Royal Mate

by Juniper Hart

  “It’s not often you meet girls your age who aren’t about drinking and partying,” Ever continued, and Sarah was sure her face was purple with embarrassment.

  “I’m sure there are many girls our age who aren’t about drinking and partying,” she said, thinking of some of her own friends in Boulder.

  “Not around here,” he said. His eyes bored into her face with such intensity that Sarah had to press her lips together to hold back a gasp.

  She felt like he was literally looking inside her head, as if he could read her like a book, and it both fascinated and terrified her.

  Sasha appeared with her drink, notepad poised to take their orders, and Ever was forced to look away and address the server. However, Sarah could not shake away the feeling that he had reached into her soul and squeezed it with a mere look.

  The following morning, Sarah arrived at work before even Justine. She wanted to prepare herself for seeing both Lexa and Ever.

  I should not have stayed there last night, she scolded herself. I owe them and the other couple an apology.

  Despite the knowledge that she had been doing the wrong thing by remaining there, especially when the attraction she had toward Ever was so strong, she hadn’t been able to bring herself to leave.

  Oddly, Lexa had been completely at ease with her presence, adding her to the conversation as if they had been friends forever. By the end of the night, Sarah had been wracked with shame. How could she be genuinely nice to her when all she wanted to do was to rip off her boyfriend’s clothes with her teeth?

  A car pulled up to the store, and Sarah turned to see Justine through the windshield. Her usual sunny disposition seemed clouded over as she exited the car with a scowl on her face.

  “Good morning,” Sarah offered tentatively, but Justine shook her head.

  “It’s not,” she replied shortly. “Both Ever and Lexa called in sick today. It looks like we’re on our own, Sarah.”

  Sarah gazed after the manager, her mouth parting slightly. Did they call in sick because of me? Both of them? Are they fighting because of me?

  She had no way of knowing if they were truly sick—which she doubted—or if they had just wanted to avoid seeing her, but the knot growing in her stomach told her that something was amiss.

  What did I get myself in the middle of?

  If her first day had gone excruciatingly slow, the second day was a thousand times worse. If possible, it seemed the customers were more cheerful, and Justine was out in the arbor, tending to the firs themselves.

  Sarah could do little else but overthink the meaning behind Ever and Lexa’s absence that day.

  Maybe they are just hung over, she thought, or maybe they eloped.

  Dozens of terrible possibilities flowed through her mind, and by the time closing time came around, Sarah was a nervous wreck.

  “I hate to do this to you on your second day,” Justine said, shaking her head in regret. “But I have to pick up the kids from their dad’s house, and he’s being unreasonable. Ever and Lexa were supposed to close tonight, but you’re going to have to do it.”

  Sarah gaped at her. “Me?” she echoed. “I have no idea how to close!”

  “I know,” Justine sighed. “Look, just… just do your best. Please? There’s a list of duties in the stock room, and you don’t need to do the till—I’ll bring it home with me and do it tonight. Obviously, inventory will have to wait until morning. Mostly it’s just cleaning and locking up. I’m leaving my key for you on the counter, and I will come by your house in the morning to get it, since we’re closed on Sundays.”

  Sarah gulped back her protests and nodded meekly. There was no point in arguing. The circumstances were beyond her control; Justine wasn’t doing it as a punishment, no matter how much it felt like it.

  “Okay,” she said. “That’s fine.”

  Justine cast her a pitiful look.

  “It will be fine,” she said confidently. “If I thought you were unable to do it, I wouldn’t have hired you.”

  She flashed Sarah a smile, and Sarah resisted the urge to remind her that she had only given her the job because her father had probably begged her to do so.

  The front door closed with the jingle of a hanging bell after Justine walked out of the store, and Sarah looked around the finally quiet shop. She released a soft breath, realizing that it was quite peaceful when it was only her: the decorations did not seem as offensive without the blinking lights and the accompanying holiday music piping through the speakers.

  For a moment, Sarah felt relatively comfortable.

  The feeling dissipated when her eyes fell on the closing list.

  Are you kidding me? I’m going to be here all night! she thought mournfully, gazing at the chores. As Justine had said, it was only half of what needed to be done, but for one person, it was still a feat.

  I better get to work, she decided, silently cursing Ever and Lexa for dragging her into whatever mess they had between them and leaving her alone to deal with this on her own.

  Sarah had broken a sweat by the time she opened the front door to sweep the debris of the floor outside onto the dirt yard. Night had just fallen, the sky a light bluish-pink as the stars poked out to accent the moon.

  Sarah paused and wiped back the hair on her face with her fingers, staring up at the sky. The moon was intensely bright and hanging low.

  Ah, yes, she remembered. The super moon is coming. It’s a full moon tonight.

  As if on cue, a low howl emanated from the arbor, and Sarah tensed instinctively.

  Even though she knew she was in no real danger, the… coyote, wolf, or whatever animals had let that howl, sounded much closer than she would have liked.

  Sarah pivoted, broom in hand, her eyes carefully scanning the treeline to ensure she was not being stalked by a hungry scavenger.

  There had been rumors, urban legends that had withstood the test of time about creatures roaming about in Wenatchee National Forest, but Sarah had never paid them any mind.

  Not really.

  A glimmer of light caught her attention as a flurry of movement rustled the pines. Her heart hammered dangerously in her chest, and Sarah swallowed, rushing back into the shop and slamming the door behind her.

  She fell up against the door and steadied her nerves, waiting for the irrational panic to pass.

  “What are you doing?”

  A figure suddenly appeared in the doorway to the stock room, and Sarah let out a scream.

  It was only until the figure ambled toward her that Sarah recognized him.

  “Ever,” she gasped, shaking her head. “When in the world did you get here?”

  “Jumpy?” Ever asked with a laugh, drawing close to her.

  Sarah flushed at his nearness, wishing that she could regain control of her emotions, but she felt hot and dizzy, like she was about to faint.

  “When did you get here?” she repeated. “I didn’t see you come in.”

  “You were staring up at the moon,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders. “I didn’t want to distract you.”

  “What are you doing here?” Sarah asked him. “I thought you were sick.”

  Ever ran his tongue over his teeth and peered at her with burning eyes.

  “Justine called to give me an earful,” he said. “She told me you were here alone, so I thought I would come by and see how you’re doing.”

  Sarah’s cheeks were stained pink as he stepped even closer to her.

  “Are you okay?” he asked tenderly, and Sarah shook her head. She knew this was wrong, she was fully aware she shouldn’t be allowing this to happen, but her body felt like it was on fire.

  He’s with Lexa, she tried to remind herself. I have no right to feel this way about him.

  Ever’s face seemed to be closer to her own with each passing second, and her attraction to him was so strong that if he kissed her right now, she wouldn’t be able to hold herself back any longer.

  Before she could realize it, Sarah asked him, “Wh
at about Lexa?”

  Ever seemed taken aback by the question, as if he hadn’t heard her. “What about her?”

  Sarah forced herself to take a step back, confusion and anger flooding through her at the same time. Lexa had been incredibly nice to her, and she did not deserve this.

  “What do you mean, what about her? Aren’t you worried she’ll find out about this?”

  “Why should that worry me?” Ever responded, and Sarah felt her anger turning into fury. Was he used to being with more than one girl at once? Was it something he enjoyed?

  “Well, aren’t you guys together?” she demanded, knowing that she wouldn’t like his answer.

  To her utter surprise, though, Ever’s expression became perplexed, and then realization seemed to hit him. He let out a small chuckle and shook his head.

  “Lexa is my cousin,” he told her, and Sarah suddenly felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. “She’s the closest thing to a sister I’ll ever have.”

  “Oh, my God,” she breathed out, exhaling in relief as a fit of giggles overtook her. “Oh, my God, I thought you were—”

  Ever laughed as well, closing the distance Sarah had put between them. Sarah raised her head to look at him with hopeful eyes, and when he started to lean forward again, she closed her lids, anticipating his kiss.

  Ever tasted as delicious as Sarah had imagined, and she moaned lightly, her fingers softly grasping Ever’s waist as he guided her towards the closed door of the store, pushing her against it. His palms reached out to touch her heaving breasts, and Sarah sighed into his mouth.

  “You are beautiful,” he breathed, his words short and punctuated by kisses that worked their way down the curve of her throat, toward the vee of her t-shirt.

  Sarah wrenched off her top and bra, allowing him to explore the tight skin of her chest, tongue lolling about her flesh slowly but hotly. She bit on her lip, her fingers threading through his dark mane of hair as he slid lower across her belly.

  Ever yanked down on her shorts, and she stepped out of them and pulled down her underwear as his face nuzzled the skin between her thighs.

  Suddenly, Ever pulled her legs up over his shoulders, and Sarah gasped as her back slid up against the wood door, Ever’s face firmly in her core, his mouth wrapped around her nub of nerves. His kisses were urgent and hard, luring her to the brink of climax with teasing, pointed movements.

  Sarah’s legs clenched against his ears, squeezing his head as her body began to quiver with delight. A low, feral cry escaped her, and gushes of warmth flowed fast and furiously through her.

  Ever reached up, delicately balancing her waist to bring her back to his eye level, but Sarah locked her legs around his hips, rubbing her wet nakedness against him with longing. Ever undid his pants to let his shaft free, sliding it against her core before thrusting into her with one smooth, swift motion.

  Sarah clenched around him, driving her hips forward to meet his thrusts. She relished his groans of pleasure, each noise he emitted driving her closer to the brink again. Her nails dug into his broad back, clinging for balance and posterity, because she never wanted him to stop.

  Ever’s motions grew rougher, piercing through her with precision, and Sarah squealed as she released again.

  Inside her, his rigid member grew harder, and she could sense he was close to his own climax. In seconds, Ever sighed, his fingers bruising her buttocks as he drove himself home, burying his face in her neck and filling her with his orgasm.

  They were shaking, even though they were spent, and Sarah gasped as she tried to catch her breath.

  Ever gently dropped her legs to the ground, and then they both immediately collapsed to the ground, Ever’s arms around her and Sarah’s hands resting on his chest.

  Sarah remembered how anxious she had been, thinking that Ever and Lexa were together and that she was getting between them. She would’ve saved herself so much suffering if she had only thought of asking rather than jumping to conclusions, and she couldn’t help laughing at her own stupidity.

  “I feel like an idiot,” she mumbled, but Ever grabbed her hand and tipped her face upward to look at him.

  “Don’t,” he told her, knowing what she was referring to. “Because there is something you should know before we let this go any further.”

  Sarah’s heart fluttered at the ominous words, but she could not deny that she was tickled he was considering a future with her.

  So, he does feel the connection between us, too, she thought, relieved.

  “You can tell me,” she assured him. “I can handle it. I would prefer if we were truthful with each other, rather than me running around making up things in my head.”

  Ever stared at her for a long moment before slowly rising to his feet, his hand still around hers. Without a word, he helped her up, guiding her toward the front door, and Sarah glanced back at her discarded outfit.

  “My clothes—” she started to say, but Ever shook his head, smiling.

  “You won’t need them where we’re going,” he told her, and a combination of fear and excitement hit Sarah as he looked into her eyes. “Are you sure you’re ready?” he asked.

  Sarah nodded, although she was not sure she was.

  He opened the door, and she cried out, taking a step back.

  The yard was filled with wolves in various colors and sizes, their eyes glowing like hot coals against the night.

  “Would you like to come with us?” Ever asked, and when Sarah turned to him to ask him what he meant, she watched in awe as he transformed into a wolf like the ones before her, his black fur gleaming against the pale light of the moon.

  A grey and black lupine stepped forward from the pack, slightly bowing its head. With only a glance, Sarah realized that she was staring at Lexa, and she was no longer afraid of what awaited her if she went with them.

  It is true, she thought, her mind going back to the words Sylvie had spoken in MJ’s room. They do exist.

  Come with us, Sarah, Lexa called out, but her voice was only inside Sarah’s head. We will bring you back.

  Sarah glanced back at Ever and slowly nodded her head.

  It looked like she would have a story to tell her sisters at Kappa Mu Pi, after all.

  THE END

  Click Here to Read the Entire Shifter Pursuit Series

  4

  Shifter Pursuit Series: Night Out

  Swipe left, swipe left, swipe left…

  Beth groaned and tossed her iPhone onto the table, causing her younger sister to glance up from her salad.

  “What’s wrong?” Cara asked, but Beth forced a smile and shook her long, blonde waves disarmingly.

  “Nothing,” she replied, her thick southern drawl accentuating her words. “It’s nothing to get worked up over, anyway.”

  Cara returned to her meal, and Beth glanced around, her blue eyes scanning the restaurant for anything to give her salvation. She was aching to go, to be taken out somewhere, and there was not a single prospect in sight.

  “Beth, sit still!” Cara complained. “You’re making me sick with all your squirming!”

  Beth tried to oblige, despite the fact that she could barely contain herself. “Let’s go out tonight,” she announced suddenly. “Veil?”

  Cara glanced up again, her green eyes brightening with interest. “Are you going to sneak me in?” she asked, sitting back in her chair and folding her arms over her chest.

  Beth bit on her lower lip, wondering if she was thinking straight or if she was just letting her hormones get the best of her.

  “Why not?” she replied, offering her sister a smile. “Anyway, are you really going to pretend you don’t have a fake ID? I know you’ve been using Crystal Price’s since you were juniors in high school.”

  “All right!” Cara agreed with a laugh, and Beth joined in. “But if we get caught, you’ll need to be my lawyer.”

  “It’s a deal,” Beth answered.

  She had worked hard for the last three years, and she h
ad every right to enjoy her break while it lasted. Nothing was wrong with taking her sister out for a forbidden night in Austin. No one would be the wiser.

  Then again, Cara wasn’t the only reason Beth wanted to go out somewhere. She had been back in Texas for two months, and she was starting to find herself restless. She knew that she needed a distraction before she exploded.

  Back in Colorado, her life was occupied from dawn to midnight between her course load, work, and extra-curricular activities. Austin didn’t provide the same kind of stimulation that her college life did.

  More the reason for me to take my own action, she reasoned. And Cara will have a good time. Lord knows, Mama and Daddy must be driving her up the wall without me as a buffer.

  Beth reached for her phone again and opened the dating app.

  Swipe left, swipe left, swipe… right?

  She paused and paid close attention to the ethereal face on the screen before her. August Vega, as his name read, was not handsome in the typical southern gentleman way. He lacked a certain arrogance, but his tanned face exuded a sublime confidence, his green eyes an eerily clear yet penetrative stare.

  Are his eyes green?

  Beth drew the phone closer to her face. In a particular light, the man’s eyes seemed violet, but of course that was crazy—purple wasn’t a normal eye color… was it?

  “What are you staring at?” Cara asked, craning her neck to look.

  Swipe right.

  “Nothing,” Beth lied, shutting off the screen and turning back to her own lunch. “I was just seeing if I could get us on the guest list at Veil.”

  “Oh, yes! Bottle service!” Cara squealed happily, but Beth barely heard her, her mind still focused on the alluring stranger with whom she had just attempted to match.

  He will do just fine, she chuckled to herself. Hello, August Vega. I am looking forward to being very good friends.

  “Some man is outside honking his horn like a damned fool!” their mother announced as she entered Beth’s room.