him.”
Penny handed over an envelope. “This is his share of the sales. Is a fifty-fifty split still okay?”
“I asked him that, and he said yes. He’d carve them anyway because that’s how he relaxes. Call me when stocks are getting low again.” Fiona stuffed the money in her shoulder bag and lifted a hand in farewell.
Outside, she scanned her surroundings, following the procedures constantly outlined by Stig, Kirk, Josef, Arve and Leif. She must pay attention, especially when walking around the streets alone. While the polar bear shifters wouldn’t harm her, there was a possibility of wild bears wandering into town. Leif had told her to take care even during the winter when sensible bears should be gorging on plump seals out on the sea ice. Bears were dangerous and unpredictable, and she must never take chances.
Not with Fiona ours. A smile curved her lips. Her men were cute when they lectured her. She checked left and right and behind her.
All clear. She stepped onto the street and inhaled the crisp air. Leif had said this morning a touch of spring lurked in the air, and she fancied she smelled it too. Arve—her gentle giant—had informed her the sea ice was starting to break up, and soon the last of the snow would melt. The tundra would turn green, and she couldn’t wait to explore the changes. Stig had promised to show her the beluga whales and some of the other animals that arrived in Churchill with the warmer summer.
The low growl from behind had her spinning around, her heart thumping in a rapid beat. A freakin’ huge polar bear stood in the middle of the road, its blue gaze trained on her.
She swallowed hard, assessing her options. The vehicle was too far away. The nearest building—a gray storage shed—stood at least fifty feet away. Too far for her to outrun the bear. Her gaze darted left and right. Leif and Stig had told her they’d meet her for coffee at Gypsy’s.
Wait! Blue eyes? She turned her attention back to the bear.
An immense beast, it bore vanilla-white shaggy fur and huge paws. The bear stood as tall as Arve and Leif. It growled, opening a maw full of wicked sharp teeth.
The bear took a gliding step toward her, growling again.
Fiona’s knees knocked as she fought every instinct that screamed at her to run.
The bear opened its mouth and roared.
Fiona swallowed, taking half a step back. The retreat seemed to please the bear since it halted, and it hissed and snorted while lowering its head. Fiona narrowed her eyes, brain busy.
Blue eyes. Freakin’ huge bear. Stig had blue eyes…
Before she could second guess herself, she darted forward and struck the polar bear hard on the nose. It let out a bellow, and Fiona punched it in the nose again before darting back out of reach. The bear’s next growl sent fear rippling across her skin. The bear lowered its head and flattened its ears. She gulped. Had she made a mistake?
“Fiona!” Stig roared from down the other end of the street. “What did we tell you about polar bears?”
“This one has blue eyes,” Fiona shouted back without taking her gaze off the tetchy bear.
Another bear raced from between the buildings to her right and screeched to a halt between Fiona and the furious bear.
After a mad sprint, Stig’s muscular arm curled around Fiona’s waist and he drew her against his side. “Fuck, Ma,” he spat.
Two humans appeared behind the two bears.
“Ma, I’d suggest you shift before you get your butt peppered with tranquilizer darts.”
Fiona growled, having caught the habit from her lovers who used this method to show displeasure. “Your mother?” She glared at the bear and planted her hands on her hips. “The seal-breath should have given me a clue.”
The bear standing between where she and Stig stood and Ma let out a huff-huff, and seconds later, it shifted to reveal Leif.
“Is that bear a shifter?” one of the humans called.
“Our mother,” Stig said drily. “Family disagreement.”
“Not in the middle of town,” the second human ordered.
“I’m sorry, Frank,” Leif said. “It won’t happen again.”
Frank lowered his weapon. “Make sure it doesn’t.”
The two men wandered away and entered Gypsy’s.
The freakin’ huge bear shifted, morphing into a furious Ma. She gingerly fingered her bright red nose and wiped her streaming eyes. “What is the puny human still doing here?”
“Fiona lives here now,” Stig said with clear satisfaction.
“She hit me,” Ma roared.
“She started it,” Fiona muttered. “She shouldn’t have scared me.”
Leif ripped his gaze off his mother to gawk at Fiona. “You hit her?”
“This puny human hit her on the nose. Twice,” Fiona said with relish. “She shouldn’t have snuck up behind me. What is she? Six?”
Stig made a choking sound, and Fiona scowled as he struggled not to laugh. She poked him in the ribs.
“Really, Ma?” Leif said. “You stalked Fiona?”
“You said she’d be gone by the time the pack left the ice,” Ma said, drawing herself up tall.
Fiona couldn’t help staring at the woman’s—bear’s—Ma’s smart black dress, complete with a string of pearls. Ma’s words had her stiffening. “You said that?”
“No,” Stig said. “Leif would never have told Ma that.”
“I didn’t,” Leif agreed. “Ma’s words. Never mine.”
“You said Arve would meet us on the ice,” Ma snapped. “I’d hoped you’d all come to your senses.”
Leif sighed. “You really want to have this conversation in the middle of Churchill for everyone to witness?”
“Why don’t you come to Gypsy’s with us for coffee?” Fiona asked.
Ma sniffed, ignoring Fiona’s offer of peace. “I can’t believe my eyes. A human. You’re all playing with the puny human. I can smell you all over her.”
“For the last time. I am not puny. My name is Fiona and I love your sons. I don’t intend to go anywhere, so deal with it.”
“Humph!” Ma said.
Stig yanked Fiona into his arms and gave her a smacking kiss. “Way to go, honey pie,” he whispered.
Pride shone in Leif’s gaze as he smiled at her in approval. “You’re dressed up, Ma. Are you going somewhere?”
“I met a bear out on the ice.” Ma rubbed her nose again. “He lives farther north, and I intend to visit him for a few months. I came to check in before I left.”
“Are we going to have a new brother
or sister?” Leif asked.
“No,” Ma snapped. “I don’t wish to bring another ungrateful cub into the world.”
“You’ve done an excellent job,” Fiona said. “Your sons are brave and honorable men…ah, bears. You should be proud of them.”
Ma glowered then dipped her head. “You’re right,” she agreed unexpectedly. “They are good boys despite their choice of a non-traditional route. All the bears on the ice were talking about the ice road, and how it is clever to blend the old with the new. Many of the matriarchs I met out on the ice inquired about my sons and asked if they were amenable to matches.”
Leif growled.
Stig growled.
Fiona growled loudest and longest of all.
Ma sighed. “I’ll take that as a no. That’s what I told them.”
“Good,” Fiona said. “Because I’m not sharing my men with anyone. Are you coming for coffee with us?”
“Yes, I think I will,” Ma said. “I have time before I need to leave. Are Josef, Arve and Kirk around?”
Fiona placed her finger against Stig’s parted lips. His teeth clacked as his mouth shut. She noticed Leif seemed shocked by his mother’s decision too.
“They’re all out on a big run,” Fiona said. “We’re expecting them back tonight. Can you wait until tomorrow before you leave?”
Ma wrinkled her brow, then gave a decisive nod. “Yes, I believe I can. It won’t do to appear overly eager.”
“Excellent,” Fiona said. “They’ll be pleased to see you.” She poked Stig in the ribs when he made that weird choking sound again and fought a grin herself.
For a fleeting moment, she recalled the instant she’d seen Robert and her stepsister in the bed together. She experienced not an ounce of regret. Instead a fierce sense of satisfaction swelled within her because she’d stood up to Ma. She’d come a long way from that insecure and unhappy woman in Florida.
She hooked her arm through Stig’s and dragged him closer to Leif so she could grab his arm too. Happy and secure with the Swenson brothers.
The perfect mates for her.
Thank you for reading Fiona’s Mates. Did you enjoy Fiona’s romance? If so, please consider leaving a review at your favorite online bookstore or at Goodreads. A review would make my day!
Sticking to the shapeshifter theme, please turn the page for an excerpt from Captured & Seduced (leopard shapeshifter) and one from Blue Moon Dragon (a dragon shifter).
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Happy reading
Shelley
Excerpt – Captured & Seduced
An alien abduction flings her into a world of shapeshifters and adventure…
Camryn woke to the sensation of the floor shuddering. Her head vibrated in time. Damn whiskey kicked like a mule. A moan escaped, the sound tiny and insignificant. Her eyes flickered, the glare of light intense. A jagged slice of pain cut across her temples. Everything ached, even her eyes. She stopped trying to open them and her world ceased spinning. Cautiously, she catalogued her body for aches and pains.
Dry.
Her mouth felt like a dusty paddock during the middle of a severe drought. And her tongue—heck, that felt too thick and furry to fit inside her mouth. She moved her arms, or attempted to, but they stuck fast against her sides. Her heart thudded, an erratic beat of fear. Her brother. He’d told her—told her yesterday she had to stop drinking. If she didn’t…
What had he done?
She struggled, hyperventilating in fear. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t.
For her own good, he’d said. Yeah, easy for him. He had a wife, a child. They were a family. A unit. She had nothing to live for. Not now.
Camryn forced her eyes open, her heart drumming like the thunder of horses’ hooves during a race. Her gaze lit on a large black shape on the floor. Camryn closed her eyes and moved her head in a cautious shake, wincing at the sharp throb. When she opened her eyes again, the object came into focus. A large black cat lay on the floor near her. It stared at her with its green eyes. Its mouth lay open and sharp white teeth glittered in the bright light. Camryn swallowed. A dream. No, a nightmare. She wasn’t awake.
Maybe Max was right—she’d started drinking too much alcohol.
The cat stood, stretched just like her mother’s used to, extending front legs and sticking its butt in the air. Then it prowled toward her, black tail swishing from side-to-side. A panicked whimper escaped. Camryn wanted to flee but couldn’t move.
Not her arms or legs.
Trapped.
The cat stalked closer until she felt the creature’s hot breath through the denim of her old jeans where her brother’s heavy coat had fallen away. The cat let out a sharp, fierce grunt, raising the hairs on her arms into a distinct prickle. She whimpered, the cry weak and thready. The cat moved nearer still. It opened its huge maw, globules of saliva visible. Oh heck. This was no dream. It intended to eat her. Camryn struggled fiercely, a ripple of pure terror pouring from her parched throat.
The thud of running feet sounded and two people burst into the room. Camryn’s eyes widened and she screamed again. And again. The black leopard bit her on the leg, the sharp pain silencing her scream abruptly.
They stared at each other before weird jabbers commenced, sounding like Chinese mixed with lots of clicks and guttural sounds too rapid for her to even start to understand.
Camryn moaned when they approached and halted by the leopard. Fear, stark and real, pummeled her body, her mind. She cried out as they moved closer in a collective step.
People. A loose term. Real loose.
One appeared female and had bright electric blue hair and…and pointy ears. Her flashing eyes and rigid jaw brought a warrior to mind. The tight-fitting trousers and brown tunic top, plus the huge number of weapons strapped on her slender yet muscular body confirmed the impression. The other was the palest person she’d ever seen. Everything about him seemed white. Totally colorless. Apart from his eyes. They were the palest violet and focused intently on her. While she gaped at the male—at least the bulge at his groin suggested the masculine gender—he changed color. Streaks of black swirled through the white, mixing to a slate gray. The black kept appearing in long ribbons across the part of his chest she could see until his skin and hair gleamed deep ebony. His eyes remained the same eerie violet.
Camryn’s gaze traveled to the black leopard. It sat on its haunches between the warrior and the creepy changing man. Changing Man carried a satchel in his hand. After snapping several clicks at the other beings, he pulled a glass jar from the bag. He opened it and tipped the contents onto the palm of his black hand. He frowned at them, white ribbons of color suddenly swirling across his chest. His head dipped in a satisfied nod, and the things on his hand wriggled like fat scarlet caterpillars.
She whined softly. God, this wasn’t a nightmare. These weren’t the orderlies at the clinic where Max had threatened to send her.
They were aliens. Aliens.
Her heart pounded, leaping against her breast. Camryn started to struggle. Not even a warning snarl from the leopard stopped her fear escalating into outright panic. With another grunt and three rapid clicks, the warrior approached her. She grasped Camryn’s head and held her still. Changing Man picked up one bright red caterpillar between gray fingers and shoved it in her ear.
Sharp pain. Intense. Worse than even the most evil hangover. The caterpillar crawled down her ear canal. She heard the crunching sounds when it attached itself somewhere inside. Her head rang, agony slicing across her temples. She keened, her strength sapped and no contest for the warrior’s superior power. The warrior held Camryn’s head, forcing it in the opposite direction, baring her other ear for the same abuse. Anguished tears slipped down her face. She sobbed, but that didn’t stop Changing Man from forcing a caterpillar inside her ear. Camryn felt every slither when it crawled inside. The pain felt just as intense, the crunching sound deafening whi
le the caterpillar ate into her head.
“Gabriel,” she whispered, realizing she’d landed in hell. Gabriel wouldn’t be here. Only she had sinned enough to gain entrance to hell.
“Stop crying,” the warrior woman snapped, her blue hair flying around her head in a halo. “Can you understand us now?”
She could, but nausea tiptoed through her stomach. Camryn’s entire body shuddered with the depths of her misery. She’d heard hell was fiery hot, but ice enclosed her heart, her body. Nothing had changed. She still missed Gabriel.
The woman bent, tipped Camryn’s head back and struck her face with the palm of her hand. Camryn jerked back, stopping her crying mid-sob.
“Stop cryin’ and hold still while I take the seat harness off you.”
“Keep still, child,” Changing Man soothed. “We intend you no harm.”
Something in his calm violet eyes told her he spoke the truth. Maybe they didn’t intend to cut her up for experiments. Camryn cast a quick glance at the leopard and her anxiety ramped up again. The feline looked as if it would devour her in a few bites, gobble her up until nothing remained.
“And him?” she croaked, heart fluttering like the starter’s flag in a stiff breeze.
“Ry, back up and leave the woman alone. Shift.” The changing man didn’t seem frightened of the kitty at all.
Camryn held still while the warrior released the restraints holding her in place. Her attention remained on the black leopard. She didn’t like the way the animal stared at her. The leopard curled its top lip and twitched its whiskers. Then, as she watched, the leopard started to blur. The warrior pulled the harness away. Camryn blinked, her spine slamming against the back of the chair. Tension seeped through her, finding an outlet in clawed hands, gripping the armrests. Under her horrified gaze, the leopard transformed to a man wearing tight black trousers and knee-length black boots. Tall and muscular with a wild mass of black hair falling down to his shoulders. A green gaze pinned her in place, studying her just as intently as she examined him. Her heart did a crazy flip, slowing and suddenly galloping into a frenzied beat. For the first time since she’d met Gabriel, she looked at a man in a sexual way, even if fear tinged the curiosity.
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