by Aria Winter
Copyright @ 2021 by Aria Winter & Jade Waltz
Ella and Her Shifters. All rights reserved under International and Pan American Copyright Conventions.
By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen.
No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the written permission of Aria Winter and Jade Waltz except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Published in the United States by Purple Fall Publishing. Purple Fall Publishing and the Purple Fall Publishing Logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Purple Fall Publishing LLC.
Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data
Names: Winter, Aria, author. | Waltz, Jade, author.
Title: Ella And Her Shifters : A Reverse Harem Shifter Romance / Aria Winter & Jade Waltz.
Series: Once Upon a Shifter
Description: Purple Fall Publishing, 2021.
Identifiers: ISBN:
978-1-64253-004-9 (pbk.)
978-1-64253-512-9 (ebook)
978-1-64253-004-9 (audiobook)
Subjects: LCSH Shapeshifting--Fiction. | Magic--Fiction. | Man-woman relationships--Fiction. | Love stories. | Paranormal fiction. | Paranormal romance stories. | Science fiction. | BISAC FICTION / Romance / Paranormal | FICTION / Romance / Science Fiction
Classification: PS3623 .I6675 E45 2021 | DDC 813.6--dc23
Cover Design by Samantha Rose at Rose Cover Designs
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Dedication
To my husband: Thank you for all your love and support. You are not just my husband, you are my best friend and my rock. I love you more than anything.
-Aria Winter
To My Husband,
Thank you for being my support and rock during this writing journey. I love you!
-Jade Waltz
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Ella
Shifters are myths—the villains of every cautionary tale told to children. But not according to my father. He used to claim he knew them, and they were real. He convinced me he could speak to them in their animal forms.
We used to picnic in the forest, and he would pretend to talk to birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and rabbits. I was completely captivated by the tales he’d weave as he supposedly communed with them. I suppose that’s why the forest sitting on the estate has always been a place of wonder and magic for me—a forbidden sanctuary I was no longer allowed to wander.
Once, I even imagined I saw a fox shift into a human, but in a blink of an eye, they were gone.
Now that I am older, I realize that was simply the product of an overactive imagination because I believed in my father’s wild stories of mythical creatures and the humans that had befriended them.
He told me that on my eighteenth birthday, I’d inherit the gift that’s passed down through our bloodline and that I’d be able to speak with them too. It’s been several years since my father passed, leaving me with my stepmother and her two daughters: Mary and Beth. They would think me foolish for coming here today, but they don’t understand the pain of loss like I do.
I suppose I should thank them, however. With all the hard labor they’ve forced me to do over the years, I’ve had very little time to lose myself to my grief. It’s only on days like today where it is especially painful and reminds me that I was born into this world to people who loved me. The only ones who cared, but are now gone.
As I make my way down the overgrown path, following it to the clearing where we used to have our picnics, I do not expect to be able to magically communicate with animals just because today is my eighteenth birthday. No. I come here today simply to honor and remember my father, knowing that if he were alive now, he would probably insist upon us coming here too.
I wore my finest dress. The one made of pale blue fabric that matches my eyes and a golden sash to compliment my light blond hair.
As I pass beneath the great trees of the forest, I speculate that they have been here hundreds of years from their sheer size. Branches thick with leaves weave together overhead, creating a dense canopy that blocks most of the light from the sun.
Some would think it is romantic, being able to hide from the world with their significant other. Perhaps even taking the time to carve their initials in one of the nearby tree trunks. I often wonder how it feels to be in such a relationship like I’ve read in books, to have someone love you so much that they are willing to do anything to make you happy.
But that isn’t my life, nor do I have time to daydream of such things, not when my time is filled doing chores.
Despite the canopy’s near darkness, I am not scared, unlike my stepsisters who fear going even near the forest line. In a way, I feel safe, knowing that they won’t follow me here.
Smiling brightly, I watch the wildlife as they continue with their daily routine as I press on, knowing the clearing is just up ahead.
Although it has been several years, it is precisely as I remember. The wild grass that blankets the ground is spongy beneath my feet from the almost constant rains we’ve had over the past several days. Small, purple flowers dot the landscape. Their sweet fragrance drifting on the cool breeze as I lay out my blanket.
The tattered and worn cloth has seen better days, but it’s the only thing I could find that my stepmother wouldn’t miss. Technically, I’m supposed to be repolishing the floors in the guest wing right now, but I doubt she’ll notice I’m not there. After my father died, she has spent most of her time away from the estate, fraternizing with influential lords, ladies, and all manner of wealthy merchants as she tries to climb the social ladder. I often wonder if my father was just a step or if she had actually loved him.
I want to believe that they were in love.
I’ll have plenty of time to finish my chores once I return, espe
cially since I did some extra ones for a week prior to today, knowing that I would be taking the whole morning off once she left. I usually don’t get a chance to venture out into the forest, so I’m going to make the best of it while I’m here.
It’s my birthday; I deserve to have a small break.
Besides, who’s going to discover me out here?
With a wistful sigh, I pull a wrapped parcel from my dress pocket and carefully unfold the small napkin. A thick slice of bread with honey smeared across the face is the best I could do on short notice for a birthday cake for myself.
I lift it to the sky, wondering if my mother and father are watching over me even now. “Happy birthday to me,” I mutter to no one as I imagine my parents looking down and smiling upon me.
I open my mouth to take a small bite but stop when I notice two chipmunks making their way toward me. Their striped-copper fur bodies fail to hide them against the summer brush, and I’m surprised that they appear so unafraid.
“Why, hello!” I smile brightly at them, pretending as my father once did that I could speak to animals. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
They sit on their back legs and stare up at me with bright green eyes that seem to study me curiously.
“Would you like some bread?”
I break off two small pieces, set them before the chipmunks, and watch as they eagerly begin to eat.
Did the sweet honey scent of my treat attract them? Or was it their curiosity that brought them over?
I don’t ponder it now; I’m just glad that they’re here. My days, typically filled with loneliness, makes me appreciate their company. I lie back on the blanket and pull the small book from my pocket that I’ve been reading of late. It’s nothing new. I have read it several times before, but I always enjoy the story nonetheless. It’s about a girl with an evil stepmother who is a witch. She ends up being saved by a prince in the end, and they get married.
Perhaps that’s why I love this one so much. It’s what I often wish could happen to me. I sigh as I stare up at the puffy white clouds overhead. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could fall in love with the prince, and he’d take me away from my evil stepmother and cherish and protect me for the rest of my life?”
The chipmunks lie on the blanket beside me while I read, chattering to each other. I frown in disappointment that I cannot understand what they’re saying. Part of me had hoped my father wasn’t lying because it would be positively magical if I could communicate with animals.
It’s strange that they trust me so readily, but maybe it’s because I gave them food. I do my best not to disturb them as they curl up next to me. I smile down at them and speak softly. “I’m glad you’re here. I don’t want you to leave. It’s not often that I have company.”
They lift their heads to look up at me, and a man’s voice speaks in my mind. “Then, we will stay.”
Stunned, I blink down at them. Am I going crazy? “Did you... did you just—”
I don’t get to finish my question because a nearby low growl startles me.
I jerk my head up to see a pair of amber eyes blinking at me from the darkness of the forest. Goosebumps prickle my flesh. I cannot make out what kind of creature it is, but it stares at me with a predatory gaze. My heart stops and then begins hammering as the large shadow stalks closer.
Cautiously, I get to my feet. I’m not sure if I should run or stay still. My every nerve ending hums in acute awareness and anticipation, my body primed to fight or to run.
As I struggle with my indecision, ice fills my veins as the predator steps into the clearing. With a thick coat of dark gray fur and a long black tail, it bares two rows of sharp fangs, dripping with saliva. The wolf’s gaze holds mine, its lips pulled back in a feral snarl as a low growl rumbles in its chest.
“You are Ella.” A man’s voice speaks low and menacingly in my head. “You are the one we seek.”
My mouth drifts open. “Are you talking to me?”
“Yes.”
“I—I don’t understand. How are you able to speak in my mind?”
The wolf’s eyes bore into mine as it steps closer.
The chipmunks move in front of me. I watch in shock as they transform into two humans in the blink of an eye.
Instantly, their fur and tails disappear, revealing two handsome men with golden skin and light brown hair. Layers of thick, corded muscle line their arms and legs. They are bare-chested and wearing some sort of loincloth tied loose around their waist. They are taller than any men I’ve seen before, and their shoulders are broad. As my gaze travels over their bodies, I realize that they’re twins. With square jaws, heavy-set brows, and aristocratic features, the only resemblance to their animal form is their green eyes.
Without warning, the wolf lunges toward them.
A scream rips from my throat as their bodies collide with the predator, the crashing sound like an axe splitting wood.
I observe in stunned silence as they fight the wolf. It clamps its jaws around the first one’s arm. He releases an inhuman roar as he punches at its snout to break free. The second man wraps his arms around its chest trying to pull it away from his brother.
The wolf cries out in pain, releasing his hold. I watch in shock as the man wraps his hands on either side of its face and twists.
A horrible crack slices through the air and the wolf goes still, collapsing to the ground in a crumpled heap. I stare in disbelief as its dead body shifts into that of a naked man with dark hair.
I turn my gaze to the two men. Panic fills me as my eyes rake over the many deep cuts and claw marks across their arms and bare chests. Each of them heavily wounded and bleeding. We’re far from the estate and any help. I’m surprised they are still able to stand. Panting heavily, they stare down at their kill in disgust.
“What just—” The rest of my question dies in my throat as one of the men collapses.
Despite my shock, I rush toward him and drop to my knees. I cup his cheek, turning his face to me. “Are you all right?”
His brother kneels beside us, concern evident in his green eyes. “Finn, how badly are you hurt?”
Finn winces as he looks up at his brother. “I... I should be better soon.” He barely manages. “Cash, you need to protect her in case there are more.” He places his hand over mine and closes his eyes as his head falls back.
Panic tightens my chest. I whip my head toward his brother. “We need to find help!”
Cash looks to me, his face lacking the concern that I feel. “He’ll be fine. We just need to find a safe and quiet place for him to recover.”
I blink at him in shock. My gaze darts to the deep cuts that mar Finn’s forearms and chest. Compared to Cash, it’s easy to see that he took most of the blows during the fighting. “He’s heavily injured. We need to get him to a healer. Now.”
Cash meets my eyes evenly. “Trust me. He will heal on his own. He just needs time. Do you have somewhere we can take him? Somewhere safe?”
The way his eyes scan the forest as if looking for any signs of danger sends a chill down my spine. Before he passed out, Finn warned there could be more wolves. I certainly don’t want to stay here to find out if he was right. Swallowing thickly, I push down my fear and force myself to focus. “Yes. We should go back to the estate.”
“Lead the way.” Cash carries Finn’s unconscious form as he follows behind me. I’m surprised by his strength and how easily he keeps pace with me despite his heavy burden.
I call out over my shoulder, “When we get there, I’ll send for the town’s healer.”
Cash shakes his head. “That won’t be necessary. He will heal. We just need somewhere safe for him to do it.”
I give him a wary look as we make our way out of the forest and back up the path to the estate. “I can’t help but notice you keep saying we need to get somewhere ‘safe.’ What do you mean? Are you worried there are more—” I pause, struggling to find the right word to describe what I saw, finally I settle upon “creatures lik
e that wolfman back in the woods.”
“Yes,” Cash replies, his face hardening. “That, or something much worse.”
“There are worse things than that?” I ask incredulously.
“Unfortunately, there are. But you do not have to worry Ella. We will protect you.”
“You will?” I hate the small squeak in my voice as I ask, but I’m still so shaken by what I just witnessed, I cannot help it.
“Yes,” he replies solemnly. “With our lives.”
A disturbing realization hits me. I meet his gaze evenly. “How do you know my name? And why aren’t you more worried about your brother?”
A grin tilts his lips. “Trust me. He’s been injured far worse than this and recovered just fine. And as for your name... we came here to find you.”
I blink at him, astonished. “Why me?”
“It’s... a lot to explain,” he says, and I note the hesitation in his tone. “Once we’re somewhere safe, I promise I will tell you everything.”
“All right.” Strange as it may seem, I trust him. After all, he and his brother saved my life. If they hadn’t intervened, I’d probably be dead right now. And if they had meant me any harm, they could have done whatever they wanted to me in the forest. No one would have ever known.
I glance back over my shoulder again at Cash, carrying his brother. Myriad questions run through my mind but they’ll have to wait for later. Right now, I just want to get as far away from the woods as possible and hope nothing follows us.
